JP6060401B2 - GAME MANAGEMENT DEVICE AND PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game management device, a game system, a game management method, and a program for managing a game.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a game system in which a user can receive various game services provided from a game server by connecting the user's terminal device (personal computer, mobile phone terminal, etc.) to a game server installed on the Internet. (Patent Document 1). In addition, there is a technique that receives a signal from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite, acquires current position information, and uses it for a game (Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3).

JP 2011-030892 A JP 2002-273034 A JP 2004-261217 A

  As described above, games using GPS have been proposed, but it is expected that a game with higher interest will be realized by applying the current position information of the user to the game.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a game management device, a game system, a game management method, and a program capable of realizing a highly interesting game by applying the current position information of a user to a game. Is to provide.

  1) A game management device (1, 2, 101 to 103, 301 to 304) according to one aspect of the present invention manages a game, and includes a reference area storage control means (71) for storing a user reference area in a storage device. A position acquisition means (72) for acquiring the real-world position information of the user, and a movement for detecting the movement of the user from the reference area based on the user position information acquired by the position acquisition means (72) Detection means (73) and game content changing means (74) for changing the game content based on the detection result by the movement detection means (73).

  The game management device having this configuration can be configured by an information processing device (computer) such as a server capable of communicating with each user's game terminal (terminal device), for example, various games such as online games and social games. Etc. can be managed. Or this game management apparatus can also be comprised by the information processing apparatus as a game terminal. Or this game management apparatus can also be comprised by the some information processing apparatus (a server, a game terminal) which mutually communicates.

  The game management device includes reference area storage control means for storing a user's reference area in a storage device. For example, if the user registers the home address (prefecture, etc.) at the start of the game, this is stored in the storage device as the reference area. The registration of the “reference area” may be an area based on a prefecture, or an area based on other administrative divisions (state, county, city, town, village, etc.). In addition, an area that does not depend on the administrative division can be used as a reference area. For example, a predetermined area including the user's home (such as an area having a radius of 1 km around the home) may be used as the reference area.

  Further, the position acquisition means acquires the real world position information of the user. Here, as an example of acquiring position information, GPS positioning information using a GPS (Global Positioning System) function of a user's terminal device, or a radio wave transmitted from a wireless base station of mobile communication (cell phone, PHS, etc.) It may be possible to use location information included in the.

  Further, based on the user position information acquired by the position acquisition means, the movement detection means detects the movement of the user from the reference area. Then, based on the detection result by the movement detecting means, the game content changing means changes the game contents.

  An example of the variation of the game content is that the game mode in the game when the user detects that the user has moved to other than the prefecture A when the prefecture A as a reference area is the reference area. Is changed from “practice game mode” to “expedition game mode”. The game content differs between the “practice game mode” and the “expedition game mode”. For example, in the “expedition game mode”, the experience value of the character is doubled compared to the “practice game mode” by executing the game. However, while the character's ability can be improved with the normal speed, the physical consumption is doubled (the physical consumption may be the same as usual). In this case, the period (predetermined period) for the “expedition game mode” is continued until, for example, the user returns to the reference area, and when it is detected that the user has returned to the reference area, "Can be changed. Alternatively, the “expedition game mode” may be continued for a predetermined period (for example, a fixed period of 24 hours) after entering the “expedition game mode”.

  This is just an example, and other examples of changes in game content according to the user's movement from the reference area include lottery of rare items, where points that can be earned per operation or per process are improved for a predetermined period of time. Various things can be considered such that the probability is improved for a predetermined period, and the point consumption amount per operation or per process is reduced for a predetermined period.

  Further, when the user moves out of the reference area, the game content may be changed not only to change the game content so as to produce a merit for the user but also to cause a disadvantage. For example, when the user moves out of the reference area, a lottery is executed. If the user wins the lottery, the game content may be changed, and if the user moves out, the game content may be changed. As an example of changing the game contents so as to cause a disadvantage, the game mode is shifted to a point in which the points that can be obtained per operation or per process decrease for a predetermined period.

