JP2014023913A - Server device for providing game and game program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a server device and a game program that can enhance the strategic feature for obtaining a reward in a game, which provides a player with the reward if a predetermined event occurs in response to an operation to a game character by the player.SOLUTION: A server device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention provides a game to client devices 30 via a network 20. The server device 10 includes: a reception unit 54 to receive an event determination requirement containing game character designation information for designating specified game characters selected by a player from among game characters in a game screen; an event occurrence determination unit 55 to determine whether a predetermined event occurs for each of the specified game characters; and a reward providing unit 56 to provide the player with a reward if it is determined that the event occurs for two or more game characters of the specified game characters.

Description

  The present invention relates to a server device and a game program that provide a game.

  Among various types of social games, farm simulation games in which players manage virtual farms assigned to them are gaining popularity. Generally, in a farm simulation game, various activities in an actual farm are simulated. For example, crop seeding, watering, harvesting, sales of harvested crops, use of farm tools, and purchase of farm tools are simulated. In addition, a function for promoting exchanges between players, such as a function for exchanging messages with other players, is often implemented. As farm simulation games, “FarmVille” provided by Zynga Game Network, Inc (see Non-Patent Document 1) and “Farm Farm Hoccorina” provided by the present applicant (see Non-Patent Document 2) are known.

  In some farm simulation games, game characters imitating animals may appear in each player's farm. For example, such a game character is displayed in the game screen in association with the farm product when the farm product can be harvested. In some farm simulation games, in order to promote exchanges between players, the player can also provide animals to other players' farms (sometimes called "release"). In many farm simulation games, when a game character appearing on the farm is “captured” by the player, a reward such as in-game currency is given to the player. Whether or not the game character “capture” succeeds is normally determined randomly according to a predetermined probability. When determining whether or not “capture” is successful, different probabilities may be applied depending on game items such as a capture net selected by the user.

“FarmVille”, [online], Zynga Game Network, Inc, [searched July 27, 2012], Internet <http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/?redirecting_zy_session_expired=1&> “Honokkorina”, [online], DeNA Co., Ltd. [searched July 27, 2012], Internet <http://www.facebook.com/Hokkorina?_from=fb_fm>

  In the conventional farm simulation game, a reward is given to the player based on the total number of animals captured by the player. In this case, the rational strategy for maximizing the reward for the player is to capture the animals that have appeared on their farm as soon as possible. In this way, in the conventional farm simulation game, the strategy that the player can take with respect to capturing the appearing game character is limited to one, so the game character capture is monotonous and easily bored. .

Such a problem is not limited to the farm simulation game. In response to an operation on the game character appearing in the game space, it is determined whether an event (for example, capture) associated with the game character is successful, Accordingly, the game is common to all games in which a reward is given to the player. That is, it is determined whether or not a predetermined event occurs for the game character selected by the player, and in a game where a reward is given to the player when the event occurs, the reward is acquired. Is lacking in interest because of its limited strategy.

  Various embodiments of the present invention provide a strategy for acquiring a reward in a game in which a reward is given to the player when a predetermined event occurs in response to an operation on the game character by the player. A server device and a game program that can be enhanced are provided.

  A server device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a server device that provides a game to a client device via a network, and includes one or more game characters included in a game screen displayed on the client device. A reception unit for receiving an event determination request including game character specifying information for specifying one or a plurality of specific game characters selected in accordance with an operation of the client device by a player, and responding to the reception of the event determination request An event occurrence determination unit that determines whether or not a predetermined event occurs for each of the specific game characters specified by the game character specifying information, and a specific game character specified by the game character specifying information Before two or more of the game characters If the event is determined to occur, and a reward giving unit for giving a reward to the player.

As described above, in the server device according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is determined that a predetermined event (for example, capture of a game character) occurs for two or more game characters among the specific game characters selected by the player. In this case, a reward is given to the player. Note that this reward is awarded when a predetermined event occurs for two or more game characters in response to one event determination request. In one aspect of the present invention, a reward can be given to a player even when an event occurs only for one game character in response to one event determination request. This is different from the reward in the present invention that is given when an event occurs for two or more game characters in response to a determination request.

In this way, by giving a reward to the player in response to the occurrence of an event for two or more game characters selected by the player, the player has many strategies that can be taken to acquire the reward. Become. For example, assuming that the probability of occurrence of a capture event for each game character is 1/3, when a player selects two game characters for capture, the probability of occurrence of capture events for two or more game characters (that is, reward) Is 1/9 (= 3/27). When the player selects three game characters for capture, the probability that a capture event will occur for two or more of the selected three game characters is 7/27. When four game characters are selected for capture, the probability that a capture event will occur for two or more of the selected four game characters is 11/27. Thus, the probability that a reward can be obtained increases as the number of game characters selected by the player increases. On the other hand, in order to select many game characters for capture, it is necessary to wait until many game characters appear in the game space. Therefore, the strategies that the player can take are more diverse than in the conventional game. For example, when two game characters are displayed, the player can select the two game characters, or wait for the appearance of the third and subsequent game characters and select three or more game characters. You can also. As described above, since the probability of obtaining a reward varies depending on the number of game characters selected, the player makes a strategic decision in terms of how many game characters are selected for the capture event. In addition, when a large number of game characters appear on the game screen, the probability of obtaining a reward increases. Therefore, the player is encouraged to take an action to increase the number of game characters displayed on the game screen. .

