JP4409993B2 - PROGRAM, INFORMATION STORAGE MEDIUM, AND GAME DEVICE - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a program, an information storage medium, and a game device relating to a so-called video game.

A game having a so-called replay function that provides a reproduced image of a game play that has already progressed is known. For example, according to Patent Literature 1, when there is a play corresponding to a predetermined play type, a technique for reproducing the play and displaying it as a replay is disclosed.
Japanese Patent No. 3227447

Further, according to Patent Document 2, in a baseball game, a technique related to replay using camera work is disclosed in which an image in which a pitcher character's pitching motion is reproduced is displayed, and then an image in which a batter character's motion is reproduced is displayed. ing.
JP 2001-129251 A

However, the conventional replay has the following problems.
(1) Reproduced image that has been reproduced from a gameplay that has already been processed was simply displayed. The image displayed in the conventional replay was the image that was reproduced by reproducing the gameplay. There was a problem that it was difficult to visually understand whether it was a replay. For example, according to Patent Literature 1, game play corresponding to a play type is a replay target for the game apparatus side, but only a reproduction image of a certain game play is displayed for the player side. In some cases, it was difficult to visually understand the reason why the game play was replayed, and it was difficult to understand the purpose of the replay. Another reason is that the reproduced image is displayed at a monotonous speed.

(2) Live commentary and commentary during replay Live commentary and commentary (hereinafter collectively referred to as “real commentary”, but only the real commentary or commentary) may be output as audio or text. However, the generation and display of the reproduced image and the output of the commentary were controlled separately, and they were not related to each other. For this reason, it is difficult for the player to understand the relationship between the contents that are described with attention in the actual commentary and the contents of the reproduced image. In some cases, the contents of the displayed reproduced image and the contents described in the actual commentary may be shifted in time.

(3) Relationship between the contents of the game play to be replayed and the contents of the commentary The game play to be replayed is not uniform. In other words, for example, in the scoring scene of a soccer game, there are various ways to shoot, whether or not to assist, positioning of player characters, etc. Since it is necessary to prepare data, it is not realistic. On the other hand, ignoring the fact that there are various scoring scenes and giving a commentary on the actual situation of the score itself, the commentary is an unobtrusive commentary such as “Your score has been decided in a good place.” It ends up lacking interest in replay.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to realize replay that characterizes the gist of the game play that is the subject of replay and to improve the interest in replay. .

The first invention for solving the above problems is:
Computer
Character control means for controlling a plurality of characters (for example, player character control unit 222 shown in FIG. 7),
Detecting means for detecting the occurrence of a character existing at a position satisfying a predetermined position condition among the plurality of characters (for example, a game calculation unit 220 shown in FIG. 7);
History recording means for recording the game history (for example, the play data management unit 226 for commentary shown in FIG. 7),
Control of reproduction output for generating and displaying a replay image obtained by reproducing a game play based on the recorded game history and a character detected by the detection means (hereinafter referred to as “detected character”) are instructed. A replay process is executed by performing control to superimpose and display a character instruction marker (for example, the attention character marker M100 shown in FIG. 24) in the replay image and to output live commentary based on given live commentary data. Replay control means (for example, the replay control unit 228 shown in FIG. 7),
It is a program to make it function as.

The twenty-eighth invention is
Character control means for controlling a plurality of characters (for example, player character control unit 222 shown in FIG. 7),
Detecting means (for example, a game calculation unit 220 shown in FIG. 7) for detecting the occurrence of a character that exists at a position that satisfies a predetermined position condition among the plurality of characters;
A history recording means for recording a game history (for example, a live commentary-use play data management unit 226 shown in FIG. 7);
Control of reproduction output for generating and displaying a replay image obtained by reproducing a game play based on the recorded game history, a character instruction marker for indicating a character detected by the detecting means (for example, attention shown in FIG. 24) The replay control means (for example, in FIG. 7) performs replay processing by performing control to superimpose and display the character instruction marker M100) in the replay image and control to output the live commentary based on given live commentary data. Replay control unit 228),
It is a game device provided with.

  According to the first or twenty-eighth aspect, the occurrence of a character that exists at a position that satisfies a predetermined position condition among the plurality of characters controlled by the character control means is detected by the detection means. Then, in the replay process by the replay control means, a character instruction marker is displayed for the detected character, and a replay image and a live commentary are output. As a result, the reason for the replay process is clearly expressed in the replay image. Therefore, by preparing live commentary data that contains live commentary on the specified operating conditions, while displaying a replay image with a character indicator marker on the detected character, live commentary along the prepared live commentary data Can be output, and the interest in replay can be improved.

As a second invention, the program of the first invention is
The detection unit may be a program for causing the computer to function so that a predetermined character of the plurality of characters is a detection target.

  According to the second aspect, it is possible to detect a case where a predetermined character set in advance as a detection target is present at a position that satisfies the predetermined position condition.

As a third invention, the program of the first or second invention is
The replay control means performs control to change the reproduction output speed based on the timing when the position where the detected character exists becomes a position that satisfies the position condition (for example, the replay control unit 228 shown in FIG. 7). As described above, a program for causing the computer to function may be used.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, based on the timing when the position where the detected character exists becomes a position satisfying the position condition, the playback output speed of the replay image is temporarily stopped, slowed, or rewound. Variable control can be performed. Therefore, in the replay process, it is possible to visually characterize a character that exists at a position that satisfies a predetermined position condition and realize a replay with a sharp effect.

As a fourth invention, the program of any one of the first to third inventions is provided.
The replay control means may be a program for causing the computer to function so as to perform control to change the reproduction output speed based on the output of the commentary.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, for example, the replay output speed of the replay image can be variably controlled based on the timing at which the commentary is output or the timing at which the output ends. Can be realized.

Moreover, as a fifth invention, the program of any one of the first to fourth inventions,
The replay control means determines a game play to be reproduced among the game plays based on the recorded game history, based on the timing when the position of the detected character becomes a position that satisfies the position condition. It is good also as a program for making the said computer function so.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to determine the game play to be played based on the timing when the position where the detected character is located is a position that satisfies the position condition.

Moreover, as a sixth invention, the program of any one of the first to fifth inventions,
The replay control means controls the start and end of the superimposed display of the character instruction marker based on the timing when the position where the detected character exists becomes a position that satisfies the position condition (for example, as shown in FIG. 7). The replay control unit 228) may be a program for causing the computer to function.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in the replay process, for example, by starting the superimposed display of the character instruction marker at the timing when the position where the detected character exists becomes a position that satisfies the position condition, It is possible to clarify the generation timing of the operation to be satisfied.

Further, as a seventh invention, the program of any one of the first to sixth inventions,
The replay control means controls the output timing of the commentary on the basis of the timing when the detected position of the detected character becomes a position that satisfies the position condition (for example, the replay control unit 228 shown in FIG. 7). As described above, a program for causing the computer to function may be used.

  According to the seventh aspect of the invention, it is possible to start outputting the commentary from the timing when the position of the detected character becomes a position that satisfies the position condition. Therefore, it is possible to output a commentary so as to correspond to the current contents of the displayed replay image, and to enhance the realism of the replay itself and improve the replay interest.

As an eighth invention, the program according to any one of the first to seventh inventions,
A plurality of types of position conditions are set in advance as the position conditions (for example, the movement control table 544 shown in FIG. 7),
The detection means causes the computer to function so as to detect a character that exists in a position that satisfies any of the plurality of types of position conditions (for example, the game calculation unit 220 shown in FIG. 7),
Depending on which position condition the position of the detected character satisfies, selection means (for example, a plurality of commentary data corresponding to each position condition) is selected from a plurality of commentary data corresponding to each position condition (for example, , Causing the computer to function as the replay control unit 228) shown in FIG.
The replay control means causes the computer to function so as to output a live commentary based on the live commentary data selected by the selection means (for example, the replay control unit 228 shown in FIG. 7).
It is good also as a program for.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the actual commentary data corresponding to the satisfied position condition is selected from among the actual commentary data for a plurality of types of position conditions depending on which position condition the detected character position satisfies. Since the live commentary is performed, an appropriate live commentary according to the position of the detected character is output, and the interest in replay can be improved.

Moreover, as a ninth invention, the program according to any one of the first to eighth inventions,
The replay control means may be a program for causing the computer to function so as to generate replay images viewed from a plurality of different camera positions.

  According to the ninth aspect, in the replay process, replay images viewed from a plurality of different camera positions can be generated, and the interest in replay can be improved.

As a tenth invention, the program of the ninth invention is
The replay control means generates a replay image viewed from a predetermined camera position, reproduces and outputs the live commentary, and then generates a replay image viewed from a camera position different from the predetermined camera position. It is also possible to use a program for causing the computer to function so as to control the reproduction and output and the output of the actual commentary.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, a live commentary is output together with a process of generating and playing back a replay image. Subsequently, the replay image is generated again by changing the camera position and reproduced and output. It can be performed.

As an eleventh invention, the program of the ninth or tenth invention is
A plurality of types of position conditions are preset as the position conditions,
An arrangement pattern of camera positions corresponding to each of the plurality of types of position conditions is preset,
The detection means causes the computer to function so as to detect a character existing at a position satisfying any of the plurality of types of position conditions;
The replay control means functions the computer to generate a replay image viewed from a camera position according to an arrangement pattern corresponding to the satisfied position condition depending on which position condition the position of the detected character satisfies. It is good also as a program for making it do.

  According to the eleventh aspect, it is possible to determine the arrangement pattern of the camera position according to the position condition that the position of the detected character satisfies, and to generate a replay image viewed from the camera position set according to the arrangement pattern. .

As a twelfth invention, the program according to any one of the first to eleventh inventions,
The position condition includes a change condition of the existing position having the first position condition and the second position condition (for example, the replay condition table 545 shown in FIG. 7),
The live commentary data includes data (for example, live commentary voice data 548 shown in FIG. 7) containing at least a comment regarding the change in the location.
The replay control means controls the display output of the replay image so as to include a scene in which the detected character has moved from a position satisfying the first position condition to a position satisfying the second position condition; It may be a program for causing the computer to function so as to perform a control for outputting a commentary on the content of a comment regarding a change in position.

  According to the twelfth aspect, the replay process is performed on the character that satisfies the condition for changing the existing position having the first position condition and the second position condition, and the character satisfies the first position condition. A replay image including a scene moved from a satisfied position to a position satisfying the second position condition is displayed, and a live commentary including a comment regarding a change in the existing position is output. For this reason, it becomes possible to perform the replay process which paid its attention to the movement of the character, and the interest property of replay can be improved.

As a thirteenth invention, the program of the twelfth invention is
Direction indication marker display for controlling the replay control means to superimpose and display a direction indication marker (for example, the direction indication marker M140 shown in FIG. 25) indicating the direction of change of the position where the detected character exists. It is good also as a program for functioning the said computer so that it may have a control means (for example, the replay control part 228 shown in FIG. 7).

