JP2019166282A - Game device, game system, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a game article in various modes, while securing preferable user use.SOLUTION: A game device has providing means for providing a game article with which a game element appearing in a game is associated, and comprises: acquisition means for acquiring information indicating a game element associated with the game article, from the game article; control means for controlling advance of the game and providing means. The game comprises a first step in which the first game element which is made to appear in the game is selected, based on the information acquired from the game article by the acquisition means, and a second step in which a plurality of game elements including the first game element are made to appear and the game advances, and which is subsequent to the first step. The control means controls the providing means so that the game article with which the second game element which is not selected in the first step among the plurality of game elements which are made to appear in the second step, is associated can be provided in the second step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a game device, a game system, and a program, and more particularly, to a game device that provides a play experience with providing game articles.

  There is a game device that provides a play experience of a game in which a game element associated with an article is displayed based on information acquired from a game article such as a card or a toy body. Such a game device is configured to be able to provide a game article associated with a game element so that the game element that appears during the play experience can appear in the next game play. There are also things.

  Patent Document 1 is configured so that a predetermined number of game elements (characters) satisfying a predetermined condition in a battle game can be provided as game articles (cards) after the battle game is executed. A game device is disclosed.

Japanese Patent No. 5886458

  In the game device of Patent Document 1, a maximum number of game elements that can provide game articles after the battle game is determined in advance, and only a corresponding number of game elements appear in the battle game. It was. Such specifications, in particular, limit the time for providing goods after other games such as competitive games have been completed so that other users who are waiting for the use of the device are not used for a long time. There is.

  On the other hand, in order to increase the user's interest in game content, it is preferable to increase the number of game articles that can be acquired by the user according to the content of play, which can be provided after such a predetermined game. It was difficult to balance with the time required to provide the goods.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a game device, a game system, and a program that can provide a game article in various modes while ensuring appropriate user use.

  A game apparatus according to the present invention is a game apparatus having a providing means for providing a game article associated with a game element that has appeared in a game, wherein the game element associated with the game article is extracted from the game article. An acquisition means for acquiring information to be shown, and a control means for controlling the progress and provision means of the game, wherein the game is made to appear in the game based on information acquired from the game article by the acquisition means. A first stage in which the game elements are selected, and a second stage following the first stage in which a plurality of game elements including the first game element appear and proceed, and the control means The game item in which the second game element not selected in the first stage among the plurality of game elements introduced in the second stage is associated can be provided in the second stage. Offer To control the means.

  With such a configuration, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide game articles in various modes while ensuring appropriate user use.

The block diagram which showed the function structure of the game device 100 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which illustrated the provision process (game stage) performed in the game device 100 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which illustrated the providing process (providing stage) performed in the game device 100 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which showed the data structure of the various information used in the game device 100 which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

[Embodiment]
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, one embodiment described below describes an example in which the present invention is applied to a game device configured to be able to provide a printed game card as an example of a game device. However, the present invention can be applied to any device configured to be able to provide game articles.

<Game device configuration>
Here, the functional configuration of the game apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

  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, in addition to the operation program for each block of the game apparatus 100, information such as parameters necessary for the operation of each block, and various graphics data used for the game executed by the game apparatus 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 a service that involves providing a game card to a user based on payment of the price. However, payment of the price is not an essential requirement, but based on a predetermined start instruction. The service may be started.

  The acquisition unit 105 acquires information from a game card, which is a game article, via the reader 120 when playing a game provided by the game device 100 of the present embodiment. The game item that can acquire information in the game device 100 of the present embodiment is a game card as a game item according to the present invention, and by causing the information to be acquired, a game element (for example, associated with the card) (for example, The game in which the character) appears is configured to be executed on the game device. In the present embodiment, the game element associated with the game card is described as a character. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the game element associated with the game card is an item, an activation. It goes without saying that other elements such as an effect to be performed may be used.

  In addition, the game device basically provides one game card from the providing unit 140 to be described later for payment of the value related to the provision of one play experience. In the present embodiment, the game card is given information coded on the card surface, and by acquiring the information, information necessary for various processes for realizing the game in the game device 100 can be acquired. A description will be given assuming that this is configured. That is, the game information (card information) given to the game card may be information that makes it possible to identify each card or a user or character associated with the card, and the game device 100 is based on the information. Corresponding information is acquired from the character DB 106 described later. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this, and the game information is given to the game article itself, and when it is obtained from the article, all the information necessary for the game is arranged. There may be. In this case, each game article may be an article having a rewritable recording medium.

  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 placement of the game card, the reader 120 outputs the card 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 information acquired from the game card into a format suitable for use in the process related to the game. The reader 120 detects that a game card has been placed at a predetermined part and recognizes the card or acquires information from the card during a period in which the reader 120 is controlled to be able to acquire information from the game card. For example, this is performed by applying predetermined image processing to an image obtained by imaging.

  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.