  In one aspect of the present invention, the event occurrence probability for the game character may be changed according to the game item selected by the player. This game item includes an electronic capture net, a capture basket, or various other game items. For example, when a game item is not used, the event occurrence probability for each game character is 1/3, and when the capture network is used, the event occurrence probability is 2/3, and a capture trap is used. The occurrence probability of the event can be 1/1 (100%). In this way, by applying different occurrence probabilities depending on the game item selected by the player, the player has more abundant strategies for acquiring rewards. For example, if you have a game item that can increase the probability of occurrence of an event, the number of game characters that appear in the game screen is at least likely to earn rewards. The strategy of selecting two game characters without waiting for the appearance of the game character is also rational.

  A game program according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a display character determination process for determining one or a plurality of game characters included in a game screen on a computer; a game screen display process for displaying the game screen on a client device; Generating game character specifying information for specifying one or more specific game characters selected in accordance with an operation of the client device by a player from one or more game characters included in the game screen displayed on the client device Whether or not a predetermined event occurs for each of the specific game characters specified by the game character specifying information in response to the generation of the game character specifying information. Event occurrence determination processing to determine, If the event for two or more game characters of the specific game character that is specified by finely the game character identification information is determined to occur, reward giving process of giving a reward to the player, thereby to execute.

  According to various embodiments of the present invention, in a game in which a reward is given to a player when a predetermined event occurs in response to an operation on the game character by the player, a strategy for acquiring the reward is provided. A server device and a game program that can be enhanced are provided.

The block diagram which shows roughly the architecture of the server apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention The block diagram which shows notionally the architecture of the client apparatus connected to the server apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention The block diagram which shows the function of the server apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. An example of a game screen displayed on a client device in an embodiment of the present invention The flowchart which shows the outline | summary of the process which determines the reward to the player which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. An example of a game screen displayed on a client device in an embodiment of the present invention The block diagram which shows the function of the client apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the outline | summary of the process which determines the reward to the player which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In addition, the same referential mark is attached | subjected to the same component in drawing.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a game system in one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an online game server device 10 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “server device 10”) according to an embodiment of the present invention has a communication function via a communication network 20 such as the Internet. , 30-N (hereinafter, may be collectively referred to as “client device 30”).

  The server device 10 includes a CPU 11, a main memory 12, a user I / F 13, a communication I / F 14, an external memory 15, and a disk drive 16, as shown in the figure. Are electrically connected to each other. The CPU 11 loads various programs for controlling the progress of the operating system and the online game from the external memory 15 to the main memory 12, and executes instructions included in the loaded programs. The main memory 12 is used for storing a program executed by the CPU 11, and is constituted by a DRAM, for example.

  The user I / F 13 includes, for example, an information input device such as a keyboard and a mouse that accepts operator input, and an information output device such as a liquid crystal display that outputs the calculation results of the CPU 11. The communication I / F 14 is implemented as hardware, firmware, communication software such as a TCP / IP driver or PPP driver, or a combination thereof, and is configured to be able to communicate with the client device 30 via the communication network 20.

  The external memory 15 is composed of, for example, a magnetic disk drive, and stores various programs such as a control program for controlling the progress of the online game. The external memory 15 can also store various data used in the game. Part or all of the data stored in the external memory 15 may be communicably connected to the server device 10 and stored in a database server physically separate from the server device 10.

  The disk drive 16 reads data stored in various storage media such as CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and DVD-R, or writes data to these storage media. For example, data such as game applications and game data stored in the storage medium is read by the disk drive 16 and installed in the external memory 15.

  In one embodiment, the server device 10 is a web server that manages a website composed of a plurality of web pages having a hierarchical structure, and can provide a game service to the client device 30. The browser software provided in the client device 30 acquires HTML data for displaying a web page from the server device 10, analyzes the acquired HTML data, and displays the web page as a user of the client device 30 (game player). ) Can be presented. A game provided via a web page displayed by such browser software may be referred to as a browser game. HTML data for displaying the web page can also be stored in the external memory 15. HTML data consists of an HTML document described in a markup language such as HTML, and various images can be associated with the HTML document using tags. A program written in a script language such as ActionScript or JavaScript (registered trademark) can be embedded in the HTML document.

  The external memory 15 can also store game applications that are executed in the client device 30 in an execution environment other than browser software. The game application can include various data such as a game program for executing the game and image data referred to when the game program is executed. The game program is created in an object-oriented programming language such as Objective-C or Java (registered trademark). The created game program is stored in the external memory 15 as application software together with various data. The application software stored in the external memory 15 is distributed to the client device 30 in response to the distribution request. The application software distributed from the server device 10 is received by the client device 30 via the communication I / F 34 under the control of the CPU 31, and the received game program is transmitted and stored in the external memory 35. This application software is activated in response to an operation of the client device 30 by the player, and is executed on a platform such as NgCore (trademark) or Android (trademark) installed in the client device 30. The server device 10 provides various data necessary for the progress of the game to the game application executed on the client device 30. Further, the server device 10 can manage the progress of the game for each player by storing various data transmitted from the client device 30 for each player.

