JP2024102040A - Program and game device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a player to easily grasp progress of a match game.

SOLUTION: A program allows a computer to execute sorting processing for sorting players into a first team and a second team, execution processing for executing a match game progressed after a character group appears for each player in the match game in which multiple players are allowed to participate, and display processing for displaying a screen pertaining to the executed match game. The screen pertaining to a match game displays a first virtual space disposed such that a first character group pertaining to players of a first team and a second character group pertaining to players of a second team can travel, each of characters of the first character group is disposed in a first virtual space in a state in which a first decorative body is integrated, and each of characters of the second character group is disposed in a first space in a state in which a second decorative body different from the first decorative body is integrated.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

Application for application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act filed ▲1▼Date held: December 17, 2022 Event name, location: Jump Festa 2023 Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Halls 1-8 (2-5 Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture) Publisher: Bandai Co., Ltd. ▲2▼Website posting date: December 17, 2022 Website address: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ehxrFU9Hd7I https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=JVQgoW1tSAQ Publisher: Bandai Co., Ltd. ▲3▼Website posting date: January 10, 2023 Website address: https://www. carddass.com/dbh/sdbh_ugm/news/086.php Published by: Bandai Co., Ltd. ▲4▼Published on: January 13, 2020 Published at: A store in Japan that has a machine with the product name "Data Carddass Super Dragon Ball Heroes" Published by: Bandai Co., Ltd.

The present invention relates to a program and a game device, and in particular to a multiplayer electronic game.

There is a game system that provides a multiplayer game in which multiple players can participate (Patent Document 1). Among such multiplayer electronic games, there are some in which some characters from a group of characters that can appear in a competitive game are registered as playable characters for each player, on the condition that information is obtained from real objects owned by the players, for example, and the game progresses.

JP 2020-062178 A

As mentioned above, in fighting games in which players register playable characters, certain characters that are highly convenient tend to be selected as playable characters. For example, characters with parameters that give an advantage in the progress of a fighting game are more likely to be used in the gameplay of players with high rankings, because the outcome of a fight can be determined by whether or not the character is registered.

On the other hand, if multiple players participating in a competitive game all use the same character as their playable character, it becomes difficult to determine which character associated with which player an action that occurs during the course of the competitive game was performed by, or which character associated with which player an action is targeted at. As a result, there is a risk that players will misunderstand the progress of the competitive game and make inappropriate control inputs.

The present invention aims to provide a program and a game device that allows players to easily understand the progress of a competitive game.

A program according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer to execute a classification process for classifying players into either a first team or a second team, an execution process for executing a competitive game in which a plurality of players participate and in which a group of characters appears for each player, and a display process for displaying a screen relating to the executed competitive game, the screen relating to the competitive game displaying a first virtual space in which a first group of characters relating to players on the first team and a second group of characters relating to players on the second team are movably arranged, each of the characters of the first group of characters is arranged in the first virtual space with a first decoration integrated therewith, and each of the characters of the second group of characters is arranged in the first virtual space with a second decoration different from the first decoration integrated therewith.

The present invention allows players to easily understand the progress of a competitive game.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a game device 100 according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a game system according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a server 200 according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a configuration of a presentation device 110 according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a screen displaying a virtual space according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention; FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating various interfaces for matching according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a display when matching is established according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention; FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a setting screen for a fighting game according to an embodiment and a modified example of the present invention; FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a headpiece that is worn by each player's character in a team competition according to an embodiment and a modified example of the present invention. A flowchart illustrating an execution stage process according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention.

[Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note 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 features among the multiple features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. In addition, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

The embodiment described below is an example of a game device in which the present invention is applied to a game device that plays a competitive game with other matched players. However, the present invention can be applied to any device that plays a competitive game.

Game System Configuration
2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the game system of this embodiment includes a plurality of game devices 100 each capable of providing a playing experience of a competitive game, and a server 200 that matches players who are using the game devices 100 at the same time as participants in the competitive game. More specifically, the server 200 provides a function of matching players who have made lobby connection requests on the game devices 100 at the same time.

The game device 100 and the server 200 are configured to be able to send and receive information via the network 300. In this embodiment, the network 300 is described as being a wide-area information and communication network such as the Internet. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that it may also be a narrow-area communication network such as a LAN.

The hardware configuration of each device is explained below with reference to separate diagrams.

Hardware configuration of the game device
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a game device 100 according to this embodiment.

The control unit 101 is a processor such as a CPU, and performs control over the operation of each piece of hardware in the game device 100, and control over the realization of various functions, including the function of providing a game play experience. Specifically, the control unit 101 performs the relevant control by, for example, reading out necessary programs stored in the storage device 102, expanding them into the memory 103, and executing them.

The storage device 102 is a device capable of permanently storing information, such as a non-volatile memory or HDD. In addition to an operating system for operating the game device 100 and programs related to the game that provides the play experience, the storage device 102 stores parameter information required to realize various controls and various data related to the game that provides the play experience. The memory 103 is a storage device used for temporary data storage, such as a volatile memory. The memory 103 may be used not only as an area for expanding each program, but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data output during the operation of various hardware and various controls.

The GPU 104 is a rendering device that executes various rendering processes related to the generation of game screens and other screens and images presented during the game play experience. The GPU 104 includes a GPU memory (not shown), and develops various graphics data read from the storage device 102, and performs predetermined calculations to generate various images including screens. The screens and images generated by the GPU 104 are presented to the player by being displayed on a display device, for example, included in the presentation device 110 provided in the game device 100.

The presentation device 110 is a device equipped with an information presentation function that is included in the game device 100. In one embodiment, the presentation device 110 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display that displays a screen generated by the GPU 104. The means of presenting information in the game device 100 is not limited to those that realize visual information presentation such as display devices and lighting devices, but may include other types of information presentation means such as audio output devices such as speakers that realize auditory information presentation, and force feedback devices that realize tactile information presentation. In such cases, the information to be presented may be, for example, data read from the storage device 102 or data configured by the control unit 101 at any time.