  Character information managed for one character is managed as one record of the database, and may have a data structure as shown in FIG. 4A, for example. As shown in the figure, the character information is associated with a character ID 401 that uniquely identifies the character, graphics data used for screen generation when the character appears in the game, and a game card associated with the character. Describes character-specific abilities such as predetermined physical strength (durability), special skills, behavior tendency, etc. in addition to drawing information 402 including a game card image used for generation, the name and attributes of the character, etc. And the level information 404 indicating the level determined for the character based on the rarity (rareness), the superiority in the game progress, and the like. In the present embodiment, the character-specific abilities included in the progress parameter 403 are the basic parameter 411 indicating the initial value, the increase / decrease range of various abilities and additional grants when the growth is reflected in the game play. And a growth parameter 412 indicating the ability to be performed. Further, the level information 404 is information indicating a level set as a fixed value for each character as a predetermined parameter value according to the present invention, for example, depending on the difficulty of obtaining the character in the game. Determined. For example, if the level is high, the level information 404 may be set such that the character acquisition difficulty level is high. In another aspect, the higher the level, the higher the value, or the value of the character such that the game can be advantageously advanced when used. The various information managed in the character information is referred to in the determination of the character to appear at the time of game play, the progress control of the game in which the character appears, and the generation of a game card in which the character is associated.

  In the present embodiment, the graphics data is 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 display control unit 107 controls the presentation of various information to the user in the game apparatus 100. In the game apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, description will be made assuming that the display unit 130 that displays an image (game screen, menu screen, etc.) is provided as means for presenting various types of information to the user. Needless to say, alternatives or additions are possible.

  The display 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 display control unit 107 performs necessary calculations on necessary drawing objects (graphics data) based on processing and commands performed by the control unit 101 in each sequence in which the game apparatus 100 is operating. Execute the process and draw the screen. 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 operation input unit 108 is a user interface that the game apparatus 100 has, such as an operation member for direction input, an operation member for determination input, and various sensors. When the operation input unit 108 detects that an operation input to the operation member has been made, the operation input unit 108 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.

  The provision control unit 109 performs various processes for providing one or more game cards per game play based on payment of the consideration. The game apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment uses a so-called on-demand printing method that accepts selection of a character desired to be provided based on an operation input by a user and dynamically generates a game card associated with the character. It will be described as being adopted. Therefore, the description will be given assuming that the addition of information to the game article is performed by adding a two-dimensional code obtained by converting the given information to the article surface by printing. When a game card generation instruction is given, the provision control unit 109 generates print data of the game card to be printed out, including a code corresponding to the card information attached to the card and other images forming the printing surface. . As described above, the game card discharged by the game apparatus 100 identifies any character appearing in the game, and enables the user to use (operate) the character as an operation character in the game. Therefore, in order to make it possible for the user to grasp the characters that can be used by using the game card, the design of the character is formed on the card printing surface. When the provision control unit 109 generates the print data, the provision control unit 109 transmits the print data together with the print command to the provision unit 140 to instruct printing of the corresponding game card and output it.

  The providing unit 140 is a printing device configured to be able to transmit and receive information to and from the providing control unit 109 detachably connected in the same housing as the game device 100 or outside the game device 100. When the providing unit 140 receives print data related to the game card and a print command related to the data from the supply control unit 109, the providing unit 140 performs a print operation of the print data. When the providing unit 140 is built in the same housing as the game device 100, the game card output by printing is provided to the user by being guided to an outlet (not shown) accessible from the outside of the game device 100. May be.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4B, for example, the card information given to the game card is a card ID 421 that uniquely identifies the game card and a character in the game that is associated with the game card. It includes growth information 423 indicating the growth status of the character in association with the character ID 422 to be specified (if there are a plurality of types of game cards for the same character, which type is specified). It may be configured. In other words, the card information can identify the character in the game on the game device 100, and the user can make the corresponding character appear in the game.

  In the present embodiment, the game article that can acquire information in the game apparatus 100 is described as a game card. However, the game article is limited to a game card as long as the attached game information can be acquired. It is not a thing. For example, as long as the game article is an article configured to be able to specify a game element associated with the article, the game article may be a modeled object such as a figure, a toy, or a key ring having the appearance of the game element. When the game article is a modeled object, the game information used for acquiring various necessary information is a recording medium inside the modeled object, or a part of the appearance such as painting, sealing, printing, etc. attached to the modeled object May be obtainable from. Further, the game article is not limited to a modeled object, but may be any article such as a paper medium or a seal other than a license card or a game card.

  Communication unit 110 is a communication interface with an external device included in game device 100. The communication unit 110 is connected to an external device via a network (not shown) (whether wired or wireless), which may be a communication network such as the Internet or a cable for connecting devices, and enables data transmission / reception. be able to. 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 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.

  The game in which a play experience is provided in the game apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described as a multi-participation type game in which users who use the plurality of game apparatuses 100 participate. Accordingly, the communication unit 110 can communicate with other game devices 100 participating in one game session, or can communicate with an external server that performs generation, synchronization, and management processing of the game session. It may be configured to be possible.