  As described above, the server device 10 can manage the website that provides the game service, and can advance the game by distributing the web pages constituting the website in response to a request from the client device 30. . Further, the server device 10 can advance the game by communicating various data used in the game with the game application executed on the client device 30. The server device 10 can store data necessary for the progress of the game for each piece of identification information (described later) for identifying each player, regardless of which mode the game is provided. The games provided by the server device 10 include arbitrary games such as farm simulation games, action games, role-playing games, baseball games, and card games. The types of games realized by the website of the server device 10 or the game application are not limited to those specified in this specification.

  In one embodiment, the client device 30 is an arbitrary information processing device capable of displaying a web page of a game website acquired from the server device 10 on a web browser. For example, the client device 30 is for a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a game Includes but is not limited to consoles, personal computers, touchpads, and e-book readers. In another embodiment, the client device 30 is an arbitrary information processing device in which an application execution environment for executing a game application is installed.

  The architecture of the client device 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually showing the architecture of the client device 30. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the client device 30 includes a CPU 31, a main memory 32, a user I / F 33, a communication I / F 34, and an external memory 35. These components are electrically connected to each other via a bus 36. Connected.

  The CPU 31 loads various programs such as an operating system from the external memory 35 into the main memory 32, and executes instructions included in the loaded program. The main memory 32 is used for storing a program executed by the CPU 31, and is constituted by a DRAM, for example.

  The user I / F 33 includes, for example, an information input device such as a touch panel that accepts an input from a player (user), a keyboard, a button, and a mouse, and an information output device such as a liquid crystal display that outputs a calculation result of the CPU 31. The communication I / F 34 is implemented as hardware, firmware, communication software such as a TCP / IP driver or PPP driver, or a combination thereof, and is configured to be able to communicate with the server device 10 via the communication network 20.

  The external memory 35 is composed of, for example, a magnetic disk drive or a flash memory, and stores various programs such as an operating system. Further, when a game application is received from the server device 10 via the communication I / F 34, the external memory 35 stores the received game application.

  The client device 30 having such an architecture includes, for example, browser software for interpreting an HTML file (HTML data) and displaying it on the screen, and the HTML acquired from the server device 10 by the function of the browser software. The web page corresponding to the received HTML data can be displayed by interpreting the data. In one embodiment, the client device 30 includes plug-in software (for example, Flash Player provided by Adobe Systems) (FLASH is a trademark) embedded in browser software, and is embedded in HTML data. A SWF format file can be acquired from the server device 10, and the SWF format file can be executed using browser software and plug-in software.

  When the game is executed, for example, an animation or an operation icon instructed by the program is displayed on the screen of the client device 30. The player can input an instruction to advance the game using an input interface (for example, a touch screen or a button) of the client device 30. The instruction input from the player is transmitted to the server apparatus 10 through a browser function of the client apparatus 30 and a platform function such as NgCore (trademark).

  Next, functions of the server device 10 realized by the components shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the server device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the server device 10 according to the present embodiment includes a game progress control unit 51, a display character determination unit 52, a display data providing unit 53, a reception unit 54, an event occurrence determination unit 55, And a reward granting unit 56. Although a detailed description is omitted, the server device 10 includes an authentication processing unit that performs authentication processing of the player at the start of the game, a charging processing unit that performs charging processing that occurs as the game progresses, and / or Arbitrary functions necessary for the progress of the game can be provided. Also, some of the functions shown in FIG. 3 can be omitted. These functions are realized by loading a predetermined program into the main memory 12 under the control of the CPU 11, and the CPU 11 executing an operation based on a command of the program.

The game progress control unit 51 can control the progress of the game for each player by transmitting and receiving various data necessary for the progress of the game to and from the client device 30 and managing such data for each player. . For example, the game progress control unit 51 can sequentially transmit web pages that constitute a website that provides game services to the client device 30 in response to a request from the client device 30. Specifically, HTML data corresponding to a request from the client device 30 is transmitted to the client device 30, the HTML data is interpreted in the client device 30, and a web page corresponding to the HTML data is provided in the client device 30. Appears on the display. When the player selects a hyperlink on the web page displayed on the client device 30, the game progress control unit 51 transmits new HTML data corresponding to the hyperlink to the client device 30. On the client device 30, a web page based on the new HTML data is displayed. Thus, the web pages stored in the server device 10 are sequentially provided to the client device 30 in accordance with the operation of the player, so that the player can advance the game through the operation of the client device 30. In addition, the game progress control unit 51 receives information about various parameter values used in the game from the client device 30 (number of game points acquired, acquired game items, information on crops planted in the farm, etc.) Various information related to the progress can be acquired, and the acquired information can be stored in the external memory 15 so as to be readable. Thereby, the game progress control unit 51 can appropriately read information necessary for the game progress from the external memory 15 and perform control based on the information.