  By the way, there is a game that can acquire one point that can be used in the game per 1 km of the user's movement distance, for example, but such a conventional game and a game that can be realized by this game management device are as follows. Obviously different. That is, in the conventional game, points according to the user's moving distance can be obtained, such as 1 point when the moving distance is 1 km and 5 points when the total moving distance is 5 km, but the moving distance 1 km = The game content of 1 point has not changed. In other words, based on a certain game rule that the moving distance is 1 km = 1 point, points are only acquired every time the moving distance of the user becomes 1 km. On the other hand, in a game that can be realized by the game management device, if the user moves out of the reference area, the game content itself fluctuates for a predetermined period. That is, as described above, the game content that was in the “practice game mode” before the movement outside the reference area is changed to a different game content after the movement, such as an “expedition game mode”. In the changed game mode, the game specifications, rules, display mode, and the like are changed. For example, in the “practice game mode”, one in-game point can be earned per operation, but during the predetermined period when the game content changes to “expedition game mode” The in-game points that can be earned are doubled to 2 points. In addition to this, the game content may be changed by changing the character's ability, form, age, school year, title, equipment, and the like. In other words, after moving, the ability may be improved as the experience and experience of the character increase virtually, the character's form is enlarged, the age, school year, post is increased, equipment and weapons, You may make it provide many tools. Furthermore, when the character's stamina or team ’s strength, which has been reduced or zero, revives over time, the speed of the resurgence should be increased after movement. Also good.

  As described above, the present game management device can realize a highly interesting game in which the game content itself is changed according to the movement of the user.

  2) In the above configuration, it is desirable that the game content changing means (74) changes the game content according to the length of the movement distance of the user detected by the movement detecting means (73).

  For example, the longer the travel distance from the reference area, the longer the duration of the “expedition game mode”. For example, when the moving distance from the reference area is less than 100 km, more than 100 km, less than 1000 km, and more than 1000 km, the duration of the “expedition game mode” is set to 1 day, 2 days, and 3 days, respectively.

  Or, as the moving distance from the reference area is longer, the experience value obtained in the “expedition game mode” is increased. For example, if the distance traveled from the reference area is less than 100 km, 100 km or more and less than 1000 km, or more than 1000 km, when the “expedition game mode” is entered, the experience value per game is 2 points each. 3 points and 4 points (in the “practice game mode”, the experience value per game is 1 point). In this case, as the experience value that can be acquired increases, the physical strength consumption may increase accordingly, or the physical strength consumption may not change.

  As other examples, the longer the distance traveled from the reference area, the larger the points that can be earned per operation or per process, etc., the higher the probability of drawing rare items, or per operation or per process Various things can be considered, such as a point consumption amount becoming smaller. In addition, the longer the moving distance, the larger the character form, the higher the age, the school year, and the post, or the more equipment, weapons, and tools may be provided. In addition, when the character's physical strength or team's strength, which has once decreased or become zero, is revived over time, the speed of the resurgence should be increased as the moving distance after the start of movement increases. Also good.

  As described above, in this configuration, it is possible to further enhance the interest of the game by changing the game content according to the length of the movement distance of the user.

  3) In the configuration of 1) or 2) above, at least a first game mode and a second game mode having different game contents exist, and the game content changing means (74) is configured to detect the movement detecting means (73). The first game mode is applied when it is detected that the user is present in the reference area at the reference time by the movement detection means (73), while the user is different from the reference area at the reference time. It is desirable to apply the second game mode when it is detected that the user has moved to

  Here, examples of the first game mode and the second game mode having different game contents include the “practice game mode” and the “expedition game mode” described above. Furthermore, there may be a third game mode or the like having different game contents. For example, when it is detected that the user has moved abroad, the “overseas expedition mode” is set, and the experience value obtained from the “practice match mode” or the “expedition match mode” may be increased.

  In this configuration, it is determined whether the user exists inside or outside the reference area at the reference time. Here, the “reference time” can be arbitrarily determined. For example, midnight every day can be set as the “reference time”. Every day at midnight, a configuration that determines whether a user is in a reference area (home prefecture, etc.) or is moving outside the reference area means determining whether the date has changed outside the reference area. To do. When it is detected that the user is present in the reference area at the reference time, the first game mode (for example, practice game mode) is applied. For example, one day (24 hours) from midnight to midnight (next reference time) is set as the application period of the first game mode. On the other hand, when it is detected that the user is moving to an area different from the reference area at the reference time, the second game mode (for example, expedition game mode) is applied. For example, one day (24 hours) from midnight to midnight is set as the application period of the second game mode.