《Various processes related to providing play experience》
Various processes performed when providing a game play experience in the game apparatus 100 of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, the control unit 101 starts various processes related to provision of a play experience, triggered by the payment detection unit 104 detecting payment of a value during a period in which the game apparatus 100 is controlled to be in a standby state. The play experience provided in the game device 100 of the present embodiment includes the following three stages, and proceeds by sequentially transitioning through these stages. The first stage is a registration stage as a first stage according to the present invention, and is a stage in which a character that acts on the basis of an operation input made by a user in a game to be executed is registered. The second stage is a game stage as a second stage according to the present invention, in which a predetermined game (game) including a character registered in the registration stage is displayed and progressed. is there. The third stage is a provision stage as a third stage according to the present invention, and a stage of providing a game card in which a character selected from among characters determined according to game play contents is associated. It is. Hereinafter, the outline of the process at each stage will be described in order.

<Registration stage>
The control unit 101 controls the acquisition unit 105 and the reader 120 so that information from the game card can be acquired when the payment is made and the process is shifted to the registration stage. When the acquisition unit 105 acquires card information via the reader 120, the control unit 101 acquires character information corresponding to the card information from the character DB 106, and manages a fellow character that is operated in accordance with a user operation input. It adds to a fellow character table and registers as an initial fellow character as a 1st game element which concerns on this invention.

  Here, the information managed for one fellow character in the fellow character table is associated with the record ID 431 for identifying the fellow character in this game play, for example, as shown in FIG. ID 432, drawing information 433, progress parameter 434 reflecting card information growth information 423, level information 435, and logical initial flag 436 indicating whether or not the character is registered in the fellow character table at the registration stage. True and registered at the registration stage).

  In a game in which a play experience is provided in the game device 100 of the present embodiment, the user can directly operate the movement and behavior of his / her avatar by performing operation input at the game stage. And as a role which supports the action of an avatar, three different initial fellow characters which are different in the registration stage can be selected and registered by using a game card (performing information acquisition). The three initial fellow characters to be registered appear as a team at the start of the game stage, and support the behavior of the avatar.

  In the game of the present embodiment, the fellow character corresponds to the avatar's motion, for example, moves together, finds an event object existing in the moving direction, and proceeds according to the avatar's motion executed according to the user's operation input. Take action. As a result, the user can obtain an experience equivalent to operating a fellow character. In this embodiment, the user's direct operation target is an avatar, and a mode in which a fellow character registered using a game card is linked to this will be described, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, the fellow character may be a direct operation target of the user.

  Users who have just started using the game device may not have enough game cards necessary for game play, and registration of three initial fellow characters using the game cards. May not be possible. In such a case, there is a possibility that provision of a suitable play experience to the user may not be ensured in a multiplayer game including competition among players. Therefore, in the game according to the present embodiment, when information is not acquired from the game cards related to the three characters at the registration stage, the initial fellow character is selected from the characters set to be usable even without the game card. Companion characters are supplemented so that there are three bodies. More specifically, the control unit 101 draws a lottery from among characters determined for supplementation in advance when the three initial fellow characters based on the game card are not registered within a predetermined period related to the registration stage. A deficient character is determined by processing or the like, and is registered as an initial fellow character in the fellow character table based on the corresponding character information. Here, the initial fellow character registered without being based on the game card will be described on the assumption that the initial flag 436 is true and information management is performed in the fellow character table.

<Play stage>
A game in which a play experience is provided in the game device 100 of the present embodiment communicates with another game device 100 at least in the game stage, and provides a play experience of a game including a multiplayer participation type communication battle element. More specifically, a user who is trying to play a game on another game device 100 at the same time, and if the prescribed number of players is not enough, a short NPC (Non-Player Character) is included as a user. A game session is provided in the game device 100 or an external device, and by performing information communication and information processing between the devices in the session, a game play experience in which a prescribed number of users participate is performed.

  The game according to the present embodiment belongs to any team other than this, for example, in a field (play field) in which avatars related to a plurality of users participating in a game session and team fellow characters can move simultaneously. A plurality of non-characters are arranged. In response to operation input made by each user, the corresponding avatar or team moves in the play field and encounters a character (encounter), depending on the result of a predetermined process performed on the character, It is determined whether the character can be added to the team as a fellow character.

  The game has a time limit, and the user repeats a series of actions (movement (search), encounter, participation determination (capture)) within the time limit to enrich the fellow characters belonging to the team. be able to. Each character has a number of points based on, for example, the number of the same character placed on the play field, rarity or level determined for each character, and the game belongs to the team at the end of the time limit. The purpose is to compete among the users for the total points of the fellow characters. Specifically, in the control unit 101, the user who has the highest total point of fellow characters belonging to the team after the time limit ends is the winner of the game.