  When a game application is executed on the client device 30, the game progress control unit 51 can transmit various data used in the game to the game application. Further, the client device 30 can appropriately transmit various information related to the progress of the game to the server device 10 by using the function of the browser software or the game application.

  The game progress control unit 51 can control the progress of a game for each player by storing information related to the progress of the game received from the plurality of client devices 30 for each player. Thus, when the player logs in to the server device 10 using his / her ID, the player's progress is determined based on the information about the progress of the game associated with the player held in the server device 10. The game is resumed from the last scene (for example, the scene just before the interruption). As will be described later, information necessary for the progress of the game can be managed by various functions of the server device 10 in addition to the game progress control unit 51.

  Various games are provided to the client device 30 by the server device 10. An example of a game to which the present invention is applicable provided by the server device 10 is a farm simulation game. As described above, the farm simulation game simulates various activities in an actual farm such as sowing seeds, watering, harvesting, selling harvested crops, raising livestock, and / or purchasing farm equipment. The In a general farm simulation game, a farm of a predetermined size is assigned to each player. The farm is divided into a plurality of sections, and the player can plant crops and trees in each section. Agricultural crops and trees grow with the passage of time, and become harvestable after a predetermined time set for each crop or tree. The player can obtain rewards such as game points by harvesting crops that can be harvested or fruits that have become trees. In each section of the plantation, not only harvestable items but also fences, ornamental monuments, and / or other structures can be installed. The present applicant provides a farm simulation game called “Farm Farm Hoccorina” on the Mobage (registered trademark) platform.

  A plurality of client devices 30 can access the server device 10 simultaneously. Accordingly, the server device 10 can provide the same kind of game to the plurality of client devices 30 at the same time. Players playing the same kind of game can interact with each other using a message function or the like implemented in the game. When the server device 10 provides a farm simulation game, one player can provide (release) a game character captured in his / her farm to another farm. In this way, the player can interact with other players through the provision of game characters.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, one or more game characters may be displayed on the game screen displayed on the client device 30. FIG. 4 shows an example of a game screen displayed on the client device 30 when the present invention is applied to a farm simulation game. As shown in the figure, the game screen 400 shows a simulated farm divided into 4 rows and 5 columns. The player can operate the client device 30 to select a desired section, and can sow, water, harvest, and / or perform other simulated farming operations in the section. In FIG. 4, a section 402 shows a section that has been cultivated but has not yet been planted with crops. This cultivated section 402 can be planted with seeds or seedlings of crops, flowers, or trees (hereinafter referred to as “agricultural crops”). A section 404 indicates a section immediately after the crop is planted. In the section 404, crops in a seedling state are shown. When the seedling is planted and a predetermined time has elapsed, the seedling grows and can be harvested. A section 406 indicates a section where there is a crop that can be harvested in this manner.

  The “game character” in this specification refers to any electronic character displayed on the game screen. A character imitating an animal displayed on the game screen in the farm simulation game described above is merely an example of a game character used in the present invention. An electronic card in a card game can also be included in the game character.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, a game character is displayed in association with a part of crops that can be harvested. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, game characters 410 and 412 are displayed in association with the harvestable crops present in the section 408. The game to which the present invention is applied is configured to be able to display two or more game characters in the game screen. The game characters 410 and 412 simulating animals shown in FIG. 4 are examples of game characters, and the game characters in this specification are not limited to those illustrated in FIG. The game character can take various forms depending on the content of the game and the world view. The game character can be displayed on the client device 30 in any mode that can be selected by the operation of the player.

  Various attributes are set for each game character. The attributes of the game character can be managed by the server device 10. The attributes of the game character include information indicating the type of game character (if the game character is an animal, information specifying the type of animal such as a squirrel, monkey, bird, mole, etc.) Information indicating the display color (eg, display based on blue, display based on red, display based on yellow, etc.) and / or gender of the game character (male if the game character is an animal) -Information specifying which of the females is included), but the attributes applicable to the present invention are not limited to these.

  One or more game characters displayed in such a game screen are determined by the display character determination unit 52. An appearance condition is set for each game character, and the display character determination unit 52 determines a corresponding game character as a game character to be displayed on the game screen when the appearance condition is satisfied. For example, the appearance condition may be that a specific crop (for example, pumpkin) can be harvested. Further, the specific crop may be a crop obtained by growing seeds obtained when a game character is provided from another player. The display character determination unit 52 determines, for example, whether or not to make the game character appear on the game screen based on the appearance probability set for the game character when the appearance condition of a predetermined game character is satisfied. can do. The display character determination unit 52 can also determine in which section of the farm the game character is displayed.

  In one embodiment, the display character determination unit 52 can determine to display a game character provided by another player on the game screen. For example, when a request for providing a specific game character from player A to player B is received by server device 10, display character determination unit 52 displays the game screen of player B based on the request, It is possible to determine to display the game character provided from the player A. In this specification, a game character provided from one player to another player may be referred to as an “AC game character”.

