JP2023070203A - Game device, program, and game system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize operation of suitable supply of articles.

SOLUTION: A game device includes: providing means for providing a play experience of a game; multiple supply means capable of supplying respective different types of articles; detection means for detecting whether the articles can be supplied to each of the multiple supply means; setting means for receiving a setting of an operation mode of the game device; and control means for controlling operation of the providing means and the multiple supply means according to an operation mode set by the setting means. The operation mode includes a first mode for preventing a play experience of a game from being provided on condition that one predetermined supply means from among the multiple supply means cannot supply articles.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

COPYRIGHT: (C)2023,JPO&INPIT

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a game device, a program, and a game system, and more particularly to an electronic game involving the supply of goods.

2. Description of the Related Art There is a game machine with a premium payout function that manages the inventory status of premiums and controls the premiums to be paid out so as to reduce the imbalance of the inventory (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-152040

In a game device configured to be able to control the supply of multiple types of goods for one content, for example, it is necessary for an employee of the store where the game device is installed to order the goods and replenish the goods as needed. On the other hand, for example, when multiple types of goods are goods with different rarities, if it is possible to order only some types of goods among them, the supply ratio (supply of each type of goods There is a risk that the game machine can be operated with a high probability of being sold, or that an item with a high rarity (an item with a low supply rate) can be illicitly distributed. For this reason, there is an operation that permits ordering in units of sets containing multiple types of goods according to the supply ratio set by the publisher.

By the way, in general, when the stock of any type of item runs out, the function of supplying the corresponding item will not operate, so it is preferable to put the game device in the unusable state as described above. However, if different supply ratios are set for each type, for example, the employee may misjudge the order timing, and even though some rarity items can be supplied, the ordered item set will be If the game device cannot be used until it arrives, there is a possibility of depriving the store of profit opportunities. In particular, in the operation that allows ordering by set as described above, if the game device becomes unusable when the high-rarity items run out, the store side will have an inventory of low-rarity items. obtain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a game device, a program, and a game system that implement suitable product supply operations.

One aspect of the present invention is a game device, which includes providing means for providing a game play experience, a plurality of supply means capable of supplying different types of goods, and goods supplied to each of the plurality of supply means. detection means for detecting whether or not the game device is in a possible state; setting means for receiving the setting of the operation mode of the game device; and a control means for controlling the mode of operation to disable the game play experience provided that a given one of the plurality of supply means is unable to supply an item. Including the first mode.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to implement|achieve suitable operation|use of goods supply.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an external configuration of a game device 100 according to an embodiment and modifications of the present invention; 1 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of a game device 100 according to an embodiment and modifications of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining operation modes of the game device 100 according to the embodiment and modifications of the present invention; 4 is a flow chart exemplifying the providing process executed by the game device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a flow chart exemplifying the providing process executed by the game device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a notification presented by the game device 100 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. Also, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

In one embodiment described below, an example in which the present invention is applied to a game device configured to be able to supply a plurality of types of articles will be described as an example of the game device. However, the present invention is applicable to any device capable of providing services, including providing a game playing experience, and supplying multiple types of goods to players.

《Configuration of the game system》
A game device 100 according to this embodiment has an appearance as shown in FIG. The game device 100 is configured to be able to detect the payment of a price when it is available, and when the payment of the price is detected, the user (player) is provided with at least one item. provide services for the play experience of Payment of the price is detected, for example, when a predetermined amount of coins is inserted into the slot 141 .

Further, an ejection opening 142 is provided on the exterior of the game device 100, and the player can access a holding section 143 provided inside through the ejection opening 142. FIG. The game device 100 of this embodiment is configured to supply any one of a plurality of types of articles when used. The holding unit 143 holds an article supplied from one of the supply units, which will be described later, so that the player can safely take it out.

The front panel 144 is a door that can be opened and closed, and is configured to allow access to the inside of the housing of the game device 100 when opened. The input port 141, the output port 142, and the holding portion 143 are configured integrally with the front panel 144, and when the front panel 144 is opened, they do not interfere with each other, and the control device of the game device 100 and the holding portion 143 do not interfere. It becomes possible to operate the board, etc. The front panel 144 is normally operated in a locked state, and can be opened and closed by unlocking it with a dedicated key provided to an employee of the store where the game device 100 is installed.

<Functional configuration of game device>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the game device 100 according to this embodiment.

The control unit 101 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each functional block included in the game device 100 . Specifically, the control unit 101 reads, for example, an operation program related to each functional block recorded in the storage device 102, develops it in the memory 103, and executes it, thereby realizing the operation of each functional block.

The storage device 102 is a storage device such as a non-volatile memory or an HDD that can permanently hold data. The storage device 102 stores operation programs related to each functional block of the game device 100, parameter information required for the operation of each functional block, and various graphics data used in the game executed by the game device 100. etc. is stored. The memory 103 is a storage device, such as a volatile memory, used for temporary data storage. 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.