  Here, when the number of characters that can belong to a team is unlimited, there is a possibility that game characteristics and a suitable play experience of the user may not be ensured depending on the frequency of use or the number of times of use of the game apparatus 100. Although details will be described later, in the game device 100 of the present embodiment, the fellow characters belonging to the team at the end of the play stage (at the end of the time limit) can be candidates for providing the associated game cards. That is, as described above, if there are a large number of candidate characters, the time required to select a candidate for a game card and to generate and provide a game card can be prolonged. As a result, the time for which the game device 100 is occupied by one user can be prolonged, and as a result, the rotation rate of the game device 100 (the number of times that a game play experience is provided per unit time) is reduced. For this reason, in the game device of this embodiment, the number of characters that can be added as a fellow character to a team of one user will be described as being limited to five bodies regardless of whether or not it is an initial fellow character.

  By the way, when there is a character that satisfies the condition of becoming a fellow character exceeding the limit of 5 bodies, that is, when there are 5 fellow characters belonging to the current team, the new character becomes a fellow character. When the condition is satisfied, the user needs to decide whether to abandon adding the character to the team or to remove a fellow character already belonging to the team and add a new character.

  On the other hand, for the use of the game device 100, it is possible to provide a game card in which a character corresponding to the play content is associated. Can lead to a situation where the opportunity to obtain a game card associated with a character desired by the user is reduced. Therefore, in the game of the present embodiment, when a condition for becoming a fellow character (a condition for establishing a friendship relationship with an avatar or an existing fellow character) is satisfied, the game is associated with the character in the game stage. The control unit 101 controls the operation of the game apparatus 100 so that the card can be provided. More specifically, only when the conditions for establishing the friendship relationship are satisfied, the control unit 101 determines whether or not to provide the corresponding game card without adding the established character to the team. Make an inquiry. In other words, characters that the friendship relationship has been established but the user has not added to the team are not candidates for providing a game card in the provision stage described later, so the control unit 101 provides a game card when the friendship relationship is established. Confirm whether the user desires. That is, in the game device 100 of the present embodiment, when the conditions for establishing the friendship relationship are satisfied for the character, instead of adding the character to the team, an additional price is paid during the play stage instead of the provision stage. As a requirement, the user can obtain an opportunity to provide a game card associated with the character.

  Thereby, for example, a user who intends to collect game cards can achieve both the capture of a game and the acquisition of a desired game card, and a suitable play experience is provided. In addition, since the game card is provided under the user's agreement during the game stage of the multiplayer game, there is no change in the occupancy time of the game device 100 and while ensuring the rotation rate of the game device 100, Provision of a suitable play experience can be realized.

  In order to suitably stimulate the user's desire to own a game card, an aspect of accepting provision of a game card associated with the character at the game stage is preferable only when the character's friendship is established as described above. . That is, taking into account the progress of the game, it is preferable to stimulate the user's possession in a manner that accepts the provision of the corresponding game card only for a predetermined period from the time when the friendship relationship is established for the character. As can increase the likelihood that additional consideration will be paid.

  On the other hand, it is preferable to remove the previously added fellow characters from the team in order to add additional characters to the team after the fellowship has been established at the game stage. A situation can naturally occur. That is, assuming the provision of a game card at the provision stage, the user has an opportunity to obtain a game card for a character added to the team without providing the game card when the fellowship is established (a fellow character added first). I will miss it.

  Therefore, in the game device 100 of the present embodiment, when the number of fellow characters belonging to the team has reached the upper limit and a fellow relation with a new character is additionally established, the control unit 101 determines that the new character In order to provide an opportunity to provide a game card for a fellow character who is removed from the team in order to add a game card, an inquiry is made as to whether or not to provide the game card again. In such an aspect, each time a friend character is removed from the team, an inquiry is made, which may cause the user to have a complicated impression and may hinder a suitable play experience, so that the user already has a game card. The possible initial fellow characters may be excluded from the inquiry target. That is, the characters that accept the provision of a game card at the game stage of the game according to the present embodiment are not fellow characters registered as a team at the registration stage, but limited to characters that satisfy the conditions added to the team at the game stage. .

  However, as described above, from the viewpoint of stimulating the user's desire for ownership and ensuring a favorable play experience, it is necessary to inquire about whether or not to provide a game card at the timing of removing the fellow character from the team. It will be readily appreciated that this is not essential in the practice of the invention.

(Provision processing (play stage))
Hereinafter, specific processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2 regarding the providing processing performed in connection with the provision of the game card at the game stage 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. In addition, this provision process (game stage) demonstrates as what is started when a game progresses to the state which can accept user operation which concerns on a game stage, for example.

  In step S <b> 201, the control unit 101 determines whether an encounter event has occurred with any of the characters arranged on the field for the avatar or the fellow character as a result of the action performed based on the operation input. Whether or not an encounter event occurs is determined by whether or not the position of the avatar or fellow character on the field has entered a predetermined position, or whether or not the avatar or fellow character object has contacted the character object on the field. It may be a thing. If the control unit 101 determines that an encounter event has occurred, it moves the process to S202, and if it determines that no encounter event has occurred, it moves the process to S214.

  In S <b> 202, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a friendship establishment condition is satisfied for the character (target character) encountered in the encounter event. In the game of the present embodiment, whether or not the condition for establishing the friendship is satisfied for the target character is determined according to the level information 435 of at least one of the friend characters belonging to the team when the encounter event occurs.

