JP2015177870A - Game system and game server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform natural charging without deteriorating a game property.SOLUTION: A game system includes a first game program which can receive a charging operation in accordance with the progress of a game and makes a computer achieve a function for receiving an operation from a user, a function for transmitting game operation information to a game server, and a function for receiving information transmitted from the game server and outputting the information, a second game program which makes the computer achieve a function for receiving an operation from a user, a function for transmitting game operation information to the game server, and a function for receiving information transmitted from the game server and outputting the information without receiving the charging operation in accordance with the progress of the game, and the game sever which receives the game operation information from the first game program and the second game program, and performs a game using a game object common to the users of the first game program and the second game program to transmit information including a result of the game to the first game program and the second game program.

Description

  The present invention relates to a game control technique using a network.

  A F2P (Free To Play) game that can be downloaded for free and has a basic free game play fee has become widespread (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

  Many of these games employ item charging that sells items that can be used in the game as a business model in order to make the game more advantageous or play more happily.

“KINGDOM CONQUEST II” (http://kingdom-conquest2.com/jp/)

  As for the item billing described above, since there are many postpayment payment systems such as carrier billing (billing with mobile phone usage charges) and credit card billing, a user (for example, a child) who does not have the ability to pay too much will be charged for items. There was a problem.

  As a countermeasure, if you charge for an item up to a predetermined amount, you may not be able to charge for an item any more, but if you do so, you will feel that the game is inferior compared to the period when you were charged for the item. End up.

  On the other hand, it is conceivable to construct a system that does not charge an item from the beginning, but if this is done, the game distributor's profit will be lost and the business will not be established.

  The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to perform natural charging without degrading the game performance.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, it is possible to accept a charging operation accompanying the progress of a game, a function of accepting an operation from a user to a computer, a function of transmitting game operation information to a game server, A first game program that realizes a function of receiving and outputting information transmitted from a game server, a function of accepting an operation from a user without accepting a charging operation accompanying the progress of the game, and game operation information; Game operation information from the second game program for realizing the function of transmitting to the game server, the function of receiving and outputting information transmitted from the game server, the first game program, and the second game program Common to users of the first game program and the second game program. So that and a said game server for transmitting information including the result of the game in the first game program and the second game program by performing a game using the beam object.

  In the present invention, in a game form in which a plurality of users participate, by making a clear distinction between an environment where charging can be performed and an environment where charging cannot be performed, natural charging is performed without degrading game characteristics. Can do.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the system concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of a terminal device. It is a figure which shows the example of an external appearance of a game device. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of a game server. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of a game management database. It is a sequence diagram (the 1) which shows the process example of embodiment. It is a sequence diagram (the 2) which shows the process example of embodiment. It is a sequence diagram (the 3) which shows the process example of embodiment.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described.

<Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, a game in which a three-generation family (grandparents, parents, and children) trains a pet (for example, a dog) that is a common game character is targeted, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, instead of a three-generation family, a group of friends may be used, or instead of pets, players and teams such as baseball and soccer may be trained. Furthermore, as long as it is a game in which a common game character is used by a plurality of users, or a game in which at least one of a common parameter and a virtual space is used by a plurality of users, it is not limited to a breeding game, It may be a game of a general genre such as a race game, buzzle game, or role playing game.

  In FIG. 1, the system includes a terminal device 2 (2A, 2B, 2C,...) Such as a mobile phone and a smartphone operated by users (players) A, B, and C, and a facility 3 such as a game center or a hospital. A game device 4 to be arranged and a game server 5 for managing a game are connected via a network 1 such as the Internet.

  A game application (game application program) 21 is installed in the terminal device 2, and a user operation reception unit 22, an operation information transmission unit 23, and an information reception / output unit 24 are configured by executing the game application.

  The user operation reception unit 22 has a function of receiving a user operation on the terminal device 2. The user's operation includes operation of an acceleration sensor due to vibration of the terminal device 2 in addition to operations on mechanical buttons and GUI (Graphical User Interface).