Payment detection unit 104 detects that payment has been made on game device 100 . The payment of the price is detected, for example, when a coin of a predetermined amount or equivalent is inserted into the slot 141 of the game device 100, or when payment processing is completed based on communication with a chip related to predetermined electronic money. It may be judged by doing. The game device 100 of the present embodiment will be described as starting to provide a service including providing a game play experience based on payment of a fee for starting service provision.

The supply control unit 105 controls the supply of goods to the player when using the game machine. In this embodiment, the game device 100 has two types of supply units (second type) that can store and supply different types of items, respectively, in order to dynamically control the types of items to be supplied to the player. 1 supply section 110 and a second supply section 120). The supply control unit 105 provides interest in the supply of goods by controlling which supply unit is to supply the goods in accordance with the progress of the game. As described above, the supply section controlled to supply the article by the supply control section 105 delivers the article. The delivered item is held by the holding section 143 in a manner that the player can take it out.

Any of the items supplied by these supply units may be used, but as one aspect, they can be used in a game in which a play experience is provided by the game device 100 (possible to make them appear in the game by acquiring information, etc.). It may be configured to To facilitate understanding of the invention, the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 are both configured to be able to supply cards, which are tangible objects. More specifically, the first supply unit 110 can supply normal cards as first-type goods according to the present invention, and the second supply unit 120 can supply rare cards as second-type goods. It will be explained assuming that That is, a card set that can be separated into bundles by type is delivered to a store or the like where the game device 100 is installed. Operation is made to replenish to 120.

Here, the types of cards that can be supplied by the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 are separated in that the cards differ in rarity. The rarity may be determined, for example, simply based on the supply rate (probability of being supplied with cards of various types) when the game device 100 is used. Because they are high, they are classified as low-rarity goods, and rare cards are classified as high-rarity goods because their supply rate is low. However, the rarity is not limited to what is determined based only on the supply ratio. It may be determined according to the manufacturing cost (the higher the manufacturing cost, the higher the rarity) or the like. Alternatively, it may be determined based on two or more of these.

Also, each of the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 detects whether or not cards are accommodated, that is, whether or not the supply units are ready to supply cards. A sensor (hereinafter referred to as a containment sensor) is provided. The sensor may be of any type as long as it can detect a state in which at least one card to be supplied is contained, but it also includes, for example, a sensor capable of counting the number of cards contained.

In this embodiment, the game device 100 is described as being capable of supplying two types of items, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this, and can supply three or more types of items. It will be appreciated that the embodiments are also applicable.

The presentation control unit 106 controls presentation of various information to the player in the game device 100 via the presentation unit 130 . In the present embodiment, the presentation unit 130 that implements information presentation is described as a display device capable of visually presenting information, such as a liquid crystal display, which displays images (game screens, menu screens, etc.). However, the information presentation means is not limited to this, and needless to say, alternatives or additions are possible. The presentation unit 130 may include, for example, a speaker or the like that presents information aurally.

In a mode in which the presentation unit 130 is a display device, the presentation control unit 106 includes a drawing device such as a GPU, for example, and performs predetermined drawing processing for generating a screen to be displayed on the presentation unit 130 . Specifically, the presentation control unit 106 generates necessary drawing objects (graphics data) based on processing and commands performed by the control unit 101 while the game device 100 is running (during service provision or standby state). , and draws the screen. The generated screen is output to the presentation unit 130 and presented to the player by being displayed in a predetermined display area.

The presentation of information to the presentation section 130 by the presentation control section 106 includes the presentation of an effect at the time of card supply. The details of the effect at the time of supplying the card will be described later, but the effect is not limited to screen/image display on the display device, and may include sound output, an illumination device, a haptic presentation device, and other imperfections provided in the game device 100 . It may include at least one of the performance actions by the other performance presentation device shown in the figure.

The operation input unit 107 is a user interface of the game apparatus 100, such as an operation member for decision input and various sensors. The operation input unit 107 outputs a control signal corresponding to the operation input to the control unit 101 when it detects that an operation input has been made to the operation member. Note that the operation input unit 107 may include a touch input detection sensor or the like that detects a touch input made on the display screen of the presentation unit 130, for example.

The game device 100 of the present embodiment also includes special switches such as DIP switches that can be operated by a service provider, such as an employee of the store where the game device 100 is installed, inside a housing (not shown in FIG. 1). The operation input unit 107 is configured to output a corresponding control signal to the control unit 101 upon detection of an operation input to the special switch or according to the input state of the special switch. That is, the operation input unit 107 is not limited to operation input to operation members arranged on a so-called control panel that can be operated by the player during service provision, but also operation members that cannot be operated by the player during service provision (special switch ) can be detected.

<<Operating Modes of the Game Device>>
An outline of an operation mode related to card supply in the game device 100 of the present embodiment will be described below.

