JP2018187458A - Game device, game article, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To continue a user's degree of interest in a game.SOLUTION: A game device discharges an article that is associated with a game element and includes article information capable of identifying the game element. The game device performs advance control of a game to be executed by using reference information set to the game element associated with the article to be used, based on article information acquired from the article to be used. The game device discharges a first article on condition of payment of a price in execution of a game, and then discharges a second article on condition of further payment of a price. In advance control of a game, reference information to be used is made different between when the article to be used is the first article and when it is the second article.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a game apparatus, a game article, and a program, and more particularly to a game apparatus that executes a game based on information acquired from the article.

  When the game play is performed, the game card is discharged (provided by sale) in accordance with the payment of the consideration, and the game parameter of the game character associated with the game card used for the game play is set to the game card sold. There is a game device that increases according to the number of sheets (Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-066871 A

  In the game device described in Patent Literature 1, the user can advantageously advance the game according to the game play in accordance with the number of game cards purchased at the time of game play. If the card is stored in the card and used in the subsequent game play, a similar play experience could not be obtained without purchasing a plurality of game cards. In other words, in the game device described in Patent Document 1, although a different play experience is provided according to the price paid for one game play, the play experience provided by using the game card itself is It may be fixed and it may be difficult to maintain the user's interest in the game.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a game device, a game article, and a program that maintain a user's interest in a game.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the game device of the present invention is a game device having a discharge means for discharging an article having article information associated with a game element and capable of specifying the game element. An acquisition means for acquiring article information from an article, and an execution means for executing a game based on the article information acquired by the acquisition means, using reference information set for a game element associated with the used article And executing means for controlling the progress of the game, and selecting means for selecting game elements corresponding to the articles to be discharged by the discharging means. The discharging means is paid for the execution of the game, and the first means The first item is discharged on condition that the same game element as the game element associated with the item is selected by the selection means, and then further consideration The second item is discharged on the condition that payment has been made, and the execution means is a game progress control in the case where the used item is the first item and the second item, Use different reference information.

  With such a configuration, according to the present invention, it is possible to maintain the user's degree of interest in the game.

The block diagram which showed the function structure of the game device 100 which concerns on embodiment and modification of this invention. The flowchart which illustrated the game process performed with the game device 100 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The flowchart which illustrated the registration process concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention The figure which showed the information presentation example at the time of making it acquire information from the normal card and the reinforcement | strengthening card based on Embodiment 1 of this invention The flowchart which illustrated the game process performed with the game device 100 which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. The flowchart which illustrated the registration process concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention The figure which showed the example of information presentation which concerns on Embodiment 2 and the modification 2 of this invention, and concerns on card | curd discharge | emission The figure which illustrated the normal card and reinforced card concerning Embodiment 2 of the present invention The figure which illustrated the normal card and reinforced card concerning modification 5 of the present invention The figure which showed the data structural example of the various information which concerns on embodiment and modification of this invention

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, one embodiment described below is an example in which the present invention is applied to a game device capable of discharging an article associated with a game element in a game play performed in accordance with payment of consideration as an example of a game device. Will be explained. However, the present invention can be applied to any device capable of discharging an article according to payment of a price at the time of the game play regardless of whether the predetermined game is executed or not.

  Further, in the following description, the articles discharged by the game device (game articles: including the first article and the second article) are all described as being cards, but the game associated with the article The article is not limited to a card as long as it is an article configured such that an element can be specified. The article may be a model such as a figure having the appearance of a game element, for example.

  Information (article information) that can specify which game element an article is associated with may be configured to be acquired in a different manner depending on the adopted article. In this embodiment, the article information is added to the card in such a manner that it is converted into a one-dimensional or multi-dimensional pattern (code) by applying a predetermined conversion operation and printed as visible information on the card surface. It will be explained as The description will be made assuming that the code attached to the card is configured to be able to acquire the article information by being read by a reader described later. However, the manner of attaching the article information to the card is not limited to such visible information, but is attached to the surface of the card by printing with invisible ink, or recorded on a recording medium such as an IC chip included in the card, Any data may be stored, for example, as data. When the article is a modeled article, the article information may be acquired from a recording medium inside the modeled object or a part of the appearance such as painting, sealing, printing, or the like attached to the modeled object. The article may be any article such as a toy or a seal as well as a figure. In addition, the product information is not limited to the form added to the product as packaged information in this way, but by recognizing the design of the game element attached to the product and the appearance (shape, etc.) of the product itself, It may be acquired by the game apparatus 100 as a recognition result. In this case, the article information is not attached to the article. That is, the game article is not limited to a specific technique in the present invention, as long as the game article is associated with the game element.

  In this embodiment, in the game executed by the game device, any game element that can be made to appear by using a card is a character whose behavior is controlled based on a user operation. In the following description, it is assumed that the corresponding character design (image showing the appearance of the character) is attached. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this, and a card for use in identifying a game element of a game to be executed is not limited to a card that can identify a game element such as a character. It goes without saying that other game elements such as an effect to be activated may be specified.

<Game device configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a game device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The control unit 101 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each block included in the game apparatus 100. Specifically, the control unit 101 controls the operation of each block by, for example, reading an operation program for each block recorded on the recording medium 102 and developing the operation program in the memory 103.

  The recording medium 102 is a recording device capable of permanently storing data, such as a nonvolatile memory or an HDD. The recording medium 102 stores information on parameters necessary for the operation of each block, various graphics data used for the game executed by the game device 100, in addition to the operation program for each block of the game device 100. To do. The memory 103 is a storage device used for temporary data storage such as a volatile memory. The memory 103 is used not only as a development area for the operation program of each block, but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data output in the operation of each block.

  The payment detection unit 104 detects that the game device 100 has paid the price. The payment of the consideration is determined by detecting, for example, that a predetermined amount of coins or corresponding coins have been inserted into the coin slot, or completion of settlement processing based on communication with a chip related to the predetermined electronic money. It may be done. The game apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is described as starting the provision of a service that involves discharging a card to a user based on the payment of the consideration. However, payment of the consideration is not an essential requirement, and a predetermined start instruction is given. Service provision may be started based on this.