  According to the thirteenth aspect, it is possible to clearly indicate the direction of change in the position where the detected character exists, and to achieve an effect of enhancing the realism of replay by the display adapted to the comment content of the commentary on the actual situation.

As a fourteenth invention, the program of the thirteenth invention is
The computer is configured to control the start and end of the superimposed display of the direction indicating marker based on the timing when the position where the detected character exists becomes a position satisfying the position condition. It is good also as a program for functioning.

  According to this fourteenth aspect, by starting the superimposed display of the direction indicating marker at the timing when the position where the detected character exists becomes a position satisfying the position condition, the detected character is determined as a position satisfying the position condition. It is possible to clearly instruct the player of the timing that has become.

As a fifteenth invention, the program of the thirteenth or fourteenth invention is
A program for causing the computer to further function as direction indicating marker form changing means for changing the form of the direction indicating marker may be used.

  According to the fifteenth aspect, it is possible to change the form of the direction indicating marker that indicates the direction of change of the character's presence position. This change may be performed automatically or manually according to a player instruction. Moreover, you may change the form of a direction indication marker according to a character.

Moreover, as a sixteenth invention, the program according to any one of the thirteenth to fifteenth inventions is provided.
The replay control means functions the computer to generate a replay image by placing a character in the game space based on the recorded game history and generating an image of the game space viewed from a virtual camera. Let
The direction indication marker display control means may be a program for causing the computer to function so that a planar model forming the direction indication marker is arranged in the game space toward the virtual camera.

  According to the sixteenth aspect, since the planar model forming the direction indication marker is arranged in the virtual space toward the virtual camera, the front direction is always faced regardless of the position of the direction indication marker in the virtual space. It is displayed as a superimposed direction indication marker on the replay image.

As a seventeenth invention, the program according to any one of the first to sixteenth inventions,
It is good also as a program for making the said computer function further as a character instruction marker form variable means to change the form of the said character instruction marker.

  According to the seventeenth aspect, it is possible to vary the form of the character instruction marker that indicates the character that exists at the position that satisfies the predetermined position condition. This change may be performed automatically or manually according to a player instruction. The form of the character instruction marker may be changed according to the character.

As an eighteenth invention, the program according to any one of the first to seventeenth inventions,
The replay control means functions the computer to generate a replay image by placing a character in the game space based on the recorded game history and generating an image of the game space viewed from a virtual camera. And a program for causing the computer to function so that a planar model forming the character instruction marker is arranged in the game space toward the virtual camera.

  According to the eighteenth aspect of the invention, since the planar model forming the character instruction marker is arranged in the virtual space toward the virtual camera, it always faces the front regardless of the position of the character instruction marker in the virtual space. It is superimposed on the replay image as a character instruction marker.

As a nineteenth invention, the program according to any one of the first to eighteenth inventions,
The computer is further caused to function as space determination means (for example, a space evaluation unit 224 shown in FIG. 7) for determining a space in the game space that is at a predetermined distance or more from each character.
When the character control means satisfies a predetermined space position condition between the position determined as the space by the space determination means and the character position, the movement control means (for example, FIG. 7) starts the movement control of the character. The computer is made to function so as to have a player character control unit 222) shown in FIG.
Causing the computer to function such that the detection means has movement control character detection means (for example, a game calculation unit 220 shown in FIG. 7) that detects the occurrence of a character whose movement control is started by the movement control means;
The replay control means performs control to display and output a replay image in which the detected character controlled by the movement control means moves, and control to output an actual commentary that includes a comment that there is a space. As described above, a program for causing the computer to function may be used.

  According to the nineteenth aspect, when the movement control of the character based on the space is performed, the movement control is detected, and the replay process for the detected movement is executed. In the replay process, a commentary on the fact that there was a space is output. For this reason, it can be shown in an easy-to-understand manner in the replay process that there is a space and that the detected character has moved based on the space, and it is possible to improve the interest in replay.

As the twentieth invention, the program of the nineteenth invention is
The space determination means
Point setting means (for example, a space evaluation unit 224 shown in FIG. 7) for setting a plurality of sample points in the game space;
Arrival time calculating means for calculating the time until each character reaches the set sample point (for example, the space evaluation unit 224 shown in FIG. 7);
A determination means (for example, a space evaluation unit 224 shown in FIG. 7) for determining a sample point at which the calculated arrival time of the character to each sample point is a predetermined time or longer,
And a program for causing the computer to function so as to determine that a sample point determined by the determination means as being a predetermined time or longer is a space.

As the twenty-first invention, the program of the nineteenth or twentieth invention is
Marker display control means for controlling the replay control means to superimpose and display a marker (for example, a region indication marker M120 shown in FIG. 24) indicating that the space determination means has determined that the space is determined to be a space. For example, it may be a program for causing the computer to function so as to have the replay control unit 228) shown in FIG.

  According to the twenty-first aspect, since the space which is the reason for the movement control by the movement control means is displayed in the replay image, the reason can be clearly shown to the player.

As the twenty-second invention, the program of the twenty-first invention is
The marker display control unit may be a program for causing the computer to function so as to control the start and end of the superimposed display of the marker based on the timing detected by the movement control character detection unit.

  According to the twenty-second aspect, the start and end of the marker superimposed display are controlled based on the timing when the position of the detected character and the position of the space satisfy the predetermined space position condition. That is, it can be realized that the relationship between the position where the detected character exists and the space satisfies the space position condition is easily shown.

As the twenty-third invention, the program of the twenty-first or twenty-second invention is
It is good also as a program for functioning the computer further as marker form variable means for changing the form of the marker.

  According to the twenty-third aspect, it is possible to vary the form of the marker that indicates the sample point that is the reason for the movement control by the movement control means. This change may be performed automatically or manually according to a player instruction. Also, the form of the marker may be varied according to the space (according to the size of the space or the position of the space).

As a twenty-fourth invention, the program according to any one of the twenty-first to twenty-third inventions is provided.
The replay control means functions the computer to generate a replay image by placing a character in the game space based on the recorded game history and generating an image of the game space viewed from a virtual camera. Let
The marker display control means may be a program for causing the computer to function so that a planar model forming the marker is arranged in the game space toward the virtual camera.

  According to the twenty-fourth aspect, since the planar model forming the marker is arranged in the virtual space facing the virtual camera, the replay is always performed as a marker facing the front regardless of the position of the marker in the virtual space. It is displayed superimposed on the image.

As a twenty-fifth invention, the program according to any one of the first to twenty-fourth inventions,
The history recording means is
A ring buffer recording means for constantly recording a game history from a current time to a predetermined time by recording the game history as needed in a ring buffer capable of recording a game history for a predetermined time; and
Securing means for securing the game history recorded in the ring buffer recording means based on detection by the detection means as a game history to be replayed by the replay control means;
It is good also as a program for making the said computer function so that it may have.

  According to the twenty-fifth aspect, while the game is in progress, the game history for a predetermined time is updated and recorded in the ring buffer at any time, and the game history recorded in the ring buffer by the detection means is the replay process. Secured as a target. For this reason, it is not necessary to record the game history of the whole game in progress, and the game history to be subjected to the replay process can be easily secured.

As the twenty-sixth invention, the program of the twenty-fifth invention is
When the detection means satisfies a predetermined situation condition, by processing the game history recorded by the ring buffer recording means as a detection target, until the predetermined time before the condition condition is satisfied A program for causing the computer to function so as to detect whether or not there was a character that was present at a position that satisfies the position condition.

  According to the twenty-sixth aspect of the invention, the detection means performs the process related to the detection with the game history recorded in the ring buffer as the detection target when the game situation satisfies a predetermined situation condition. That is, since it is not necessary for the detection means to perform processing relating to detection while the game is in progress, the processing load during the game can be reduced. Specifically, for example, when a situation in which the progress of the game should be interrupted, such as a scoring scene in a sports game or a scene where a foul has occurred, is to be interrupted after the situation to be interrupted occurs What is necessary is just to perform the process regarding a detection for the game history including the situation.

  As a twenty-seventh invention, a computer-readable information storage medium (for example, the information storage medium 1240 shown in FIG. 1) that stores a program according to any one of the first to twenty-sixth inventions is configured. May be.

  According to the twenty-seventh aspect, an information storage medium that exhibits the operations and effects of the first to twenty-fifth aspects can be realized.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the replay which characterizes the main point of the game play made into the object of replay is implement | achieved, and the interest property in replay can be improved.

  Hereinafter, the case where the present invention is applied to a game device that executes a soccer game will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Configuration of game device]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a device configuration when the game device according to the present embodiment is applied to a consumer game machine 1200. A home game machine 1200 shown in FIG. 1 includes a game controller 1210 including a direction key 1212 and a button switch 1214 for a player to input a game operation, a main body device 1220, and a display 1230 having a speaker 1232. The game controller 1210 is connected to the main device 1220, and the display 1230 is connected to the main device 1220 by a cable 1202 capable of transmitting image signals, sound signals, and the like.

  In the home game machine 1200, an information storage for storing a game program (for example, the game program 520 shown in FIG. 7), game data (for example, the game data 540 shown in FIG. 7), etc. necessary for executing the game process. As the medium, an information storage medium 1240 such as a CD-ROM or DVD, which is an information storage medium detachably attached to the main body device 1220, is used. Alternatively, the game program and game data may be acquired from an external device by connecting to the communication line N via the communication device 1224 provided in the main body device 1220. The communication line N mentioned here means a communication path through which data can be exchanged. That is, the communication line N is meant to include a communication network such as a telephone communication network, a cable network, and the Internet in addition to a LAN using a dedicated line (dedicated cable) for direct connection or Ethernet (registered trademark). The communication method is meaning regardless of wired / wireless.

  On the other hand, an information storage medium such as a memory card 1252 or an IC card 1254 is used as an information storage medium to which data including information related to the progress of the game is written in accordance with a predetermined timing during the game or a save operation by the player.

  The main unit 1220 includes a control unit 1222 equipped with a CPU and IC memories, a reader for an information storage medium 1240 such as a CD-ROM, and the like, and a game program and game data read from the information storage medium 1240, Various game processes are executed based on an operation signal or the like input from the game controller 1210, and a game screen image signal taken from a virtual camera arranged in the game space and a sound signal of a game sound are displayed as a game screen. Is generated. In the present embodiment, objects such as a pitch, a ball, and a soccer player (hereinafter referred to as “player character”) are arranged in the game space, and an image of the game space taken from a given virtual camera is used as a game screen. Generated. Here, the pitch is equivalent to a soccer court, and is a range surrounded by a touch line and an end line.

  The main device 1220 then outputs the generated image signal and sound signal to the display 1230 to display a game screen on the display 1230 and to output a game sound from the speaker 1232. The player can enjoy the soccer game by operating the game controller 1210 while watching the game screen displayed on the display 1230.

[principle]
First, the principle will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the pitch Fp, which is a soccer court, is viewed from directly above. In FIG. 2, the player character C, which is the player character PC or the non-player character NPC, is indicated by a triangle mark having a different display mode for each team, and the attack direction of the player is indicated by the left and right directions of the triangle mark.