The game device 100 of this embodiment is configured to supply one card to the player in response to acceptance of the payment of the price while the game device 100 is in a state where the service can be provided. The one card is either a normal card accommodated in the first supply unit 110 or a rare card accommodated in the second supply unit 120, and which one is supplied is determined by the supply control unit 105. be. Specifically, when the payment detection unit 104 detects payment of a price, the control unit 101 executes, for example, a lottery process, and the supply control unit 105 controls the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 110 based on the lottery result. It determines which of the supply units 120 is to supply cards and executes supply control. The lottery process is based on the above-mentioned supply ratio of normal cards and rare cards, that is, based on the probability of winning based on the distribution ratio of normal cards and rare cards in the card set delivered to the store where it is installed. is determined, for example, when the lottery result is a winning, the supply control unit 105 determines to supply the rare card to the second supply unit 120 . More specifically, the lottery process is controlled such that the probability of supplying normal cards to the first supply unit 110 is higher than the probability of supplying rare cards to the second supply unit 120 .

By the way, the supply of cards by such a lottery process is ensured when both the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 are in a state in which cards can be supplied. That is, regardless of the lottery result, the state in which the card corresponding to the lottery result can be supplied is the state in which both the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 contain cards. Realized. In other words, in order to secure a fair supply of cards with a predetermined supply probability (for example, a rare card is supplied with a probability of 10%) for one card supply opportunity to a player, any type card can also be supplied.

On the other hand, as described above, the number of normal cards and rare cards is fixed in the card set delivered to the installation store, etc., and after one of these cards has been completely supplied, only the other card can be supplied. Instead, when a further lottery process is performed, it may not be possible to supply cards according to the lottery result. In particular, rare cards with fewer deliveries than fixed cards are highly likely to be all supplied before fixed cards. Can not do it. In order to avoid such a situation, an employee of the store, etc., usually orders the card sets based on the supply situation, and replenishes the cards before the number of cards stored in both supply units reaches zero. .

However, depending on the timing of placing an order or delivering a card set, there is a possibility that the number of cards stored in either the first supply unit 110 or the second supply unit 120 will reach zero, and the supply probability will be determined in advance. It becomes difficult to secure a fair supply of cards. At this time, it is conceivable to control the game device 100 so that it cannot provide services on the condition that one of the supply units is incapable of supplying cards. become. From another point of view, if the service is disabled, the cards stored in the other supply unit will remain without being supplied, resulting in an inventory of cards that the store cannot supply. It can lead to holding.

In other words, on the installed store side, by storing the bundles of normal cards and rare cards included in one card set in the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 of the game device 100, respectively, It is possible to provide a service that guarantees the supply of cards at a predetermined supply rate for the payment of the number of cards included in the card set. For example, by storing a card set consisting of 90 normal cards + 10 rare cards = 100 cards in total, a rare card is supplied with a probability of 10% when the game device 100 is used 100 times. A card supply (a card supply in which a rare card is supplied 10 times out of 100) can be realized. On the other hand, in situations such as when cards cannot be replenished, it is permitted by the installed store side for one card set to make it impossible to provide services on the condition that there are no cards stored in any of the supply units. It was cruel to take away the card supply opportunity.

In order to be able to deal with such card supply situations on the player side and the installed shop side, the game device 100 of the present embodiment is provided with two types of operation modes for card supply, and is configured to be usable by switching.

One of the operation modes is the second mode according to the present invention, in which priority is given to realizing fair card supply with a fixed supply probability in all card supply opportunities, and any supply unit fails to supply cards. It is a "lottery priority mode" that disables service provision on the condition that it becomes possible. Specifically, in the lottery priority mode, the game device 100 cannot provide a game play experience on the condition that either the first supply unit 110 or the second supply unit 120 cannot supply cards. It is an operation mode that makes the state

The other operation mode is the first mode according to the present invention, which prioritizes the realization of card supply with a predetermined supply probability through a predetermined number of supply opportunities for a set of cards. This is a "supply priority mode" that disables service provision on the condition that the supply unit is unable to supply cards. In the present embodiment, the supply priority mode is provided on the condition that the first supply unit 110 supplying normal cards, which are supplied in large numbers by one card set, that is, the absolute number of normal cards, cannot be supplied. , is an operation mode that puts the game device 100 into a state in which it is impossible to provide a game play experience. That is, in the supply priority mode, even if the supply units other than the first supply unit 110, that is, the second supply unit 120 cannot supply rare cards, the first supply unit 110 can supply normal cards. In this state, the game device 100 is controlled so as to provide a game playing experience.

Switching between these operation modes can be set only to a test mode as a third mode according to the present invention, which can be shifted to when an operation input is made to a special switch at the time of restarting, for example. It shall be configured such that it cannot be set in a business mode that permits the use of That is, such an operation mode should be set according to the circumstances of the installation shop, etc., and it is not preferable, for example, to give the switching authority to the player or to set the switching by an employee in front of the player. , is provided so as to be switchable, limited to a test mode that does not allow the use of the game device 100 by the player.