  The display data providing unit 53 can provide the client device 30 with display data for displaying the game character determined by the display character determining unit 52. The display data includes, for example, identification information for identifying a game character displayed on the game screen, information for specifying the display position of the game character in the game screen, and / or other game characters displayed on the game screen. Information necessary to do so may be included. The display data for displaying the game character is provided to the client device 30 in association with the components of the game screen other than the game character (in the example of FIG. 4, an image of a fence installed at the boundary of the farm). Alternatively, the client device 30 may be provided separately.

  The client device 30 that has acquired the display data for displaying the game character from the server device 10 displays the game character in the game screen based on the acquired display data. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, two game characters 410 and 412 are displayed in the game screen based on the acquired display data. The player can operate the client device 30 to select both or one of the two game characters 410 and 412 and “capture” the selected game character. Specifically, the game character displayed in the contacted area can be selected in response to the player touching the area where the game characters 410 and 412 are displayed on the display of the client device 30. . The selection of the game character can be performed via various input devices other than the touch panel provided in the client device 30.

  In the present specification, among the game characters displayed by the client device 30, the game character selected by the player may be referred to as a “specific game character”. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, when the player selects only the game character 410, the game character 410 is a specific game character, and the player selects both the game character 410 and the game character 412. Both the game character 410 and the game character 412 are specific game characters.

  The player can select a game item that affects the event occurrence probability of the specific game character by operating the client device 30 in association with the selected specific game character. The game item may be selected, for example, before selecting a game character, simultaneously with selection of a game character, or after selection of a game character. The game item includes, for example, a capture net and a capture basket. As will be described later, by selecting a game item in association with a specific game character, an event occurrence probability corresponding to the game item selected for the specific game character is applied.

When one or a plurality of game characters are selected and a confirmation input of the selection is made, the selected one or a plurality of specific game characters are specified by the client device 30 and the software function executed in the client device 30. Game character identification information is generated. The game character specifying information can include identification information for identifying the selected specific game character. The client device 30 can transmit an event determination request including the game character specifying information (or associated with the game character specifying information) to the server device 10. The event determination request may include player identification information of a player who is playing a game on the client device 30. The player identification information is an arbitrary identification code for identifying a game player. Further, when a game item is selected by the player, the event determination request may include game item identification information for identifying the game item associated with the specific game character.

  The server device 10 can receive an event determination request including this game character specifying information (or associated with the game character specifying information) from the client device 30 via the communication I / F 14. The received event determination request is received by the receiving unit 54.

  In response to the reception of the event determination request by the reception unit 54, the event occurrence determination unit 55 uses the game character identification information included in the event determination request (or associated with the event determination request). It is determined whether or not an event such as a capture occurs for each specific game character that is specified. This determination is performed based on, for example, the event occurrence probability set for each game character. For example, the event occurrence probability for the game character 410 is set to 1/3. The event occurrence probability set for each game character is arbitrarily determined by a game developer or a game provider according to various factors such as game strategy. For example, the event occurrence determination unit 55 uses a pseudo-random number to determine that the probability that an event will occur for each game character matches the event occurrence probability set for that game character. In one embodiment, whether or not an event occurs is determined for each event determination request received by the reception unit 54. For example, when the reception unit 54 receives an event determination request including game character specifying information for specifying n (n is an arbitrary natural number) game characters, an event is generated for each of the n game characters. It is determined whether or not it occurs.

  When the event determination request includes game item identification information, the event occurrence determination unit 55 changes the event occurrence probability set for each game character according to the game item identification information, According to the event occurrence probability after the change, it can be determined whether or not an event occurs for the game character. For example, as described above, when no game item is used, the event occurrence probability for each game character is set to 1/3, and the event occurrence probability when a predetermined game item (for example, a capture network) is used is 2 / 3, and the event occurrence probability when another game item (for example, a capture basket) is used can be 1/1 (100%). The event occurrence probability specified in the present specification is an example, and an arbitrary event occurrence probability is defined.

  The reward granting unit 56 determines whether or not a predetermined reward granting condition is satisfied according to the result of determination of event occurrence of each game character in the event occurrence determining unit 55, and if it is satisfied, the event determination request A reward can be given to the player who has transmitted. The reward given to the player in this way is stored in the server device 10 in association with the identification information of the player. Alternatively, the information stored in association with the player is updated based on the reward that has been granted. For example, when 1000 points of game points are awarded to the player A, 1000 points are added to the game points stored in association with the player identification information of the player A.

  In one embodiment, the reward granting condition is determined that a predetermined event (for example, capture) occurs for each of two or more game characters among the specific game characters specified by the game character specifying information included in one event determination request. It is to be done. For example, when two game characters are specified by the game character specifying information included in one event determination request, the reward granting condition is satisfied when it is determined that an event occurs for each of the two game characters. Is done. In another example, when three game characters are specified by the game character specifying information included in one event determination request, two or more (two or three) of the three game characters are included. The reward granting condition is satisfied when it is determined that an event occurs for the game character.

