JP2014090734A - Game system and comment control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase a feeling of agreement or a feeling of satisfaction of a cooperated user and a cooperating user respectively utilizing a mechanism by which the users can exchange information with each other.SOLUTION: In a game system in which another user who is to be a cooperator for a user of a game machine is selected from a companion user group and the user of the game machine is caused to acquire cooperation of the cooperating user and participate in a game, and which can provide a function of information exchange including transmission/reception of a comment between the users, transmission of a special comment from the cooperated users A and C to the cooperating user B becomes possible when the users A and C of the game machine have been able to acquire predetermined cooperation from the cooperating user B, and whether or not to transmit the special comment is controlled so that the transmission of the special comment becomes impossible when the users of the game machine have not been able to acquire the predetermined cooperation.

Description

  The present invention relates to a game system or the like in which a user can participate in a game with the cooperation of other users and can exchange information between users.

  A game system in which users of a plurality of game machines connected to a network can participate in a game in cooperation with each other, and a user who can search for a collaborator user by using an information exchange function through a network between users. A system has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-034303 A

  In a game system that introduces the concept of cooperation, a specific user may be selected as a collaborator for another user regardless of the user's intention. For example, when a user participates in a game, there is an example in which a specific user who has good game results is automatically selected as a collaborator. In such a case, for the purpose of providing feedback to the user selected as a collaborator, a function of notifying the selection fact from the game system or confirming the selection fact by a history recorded in the game system may be added. is there. However, such a feedback method cannot reflect the intentions of users in a cooperative relationship, and there is a risk that the user will be unsatisfactory.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a game system or the like that can enhance the satisfaction or satisfaction of each of the users who have obtained cooperation and the users of the collaborators by utilizing a function that allows users to exchange information. With the goal.

  The game system of the present invention includes a server device (2) and a game machine (3) connected to a network (5), and another user (as an example shown in FIG. The user B) is selected from a predetermined group of users (for example, “group of fellow users”), and the game machine user (for example, the user A or C in FIG. 4) is obtained by the cooperation of the collaborator user. Information exchange function providing means for providing a function for exchanging information between users, including cooperative game providing means (21, 31) for participating in the game as described above, and transmission / reception of comments between the users via the server device (24, 34), wherein the game machine user can transmit to the collaborator's user only when a predetermined cooperation is obtained from the collaborator's user. Special comment creating means (34, S24) for creating a special comment as a comment to be transmitted from the game machine user to the collaborator user, and the game machine user The special comment can be transmitted when the predetermined cooperation is obtained from the user, and the special comment cannot be transmitted when the user of the game machine cannot obtain the predetermined cooperation. And a special comment control means (25, 34, S4 to S12, S21, S22) for controlling whether or not the special comment can be transmitted.

  In addition, the comment control method of the present invention includes a server device (2) and a game machine (3) connected to the network (5), and is another user (an example) that should be a collaborator for the user of the game machine. User B) in FIG. 4 is selected from a predetermined group of users (for example, “a group of fellow users”), and the game machine user (for example, user A or C in FIG. 4) is selected as the user of the collaborator. Information exchange that provides a function for exchanging information between users, including cooperation game providing means (21, 31) for participating in the game so as to obtain cooperation, and transmission / reception of comments between the users via the server device A comment control method applied to a game system (1) comprising function providing means (24, 34), wherein the game machine user has obtained a predetermined cooperation from the collaborator user A special comment that can be transmitted only to the collaborator user as a comment to be transmitted from the game machine user to the collaborator user (S24), and the game machine user However, when the predetermined cooperation is obtained from the user of the collaborator, the special comment can be transmitted, and when the user of the game machine does not obtain the predetermined cooperation, the special comment is transmitted. And a procedure (S4 to S12, S21, S22) for controlling whether or not the special comment can be transmitted so that the comment cannot be transmitted.

  According to the present invention, when a game machine user obtains predetermined cooperation from a collaborator user, a special comment can be sent from the game machine user to the collaborator user. If such cooperation is not available, no special comments can be sent. The user who has obtained the cooperation can convey his intention to obtain the predetermined cooperation to the user of the collaborator by a special comment. On the other hand, the user of the collaborator can know that he / she has achieved the predetermined cooperation by receiving a special comment that cannot be obtained when the predetermined cooperation is not achieved. Thus, according to the present invention, when predetermined cooperation is achieved, the user's intention of cooperation can be communicated to the collaborator's user using the comment transmission / reception function between the users. Therefore, it is possible to enhance the satisfaction and satisfaction of the user who has obtained the cooperation and the user of the collaborator.