The operation I/F 105 is a user interface provided in the game device 100 that accepts operation input. When the operation I/F 105 detects that an operation input has been made, it outputs a control signal corresponding to the operation input to the control unit 101. In one aspect, the operation I/F 105 includes operation members such as a button for inputting a decision or a button for inputting a selection, and various sensors. In an aspect in which the presentation device 110 includes a display device capable of detecting touch input, the operation I/F 105 includes a touch input detection sensor provided on the display device.

The communication I/F 106 is a communication interface with an external device provided to the game device 100. Information communication between the communication I/F 106 and the external device may be performed via a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or via a LAN or the like. Information communication performed by the communication I/F 106 may be performed either wired or wirelessly, and in the latter case may include, for example, short-range wireless communication or close-proximity wireless communication.

The payment device 120 is a device that accepts payment of the price for using the game device 100. The price can be treated as having been paid, for example, when a predetermined amount of coins or an equivalent coin is inserted into an insertion slot (not shown), or when a payment process based on communication with a chip related to a predetermined electronic money is completed. When the payment device 120 detects that the price has been paid, it outputs a control signal indicating this to the control unit 101. Unless otherwise specified in the following description, when the game device 100 detects that a price has been paid while in a state not being used by any player (standby state), it will switch the state to a state in which it can provide a game play experience and start providing services to the player.

The reader 130 is a device that acquires information from a real object provided in the game device 100. The reader 130 can acquire information by, for example, reading a code attached to the exterior of the real object using an imaging device. In another aspect, the reader 130 can acquire information by any arbitrary information acquisition method, such as reading information from a specific chip built into the real object, or by monitoring the input state of a specific switch or the electrical continuity state of a connection terminal in the attachment section when the real object is attached to the game device 100. The information acquired by the reader 130 is transmitted to the control section 101 and used, for example, to control the progress of the game or the content of the service provided.

The providing device 140 is a device that has the function of providing real items stored in advance. The game device 100 of this embodiment is configured such that when a predetermined condition is met, such as when the service provision starts, the providing device 140 provides a specified number of real items under the control of the control unit 101. In one aspect, the providing device 140 can provide the real items stored in a built-in stocker in the order in which they were stored. In another aspect, the providing device 140 can provide the stored real items after performing a predetermined process. In one aspect, the real items provided by the providing device 140 can be items to which information that can be acquired by the reader 130 is attached.

In this embodiment, the hardware configuration is described as being built into the housing of the game device 100, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, at least one of the presentation device 110, payment device 120, reader 130, and provision device 140 may be provided outside the housing of the game device 100 and configured to be available by being connected to the game device 100.

Details of the presentation device
As shown in FIG. 4 , the presentation device 110 of this embodiment includes a first display unit 111 and a second display unit 112 .

The first display unit 111 is a display device that also functions as the reader 130, and is configured to be able to place a real item for the game (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a real item for the game). The first display unit 111 is a display device that presents a display screen, for example, by rear projection, and by intermittently capturing an image of the real item for the game placed on a placement surface (display surface) from behind, the real item is identified, the placement position of the real item is detected, and information attached to the real item is obtained. The placement surface of the first display unit 111 is not only used to obtain information from the real item, but is also configured to be able to perform game operation input by moving the real item on the placement surface.

In contrast, the second display unit 112, which is provided above the first display unit 111, is a display device such as an LCD. The second display unit 112 is in an inclined state so that it is not possible to place an actual game item on it, and is used only to present information.

<Hardware configuration of server 200>
3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server 200 according to this embodiment. In the following description, the hardware configuration that realizes the same functions as the game device 100 will be prefixed with the letter "server" to clearly distinguish it from the configuration of the game device 100.

The server control unit 201 is a processor such as a CPU, and performs operation control of each piece of hardware equipped in the server 200, and control related to the realization of various functions including the player matching function. Specifically, the server control unit 201 performs the relevant control by, for example, reading out necessary programs stored in the server storage device 202, expanding them in the server memory 203, and executing them.

The server storage device 202 is a device capable of permanently storing information, such as a non-volatile memory or HDD. In addition to an operating system for operating the server 200 and programs related to matching, the server storage device 202 stores parameter information required to realize various controls and various data required to provide the matching function. The server storage device 202 also has a database function for managing information on each player registered as a user of the game system. The server memory 203 is a storage device used for temporary data storage, such as a volatile memory. The server memory 203 may be used not only as an area for expanding each program, but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data output during the operation of various hardware and various controls.

The server communication I/F 204 is a communication interface with an external device provided to the server 200. Information communication between the server communication I/F 204 and the external device may be performed via a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or via a LAN or the like. Information communication performed by the server communication I/F 204 may be performed either wired or wirelessly.

Game Overview
A game in which a play experience is provided on the game device 100 of this embodiment will be described below.

The game in which the game device 100 provides a play experience is a battle game in which the characters used by each player battle each other against other players using other game devices 100 at the same time, or against NPCs (Non-Player Characters), as described above. The characters used by each player are registered based on the actual game items that the player places on the placement surface of the first display unit 111.

In this embodiment, the actual game item is described as a game card configured in the form of a card, but it will be easily understood that the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. A game card is associated with one of a number of characters that are available to appear in the battle game. A character is associated with a game card by attaching information that uniquely identifies the character (such as a character ID) to the game card. Therefore, by placing a game card relating to a character that a player wishes to use in the battle game on the placement surface of the first display unit 111, the player can have the reader 130 obtain the information and play the game with the character in question as the character to be used.

The competitive game is started when the payment device 120 detects that the payment has been made. The competitive game includes a "matching stage" in which an opponent is matched with the player, and an "execution stage" in which a play experience related to the competitive game is provided (enabling the player to experience the gameplay provided for the competitive game). In the matching stage, the player can choose whether to play against another player using the game device 100 at the same time, or against an NPC. The former is selected when the player performs an operation related to a lobby connection request (such as a menu selection) after paying the fee, and the latter is selected when the player does not request to connect to the lobby, or when the player makes a request to connect to the lobby but is not matched with an opponent player.