Accordingly, the game device 100 of this embodiment has three types of operation modes as shown in FIG. As shown, the operation modes of the game device 100 are roughly divided into a business mode 301 that permits use by the player and a test mode 302 that does not permit use by the player. It is subdivided into a lottery priority mode 311 and a supply priority mode 312 .

It should be noted that the transition to the test mode does not need to require that an operation input is made to the special switch. . In this case, for example, the operation mode of the game device 100 may be controlled to shift to the business mode in response to acceptance of an operation input relating to a confirmation instruction in the test mode.

《Provision processing》
Regarding service provision in the game device 100 of this embodiment having such a configuration, that is, provision processing executed in connection with the use of the game device 100 by the player, specific processing will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The processing corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading a corresponding processing program stored in, for example, the storage device 102, developing it in the memory 103, and executing it. It should be noted that the provision processing will be described as being started when, for example, the payment detection unit 104 detects payment of the price.

In S401, the control unit 101 executes lottery processing related to card supply for payment of the detected price. When the lottery result is obtained, the control unit 101 transmits the lottery result to the supply control unit 105 .

In S402, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the operation mode of the game device 100 is the supply priority mode. If the control unit 101 determines that the operation mode is the supply priority mode, the process proceeds to S403, and if it determines that the operation mode is not the supply priority mode, that is, the lottery priority mode, the process proceeds to S410.

In S403, the supply control unit 105, under the control of the control unit 101, determines whether or not the second supply unit 120 cannot supply rare cards. That is, the supply control unit 105 determines whether or not the second supply unit 120 does not contain any rare cards. When the supply control unit 105 determines that the second supply unit 120 cannot supply rare cards, that is, when it determines that only the first supply unit 110 can supply cards, the supply control unit 105 performs processing. to S404. On the other hand, when the supply control unit 105 determines that the second supply unit 120 is ready to supply rare cards, that is, both the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 are ready to supply cards. If it is determined that it is, the process moves to S405.

In S404, the supply control unit 105, under the control of the control unit 101, controls the first supply unit 110 to supply normal cards. That is, when reaching this step, the normal card is supplied to the player regardless of the lottery result.

On the other hand, when it is determined in S403 that the second supply unit 120 is ready to supply rare cards, the supply control unit 105, under the control of the control unit 101, supplies a card to the supply unit according to the lottery result in S405. control the supply. For example, the supply control unit 105 controls the operation so that the second supply unit 120 supplies rare cards when the lottery results are successful, and the first supply unit 110 supplies normal cards when the lottery result is unsuccessful. conduct.

In S<b>406 , the control unit 101 starts providing a game play experience related to the current service provided by the game device 100 .

In S407, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the game end condition is satisfied. If the control unit 101 determines that the game end condition is satisfied, the control unit 101 ends the provision of the play experience and moves the process to S408, and if it determines that the game end condition is not satisfied, repeats the process of this step.

In S408, the supply control unit 105, under the control of the control unit 101, determines whether or not the first supply unit 110 cannot supply normal cards. That is, the supply control unit 105 determines that the first supply unit 110 does not contain any normal cards due to the supply of cards during the current service provision, that is, while the game device 100 is being used by the player. determine whether it happened or not. If the supply control unit 105 determines that the first supply unit 110 cannot supply the normal card, the process proceeds to S409;

In S409, the control unit 101 controls the game device 100 to be in an unusable state after the completion of the provision processing of this time, and completes the provision processing. Here, the state in which the game device 100 cannot be used means that the payment detection unit 104 is controlled in a state in which payment of the price cannot be accepted (for example, the payment detection unit 104 is controlled in a state in which payment of the price is not possible). alternatively, even if payment has been made, the payment detection unit 104 does not detect this and returns the price to a return port (not shown)). This state is controlled to be canceled by card replenishment to the first supply section 110 (and the second supply section 120). In addition, in order to notify the player of the fact that the card cannot be used, the normal standby display displayed on the presentation unit 130 after the completion of the providing process is further added to the effect that the card cannot be used because it cannot be supplied. It may be realized by controlling the presentation control unit 106 to display. The notification is not limited to the presentation unit 130, but includes a notification to the effect that the game device 100 is unable to supply at least normal cards or at least a notification requesting replenishment of normal cards to an employee of the store where the game device 100 is installed. (such as sending a notification to a communication terminal used by an employee, etc.).

On the other hand, if it is determined in S402 that the mode is the lottery priority mode, the supply control unit 105, under the control of the control unit 101, controls in S410 to supply the card to the supply unit according to the lottery result.

In S<b>411 , the control unit 101 starts providing a game play experience related to the current service provided by the game device 100 .

In S412, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the game end condition is satisfied. If the control unit 101 determines that the end condition of the game is satisfied, it ends the provision of the play experience and moves the process to S413, and if it determines that it is not satisfied, repeats the process of this step.