  In the present invention, the term “creation” relating to a special comment is not limited to the case where a comment is created by inputting characters by the user, designating decorations, etc., but a template prepared in advance and a comment element such as a stamp. When a comment is created by the user appropriately specifying, or when the user selects a comment to be transmitted from a plurality of comment candidates prepared in advance. Thus, it is intended to widely include various forms in which data to be sent as a special comment is configured through some kind of processing. Whether or not “predetermined cooperation” has been obtained may be determined from various viewpoints. For example, when the cooperation from a user who has achieved a result of a predetermined level or more in the game is obtained, it is determined that “the predetermined cooperation has been obtained”. By referring to various attributes and states, it is possible to make a determination in consideration of “what kind of cooperator's cooperation has been obtained”. Alternatively, the determination can be made in consideration of “what kind of cooperation has been obtained” such as whether or not the content of the cooperation performed by the collaborator exceeds a predetermined standard. It may be determined whether or not “predetermined cooperation” has been obtained in consideration of what results the game machine user has obtained as a result of the cooperation of the collaborators. Further, it may be determined whether or not “predetermined cooperation” has been obtained by combining these consideration factors.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the special comment control means is configured to provide the special comment when the predetermined cooperation is obtained when cooperation is obtained from a collaborator user whose performance in the game is higher than a predetermined level. Whether or not to transmit a comment may be controlled. According to this, when a user acquires a result of a predetermined level or higher and is selected as a collaborator for another user, a special comment is sent from the user who has obtained the cooperation. In order to receive special comments, it is necessary to obtain a grade above a certain level. Therefore, the user's willingness to improve results can be increased, and the user's motivation for the game can be improved. Whether or not the score is “predetermined level” or not is determined based on whether the score of the game is above a certain value, or if the rank is above a certain rank, the score of the cooperator is Judgment may be made by comparison with general standards. Alternatively, it may be determined in comparison with a relative standard such that when the performance of the collaborator's user is higher than the performance of the user who has obtained cooperation, it is determined to be higher than “predetermined level”.

  Further, the cooperative game providing means may be configured to preferentially select a user whose results in the game are higher than the predetermined level from the user group as a collaborator. According to it, the higher the grade, the more likely it is to be selected as a collaborator and receive a special comment. Thereby, the further motivation regarding the improvement of a game result can be provided to a user.

  In one form of this invention, the said special comment may be comprised so that the content showing the gratitude or respect to the user of the said collaborator from the user of the said game machine may be included. According to this, the user who received the cooperation can directly express gratitude or respect to the collaborator's user, and the collaborator's user can feel that he / she is contributing to other users. Can do.

  In one form of the present invention, the information exchange function providing means is configured to be able to set a predetermined connection relationship (a “friend” relationship as an example) between users based on the user's intention, and the cooperation The game providing means may select the collaborator user from the user group, with the set of users in which the association relationship is set for the user of the game machine as the predetermined user group. According to this, a cooperative relationship of users is formed in a set of users for which a predetermined connection relationship is set using the information exchange function, and special comments are transmitted and received in the set. Therefore, users who are linked through the information exchange can further exchange with each other through cooperation on the game and transmission / reception of special comments associated therewith. A user who receives a special comment can realize that he / she contributes within the set of users to which he / she belongs. Also, a special comment can be sent when cooperation is obtained from a user who has obtained a grade higher than a predetermined level, or a user who has obtained a grade higher than a predetermined level is preferentially selected as a collaborator If you set it so that users with better grades in a set of connected users will be more likely to receive special comments from other users in that set, and will be able to feel their contribution more strongly It becomes like this.

  In one form of the present invention, in the game, the level of the score is expressed by the level of the score obtained by quantifying the score, and the cooperative game providing means uses the score acquired by the game machine user in the game. It is good also as what implements the ranking which ranks each user according to the level of the total score which added the score which the said cooperation user acquired in the said predetermined | prescribed game. According to this, regarding the rank of the user of the game machine, the level of the score obtained by the collaborator is reflected. Therefore, the higher the score of the collaborator user, the higher the rank of the game machine user. Therefore, for example, when cooperation is obtained from a user whose score is a predetermined level or higher, a special comment can be transmitted, or by considering that a user whose score is higher than a predetermined level is preferentially selected as a collaborator, The present invention can be suitably implemented.

  In addition, in the above description, in order to make an understanding of this invention easy, the reference sign of the accompanying drawing was attached in parenthesis, but this invention is not limited to the form of illustration by it.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when a user of a game machine obtains a predetermined cooperation from a collaborator user, the function of the comment transmission / reception between users is used to obtain the cooperation of the user who has obtained the cooperation. Since the intention can be transmitted to the collaborator's user as a special comment, the satisfaction and satisfaction of the user who has obtained the cooperation and the user of the collaborator can be enhanced.

The figure which shows the whole structure of the game system which concerns on one form of this invention. The figure which shows the outline | summary of the communication in a game system. The figure which shows the example by which the new arrival notification mark which notifies reception of the new arrival comment and the number of cases is displayed on the game screen. The figure which shows the example by which the received normal comment was displayed on the game screen. The figure which shows the example by which the received special comment was displayed on the game screen. The conceptual diagram which shows the relationship between preparation of the score ranking in a competition, and transmission / reception of a special comment. The functional block diagram in the principal part of a game system. The figure which shows an example of the data structure of play data. The figure which shows an example of the data structure of community data. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the ranking process which the ranking process part of a game server part performs. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the comment transmission control process which the comment process part of a game machine performs.

  Hereinafter, a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, the overall configuration of the game system will be described with reference to FIG. The game system 1 includes a center server 2 as a server device, a game machine (corresponding to a game device) 3 and a user terminal device 4 as client devices connectable to the center server 2 via a predetermined network 5. Including. The center server 2 is configured as a single logical server device by combining a plurality of server units 2A, 2B. However, the center server 2 may be configured by a single server unit. Alternatively, the center server 2 may be logically configured using cloud computing.