  Further, the user operation accepting unit 22 of the terminal device 2A used by the user A such as the grandparents and the terminal device 2B used by the user B such as the parents can perform an item purchase operation (operation in which item charging is performed). Yes. The user operation accepting unit 22 of the terminal device 2C used by the user C such as a child cannot perform an item purchase operation. Note that one type of game application 21 to be installed in the terminal devices 2A and 2B and the terminal device 2C may be used, and the item purchase operation menu may be set to be valid / invalid by a predetermined operation. There may be two types: a game app with a menu and a game app without an item purchase operation menu.

  The operation information transmitting unit 23 has a function of transmitting the user operation received by the user operation receiving unit 22 to the game server 5.

  The information reception / output unit 24 has a function of receiving information transmitted from the game server 5 and performing screen display, audio output, and the like.

  The game device 4 installed in the facility 3 is provided with a fee collection unit 41, a sensation mechanism unit 42, and a game application 43.

  The fee collection unit 41 has a function of collecting the play fee and item purchase fee of the game apparatus 4.

  The bodily sensation mechanical unit 42 can perform an operation of actually moving the body such as a walk of a dog. Details will be described later.

  The game application 43 includes a user operation reception unit 44, an operation information transmission unit 45, and an information reception / output unit 46.

  The user operation reception unit 44 has a function of receiving a user operation on the game apparatus 4. The user operation accepting unit 44 can perform an item purchase operation with direct input of a fee.

  The operation information transmission unit 45 has a function of transmitting the user operation received by the user operation reception unit 44 to the game server 5.

  The information reception / output unit 46 has a function of receiving information transmitted from the game server 5 and performing screen display, audio output, and the like.

  The game server 5 includes an operation information receiving unit 51, a menu control unit 52, a breeding simulation unit 53, a communication management unit 54, an item purchase processing unit 55, a history information management unit 56, an information transmission unit 57, and a game management database 58. ing.

  The operation information receiving unit 51 has a function of receiving user operation information transmitted from the operation information transmitting unit 23 of the terminal device 2 and the operation information transmitting unit 45 of the game apparatus 4.

  The menu control unit 52 has a function of controlling an operation menu (mainly a game character training menu) that can be selected by the terminal device 2 according to the role of each user. For example, for the terminal devices 2A and 2B, the item purchase is included in the operation menu, but the item purchase is not included in the operation menu of the terminal device 2C. Further, when the dog walk is the role of grandparents, the operation menu of the terminal device 2A includes the dog walk and does not include the other terminal devices 2B and 2C. In addition, when the operation is associated with a time zone (for example, in the morning when a dog walks), the operation menu can be changed depending on the time zone.

  The training simulation unit 53 has a function of performing a game character training simulation according to the user operation received by the operation information receiving unit 51. In the process of the training simulation, the ranking of users (the user who takes care well rises to a higher ranking, etc.) is also performed.

  The communication management unit 54 has a function of managing communication between users. The communication includes not only users belonging to the same group but also users of other groups. For example, it is possible to enjoy game conversations with other groups and participate in a contest.

  The item purchase processing unit 55 has a function of performing processing such as item issuance and billing when the user operation received by the operation information receiving unit 51 is item purchase.

  The history information management unit 56 has a function of managing game operation history information.

  The information transmission unit 57 has a function of transmitting history information to the terminal device 2 in response to a request from the terminal device 2 or the game device 4.

  The game management database 58 holds information necessary for processing in the game server 5. An example of the data structure will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the terminal device 2.