  The pitch Fp is called by distinguishing the long side direction of the pitch Fp from the front, middle and rear in order from the range close to the enemy goal, based on the attack direction, and the short side of the pitch Fp by the left and right sides and the center. To do. For example, when referring to the range of the pitch Fp at the upper left of the screen in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a mesh-like virtual area AR is set to the pitch Fp arranged in the game space. For example, the long side direction of the pitch Fp is set as an X-axis coordinate and the short side direction is set as a Z-axis coordinate. It is identified by the representative point Q that it has. The ratio of the specific size of the area AR is, for example, a ratio in which the area AR is approximately 2 m square with respect to the pitch Fp “105 × 68 m (meters)” in terms of the actual size. The representative point Q is set at, for example, the approximate center of gravity of the area AR, but may be set as appropriate as long as it is within the range included in the area AR.

  In the present embodiment, the non-player characters NPC of the player team on the pitch Fp are controlled to move with the representative point Q of any area AR as the movement target point. Specifically, for each type of movement action (movement type), the condition for selecting the non-player character NPC that executes the movement action, the condition for selecting the movement target point, and the control contents correspond to each other. Attached and prepared in advance. For example, “Running up the ball side (when a player of the team keeps the ball (hereinafter, the player character holding the ball is referred to as“ ball holder ”), the side moves toward the enemy side. ) ”,“ A movement away from the ball (when the ball is on the front and side, it moves in the direction of the enemy (attack direction) and far side) ”,“ A movement of the character (the ball is on the front and side) When there is, attract the player character of the nearby opponent team and run to the far side to create a space, turn back and run to this space), "support near the ball (to the player who keeps the team's ball) “Returning to the formation position” (preliminary setting) It is appropriately set to the mobile considering the nearly operation of moving to the center) "balance of the entire team such as charge range of the field being.

  When deciding which area AR is the movement target point, a space evaluation point is set and used for each area AR. The space evaluation point is an index value indicating the effectiveness of the area AR as a so-called “space”. Specifically, the arrival time T to reach a certain area AR is calculated for each non-player character NPC, and when the arrival time T that is the minimum value (minimum arrival time Ts) is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, that area AR is considered a “space”.

  Here, a method for determining whether or not each area AR is a space will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a method of calculating the arrival time T to the area AR for one non-player character NPC. As shown in FIG. 3A, first, an area AR including a representative point Q in a predetermined arrival time calculation range AC is selected around the current position P on the pitch Fp of the non-player character NPC. As the arrival time calculation range AC, for example, an XZ coordinate value range in a range where the radius is 15 m from the current position P in terms of actual size, or a polar coordinate value range at the current position P is set.

  Next, for each area AR included in the arrival time calculation range AC, the distance PQ from the current position P to the representative point Q is divided by the ability speed Va which is one of the ability parameters preset for the player character. Then, the arrival time T to the area AR is set. More specifically, for example, based on the ratio between the actual pitch size “105 × 68 m (meter)” and the XZ coordinate value, the difference in the coordinate value from the current position P to the representative point Q is calculated as the actual distance (meter ) And divided by the ability speed Va (for example, the maximum speed of the player, unit: m / s), the arrival time T is calculated.

  Looking at the arrival time T for one player character, for example, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the arrival time T (the numbers in the figure are approximate seconds of the arrival time T) in a substantially concentric circle centered on the current position P. Number). Actually, the space evaluation points are calculated for all player characters on the pitch Fp. That is, for all the player characters on the pitch Fp, the arrival time T until reaching the representative point Q of each area AR included in the arrival time calculation range AC is calculated, and the minimum arrival time Ts in each area AR is determined. .

  FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a space evaluation point calculation method. In the present embodiment, an area AR in which the determined minimum arrival time Ts is equal to or longer than a predetermined space determination reference time t0 (for example, 5 seconds) is determined as a space.

  Specifically, a result of subtracting the space determination reference time t0 from the determined minimum arrival time Ts is set as a space evaluation point of the area AR. Then, the area AR in which the space evaluation point has a positive value is regarded as a space. For example, when the minimum arrival time Ts to the area AR-6 is “6.0 seconds”, the space evaluation point is “1.0 (= 6.0-5)”, and this area AR-6 is a space. It is determined. As the area AR is farther away from the player character, the minimum arrival time Ts increases, and the space evaluation points also increase proportionally. For example, when the minimum arrival time Ts to the area AR-4 is “1.0 second”, the space evaluation point is “−4.0 (= 1.0−5)”, and the area AR-4 is a space. It is determined that it is not. That is, it is possible to know whether or not each area AR is a space based on the sign of the space evaluation point, and the degree can be determined by the absolute value.

  Although the calculation of the space evaluation points has been described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 using one character, in practice, the arrival time T is calculated for all player characters on the pitch Fp, and the minimum of them is calculated. A space evaluation point is calculated based on the arrival time Ts.

  In the present embodiment, among the above-described movement types, a specific movement type (“movement away from the ball” or “movement of the character” (hereinafter collectively referred to as “replay target movement type”)). When a movement action is assigned to a non-player character NPC of a player team, information on the game space for a predetermined period (for example, 7 seconds) from that point is recorded for replay, and a predetermined timing such as after the game ends. And replay playback with live commentary audio.

  Specifically, in the replay target movement type, a first condition position and a second condition position are defined as replay conditions, and the replay target movement type is a non-player character NPC of a player team to which a movement operation of the replay target movement type is assigned. Thus, a replay focused on a player character that satisfies the above-mentioned replay conditions (hereinafter referred to as “a focused character” where appropriate) is reproduced. Hereinafter, the movement operation of the replay target movement type will be described.

(1) “Moving away from the ball”
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the “movement away from the ball” and is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the front board of the pitch Fp is viewed from directly above. When the ball B is on the front board and the side, the moving action is the non-player character NPC 10 in the front board and the center, and the attack direction and far side of the non-player character NPC 10 (region opposite to the ball) In addition, the area AR determined to be a space by the space evaluation point is assigned to the non-player character NPC10 having the area (space) E10 connected to a predetermined number or more.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the non-player character NPC10 to which the movement action is assigned is controlled to move toward the movement target point P0 that is the representative point Q of the area AR of the approximate center of gravity of the area (space) E10. As a result of this movement control, when the non-player character NPC10 becomes a ball holder, that is, when a pass made from another player character of the player team passes through the non-player character NPC10, the movement away from the ball is successful. It is said that it failed when it did not pass.

  The replay condition of the moving action is that the position of the non-player character NPC at the time when the moving action is assigned is the first condition position P1, and the position that is 8 m away from the first condition position P1 along the goal line is the second condition. The non-player character NPC that has moved to the position P2 from the first condition position P1 to the second condition position P2 in accordance with the movement operation can be the target character and can be replayed.

  When replaying the non-player character NPC as a target character, the playback is temporarily stopped when the target character is located at the first condition position P1, and a target character marker or region (space) indicating the target character is displayed. ) An area instruction marker for instructing E10, a direction instruction marker for instructing the moving direction of the target character, or the like is superimposed on the stop screen. On the other hand, from the speaker 1232, an actual commentary voice that includes a comment on the moving action of the target character in the displayed replay image is output in parallel with the superimposed display of the various markers. Further, the reproduction is stopped when the attention character is located at the second condition position P2, and the player character of the player team that keeps the ball when the attention character is located at the first condition position P1 is indicated. The ball holder marker to be displayed is superimposed on the stop screen. On the other hand, from the speaker 1232, an actual commentary voice that includes a comment on the moving action of the target character in the displayed replay image is output in parallel with the superimposed display of the various markers.

(2) "Motion of the character"
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the “movement of the character”, and is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the front board of the pitch Fp is viewed from directly above. When the ball B is on the front panel and the side, the moving action is a non-player character NPC 20 located in the front panel and the center, and within the predetermined first distance (around the non-player character NPC 20). The non-player character NPC 20 in which the character C1 exists, and is determined to be a space within a predetermined second distance (first distance ≦ second distance and relatively close) to the far side of the non-player character NPC 20 The area AR is assigned to a non-player character NPC 20 having an area (space) E20 connected with a predetermined number or more.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the non-player character NPC 20 to which the movement action is assigned has the representative point Q of the area AR having the largest space evaluation point in the area (space E20) as the first movement target point P0-1. Then, the movement control is performed with the position of ½ of the distance from the position (P1) of the non-player character NPC20 to the goal center position Pg at the time when the movement action is assigned as the second movement target point P0-2. As a result of this movement control, when the non-player character NPC 20 becomes a ball holder, that is, when the pass made by another player character of the player team passes through the non-player character NPC 20, the movement of the character is successful. If you did not pass, you said that you failed.

  Specifically, the non-player character NPC 20 is controlled to move toward the first movement target point P0-1, and the first position from the position (P1) of the non-player character NPC 20 at the time when the movement action is assigned. Movement control is performed from the turn-back position toward the second movement target point P0-2 with a position that is ½ of the distance to the movement target point P0- 1 being the turn-back position. In other words, the player character C20 of the opposing team positioned in the attacking direction is attracted and moved to the far side, thereby realizing a moving operation in which the player character C20 wraps and runs in the middle of the space around the movement start position.

  The replay condition of the moving action is that the position of the non-player character NPC 20 at the time when the moving action is assigned is the first condition position P1, and the folding position is the second condition position P2, and according to the moving action, The non-player character NPC 20 that has moved from the first condition position P1 to the second condition position P2 can be a target character and can be replayed.

  When replaying the non-player character NPC 20 as a target character, the playback is temporarily stopped when the target character is positioned at the first condition position, and the target character marker indicating the target character or the first condition position is displayed. An area instruction marker for instructing the area around P1 or a direction instruction marker for instructing the moving direction of the target character is superimposed on the stop screen.

  On the other hand, from the speaker 1232, an actual commentary voice that includes a comment on the moving action of the target character in the displayed replay image is output in parallel with the superimposed display of the various markers. Further, the reproduction is stopped when the target character is located at the second condition position P2, and an area indicating marker or the like indicating the area around the second target point P0-2 is superimposed on the stop screen. On the other hand, from the speaker 1232, an actual commentary voice that includes a comment on the moving action of the target character in the displayed replay image is output in parallel with the superimposed display.

  As explained above, during replay playback, live commentary speech that contains comments about the movement of the character of interest in the displayed replay image is output, and markers are displayed according to the comment content of this live commentary speech Will be. Therefore, it is possible to increase the realism of the replay itself and improve the interest of the replay.

[Function configuration]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the game apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the game apparatus 10 includes an operation unit 100, a processing unit 200, a display unit 300, a sound output unit 400, and a storage unit 500.

  The operation unit 100 is a device for a player who operates the game apparatus 10 to input various operations related to the game. Operation signals input from the operation unit 100 are output to the processing unit 200. The operation unit 100 is realized by, for example, a button switch, a lever, a dial, a mouse, a keyboard, and various sensors, and the game controller 1210 corresponds to this in FIG.