  The game machine 3 is configured as a commercial (business) game machine that allows a user to play a game within a range corresponding to the play fee in exchange for payment of a predetermined play fee. This type of game machine 3 may be called an arcade game machine. The game machine 3 is a computer game device installed in a predetermined facility such as the store 6 for the purpose of making a large number of users repeatedly play games to increase profits. One or more appropriate number of game machines 3 are installed in the store 6. In FIG. 1, the game machine 3 is drawn without distinction, but the hardware configuration and game content may be appropriately selected. The game machine 3 may be configured as a dedicated machine having a physical configuration (for example, an operation unit) suitable for a specific game, or may be configured as a general-purpose machine that can handle various games by rewriting software. May be.

  On the other hand, the user terminal device 4 is a computer device that can be connected to a network and is used for a user's personal use. For example, a stationary or book-type personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC) 4a or a mobile terminal device 4b such as a mobile phone (including a smartphone) is used as the user terminal device 4. In addition, various computer devices that can be connected to the network and are used for personal use of the user, such as stationary home game machines, portable game machines, and portable tablet terminal devices, are used as the user terminal device 4. It's okay. The user terminal device 4 can allow the user to enjoy various services provided by the center server 2 by installing various computer software.

  The network 5 may be appropriately configured as long as the game machine 3 and the user terminal device 4 can be connected to the center server 2 respectively. As an example, the network 5 is configured to realize network communication using a TCP / IP protocol. Typically, it is constructed by connecting the Internet 5A as a WAN and LANs 5B and 5C that connect the Internet 5A to the center server 2 and the game machine 3 via the router 5D. The user terminal device 4 is also connected to the Internet 5A with an appropriate configuration. Note that a local server may be installed between the game machine 3 and the router 5D of the store 6, and the game machine 3 may be communicably connected to the center server 2 via the local server. The server units 2A, 2B,... Of the center server 2 may be connected to each other by the WAN 5A instead of or in addition to the LAN 5C.

  In the game system 1, users form a community on the network, and users belonging to the community are between the game machine 3 and the user terminal device 4, between the user terminal devices 4, or between the game machines 3. It is possible to enjoy a service for transmitting, sharing, or exchanging information by exchanging comments. Hereinafter, such services are collectively referred to as community services, and functions related to exchanging comments between users may be referred to as comment functions. By using the comment function, the user of the game machine 3 receives the comment transmitted from another user using the user terminal device 4 or the like using the user terminal device 4 or the like, and the user of the receiver receives the comment. It is possible for the user of the game machine 3 to transmit a comment in response to the comment from the game machine 3 to the user who sent the original comment. The configuration for realizing such a community function may be the same as a well-known SNS (abbreviation for social network service).

  FIG. 2 shows how comments are exchanged based on the comment function. Although FIG. 2 shows an example in which a mahjong game is played on the game machine 3, the game to be executed on the game machine 3 is not limited to the mahjong game and can be selected as appropriate. A comment browsing screen 100 is displayed on the user terminal device 4. The browsing screen 100 is the same as the browsing screen used in a known communication service such as SNS that displays comments sent by the user and received comments in a thread format. On the other hand, a comment window 112 is displayed on the game screen 110 of the game machine 3 in a predetermined procedure. A comment transmitted from the user terminal device 4 is displayed in the window 112.

  The game machine 3 includes a touch panel that covers the game screen 110 as an input device. When a new arrival comment (meaning a comment that the user has not read) exists for the user of the game machine 3, a new arrival notification mark 111 shown in FIG. 3A is displayed at an appropriate location on the game screen 110 of the game machine 3. In the new arrival notification mark 111, a message for notifying the existence of a new arrival comment and the number of new arrival comments (there are 5 in the example of FIG. 3A) is displayed. When the user touches the new arrival notification mark 111, a comment window 112 is displayed as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C. In the comment window 112, the content of the first comment, here the character string “Meeting Fight!”, Shows the user who sent it (for example, “Mr. A who is the user's nickname”) and the transmission time. It is displayed with the information to show. If the user touches the comment window 112, the user can select one of a plurality of comments registered in advance and transmit it to the original user. Note that the display positions of the new arrival notification mark 111 and the comment window 112 may be set so as to avoid locations in the game screen 110 where information that the user needs to visually recognize, such as a user's manual, is displayed. desirable.

  As is clear from a comparison between FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C, there are a plurality of types of comments displayed using the comment window 112. FIG. 3B shows an example of a comment in a normal state, and FIG. 3C shows an example of a comment in a special state. However, FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C show that when the user of the comment and the user of the comment are participating in a tournament held using the game machine 3, the user of the recipient is the game machine 3. The example of the comment received by is shown. In the following, the former is sometimes called a normal comment and the latter is called a special comment. A normal comment is a comment generally exchanged between users. In the example of FIG. 3B, a comment “Meeting Fight!” Is transmitted from the user A who is the sender to the recipient user, and the comment is displayed in the comment window 112 of the game machine 3. On the other hand, the special comment is a comment that can be transmitted only when a predetermined condition is satisfied in the game. The predetermined condition is determined to be satisfied when one user obtains a predetermined cooperation from another user at the tournament. In that case, a special comment can be transmitted when a user who has obtained cooperation sends a comment to a collaborator's user. As an example, the special comment is configured such that a user who has obtained cooperation expresses gratitude or respect for the user of the collaborator. That is, a special comment can be transmitted when a user who has obtained cooperation expresses gratitude or respect to a collaborator user.