  Here, in the game of the present embodiment, the description will be made on the assumption that the “friend relationship” as the first relationship according to the present invention is a concept formed with respect to the avatar and the target character that are the direct operation targets of the user. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the fellow relationship may be a concept formed with respect to the object and the target character that are the operation target of the user, or may be formed between the fellow character that already belongs to the team and the target character. . Also in the present embodiment, since the fellow character already belonging to the team is in a state where the fellow relationship has already been established with the avatar, if the fellow relationship between the target character and the avatar is established, The fellow character and the target character can be classified as characters in the same state. When the target character exists at the start of the game stage, that is, on the field, the friend character is in a relationship that does not establish a friendship relationship with the avatar as the second relationship according to the present invention. Therefore, in this step, the control unit 101 causes the target character to belong to the first group having the first relationship with the avatar (added to the fellow character table) or to have the second relationship in the second relationship. It is determined whether to belong to the group of (or leave as it is).

  The conditions for establishing the friendship are, for example, the sum of the levels of the fellow characters belonging to the team, or the level of any one of the fellow characters (for example, the level of the fellow character having the highest level among the fellow characters or the level of the fellow characters It may be established when the level of the fellow character with the lowest is higher than the level determined for the target character. Or, in order to make it more interesting, for example, a fellow character presents a slot including a plurality of reels arranged as “eyes” on the game screen, and the conditions for establishing the friendship are determined by lottery processing. It may be established when the sum of the character levels is greater than the level of the target character. The lottery process may determine the outcome using the input timing of the operation input as an input. In addition, a method for determining whether or not a fulfillment condition is satisfied, such as determining whether or not a companion relationship is established based on whether or not a predetermined combination of a plurality of reels corresponds to a predetermined combination, is specified. It need not be limited to those.

  The control unit 101 moves the process to S203 when it is determined that the conditions for establishing the friendship are satisfied for the target character, and moves the process to S214 when it is determined that the target character is not satisfied.

  In S203, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the number of fellow characters currently belonging to the team has reached an upper limit. That is, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the number of fellow characters whose information is managed in the fellow character table is five. If the control unit 101 determines that the number of fellow characters currently belonging to the team has reached the upper limit, it moves the process to S204, and if it does not reach the upper limit, it moves the process to S213.

  In S204, the control unit 101 determines whether or not to add the target character to the team. Whether to add to the team is determined by causing the display control unit 107 to generate a game screen including an image of the target character with which the friendship relationship has been established and a notification of inquiring whether to add the target character to the team. It may be displayed based on a user operation input made on the game screen. When it is determined that the target character is to be added to the team, the control unit 101 moves the process to S205, and when it is determined that the target character is not added, the process moves to S210.

  In S205, the control unit 101 determines a fellow character (excluded character) to be removed from the team in order to add the target character. More specifically, the control unit 101 causes the display control unit 107 to generate a game screen configured such that images of five fellow characters added to the fellow character table can be selected, and display them on the display unit 130. An excluded character is determined based on a user operation input made on the game screen.

  In S <b> 206, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the determined excluded character is an additional fellow character that has been added to the team because a fellowship relationship has been established at the game stage. The determination in this step may be made by referring to the initial flag 436 of information managed in the fellow character table for the excluded character. If the control unit 101 determines that the excluded character is an additional fellow character, it moves the process to S207, and if it determines that the excluded character is not an additional fellow character, it moves the process to S209.

  In step S207, the control unit 101 determines whether or not to provide a game card associated with the determined excluded character. More specifically, the control unit 101 causes the display control unit 107 to generate a game screen including an image of the excluded character and a notification that it is possible to accept the provision of a game card for the excluded character. Display, and determine whether or not to provide based on the user's operation input made on the game screen. At this time, the notification may include a notification that the excluded character is excluded from the game card provision candidates in the provision stage after the game is over. Here, in order to provide a suitable game progress and play experience, it is assumed that a time limit is set for a period for accepting the provision of a game card, and the control unit 101 does not provide when the time limit has elapsed. It shall be judged. If it is determined that the game card associated with the excluded character is to be provided, the control unit 101 moves the process to S208 after accepting payment of additional consideration, and if not, the process proceeds to S209. Transfer. Even if an operation input for accepting the provision of a game card is made, if no additional payment is made within a predetermined time thereafter, the processing is performed in the same manner as when no provision is made. The process proceeds to S209.

  In step S <b> 208, the control unit 101 transmits information on the excluded character to the provision control unit 109, and causes the provision unit 140 to start generating a game card associated with the excluded character. More specifically, the control unit 101 issues a card ID attached to the game card, and configures and encodes card information attached to the game card associated with the excluded character based on the character ID of the excluded character. . In the game of this embodiment, since the play result is undecided at the game stage, the growth information 423 of the additional fellow character is assumed to indicate the initial state. Further, the control unit 101 reads out the game card image from the drawing information 433 of the information managed in the fellow character table for the excluded character, and transmits it to the provision control unit 109 together with the encoded card information. The providing control unit 109 configures a print image of the game card including the code image under the control of the control unit 101, and causes the providing unit 140 to start print generation. After starting generation, the control unit 101 moves the process to S209 without waiting for completion of provision of the game card.