When an operation related to a lobby connection request is performed, the lobby connection request is transferred from the game device 100 to the server 200. When the server control unit 201 receives the lobby connection request, it determines a matching lobby to which the player who made the lobby connection request will be assigned. The server control unit 201 manages multiple matching lobbies, and classifies players who make lobby connection requests at the same time into one of these matching lobbies. Here, a matching lobby is a place on the network where multiple players can arbitrarily select an opponent player and start a competitive game. Each player has the opportunity to play a competitive game in the assigned matching lobby with a player who has also been assigned to that matching lobby.

As will be described in more detail below, a player assigned to a matching lobby can choose to challenge another player assigned to the same lobby to a match, or to wait for a challenge from another player assigned to the same lobby (to enter a matching standby state). Thus, when the server control unit 201 receives a lobby connection request from a game device 100, it assigns one matching lobby to the player using that game device 100, and shares information about other players who are also assigned to that matching lobby with that game device 100. Furthermore, when a change occurs in the matching status of each player due to the assignment of a player to a matching lobby or the establishment of a match request, the server control unit 201 shares information indicating this with each of the game devices 100 used by the players classified in that lobby.

As such, when using the matching lobby, information sharing between players is required, and therefore acquisition of player identification information is a requirement for use of this function (matching function via the matching lobby). Game cards that can be used in the game device 100 of this embodiment include cards (character cards) to which predetermined characters are associated, as well as cards (license cards) to which characters set specifically for each player are associated. License cards are at least provided with identification information (player ID) that uniquely identifies a player, and when using the function to match with other players, it is necessary to acquire information from the license card.

A player who owns a license card can register an avatar unique to that player. Information about the player's unique avatar is managed by the server 200 in association with the player ID, and is configured to enable display including the avatar when using the game device 100 while using the license card. The license card can also be used as a game card, and by acquiring information when registering a character to be used, the player's unique avatar can be made to appear as a character (hereinafter referred to as a player character) in a competitive game. In other words, the license card can be used not only to identify the player, but also to register and operate the player character.

<Matching Lobby Functionality Overview>
Below, an overview of the various functions provided through the matching lobby will be explained with reference to the drawings.

When the server control unit 201 assigns a player to a matching lobby, a virtual space corresponding to the matching lobby is displayed on the game device 100 used by that player. In addition to the player's player character, the virtual space may also include player characters of other players to whom the virtual space has been assigned. More specifically, the virtual space displayed on one game device 100 includes the player character of the player using that game device 100 and the player characters of players who are waiting for matching in that virtual space. In the following, a player using a game device 100 who applies for a match with a player who is waiting for matching will be described as the "applying player" and the player character of the applying player will be described as the "operable character". Additionally, a player who is waiting for matching will be described as the "candidate player" and the player character of the candidate player will be described as the "waiting character".

The virtual space is displayed on the second display unit 112 in a three-dimensional bird's-eye view, as shown in FIG. 5. In the display shown in FIG. 5, the playable character 501 and the standby character 502 are displayed in the form of humanoid character images. As shown in the figure, the display on the second display unit 112 has a viewpoint set in the virtual space so that the playable character 501 is captured in the center. The playable character 501 is controlled so that it can move within the virtual space, and when the playable character 501 moves based on the operation of the applying player, the rendering viewpoint also moves to follow this (so that the playable character 501 is captured in the center).

On the other hand, standby characters 502 in a matching waiting state are placed around the playable character 501 in the virtual space and are controlled to be immovable. As will be described in detail later, the standby characters 502 are fixed in position in the virtual space so as to easily accept operations for a battle application from the applying player. In order to increase the options available to the applying player for a battle application, it is preferable for the server control unit 201 to control the matching lobby allocation of candidate players so that multiple standby characters 502 exist in each virtual space. When multiple standby characters 502 exist in a virtual space, the standby characters 502 are placed at a distance from each other in that virtual space.

The virtual space is displayed on the first display unit 111 in the manner shown in area 601 of FIG. 6(a). In the display shown in FIG. 6(a), the playable character and standby characters are displayed as icons. The arrangement of the icons corresponds to the position of each character in the virtual space, and the display is controlled so that the playable character's icon 602 is placed in the center of area 601, and standby character icons 603 are placed around it.

<Match request function>
The icon 603 of the standby character functions as a user interface that accepts operational input for a challenge to the standby character. By performing operational input on the icon 603 relating to a desired standby character on the first display unit 111, the applying player can move the playable character (icon 602) to the vicinity of the standby character (icon 603), as shown in Fig. 6(b). That is, similar to the display on the second display unit 112, the icon 603 of the standby character is controlled so as to be immovable in the virtual space, and the icon 602 of the playable character is controlled so as to be movable.

When the operated character moves close to the waiting character, an application screen 611 as shown in FIG. 6(c) is displayed on the first display unit 111. The application screen 611 includes a battle information display 621 showing details of the battle game for which the candidate player related to the waiting character wishes to be matched, and a GUI 622 for requesting a battle. The battle information may include at least one of a message about the battle game set by the candidate player and information defining the specifications of the battle game. In the embodiment of FIG. 6(c), the display 621 shows, as battle information, that the candidate player's message 631 is "I won't lose," the battle rules (conditions for winning or losing, cost of the deck used, etc.) 632 of the battle game are set to "Normal," and the battle system (battle format) 633 is set to "Time Break Battle."

The applying player can decide whether or not to apply to a candidate player for a match by inputting an operation to the GUI 622 on the application screen 611. When an operation is input to the option to apply to a match, a matching request for the candidate player is sent from the game device 100 to the server 200. When the server control unit 201 receives the matching request, it executes a matching process to establish a match game between the applying player and the candidate player. At this time, the server control unit 201 establishes the match on the condition that a communication connection is maintained between the game device 100 used by the applying player and the game device 100 used by the candidate player.