  The acquisition unit 105 acquires information from a card associated with a game element via the reader 120 when playing a game provided by the game device 100 of the present embodiment. The reader 120 is provided in a form that is incorporated in the same housing as the game apparatus 100 or in a form that is detachably connected to the outside of the game apparatus 100. In response to the card being placed, the reader 120 outputs the article information acquired from the card to the acquisition unit 105. At this time, a predetermined data conversion process or the like may be performed in order to convert the article information acquired from the card into a format suitable for use in the process related to the game. The reader 120 detects, for example, imaging that a card has been placed on a predetermined part and recognition of the card or acquisition of information from the card during a period in which information is acquired from the card. This is performed by applying predetermined image processing to the image obtained by the above.

  The character DB 106 is a database that manages information (character information) about each character that is a game element predetermined as appearing in the game.

  The character information managed for one character may have a data structure as shown in FIG. 10A, for example. As shown in the figure, the character information is associated with a character ID 1001 that uniquely identifies the character, and is information for drawing 1002 including graphics data used for screen generation when the character appears in the game. In addition to the character name, attributes, and the like as an example of the reference data according to the present invention, the voice data 1003 used in the present invention, predetermined physical strength (durability), attack power, defense power, exercise technique, special skill, etc. A progress parameter 1004 describing the element-specific capabilities of The progress parameter 1004 is information that is referred to in a game that causes a character to appear in the game, and the progress control of the game provided by using the information is performed. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, there are two types of cards ejected from the game apparatus 100: a normal card as the first article of the present invention and a reinforced card as the second article. The progress parameter 1004 that is referred to in the progress control of the game differs depending on which card the article information is acquired for use. Accordingly, the progress parameter 1004 of the character information includes a normal parameter 1011 that is referred to when information is acquired from the normal card in relation to use of the corresponding character, and a reinforcement parameter that is referred to when information is acquired from the reinforced card. 1012. The normal parameter 1011 and the reinforcement parameter 1012 set for one character indicate values in a state in which the reinforcement parameter 1012 makes the progress of the game more advantageous, and as a result, the card from which information is acquired even for the same character. The progress of the game changes depending on which is.

  In the present embodiment, graphics data and audio data are stored in the character DB 106 and the character information includes these data. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. The character information may include information indicating the storage location of the corresponding data.

  The presentation control unit 107 controls the presentation of various information to the user in the game apparatus 100. The game apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described as having a display unit 130 that displays an image (game screen, menu screen, etc.) and a voice output unit 140 that performs voice output as means for presenting various information to the user. Needless to say, the means for presenting information is not limited to these, and can be replaced or added.

  The presentation control unit 107 includes a drawing device such as a GPU, for example, and performs a predetermined drawing process when generating a screen to be displayed on the display unit 130. Specifically, the presentation control unit 107 is a drawing object (graphics data) necessary based on processing and commands performed by the control unit 101 while the game apparatus 100 is in operation (during game play or in a standby state). The necessary arithmetic processing is executed on the screen and the screen is drawn. The generated screen is output to the display unit 130 which is a display device detachably connected in the same housing as the game device 100 or outside the game device 100, and is displayed in a predetermined display area to the user. Presented.

  The presentation control unit 107 includes a circuit that outputs / amplifies an audio signal, such as a sound board or an amplifier, and performs predetermined processing when generating audio to be output from the audio output unit 140. Specifically, the presentation control unit 107 determines audio data to be output at the same time based on, for example, audio data recorded in advance on the recording medium 102, and converts this into an electric audio signal (D / A conversion). And output to the audio output unit 140 to perform audio output. The audio output unit 140 may be a predetermined speaker or the like, and outputs a sound wave based on the input audio signal.

  The discharge control unit 108 performs various processes for discharging at least one card per game play based on the payment of the consideration. Cards discharged in the game apparatus 100 are discharged before the start of a game sequence related to provision of a predetermined game (game part that operates an operation character: a battle game), for example, every card regardless of the game play content. Is a card with predetermined (fixed) article information.

  The discharge unit 150 is, for example, a card dispenser, has a stocker (not shown) that deposits cards in the vertical direction, and stores one card held at the bottom of the stocker according to a discharge command issued by the discharge control unit 108. It may be a configuration having a discharging mechanism. The discharge unit 150 of the present embodiment is configured to have different stockers for the normal card and the reinforced card, and when a normal card discharge command is issued, one sheet from the stocker that accommodates only the normal card. When a normal card is ejected and a strengthening card ejection command is issued, one strengthening card is ejected from a stocker that accommodates only the strengthening card.

  In the present embodiment, the game apparatus 100 can discharge one or more cards in providing one game play (use of the game apparatus 100 related to one game play by a user). More specifically, in the provision of a play experience for one time in the game device 100, that is, for payment of a (predetermined amount) consideration made in a standby state (a state where a play request is not provided and a provision request can be accepted). The discharge control unit 108 discharges one normal card in response to the execution of a series of processing of providing processing described later executed accordingly. In addition, in the case of providing a play experience for one time, when an additional payment is made, the discharge control unit 108 discharges the enhanced card in response to the payment. In other words, in the game device 100 of the present embodiment, the normal card is discharged for the payment of the consideration related to the provision request for one play experience, and during the provision of the play experience, A reinforced card is discharged for payment. Discharge of reinforced cards does not have to be limited to one, and one reinforced card may be discharged for every payment of a specified amount of payment made after payment of a regular card. . In this case, an upper limit may be set for the total number of cards ejected for one play experience provided in order to ensure fairness in obtaining goods among users.