  In this way, the process of determining whether to change the game contents is always simplified by the configuration in which the reference time is set and the determination to switch between a plurality of game modes having different game contents is executed only at the reference time. Can be

  4) In the configuration of 3) above, it is continuously detected that the user exists in the same area outside the reference area by the movement detection means (73) that executes detection processing at each reference time. In such a case, it is desirable that the game content changing means (74) return the application of the second game mode to the application of the first game mode.

  Here, a case where the home address (prefecture) registered at the start of the game is the reference area will be described as an example. For example, in a user in a prefecture where the home and the commute are different, if the work is registered as a reference area (home) and the game is started, the second game mode (e.g. The expedition game mode), and the game can be played under conditions different from those of other users. The same applies to the case where the reference area is set in units of municipalities.

  In order to avoid this, in this configuration, when it is continuously detected that the user exists in the same area outside the reference area, the application of the second game mode is changed to the application of the first game mode. Try to bring it back. As a result, when staying in the same prefecture outside the reference area, the second game mode is only set for one day, and when the user has not moved to another prefecture on the next day, the first game mode is set. Will return to. The following shows a reference example in which the first game mode = practice game mode and the second game mode = expedition game mode are switched on a daily basis, with midnight as the “reference time” every day.

Reference example 1 (standard area = 3 nights 4 days in Kansai region in Tokyo)
Overnight in Kyoto (Expedition game mode the next day)
1 night in Osaka (expedition game mode the next day)
Overnight in Hyogo (Expedition game mode the next day)

Reference Example 2 (4 days 3 nights in Kyoto when reference area = Tokyo)
Overnight in Kyoto (Expedition game mode the next day)
1 night in Kyoto (Practice match mode the next day)
1 night in Kyoto (Practice match mode the next day)

Reference Example 3 (standard area = 1 night in Kyoto, 1 night in Osaka, 1 night in Kyoto)
Overnight in Kyoto (Expedition game mode the next day)
1 night in Osaka (expedition game mode the next day)
Overnight in Kyoto (Expedition game mode the next day)

  With this configuration, even if an area (such as a user's work place) that is different from the area where the user's home is registered is registered as the reference area, the user can play the game at home every day in the second game mode. The inconvenience of being able to play a game can be effectively avoided.

  5) In the configuration of 4) above, when the moving distance of the user from the reference area exceeds the threshold, it is continuously detected that the user exists in the same area outside the reference area. In this case, it is preferable that the game content changing means (74) continues to apply the second game mode.

  In the configuration of 4) above, for example, when 0:00 am every day is set as the “reference time” and it is determined to switch the mode on a single day, even if staying in the same area (same prefecture) other than the reference area, The two-game mode is only for one day. On the other hand, in the present configuration, when the moving distance of the user from the reference area exceeds a threshold value (for example, 100 km), the second game mode is continued for the consecutive nights. If the user moves to an area far from the reference area so as to exceed the threshold, it is considered that this is not a routine movement (such as movement between home and commuting destination). Even when it is continuously detected that the user exists in the same area outside the area, the application of the second game mode is continued. For example, if the threshold is set to 100 km and the present configuration is applied to the above-described Reference Example 2, there is a distance exceeding 100 km between Tokyo and Kyoto, so that the following Reference Example 4 is obtained.

Reference example 4 (standard area = Tokyo 3 nights 4 days, threshold = 100 km)
Overnight in Kyoto (Expedition game mode the next day)
Overnight in Kyoto (Expedition game mode the next day)
Overnight in Kyoto (Expedition game mode the next day)

  As described above, in this configuration, the case where there is a possibility of daily movement (movement between the home and the commuting destination) and the case of long distance movement exceeding the threshold are distinguished. Then, it is possible to prevent the user who has moved a long distance from interfering with the application of the second game mode.

  6) In any one of 3) to 5) above, the game content changing means (74) applies the second game mode when the user moves into the same area outside the reference area. Is preferably limited to a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period.

  For example, in the case of registering the reference area in units of prefectures, users in prefectures with different homes and commuting destinations will have the A prefecture at home before work and the night after returning home, and the commute at daytime. It will exist in B prefecture. Therefore, if the timing at which the user accesses the game is adjusted, the two prefectures can be alternately changed every day without continuously detecting that the user exists in the same prefecture. In this case, the second game mode is set every other day even if the countermeasure according to the configuration of 4) above (the countermeasure when the user is continuously detected in the same area outside the reference area) is taken. It becomes possible to play with.