  The processing unit 200 controls the game device 10 as a whole, transfers instructions and data to each functional unit in the game device 10, image processing, sound processing, and the like based on programs and data stored in the storage unit 500. Perform various processes. The functions of the processing unit 200 are realized by hardware such as various processors (CPU, DSP, etc.), ASIC (gate array, etc.), and a given program. In FIG. 1, the control unit 1222 provided in the main unit 1220 is provided. Corresponds to this.

  The processing unit 200 includes a game calculation unit 220, an image generation unit 240, and a sound generation unit 260 as main functional units, and generates one image in one frame time (1/60 seconds). The display unit 300 displays and outputs sound effects and BGM to the sound output unit 400 as appropriate.

  The game calculation unit 220 executes various game processes for realizing a soccer game based on the operation signal input from the operation unit 100, the game program 520 read from the storage unit 500, the game data 540, and the like. For example, the game calculation unit 220 performs processing for placing objects such as the pitch Fp, player character, and ball B in the game space, processing for controlling the movement action of the player character, object intersection determination processing (hit check processing), line A determination calculation process, a game result (score) calculation process, a virtual camera (viewpoint) arrangement process, a line-of-sight direction and a view angle setting process, and the like are executed.

  The game calculation unit 220 includes a player character control unit 222, a space evaluation unit 224, a commentary play data management unit 226, and a replay control unit 228.

  The player character control unit 222 executes the movement control of the player character PC based on the operation signal input from the operation unit 100 and also performs the automatic control of the movement operation of the non-player character NPC. In addition, the player character control unit 222 sets a player character (ball holder) that keeps the ball B according to the progress of the game, and stores the character as ball holder information 542 in the storage unit 500 for management.

  The space evaluation unit 224 calculates space evaluation points. Specifically, the space evaluation unit 224 first determines the arrival time T until reaching the representative point Q of each area AR included in each arrival time calculation range AC for each player character on the pitch Fp. Calculation is made based on Va, and the minimum arrival time Ts in each area AR is determined. Furthermore, the space evaluation unit 224 calculates a space evaluation point from the determined minimum arrival time Ts for each area AR of the pitch Fp.

  When the movement action of the replay target movement type is assigned to the non-player character NPC of the player team, the play comment management unit 226 for commentary on the commentary provides information on the game space for a predetermined period (for example, 7 seconds) from that point. The data is recorded in the storage unit 500 as play data 546 for explanation. Then, the live commentary play data management unit 226, when it is determined that the recorded live commentary play data 546 satisfies the replay condition when the above-described predetermined period has elapsed, the replay candidates to be reproduced at the end of the game. Is stored and stored in the replay data 547.

  The replay control unit 228 arranges objects such as a pitch Fp, a ball B, and a player character in the game space on the basis of one replay data stored and stored in the replay data 547 when the game play is ended. The movement of the target character is reproduced by executing replay reproduction. At this time, the replay control unit 228 performs playback speed control during replay playback, display control of various markers, and output control of live commentary sound according to the replay control management table 549.

  The image generation unit 240 is realized by, for example, hardware such as a CPU or DSP, a control program thereof, a drawing frame IC memory such as a frame buffer, and the like. The image generation unit 240 generates a 3DCG image for displaying a game screen by executing a geometric transformation process and a shading process based on the processing result of the game calculation unit 220. Also, synthesis of various markers such as an attention character marker, a region indication marker, a direction indication marker, and a ball holder marker on the 3DCG image is performed. Then, the image signal of the generated image is output to the image display unit 300. In addition, the image generation unit 240 performs control for so-called “slow playback” by changing the playback speed from the standard state (100%) in accordance with an instruction from the replay control unit 228 during replay display.

  The sound generation unit 260 is realized by, for example, hardware such as a CPU or a DSP or a control program thereof, generates game sounds such as sound effects, BGM, and teaching commentary sound, and outputs sound signals of the generated game sounds as sound Output to the unit 400.

  The display unit 300 is a device for displaying various game screens based on the image signal input from the image generation unit 240, and the display 1230 corresponds to this in FIG. The player enjoys the game by operating the operation unit 100 while watching the game screen displayed on the display unit 300.

  The sound output unit 400 is a device for outputting sound effects and BGM based on the sound signal input from the sound generation unit 260, and the speaker 1232 corresponds to this in FIG.

  The storage unit 500 stores a system program for causing the processing unit 200 to control the game apparatus 10 in an integrated manner, and a program and data necessary for executing the game. In particular, a game program 520 and game data 540 are stored to implement the present embodiment.

  The game program 520 includes a player character control program 522 for causing the game calculation unit 220 to function as the player character control unit 222, a space evaluation program 524 for causing the game calculation unit 220 to function as the space evaluation unit 224, and an actual commentary play data management unit 226. An actual commentary play data management program 526 for functioning as a replay control program and a replay control program 528 for functioning as a replay control unit 228.

  The game data 540 is data relating to the progress of the soccer game. In particular, in order to realize the present embodiment, the player character information 541, the ball holder information 542, the area registration table 543, the movement control table 544, and the replay It includes a condition table 545, live commentary play data 546, replay data 547, live commentary audio data 548, and a replay control management table 549. Although not shown, the game data 540 includes object data storing model data and texture data for displaying the other pitch Fp and ball B, and identification information of player characters belonging to the player team and the battle team. Knitting data, player character information for storing identification information of the player character PC, and various data relating to the execution of a soccer game such as scores and competition time.

  The player character information 541 stores data related to the player character. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the player character information 541. The player character information 541 is prepared for each player character. Each of the player identification information 541a stores a player name and the like, the team identification information 541b stores a team name and the like, and the position identification information of the player character. The stored position 541c, the movement type 541d in which the identification information of the movement operation is stored, the movement target point coordinates 541e in which the coordinates of the representative point Q of the area AR to be the movement target point are stored, and the current pitch Fp Upper position coordinates 541f, current speed 541g (which is a vector value including size and direction), ability speed 541h that is one of ability parameters, model data for displaying the player character, Object data 541i in which texture data is stored.

  When the movement type 541d is set, the player character is executing the corresponding movement action, and the movement target point coordinates 541e determined according to the movement target point selection condition 544d stored in the movement control table 544 described later are set. It means that you are on your way. The player character control unit 222 controls the movement of each player character by updating the movement type 541d, the movement target point coordinates 541e, the position coordinates 541f, and the speed 541g of the player character information 541.

  In the ball holder information 542, player identification information of one player character determined to be keeping the ball B among all player characters constituting the player team and the battle team is stored. If no player character keeps the ball B, information indicating no player character is stored.

  The area registration table 543 stores the space evaluation value of each area AR. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the area registration table 543. As shown in FIG. 9, in the region registration table 543, the minimum arrival time Ts and the space evaluation point determined by the space evaluation unit 224 are associated with the region identification information of the region AR and the representative point coordinates of the representative point Q. Each is set.

  The movement control table 544 stores conditions for setting the movement operation of each movement type and the control contents. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the movement control table 544. As shown in FIG. 10, the movement control table 544 includes, for each movement type 544 a, a situation condition 544 b in which conditions relating to a game situation for setting the movement type are stored, and a player character that performs a movement action of the movement type. A player selection condition 544c that stores a condition for selecting a movement target point, a moving target point selection condition 544d that stores a condition for determining a movement target point of a player character that performs the movement action of the movement type, and the movement type The control content 544e for realizing the moving operation of is included. In the situation condition 544b, various flags and parameters indicating the game situation are stored to define the condition. In addition, in the player selection condition 544c and the movement target point selection condition 544d, for example, a coordinate range in the XZ coordinates of the pitch Fp, a threshold value, and the like are stored and the conditions are defined.

  In FIG. 10, the movement types “movement away from the ball” and “movement of the character” are illustrated, but in addition to this, “ball-side run-up”, “support near the ball” For various types of movement such as “return to formation position”, corresponding conditions, control details, and the like are set.

  The replay condition table 545 stores conditions for deciding whether or not to play the commentary play data 546 described later for replay playback. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the replay condition table 545. As shown in FIG. 11, in the replay condition table 545, a first condition position and a second condition position, which are replay conditions, are defined in association with the replay target movement type.

  The live commentary play data 546 is information that is sequentially stored with the progress of the game play in order to generate a replay image. Specifically, in the play comment data 546 for commentary on the actual situation, each movement of the replay target movement type is assigned to the non-player character NPC of the player team as the first frame, and thereafter for each predetermined period (7 seconds). Data including game space information in the frame is recorded.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the live commentary-use play data 546. The live commentary play data 546 includes the movement type of each object of the ball B and the player character on the pitch Fp, the position coordinates and posture of the representative point in the world coordinate system, the player identification information of the ball holder, A record in which the condition position flag and the second condition position flag are associated with each other is generated and recorded for each frame.

  In the replay data 547, replay data recorded as live commentary play data 546 during game play by the live commentary play data management unit 226 and determined to satisfy the replay condition after recording is stored and replay data 547. Remembered.

  The commentary voice data 548 stores a plurality of announcer voices and commentator voices as commentary commentary voices. The replay control unit 228 performs control to appropriately read out the announcer voice or the commentator voice stored in the live commentary voice data 548 and output it to the sound output unit 400.

  The replay control management table 549 defines, for each replay target movement type, a control procedure (a kind of program) that combines playback speed control during replay playback, various marker display controls, and live commentary audio output control. The FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the replay control management table 549. The replay control management table 549 shown in FIG. 13 includes a movement success table 549a that leaves the ball, a movement failure table 549b that moves away from the ball, a success movement table 549c, and a movement failure table KU. 549d, each having replay control information for the first replay control information, second replay control information, third replay control information, fourth replay control information, and fifth replay control information. ing.

  Specifically, each replay control information has a configuration including camera setting information and control procedure data, and “1” is set in the first condition position flag in the control procedure data. Control for varying the playback speed of replay playback using the control timing as the record playback time (first timing) and the record playback time when the second condition position flag is set to “1” (second timing). Information (playback speed control information), control information (marker display control information) for displaying various markers for visually instructing the movement movement of the target character, and comments regarding the movement movement of the target character And output control information (actual commentary voice output control information) for outputting the commentary commentary.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the control information for the first replay included in the movement success table 549a away from the ball. In the camera setting information 550a stored in the control information for the first replay, the arrangement position, the viewing direction, and the angle of view of the virtual camera at the time of the first replay reproduction are set. The control procedure data 560a stores reproduction speed control information for the first replay, marker display control information, and live commentary audio output control information in association with the control timing.

  According to the control information for the first replay shown in FIG. 14, at the time of the first replay reproduction, the replay control unit 228 reproduces the replay data at a constant speed (100%). Then, at the first timing, the “01A002.wav” file is reproduced to output live commentary.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of second-time replay control information included in the movement success table 549a that leaves the ball. In the camera setting information 550b stored in the control information for the second replay, the placement position, the line-of-sight direction, and the angle of view of the virtual camera at the second replay playback are set. The control procedure data 560b stores reproduction speed control information for second replay, marker display control information, and live commentary audio output control information in association with the control timing.