  In FIG. 2, the terminal device 2 includes a power supply system 201, a main system 202 including a processor 203, a memory controller 204, and a peripheral interface 205, and a storage unit 206. In addition, the terminal device 2 includes an external port 207, a high frequency circuit 208, an antenna 209, an audio circuit 210, a speaker 211, a microphone 212, a proximity sensor 213, a GPS (Global Positioning System) circuit 214, and an acceleration. And a sensor 215. The terminal device 2 includes an input / output (I / O) subsystem 216 including a display controller 217, an optical sensor controller 218, and an input controller 219, a touch-responsive display system 220, an optical sensor 221, and an input unit 222. And.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the game apparatus 4.

  In FIG. 3, the game apparatus 4 includes a walking unit 401 where a user (player) walks on a moving walking belt, a housing 402 in which an electronic device is stored, and a coin slot provided in the housing 402. 403, a dog model 404 and a lead 405 disposed on the housing 402, and a screen 406 on which a walk scenery is displayed are provided. A vibration mechanism is provided at the base of the lead 405 so that the vibration is transmitted to the user's hand holding the lead 405 by the behavior of the dog.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the game server 5.

  4, the game server 5 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 502, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 503, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 504, and an NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random Access Memory) 505 connected to a system bus 501. It has. The game server 5 also includes an I / F (Interface) 506, an I / O (Input / Output Device) 507, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 508, and a NIC (Network Interface Card) 509 connected to the I / F 506. And a monitor 510 connected to the I / O 507, a keyboard 511, a mouse 512, and the like. A CD / DVD (Compact Disk / Digital Versatile Disk) drive or the like can be connected to the I / O 507.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the game management database 58, and includes a user table that holds user information and a group table that holds group information.

  The user table has items (fields) such as “user ID”, “password”, “user name”, “user avatar”, “role”, “affiliated group ID”, “owned item”, “received message”, and “group ranking”. Yes.

  “User ID” is information for identifying a user. The “password” is secret information for authenticating the user at the time of login. “User name” is a name used when a user is displayed on the game screen. “User avatar” is an image when a user is displayed on the game screen. “Role” is the role of the user in the game. For example, if a group consists of three generations of family members, grandparents will be “purchasing accessories”, “walking”, “feeding”, parents will be “feeding”, “taking a bath”, “medicine”, Roles such as “skinship”, “teaching art”, “extermination and extermination of foreign enemies” are given.

  “Affiliation group ID” is information for identifying a group to which the user belongs. “Holded item” is an item held by the user. Note that items purchased in the group according to the role can be used by other users according to the role. “Received message” is information accumulated for communication. Since the opponent is not always online, it is stored once as a received message, and when the opponent is online, a request is awaited and displayed on the game screen. “In-group ranking” is a ranking of each user in the process of training game characters.

  The group table includes items such as “group ID”, “group name”, “character name”, “character model”, “character state”, and “history”.

  “Group ID” is information for identifying a group. “Group name” is a name for displaying a group on the game screen. The “character name” is the name of a game character (pet such as a dog). “Character model” is model data used to generate an image of a game character. The “character state” is the current state of the game character. “History” is game operation history information.

<Operation>
6 to 8 are sequence diagrams showing processing examples of the above embodiment.

  In FIG. 6, when a user C such as a child performs a game operation for training a game character after automatic login by starting the game application 21 in the terminal device 2 </ b> C (step S <b> 101), the user operation reception of the terminal device 2 </ b> C is accepted. The unit 22 receives a game operation, and the operation information transmission unit 23 transmits game operation information including a breeding command to the game server 5 (step S102).

  The operation information receiving unit 51 of the game server 5 receives game operation information including a breeding command, and the breeding simulation unit 53 performs a breeding simulation of the game character and updates the character state on the game management database 58 (step S103). . In addition, the history information management unit 56 stores history information in the game management database 58 (step S104).

  Then, the information transmission unit 57 transmits display information including the simulation result to the terminal device 2C (step S105), and the information reception / output unit 24 of the terminal device 2C receives the display information and performs display (step S106).

  In this way, the user C such as a child can enjoy the development of game characters.