In another embodiment, the reward granting unit 56 can determine whether or not to grant a reward to the player based on the attribute of the game character that is determined by the event occurrence determination unit 55 to generate an event. Specifically, when the event occurrence determination unit 55 determines that an event occurs for two or more game characters, a reward is given according to the combination of the attributes of the game character determined to generate the event. Or not. The reward granting conditions in this case are, for example, that all of the plurality of game characters determined to generate an event are (1) the same type of animals as each other, (2) different types of animals, (3) The display colors may be the same as each other, (4) the display colors may be different from each other, and / or (5) the game characters may be AC games. In another embodiment, the reward granting conditions are: 1) at least two game characters out of a plurality of game characters determined to generate an event are 1) animals of the same type as each other; and (2) different from each other. It may be a kind of animal, (3) the same display color as each other, (4) a display color different from each other, and / or (5) an AC game character. In another embodiment, the reward granting condition may be that a plurality of game characters determined to generate an event include males and females of the same type of animal (for example, male squirrel and female This is the case when it is determined that an event will occur for both squirrels.) The reward granting conditions described in this specification are merely examples, and any condition that can improve the strategy for acquiring rewards can be included in the reward granting conditions without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  When it is determined that the reward granting condition is satisfied based on one event determination request, the reward granting unit 56 determines to give a reward to the player who transmitted the event determination request. The rewards that can be awarded include, for example, game points that can be used in the game, electronic objects that can be used in the game, and platforms on which the game is executed (for example, Applicant's Mobage®). Although common platform points that can be used in common are included, rewards applicable to the present invention are not limited to these. The reward granting unit 56 may grant a certain reward (for example, game points) regardless of which reward granting condition is satisfied when the reward granting condition is satisfied. In other embodiments, the reward granting unit 56 can grant different rewards according to the satisfied reward granting conditions. For example, if a plurality of game characters determined to have an event include males and females of the same type of animal, an electronic object representing the male-female pairing of the animal is provided to the player be able to. The player can place the object on his or her farm for decoration.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5, an example of reward grant processing according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing from the start of the game until the reward given to the player is determined. Here, a case where the farm simulation game is provided as a browser game by the server device 10 and the player A plays the game will be described as an example.

  First, when the game is started in step 502, the player A operates the client device 30 to access the server device 10, and acquires a predetermined web page from among a plurality of web pages constituting the game site. Usually, the top page and login screen of the game site are displayed. When the player logs in to the game, the game information of the player A at the time of the previous logout is read from the external memory 15, and HTML data for displaying the game screen at the time of the previous logout is created based on the game information. The The HTML data is provided to the client device 30. The client device 30 analyzes the acquired HTML data to generate a display screen, and displays the generated display screen on the display. FIG. 6 shows an example of a game screen displayed on the client device 30 after login. The game screen shown in FIG. 6 does not include a game character, but if a game character has appeared at the previous logout, the game character can be continuously displayed in the game screen.

  Next, in step 504, the display character determination unit 52 determines a game character to be displayed on the game screen of the player A. At that time, the display character determination unit 52 determines whether a predetermined condition for displaying the game character (for example, whether the crop is in a harvestable state or whether the crop is a specific crop) is satisfied. You may judge. Further, the timing at which the display character determination unit 52 determines whether or not to display the game character may be determined only once when the crop is in a state where it can be harvested from the seedling state, or at predetermined time intervals. It may be determined (for example, every 10 minutes). In the present embodiment, it is determined that the game characters 410 and 412 are displayed in the section 408. Next, in step 506, display data for displaying the determined game character is provided to the client device 30 of the player A by the display data providing unit 53. This display data may include information for identifying the lower left corner of the farm and the area immediately above it as the section in which the game character is displayed, and identification information for identifying the game character displayed in each area.

  The client device 30 that has acquired the display data displays the game character 412 in the lower left corner of the farm of the player A according to the display data, and displays the game character 410 in the upper area. When one or both of the game characters 410 and 412 displayed on the client device 30 are selected by the player A and a confirmation input is made, game character specifying information including identification information for identifying the player character is generated. Here, it is assumed that both game characters 410 and 412 are selected. In this case, the game character specifying information includes identification information for identifying the game character 410 and identification information for identifying the game character 412.

  The game character specifying information generated in this way is transmitted to the server device 10 together with the event determination request. When a game item is selected by the player, game item identification information for identifying the game item is also included in the event determination request. If an event determination request from the client device 30 is received by the receiving unit 54 of the server device 10 in step 508, the process proceeds to step 510. On the other hand, if the game character displayed on the client device 30 is not selected within a predetermined time, the process returns to step 504 to determine the display character again. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, in step 504, it may be determined to display a game character in any of the sections 406 where no game character is displayed.