  According to the control information for the second replay shown in FIG. 15, at the time of the second replay reproduction, the replay control unit 228 temporarily stops the replay reproduction at the first timing, for example. Then, the target character marker is displayed at the target character position on the replay screen, and the area instruction marker is sequentially superimposed on the space position where the target character runs, and then the “02C061.wav” file is played back and the live commentary is displayed. Output. Further, a direction indicating marker from the target character position to the space position is superimposed on the replay screen, and the “02C062.wav” file is reproduced to output the live commentary voice. When the reproduction of the “02C062.wav” file is finished, the replay data is slowly reproduced at a speed of 75%, and the replay reproduction is resumed.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of the control information for the third replay included in the movement success table 549a that is separated from the ball. In the camera setting information 550c stored in the control information for the second replay, an arrangement position, a viewing direction, and an angle of view of the virtual camera at the time of the third replay reproduction are set. The control procedure data 560c stores reproduction speed control information for the third replay, marker display control information, and live commentary audio output control information in association with the control timing.

  According to the control information for the third replay shown in FIG. 16, at the time of the third replay reproduction, the replay control unit 228 temporarily stops the replay reproduction at the second timing, for example. Then, after sequentially displaying the ball holder marker at the ball holder position on the replay screen and then the focused character marker at the focused character position, “03C069.wav”, “03C071.wav”, “03C072.wav” Play each file sequentially to output live commentary. Then, when the reproduction of the “03C072.wav” file is finished, the replay data is slowly reproduced at a speed of 75%, and the replay reproduction is resumed.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of control information for the fourth replay included in the movement success table 549a that is separated from the ball. In the camera setting information 550d stored in the control information for the fourth replay, an arrangement position, a viewing direction, and an angle of view of the virtual camera at the time of the fourth replay reproduction are set. The control procedure data 560d stores reproduction speed control information for the fourth replay, marker display control information, and live commentary audio output control information in association with the control timing.

  According to the control information for the fourth replay shown in FIG. 17, at the time of the fourth replay reproduction, the replay control unit 228 causes the replay data to be slowly reproduced at a speed of 50%. Then, at the first timing, the files “04A009.wav”, “04C148.wav”, and “04C149.wav” are sequentially reproduced to output live commentary audio.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of the control information for the fifth replay included in the movement success table 549a that is separated from the ball. In the camera setting information 550e stored in the control information for the second replay, an arrangement position, a viewing direction, and an angle of view of the virtual camera at the time of the fifth replay reproduction are set. The control procedure data 560e stores reproduction speed control information for the fifth replay, marker display control information, and live commentary audio output control information in association with the control timing.

  According to the control information for the fifth replay shown in FIG. 18, at the time of the fifth replay reproduction, the replay control unit 228 causes the replay data to be reproduced slowly at a speed of 50%. Then, at the first timing, the files “05C147.wav” and “05A010.wav” are sequentially reproduced to output the live commentary sound.

  That is, the replay control unit 228 controls the replay playback according to the replay control management table 549, so that the placement position, the line-of-sight direction, and the angle of view of the virtual camera are changed each time, and the movement operation of the corresponding replay target movement type is performed. The replay for the target character that has been performed is reproduced five times. Then, using the first timing and the second timing as control timings, the playback speed is controlled, and the marker display and the output of the live commentary are controlled. Furthermore, a table for success and failure of the moving motion is prepared as the replay control management table 549, and replay playback is controlled according to whether or not the attention character has succeeded in the moving motion.

[Process flow]
Next, the flow of processing in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The processing described here is realized by the processing unit 200 reading and executing the player character control program 522, the space evaluation program 524, the play comment management play data management program 526, and the replay control program 528.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart for explaining the overall processing flow in the present embodiment. First, as a preparatory stage before starting the game, the game calculation unit 220 arranges objects such as a pitch Fp, a ball B, and a player character in the game space (step a10).

  Subsequently, the player character control unit 222 initializes the movement types of all the player characters (step a20). For example, the player character control unit 222 initializes the movement type 541d of all player character information 541 by setting “return to the formation position”.

  Subsequently, the player character control unit 222 sets a predetermined player character in the player team as the player character PC (step a30). For example, the player character control unit 222 sets a player character designated by the player before the game is started as the player character PC. When the player character PC is set, the game play starts.

  When the game play starts, first, the space evaluation unit 224 executes a space evaluation process (step a40). FIG. 20 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the space evaluation process.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the space evaluation unit 224 first initializes the region registration table 543 (step b10). Specifically, the space evaluation unit 224 sets a predetermined default value (for example, 10 seconds) for the minimum arrival time Ts and sets “10” as the default value for the space evaluation point for all the areas AR. To initialize.

  Next, the space evaluation unit 224 sequentially executes the process of loop A for all player characters including the player character PC and the non-player character NPC (steps b20 to b90).

  In the loop A, the space evaluation unit 224 first reads out the position coordinates 541f of the player character to be processed from the player character information 541 and sets it as the current position P. Based on the current position P, the space evaluation unit 224 calculates the arrival time T. The area AR included in the time calculation range AC is selected (step b30). Specifically, the space evaluation unit 224 refers to the representative point coordinates of the region registration table 543, selects the region AR included in the arrival time calculation range AC with the current position P as the center, and selects the selected region AR. The area identification information is temporarily stored in the storage unit 500.

  Next, the space evaluation unit 224 sequentially executes the process of loop B (steps b40 to b80) for all the areas AR included in the arrival time calculation range AC selected for the player character to be processed.

  In the loop B, the space evaluation unit 224 first calculates the arrival time T of the player character from the current position P to the representative point Q of the area AR to be processed (step b50). Specifically, the space evaluation unit 224 calculates the distance from the current position P to the representative point Q, and multiplies a predetermined ratio to convert it to an actual distance (for example, meters). Then, the space evaluation unit 224 reads the ability speed 541h of the player character from the player character information 541, and calculates the arrival time T by dividing the converted value by the ability speed Va.

  Next, the space evaluation unit 224 compares the calculated arrival time T with the minimum arrival time Ts registered in the area AR to be processed, and the minimum arrival time Ts in which the calculated arrival time T is registered. If smaller (step b60; YES), the calculated arrival time T is registered and updated as the minimum arrival time Ts of the area AR (step b70), and the loop B is terminated.

  Then, the space evaluation unit 224 executes the same process for the next player character when the loop B is completed, and subsequently executes the pitch A for all the player characters on the pitch Fp. The process of loop C (steps b100 to b130) is sequentially executed for each area AR set to.

  In the loop C, the space evaluation unit 224 calculates a space evaluation point of the area AR to be processed (step b110) and registers it in the area registration table 543 (step b120). When the space evaluation unit 224 executes the loop C for all the areas AR of the pitch Fp, the space evaluation process is terminated.

  Specifically, the minimum arrival time Ts of the area AR to be processed is read with reference to the area registration table 543, and the space determination reference time t0 (t0 = 5 seconds in the present embodiment) is subtracted from the minimum arrival time Ts. Register and update the value as a space evaluation point. For example, in the case of FIG. 9, in the area AR11, the space evaluation point is “−1.8 (= 3.2-5)”, and the space evaluation point is a negative value. In the area AR12, the space evaluation point is “0.2 (= 5.2-5)”. The area AR in which “10” is set as the minimum arrival time Ts is determined as a space far away from any player character, and a predetermined value (for example, “5 (= 10−5) is set as the space evaluation point. ) ”) Is set.

  Returning to FIG. 19, subsequently, the player character control unit 222 controls the movement of the player character PC based on the operation input signal input from the operation unit 100 (step a50). In other words, the action of the player character PC is determined and controlled based on the operation input input by the player.

  Next, the player character control unit 222 executes the NPC movement determination process to determine the movement action of the non-player character NPC of the player team (step a60). FIG. 21 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the NPC movement determination process.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the player character control unit 222 first selects a non-player character NPC of the player team excluding the player character currently moving or keeping the ball B (step c10). At this time, the player character control unit 222 determines that the player character for which the movement type 541d of the player character information 541 is set is moving toward the corresponding movement target point 541d, and does not select it. Further, the player character control unit 222 refers to the ball holder information 542 and excludes the character holding the ball B from the selection target. Subsequently, the player character control unit 222 selects a movement type that satisfies the situation condition 544b set in the movement control table 544 (step c20), and sequentially executes processing of the loop D for the selected movement type (step c20). c30-c70).

  In the loop D, the player character control unit 222 selects one non-player character NPC from non-player characters NPC satisfying the player selection condition 544c of the movement type to be processed set in the movement control table 544 (step c40). ) Determine the area AR as the movement target point (step c50), and determine the movement action of the non-player character NPC (step c60). In other words, the player character control unit 222 sets the movement type to be processed as the movement type 541d of the player character information 541 of the selected non-player character NPC, and the non-player according to the movement target point selection condition 544d of the movement control table 544. The coordinate value of the representative point Q of the area AR of the movement target point of the character NPC is determined and set as the movement target point coordinate 541e.

  Then, if the player character control unit 222 determines a player to execute each movement action based on the movement control table 544, the player character control unit 222 ends the loop D and ends the NPC movement determination process.

  Returning to FIG. 19, the player character control unit 222 subsequently controls movement of the non-player characters NPC of the player team (step a70). That is, the player character control unit 222 refers to the player character information 541 and moves each non-player character NPC of the player team according to the movement type 541d of the corresponding player character information 541 to the movement target point coordinates 541e. Move to. Then, when the movement is completed, the player character control unit 222 stores “no setting” information (for example, “0”) in the movement type 541d.

  Next, the player character control unit 222 executes movement control of the non-player character NPC of the battle team (step a80), and controls movement of the player character PC such as the ball B and objects other than the non-player character NPC (step a90). ). Note that the movement control in step a80 and step a90 is appropriately performed by a known control technique.

  Also, as a result of the processing in step a60, when the player character control unit 222 assigns a movement action of the replay target movement type to the non-player character NPC of the player team (step a100: YES), the play comment management for live commentary The unit 226 executes play data management processing for commentary on the actual situation (step a110). The live commentary play data management unit 226 adds a record in which each item is initialized to the live commentary play data 546 before executing the live commentary play data management process described below. Then, execute the process. Specifically, in the added record, “0” is set in each of the first position condition flag and the second position condition flag, and information indicating no ball holder is set. FIG. 22 is a flow chart for explaining the flow of the live commentary play data management process.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the live commentary play data management unit 226 first sets the recording flag indicating whether or not the live commentary play data 546 is being recorded (step d10: YES). The process proceeds to step d40. On the other hand, when the recording flag is not set, that is, when the live commentary play data 546 is not being recorded (step d10: NO), the live commentary play data management unit 226 sets the recording flag “1”. It is set and temporarily stored in the storage unit 500 (step d20). Subsequently, the live commentary-use play data management unit 226 sets the first condition position flag “1” (step d30), and proceeds to step d40.