  In step S209, the control unit 101 deletes information related to the excluded character from the fellow character table, and newly adds information related to the target character. As a result, the target character belongs to the team as an additional fellow character. Since the excluded character does not belong to the team and is provided as a game card, the control unit 101 performs control so that it is not placed in the field in subsequent games. In addition, the control unit 101 performs a process of preventing the target character from being displayed in the field in subsequent games. As described above, the game according to the present embodiment is a multi-participation type game and competes for points related to fellow characters that finally belong to the team. Therefore, in order to enhance interest, one user's team The characters that belong to the game are controlled so that no encounter event occurs in the game play of other users participating in the same game session.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S204 that the target character is not added to the team, the control unit 101 determines in S210 whether to provide a game card associated with the target character. More specifically, the control unit 101 causes the display control unit 107 to generate a game screen including an image of the target character and a notification that it is possible to accept the provision of a game card for the target character. Display, and determine whether or not to provide based on the user's operation input made on the game screen. At this time, the notification may include a notification that the target character is excluded from the game card provision candidates in the provision stage after the game ends. Here, in order to provide a suitable game progress and play experience, it is assumed that a time limit is set for a period for accepting the provision of a game card, and the control unit 101 does not provide when the time limit has elapsed. It shall be judged. If it is determined that the game card associated with the target character is to be provided, the control unit 101 moves the process to S211 after accepting payment of additional consideration, and if not, the process proceeds to S212. Transfer. Even if an operation input for accepting the provision of a game card is made, if no additional payment is made within a predetermined time thereafter, the processing is performed in the same manner as when no provision is made. The process proceeds to S212.

  In step S <b> 211, the control unit 101 transmits information on the target character to the provision control unit 109, and causes the provision unit 140 to start generating a game card associated with the target character. More specifically, the control unit 101 issues a card ID attached to the game card, and configures and encodes card information attached to the game card associated with the target character based on the character ID of the target character. . As described in connection with the additional fellow character in S208, the growth information 423 of the target character is also assumed to indicate the initial state. Further, the control unit 101 reads out the game card image from the drawing information 433 of the information managed in the fellow character table for the target character, and transmits it to the provision control unit 109 together with the encoded card information. The providing control unit 109 configures a print image of the game card including the code image under the control of the control unit 101, and causes the providing unit 140 to start print generation. After starting generation, the control unit 101 moves the process to S212 without waiting for completion of provision of the game card.

  In S <b> 212, the control unit 101 performs a process of preventing the target character satisfying the condition for establishing the fellow relation from being placed in the field and not displayed in the subsequent games without changing the fellow character table.

  If it is determined in S203 that the number of fellow characters currently belonging to the team has not reached the upper limit, the control unit 101 newly adds information related to the target character to the fellow character table in S213.

  In S214, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the play stage end condition is satisfied (the time limit has elapsed). When it is determined that the play stage end condition is satisfied, the control unit 101 completes the present play stage providing process after a predetermined end process such as a result announcement, and when it is determined that the play stage end condition is not satisfied, the process is performed. Return to S201.

  By doing in this way, even for characters that lose the opportunity to provide game cards at the provision stage, it is possible to provide limited opportunities for providing game cards. Can provide a play experience.

<Provision stage>
In the game in which a play experience is provided in the game device 100 according to the present embodiment, as described above, a game card can be provided in the providing stage for the fellow characters belonging to the team at the end of the playing stage. In the game apparatus 100 of this embodiment, provision of one game card is basically included for the consideration paid for the game play. For this reason, the user selects a desired character from a maximum of five fellow characters that are candidates for provision, and a game card in which the character in the growing state reflecting the play contents is associated with the present provision stage. Obtainable. That is, for example, when an initial fellow character is selected as a game card provision target, the user can obtain a grown game card rather than the game card used for registration of the initial fellow character, and the game play from the next time onward. Can be used. In addition, the game device 100 according to the present embodiment provides the game cards for the remaining candidate characters to be provided on the condition that additional consideration is paid even after one game card is provided. It is good also as a structure to accept | permit. As described above, since the upper limit is set for the number of fellow characters that can be game card provision candidates in the present provision stage, the time for which the user occupies the game apparatus 100 can be limited to the time corresponding to this. . Alternatively, in an aspect in which the rotation rate of the game apparatus 100 is configured to be settable, the number of game cards that are additionally allowed to be provided in the providing stage is configured to be variable according to the rotation rate. Good.

(Provision processing (provision stage))
Hereinafter, specific processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3 regarding the providing processing performed in connection with the provision of the game card at the providing stage 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 (providing stage) will be described as being started when the process proceeds to a state where a user operation related to the providing stage can be accepted, for example.