If the matching request reaches the server 200 and conflicts with a matching request resulting from an operation of another applying player, or if a match is already in progress, the server control unit 201 returns a matching failure to the game device 100 that sent the subsequent matching request. In other words, matching is not necessarily established by an operation to apply for a match, but is controlled so that in the event of a conflict, matching is established on a first-come, first-served basis.

To avoid a situation where matching is not established despite a request for a battle, the display mode in the virtual space of a standby character with whom a candidate player is already in a battle may be changed so that the request for a battle cannot be accepted. Alternatively, when an operation input is made to an icon 603 to request a battle, the icon 602 relating to the operable character may be controlled to move on the condition that the standby character (candidate player) relating to that icon 603 is not in a battle.

When a match is made, information to that effect is presented on the presentation device 110. In the game device 100 of this embodiment, information regarding the match that has been made is displayed using the first display unit 111 and the second display unit 112. In order to clearly indicate that a match has been made, the first display unit 111 changes the display of the playable character and the standby character who has become the opponent from the icon form to the humanoid character image form as shown in FIG. 7.

<Application waiting function>
After a matching lobby is assigned to a player, the player can enter a matching standby state by performing a specific operation input. That is, the application standby function makes the player a candidate player (no longer the applying player) and allows the player to accept battle applications from other applying players assigned to the matching lobby.

In the game device 100 of this embodiment, in response to an operational input to the standby menu 605 on the virtual space screen displayed on the first display unit 111 shown in FIG. 6(a), the player's state transitions to a matching standby state. More specifically, when an operational input to the standby menu 605 is accepted, the control unit 101 further accepts an input of match information indicating details of the match game with which the player wishes to be matched. The match information is input via a setting screen 800 as shown in FIG. 8.

The setting screen 800 is displayed, for example, on the first display unit 111, and the player can set details by inputting operations for various items on that screen. As shown in the figure, the setting screen 800 includes a message setting section 801 for setting the player's enthusiasm for the fighting game, and a battle rule setting section 802 and a battle system setting section 803 for setting the battle rules and battle system of the fighting game with which the player wishes to be matched. After at least one of these settings has been made, the control unit 101 sends a matching standby request together with the battle information to the server 200 in response to an operation input to a setting completion button 804.

When the server control unit 201 receives a matching standby request, it associates the match information with the information of the player related to the matching lobby, and manages the player as being in a matching standby state (as a candidate player). The information of the player is shared with the game devices 100 used by other players classified in the same matching lobby.

<Execution stage>
As described above, when matching is established by submitting a match application in the matching lobby or by receiving a match application in a match waiting state, the match game executed on the game device 100 transitions from the matching stage to the execution stage. That is, in the game device 100 involved in the established matching, a process is executed to provide a playing experience of a match game in which a player (applying player) and an opponent player (candidate player) participate.

As described above, the game in which the play experience is provided in the execution phase (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as a battle game) progresses while characters associated with game cards about which each player has had the reader 130 obtain information appear as playable characters. In the battle game of this embodiment, each player can register up to seven characters as playable characters, and the game screen displays the characters used by both players. When playing the game, each player places one or more game cards on the placement surface of the first display unit 111, has the reader 130 obtain information about the characters to be used, registers the characters to be used, and can operate the game cards to perform various operational inputs during the battle game.

Here, one game card is provided by the provider device 140 on the condition that payment of the price is detected on the game device 100. In other words, since a player obtains one game card when using the game device 100, at least one game card can be placed on the placement surface of the first display unit 111. The fighting game of this embodiment is also configured to allow a player character to be registered as a playable character. Therefore, a player can register the player's player character as a playable character by placing a license card on the placement surface of the first display unit 111.

On the other hand, if there is a significant difference in the number of characters used between players, for example, if a player uses the game device 100 only a few times or if the player does not carry a game card, the progress of the battle game may favor one player. For this reason, in the battle game of this embodiment, a minimum number of 2 or more is set for the number of characters used by each player, and if the number of characters registered for each player based on their game card does not meet this minimum number, the missing number of characters are registered as the player's characters without being based on the game card.

The missing characters may be selected under any conditions, but in the battle game they are managed as having been registered based on a game card virtually lent to the player. At this time, an image of the virtually lent game card (virtual card) is displayed on the first display unit 111, and the player can operate the corresponding character by performing operation input on the image of the virtual card during the battle game. Thus, the battle game of this embodiment is configured so that a group of characters available to each player appears and progresses.

During the competitive game, the first display unit 111 mainly displays a screen for inputting operations, and the second display unit 112 displays a game screen depicting the characters used by each player participating in the game. The competitive game is played by arranging the characters used by each player participating in the competitive game movably in a virtual space related to the game field, and the game screen displayed on the second display unit 112 includes a depiction of the virtual space in which the characters are arranged.

The battle game of this embodiment is configured to progress through multiple stages (phases), and each phase provides a turn in which the characters used by each player take action. More specifically, in a turn related to one player, at least some of the characters from the group of characters used by that player are selected as acting characters. Actions by the acting characters are primarily attacking characters used by the opponent, and in that turn, at least some of the characters from the group of characters used by the other player are selected as characters to be acted upon. That is, in a turn related to each player, the acting character related to that player performs an attacking action, targeting the acted character related to the opponent player.

An attacking action generates an effect of subtracting, for example, the attacking power of the acting character, the defensive power of the acted character, and the amount of damage derived based on the operation input of each player during the turn from the stamina (parameter) of the acted character. When an attacking action is activated, a performance (action performance) related to the attacking action is displayed on the second display unit 112, or on the second display unit 112 and the first display unit 111. The action performance is configured so that the acting character and the acted character each show a movement related to the attacking action, and the display of the action performance can inform the player which acting character has attacked which acted character. In one aspect, the action performance includes notification of the acting character and the skill performed as the attacking action, display of the motion of the acting character and the acted character corresponding to the skill, and display of the amount of damage.