  Therefore, in this configuration, the application of the second game mode due to the user moving in the same area outside the reference area is limited to a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period. For example, the application of the expedition game mode by moving to the same prefecture is limited to a predetermined number of times (for example, once) within a predetermined period (for example, one month). Accordingly, it is possible to effectively avoid a situation in which application of the second game mode frequently occurs due to daily movement (movement between home and commuting destination). Of course, the above limitation can be arbitrarily set according to game characteristics. For example, a user who intends to use a round trip between his / her home and work place for a game can be allowed a certain degree of allowance and can be allowed up to twice a week as an expedition game mode.

  7) In any one of the constitutions 1) to 6), a reference area correction means (81) for automatically correcting the reference area based on the user position information acquired by the position acquisition means (72). It is desirable to have more.

  For example, when a reference area (home prefecture, etc.) is registered at the start of the game, the user may intentionally or mistakenly register an area different from his / her own address in the real world (for example, Tokyo) Registered in Hokkaido as a reference area). Or, the user may move and the reference area may be changed. Although the user can manually change the setting of the reference area, it is considered that some users do not perform the changing operation. Therefore, this configuration has a function of automatically correcting the user's reference area based on the daily real world position information of the user acquired by the position acquisition means.

  An example of automatic correction of the reference area is shown below. When more than half of one month is the same prefecture different from the registered reference area based on the history of user location information (GPS location information, etc.) for a predetermined period, for example, one month The reference area correction means automatically corrects the prefecture of the reference area. If this is executed periodically every month, even if there is an error in the user's reference area, it can be automatically corrected within one month. Alternatively, the reference area correction means recognizes an area (prefecture, etc.) where the user has stayed most as a reference area based on the user's location information history during a predetermined period, and automatically corrects the reference area as necessary. To do.

  With this configuration, even if an incorrect reference area is registered, the reference area is automatically corrected accurately based on the user's real-world location information, so the game content can be changed based on the incorrect reference area. Can be effectively avoided.

  8) A game system according to another aspect of the present invention includes a server (1, 2, 101 to 104) and a terminal device (3, 301 to 304) that communicates with the server (1, 2, 101 to 104). A reference area storage control means (71) for storing a user reference area in a storage device, a position acquisition means (72) for acquiring user real-world position information, and the position acquisition means (72) Based on the position information of the user acquired by the above, the movement detecting means (73) for detecting the movement of the user from the reference area, and the game content is changed based on the detection result by the movement detecting means (73). Either one of the server (1, 2, 101 to 104) or the terminal device (3, 301 to 304) is provided with a content changing means (74).

  9) A game management method according to another aspect of the present invention is a game management method in a computer that manages a game, wherein the computer stores a reference area of the user in a storage device; A position acquisition step of acquiring real-world position information of the user, and a movement detection step of detecting movement of the user from the reference area based on the position information of the user acquired by the position acquisition step by the computer And a game content change step in which the computer changes the game content based on the detection result of the movement detection step.

  10) A program according to yet another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to operate as a game management device (1, 2, 101 to 103, 301 to 304) for managing a game. Based on the reference area storage control means (71) for storing the area in the storage device, the position acquisition means (72) for acquiring the real world position information of the user, and the user position information acquired by the position acquisition means (72) And a movement detecting means (73) for detecting the movement of the user from the reference area, and a game content changing means (74) for changing the game contents based on the detection result by the movement detecting means (73). It is a program for.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a highly interesting game is realizable by applying a user's present position information to a game.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structural example of the game system which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of a game management apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of a terminal device. It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of the basic functional structure of a game management apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the information regarding a user's game. It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of main functional structures of a game management apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a user's positional information. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of a game system. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the main screen of a game. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the game server which fluctuates game content. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of operation | movement of the game server which fluctuates game content. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of operation | movement of the game server which fluctuates game content. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of operation | movement of the game server which fluctuates game content. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of operation | movement of the game server which fluctuates game content. It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of main functional structures of a game management apparatus. It is a functional block diagram which shows the other example of a functional structure of a game management apparatus. It is a functional block diagram which shows the other example of a functional structure of a game management apparatus. It is a functional block diagram which shows the other example of a functional structure of a game management apparatus. It is a functional block diagram which shows the other example of a functional structure of a game management apparatus.

  Hereinafter, a game management device, a game system, a game management method, and a program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Outline of the game system]
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a game system in which a game management device according to an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated. As shown in the figure, this game system includes a game server 1 installed on a network 4 such as the Internet, a database server 2 connected to be communicable with the game server 1, and a game server via the network 4. 1 and the terminal device 3 of each user that can be communicably connected.