  When the discharge unit 150 is built in the same housing as the game apparatus 100, the card may be provided to the user by being guided to a discharge port (not shown) accessible from the outside of the game apparatus 100. Cards ejected from the game apparatus 100 of the present embodiment are ready-made cards that are printed and manufactured in advance, and the design of character images, parameters, etc. printed on the card surface is fixed, and all cards have the same shape and size. Formed.

  As described above, it is assumed that each card is provided with a code related to the article information, and which game element the card corresponds to can be acquired by the code. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10B, the item information attached to the normal card and the reinforced card is associated with the card ID 1021 that uniquely identifies the card, and the character associated with the card is specified. Character ID 1022 to be played and a strengthened card flag 1023 indicating whether or not the card is a strengthened card (indicating that it is a strengthened card when it is true and is true, and in the case of false) The product information is converted into a code according to a predetermined coding rule and attached to the card. Therefore, the production line is divided so that the normal card and the reinforced card of the present embodiment, which are ready-made cards, are attached with article information in which the reinforced card flag 1023 is different in the manufacturing stage.

  In the present embodiment, the normal card and the reinforced card are configured in the same shape and size, and the character image attached to both cards for any character and the design configuration of the card are not changed. Are different only in code, that is, only in article information. Therefore, the normal card and the reinforced card are configured to be discriminable by presenting information when article information is acquired in the game apparatus 100. In the present embodiment, the normal card and the reinforced card are configured so that the article information has the same data structure in consideration of the convenience of information acquisition and can be discriminated by the logical reinforced card flag 1023. As will be described, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, information indicating that the card is a reinforced card may be attached to the product information of the reinforced card, and the product information of the normal card may not be added to the product information so that the product information can be discriminated.

  The operation input unit 109 is a user interface that the game apparatus 100 has, for example, an operation member for direction input or determination input, various sensors, and the like. When the operation input unit 109 detects that an operation input to the operation member has been made, the operation input unit 109 outputs a control signal corresponding to the operation input to the control unit 101. In the present embodiment, the game apparatus 100 is described as having various interfaces as physical operation members. However, the game apparatus 100 includes, for example, a touch input detection sensor that detects a touch input made on the screen of the display unit 130. Also good.

  Communication unit 110 is a communication interface with an external device included in game device 100. The communication unit 110 can be connected to an external device via a communication network such as the Internet or a network (whether wired or wireless) that may be a cable connecting devices, and can transmit and receive data. . For example, the communication unit 110 converts information input as a transmission target into data of a predetermined format and transmits the data to an external device such as a server via a network. Further, for example, when receiving information from an external device via a network, the communication unit 110 decodes the information and stores it in the memory 103. In addition, the game apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to receive program data obtained by packaging a processing program related to a game from an external apparatus via the communication unit 110. When the communication unit 110 receives the program data together with the program update request, the control unit 101 uses the received program data for the processing program relating to the game currently stored in the recording medium 102 according to the update request. Can be updated. In addition to this, the program update processing of the game is automatically executed when the program data recorded on the recording medium is inserted into an optical drive (not shown) included in the game device, or after the insertion. It can also be executed by the start command from the administrator.

《Provision processing》
With respect to the providing process executed in connection with the provision of one play experience in the game device 100 of the present embodiment having such a configuration, a specific process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The processing corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading, for example, a corresponding processing program stored in the recording medium 102, developing it in the memory 103, and executing it. Note that the present providing process will be described as being started when the payment detecting unit 104 detects that payment has been made, for example, while the game apparatus 100 is in a standby state.

  In step S <b> 201, the discharge control unit 108 causes the discharge unit 150 to discharge a normal card in response to payment of a value related to the start of the provision process under the control of the control unit 101. In addition, the control unit 101 causes the presentation control unit 107 to notify that the card is ejected when the normal card is ejected.

  In step S202, the control unit 101 determines whether or not to additionally discharge a card. The determination in this step is made based on whether or not the presentation control unit 107 notifies that the additional card can be discharged, and an operation input related to the additional discharge instruction for the notification is made. When it is determined that the card is to be additionally discharged, the control unit 101 moves the process to S203, and when it judges that the card is not to be discharged, the process moves to S206.

  In step S <b> 203, the control unit 101 determines whether or not compensation for additional card discharge has been paid. If the control unit 101 determines that the payment related to the additional card discharge has been paid, the process proceeds to S204. If the control unit 101 determines that payment has not been made, the process proceeds to S205.

  In step S <b> 204, the discharge control unit 108 causes the discharge unit 150 to discharge the enhanced card in response to the additional payment made under the control of the control unit 101. In addition, the control unit 101 causes the presentation control unit 107 to notify that an additional card is to be discharged when the enhanced card is discharged.

  In step S205, the control unit 101 determines whether or not an end condition for processing related to additional card ejection is satisfied. The process termination condition related to additional card ejection is not limited to the maximum number of cards ejected for provision of one play experience, but an operation input for terminating additional card ejection was made. , It is determined that the predetermined time limit for the additional card discharge has been completed, the payment for the additional card discharge has not been paid for a predetermined time, etc. It may be. The control unit 101 moves the process to S206 when it is determined that the process termination condition relating to the additional card ejection is satisfied, and returns the process to S203 when it is determined that the condition is not satisfied.

  In S206, the control unit 101 determines an opponent character to appear in this game play. The game provided by the game device 100 of the present embodiment is played between a user character whose behavior is controlled based on a user's operation and an opponent character that appears in the game as an NPC (Non-Player Character). It will be described as a battle game. For each of the user character and the opponent character, the number of appearances in the battle game is determined in advance, and in this step, the control unit 101 determines the required number of opponent characters and information for the battle game related to the opponent character ( The opponent character information) is stored in the memory 103. The determination of the opponent character may be performed in response to an operation input for selecting one of a predetermined opponent character or a quest associated with the opponent character, or lottery It may be performed without the need for an operation input according to processing, information on the user's play progress recorded on a separate recording medium, or the like.