  FIG. 3C shows an example of a special comment that conveys gratitude. In the example of FIG. 3C, a comment “thank you!” Indicating gratitude is transmitted from the user A who has received cooperation to the user of the collaborator. In the game machine 3 of the collaborator user, the frame shape of the comment window 112 is changed to a special conspicuous shape with a star or the like, and the font size of the comment text is also enlarged. In addition, the text “Share the tournament score!” Is also attached. The meaning will be described later.

  Next, a mechanism for switching whether to send a special comment will be described with reference to FIG. In the example of FIG. 4, a plurality of users A, B, C... Form a friendship relationship through community services. The companion is a concept indicating a set of users for which a predetermined connection relationship is set based on the user's intention in the community service described above. The method of forming a friend is a known SNS, such as a method of forming based on application and consent between users, setting a group of users who joined the group by invitation or approval by an administrator who set a specific group, etc. Various methods used in the formation of groups by can be used.

  In FIG. 4, when users A, B, C... Who are in a relationship with each other participate in a game tournament using the game machine 3, rankings are competed based on the scores obtained by the respective users in the tournament. In addition, the target person of ranking is not restricted to the user in a friend, All the users who are participating in a competition are included. In addition, the game machine 3 played by the person who is subject to lineking is not limited to the game machine 3 in the same store 6, and any game machine 3 may be used as long as it is connected to the center server 2 via the network 5. Good. For example, in the case of a mahjong game, the game score is determined according to a predetermined standard such as a user's score when a predetermined number of games are completed or a score calculated based on the score. It is a converted value.

  Ranking is not a score obtained by a single user in the game, but a collaborator user is selected for each user, and the ranking is contested by the total score obtained by the pair of the user and the collaborator. That is, when performing the ranking, first, for each user, a partner user who forms a pair as a collaborator from a predetermined user group is selected. Next, the total score obtained by the paired users is calculated as the tournament score of the user, in this case, the user who has obtained cooperation. Rankings are created according to the level of the tournament score. The other user with whom each user forms a pair is automatically selected from a set of fellow users to whom the user belongs. The selection is performed in the following procedure. First, based on the score acquired by each user in the tournament, the ranking of the users in the group is determined. And the user who acquired the top score (referred to as the top user) is automatically selected as a partner to form a pair as a user who has acquired a score of a predetermined level or more within the group. However, regarding the top user, there is no user who has a higher score than the self in the group, so an appropriate user is selected as a partner to form a pair.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the user B who is first in the group is the top user, and the user B is automatically selected as a partner to be paired with the users A, C. In the ranking, the total value of the user A score and the user B score is the user A score in the tournament, and the total value of the user C score and the user B score is the user C score in the tournament. In this case, the user A and the user C can increase the rank with the cooperation of the user B, respectively. Accordingly, it is considered that the users A and C have obtained a predetermined cooperation with respect to the user B who is the top user. Therefore, the users A and C can transmit a special comment to the user B using the game machine 3 or the like. By transmitting the special comment, the users A and C can express gratitude or respect for the user B. On the other hand, the user B can feel that he / she contributes to the fellow user by sending a special comment from another user in the fellow. The fact that the user has cooperated with another user can be notified to the collaborator from the person who has obtained the cooperation by sending and receiving special comments, so that the user's satisfaction and satisfaction are enhanced. In addition, each user can be motivated to contribute to a friend by increasing the score, thereby improving the motivation of the user for the game. Note that the tournament score of the user B who is the top user can be appropriately set as a total value or the like with the next ranking user. When the tournament score is ranked higher than the predetermined rank X, a privilege is given to the user. However, the provision of a privilege is not essential in the present invention.

  Next, the main part of the control system related to the comment transmission / reception of the game system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the center server 2 is provided with a game server unit 21, a Web server unit 22, and a storage unit 23. Each of the server units 21 and 22 is a logical device realized by a combination of computer hardware (including a CPU and a memory as an internal storage device necessary for its operation) and software of the center server 2. The storage unit 23 is an external storage device realized by a storage unit such as a hard disk array. The memory | storage part 23 may be comprised so that all the data may be hold | maintained on one memory | storage unit, and may be comprised so that data may be distributed and memorize | stored in a some memory | storage unit. Various types of data are recorded in the storage unit 23, but FIG. 5 shows play data 51, community data 52, and ranking data 53.

  The play data 51 is data in which game play contents are stored in order for the user to continue playing the game. The play data 51 is created for each user and is recorded in the storage unit 23 in association with the user identification information. FIG. 5 shows only play data 51 associated with one piece of user identification information. The community data 52 is data in which various information to be referred to when the user uses the community service. The community data 52 is also created for each user and is recorded in the storage unit 23 in association with the user identification information. FIG. 5 shows only community data 52 associated with one piece of user identification information. The ranking data 53 is data for specifying the ranking of the score obtained by each user in the game played on the game machine 3. Data for specifying the ranking of the tournament score in the tournament described above is also included in the ranking data 53. In the tournament score ranking data, the tournament score is calculated in addition to the ranking of the tournament score acquired by each user (that is, the value obtained by adding the paired user's score to the user's own score). The score data for each user's tournament required for this purpose may also be included. The ranking data 53 may also include data related to user rankings outside the tournament.