  In step d40, the live commentary-use play data management unit 226 determines whether or not the non-player character NPC to which the movement operation of the replay target movement type is assigned is located at the second condition position (step d40). : YES), the second condition position flag “1” is set (step d50). Subsequently, the live commentary-use play data 546 sets each item of movement type, position coordinates, and posture of each player character, and confirms the record of the frame (step d60).

  The live commentary-use play data management unit 226 determines the elapsed time from the start of recording, and sets a recording flag “0” when a predetermined period (7 seconds) has elapsed (step d70: YES). (Step d80).

  Subsequently, the live commentary-use play data management unit 226 searches for a record in which “1” is set in the first condition position flag and a record in which “1” is set in the second condition position. In the case where it is (step d90: YES), the recorded live commentary play data 546 is determined as a replay candidate to be reproduced at the end of the game, and stored and stored in the replay data 547 (step d100). finish. If either one of the first condition position flag and the second condition position flag is “0” (step d90: NO), the recorded live commentary play data 546 is deleted (step d110). This process ends.

  Returning to FIG. 19, subsequently, the game calculation unit 220 executes a game determination process (step a120). The determination of the player character (ball holder) keeping the ball B is executed here.

  Next, the image generation unit 240 generates an image signal of the game screen (step a130), and causes the display unit 300 to display the game screen (step a140). Subsequently, the game calculation unit 220 performs a game end determination, and when the predetermined end condition is not satisfied (step a150: NO), the game calculation unit 220 returns to step a40 and continues the game. And the game calculating part 220 complete | finishes a game play, when satisfy | filling completion | finish conditions (step a150: YES).

  When the game play ends, the replay control unit 228 subsequently executes a replay control process (step a160). FIG. 23 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the replay control process.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the replay control unit 228 selects one replay data from the replay data stored and stored in the replay data 547 (step e10). Specifically, the latest replay data may be selected, or one replay data may be selected at random.

  Next, the replay control unit 228 determines the attention character of the selected replay data and the movement type of the attention character (step e20). Specifically, the replay control unit 228 refers to the top record stored in the selected replay data, and determines “movement away from the ball” or “movement of the character” from the movement type of the player character of the player team. Search for. Then, the replay control unit 228 sets a player character to which one of the players is assigned as the attention character, and determines the movement type of the attention character.

  Subsequently, the replay control unit 228 selects a corresponding table from the replay control management table 549 according to whether or not the moving action by the determined attention character is successful, and starts replay reproduction. Specifically, first, the replay control unit 228 executes the first replay control process according to the control information for the first replay (step e30). That is, the replay control unit 228 controls the movement of an object such as a player character based on the selected replay data, and performs the first replay reproduction to reproduce the moving action of the attention character. At this time, the replay control unit 228 performs playback speed control, various marker display control, and live commentary sound output control during replay playback according to the control information for the first replay.

  Next, similarly to the first replay playback, the replay control unit 228 executes the second replay control process according to the second replay control information (step e40). Subsequently, the third replay control process is executed according to the control information for the third replay (step e50). Subsequently, a fourth replay control process is executed according to the control information for the fourth replay (step e60). Then, the fifth replay control process is executed according to the control information for the fifth replay (step e70), and this process ends.

[Replay screen]
Next, the replay screen displayed on the display unit 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 to 26 are diagrams illustrating an example of the second replay reproduction in which the replay control unit 228 is controlled in accordance with the second replay control information in FIG. 15. As shown in FIG. 15, at the time of the second replay playback, the replay control unit 228 sets a virtual camera according to the camera setting information 550b, and uses the image of the game space viewed from the set virtual camera as a replay screen. It is displayed on the display unit 300. In addition, the replay control unit 228 temporarily stops replay playback using the first timing and the second timing as control timings according to the control procedure data 560b, and performs display control of various markers and output control of live commentary audio data.

  FIG. 24A and FIG. 25A show replay screens in which playback is stopped at the first timing. As shown in FIG. 24 (a), in the replay screen where the reproduction has been stopped, a circular attention character marker M100 surrounding the attention character C100 is positioned at the position of the attention character C100 on the replay screen. The area designation marker M120 having a color different from that of the noticeable character marker M100, for example, is superimposed and displayed at the space position where the noticeable character C100 runs along with the name N.

  On the other hand, after the area instruction marker M120 is superimposed and displayed on the replay screen, the sound output unit 400 outputs, for example, a live commentary with a comment shown in FIG.

  When the output of the live commentary voice is finished, as shown in FIG. 25 (a), subsequently, an arrow-shaped direction indicating marker from the position of the attention character marker M100 on the replay screen to the position of the area indicating marker M120 is displayed. M140 is superimposed and displayed. On the other hand, after the area instruction marker M140 is displayed in a superimposed manner, the sound output unit 400 outputs, for example, a live commentary with a comment shown in FIG.

  When the output of the commentary commentary is finished, the replay is slow-played at a speed of 75% and resumed.

  FIG. 26A shows a replay screen in which playback is stopped at the second timing. As shown in FIG. 26 (a), a circular ball holder marker M160 surrounding the ball holder C120 is superimposed on the position of the ball holder C120 on the replay screen on the replay screen where playback has been stopped. Thus, a circular attention character marker M180 surrounding the attention character C100 is superimposed and displayed at the position of the attention character C100.

  On the other hand, after the noticeable character marker M180 is superimposed and displayed on the replay screen, the sound output unit 400 outputs, for example, a live commentary with the comments shown in FIGS. 26 (b), (c), and (d). Is output.

  27 to 29 are diagrams illustrating an example of the third replay reproduction in which the replay control unit 228 is controlled in accordance with the third replay control information in FIG. 16. As shown in FIG. 16, at the time of the third replay playback, the replay control unit 228 sets a virtual camera according to the camera setting information 550c, and uses an image of the game space viewed from the set virtual camera as a replay screen. It is displayed on the display unit 300. According to the camera setting information 550c, the virtual camera is set so that the game space can be looked down on. In addition, the replay control unit 228 temporarily stops replay playback using the first timing and the second timing as control timings according to the control procedure data 560c, and performs display control of various markers and output control of live commentary speech data.

  FIG. 27A and FIG. 28A show replay screens in which playback is stopped at the first timing. As shown in FIGS. 27 (a) and 28 (a), at the time of the third replay playback, from the virtual camera arranged at a position different from that at the time of the second replay playback described with reference to FIGS. The viewed game space image is displayed as a replay screen.

  As shown in FIG. 27 (a), in the replay screen where the reproduction has been stopped, a circular attention character marker M200 surrounding the attention character C100 is displayed at the position of the attention character C100 on the replay screen. The area designation marker M220 is superimposed and displayed at the space position where the character of interest C100 runs along with the name N.

  On the other hand, after the area instruction marker M220 is superimposed and displayed on the replay screen, the sound output unit 400 outputs, for example, a live commentary with a comment shown in FIG.

  When the output of the live commentary voice is finished, subsequently, as shown in FIG. 28 (a), a direction indicating marker M240 is superimposed from the position of the noticeable character marker M200 on the replay screen to the position of the area indicating marker M220. Is displayed. On the other hand, after the direction indication marker M240 is displayed in a superimposed manner, the sound output unit 400 outputs, for example, a live commentary with a comment shown in FIG.

  When the output of the commentary commentary is finished, the replay is slow-played at a speed of 75% and resumed.

  FIG. 29A shows a replay screen in which playback is stopped at the second timing. As shown in FIG. 29 (a), a circular ball holder marker M260 surrounding the ball holder C120 is superimposed on the position of the ball holder C120 on the replay screen on the replay screen where playback has been stopped. Thus, a circular attention character marker M280 surrounding the attention character C100 is superimposed and displayed at the position of the attention character C100.

  On the other hand, after the noticeable character marker M280 is superimposed and displayed on the replay screen, the sound output unit 400 outputs, for example, a live commentary with comments shown in FIGS. 29 (b), (c), and (d). Is output.

[Hardware configuration]
Next, with reference to FIG. 30, an example of a hardware configuration for realizing the game apparatus 10 in the present embodiment will be described. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 30, a CPU 1000, a ROM 1002, a RAM 1004, an information storage medium 1006, an image generation IC 1010, a sound generation IC 1008, and I / O ports 1012 and 1014 are connected to each other via a system bus 1016 so as to be able to input and output data. A control device 1022 is connected to the I / O port 1012, and a communication device 1024 is connected to the I / O port 1014.

  The CPU 1000 controls the entire apparatus and performs various data processing in accordance with a program stored in the information storage medium 1006, a system program stored in the ROM 1002 (such as initialization information of the apparatus main body), and a signal input by the control apparatus 1022. Do.

  The RAM 1004 is a storage unit used as a work area of the CPU 1000, and stores given contents in the information storage medium 1006 and the ROM 1002, the calculation result of the CPU 1000, and the like.

  An information storage medium 1006 mainly stores programs, image data, sound data, play data, and the like. As an information storage medium, a memory such as a ROM, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, an IC card, a magnetic A disk, an optical disk or the like is used. The information storage medium 1006 corresponds to the storage unit 500 shown in FIG.

  In addition, the image generation IC 1010 and the sound generation IC 1008 provided in this apparatus can appropriately output sound and images.

  The image generation IC 1010 is an integrated circuit that generates pixel information based on information sent from the ROM 1002, the RAM 1004, the information storage medium 1006, and the like according to instructions from the CPU 1000, and the generated display signal is output to the display device 1018. . The display device 1018 is realized by a CRT, LCD, TV, plasma display, projector, or the like, and corresponds to the display unit 300 illustrated in FIG.

  The sound generation IC 1008 is an integrated circuit that generates sound signals according to information stored in the information storage medium 1006 and the ROM 1002 and sound data stored in the RAM 1004 according to instructions from the CPU 1000. Output from the speaker 1020.

  The control device 1022 is a device for the player to input an operation related to the game, and its function is realized by hardware such as a lever, a button, and a housing. The control device 1022 corresponds to the operation unit 100 shown in FIG.

  The communication device 1024 exchanges information used inside the device with the outside. The communication device 1024 is connected to other devices via a communication line, and is used to send and receive given information according to a program.

  The above-described processes such as the player character control process, the space evaluation process, the live commentary play data management process, and the replay control process include the information storage medium 1006 storing the game program 520 and the like described with reference to FIG. It is realized by a CPU 1000, an image generation IC 1010, a sound generation IC 1008, and the like that operate according to these programs. The CPU 1000 and the image generation IC 1010 correspond to the processing unit 200 shown in FIG. 7, and the CPU 1000 mainly corresponds to the game calculation unit 220 shown in FIG. 7, and the image generation IC 1010 corresponds to the image generation unit 240 shown in FIG. .