  The opponent character information may be configured to include drawing information, audio data, and a progression parameter acquired from the corresponding character information in association with the character ID. At this time, the progress parameter is determined based on information that determines which of the normal parameter 1011 and the enhancement parameter 1012 managed as the progress parameter 1004 of the character information is used as the opponent character. Alternatively, a parameter for a partner character managed separately may be employed.

  In step S207, the control unit 101 executes a registration sequence process (registration process) that accepts registration of a user character to appear in the battle game in the current game play.

<registration process>
Here, the registration process executed in the registration sequence of the present embodiment will be described in detail using the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S301, the control unit 101 controls the reader 120 so that information can be acquired. In addition, the control unit 101 causes the presentation control unit 107 to notify that the user character to appear in the battle game can be registered by acquiring information from the card.

  In step S302, the control unit 101 determines whether the reader 120 has acquired information from the card (target card). The determination in this step is made based on whether or not the acquisition unit 105 has acquired the article information output by the reader 120. If the control unit 101 determines that information has been acquired from the target card, the process proceeds to S303. If the control unit 101 determines that information has not been acquired, the control unit 101 proceeds to S308.

  In S303, the control unit 101 determines whether the target card is a normal card. The determination in this step may be made by referring to the enhanced card flag 1023 of the acquired article information. If the control unit 101 determines that the target card is a normal card, the process proceeds to S304. If the control unit 101 determines that the target card is not a normal card, that is, a strengthened card, the process proceeds to S306.

  In step S <b> 304, for the character indicated by the acquired article information, the control unit 101 stores, in the memory 103, battle game information (user character information) related to the user character. Specifically, the control unit 101 specifies character information having the same character ID 1001 as the character ID 1022 of the acquired article information from the character information managed by the character DB 106, and registers the user character information based on the character information. To do. The user character information may be configured to include drawing information acquired from the corresponding character information, voice data, and a progression parameter in association with the character ID in the same manner as the opponent character information. At this time, the normal parameter 1011 of the progression parameters 1004 of the character information is stored in the progression parameter.

  In step S <b> 305, the presentation control unit 107 presents the user character registered with the target card under the control of the control unit 101. For example, when the display unit 130 is used, the registered user character is displayed, as shown in FIG. 4A, in addition to the character image indicating the character, at least a part of the progress parameter registered for the character is displayed. It may be. In the aspect where the progress parameter is attached to the card so that it can be visually recognized, in this step, the same progress parameter as that attached to the card is displayed so that the registration is made using the normal card. Can be informed to the user.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S303 that the card is a reinforced card, the control unit 101 stores user character information about the character indicated by the acquired article information in the memory 103 in S306. At this time, the control unit 101 stores the enhancement parameter 1012 of the progression parameter 1004 of the character information corresponding to the target card as the progression parameter of the user character information.

  In step S307, the presentation control unit 107 presents the user character registered by the target card under the control of the control unit 101. Unlike the case of the normal card, the presentation of the registered user character performed in this step includes a notification that the game will appear in the battle game in a state that makes the progress of the game advantageous. For example, when the display unit 130 is used, as shown in FIG. 4B, the registered user character is usually displayed as a character image indicating the character, at least a part of the progression parameter registered for the character, and the progression parameter. It may include a notification that the value has been changed to a value more advantageous than when a card is used. In the aspect where the progress parameter is attached to the card so as to be visible, in this step, it is configured that the progress parameter different from that attached to the card is displayed, thereby confirming that the registration is made using the reinforced card. You can let the user know.

  In step S308, the control unit 101 determines whether a registration sequence end condition is satisfied. The registration sequence end condition is not limited to the registration of the upper limit number of user characters that can appear in the battle game, but the operation input for ending registration of the user character has been made. It may be determined that the predetermined time limit has been satisfied, for example. When it is determined that the hunting conditions of the registration sequence are satisfied, the control unit 101 completes the main registration process, and when it is determined that the registration sequence is not satisfied, the process returns to S302. If the user character information related to the specified number of user characters has not been registered at the timing when the registration sequence end condition is satisfied, the control unit 101, for example, the number of user characters that are insufficient due to the lottery process. After selecting an ID, obtaining the corresponding information from the character DB 106 and registering it as user character information, the main registration process may be terminated.

  When the registration process related to the registration sequence is completed in this way, the control unit 101 executes a game process for providing a battle game related to the current game play in S208. In this game process, the control unit 101 refers to the user character information and the opponent character information stored in the memory 103 and controls the progress of the battle game. Then, when the game process end condition (competitive game end condition) is satisfied, the control unit 101 executes an end sequence process for performing various processes for ending the game play in S209, and completes the present providing process. .

  In the present embodiment, the progress parameter of the character that affects the progress of the game is an ability value, and this is described as being different between the normal card and the enhancement card. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, the progress parameter may include a level, a rank, a class, and the like in the game set for the character, and this may appear as a progress parameter that makes the game progress different due to the difference between the normal card and the enhancement card. In addition to this, for example, in a mode in which a normal card and a strengthened card related to one character provided as specifying the same character information are configured as cards having different rarities (rareness), according to the rarity In this case, the progress parameter may be changed.

  Further, in this embodiment, information of two types of progress parameters (normal parameter 1011 and enhancement parameter 1012) set when information is acquired from the normal card and when information is acquired from the enhancement card is displayed in the corresponding character. Although described as being included in the character information, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. The information on the two types of progression parameters is not predetermined as one character information, but the progression parameters are derived according to the user level obtained from a separate information medium, each obtained from a different parameter table. In the aspect, it may be set in a different manner in the registration sequence related to the battle game, such as different calculation formulas used. The progress parameters used when using a reinforced card do not need to be set in advance, but can be derived by multiplying the parameters used when using a normal card of the same character, for example, by a predetermined coefficient. It may be configured as follows.

  As described above, according to the game device of the present embodiment, it is possible to provide various opportunities for providing articles, so that the user's degree of interest in the game can be maintained. More specifically, it is configured to increase the opportunity to obtain gaming items in response to additional consideration payments, while varying the play experience provided when using gaming items that are discharged by additional consideration payments By doing so, it is possible to provide an increase in profits for the service provider side and a suitable play experience according to the investment amount for the user side.