  The game server unit 21 provides a predetermined game service to the game machine 3. As a game service, for example, user authentication information (for example, unique identification information and password for each user) is received from the game machine 3 to authenticate the user, and play data 51 corresponding to the user is received from the game machine 3. A game that is stored in the storage unit 23, or a service that provides the user's play data 51 and the like stored in the storage unit 23 to the game machine 3, and matches the users of the plurality of game machines 3 according to the conditions, and a common game And a service for updating software (game program or data) of the game machine 3 via the network 5. The game server unit 21 also provides a service for creating a ranking by implementing the above-described tournament and allowing each user to participate. As a logical device for executing the processing related to the comment function described above, the game server unit 21 is further provided with a comment processing unit 24. The comment processing unit 24 is in charge of processing related to transmission of comments to the game machine 3 and reception of comments from the game machine 3. The game server unit 21 is also provided with a ranking processing unit 25 as a logical device for managing the ranking of the tournament described above.

  The web server unit 22 provides various web-based services to the user terminal device 4. As an example, the Web server unit 22 receives user authentication information (for example, unique identification information and password for each user) from the user terminal device 4, authenticates the user, and responds to the authenticated user request. The play data 51 of the user is provided to the user terminal device 4 as browsing data. The web server unit 22 is further provided with a community service processing unit 26 as a logical device for realizing the above-described community service.

  Further, the center server 2 charges a charge as a consideration for providing a paid service on the game to each user of the game machine 3 and the user terminal device 4 and collects the charge from the user. Has also been implemented. As a specific method of payment, the user pays for the service by using electronic payment, such as a credit card, debit card, or electronic currency, which can be paid for using electronic data exchange, Anything that collects the price commensurate with the price. The electronic payment may be a publicly known one, and a description of a specific configuration and procedure for realizing it is omitted.

  Next, the game machine 3 is provided with a game control unit 31 and a storage unit 32. The game control unit 31 is a logical device realized by a combination of hardware of the game machine 3 (including a CPU and a memory as an internal storage device thereof) and software. The game control unit 31 executes various arithmetic controls necessary for the progress of the game, and executes various processes necessary for enjoying the game service provided by the game server unit 21 of the center server 2. The game control unit 31 is provided with a game result calculation unit 33 and a comment processing unit 34 as further logical devices. The game score calculation unit 33 calculates a score obtained by the user playing a mahjong game or the like on the game machine 3 and notifies the game server unit 21 of the center server 2 as necessary. The comment processing unit 34 displays a comment sent via the center server 2 on the game machine 3 and executes a process of transmitting the comment based on a user operation.

  The storage unit 32 is an external storage device realized by a storage unit such as a hard disk or a semiconductor storage device. Various kinds of data are recorded in the storage unit 32. FIG. 5 shows play data 51 and community data 52 provided from the center server 2. Further, the user terminal device 4 is provided with a Web service processing unit 41 as a logical device realized by a combination of the computer hardware (including a CPU and a memory as its internal storage device) and software. ing. The web service processing unit 41 executes processes necessary for enjoying various services provided by the web server unit 22 of the center server 2. The web service processing unit 41 is provided with a community service processing unit 42 as a further logical device. The community service processing unit 42 cooperates with the community service processing unit 26 of the center server 2 to execute processing necessary for allowing the user of the user terminal device 4 to use the community function. The user terminal device 4 is also provided with an external storage device for storing appropriate data, but the illustration thereof is omitted.

  Furthermore, the game machine 3 includes various input / output devices such as an input device (including a touch panel) 35 that outputs a signal corresponding to a user operation, a display device 36 for presenting a game screen to the user, and a card reader 37. A device is provided. The card reader 37 is a device for reading a unique card ID for each card recorded on a card 38 possessed by the user as a kind of identification information to be used for user authentication. Note that user identification information to be used for user authentication may be different between user authentication in the game machine 3 and user authentication in the user terminal device 4, or may be common. For example, in the game machine 3, the card ID recorded on the user's card 38 is used as identification information, and the card ID and the play data 51 are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit 23. When using a user ID uniquely set for each user as user identification information, by setting a correspondence between the user ID and the card ID, any ID is also used as the user identification information. be able to. Furthermore, regarding the community service, a community ID may be set as an additional ID different from the user ID used for user authentication of the user terminal device 4. Even in that case, if the association is set between the IDs, it is possible to uniquely identify the play data 51 and the community data 52 corresponding to one user. In the following, a card ID is used as identification information necessary for user authentication in the game machine 3, a user ID is used as identification information necessary for user authentication in the user terminal device 4, and further a community service is used. It is assumed that community IDs are used as necessary identification information, and these IDs are associated with each other by ID management data (not shown).

  FIG. 6 shows an example of the play data 51. The play data 51 is data created for each user, and various data such as target user game data, received comments, special comment permission information, and transmission candidate comment information is used as identification information of the user (as an example). It is a card ID, but may be another ID that can be associated with the card ID.) The game data is data in which save data of a game played by the user on the game machine 3 and various results associated with the game play such as the number of times the game is played, results, evaluation, and acquisition points.

  The received comment data is data in which comments received by users from other users are recorded. The number of stored received comment data may be limited to a certain range from the latest one. For example, when 10 comments can be stored in the comment data and there are 11 or more received comments, the 11th or later old comments may be deleted from the received comment data. The data of one received comment includes a unique comment ID for each comment, user information (identification information and nickname) of a comment transmission source, a comment reception date / time, status, and details of the comment. The status is information for determining a user action on the received comment, such as whether the received comment has been read and whether it has been returned. The details of the comment are data describing the text to be displayed as a comment and the expression format of the text. The information on the expression format of the text includes, for example, information that specifies text, font, size, and color text attributes, and may further include decoration information of the comment window 112.