  In step S <b> 301, the display control unit 107 displays, on the display unit 130, a game screen configured to be able to select a provision candidate character under the control of the control unit 101. At this time, the provision candidate characters included in the game screen are limited to characters that have not yet been provided with game cards among the fellow characters belonging to the team at the end of the game stage. Alternatively, the displayed game screen may include fellow characters that belonged to the team at the end of the game stage, but a game card is still provided for a character that can be selected according to an operation input. It may be limited to characters that are not.

  If an initial fellow character exists in the team at the end of the game stage, the character is included in the game screen displayed in this step. That is, even if it is an initial fellow character who is considered to be possessing a game card and controlled so that the game card cannot be provided at the game stage, it belongs to the team at the end of the game stage. In this case, it is possible to provide a game card in the present provision stage. In addition, in the game device 100 of the present embodiment, characters that have appeared in the game stage but have not established friendships are not candidates for providing game cards.

  In step S302, the control unit 101 determines whether a character for providing the associated game card has been selected. The determination in this step may be made based on whether or not an operation input for selecting any one character from the provision candidate characters has been made. If it is determined that the character for providing the game card has been selected, the control unit 101 moves the process to S303, and if it is determined that the character has not been selected, repeats the process of this step.

  In step S303, the control unit 101 transmits information on the character (selected character) selected to provide the game card to the provision control unit 109, and the game card associated with the selected character by the provision unit 140 The generation process is started. More specifically, the control unit 101 issues a card ID attached to the game card, and configures and encodes card information attached to the game card associated with the selected character based on the character ID of the selected character. . Further, in order to associate the character in the state reflecting the play result in the game stage, the game card provided in the provision stage includes the growth information 423 in the state where the growth information at the time of registration in the fellow character table is changed according to the play result Shall be attached. Further, the control unit 101 reads out the game card image from the drawing information 433 of the information managed in the fellow character table for the selected character, and transmits it to the provision control unit 109 together with the encoded card information. The providing control unit 109 configures a print image of the game card including the code image under the control of the control unit 101, and causes the providing unit 140 to start print generation. After starting the generation, the control unit 101 waits until the provision of the game card is completed, and the process proceeds to S304.

  In step S304, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a payment related to provision of an additional game card has been made. More specifically, the control unit 101 controls the display control unit 107 to display a notification indicating that the game card can be provided on the condition that payment of additional consideration is a requirement. Then, the control unit 101 determines this step based on whether or not the payment detecting unit 104 detects that the payment for providing the additional game card has been made. The control unit 101 returns the process to S301 if it is determined that the additional consideration has been paid, and moves the process to S305 if it is determined that the payment has not been made.

  In step S305, the control unit 101 determines whether to end providing the play experience for the current user. More specifically, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a predetermined time has passed in a state where payment for providing an additional game card has not been made, or an operation input indicating that it is not necessary to provide an additional game card The determination of this step is performed by determining whether or not. When it is determined that the provision of the play experience is to be terminated, the control unit 101 completes the provision process of the present provision stage, and when it is determined that the provision of the play experience is not to be terminated, the control unit 101 returns the process to S304.

  As described above, according to the game device 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to provide game articles in various modes while ensuring appropriate user usage.

  In the game device 100 of the present embodiment, the aspect in which the providing unit 140 generates and provides a game card by on-demand printing has been described, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. The providing unit 140 includes, for example, a stocker (accommodating unit) (not shown) that accumulates game cards in the vertical direction, and 1 game card held at the lowermost part of the stocker according to a providing command issued by the providing control unit 109. A plurality of card dispensers having a mechanism for providing sheets may be provided. In this case, as the game card accommodated in the accommodating portion, an off-the-shelf card having a fixed design printed and issued in advance at a factory or the like is provided. In this mode, in each of the plurality of card dispensers, the card information attached to the game card (game card held at the bottom) that can be provided next can be acquired in advance, so that the game card The control unit 101 may perform control so that a character that can provide the character appears in the game at the game stage. By doing in this way, provision of an additional fellow character can be performed similarly to the aspect of on-demand printing.

[Modification]
In embodiment mentioned above, when the friend relationship was materialized about the new character, if the user did not replace a character, it demonstrated that the friend character which belongs to a team did not change. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, in a mode in which the physical strength of the fellow character decreases each time an action is performed, or decreases according to the results of various events, the physical strength of the fellow character may become zero depending on the progress of the game stage, You may make it detach from. In this case, since the next encounter event with the character may be disadvantageous, when the number of fellow characters belonging to the team falls below the upper limit at the play stage, the control unit 101 uses a game card. You may control so that registration of other fellow characters can be received.

  On the other hand, it is possible to select an advantageous character for a character existing in the field, for example, to make it possible to additionally register a fellow character on any game card at the game stage, etc. There may be situations where fairness among users is lacking. Therefore, it is assumed that the control unit 101 controls to allow additional registration of fellow characters based on the game card only for the game card provided in the game stage. In this way, it is possible to increase the number of game cards provided at the game stage and increase profits while enabling the provision of a suitable play experience with higher game performance.