  Next, when the user A such as a grandparent performs a game operation for browsing history after automatic login by starting the game application 21 in the terminal device 2A (step S111), the user operation reception unit 22 of the terminal device 2A Receiving a game operation, the operation information transmission unit 23 transmits game operation information including a history browsing request to the game server 5 (step S112).

  The operation information receiving unit 51 of the game server 5 receives game operation information including a history browsing request, and the history information management unit 56 acquires history information from the game management database 58 (step S113).

  The information transmission unit 57 transmits display information including history information to the terminal device 2A (step S114), and the information reception / output unit 24 of the terminal device 2A receives the display information and performs display (step S115).

  Next, when a user B such as a parent performs a game operation for history browsing after the automatic login by starting the game application 21 in the terminal device 2B (step S121), the user operation reception unit 22 of the terminal device 2B Receiving a game operation, the operation information transmitting unit 23 transmits game operation information including a history browsing request to the game server 5 (step S122).

  The operation information receiving unit 51 of the game server 5 receives game operation information including a history browsing request, and the history information management unit 56 acquires history information from the game management database 58 (step S123).

  Then, the information transmission unit 57 transmits display information including history information to the terminal device 2B (step S124), and the information reception / output unit 24 of the terminal device 2B receives the display information and performs display (step S125).

  In addition, although the case where the history browsing request is made from the terminal devices 2A and 2B has been described, the history browsing request can be similarly made from the terminal device 2C.

  In this way, the user A such as the grandparents and the user B such as the parents can know the game play situation of the user C such as the child.

  Next, in FIG. 7, a user C such as a child transmits an item purchase request message (so-called “onigiri”) to the user A such as a grandparent after automatic login by starting the game application 21 in the terminal device 2 </ b> C. When the game operation is performed (step S201), the user operation reception unit 22 of the terminal device 2C receives the game operation, and the operation information transmission unit 23 transmits game operation information including the item purchase request message to the game server 5 (step S201). S202).

  The operation information receiving unit 51 of the game server 5 receives game operation information including an item purchase request message, and the communication management unit 54 stores the item purchase request message in the game management database 58 (step S203).

  Then, the information transmission unit 57 transmits display information including message storage completion to the terminal device 2C (step S204), and the information reception / output unit 24 of the terminal device 2C receives the display information and performs display (step S205). .

  Thereafter, when a user A such as a grandparent performs a game operation for a message acquisition request after automatic login by starting the game application 21 in the terminal device 2A (step S211), the user operation reception unit 22 of the terminal device 2A Receiving a game operation, the operation information transmitting unit 23 transmits game operation information including a message acquisition request to the game server 5 (step S212).

  The operation information receiving unit 51 of the game server 5 receives game operation information including a message acquisition request, and the communication management unit 54 acquires a message (item purchase request message) from the game management database 58 (step S213).

  Then, the information transmission unit 57 transmits display information including the item purchase request message to the terminal device 2A (step S214), and the information reception / output unit 24 of the terminal device 2A receives the display information and performs display (step S215). ). Note that the user A does not perform a game operation for a message acquisition request in the terminal device 2A, and transmits an item purchase request message directly to the terminal device 2A using a push notification or the like in step S204. Good.

  When a user A such as a grandparent who wants to purchase an item by looking at the item purchase request message performs a game operation for an item purchase request in the terminal device 2A (step S216), the user operation reception of the terminal device 2A is accepted. The unit 22 accepts a game operation, and the operation information transmission unit 23 transmits game operation information including an item purchase request to the game server 5 (step S217).

  The operation information receiving unit 51 of the game server 5 receives game operation information including an item purchase request, and the item purchase processing unit 55 issues and charges an item (step S218).

  Then, the information transmission unit 57 transmits display information including completion of item purchase to the terminal device 2A (step S219), and the information reception / output unit 24 of the terminal device 2A receives the display information and performs display (step S220). .