  In step 510, a predetermined event (captured here) occurs for each of the game character 410 and the game character 412 specified by the game character specifying information included in the event determination request received by the receiving unit 54. It is determined whether or not. Next, in step 512, based on the determination result in step 510, it is determined whether a predetermined reward granting condition has been satisfied. Examples of reward granting conditions have been described above. For example, when it is determined that a capture event occurs for both the game character 410 and the game character 412, the reward granting condition is satisfied. When the reward granting condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step 514, and a predetermined reward is given to the player A. When a reward is awarded to player A, the process proceeds to step 516. If the reward granting condition is not satisfied in step 512, the process proceeds to step 516 without performing the reward granting process.

  Next, in step 516, if the player A does not end the game, the process returns to step 504, and display character determination processing is performed again. When the player A performs a game end operation, the game is ended for the player A.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, a reward is awarded to a player when it is determined that a predetermined event occurs for two or more game characters selected by the player. Therefore, the player has abundant strategies for acquiring rewards. That is, in the embodiment of the present invention, as the number of game characters selected by the player increases, the probability of obtaining a reward increases. Therefore, how many game characters are selected as compared with the conventional game. A strategic decision is required. Therefore, in a game in which a reward is given to the player when a predetermined event occurs in response to an operation on the game character by the player, the strategy for acquiring the reward is enhanced. In addition, since the event occurrence probability can be changed depending on the game item selected by the player, in addition to how many game characters are selected, which game item is used (or not used). Strategic judgment is also required. As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, a strategy for acquiring a reward in a game in which a reward is given to the player when a predetermined event occurs in response to an operation on the game character by the player. Provided are a server device and a game program capable of enhancing the performance.

  Next, a client device according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing functions of a client device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing reward granting processing in the client device of FIG. The hardware configuration of the client device 70 shown in FIG. 7 is generally the same as that described in FIG. 2 and the detailed description corresponding to FIG. Similarly to the client device 30, the client device 70 is connected to a server device that provides a game via a network.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a client device 70 according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a display character determining unit 71, a game screen display processing unit 72, a game character specifying information generating unit 73, and an event occurrence determining unit 74. And a reward granting unit 75. These functions can be implemented as, for example, a game application executed on the client device 70 or a platform function for executing the game application. Although a detailed description is omitted, the client device 70 can have an arbitrary function necessary for the progress of the game in addition to the illustrated functions. Also, some of the functions shown in FIG. 7 can be omitted as appropriate.

  The display character determination unit 71 determines one or a plurality of game characters displayed in the game screen in the same manner as the display character determination unit 52 described above. The game screen display processing unit 72 generates a game screen including one or more game characters determined by the display character determination unit 71 and displays the game screen on the display of the client device 70. The displayed game screen is the same as that shown in FIGS.

  When one or more game characters are selected by the player from the displayed game screen, the game character specifying information generating unit 73 generates game character specifying information for specifying the selected one or more specific game characters. . In response to the generation of the game character specifying information by the game character specifying information generating unit 73, the event occurrence determining unit 74 generates an event such as a capture for each of the specific game characters specified by the game character specifying information. It is determined whether or not to do. A specific determination method for event occurrence is generally the same as the determination by the event occurrence determination unit 55. The reward granting unit 75 determines whether or not a predetermined reward granting condition is satisfied according to the determination result in the event occurrence determination unit 74, and gives a reward to the player when satisfied. The specific determination method and reward granting method of the reward granting unit 75 are generally the same as the functions of the reward granting unit 56.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 8, an example of reward granting processing according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing from the start of the game until the reward to be given to the player is determined. Here, a case where a farm simulation game is executed by the client device 70 will be described as an example.

  First, when the game is started in step 802, the client device 70 displays, for example, a game start screen and a login screen read from the external memory 35. When the player logs in to the game, the game information at the time of the previous logout is read from the external memory 35, and a display screen as shown in FIG. 6, for example, is generated based on the game information.

  Next, in step 804, the display character determination unit 71 determines a game character to be displayed on the game screen. At that time, the display character determination unit 71 determines whether a predetermined condition for displaying the game character (for example, whether the crop is in a harvestable state or whether the crop is a specific crop) is satisfied. You may judge. Further, the timing at which the display character determination unit 71 determines whether or not to display the game character may be determined only once when the crop is in a state where it can be harvested from the seedling state, or at predetermined time intervals. It may be determined (for example, every 10 minutes). Next, in step 806, the game character determined in step 804 is displayed on the client device. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, game characters 410 and 412 are displayed in a section 408 in the game screen. When one or both of the game characters 410 and 412 displayed on the client device 70 are selected by the player A, game character specifying information including identification information for identifying the selected player character (specific player character) is generated. . Here, processing when both the game character 410 and the game character 412 are selected by the player will be described. When the game character identification information is generated in step 808, the process proceeds to step 810. On the other hand, if the game character specifying information is not generated within a predetermined time, the process returns to step 804, and the display character determination process is performed again.

  In step 810, it is determined whether a predetermined event (capture event in this case) occurs for each of the game character 410 and the game character 412 specified by the generated game character specifying information. Next, in step 812, based on the determination result in step 810, it is determined whether or not a predetermined reward granting condition has been satisfied. Examples of reward granting conditions have been described above. For example, when it is determined that a capture event occurs for both the game character 410 and the game character 412, the reward granting condition is satisfied. If the reward granting condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step 814, and a predetermined reward is given to the player. The given reward may be stored in the external memory 35. In another example, the reward given to the player may be transmitted to the server device together with the player identification information of the player and managed by the server device.