  The transmission candidate comment data is data in which comments that can be transmitted from the game machine 3 to other users by the user are recorded in advance. A plurality of transmission candidate comments can be registered in the play data 51. The data of one transmission candidate includes details of a transmission candidate ID, a type, and a comment that are unique for each transmission candidate comment. The type information includes information for determining whether the transmission candidate comment corresponds to a normal comment or a special comment. The details of the transmission candidate comment are data describing the text to be displayed as a comment and the expression format of the text. The details of the comment may be arbitrarily set by the user using the character input function of the user terminal device 4. Alternatively, the user may select from a large number of transmission candidate comments prepared in advance in the game system 1. The method for setting or selecting the details of the comment adopts an appropriate method as long as it identifies user's identification information, identifies the play data 51 of the user, and writes a transmission candidate comment in the play data 51. can do.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the community data 52. The community data 52 has a structure in which information about a user's associates, comment data, and the like are recorded in association with identification information of the user (community ID as an example). The fellow information includes information for the user to discriminate other users who are in the fellow relation. For example, fellow user identification information is recorded as fellow information. The comment data is data in which comments sent by users to other users and comments received from other users are recorded. The internal structure of the comment data is different from the received comment data in the play data 51 shown in FIG. That is, the comment data in the community data 52 includes, for each comment, a comment attribute, a comment partner, that is, user information (including identification information and nickname) of a transmission source or a transmission destination, a transmission or reception date, status, and Contains details of the comment. The comment attribute includes information for identifying whether the comment is received by the user (received comment) or the comment transmitted by the user (transmitted comment). The status is information for determining whether or not the received comment has already been read by the user and whether or not the reply has been returned. The details of the comment are data describing the text to be displayed as a comment and the expression format of the text.

  Although the number of stored comment data may be appropriately limited, the upper limit value thereof is set sufficiently larger than the upper limit value of the received comment data in the play data 51. In the game machine 3, since it is sufficient to display comments within a limited period during game play, there is no problem even if the number of received comment data saved is limited to a small value. On the other hand, since the user terminal device 4 for personal use allows the user to view comments at any time, it is required to save the transmission / reception comments retrospectively for the user's browsing. Therefore, the upper limit value of the number of stored comment data of the community data 52 is set to be considerably large like that of a general community service. Note that the limitation on the number of stored items may be based on the number of items per se, or may be realized by limiting the data size that can be stored.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, processing related to switching of availability regarding transmission of a special comment will be described. In the following processing, the game machine 3 obtains user authentication information (user identification information and password) and provides it to the center server 2 to complete user authentication. This process is executed on the assumption that the user's play data 51 and community data 52 are stored in FIG. FIG. 8 shows a ranking process executed by the ranking processing unit 25 of the game server unit 21 to generate a tournament ranking. The ranking process of FIG. 8 is a process executed during a tournament or at a predetermined counting time after the competition, and based on the score of each user notified from the game score calculation unit 33 of the game machine 3 by the counting time. This is a process for generating a ranking. FIG. 8 shows processing for one user, and it is assumed that the processing of FIG. 8 is performed individually for all users who participated in the tournament.

  When the ranking processing unit 25 starts the process of FIG. 8, the ranking processing unit 25 first determines the identification information of the processing target user (step S <b> 1), and based on the fellow information recorded in the community data 52 of the user, A user who is a fellow user is determined (step S2). Next, the ranking processing unit 25 refers to the ranking data 53, acquires the score of the fellow user, and determines the rank of each user (including the user to be processed) in the fellow according to the acquired score (step S3). ). The score compared here is a score acquired by the user in the tournament. Subsequently, the ranking processing unit 25 determines whether or not the processing target user is first in the group (step S4). If it is not the top, the ranking processing unit 25 selects the top user as a collaborator user who should pair with the user to be processed (step S5). Thereby, the top user is preferentially selected as a collaborator.