[Modification 1]
In the first embodiment described above, the discharge unit 150 has a stocker that accommodates each of the normal card and the reinforced card, and depending on how many times the payment is made in the provision of one play experience, Although the mode for controlling whether or not the card is discharged from the stocker has been described, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, there is one stocker that accommodates a card, and the card to be provided to the user is designated as a normal card depending on whether or not the ejection unit 150 provides information indicating that the card is a reinforced card before ejection. It is also possible to control whether or not to strengthen the card. In this case, the card, which is a game article to be discharged, has a recording medium on which information can be rewritten or written, and the discharge unit 150 has a built-in writer for writing information on the card to be discharged. It is possible to change whether or not to apply the corresponding information to (or to vary the information to be added). In this aspect, the reader 120 is configured to be able to acquire information from the recording medium so that the assigned information can be acquired in the registration sequence. In addition, the information which shows that it is a reinforcement | strengthening card | curd may be provided to a card | curd separately (for example, by varying a recording format and a storage place) separately from goods information.

  In this way, a plurality of types of ready-made cards, that is, normal cards and reinforced cards, are manufactured, and the payment of the consideration is required to provide a single play experience without being configured to accommodate them in a plurality of stockers. Depending on whether the game item is related to an item or an additional card discharge request, the game article in a different state can be discharged.

[Embodiment 2]
In the first embodiment and the first modification described above, the ready-made card that has been printed and manufactured in advance has been described as being a discharge target. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present embodiment, a mode for realizing the present invention in a game device 100 having a so-called on-demand printing function that can be generated by printing a card with necessary article information will be described.

  Further, in the first embodiment and the first modification, which character is associated with the card to be ejected by the game apparatus 100 is determined at random according to the ejection order of the cards accommodated in the slot. However, in the game device 100 of the present embodiment, this can be controlled, and a play experience including a more interesting article providing element can be provided. By adopting such a configuration, it becomes easy to discharge a card associated with a desired character. Therefore, a card with a status updated sequentially for a specific character is discharged, and a training element for growing the character is a game. Can be provided.

<Game device configuration>
The configuration of the game apparatus 100 of the present embodiment may be the same as that of the above-described first embodiment except that the character DB 106, the discharge control unit 108, and the discharge unit 150 are different. Hereinafter, different configurations will be described.

  In this embodiment, the character information managed by the character DB 106 has a data structure as shown in FIG. 10C in order to provide a training element. As shown in the drawing, the character information of the present embodiment is replaced with the character information progress parameter 1004 of the first embodiment, and in addition to the character name, attributes, etc., the physical strength and attack power predetermined for the state not considering growth , Basic parameters 1031 describing initial values (reference values: values of various parameters at level 1 (initial state)), etc., and basic parameters or current It includes growth information 1032 that describes the increase / decrease width according to the growth / nurturing (level, number of times of play, play contents) of the various parameters from the progress parameter, the act of action that can be additionally given, special skills, and the like. The growth information 1032 may be defined by an arithmetic expression (including a growth level as a variable) for deriving increments of various parameters in each of the growth states, for example, and a normal growth that defines an arithmetic expression for a normal card The information 1043 and the strengthening growth information 1044 that defines an arithmetic expression for the strengthening card may be included. Further, in this embodiment, the basic parameter is also changed depending on whether the card associated with the character in the initial state is a normal card or a strengthened card, and the normal basic parameter 1041 for the normal card and the strengthening for the strengthened card are used. It is assumed that two types of basic parameters 1042 are provided.

  The discharge control unit 108 performs control to discharge one card per game play based on payment of the consideration. When a card generation instruction is issued, the discharge control unit 108 configures print data of a card to be printed out, including a code obtained by converting article information to be given to the card and other images forming a printing surface. To do. When generating the print data, the discharge control unit 108 transmits the print data together with the print command to the discharge unit 150 to instruct printing of the corresponding card and discharge the print data. By having such a configuration, as in the first embodiment, the appearance of a character that has article information indicating a character associated with a card and can be made to appear in a game when information is acquired. Can be provided to the user.

  In addition, the data structure of the article information attached to the card in the present embodiment may be the structure shown in FIG. 10D. In addition to the article information of the first embodiment, state information 1051 indicating a growth state, and the growth It includes a progress parameter 1052 when the game is entered in a state. In the configuration of the article information, the control unit 101 sets the value of the reinforced card flag 1023 according to whether or not the payment of the value is made as an additional card discharge request, converts the value into a code, and converts the code into a discharge control unit 108. Can be made to perform a printing operation.

  The discharge unit 150 is a printing device such as a printer configured to be able to transmit and receive information to and from the discharge control unit 108 detachably connected in the same housing as the game device 100 or outside the game device 100. Upon receiving the print data related to the card and the print command related to the data from the discharge control unit 108, the discharge unit 150 prints the print data on a built-in paper medium (roll paper), and cuts the roll paper with a predetermined size. The printed matter is discharged as a card. When the discharge unit 150 is built in the same housing as the game apparatus 100, the card discharged by printing is provided to the user by being guided to the discharge port of the game apparatus 100 as in the first embodiment.

《Provision processing》
Hereinafter, specific processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5 regarding the providing processing executed in connection with the provision of one play experience in the game device 100 of the present embodiment. The processing corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading, for example, a corresponding processing program stored in the recording medium 102, developing it in the memory 103, and executing it. Note that the present providing process will be described as being started when the payment detecting unit 104 detects that payment has been made, for example, while the game apparatus 100 is in a standby state. In the following description, the same reference numerals are assigned to steps for performing the same processing as the providing processing of the first embodiment, and description thereof is omitted, and only operations characteristic of the present embodiment will be described.