The battle game involves actions for each player's turn for each phase, and ends when the characters used by any of the players are unable to act, or when a predetermined number of phases have ended. Here, the state in which the characters used are unable to act may refer to, for example, the stamina of all characters used in the character group being reduced to zero. The battle game is configured so that the winner is the player who first reduces the stamina of all characters in the opponent's character group to zero, or the player who has the greatest total stamina of the characters included in the character group at the end of a predetermined number of phases. When the conditions for ending the battle game are met, the results are displayed on the game devices 100 used by each player who participated in the battle game, various processes related to the end of use are executed, and the game devices 100 transition to a standby state in which they are ready to be used by the next player.

<Team competition>
In the matching function via the above-mentioned matching lobby, players can individually challenge candidate players to a match, or become a candidate player and wait for challenges from other players, thereby playing a one-on-one match game with other players. As a result of the match game, players can update their own battle records, and can compete with other players for rankings, for example, in player rankings based on scores evaluating their battle records.

However, in reality, such interest elements as individual player rankings give an advantage to players who have been using the game device 100 for a long time, and players who start using the service later may not be able to fully enjoy the interest that comes with these elements. In other words, the playing experience of a competitive game realized by matching via a matching lobby is provided to all players, but the interest element of evaluation based on the match results may be enjoyed to a different degree by each player. For this reason, the game system of this embodiment has a "team competition" game mode so that the interest element of evaluation based on the match results can be provided to multiple players rather than to individuals.

In a team battle, players belong to (join) one of the teams (camps) prepared in advance, and are matched with players belonging to other teams via a matching lobby to play a competitive game. The team with the highest win rate in the overall competitive games played by the end of a specified period is the winner of the team battle. The team battle is a game mode that is available, for example, during a limited-time event, and during that period, the game device 100 provides a playing experience in the team battle game mode instead of the normal game mode in which players compete individually for evaluations related to the results of the matches. That is, during the event period, players who use the game device 100 decide which team they belong to when they first use the device, and play a competitive game related to the team battle as a member of that team. Hereinafter, for convenience, the normal game mode in which matching for a normal competitive game is performed using the above-mentioned matching lobby will be referred to as the "normal mode," and the game mode in which matching for a competitive game related to a team battle is performed using a matching lobby only during the event period will be referred to as the "special mode."

An event related to a team competition may classify players into two teams according to their preference for a theme, for example. For example, in a theme asking which of the animals "usaki (rabbit)" or "tiger" is preferred, a player selects either "rabbit" or "tiger" when using the game device 100 for the first time during the event period, and belongs to the team (the "rabbit" team or the "tiger" team) according to the selection. In the following, in this embodiment, an aspect of a team competition in which players are classified into either the "rabbit" or "tiger" team will be described.

In the game system of this embodiment, information on the team selected by the player is transmitted to the server 200 and managed by the server 200 in association with the player ID of the player. After the player selects a team, the server 200 controls the player so that the player cannot change the team to another team during the event. More specifically, when the server control unit 201 receives a lobby connection request during the event, the server control unit 201 refers to the information on the team to which the player belongs based on the player ID included in the lobby connection request. At this time, if the information on the player's team has already been stored (updated from the initial value (unselected state)), the server control unit 201 sets the player's team based on the information and controls the game device 100 that sent the lobby connection request so that the team selection is not accepted. That is, when the player uses the game device 100 for the second or subsequent time during the event, the information on the team to which the player belongs has already been managed, so the player will play the team competition from the state of belonging to the team selected the first time. Furthermore, if the team information has not yet been stored, the server control unit 201 controls the game device 100 that sent the lobby connection request to accept team selection.

In the special mode, in order to compete for the highest win rate between the above teams, matching in the matching lobby is established on the condition that the competing players are members of different teams. That is, in the special mode, control is performed so that a match game is not played between players of the same team. More specifically, in the matching lobby in the special mode, the applying player is controlled so that operation input related to a match application is not accepted for a waiting character related to a candidate player belonging to the same team. This control may be performed, for example, by not moving the controlled character even if operation input is made to an icon related to a waiting character of the same team, or by moving the controlled character to the vicinity of the waiting character but not displaying the application screen.

By the way, such matching control can also be achieved by not placing standby characters from the same team as the applying player in the matching lobby in the first place. However, considering the concept of a team competition in which players compete in teams, a situation in which only standby characters related to players from other teams are present in the matching lobby is unnatural and lacks interest. Therefore, in the game system of this embodiment, standby characters from the same team as the applying player are placed in the matching lobby in special mode as an element of liveliness.

However, when standby characters from multiple teams are placed in the matching lobby in this way, the applying player cannot easily identify standby characters that can be applied to play against. Therefore, the playable character and standby characters placed in the special mode matching lobby are controlled to have a different appearance than in normal mode, so that the team to which the associated player belongs can be easily identified.

More specifically, when the server control unit 201 assigns a player to a matching lobby, the server 200 provides the game device 100 used by that player with information about each player assigned to the same matching lobby, including that player, and information about the player character associated with that player. The server 200 may provide this information repeatedly, for example, every time a change occurs in the characters waiting in the matching lobby. Based on the received information, the GPU 104 generates a screen to be displayed on the first display unit 111 and the second display unit 112 by placing the corresponding player character in the virtual space corresponding to the matching lobby and drawing the virtual section.

Here, the information about each player (hereafter referred to as player information) includes, for example, each player's nickname and track record, and match information if the player is a candidate player. The player information may be configured in this way in normal mode, but in special mode, it also includes information about the team to which each player belongs (hereafter referred to as team information). Furthermore, the player character information for each player (hereafter referred to as avatar information) includes information that uniquely identifies the appearance of each player's specific player character (avatar).