  In addition, when the fellow character leaves the team, it is highly possible that the user desires to add the fellow character to the team again, considering that there is no need to change the strategy. For this reason, if it is another game card with which the same character was matched, it is good also as use possible for registration. That is, the additional registration of the fellow character when the fellow character leaves the team due to the progress of the game stage is a game card in which the same character as the detached character is associated, and the fellow character related to the current game play A game card that is not used for registration may be usable. Therefore, the initial fellow characters registered using the game card at the registration stage are already owned by the user, so compared to other additional fellow characters not owned, the provision target of the game card at the provision stage However, by having such a configuration, it is valuable to have a plurality of game cards associated with the same character, and as a result, the provision of the game card for the character is promoted. , Can lead to increased revenue.

[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 a computer 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.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100: Game device 101: Control part 102: Recording medium 103: Memory 104: Payment detection part 105: Acquisition part 106: Character DB 107: Display control part 108: Operation input part 109: Provision Control unit, 110: communication unit, 120: reader, 130: display unit, 140: providing unit

Claims (18)

A game device having a providing means for providing a game article associated with a game element appearing in a game,
Acquisition means for acquiring information indicating a game element associated with the game article from the game article;
Control means for controlling the progress of the game and the providing means,
The game
A first stage in which a first game element to appear in the game is selected based on information acquired from the game article by the acquisition means;
A second stage following the first stage, in which a plurality of game elements including the first game element appear and proceed;
Have
The control means includes a second game element associated with a second game element not selected in the first stage among the plurality of game elements introduced in the second stage. A game apparatus for controlling the providing means so that the providing means can be provided in the step.   The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the game further includes a third stage following the second stage, in which the providing unit provides a game article in which at least one of the plurality of game elements is associated. .   The game device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the providing unit so that a game article associated with the first game element can be provided only in the third stage.   The control means can provide a game item associated with a game element for which a game item is not provided in the second stage among the second game elements in the third stage. The game device according to claim 2, wherein the providing unit is controlled. The control means includes
A first group in which the relationship between the second game element and the first game element is the first relationship, and a second group in which the relationship between the first game element and the second game element is the second relationship Decide which one to belong to,
The provision means is controlled so that a game article associated with the second game element can be provided on condition that the second game element belongs to the first group. 5. The game device according to any one of 4. The game further includes an operation input means for receiving an operation input for a game element,
The said control means controls operation | movement of the said 2nd game element which belongs to the said 1st game element and the said 1st group based on the operation input received by the said operation input means. The game device described.   The game device according to claim 6, wherein the control means limits the number of the second game elements belonging to the first group to a predetermined number or less.   When the number of the second game elements belonging to the first group exceeds the predetermined number, the control means associates the second game element with the second game element in the second stage. The game device according to claim 7, wherein the providing means is controlled so as to provide the information.   The game device according to claim 8, wherein the control means limits a period for accepting provision of a game article associated with the second game element in the second stage to a predetermined time. It further comprises display means for displaying game elements that have appeared in the game,
The game according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the control means controls the display means not to display the second game element that is provided with the game article in the second stage. apparatus.   In the control means, when the game is in the second stage, the game article whose information is acquired by the acquisition means is the game article provided by the providing means in the second stage. 10. The game device according to claim 7, wherein a game element associated with the game article is caused to appear in the game on the condition as described above.   The control means is for a game whose information is acquired when the number of the second game elements belonging to the first group is less than the predetermined number and the game is in the second stage. The game device according to claim 11, wherein a game element associated with an article appears in the game. Each game element has a parameter value that is invariant regardless of the progress of the game,
In the determination of which group the control means belongs to, the parameter value of the target second game element includes the first game element and the first group that already belongs to the first group. 13. The target second game element belongs to the first group on condition that at least one of the parameter values of two game elements does not exceed the parameter value. Game device. It further comprises a reception means for receiving payment of the consideration,
The game device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the control unit controls the providing unit to provide the game article on condition that payment of the consideration is received by the receiving unit. . The providing means includes generating means for generating game articles,
The said control means controls the said production | generation means in the said 2nd step so that the game article which matched the said 2nd game element can be produced | generated. Game device. The providing means includes
A storage unit that stores game articles associated with game elements in advance;
Means for acquiring information on a game element associated with a game article that can be provided in the accommodation unit;
Drive means that operates to take out and provide the game article in a state in which it can be provided from the housing portion;
Have
The control means controls the progress of the game so as to cause a game element associated with the game article in the second stage to be provided to appear,
The game device according to claim 1, wherein the providing unit is controlled so that a game article associated with the second game element can be provided. A game system including a game article associated with a game element appearing in a game, and a game device having a providing means for providing the game article,
The game article has information indicating a game element associated with the game article,
The game device includes:
Obtaining means for obtaining the information from the game article;
Control means for controlling the progress of the game and the providing means,
The game
A first stage in which a first game element to appear in the game is selected based on information acquired from the game article by the acquisition means;
A second stage following the first stage, in which a plurality of game elements including the first game element appear and proceed;
Have
The control means includes a second game element associated with a second game element not selected in the first stage among the plurality of game elements introduced in the second stage. A game system for controlling the providing means so that it can be provided in the step.   A program causing a computer to function as control means of the game device according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

Images