  Next, the ranking processing unit 25 calculates the tournament score by summing up the scores obtained by the user who has paired with the processing target user in the tournament (step S6). Subsequently, the ranking processing unit 25 incorporates the calculated tournament score into the tournament ranking data in the ranking data 53 (step S7). If there are unprocessed users at this time, the ranking incorporated in step S7 is provisional. When the processing of all users is completed, the ranking of the tournament score for each user is fixed. After that, the ranking processing unit 25 flags the special comment permission information of the play data 51 to be processed as a flag permitting transmission of a special comment to the paired partner user (hereinafter simply referred to as a permission flag). .) Is set (step S8). When this permission flag is set, a special comment can be transmitted to the paired partner user. When the user to be processed is playing a game on the game machine 3 at the time when the permission flag is set, information indicating that the permission flag is set is transmitted to the game machine 3 of the user, and the game machine Similarly, the permission flag of the special comment permission information of the play data 51 read into the storage unit 32 of the game machine 3 by the third comment processing unit 34 is also set. Thereby, the user can send a special comment from the game machine 3.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S4 that the user to be processed is first, the ranking processing unit 25 selects a predetermined user as a partner to form a pair for the user to be processed (step S9). In this case, the partner who should be paired with the top user is selected appropriately, such as selecting the user who is second in the group as the partner of the pair, or selecting an appropriate user from the user other than the partner as the partner of the pair. May be selected. Next, the ranking processing unit 25 calculates the tournament score by summing up the scores obtained by the user who has paired with the processing target user in the tournament (step S10). Subsequently, the ranking processing unit 25 incorporates the calculated tournament score into the tournament ranking data in the ranking data 53 (step S11). If there are unprocessed users at this time, the ranking incorporated in step S11 is provisional. When the processing of all users is completed, the ranking of the tournament score for each user is fixed. Thereafter, the ranking processing unit 25 resets permission flags for all users with respect to the special comment permission information of the play data 51 to be processed (step S12). When the permission flag is reset, the user to be processed cannot send a special comment. Here, instead of resetting the permission flags for all users, a permission flag for the other user who has paired with the top user may be set. When the user to be processed is playing a game on the game machine 3 at the time when the permission flag is reset, information indicating that the permission flag has been reset is transmitted to the game machine 3 of the user. The permission flag of the special comment permission information of the play data 51 read by the comment processing unit 34 into the storage unit 32 of the game machine 3 is similarly reset. After the special comment permission information is updated in step S8 or step S12, the ranking processing unit 25 ends the process of FIG.

  FIG. 9 shows a comment transmission control process executed by the comment processing unit 34 when the user transmits a comment from the game machine 3. This transmission control process includes a procedure for switching whether or not to transmit a special comment according to the state of the permission flag. When the user of the game machine 3 designates the comment transmission partner and instructs the comment transmission, the comment processing unit 34 first determines the transmission partner (step S21). Next, the comment processing unit 34 determines whether or not a special comment permission flag is set for the transmission partner determined in step S21 based on the special comment permission information recorded in the play data 51 of the storage unit 32. It discriminate | determines (step S22). If the permission flag is not set, the comment processing unit 34 executes normal comment creation processing (step S23). In this process, a normal comment is extracted from a transmission candidate comment recorded in the play data 51 and presented to the user as a transmission comment candidate, and a normal comment selected by the user is created as a transmission comment. When the normal comment creation process is completed, the comment processing unit 34 transmits the created normal comment to the game server unit 21 of the center server 2 (step S26).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S22 that the special comment permission flag is set, the comment processing unit 34 executes a special comment creation process (step S24). In this process, a special comment is extracted from the transmission candidate comment recorded in the play data 51 and presented to the user as a transmission comment candidate, and the special comment selected by the user is created as the transmission comment. When the special comment creation process is completed, the comment processing unit 34 resets the permission flag (step S25), and then proceeds to step S26 to transmit the special comment to the game server unit 21 of the center server 2 (step S26). The comment transmitted in step S26 is stored in the comment data in the community data 52 of the transmission partner via the comment processing unit 24 of the center server 2. When the user of the transmission partner is playing a game on the game machine 3, the comment sent in step S <b> 26 is transmitted to the game machine 3 of the user of the transmission partner by the comment processing unit 24 of the game server 21. In this case, depending on whether the comment is a normal comment or a special comment, the content or display mode of the comment changes as shown in FIG. 3B or 3C. If the user of the transmission partner does not comment on the game on the game machine 3, the transmitted comment is distributed to the user terminal device 4 of the response partner in a timely manner by the process of the community service processing unit 26 of the Web server unit 22. The delivery to the user terminal device 4 may be a so-called push type or a pull type. Also in this case, the content and display form of the comment change depending on whether the comment is a normal comment or a special comment.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the user transmits a comment from the game machine 3 has been described as an example. However, even when a comment is transmitted from the user terminal device 4, the transmission of the special comment is performed with reference to the special comment permission information. Whether it is possible or not may be controlled. The special comment may be transmitted / received by the user terminal device 4.

  In the above embodiment, the game server unit 21 of the center server 2 and the game control unit 31 of the game machine 3 work together to function as a cooperative game providing unit of the present invention by allowing a user to participate in a game as a tournament. The comment processing unit 24 of the server 2 and the comment processing unit 34 of the game machine 3 cooperate to provide a comment function to the user, thereby functioning as an information exchange function providing unit of the present invention. However, when the user terminal device 4 can execute at least one of transmission and reception of the special comment, the Web server unit 22 and the community service processing units 26 and 42 of the user terminal device 4 are also information of the present invention. It functions as an exchange function providing means. Further, the comment processing unit 34 of the game machine 3 functions as a special comment creating means of the present invention by executing step S24 of FIG. 9, and the ranking processing unit 25 of the game server unit 21 performs steps S4 to S21 of FIG. When the comment processing unit 34 of the game machine 3 executes steps S21 and S22 in FIG. 9, the processing units 25 and 34 cooperate to function as the special comment control means of the present invention.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be carried out in a form with appropriate modifications and changes. For example, in the above-mentioned form, the user who has the highest score in the competition is preferentially selected as a collaborator user whose game results are higher than a predetermined level. You may select a collaborator's user from a plurality of users whose rank is higher than a predetermined level. A score acquired by each user may be set as a reference value, and a collaborator user may be selected from fellow users who have a higher result than the reference value. The user group to be a target for selecting a collaborator is not necessarily limited to the set of users in the group. A user group satisfying an appropriate condition may be extracted from users who participated in the tournament, and a collaborator user may be selected from the user group. For example, a user group may be narrowed down with reference to user attributes, grades, and the like, and a user whose grades are higher than a predetermined level may be preferentially selected as a collaborator.