  If a reward is awarded to the player, the process proceeds to step 816. If the reward granting condition is not satisfied in step 812, the process proceeds to step 816 without performing the reward granting process. Next, in step 816, if the player does not end the game, the process returns to step 804, and display character determination processing is performed again. When the player performs a game end operation, the game is ended.

  As described above, also in the present embodiment, in a game in which a reward is given to a player when a predetermined event occurs in response to an operation on the game character by the player, Strategies are improved.

  Although the present invention has been described above based on the most practical and desirable aspects at present, these descriptions are only for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. It is not intended to be limiting. Rather, the description in this specification is intended to include modifications and equivalents included in the spirit and scope of the claims for any of the features of each embodiment described above. For example, combinations of the features of any of the above-described embodiments with one or more features of other embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention as much as possible.

  Some or all of the functions described as functions of the server device in this specification may be executed in other server devices and / or client devices. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a function equivalent to the display character determination unit 52 of the server device 10 may be implemented in the client device. Similarly, some or all of the functions described as functions of the client device in this specification may be executed in the server device.

  The processes and procedures described in this specification are realized by software, hardware, or any combination thereof other than those explicitly described in the embodiments. More specifically, the processes and procedures described in this specification are performed by mounting logic corresponding to the processes on a medium such as an integrated circuit, a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical storage. Realized. Further, the processes and procedures described in the present specification can be implemented as various computer programs by implementing the processes and procedures as computer programs.

  Even if it is described that the processes and procedures described herein are performed by a single device, software, component, or module, such processes or procedures may involve multiple devices, multiple software, multiple Component and / or multiple modules. Also, even though the data, tables, or databases described herein are described as being stored in a single memory, such data, tables, or databases are provided on a single device. Alternatively, the data can be distributed and stored in a plurality of memories or a plurality of memories arranged in a plurality of devices. Furthermore, the software and hardware elements described herein can be implemented by integrating them into fewer components or by disassembling them into more components.

  In the present specification, when the constituent elements of the invention are described as either singular or plural, or even if they are described without being limited to singular or plural, they should be understood separately in context. The component may be either singular or plural.

  In the processing procedure described in this specification, particularly in the processing procedure described using the flow chart, a part of the process constituting the processing procedure is omitted, and it is clearly indicated as the process constituting the processing procedure. Can be added and / or the order of the steps can be changed, and the processing procedure in which such omissions, additions, and changes in the order are made does not depart from the spirit of the invention. include.

10 Server device
30, 60 Client device
51 Game progress control section
52, 71 Display character determination part
53 Display data provider
54 Reception
55, 74 Event occurrence judgment part
56, 75 Compensation section
72 Game screen display processor
73 Game character specific information generator

Claims (7)

A server device that provides a game to a client device via a network,
Game character specifying information for specifying one or more specific game characters selected in accordance with an operation of the client device by a player from one or more game characters included in the game screen displayed on the client device A reception unit for receiving an event determination request;
In response to receiving the event determination request, an event occurrence determination unit that determines whether or not a predetermined event occurs for each of the specific game characters specified by the game character specifying information;
A reward granting unit for rewarding the player when it is determined that the event occurs for two or more game characters of the specific game characters specified by the game character specifying information;
A server device comprising: The event determination request includes game item identification information for identifying a game item that affects the determination result of the event occurrence determination unit,
The event occurrence determination unit is configured to determine whether the event occurs based at least in part on the game item identification information;
The server device according to claim 1. The reward granting unit is configured to determine whether or not to grant a reward to the player based on an attribute of a game character determined to cause the event.
The server device according to claim 1 or 2. The reward granting unit is configured to determine a reward to be given to the player based on an attribute of a game character determined to cause the event.
The server device according to claim 1 or 2. The reward granting unit has predetermined predetermined attributes of a first game character of two or more game characters determined to generate the event and an attribute of a second game character of two or more game characters. If the relationship is satisfied, the player is rewarded.
The server device according to claim 1 or 2. The one or more game characters displayed in the game screen are AC game characters generated based on one or more game characters provided to the player from one or more players other than the player. Including
The reward giving unit is configured to give a reward to the player when it is determined that the event occurs for two or more AC game characters included in the specific game character specified by the game character specifying information. ,
The server device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. Computer
Display character determination processing for determining one or more game characters included in the game screen;
Game screen display processing for displaying the game screen on a client device;
Game character specifying information for specifying one or more specific game characters selected in accordance with an operation of the client device by a player from one or more game characters included in the game screen displayed on the client device. Game character identification information generation processing to be generated,
An event occurrence determination process for determining whether or not a predetermined event occurs for each of the specific game characters specified by the game character identification information in response to the generation of the game character identification information; and A reward granting process for rewarding the player when it is determined that the event occurs for two or more game characters of the specific game characters specified by the game character specifying information;
A game program that runs.