  Note that the processing performed by the image generation IC 1010, the sound generation IC 1008, and the like may be performed by software using the CPU 1000 or a general-purpose DSP. In this case, the CPU 1000 corresponds to the processing unit 200 shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, when the replay control unit 228 controls the replay playback according to the replay control management table 549, the replay playback is performed so that the character of interest is the first condition position that is the replay condition. The timing at which the replay target movement type is started (the timing at which the replay target movement type is started) and the timing at which the second position is positioned (the timing at which the replay target movement type is moved to a predetermined position according to the corresponding movement operation) are used as control timings. In addition to being controlled, output of marker display and live commentary is controlled. As a result, at each control timing, it is possible to output live commentary that contains comments about the movement of the character of interest and to display markers according to the comment content of live commentary. The realism of the replay to be played can be increased, and the interest of the replay can be improved. Furthermore, a table for success and failure of the replay target movement motion is prepared as the replay control management table 549, and replay playback is controlled according to whether or not the target character has succeeded in the replay target movement motion. This makes it possible to further enhance the interest of replay. In addition, the replay for the target character that has performed the corresponding replay target moving motion can be reproduced a plurality of times by changing the placement position, the line-of-sight direction, and the angle of view of the virtual camera each time.

  The present invention is not limited to the home-use game machine 1000 shown in FIG. 1, but various devices such as a commercial game machine, a portable game machine, a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer, and a large-scale attraction apparatus in which a large number of players participate. It can be similarly applied to.

  For example, FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of an overview when the present invention is applied to the arcade game machine 1200. In the arcade game machine 1200 shown in FIG. 31, the player operates the operation button 1202 or the operation lever 1204 while listening to the game sound output from the speaker 1208, and enjoys the game while watching the game image displayed on the display 1206. .

  A CPU, an image generation IC, a sound generation IC, and the like are mounted on a system board 1210 built in the arcade game machine 1200. For example, the game program 520 and the game data 540 shown in FIG. 7 are stored in the memory 1212 that is an information storage medium on the system board 1210. Note that the operation unit 100 illustrated in FIG. 7 corresponds to the operation button 1202 or the operation lever 1204, and the display unit 300 illustrated in FIG. 7 corresponds to the display 1206.

  The present invention is not limited to a game executed by a stand-alone device, and may be applied to a game called a network game. The system configuration for realizing a network game is as follows: (1) A personal computer or a home game machine installed in a home is used as a game terminal, and connected to a server through a wired / wireless communication line such as the Internet network or a dedicated line network. Configuration, (2) A configuration in which a plurality of game terminals are connected by a communication line without using a server, (3) A plurality of game terminals are connected by a communication line, one of which has a server function And (4) a configuration in which a plurality of game terminals are physically coupled to form a single system (for example, a business game system) as a whole.

[Modification]
The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to those described above, and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  For example, the recording of play data during the game for replay may be performed as follows using a ring buffer. In other words, a ring buffer capable of recording play data for a predetermined time is prepared (an area in the RAM is secured), and the play data is always updated and recorded during the game so that the play data from the present to the predetermined time before is always recorded. Make sure it is recorded in the ring buffer.

  And when the ball crosses the goal line or touch line (including entering the goal (including scoring)), or when a foul occurs, the game progress must be temporarily interrupted to be out of play. Stop recording to the ring buffer when a condition occurs. Then, it is determined whether or not the play data recorded in the ring buffer is the replay data.

  More specifically, the processing of step a100 is not performed in the overall processing of FIG. 19, and the live commentary play data management processing is executed every frame until the game ends. Then, the live commentary play data management process of FIG. 22 is changed as shown in FIG. That is, instead of the processing of steps d10 and d20 of FIG. 22, it is determined whether or not the player character control unit 222 determines whether or not the movement action of the replay target movement type has been assigned to the non-player character NPC of the player team (step d200). Then, when it is determined that it is assigned (step d200: YES), the first condition position flag “1” is set (step d20).

  In addition, instead of the processing of steps d60 to d80 in FIG. 22, it is determined whether or not the situation where a predetermined situation condition that the game situation is out of play is satisfied and the game progress is interrupted (step d210). . And when it determines with it being the condition to interrupt (step d210: YES), it transfers to the process of step d90. Further, when it is determined that the situation is not interrupted, that is, when it is determined that the game is in progress (step d210: NO), the commentary play data management unit 226 displays the movement type of each player character, It is assumed that the position coordinate and orientation items are set, the record of the frame is determined, and recorded in the ring buffer (step d220).

  According to the above processing flow, the record of the latest frame is recorded in the ring buffer while the game is in progress, and the play data from the present to a predetermined time before is always recorded in the ring buffer. Further, since the recording is always performed in the ring buffer, the processing can be easily performed.

  When the game progress is interrupted, it is determined whether or not the play data recorded in the ring buffer is used as replay data (step d210: processing after YES). For this reason, it is not necessary to determine whether or not the current play should be the replay data while the game with a high processing load is in progress.

  In the above-described embodiment, circular markers are displayed as the attention character marker, ball holder marker, and area indication marker. However, the shape of the marker may be any shape, and the shape of the direction indication marker. Similarly, the direction is not limited to the arrow shape of the direction indicating marker M140 shown in FIG.

  Moreover, it is good also as performing control which changes suitably the form of each marker of an attention character marker, a ball holder marker, an area | region instruction | indication marker, and a direction instruction | indication marker. The form here includes, for example, the shape, color, size, and the like of the marker.

  For example, when the display control of the attention character marker or the ball holder marker is performed, the form of the attention character marker may be changed according to the position of the attention character. In this case, the replay control unit 228 refers to the player character information 541 and determines the form of the attention character marker according to the position 541c of the player character information 541 for the attention character. As a specific example, when the attention character is a player character of FW (forward), the color of the attention character marker is determined to be red, and when it is an MF (midfielder) player character, it is determined to be blue. It is good also as determining the color of an attention character marker. Similarly, the shape, size, line type, etc. may be determined.

  In addition, when performing display control of the area indication marker, according to the total value or average value of the space evaluation points of the area AR included in the space indicated by the area indication marker, or the size of the space, The form may be changed according to the number of connected areas AR determined as a space by the space evaluation point. In this case, the replay control unit 228 refers to the area registration table 543 to acquire the number of connected areas AR included in the space, or calculates the total value or average value of the space evaluation points of the area AR included in the space. Calculate and determine the form of the region indicating marker. As a specific example, the size (for example, diameter) of the region indicating marker to be displayed is adjusted according to the acquired number of concatenations or the total value or average value of the calculated space evaluation points.

  Further, when the display control of the direction indicating marker is performed, the form may be changed according to the movement type of the target character. In this case, the replay control unit 228 refers to the player character information 541 and determines whether the movement type of the player character information 541 for the attention character is “movement away from the ball” or “movement of the character”. In response, the form of the direction indicating marker is determined. Alternatively, the direction indicating marker may be changed according to the position of the target character.

  Also, the form of various markers may be determined according to the setting operation of the player. For example, when a marker registration / change operation by the player is received and the marker is displayed at the time of replay, the marker type is determined according to the setting information by the player.

  In addition, the various markers described above were themselves still image-like markers, but for example, blinked on the replay screen or changed over time in the range of 0.9 to 1.1 times. It is also possible to change the form dynamically, such as changing the color over time. As a more specific application example, by changing the size of the area indication marker according to the change in the size of the space indicated by the area indication marker, it is easy to understand the change in the size or range of the space during replay playback. Can show.

  Further, the display position of the noticeable character marker or the ball holder marker may be the head or the foot of the corresponding player character. Further, when displaying various markers during replay playback, the corresponding marker object may be arranged at the corresponding position in the game space. Specifically, for example, a marker object composed of a single plate polygon is prepared in advance, and the marker object is arranged so as to face the virtual camera in the direction perpendicular to the visual line direction as so-called billboard processing. To do.

  Further, although the player name of the attention character is displayed on the replay screen, this may be used as the attention character marker. Moreover, it is good also as displaying the player name of the said player character in the vicinity of a ball holder as a ball holder marker. At this time, these may be displayed in an identifiable manner by the display form of the player name of the attention character and the player name of the ball holder. As a specific example, for example, identification display is performed by changing a character color or a background color. Alternatively, one is underlined or both are underlined with different line types for identification display.

  Alternatively, the player name may be displayed in the vicinity of all the player characters on the replay screen, and the player name may be specially displayed as the attention character marker or the ball holder marker. In this case as well, the player name of the player character and the player name of the ball holder may be displayed so as to be identifiable by display forms such as the character color, background color, and underline display.

  Moreover, it is good also as setting previously the information about whether to make it a replay object for every player character. In this case, the live commentary-use play data management unit 226 is a case where the movement action of the replay target movement type is assigned to the player character, and when the player character is the replay target player character, The game space information is recorded in the storage unit 500. By doing so, it is possible to perform replay processing only for a specific player character.

  In addition, commentator voices by a plurality of commentators may be prepared in advance as commentary voices, a commentator may be selected at the time of replay playback, and the commentator voices by the commentator may be read and output as appropriate. In this case, the form of various markers may be changed according to the selected commentator.

  In the above-described embodiment, the replay playback speed is controlled using the first timing and the second timing as the control timing, and the marker display and the live commentary sound output are controlled. Also good. In other words, during replay playback, the speed of replay playback may be controlled using the output start timing of the live commentary speech and the output end timing of the live commentary speech as control timings.

  FIG. 33 is a diagram illustrating an example of replay control information in the case where the output start timing and output end timing of the live commentary audio are used as control timings. As shown in FIG. 33, the replay control information control procedure data 560k stores live commentary audio output control information, playback speed control information, and marker display control information. In accordance with the replay control information, the replay control unit 33 first starts replay data reproduction at a speed of 75%. Then, the playback speed of the replay data is changed to 50% at the timing of starting playback of the “02C228.wav” file. When the reproduction of the “02C228.wav” file is finished, the reproduction speed of the replay data is changed to 75%.

  In addition, when replaying replay data, records from which the first condition position flag is set to “1” to records where the second condition position flag is set to “1” are subject to replay playback. Also good. Further, in this case, the live commentary play data management unit 226 may delete the recorded live commentary play data other than the record to be replayed and determine the replay data. Good. In addition, a predetermined number of records from the record in which “1” is set in the first condition position flag and a predetermined number of records before and after the record in which “1” is set in the second condition position flag are replayed. It may be the target.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the replay data is played back slowly during replay playback has been described. However, the replay speed is controlled, and the replay playback is controlled by so-called “rewind playback” or “fast forward playback”. It is good.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the replay control unit 228 performs the movement operation of the corresponding replay target movement type by changing the placement position, the line-of-sight direction, and the angle of view of the virtual camera each time according to the replay control management table 549. Although the replay for the target character is reproduced, the following may be performed. That is, the virtual camera arrangement pattern is defined in advance in association with the replay target movement type, and at the time of replay playback, the virtual camera is set according to the virtual camera arrangement pattern corresponding to the replay target movement type and viewed from the virtual camera. The game space image may be displayed on the display unit 300 as a replay screen.

  The applicable game types are not limited to soccer games, but can be applied to sports games such as hockey, basketball, rugby, American football, baseball, and golf.