In S413, the supply control unit 105 determines under the control of the control unit 101 whether or not any of the supply units has become unable to supply cards. That is, the supply control unit 105 determines whether either the first supply unit 110 or the second supply unit 120 supplies cards during the current service provision, that is, while the game device 100 is being used by the player. It is determined whether or not it is in a state where it is not accommodated. When the supply control unit 105 determines that any of the supply units is unable to supply cards, it shifts the processing to S414 and determines that none of the supply units is in a state of being unable to supply cards. If so, this provision processing is completed.

In S414, the control unit 101 controls the game device 100 to be in an unusable state after the completion of the provision processing of this time, and completes the provision processing. In the unusable state, in order to notify the player of this fact, a normal standby display is displayed on the presentation unit 130 after the completion of the providing process, and a display indicating that the card cannot be used because it cannot be supplied. may be realized by controlling the presentation control unit 106 to add The notification is not limited to the presentation unit 130, but is to present a notification to the effect that a card that is not stored cannot be supplied or a notification to request replenishment of the card to an employee of the installed store (employee, etc. such as sending a notification to the communication terminal used by the

By doing so, according to the game device of the present embodiment, it is possible to realize a suitable supply of goods by switching the operation mode.

In the provision processing of the present embodiment, in the supply priority mode, the second supply unit 120 determines whether or not the rare card can be supplied only before supplying the card (S403), and after providing the game play experience. has described a mode in which the first supply unit 110 only determines whether or not a normal card can be supplied (S409) so as not to be notified that a rare card cannot be supplied. Implementation of the invention is not limited to this. For example, after the game play experience is provided in the supply priority mode, it is determined whether cards can be supplied from both the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 in the same manner as in the lottery priority mode. It may be controlled so as not to notify when the impossible supply unit is the second supply unit 120 .

Here, in the mode in which it is determined whether cards can be supplied to both the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 after the game play experience is provided in the supply priority mode, the control unit 101 , even if the second supply unit 120 cannot supply rare cards, if the first supply unit 110 can supply normal cards, the game device 100 cannot be used after the supply processing is completed. Do not put it into a state. Further, even if the second supply unit 120 is in a state in which rare cards can be supplied, if the first supply unit 110 is in a state in which normal cards cannot be supplied, the control unit 101 controls the game device 100 after the completion of the provision process. make it unavailable. In addition, if both the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 are unable to supply cards, the control unit 101 makes the game device 100 unusable after the supply processing is completed. As a result, whether or not to make the game device 100 unusable is determined regardless of whether the second supply unit 120 contains rare cards, as in the above-described providing process.

Further, in the provision processing of the present embodiment, in the supply priority mode, when the second supply unit 120 cannot supply rare cards, the first supply unit 110 is allowed to supply normal cards regardless of the lottery result. Although described, practice of the invention is not so limited. For example, the state of the second supply unit 120 is detected before execution of the lottery process, and the lottery process itself is controlled according to the state. It may be controlled so that only the result of the lottery in which the card is supplied from the unit 110 is obtained.

In addition, in the provision processing of the present embodiment, a lottery processing determines which card is provided for the payment of the detected price, but implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, information as to which card to supply is defined in advance in a table held in the memory 103 or the like. of cards may be determined.

[Modification 1]
In the provision processing of the first embodiment described above, an aspect has been described in which one card supply opportunity is provided before the game play experience is provided for one use of the game device 100, but the implementation of the present invention It is not limited to this. That is, even if there are multiple opportunities to supply cards during the period of use of the game device 100, such as continuous card purchases (cards are supplied each time on condition that payment is received). good.

In this case, one of the supply units may become incapable of supplying cards during a plurality of card supply opportunities. After S410), the status of card storage in the supply unit that supplied the card immediately before is determined. In the case of the supply priority mode, the control unit 101 controls the first supply unit 110 in the case of the lottery priority mode on the condition that the first supply unit 110 cannot supply normal cards. On the condition that either the 110 or the second supply unit 120 becomes unable to supply the card, control is performed so as not to generate a subsequent opportunity to supply the card during the current usage period. At this time, the control unit 101 may control the payment detection unit 104 to be in a state in which payment of the price cannot be accepted.

[Embodiment 2]
In the provision processing of the first embodiment described above, a mode is described in which one card supply and one game play experience are provided during the service provision period started in response to the payment of the price. However, implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, after the provision of the game play experience is completed, the service provision period is extended in response to the detection of further payment, and the process returns to S401 again to provide additional card supply and game play experience. The present invention can be applied even when a so-called continue function is provided. In other words, the game device 100 is configured to be able to provide the experience of playing the game multiple times on the condition that a further payment is accepted at a specific stage during one use of the game device 100 by the player. ing.

《Provision processing》
Concrete processing will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 5 regarding the provision processing executed in connection with service provision in the game device 100 of this embodiment having such a configuration. The processing corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading a corresponding processing program stored in, for example, the storage device 102, developing it in the memory 103, and executing it. It should be noted that the provision processing will be described as being started when, for example, the payment detection unit 104 detects payment of the price. Further, in the present providing process, the same reference numbers are attached to the steps in which the same processes as those in the providing process of the first embodiment described above are performed, and the description thereof is omitted. I will stick to the description.