  The network 4 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the Internet. For example, as long as the game server 1 and the terminal device 3 of each user can be connected to each other so as to communicate with each other, for example, a dedicated line, a public line, etc. It may be a line (telephone line, mobile communication line, etc.), wired LAN (Local Area Network), wireless LAN, or the like, or a combination of the Internet and these.

  In this example of the game system, a game management device according to an embodiment of the present invention can be configured from a game server 1 and a database server 2. The game server 1 receives access from the terminal device 3 of each user who receives the game service via the network 4 and stores and manages game information of each user in the database server 2 (storage device). A game service is provided via the network 4.

  As a form of providing a game service by the game server 1, a game program (application software) is installed in the game server 1, and a game operation is not performed on the terminal device 3 but on the terminal device 3. There is a form in which a game is executed on the game server 1 in response to an input, and the execution result is transmitted to the terminal device 3 of each user. For example, the game server 1 provides a so-called browser game in which a game can be played by a web browser installed in the terminal device 3 of each user. Alternatively, the game server 1 provides a so-called cloud gaming service in which a game video as a result of executing a game on the game server 1 is transmitted to the terminal device 3 in, for example, a streaming format.

  Alternatively, as will be described later, a game system in which part or all of the game execution program is installed on the user's terminal device 3 side and the game execution processing is also performed on the terminal device 3 can be provided.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which a browser game is provided will be described as one form of game service provided by the game server 1. In the service form for providing the browser game, it is not necessary to download or install software dedicated to the game on the user's terminal device 3, and the user can easily connect to the game server anywhere as long as the terminal device 3 can be connected to the network 4. The game service provided from 1 can be enjoyed.

  In this game system, the game server 1 executes arithmetic processing and data processing for progressing the game in response to an input operation on the terminal device 3 of each user. Then, the game server 1 updates the game information of each user in the database server 2 based on the execution result of the arithmetic processing and the like, and web page information for displaying the execution result on the screen of the user terminal device 3 (Game screen data) is transmitted to the terminal device 3 of each user.

  Each user's terminal device 3 is equipped with a web browser having a website browsing function as a user agent so that the web page information transmitted from the game server 1 can be displayed on the screen of the terminal device 3. It has become. Examples of the terminal device 3 include a mobile phone terminal, a PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a smartphone that is a mobile terminal in which a mobile phone and a mobile information terminal are integrated. Various terminals such as personal computers (hereinafter referred to as “PCs”), tablet computers, game devices having communication functions, etc. that can be connected to the game server 1 via the network 4 and receive game services can be applied. it can.

  In addition, the game provided in the present embodiment can have a so-called social game element that allows the user to play while interacting with other users who are receiving game services. For example, by incorporating the game server 1 and the database server 2 of the present embodiment into a social networking service (SNS) system, a game system that provides a social game service as one of the SNS services can be obtained. In this way, a game service can be provided to the user by a game system operating on the SNS platform, but the game server 1 and the database server 2 can be constructed as independent game systems without being incorporated into the SNS system. Good.

  Examples of games provided by the game management device include sports / racing games, simulation games, training games for baseball, soccer, tennis, American football, basketball, volleyball, golf, boxing, horse racing, car racing, etc. Various games such as role-playing games and quiz games can be used regardless of the game format and genre. As an example, in the present embodiment, an example in which the game server 1 manages a baseball game will be mainly described below.

  The game management device according to the present embodiment targets a game played on the portable terminal device 3 and has a function of changing game content and game characteristics according to the movement of the user in the real world. For example, each user registers a reference area at the start of the game or the like (for example, the home address is registered in units of prefectures), and the fact that the user has moved from the reference area indicates that the user's terminal device 3 GPS Detect using functions. When the user moves out of the reference area (other than the home prefecture), the game in the game is changed from the “practice game mode” to the “expedition game mode”. For example, in the “expedition game mode”, the experience value of the player character is improved by a factor of two compared to the “practice game mode” by executing the game, and the ability of the player character can be improved with a normal double speed. become. There are various variations in game contents according to the movement of the user, such as variations in points that can be acquired in the game, variations in the random item lottery probability, and variations in point consumption per execution. Below, the detail of a structure of the game management apparatus (game server 1 grade | etc.,) Which concerns on this Embodiment which implement | achieves this is demonstrated.