  In the above form, when the user who has been ranked first in the group is selected as a collaborator, it is possible to send a special comment on the assumption that the predetermined cooperation has been obtained. The determination criteria may be changed as appropriate. For example, instead of or in addition to the fact that a user whose grade is higher than a predetermined level is selected as a collaborator, the tournament score of the user who has obtained the cooperation is higher than a predetermined rank (rank X in FIG. 4 as an example). It may be determined that predetermined cooperation has been obtained.

  In the above form, the game is configured so that the user obtains the cooperation of another user as a collaborator by adding the score of the collaborator's user to the score acquired by the user and competing for ranking, The present invention is not limited to such a game, and various modifications can be made to the configuration of the game as long as it includes elements of cooperation. For example, the game may be configured so that the users advance with cooperation. Cooperation on the game may be realized by borrowing elements that can be used on the game such as items, weapons, and magic acquired by the user of the collaborator and proceeding with the game.

  In the above embodiment, the comment processing unit 34 is caused to function as a special comment creating means by causing the user to select a special comment recorded in advance in the play data 51 in the game machine 3 (step S24). The creation of is not limited to such a form. For example, when creating a comment to be sent to a collaborator user by letting the user enter the body of the comment or specifying the decoration of the comment, characters, images, It is possible to modify such that decorations are prepared in advance and those elements are presented to the user as selectable elements when a special comment can be transmitted. Special comments are not limited to those in which differences from normal comments are characterized by elements that can be grasped visually. Special comments may be characterized by melodies or the like. Further, processing such as increasing the number of characters that can be input may be performed only in the case of a special comment.

  In the present invention, the game machine is not limited to a so-called arcade game machine used for commercial purposes. When a stationary game machine for home use, a portable game machine, a personal computer having versatility, a portable communication terminal (including a mobile phone) and other computer devices are combined with a specific game program to function as a game machine A computer device is also included in the concept of the game machine of the present invention. The special comment creating means may be provided in the server device. The server device and the game machine or the user terminal device may cooperate to realize special comment creating means. The special comment control means may be provided in the game machine or may be realized by a server device.

1 Game system 2 Center server (server device)
3 game machine 5 network 21 game server part (cooperation game providing means)
22 Web server unit 23 Storage unit 24 Comment processing unit (information exchange function providing means)
25 Ranking processing section (special comment control means)
31 Game control unit (cooperation game providing means)
32 storage unit 33 game result calculation unit 34 comment processing unit (information exchange function providing means, special comment creating means, special comment control means)
112 Comment window

Claims (7)

Including a server device and a game machine connected to a network,
Cooperation for selecting another user to be a collaborator for the game machine user from a predetermined group of users and allowing the game machine user to participate in the game so that the cooperation of the collaborator user is obtained. Game providing means;
An information exchange function providing means for providing a function of exchanging information between users, including sending and receiving comments between the users via the server device, and a game system comprising:
A special comment that can be sent to the collaborator's user only when the game machine user obtains a predetermined cooperation from the collaborator user, to the collaborator user A special comment creation means for creating a comment to be sent,
When the game machine user can obtain the predetermined cooperation from the collaborator user, the special comment can be transmitted, and the game machine user cannot obtain the predetermined cooperation. The game system further includes special comment control means for controlling whether or not the special comment can be transmitted so that the special comment cannot be transmitted.   The special comment control means controls whether or not to transmit the special comment on the assumption that the predetermined cooperation is obtained when cooperation is obtained from a collaborator user whose performance in the game is higher than a predetermined level. The game system according to claim 1.   The game system according to claim 2, wherein the cooperative game providing unit is configured to preferentially select, as a collaborator, a user whose score in the game is higher than the predetermined level from the user group.   The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the special comment includes content expressing gratitude or respect from a user of the game machine to a user of the collaborator. The information exchange function providing means is configured to be able to set a predetermined connection relationship between users based on the user's intention,
The said cooperation game provision means selects the user of the cooperator from this user group by making the set of users with which the said connection relation is set with respect to the user of the said game machine as said predetermined user group. 5. The game system according to any one of 4. In the game, the level of the score is expressed by the level of a score quantifying the score,
The cooperative game providing means ranks each user according to the total score obtained by adding the score acquired by the collaborator user in the predetermined game to the score acquired by the game machine user in the game. The game system according to claim 1, wherein ranking is performed. A server device and a game machine connected to the network, selecting another user to be a collaborator for the user of the game machine from a predetermined group of users, and selecting the game machine user as the collaborator user A cooperative game providing means for participating in the game in such a way as to obtain cooperation, and an information exchange function providing means for providing a function for exchanging information between users, including transmission and reception of comments between the users via the server device; , A comment control method applied to a game system comprising:
A special comment that can be sent to the collaborator's user only when the game machine user obtains a predetermined cooperation from the collaborator user, to the collaborator user Create a comment to be sent,
When the game machine user can obtain the predetermined cooperation from the collaborator user, the special comment can be transmitted, and the game machine user cannot obtain the predetermined cooperation. And a procedure for controlling whether or not the special comment can be transmitted so that the special comment cannot be transmitted.

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