When determining in S407 that the game end condition is satisfied, the control unit 101 ends the provision of the play experience and moves the process to S501.

In S501, the supply control unit 105 determines under the control of the control unit 101 whether or not the first supply unit 110 cannot supply normal cards. If the supply control unit 105 determines that the first supply unit 110 cannot supply normal cards, the process proceeds to S502; otherwise, the process proceeds to S503.

In S502, the control unit 101 controls the game device 100 to be in an unusable state after the completion of the provision processing of this time, and completes the provision processing. That is, the control unit 101 completes the provision processing without providing an additional payment opportunity for providing an additional game play experience using the continue function for the current use of the game device 100 .

On the other hand, if it is determined in S501 that the first supply unit 110 is not in a state in which it is not possible to supply the normal card, the presentation control unit 106, under the control of the control unit 101, performs additional processing using the continue function in S503. The presenting unit 130 is caused to present a notification that the game play experience can be provided. Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a further payment for providing the additional game play experience has been made within a predetermined time limit. The control unit 101 returns the processing to S401 if it determines that the further price has been paid within the predetermined time limit, and completes the provision processing if it determines that the payment has not been made.

Similarly, if it is determined in S412 that the game end condition is satisfied, the control unit 101 terminates the provision of the play experience and moves the process to S504.

In S504, the supply control unit 105 determines, under the control of the control unit 101, whether or not any of the supply units has become unable to supply cards. If the supply control unit 105 determines that any of the supply units is unable to supply cards, it shifts the process to S505 and determines that none of the supply units is in a state of being unable to supply cards. If so, the process proceeds to S506.

In S505, the control unit 101 controls the game device 100 to be in an unusable state after the current provision processing is completed, and completes the present provision processing. That is, the control unit 101 completes the provision processing without providing an additional payment opportunity for providing an additional game play experience using the continue function for the current use of the game device 100 .

On the other hand, if it is determined in S504 that none of the supply units is in a state where it is possible to supply cards, the presentation control unit 106, under the control of the control unit 101, performs an additional game using the continue function in S506. The presenting unit 130 is caused to present a notification to the effect that the play experience can be provided. Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a further payment for providing the additional game play experience has been made within a predetermined time limit. If the control unit 101 determines that the further payment has been made within the predetermined time limit, the processing returns to S401, and if it is determined that the payment has not been made, the provision processing is completed.

In this way, flexible use of the game device 100 can be ensured, and operation can be performed so as to realize suitable supply of goods.

[Embodiment 3]
In the above-described embodiments and modifications, an aspect has been described in which the opportunity to supply normal cards or rare cards is provided before the game play experience is provided. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which another card supply opportunity can occur. That is, the other card is not provided in response to the payment of a detected price, but in response to the fulfillment of certain conditions during, for example, the game play experience. Here, the other card is assumed to be a card different from the normal card and the rare card, and is hereinafter referred to as a special card. The special cards are accommodated in a third supply unit (not shown) provided separately from the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120, and configured to be supplied. It should be noted that the special cards can be ordered and delivered separately from the card set consisting of normal cards and rare cards.

The operation control in the supply priority mode as described above ensures that the cards accommodated in each supply unit of the game device 100 are supplied with a predetermined probability of supply. Whether it is possible or not does not affect the interest of card supply for payment. On the other hand, whether or not the third supply unit is in a state where special cards cannot be supplied causes a difference in rewards between players who have achieved specific conditions during game play. It can affect interest.

In other words, although the special card is not supplied unless a specific condition is satisfied during the provision of the game play experience, the game device 100 does not let the player know that the special card cannot be supplied in the first place. It is cruel to let a player use the game device 100 . On the other hand, if the third supply unit does not contain a special card that is not normally supplied and cannot be supplied unless a specific condition is met, the game apparatus 100 cannot be used. It is not preferable from the viewpoint of the profitability of the store or the like where the game device 100 is installed.

Therefore, when the game device 100 of the present embodiment is in a usable state and the third supply unit is in a state in which the special card cannot be supplied, a notice to the effect that the special card cannot be supplied is displayed in the standby display. be presented. In a state where such a standby display is displayed on the presentation unit 130, for example, when an operation input related to the start of use such as a touch input to the presentation unit 130 is detected, a usage confirmation display such as that shown in FIG. presents a notification 600 of. As illustrated, the notification 600 includes a text 601 confirming whether or not the game device 100 is used although the special card cannot be supplied during the provision of the play experience, and confirmation of whether or not this is accepted. includes options (items 602 and 603) to Then, on the condition that an approval operation (a touch operation on the item 602) is performed with respect to the notification 600, the control unit 101 controls the payment detection unit 104 to a state in which payment of the price can be detected, and the payment of the price is performed. accept.