[Configuration of game management device]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the game management device includes the game server 1 and the database server 2. FIG. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the game server 1. As shown in the figure, the game server 1 mainly includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13 as a main storage device, and an auxiliary storage device 14. The communication control unit 15 and the input / output control unit 16 are connected to each other via a bus line 17 including an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. Note that an interface circuit is interposed between the bus line 17 and each component as necessary, but the illustration of the interface circuit is omitted here.

  The CPU 11 interprets and executes instructions of application software such as system software and game programs, and controls the game server 1 as a whole. The ROM 12 stores a program and the like necessary for basic operation control of the game management device 1. The RAM 13 stores various programs and data, and secures a work area for the CPU 11.

  The auxiliary storage device 14 is a storage device that stores application software such as a game program, various data, and the like. For example, a hard disk drive can be used as the auxiliary storage device 14. The program according to the present embodiment for causing the game server 1 (computer) to operate as a game management device is also stored in the auxiliary storage device 14, and the program is transferred from the auxiliary storage device 14 to the bus line when the game server 1 is started. 17 is loaded into the RAM 13 via the CPU 17 and executed by the CPU 11.

  The communication control unit 15 includes a communication interface 15 a connected to the network 4, and controls communication with each user terminal device 3 via the network 4. The communication control unit 15 also controls communication with a server (not shown) connected to the network 4. For example, when it is set as the system configuration which incorporated the game server 1 in SNS, the communication control part 15 of the game server 1 controls communication between SNS servers.

  The input / output control unit 16 is connected to the database server 2 in a communicable manner, and is a database interface that performs input / output control when the CPU 11 executes reading / writing of data (records) with respect to the database server 2.

  The database server 2 includes a large-capacity hard disk device having a RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) configuration, for example, as a storage device having an area for storing game information of each user managed by the game server 1. The database server 2 stores various game information (user name, level, in-game points, possessed items, etc.) of each user in association with identification information (user ID) for uniquely identifying each user, for example. It can be constructed as a database, an object database, an object relational database, or the like.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the game management device is configured by the game server 1 and the database server 2 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the game server 1 can have the function of the database server 2 and the game management device can be configured only by the game server 1. Further, the game server 1 can be configured as a plurality of servers by distributing the functions of the game server 1 to a plurality of servers. For example, when a user operates the terminal device 3 to access the game server 1, an authentication server having an authentication function for determining whether the user is a legitimate user is provided separately from the main server of the game server 1, The game server 1 may be composed of a main server and an authentication server. As another configuration example, a billing management server that performs billing management when a user purchases an item to be billed in a game is provided separately from the main server of the game server 1, and the main server, authentication server, and billing management The game server 1 may be configured by a server.

  In addition, when the number of users who use this game service reaches several hundred thousand, millions, or more, it is required to construct a server system that can withstand huge access from the terminal device 3 of many users. Therefore, by providing a plurality of game servers 1 on the network 4 for redundancy (multiplexing), a load distribution type system configuration may be adopted. In this case, it is desirable to provide a load balancer for adjusting the load among the plurality of game servers 1.

  Next, the configuration of the terminal device 3 of the user who accesses the game server 1 according to the present embodiment and receives a game service will be described.

[Configuration of terminal device]
As the terminal device 3 operated by the user, various terminals having a website browsing function as described above can be applied. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the portable terminal will be described as an example. Note that the terminal device 3 other than the mobile terminal is also required for playing a game, such as displaying a game screen using a website browsing function or performing an input operation for executing the game. The configuration is the same as that of the mobile terminal.

  A mobile terminal having a website browsing function or the like is also called a feature phone, a smart phone, or the like, and its configuration example is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the terminal device 3 mainly includes a CPU 31, a ROM 32 and a RAM 33 as main storage devices, an image processing unit 34, a display unit 35, a sound processing unit 36, and an audio input unit 37. , An audio output unit 38, an auxiliary storage device 39, an operation input unit 40, a communication control unit 41, and a GPS positioning unit 42, and the components 31 to 34, 36 and 39 to 42 are bus lines 43. Are connected to each other. An interface circuit is interposed between the bus line 43 and each component as necessary, but the interface circuit is not shown here.