In this way, since in special mode the player information includes team information, in the game device 100 of this embodiment, the GPU 104 configures each player character (operable character and standby character) placed in the virtual space not simply based on avatar information, but also based on the team information. In other words, in normal mode, the GPU 104 places and draws a player character whose appearance is configured based only on avatar information in the virtual space, but in special mode, the GPU 104 places and draws a player character whose appearance is configured based on avatar information and team information in the virtual space.

In the team battle of this embodiment, players are classified into the "rabbit" team and the "tiger" team, and therefore each player character is configured with an accessory that is unique to the team to which the corresponding player belongs, integrated into the head, as shown in Figs. 9(a) and (b). Fig. 9(a) shows the head of a player character associated with a player belonging to the "rabbit" team, and is equipped with a headpiece 901 that has an appearance that imitates rabbit ears. Fig. 9(b) shows the head of a player character associated with a player belonging to the "tiger" team, and is equipped with a headpiece 902 that has an appearance that imitates tiger ears. Thus, in the matching lobby of the special mode, the operated character and the standby character are equipped with a meter 901 or a headpiece 902, and it is easy to tell which team they belong to from their appearance.

Note that such changes in the appearance of the player character according to the team to which the character belongs are not limited to the screen that presents the virtual space displayed in three dimensions on the second display unit 112, but also appear on the screen that presents the virtual space in two dimensions on the first display unit 111. That is, by incorporating an image of the character wearing headpiece 901 or headpiece 902 into the icon of each character displayed on the first display unit 111, it is possible to easily determine which team the character belongs to.

Also, in the battle game at the execution stage, which is played after matching is established in the special mode, in order to easily determine which team, i.e., which player, the characters displayed on the game screen are associated with, a headpiece 901 resembling rabbit ears or a headpiece 902 resembling tiger ears is integrated into the head of the three-dimensional model of each character. In other words, when an acting character or an acted character is displayed in the action presentation related to the battle game, each player can determine which player's character these characters are, depending on the type of headpiece worn on the character's head.

Similar to the matching stage, this display control is performed by the GPU 104 of each game device 100 attaching a corresponding headpiece to the head position of the 3D model of each character based on the team information of the player using that character when placing the character in the virtual space related to the game field. In addition, when rendering action performance, the GPU 104 applies behavior control of the characters (acting character and acted character) related to each frame of the action performance to the 3D model to which the headpiece is attached to render the virtual space.

Execution Phase Processing
In the game device 100 of this embodiment having such a configuration, the execution stage process executed in relation to the execution stage of the competitive game will be specifically described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 10. The process corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading out a corresponding processing program stored in the storage device 102, for example, and expanding it in the memory 103 for execution.

This execution stage process will be described as being initiated, for example, when information indicating that matching has been established in the matching stage is received from the server 200. In the description of this execution stage process, unless otherwise specified, it is assumed that the GPU 104 executes a process of generating a screen to be displayed on the first display unit 111 and the second display unit 112 at a predetermined interval, and the control unit 101 controls the display of the generated screen on the first display unit 111 or the second display unit 112.

At S1001, the control unit 101 obtains information on players participating in the competitive game to be executed from the server 200. The participating player information mainly includes player information including team information related to the opponent player. The participating player information may also include player information including team information related to the player using the game device 100 (hereinafter referred to as the player's own machine). That is, the control unit 101 can determine which team each of the participating players is classified into based on the participating player information.

At S1002, the control unit 101 causes the presentation device 110 to present information about the opponent.

At S1003, the control unit 101 registers information about the character used by the player. Specifically, the control unit 101 controls the reader 130 to a state in which information can be acquired, and when a game card (or license card) is placed on the placement surface of the first display unit 111, the control unit 101 acquires information (e.g., a character ID) attached to the game card, and registers the information about the character used based on the acquired information. The information about the character used is stored in the memory 103, for example. Furthermore, the control unit 101 transitions the process to S1004 in response to an operation input related to the completion of registration being made, or the lapse of a predetermined time limit.

At S1004, the control unit 101 transmits information about the character used by the player to the server 200 via the communication I/F 106.

At S1005, the control unit 101 acquires information on the character used by the opponent player from the server 200. Upon acquiring the information on the character used by the opponent player, the control unit 101 stores the information in the memory 103.

In S1006, the control unit 101 causes the presentation device 110 to present that a battle game is about to start. The processing in this step includes notification of the characters used by each player. At this time, under the control of the control unit 101, the GPU 104 arranges the characters used by the player and the characters used by the opponent player in the virtual space related to the game field, and generates a screen to be displayed on the presentation device 110. When arranging the characters used by each player, the GPU 104 combines head parts corresponding to the team to which the player belongs to the head of the three-dimensional model corresponding to the used character. For example, if the player belongs to the "rabbit" team, a headpiece modeled after rabbit ears is combined with each three-dimensional model of the characters used by the player, and a headpiece modeled after tiger ears is combined with each three-dimensional model of the characters used by the opponent player.

At S1007, the control unit 101 starts processing related to providing a playing experience of a competitive game. This processing includes processing for managing the progress of the phases as described above, determining the turn order of the players in each phase, and determining and presenting the action presentation in the turn based on the operation input performed by the player. In addition, the control unit 101 transfers the processing to S1008 when the end condition of the competitive game is satisfied.

At S1008, the control unit 101 executes a termination process to display the results of the competitive game, etc., and completes this execution stage process.

As described above, the game device of this embodiment allows players to easily understand the progress of the competitive game. In particular, when there are characters with parameters set to give players an advantage in the competitive game, or characters that produce special effects in specific events, both players may use the same character in the competitive game, but the present invention makes it possible to easily distinguish between the characters.

In this embodiment, the battle game is described as a turn-based game that progresses through phases, but it goes without saying that the implementation of the present invention is not limited to games of this genre. The present invention can also be applied to games of other genres that involve the display of characters associated with each of multiple players.