  When the opponent character is determined in S206, the control unit 101 executes a registration sequence registration process in S501 for accepting registration of a user character to appear in the battle game in the current game play.

<registration process>
Here, the registration process executed in the registration sequence of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Also in the description of the registration process, the same reference numerals are assigned to the steps for performing the same process as the registration process of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

  If it is determined in S303 that the target card is a normal card, the control unit 101 stores user character information in the memory 103 for the character indicated by the acquired article information in S601. More specifically, the control unit 101 specifies character information corresponding to the character ID 1022 of the acquired article information, and registers user character information based on the acquired article information and the character information. The user character information of the present embodiment may have a configuration shown in FIG. 10E, for example, and is associated with the character ID 1061 of the user character, drawing information 1062, audio data 1063, and character status information 1064 (articles). Information status information 1051), the character's progress parameter 1065 (article information progress parameter 1052), and a card use flag 1066 indicating whether or not the information has been registered based on information acquisition from the target card (based on acquisition of article information). It may be configured to have true) when registered. Unlike the registration process of the first embodiment, the card of this embodiment already includes information on the progress parameter determined according to whether or not it is a reinforced card in the article information, so the progress registered as user character information. The parameter 1065 may use the progress parameter 1052 included in the article information.

  In step S <b> 602, the presentation control unit 107 presents the user character registered with the target card under the control of the control unit 101. In this embodiment, at least a part of the progress parameters used when information is acquired at the time of game play is attached to each card so as to be visible on the printed surface, and the presentation in this step is attached to the card. This includes the display of the same progress parameter as that on the display unit 130. Further, the presentation control unit 107 may present that the user character has been registered using the normal card based on the strengthened card flag 1023 of the acquired article information.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S303 that the target card is a strengthened card, the control unit 101 stores user character information in the memory 103 for the character indicated by the acquired article information in S603. The processing in this step may be the same as S601.

  In step S <b> 604, the presentation control unit 107 presents the user character registered with the target card under the control of the control unit 101. The presentation in this step may be the same as in S602, but the presentation control unit 107 presents that the user character has been registered using the enhanced card, and advances the battle game more advantageously than using the normal card. It shall be shown that the status has been reached.

  Note that if the user character information related to the specified number of user characters is not registered at the timing when the registration sequence end condition is satisfied in S308, the control unit 101, for example, the number of users insufficient due to the lottery process After selecting the character ID of the character, obtaining the corresponding information from the character DB 106 and registering it as user character information, the registration process is terminated. At this time, the state information 1064 of the registered user character information indicates an initial state, the progress parameter 1065 is substituted with the basic parameter 1031 of the acquired character information (which may be the normal basic parameter 1041), and the card use flag 1066 is False (not registered based on acquisition of product information).

  When the registration process related to the registration sequence is completed in this way, the control unit 101 executes a game process for providing a battle game related to the current game play in S208, and if the match condition for the battle game is satisfied, the process proceeds to S502. Move to. In the battle game, the victory condition is satisfied by disabling all opponent characters in the battle game, and the defeat condition is satisfied when a predetermined time limit elapses or all user characters are disabled. It is assumed that the termination condition is satisfied with either of these.

  In step S <b> 502, the control unit 101 determines a character to be a card discharge candidate according to the play content of the current battle game, and causes the display unit 130 to selectably display the character. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the display may include a card image representing a card to be ejected, and the user moves the selection frame 701 shown on the screen. By operating, the card image of the character to be ejected can be changed.

  In the game apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the user character that has appeared in the played competitive game is basically determined as the card discharge candidate, but the discharge candidate changes according to the play content of the competitive game. obtain. More specifically, the control unit 101 performs control so as to change the character to be a discharge candidate depending on whether or not the play content satisfies a predetermined condition set for the battle game. In this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, if the defeat condition is satisfied, the character to be discharged is limited to the user character, and if the victory condition is satisfied, the opponent character is also included as a character other than the user character. Although described as a thing, implementation of this invention is not restricted to this, Characters other than the user character selected by the other process may be included in the discharge candidate.

  In S503, when an operation input related to determination of a character to be discharged (target character) is made from among the discharge candidates, the control unit 101 determines whether or not it is the first card discharge in providing the current play experience. To do. In other words, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the determination of the target character made is a determination of a character for a normal card that is discharged with respect to the payment of the value related to the request for providing the play experience. If the control unit 101 determines that it is the first card discharge in the provision of the play experience this time, it moves the process to S504, and if it determines that it is the second and subsequent card discharges, it moves the process to S505.

  In step S504, the control unit 101 causes the discharge unit 150 to discharge the normal card associated with the target character.

  Specifically, the control unit 101 first configures article information (discharged article information) attached to the normal card for the target character. In the configuration of the discharged article information, the control unit 101 determines a new card ID 1021 (for example, simply determined according to the unique ID of the game apparatus 100 and the number of discharged sheets), and substitutes the character ID of the target character into the character ID 1022. The reinforcement card flag 1023 is set to “false” indicating a normal card.

  If the target character is a user character registered based on the acquisition of the item information (the card use flag 1066 is a true character in the user character information), the state information 1051 of the discharged item information is a game based on the current state information 1064. 1 is set to a growth state (growth state) one step higher. On the other hand, when the target character is a character that is not registered based on the acquisition of the article information (the card use flag 1066 is a fake character or an opponent character in the user character information), the state information 1051 of the discharged article information. Is set to the initial state.

  Further, when the target character is a character registered based on the acquisition of the article information, the progress parameter 1052 of the discharged article information is a parameter derived based on the normal growth information 1043 of the character for the newly set growth state. Is added to the current progress parameter 1065. On the other hand, when the target character is a character that is not registered based on the acquisition of the article information, the progress parameter 1052 of the discharged article information is set to the normal basic parameter 1041 of the character.