  The CPU 31 interprets and executes instructions of various programs including the web browser, and controls the entire terminal device 3. The ROM 32 stores a program and the like necessary for basic operation control of the terminal device 3. The RAM 33 stores various programs and data loaded from the ROM 32 or the auxiliary storage device 39, and secures a work area for the CPU 31. A web browser that displays game screen data described in HTML or the like is stored in the ROM 32 or the auxiliary storage device 39, loaded into the RAM 33, and executed by the CPU 31. Various plug-in software for extending the browser function of the web browser may be stored in the ROM 32 or the auxiliary storage device 39 together with the web browser.

  The image processing unit 34 drives the display unit 35 based on an image display command from the CPU 31 and displays an image on the screen of the display unit 35. Various known display devices such as a liquid crystal display or an organic LE (Electro-Luminescence) display can be applied to the display unit 35.

  The sound processing unit 36 converts an analog audio signal into a digital audio signal when audio is input from the audio input unit 37, generates an analog audio signal based on a sound generation instruction from the CPU 31, and outputs it to the audio output unit 38. Output. The voice input unit 37 includes a microphone built in the terminal device 3 and is used for telephone communication or recording. The voice output unit 38 is composed of a speaker that outputs a reception speaker at the time of telephone communication and a telephone ringtone or a sound effect at the time of game execution.

  The auxiliary storage device 39 is a storage device that stores various programs and data. As the auxiliary storage device 39, for example, a flash memory drive or the like can be used as the internal memory of the mobile phone terminal, and a memory card reader / writer or the like can be used as the external memory of the mobile phone terminal.

  The operation input unit 40 receives a user operation input and outputs an input signal corresponding to the operation input to the CPU 31 via the bus line 43. Examples of the operation input unit 40 include physical buttons such as a direction instruction button, a determination button, and an alphanumeric character input button provided on the main body of the terminal device 3. Further, in the case of the terminal device 3 in which the display unit 35 is configured as a so-called touch screen by mounting a touch panel (contact input type interface) on the screen of the display unit 35, the touch panel also becomes the operation input unit 40.

  The communication control unit 41 includes a communication interface 41a, and has a communication control function for performing data communication during game operation and the like, a communication control function for transmitting and receiving voice data as a mobile phone terminal, and the like. Here, for the communication control function for data communication, for example, a wireless LAN connection function, an Internet connection function via a wireless LAN or a cellular phone network, a predetermined frequency band (for example, a 2.4 GHz frequency band) is used. Includes short-range wireless communication functions. The communication control unit 41 transmits a connection signal for connecting the terminal device 3 to a wireless LAN, the Internet, or the like based on a command from the CPU 31 and receives information transmitted from the communication partner side and supplies it to the CPU 31. To do.

  The GPS positioning unit 42 includes a GPS signal receiving circuit, receives a positioning radio signal from a GPS satellite, and measures the latitude and longitude of the current position. In addition, although the GPS positioning part 42 is not an essential component, in the case of the terminal device 3 provided with the GPS positioning part 42, the user's current position information can be acquired using the function as described later. .

  In the terminal device 3 configured as described above, a user who wants to receive a game service starts up a web browser and performs an operation of accessing a game site managed by the game server 1. When this access is authenticated by the game server 1, the communication control unit 41 of the terminal device 3 receives game screen data described in HTML or the like transmitted from the game server 1, and the CPU 31 executes the web browser. A game screen is displayed on the display unit 35. Here, the user selects and inputs selectable button objects and hyperlinks displayed on the game screen by operating the operation input unit 40. In response to this selection input, the game server 1 advances the game and transmits new game screen data to the terminal device 3. Then, this new game screen is displayed on the display unit 35 of the terminal device 3. Hereinafter, similarly, the user can select a button object or the like that can be selected on the game screen displayed on the display unit 35 by an operation. A game provided by the game server 1 can be played.

[Game description]
Next, an example of the baseball game of this embodiment will be described. In this baseball game, a user owns player characters in the game, registers a single player from the player characters, and forms his own original team. Then, the user can lead his team as a director and play against other users' teams to compete for rankings and the like. The player character possessed by the user can be in a card format in which the form of the player character is visible on the screen of the terminal device 3. That is, the player character is managed as a digital player card by the game server 1 and the database server 2 and is displayed on the screen of the user terminal device 3. Further, the player character may be drawn by three-dimensional computer graphics in a game or the like in the game. Further, a player character, a ball object, or the like may be displayed as a moving image in a streaming format or the like.