In addition, in this embodiment, the team competition is described as an event that takes place for a limited period of time, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. Furthermore, the outcome of a team competition does not have to be determined based on the winning percentage of the team, but may be determined, for example, by the number of wins a team has, or the number of items the team as a whole has acquired that are provided to players according to the match results. Alternatively, the outcome of a team competition may be determined based on multiple items, including the number of votes (number of members) a team has, and the outcome of the team competition may be determined based on the number of wins.

[Modification 1]
In the above-mentioned embodiment, a headpiece item with a fixed shape is combined with a player character or a character used to make it possible to determine which team the character belongs to, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The headpiece worn by the character may be configured to be assigned a unique motion to the headpiece itself so that the headpiece is more noticeable, and the behavior of the headpiece may be controlled independently of the character based on the unique motion during a competitive game. The unique motion of the headpiece may be, for example, bending and stretching the parts associated with the left ear and the parts associated with the right ear at a predetermined cycle.

It is particularly difficult to determine which team a character belongs to (which player's character is a character used by) when characters from different teams are displayed in close proximity to each other, compared to when characters from each team are displayed. In such a situation, in order to allow the player to easily determine the team of the acting character and the acted character, the behavior control related to the headpiece-specific action may be performed so that the closer the character used by the team related to the player's own machine and the character used by the team related to the opponent player are in the action performance, the larger the scale of the action becomes. For example, if the headpiece-specific action is to bend and straighten the ear parts, the closer the acting character and the acted character in the action performance are, the larger the range of the swing (angle of bending, etc.) of the bending and straightening action may be controlled. In other words, the GPU 104 performs drawing processing related to the game screen by increasing the application rate of the headpiece-specific action when the distance in the virtual space related to the game field between the acting character and the acted character is a first distance, compared to the application rate when the distance is a second distance longer than the first distance.

[Modification 2]
In the above embodiment, in the execution stage of the competitive game, a headpiece corresponding to the team to which the character belongs is attached to each of the three-dimensional models of the character used by the player and the character used by the opponent player, and the headpieces are placed on the game field, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. It is difficult to distinguish the team of the character used by the headpiece unless the type of headpiece is displayed on the presentation device 110 at a display size that allows the player to recognize it. Therefore, there is little need to perform drawing processing and behavior control related to the headpiece in every frame during the competitive game.

Therefore, the drawing of the headpiece may be controlled to be performed only when the used character is displayed larger than a predetermined display size, i.e., when the distance between the used character and the viewpoint related to the drawing is closer than a predetermined distance. More specifically, when the used character is displayed in a first size, the GPU 104 skips the drawing process of the headpiece related to the team to which the used character belongs, thereby controlling the headpiece to be in an unviewable state. Also, when the used character is displayed in a second size larger than the first size, the GPU 104 draws the headpiece related to the team to which the used character belongs, and controls the headpiece to be in a visible state. In this way, the computational load can be reduced while allowing the player to easily grasp the progress of the competitive game.

[Modification 3]
In the above-mentioned embodiment and modified example, the ornament used to distinguish the team of the character used is a headpiece having an appearance imitating an animal's ear, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the ornament is not limited to an animal's ear, and may have an appearance imitating other parts such as hands, feet, tails, etc. In this case, the position where the ornament is attached may not be the head of the character, but may be attached to a position corresponding to the part that the ornament imitates.

The ornaments are not limited to those that resemble animal body parts, but may be anything, such as an appearance that matches a theme established for the team, or something that simply makes the teams identifiable. For example, the ornaments worn by the characters of the competing teams may be based on motifs that have a corresponding relationship in appearance or concept (fire and water, sun and moon, hot and cold, spicy and sweet, etc.). The ornaments may also be attached to any part of the body, so long as it makes it easy to identify which team the characters belong to.

[Modification 4]
In the above embodiment, the embodiment has been described in which the ornaments related to the team to which the player belongs are attached to all of the characters used by the player who participates in the special mode battle game, but the present invention is not limited to this. The character to which the ornaments are attached may be part of the characters used by the player, such as the character to be operated by the player or the representative (leader) character of the characters used by each player.

[Modification 5]
In the above embodiment, the headpiece alone is used to identify the team of the character being used, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when an action character approaches a target character in a virtual space related to a game field, control may be performed to display additional information such as the team and the player using the character for at least one of the characters. More specifically, the GPU 104 controls the placement of the additional information so that the additional information is displayed in the vicinity of the character corresponding to the additional information and in a position that does not obscure the character.

The additional information may be displayed not only during the execution of the match game, but also in the matching lobby during the matching stage.

[Summary of the embodiment]
The above embodiment discloses at least the following program and game device.

(1) To a computer:
a classification process for classifying players into either a first team or a second team;
An execution process for executing a competitive game in which a plurality of players participate and in which a group of characters appear for each player and progresses;
a display process for displaying a screen relating to the executed competitive game;
Run the command,
the screen related to the competitive game displays a first virtual space in which a first group of characters related to players of the first team and a second group of characters related to players of the second team are movably arranged;
Each of the characters in the first character group is placed in the first virtual space with a first accessory integrated therewith;
A program in which each of the characters in the second character group is placed in the first virtual space integrated with a second decoration body different from the first decoration body.

(2) the competitive game proceeds with an action presentation in which at least some of the characters in the character group on one team are acting characters and at least some of the characters in the character group on the other team are acted upon characters;
The program described in (1), wherein in the display processing, when the acting character and the acted character are displayed in the action presentation, at least the first decoration body or () the second decoration body is displayed.

(3) In the display process,
When the character of the first character group is displayed in a first size, the first ornament is controlled to be in an invisible state,
When the character of the first character group is displayed in a second size larger than the first size, the first accessory is controlled to be visible;
When the character of the second character group is displayed in the first size, the second ornament is controlled to be in an invisible state,
The program described in (1), wherein when a character of the second character group is displayed at the second size, the second accessory is controlled to be visible.