  When configuring the discharged article information, the control unit 101 converts the discharged article information into a code, and transmits the obtained code to the discharge control unit 108. Under the control of the control unit 101, the discharge control unit 108 configures normal card print data based on the graphics data for the card of the target character and the code of the discharged article information, and causes the discharge unit 150 to print the normal card. To discharge. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8A, a parameter image 801 indicating at least one of the parameters included in the progress parameter 1052 of the discharged article information is arranged in the print data of the normal card.

  On the other hand, in S503, when it is determined that the card is discharged for the second time or later in the provision of the current play experience, the control unit 101 causes the discharge unit 150 to discharge the strengthened card associated with the target character in S505.

  Specifically, the control unit 101 first configures article information (discharged article information) attached to the reinforcement card for the target character. In the configuration of the discharged article information, the control unit 101 determines a new card ID 1021 (for example, simply determined according to the unique ID of the game apparatus 100 and the number of discharged sheets), and substitutes the character ID of the target character into the character ID 1022. The reinforcement card flag 1023 is set to “true” indicating the enhancement card.

  If the target character is a user character registered based on the acquisition of the item information (the card use flag 1066 is a true character in the user character information), the state information 1051 of the discharged item information is a game based on the current state information 1064. 1 is set to a growth state (growth state) one step higher. On the other hand, when the target character is a character that is not registered based on the acquisition of the article information (the card use flag 1066 is a fake character or an opponent character in the user character information), the state information 1051 of the discharged article information. Is set to the initial state.

  Further, when the target character is a character registered based on the acquisition of the article information, the progress parameter 1052 of the discharged article information is a parameter derived based on the reinforced growth information 1044 of the character for the newly set growth state. Is added to the current progress parameter 1065. On the other hand, when the target character is a character that is not registered based on the acquisition of the article information, the progress parameter 1052 of the discharged article information is set to the strengthened basic parameter 1042 of the character.

  When configuring the discharged article information, the control unit 101 converts the discharged article information into a code, and transmits the obtained code to the discharge control unit 108. Under the control of the control unit 101, the discharge control unit 108 configures normal card print data based on the graphics data for the card of the target character and the code of the discharged article information, and causes the discharge unit 150 to print the normal card. To discharge. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8B, a parameter image 802 indicating at least one of the parameters included in the progress parameter 1052 of the discharged article information is arranged in the print data of the normal card. FIGS. 8A and 8B show a normal card and a reinforced card that are discharged when the same character is selected as the target character, and the parameters shown in the parameter image are different. , It clearly shows that there is a difference in the contents printed between the normal card and the reinforced card. In the examples of FIGS. 8A and 8B, identification images 803 and 804 indicating whether or not the cards are strengthened cards are attached in order to easily distinguish these cards. However, it is not essential to attach the image to the card.

  In step S <b> 506, the control unit 101 causes the presentation control unit 107 to notify the presentation control unit 107 that the enhanced card can be discharged with the additional consideration payment, and whether or not the additional consideration related to the enhancement card ejection request has been paid. Determine whether. The notification that the enhanced card can be discharged may be performed by superimposing and displaying a GUI as shown in FIG. 7B on the selection screen of the character to be discharged. If the control unit 101 determines that the additional consideration has been paid, the control unit 101 proceeds to a state of selecting a character to be a card discharge candidate and returns the process to S503, and determines that the additional consideration has not been paid. If so, the process moves to S507.

  In step S507, the control unit 101 determines whether or not an end condition for processing related to additional card ejection is satisfied. The process termination condition related to additional card ejection is not limited to the maximum number of cards ejected for provision of one play experience, but an operation input for terminating additional card ejection was made. , It is determined that the predetermined time limit for the additional card discharge has been completed, the payment for the additional card discharge has not been paid for a predetermined time, etc. It may be. The control unit 101 moves the process to S209 when it is determined that the process termination condition relating to the additional card ejection is satisfied, and returns the process to S506 when it is determined that it is not satisfied.

  As described above, according to the game device of the present embodiment, it is possible to easily obtain an enhanced card associated with a desired character and provide a more suitable play experience.

  In the present embodiment, the description has been made on the assumption that the character to be discharged is selected based on the operation input made by the user from the discharge candidate characters determined according to the play content of the battle game. The implementation is not limited to this, and may be performed without requiring an operation input in accordance with a lottery process or information on a user's play progress recorded on a separate recording medium.

[Modification 2]
In the second embodiment described above, a mode has been described in which an enhanced card associated with an ejection candidate character can be ejected when an additional consideration is paid. In this case, the circulation amount of the enhanced card is large. Therefore, there is a possibility that the value of the normal card is diminished or the game balance is broken. Therefore, only when the same character as the target character for normal card discharge is selected as the target character for additional card discharge, it may be configured to allow discharge of the enhanced card of the character.

  In this case, for example, in the character selection screen to be discharged in FIG. 7A, after the card image 702 is determined as the discharge target and the normal card is discharged, the character selection screen as shown in FIG. When a new card image 703 relating to the same character as the character associated with the normal card is displayed, and the card image is determined as a discharge target, the enhanced card is discharged. As shown in the figure, in the transition of the character selection screen to be discharged, the card images 702 and 703 related to the same character are the same character by changing the design of the card, but different types of cards are discharged. It is clearly stated that

[Modification 3]
In the embodiment and the modification described above, there are two types of methods for deriving the progression parameters (including the progression parameters attached to the enhancement cards) used when information is acquired from the enhancement cards, for normal cards and for enhancement cards. Although described as a thing, implementation of this invention is not restricted to this. For example, the higher the total amount of payment made during the game play provision, the higher the progress parameter used when acquiring information from the enhanced card will be a value that makes the progress of the game more effective It may be. In this case, for users who have paid a lot of consideration, such as users who have ejected more cards during one play experience, users who have played continuously until the winning conditions of the battle game are satisfied, etc. Therefore, it is possible to provide a strengthened card having a value corresponding to the service, and it is possible to provide a service that does not impair the interest of the user.