By doing so, it becomes possible to operate the game device 100 in such a way as to improve the interest of the game play and the profitability of the game device 100 .

[Modification 2]
In the above-described embodiment and modified example, the supply priority mode is an operation mode in which the game device 100 cannot provide a play experience on condition that the first supply unit 110 cannot supply normal cards. However, implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the supply unit used for determining whether or not the play experience cannot be provided in the supply priority mode may be changeable. This change may be realized by making it possible to designate one supply unit as an option when setting the operation mode in the test mode.

It should be noted that in the above-described embodiment and modified example, it is assumed that there are two types of supply units, namely, the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120, which supply cards in response to acceptance of payment. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of types of supply units may be three or more. In this case, the supply unit used for determining whether or not the play experience cannot be provided in the supply priority mode is set to one of these.

[Other embodiments]
The invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the invention.

100: game device, 101: control unit, 102: storage device, 103: memory, 104: payment detection unit, 105: supply control unit, 106: presentation control unit, 107: operation input unit, 110: first supply unit, 120: second supply unit, 130: presentation unit, 141: inlet, 142: outlet, 143: holding unit, 144: front panel

Claims (21)

A game device,
a delivery means for providing a game play experience;
a plurality of supply means each capable of supplying different types of goods;
detection means for detecting whether or not each of the plurality of supply means is ready to supply an article;
setting means for receiving setting of an operation mode of the game device;
a control means for controlling the operations of the providing means and the plurality of supplying means according to the operation mode set by the setting means;
with
The operation modes include a first mode in which the play experience of the game cannot be provided on condition that a predetermined one supply means out of the plurality of supply means is unable to supply an item; and a second mode that disables the play experience of the game on condition that any one of the plurality of supply means is unable to supply an item. The operation modes further include a third mode that does not allow the player to use the game device,
2. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said setting means accepts setting of said first mode only during operation in said third mode. A game device,
a delivery means for providing a game play experience;
a plurality of supply means each capable of supplying different types of goods;
detection means for detecting whether or not each of the plurality of supply means is ready to supply an article;
setting means for receiving setting of an operation mode of the game device;
a control means for controlling the operations of the providing means and the plurality of supplying means according to the operation mode set by the setting means;
with
The operation modes include a first mode that makes it impossible to provide a play experience of the game on condition that a predetermined one supply means out of the plurality of supply means is unable to supply an item; and a third mode that does not allow use of the game device,
The game device, wherein the setting means accepts the setting of the first mode only during operation in the third mode. In the first mode, supply means other than the predetermined one supply means among the plurality of supply means cannot supply the article, and the predetermined one supply means can supply the article. 4. A game device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, capable of providing a playing experience of said game in some cases. further comprising acceptance means for accepting payment for providing the game play experience,
The control means puts the receiving means into a state in which the payment of the price cannot be accepted on the condition that the one predetermined supplying means has become unable to supply the goods during the operation in the first mode. 5. The game device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the game device controls. In one use of the game device, the providing means can provide the experience of playing the game a plurality of times on the condition that the payment of a further price is accepted by the accepting means,
During the operation in the first mode, if the one predetermined supply means becomes unable to supply an article, the control means controls the subsequent play of the game in the one use of the game device. 6. A game device according to claim 5, wherein said providing means is controlled so as not to be able to provide an experience. During the operation in the first mode, the control means controls the supply of goods when the supply means becomes unable to supply an article while the game play experience is being provided by the provision means. 7. A game device according to claim 5, wherein said providing means is controlled so as to be unable to provide said game play experience after the play experience has been provided. The plurality of supply means includes a first supply means capable of supplying a first type of article, and a second supply means capable of supplying a second type of article having a higher rarity than the first type of article. ,
8. A game apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein said one predetermined supply means is said first supply means. The control means determines to supply the article to either the first supply means or the second supply means in response to acceptance of the payment of the price, and in the determination, the 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the probability of determining that the first supply unit supplies the first type of article is higher than the probability of determining that the second supply unit supplies the second type of article. The game device described. Further comprising notification means for notifying that the plurality of supply means cannot supply the article,
10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control means controls the notification means so as not to notify that the second supply means cannot supply the article of the second type during operation in the first mode. game device. The first supply means and the second supply means supply goods after use of the game device is started and before the game play experience is provided,
The plurality of supply means is a third supply means for which it is determined whether or not to supply an item after the start of provision of the game play experience, and is different from the first type of item and the second type of item. further comprising a third supply means capable of supplying a third type of article;
The control means is
causing the notification means to notify that the third type of goods cannot be supplied by the third supply means when the third type of goods cannot be supplied;