  A specific example when applied to a baseball game will be described. In the above-described embodiment, various conditions of the movement control table 544 and the replay condition table 545 are set for a soccer player character. However, the present invention is applied to, for example, a bat and a ball character. Thus, the following replay process can be performed. First, a swing operation at the time of hitting is set as an operation condition. That is, the moment when the ball leaves the pitcher's hand at the first condition position (first occurrence timing), the bat swings when the ball passes through the strike zone, The moment at the closest distance that is not used is the second condition position (second generation timing). Then, this play data is recorded, and at the moment when the ball leaves the pitcher's hand, which is the first generation timing at the time of replay, the playback speed is changed (for example, stopped), and the commentary is output. Subsequently, slow playback is performed until the moment when the ball and the bat are in contact with each other or at the closest position where they are not in contact, which is the second generation timing, and is stopped at the second generation timing and the actual commentary is output. . The replay process can be executed.

  Furthermore, a marker indicating the position of the ball or bat character may be displayed at the first generation timing or the second generation timing. Also, a marker indicating the moving direction of the ball or bat may be displayed.

  In this way, it is only necessary that a character as a moving object is a target of the replay process. Therefore, the present invention may be applied to a suitable moving body such as a player, a bat, a ball, a golf club, a hockey stick, or the like.

The figure which shows an example of a device structure at the time of applying a game device to a consumer game machine. The schematic diagram which shows the state which looked at the pitch which is a soccer court from right above. The conceptual diagram which shows the calculation method of the arrival time T to the area | region AR about the one non player character NPC. The conceptual diagram for demonstrating the calculation method of a space evaluation point. The figure for demonstrating "the movement which leaves | separates from a ball". The figure for demonstrating "movement of a character." The block diagram which shows an example of a function structure of a game device. The figure which shows an example of player character information. The figure which shows an example of an area | region registration table. The figure which shows an example of a movement control table. The figure which shows an example of a replay condition table. The figure which shows an example of the play data for commentary. The figure which shows an example of a replay control management table. The figure which shows an example of the control information for 1st time replay. The figure which shows an example of the control information for 2nd replay. The figure which shows an example of the control information for 3rd replay. The figure which shows an example of the control information for 4th replay. The figure which shows an example of the control information for 5th replay. The flowchart for demonstrating the flow of the whole process. The flowchart for demonstrating the flow of a space evaluation process. The flowchart for demonstrating the flow of a NPC movement determination process. The flow chart for explaining the flow of actual condition explanation play data management processing. The flowchart for demonstrating the flow of a replay control process. The figure which shows an example of replay reproduction | regeneration. The figure which shows an example of replay reproduction | regeneration. The figure which shows an example of replay reproduction | regeneration. The figure which shows an example of replay reproduction | regeneration. The figure which shows an example of replay reproduction | regeneration. The figure which shows an example of replay reproduction | regeneration. The figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of a game device. The figure which shows an example of an arcade game machine. The figure which shows the modification of real condition commentary play data management processing. The figure which shows the modification of the control information for replays.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Game device 100 Operation part 200 Processing part 220 Game calculation part 222 Player character control part 224 Space evaluation part 226 Play data management part 228 for commentary commentary Replay control part 240 Image generation part 260 Sound generation part 300 Display part 400 Sound output part 500 Storage unit 520 Game program 522 Player character control program 522 Space evaluation program 522 Live commentary play data management program 522 Replay control program 540 Game data 541 Player character information 542 Ball holder information 543 Area registration table 544 Movement control table 545 Replay condition table 546 Live commentary play data 547 Replay data 548 Live commentary audio data 549 Replay control management table Fp Pitch N PC Non-player character PC Player character B Ball AC Arrival time calculation range AR area Q Representative point P Current position T Arrival time t0 Space judgment reference time Ts Minimum arrival time

Claims (28)

Computer
Character control means for controlling a plurality of characters,
Detecting means for detecting the occurrence of a character present at a position satisfying a predetermined position condition among the plurality of characters;
History recording means for recording a game history in the storage unit;
Control of reproduction output for generating and displaying a replay image obtained by reproducing a game play based on the recorded game history and a character detected by the detection means (hereinafter referred to as “detected character”) are instructed. Replay control means for performing replay processing by performing control to superimpose and display a character instruction marker in the replay image and control to output live commentary based on given live commentary data;
Program to function as.   The program according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit causes the computer to function so that a predetermined character among the plurality of characters is a detection target.   2. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the replay control means causes the computer to perform control to change a reproduction output speed based on a timing when the position where the detected character is located is a position that satisfies the position condition. Or the program according to 2.   The program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the replay control unit causes the computer to function so as to perform control to change a reproduction output speed based on the output of the commentary on the actual situation.   The replay control means determines a game play to be reproduced among the game plays based on the recorded game history, based on the timing when the position of the detected character becomes a position that satisfies the position condition. The program as described in any one of Claims 1-4 for making the said computer function so that it may do.   The replay control means causes the computer to function to control the start and end of the superimposed display of the character instruction marker based on the timing when the position where the detected character is present is a position that satisfies the position condition. The program as described in any one of Claims 1-5 for.   2. The replay control means for causing the computer to function so as to control the output timing of the commentary on the basis of the timing when the position of the detected character becomes a position that satisfies the position condition. The program as described in any one of -6. A plurality of types of position conditions are preset as the position conditions,
The detection means causes the computer to function so as to detect a character existing at a position satisfying any of the plurality of types of position conditions;
Depending on which position condition the position of the detected character satisfies, the commentary data corresponding to the satisfied position condition is selected as a selection means for selecting from among a plurality of commentary data corresponding to each position condition. Make the computer work,
The replay control means causes the computer to perform control to output a live commentary based on the live commentary data selected by the selection means;
The program as described in any one of Claims 1-7 for.   The program according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the replay control unit causes the computer to function so as to generate a replay image viewed from a plurality of different camera positions.   The replay control means generates a replay image viewed from a predetermined camera position, reproduces and outputs the live commentary, and then generates a replay image viewed from a camera position different from the predetermined camera position. The program according to claim 9, wherein the computer is caused to function so as to perform reproduction control and output of live commentary. A plurality of types of position conditions are preset as the position conditions,
An arrangement pattern of camera positions corresponding to each of the plurality of types of position conditions is preset,
The detection means causes the computer to function so as to detect a character existing at a position satisfying any of the plurality of types of position conditions;
The replay control means functions the computer to generate a replay image viewed from a camera position according to an arrangement pattern corresponding to the satisfied position condition depending on which position condition the position of the detected character satisfies. The program of Claim 9 or 10 for making it do. The position condition includes a change condition of an existing position having a first position condition and a second position condition,
The live commentary data includes data containing at least a comment regarding the change in the location,
The replay control means controls the display output of the replay image so as to include a scene in which the detected character has moved from a position satisfying the first position condition to a position satisfying the second position condition; The program as described in any one of Claims 1-11 for functioning the said computer to perform control which outputs the commentary on the content regarding the change of a position.   The replay control means causes the computer to function so as to have direction indication marker display control means for performing control to superimpose and display a direction indication marker for instructing the direction of change of the presence position of the detected character in the replay image. The program according to claim 12.   The computer is configured to control the start and end of the superimposed display of the direction indicating marker based on the timing when the position where the detected character exists becomes a position satisfying the position condition. The program according to claim 13 for causing the function to function.   The program according to claim 13 or 14, for causing the computer to further function as direction indicating marker form changing means for changing the form of the direction indicating marker. The replay control means functions the computer to generate a replay image by placing a character in the game space based on the recorded game history and generating an image of the game space viewed from a virtual camera. Let
16. The computer system according to claim 13, wherein the direction indication marker display control unit causes the computer to function so as to arrange a planar model forming the direction indication marker in the game space toward the virtual camera. A program according to any one of the above.   The program as described in any one of Claims 1-16 for functioning the said computer further as a character instruction | indication marker form variable means to change the form of the said character instruction marker.   The replay control means functions the computer to generate a replay image by placing a character in the game space based on the recorded game history and generating an image of the game space viewed from a virtual camera. The computer according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the computer is caused to function so that a planar model forming the character instruction marker is arranged in the game space toward the virtual camera. program. Causing the computer to further function as a space determination means for determining a space that is a predetermined distance or more away from each character in the game space;
The character control means has movement control means for starting movement control of the character when the position determined by the space determination means and the position of the character satisfy a predetermined space position condition. Make the computer function,
The detection means causes the computer to function as movement control character detection means for detecting occurrence of a character whose movement control is started by the movement control means;
The replay control means performs control to display and output a replay image in which the detected character controlled by the movement control means moves, and control to output an actual commentary that includes a comment that there is a space. The program as described in any one of Claims 1-18 for functioning the said computer like this. The space determination means
Point setting means for setting a plurality of sample points in the game space;
Arrival time calculating means for calculating the time until each character reaches the set sample point;
Determining means for determining a sample point at which the calculated arrival time of the character to each sample point is a predetermined time or longer;
The program according to claim 19, wherein the computer is caused to function so as to determine that a sample point determined by the determination unit as being a predetermined time or more is a space.   The said replay control means makes the said computer function so that it may have the marker display control means which performs control which superimposes and displays the marker which instruct | indicates that it was determined as the space by the said space determination means in the said replay image. The program according to 19 or 20.   The program according to claim 21, wherein the marker display control unit causes the computer to function to control the start and end of the superimposed display of the marker based on the timing detected by the movement control character detection unit. .   The program according to claim 21 or 22, for causing the computer to further function as a marker form changing unit that changes the form of the marker. The replay control means functions the computer to generate a replay image by placing a character in the game space based on the recorded game history and generating an image of the game space viewed from a virtual camera. Let
The marker display control means according to any one of claims 21 to 23, for causing the computer to function so as to arrange a planar model forming the marker in the game space toward the virtual camera. The program described. The history recording means is
A ring buffer recording means for constantly recording a game history from a current time to a predetermined time by recording the game history as needed in a ring buffer capable of recording a game history for a predetermined time; and
Securing means for securing the game history recorded in the ring buffer recording means based on detection by the detection means as a game history to be replayed by the replay control means;
25. A program according to any one of claims 1 to 24 for causing the computer to function so as to have the following.   When the detection means satisfies a predetermined situation condition, by processing the game history recorded by the ring buffer recording means as a detection target, until the predetermined time before the condition condition is satisfied 26. The program according to claim 25, for causing the computer to function to detect whether there was a character that was present at a position satisfying the position condition.   A computer-readable information storage medium storing the program according to any one of claims 1 to 26. Character control means for controlling a plurality of characters;
Detecting means for detecting the occurrence of a character present at a position satisfying a predetermined position condition among the plurality of characters;
History recording means for recording a game history in the storage unit ;
A reproduction output control for generating and displaying a replay image in which a game play is reproduced based on the recorded game history, and a character instruction marker for indicating a character detected by the detecting means are superimposed on the replay image. Replay control means for performing replay processing by performing display control and control for outputting live commentary based on given live commentary data;
A game device comprising:

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