  Thereafter, a user C such as a child performs a game operation for training a game character using an item purchased by the user A such as a grandparent after the automatic login by starting the game application 21 in the terminal device 2C. (Step S221), the user operation reception unit 22 of the terminal device 2C receives a game operation, and the operation information transmission unit 23 transmits game operation information including an item use breeding command to the game server 5 (Step S222).

  The operation information receiving unit 51 of the game server 5 receives game operation information including an item use training command, and the training simulation unit 53 performs a game character training simulation and updates the character state on the game management database 58 ( Step S223). In addition, the history information management unit 56 stores the history information in the game management database 58 (step S224).

  Then, the information transmission unit 57 transmits display information including the simulation result to the terminal device 2C (step S225), and the information reception / output unit 24 of the terminal device 2C receives the display information and performs display (step S226).

  In this way, the user A, such as a grandparent, purchases an item in response to the “request” of the user C, such as a child (grandchild), and the user C, such as a child, acquires the item without being charged and plays the game. Can enjoy.

  Next, in FIG. 8, after the user A such as a grandparent has automatically logged in the terminal device 2 </ b> A by starting the game application 21, a game operation such as “walking the dog”, that is, the user can use the acceleration sensor of the terminal device 2 </ b> A. When a walking motion using a pedometer (registered trademark) / pedometer is performed (step S311), the user operation accepting unit 22 of the terminal device 2A accepts a game operation, and the operation information transmitting unit 23 is game operation information including a breeding command. Is transmitted to the game server 5 (step S312).

  The operation information receiving unit 51 of the game server 5 receives game operation information including a breeding command, and the breeding simulation unit 53 performs a breeding simulation of the game character and updates the character state on the game management database 58 (step S313). . In addition, the history information management unit 56 stores history information in the game management database 58 (step S314).

  Then, the information transmission unit 57 transmits display information including the simulation result to the terminal device 2A (step S315), and the information reception / output unit 24 of the terminal device 2A receives the display information and performs display (step S316).

  In this way, the user A such as grandparents can perform a game operation of actually moving the body such as “walking the dog” in accordance with his / her role, which can be used for maintaining and promoting health.

  On the other hand, in the game device 4 installed in the facility 3, after a predetermined login operation (such as input of a user ID or password) by the users A, B, and C, a fee is charged and a game such as “walking the dog” When an operation is performed (step S321), the user operation reception unit 44 of the game apparatus 4 receives a game operation, and the operation information transmission unit 45 transmits game operation information including a breeding command to the game server 5 (step S322).

  The operation information receiving unit 51 of the game server 5 receives game operation information including a breeding command, and the breeding simulation unit 53 performs a breeding simulation of the game character and updates the character state on the game management database 58 (step S323). . The history information management unit 56 stores history information in the game management database 58 (step S324).

  Then, the information transmission unit 57 transmits display information including the simulation result to the game apparatus 4 (step S325), and the information reception / output unit 46 of the game apparatus 4 receives the display information and performs display (step S326).

  In this manner, not only the user A such as the grandparents but also the user B such as the parents and the user C such as the child can perform a game operation for actually moving the body such as “walking the dog”.

  In addition, in the game device 4 installed in the facility 3, when a user A, B, or C performs a predetermined log-in operation (input of a user ID or password, etc.) and then performs a game operation for requesting item purchase by inserting a fee. (Step S331), the user operation reception unit 44 of the game apparatus 4 receives a game operation, and the operation information transmission unit 45 transmits game operation information including an item purchase request to the game server 5 (Step S332).

  The operation information receiving unit 51 of the game server 5 receives game operation information including an item purchase request, and the item purchase processing unit 55 issues and charges an item (step S333).

  Then, the information transmission unit 57 transmits display information including completion of item purchase to the game apparatus 4 (step S334), and the information reception / output unit 46 of the game apparatus 4 receives the display information and performs display (step S335). .

  The item purchased in this way can be used by the user C such as a child from the terminal device 2C. In many cases, the user A, such as a grandparent who is reluctant to purchase an item online, feels secure in purchasing the item by actually introducing a fee.