(4) A program according to any one of (1) to (3), in which, in the display process, the first accessory and the second accessory are displayed integrally with the character's head.

(5) The program described in (4), in which the first ornament and the second ornament have an appearance that imitates a part of an animal.

(6) The first decoration and the second decoration are defined to have individual actions that are independent of the character's actions when integrated with the character,
The program described in any one of (1) to (5), wherein, in the display processing, the scale of the individual action when the distance in the first virtual space between a character of the first character group and a character of the second character group is a first distance is controlled to be larger than the scale of the individual action when the distance is a second distance longer than the first distance.

(7) A program described in any one of (1) to (6), in which, in the display process, if the distance in the first virtual space between a character of the first character group and a character of the second character group is smaller than a threshold, additional information about one of the characters is further displayed.

(8) The program described in (7) in which, in the display process, the additional information is displayed in the vicinity of one of the characters and at a position that does not obscure the character.

(9) a pre-display process of displaying a second virtual space in which characters related to players of the first team and the second team are arranged;
a selection process of moving a character in the second virtual space and accepting a selection of another character to challenge to the fighting game;
and causing the computer to further execute the steps:
In the second virtual space,
the character related to the player of the first team is arranged in a state where the first decoration is integrated with the character,
the character related to the player of the second team is arranged in a state where the second decoration is integrated with the character,
The program according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein in the selection process, control is performed so that it is impossible to apply to the fighting game to characters that are integrated with the same ornament.

(10) a classification means for classifying players into either a first team or a second team;
An execution means for executing a fighting game in which a plurality of players participate, the fighting game progressing with a group of characters appearing for each player;
a display means for displaying a screen relating to the executed competitive game;
Equipped with
the screen relating to the competitive game displays a virtual space in which a first group of characters relating to players of the first team and a second group of characters relating to players of the second team are movably arranged;
Each of the characters in the first character group is placed in the virtual space with a first ornament being integrated therewith;
A game device in which each of the characters in the second character group is placed in the virtual space integrated with a second decoration body different from the first decoration body.

[Other embodiments]
The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

100: Game device, 101: Control unit, 102: Storage device, 103: Memory, 104: GPU, 105: Operation I/F, 106: Communication I/F, 110: Presentation device, 111: First display unit, 112: Second display unit, 120: Payment device, 130: Reader, 140: Provider device, 200: Server, 201: Server control unit, 202: Server storage device, 203: Server memory, 204: Server communication I/F, 300: Network

Claims (9)

On the computer,
a classification process for classifying players into either a first team or a second team;
An execution process for executing a competitive game in which a plurality of players participate and in which a group of characters appear for each player and progresses;
a display process for displaying a screen relating to the executed competitive game;
Run the command,
the screen related to the competitive game displays a first virtual space in which a first group of characters related to players of the first team and a second group of characters related to players of the second team are movably arranged;
Each of the characters in the first character group is placed in the first virtual space with a first accessory integrated therewith;
Each of the characters of the second character group is disposed in the first virtual space in a state where the character is integrated with a second decoration body different from the first decoration body;
The first decoration and the second decoration are defined to have individual actions that show behaviors independent of the actions of the character when integrated with the character,
A program in which, in the display processing, the scale of the individual action when the distance in the first virtual space between a character of the first character group and a character of the second character group is a first distance is controlled to be larger than the scale of the individual action when the distance is a second distance longer than the first distance. the competitive game proceeds with an action presentation in which at least some of the characters in the character group on one team are acting characters and at least some of the characters in the character group on the other team are acted upon characters;
The program according to claim 1 , wherein in the display processing, at least the first decoration body or the second decoration body is displayed when the acting character and the acted character are displayed in the action presentation. In the display process,
When the character of the first character group is displayed in a first size, the first ornament is controlled to be in an invisible state,
When the character of the first character group is displayed in a second size larger than the first size, the first accessory is controlled to be visible;
When the character of the second character group is displayed in the first size, the second ornament is controlled to be in an invisible state,
The program according to claim 1 , wherein when a character of the second character group is displayed at the second size, the second accessory is controlled to be visible. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the display process, the first accessory and the second accessory are displayed integrally with the character's head. The program according to claim 4, wherein the first decoration and the second decoration have an appearance that imitates a part of an animal. The program according to claim 1, wherein, in the display process, if the distance in the first virtual space between a character of the first character group and a character of the second character group is less than a threshold, additional information about one of the characters is further displayed. The program according to claim 6, wherein the additional information is displayed in the vicinity of one of the characters and in a position that does not obscure the character during the display process. a pre-display process for displaying a second virtual space in which characters related to players of the first team and the second team are arranged;
a selection process of moving a character in the second virtual space and accepting a selection of another character to challenge to the fighting game;
and causing the computer to further execute the steps:
In the second virtual space,
the character related to the player of the first team is arranged in a state where the first decoration is integrated with the character,
the character related to the player of the second team is arranged in a state where the second decoration is integrated with the character,
2. The program according to claim 1, wherein in the selection process, control is performed so that it is not possible to apply to the fighting game for characters with the same ornament integrated therewith. A classification means for classifying players into either a first team or a second team;
An execution means for executing a fighting game in which a plurality of players participate, the fighting game progressing with a group of characters appearing for each player;
a display means for displaying a screen relating to the executed competitive game;
Equipped with
the screen relating to the competitive game displays a virtual space in which a first group of characters relating to players of the first team and a second group of characters relating to players of the second team are movably arranged;
Each of the characters in the first character group is placed in the virtual space with a first ornament being integrated therewith;
Each of the characters of the second character group is disposed in the virtual space in a state where it is integrated with a second decoration body different from the first decoration body;
The first decoration and the second decoration are defined to have individual actions that show behaviors independent of the actions of the character when integrated with the character,
The display means controls the scale of the individual action when the distance in the virtual space between a character of the first character group and a character of the second character group is a first distance to be larger than the scale of the individual action when the distance is a second distance longer than the first distance.

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