[Modification 4]
In the embodiment and the modification described above, it has been described that a character in a state that allows the game to proceed more advantageously than a normal card can be used as a user character by acquiring information from an enhanced card during game play. Implementation is not limited to this. In other words, if the configuration is such that the enhanced card can be obtained even though further consideration has been paid, the circulation amount of the enhanced card increases, and the value of the normal card may be diminished or the game balance may be disrupted. Therefore, when information is acquired from an enhanced card, provision of game play in a state in which the game proceeds more advantageously than a normal card further requires information acquisition from the normal card associated with the character It is good. In this way, after making the user understand the difference between the play experience when using a normal card and the play experience when using a reinforced card (progress is advantageous), the demand for the reinforced card It is possible to provide the user with the interest of the game by using various articles while improving the game performance.

[Modification 5]
In the embodiment and the modification described above, the normal card and the reinforced card discharged from the game device 100 have been described as being the same type and size of the same type of card, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is not something that can be done. The difference between the normal card and the reinforced card may be realized by adopting at least one of the following aspects.

  When normal cards and reinforced cards are the same type of goods, for example, the material used (paper) is different, or the processing performed in the card production (manufacturing) process such as coating and decoration is different. The card may be configured to be distinguishable. When the discharging unit 150 has both a configuration for generating and discharging a card by on-demand printing and a configuration for discharging a card stored in the stocker, the normal card and the reinforced card are cards that are printed on demand. The card may be configured to be discriminable as a card discharged by a different discharge unit 150, such as a ready-made card.

  In addition, the material is not limited to the material and the like, and as shown in FIG. 9A, both may be configured to be distinguishable by changing the design configuration of the card. As shown in the above, even if the basic design configuration is the same, the appearance of the associated game elements, such as the image of the character attached to the card, is different so that both can be distinguished It may be a thing.

  Of course, it is needless to say that, for example, a paper card and a plastic card, a card and a toy body, and the like may be configured so that they can be discriminated by different types.

[Other Embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The game device according to the present invention can also be realized by a program that causes one or more computers to function as the game device. The program can be provided / distributed by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium or through a telecommunication line.

  100: Game device 101: Control unit 102: Recording medium 103: Memory 104: Payment detection unit 105: Acquisition unit 106: Character DB 107: Presentation control unit 108: Discharge control unit 109: Operation Input unit 110: Communication unit 120: Reader 130: Display unit 140: Audio output unit 150: Discharge unit

Claims (16)

A game apparatus having a discharge means for discharging an article having article information associated with a game element and capable of specifying the game element,
Obtaining means for obtaining the article information from a used article;
Execution means for executing a game based on the article information acquired by the acquisition means, and performing progress control of the game using reference information set for a game element associated with the used article Execution means;
Selecting means for selecting a game element associated with an article to be discharged by the discharging means;
The discharging means discharges the first item on the condition that the consideration has been paid at the time of executing the game, and after that, further payment of the consideration is made and associated with the first item. Discharging the second article on condition that the same game element as the game element is selected by the selection means;
The game device in which the execution means changes the reference information to be used depending on whether the used article is the first article or the second article in the progress control of the game.   The execution means uses the reference information set in a different manner depending on whether the used article is the first article or the second article in the progress control of the game. The game device according to 1. The product information of the second product includes identification information indicating that the product is the second product,
When the article information acquired from the used article includes the identification information, the execution means sets the second article out of the reference information set for the game element associated with the used article. The game device according to claim 1, wherein the game progress control is performed using the reference information corresponding to the reference information different from the reference information corresponding to the first article.   The game device according to claim 3, wherein the execution unit generates and uses the reference information corresponding to the second article based on the reference information corresponding to the first article.   The game apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the discharging unit further includes an adding unit that attaches the identification information to an article to be discharged. The article information includes the reference information,
The discharge means discharges an article having the article information including the reference information set in a different manner depending on whether or not the payment of the consideration made is the payment of the further consideration. The game device described. The discharging means is
Including generating means for generating an article,
The game apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the generation unit generates the item having the item information that can identify the game element selected by the selection unit, and discharges the item.   The reference information set for the game element associated with the used article is in a state in which the game is advantageously advanced as the total amount of consideration paid during the game play provision increases. 8. The game device according to any one of items 7.   In the reference information set for one game element, the reference information set for the second article proceeds more favorably in the game than the reference information set for the first article. The game device according to claim 1, wherein the game device is in a squeezed state.   10. The reference information according to claim 1, wherein the reference information includes information on at least one of a class, an ability value, and a rarity level of an associated article set for the game element. Game device.   When the used article is the second article, the execution means additionally stores the article information from the first article associated with the same game element as the second article by the acquisition means. 11. The progress control of the game according to claim 1, wherein the game progress control is performed using the reference information different from the case where the used article is the first article on the condition that the game is acquired. The game device described.   12. The presentation unit according to claim 1, further comprising a presentation unit that presents the game element associated with the used article in a state in which the execution unit associates the reference information used for the game element. Game device.   The first article and the second article are associated with the type of the article, the material used for the article, the processing used in generating the article, the design configuration of the article, and the article attached to the article. The game device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the appearances of the game elements is different.   The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first article and the second article are articles of the same shape and size. A game system comprising a game article having article information associated with a game element and capable of specifying the game element, and a game device having a discharge means for discharging the game article,
The game device includes:
Obtaining means for obtaining the article information from the game article used;
Execution means for executing a game based on the article information acquired by the acquisition means, and using the reference information set for the game element associated with the game article to be used, Execution means for controlling the progress;
Selecting means for selecting a game element to be associated with the game article to be discharged by the discharging means,
The discharging means discharges the first game article on the condition that the consideration has been paid at the time of executing the game, and after that, the further consideration is paid, and the first game article is Discharging the second game article on condition that the same game element as the associated game element is selected by the selection means;
The execution means uses the reference information to be used when the game article to be used is the first game article and when the game article to be used is the second game article in the progress control of the game. A different game system.   The program for functioning a computer as each means of the game device of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 14.

Images