  Note that the above-described game operation information may be information on a result processed in the terminal device or the game device based on the operation input, in addition to the operation input information on the user operating the terminal device or the game device.

<Summary>
As described above, the present embodiment has the following advantages.

  (1) In a game form in which a plurality of users participate, it is possible to make a natural charge without degrading the game characteristics by clearly distinguishing between an environment where charging can be performed and an environment where charging cannot be performed. More specifically, a user such as a grandparent purchases an item in response to an “asking” of a user such as a child (grandchild), and a user such as a child acquires the item without being charged and enjoys game play. be able to.

  (2) It is possible to improve the communication between users through the browsing of game play history information and the exchange of messages for item purchase requests.

  (3) By changing the game operation content according to the role of each user in the group, each user can be made aware and encouraged to actively participate in the game.

  (4) By including an action of actually moving the body in the game operation, health maintenance / promotion and realism can be improved.

  The present invention has been described above by the preferred embodiments of the present invention. While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, various modifications and changes may be made to the embodiments without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Obviously you can. In other words, the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the details of the specific examples and the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Network 2, 2A-2C Terminal device 21 Game application 22 User operation reception part 23 Operation information transmission part 24 Information reception / output part 3 Facility 4 Game device 41 Charge collection part 42 Experience mechanism part 43 Game application 44 User operation reception part 45 Operation information transmission unit 46 Information reception / output unit 51 Operation information reception unit 52 Menu control unit 53 Growth simulation unit 54 Communication management unit 55 Item purchase processing unit 56 History information management unit 57 Information transmission unit 58 Game management database A to C user

Claims (10)

A billing operation associated with the progress of a game can be received, a function of receiving an operation from a user to a computer, a function of transmitting game operation information to a game server, and a function of receiving and outputting information transmitted from the game server A first game program to be realized;
A function of accepting an operation from a user to a computer without accepting a charging operation accompanying the progress of the game, a function of transmitting game operation information to the game server, and a function of receiving and outputting information transmitted from the game server A second game program to be realized;
Game operation information is received from the first game program and the second game program, a game using a game object common to the users of the first game program and the second game program is performed, and the game A game system comprising: the game server that transmits information including the result of the above to the first game program and the second game program. The game system according to claim 1,
The game system, wherein the first game program is arranged in a terminal device possessed by a first user, and the second game program is arranged in a terminal device possessed by a second user. The game system according to claim 1,
The game system, wherein the first game program is arranged in a game device installed in a facility, and the second game program is arranged in a terminal device possessed by the user. The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The game server
A game system comprising means for holding information on an item purchased by a charging operation of the first game program and permitting use from the second game program associated in advance. The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The game server
A game comprising means for receiving an item purchase request from the second game program and transmitting the item purchase request to the first game program in response to a request from the first game program system. The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The game server
History information of game objects based on game operation information from the first game program and the second game program is held, and history is recorded in response to browsing requests from the first game program and the second game program. A game system comprising means for providing information. The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A game system characterized in that a menu for accepting game operation information in the first game program and a menu for accepting game operation information in the second game program have different contents. The game system according to claim 7,
The game system is characterized in that the menu has contents corresponding to user role assignments. The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The game system according to claim 1, wherein the first game program accepts an operation linked to an operation of the user actually moving the body. A billing operation associated with the progress of a game can be received, a function of receiving an operation from a user to a computer, a function of transmitting game operation information to a game server, and a function of receiving and outputting information transmitted from the game server The first game program to be realized, the function of accepting the operation from the user to the computer without accepting the charging operation accompanying the progress of the game, the function of sending the game operation information to the game server, and the game server Means for receiving game operation information from a second game program for realizing a function of receiving and outputting information;
Means for causing a user of the first game program and the second game program to play a game using a common game object based on the received game operation information;
A game server comprising: means for transmitting information including a game result to the first game program and the second game program.

Images