11. The game device according to claim 10, wherein the providing means is controlled to provide the experience of playing the game on condition that an approval operation for the notification is performed. 12. The game device according to claim 10, wherein the notification to the effect that the item cannot be supplied includes a notification requesting replenishment of the item. If any one of the plurality of supply means becomes unable to supply an item while the game device is being used, the control means is configured to indicate that the item cannot be supplied after the end of the use of the game device. 13. The game apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the notifying means is caused to notify of the . 8. The game apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising changing means for changing one of the plurality of supply means to be the predetermined one supply means. A game device,
a delivery means for providing a game play experience;
a plurality of supply means each capable of supplying different types of goods;
detection means for detecting whether or not each of the plurality of supply means is ready to supply an article;
setting means for receiving setting of an operation mode of the game device;
a control means for controlling the operations of the providing means and the plurality of supplying means according to the operation mode set by the setting means;
with
The operation mode includes a first mode that disables the play experience of the game on condition that a predetermined one of the plurality of supply means is unable to supply an item;
The game device further comprises a changing means for changing the supply means to be the predetermined one supply means among the plurality of supply means. A computer equipped with a plurality of supply means capable of supplying different types of goods,
the provisioning process that provides the game playing experience;
a plurality of supply processes each capable of supplying different types of goods;
a detection process for detecting whether or not each of the plurality of supply means is ready to supply an article;
a setting process for receiving a setting of an operation mode of the computer;
a control process for controlling the execution of the providing process and the operations of the plurality of supply means according to the operation mode set in the setting process;
A program that executes
The operation modes include a first mode in which the play experience of the game cannot be provided on condition that a predetermined one supply means out of the plurality of supply means is unable to supply an item; and a second mode that disables the play experience of the game on the condition that any one of the plurality of supply means is unable to supply an item. A computer equipped with a plurality of supply means capable of supplying different types of goods,
the provisioning process that provides the game playing experience;
a plurality of supply processes each capable of supplying different types of goods;
a detection process for detecting whether or not each of the plurality of supply means is ready to supply an article;
a setting process for receiving a setting of an operation mode of the computer;
a control process for controlling the execution of the providing process and the operations of the plurality of supply means according to the operation mode set in the setting process;
A program that executes
The operation modes include a first mode that makes it impossible to provide a play experience of the game on condition that a predetermined one supply means out of the plurality of supply means is unable to supply an item; a third mode that does not allow use of the computer;
A program for accepting the setting of the first mode in the setting process only while the computer is operating in the third mode. A computer equipped with a plurality of supply means capable of supplying different types of goods,
the provisioning process that provides the game playing experience;
a plurality of supply processes each capable of supplying different types of goods;
a detection process for detecting whether or not each of the plurality of supply means is ready to supply an article;
a setting process for receiving a setting of an operation mode of the computer;
a control process for controlling the execution of the providing process and the operations of the plurality of supply means according to the operation mode set in the setting process;
A program that executes
The operation mode includes a first mode that disables the play experience of the game on condition that a predetermined one of the plurality of supply means is unable to supply an item;
The program causes the computer to further execute change processing for changing the supply means to be the predetermined one supply means among the plurality of supply means. A game system including multiple types of goods and a game device capable of supplying the multiple types of goods,
The game device
a delivery means for providing a game play experience;
a plurality of supply means each capable of supplying a different type of article among the plurality of types of article;
detection means for detecting whether or not each of the plurality of supply means is ready to supply an article;
setting means for receiving setting of an operation mode of the game device;
a control means for controlling the operations of the providing means and the plurality of supplying means according to the operation mode set by the setting means;
with
The operation modes include a first mode in which the play experience of the game cannot be provided on condition that a predetermined one supply means out of the plurality of supply means is unable to supply an item; and a second mode that disables the play experience of the game on the condition that any one of the plurality of supply means is unable to supply an item. A game system including multiple types of goods and a game device capable of supplying the multiple types of goods,
The game device
a delivery means for providing a game play experience;
a plurality of supply means each capable of supplying a different type of article among the plurality of types of article;
detection means for detecting whether or not each of the plurality of supply means is ready to supply an article;
setting means for receiving setting of an operation mode of the game device;
a control means for controlling the operations of the providing means and the plurality of supplying means according to the operation mode set by the setting means;
with
The operation modes include a first mode that makes it impossible to provide a play experience of the game on condition that a predetermined one supply means out of the plurality of supply means is unable to supply an item; and a third mode that does not allow use of the game device,
The game system wherein the setting means accepts the setting of the first mode only during operation in the third mode. A game system including multiple types of goods and a game device capable of supplying the multiple types of goods,
The game device
a delivery means for providing a game play experience;
a plurality of supply means each capable of supplying a different type of article among the plurality of types of article;
detection means for detecting whether or not each of the plurality of supply means is ready to supply an article;
setting means for receiving setting of an operation mode of the game device;
a control means for controlling the operations of the providing means and the plurality of supplying means according to the operation mode set by the setting means;
with
The operation mode includes a first mode that disables the play experience of the game on condition that a predetermined one of the plurality of supply means is unable to supply an item;
The game apparatus further comprises a change means for changing the supply means to be the predetermined one supply means among the plurality of supply means.

Images