  At the start of the game, the user registers the user name, team, home address (prefecture) as a reference area, and the like. The information on the prefecture registered as the home address is used to determine the occurrence of the expedition described later. In the following, “prefecture” is simply referred to as “prefecture”.

  In the baseball game, various games such as an optional game (practice game / expedition game), an automatic game (official game), special training, a player scout, and a lottery are provided.

  The arbitrary game is a game in which the user can select another user's team and play against an arbitrary opponent at an arbitrary timing. In the present embodiment, a predetermined number (for example, 6) of “game tickets” items are distributed from the game server 1 to each user who accesses the game at least once a day. If this “game ticket” is owned, an arbitrary game can be executed once per piece. In the present embodiment, the rankings in the game are tabulated based on the result of each user's arbitrary game executed on that day (for example, the previous day ranking tabulation is executed at midnight every day). And you may give a privilege to a ranking high rank person.

  Arbitrary games include a practice game mode (first game mode) and an expedition game mode (second game mode) in which game contents are different. In principle, while the user is in the home prefecture (reference area), the practice game mode is applied in any game, while if the user moves outside the home prefecture, the practice game mode is applied in any game Is done. In the present embodiment, if the date changes outside the prefecture registered as the home as a result of the user moving with his / her terminal device 3 in the real world, an expedition has occurred and the next day, the normal “practice game mode” "Will change to" Expedition game mode ".

  In the practice game mode, when an arbitrary opponent is selected from the opponent candidate list and the user executes the game, the experience value of the player character of the team of the user who participated in the game is improved by a predetermined value (for example, 1 point). On the other hand, the physical strength of the player character decreases by a predetermined value (for example, 1 point).

  Each time the player character reaches the reference value, the ability level is improved by one step. Therefore, a player character can be made to grow when a user plays an arbitrary game.

  Each player character has a physical strength parameter of 0 to 6 (maximum). When a player character participates in a game and the player character's physical strength becomes 0, the player character cannot participate in the game. In addition, even if one army is registered, the physical strength may not be reduced unless the player participates in the game. In order to recover the reduced physical strength of the player character, for example, one player registration of the player character is removed and the player character is moved to a reserve frame and an arbitrary game is played. For the player character in the reserve frame, the stamina recovers by 1 point each time an arbitrary game is played. Alternatively, the reduced physical strength of the player character may be recovered over time (for example, the physical strength recovers one point every two hours). Alternatively, the physical strength of the player character may be fully recovered to the maximum value by consuming the recovery item owned by the user.

  In the practice game mode, teams with homes in various prefectures are randomly displayed in the opponent candidate list, and the user can play against users in any prefecture.

  On the other hand, if it moves to areas other than a home prefecture and it becomes an expedition game mode, it will battle | compete with the other user who has the destination area (prefecture) as a home preferentially. In other words, in the expedition game mode, the game server 1 preferentially lists other users whose home is the user's destination area as an opponent candidate list (for example, higher in the display order). In the expedition game mode, it may be possible to play only with other users whose home is the user's destination area. In the expedition game mode, when the user executes the game, the experience value accumulated in the player character who participated in the game is improved by n times (for example, 2 times) compared to the case of the practice game mode. . As a specific example, the experience value per game accumulated in the player character is 2 points in the expedition game mode compared to 1 point in the practice game mode. Therefore, in the expedition game mode, the character's ability can be improved with a speed twice that of the normal (practice game mode).

  On the other hand, in the expedition game mode, the physical strength consumption of the player character is m times (for example, twice) that of the practice game mode. As a specific example, the physical strength consumption per game of the player character is 2 points in the expedition game mode, compared to 1 point in the practice game mode. Note that the physical strength consumption of the player character in the expedition game mode may be the same as in the practice game mode.

  In addition, the user can acquire in-game currency (coins) according to the winning / losing, the strength of the opponent, etc. by playing an arbitrary game (practice game mode or expedition game mode). Here, even when winning (or losing) under the same conditions, the coins that can be acquired can be different between the practice game mode and the expedition game mode. For example, when winning a match with an opponent of the same level, 100 coins can be obtained in the practice game mode, while 200 coins, which is twice as much, can be obtained in the expedition game mode.

  As described above, even in the same arbitrary game, the game content is different between the practice game mode and the expedition game mode, and the user moves from the area (prefecture) of his / her home in the real world and travels. For example, it is possible to enjoy an arbitrary game with special game contents different from usual.

  Moreover, the automatic game (official game) in a game means that a user's team automatically plays a game with another user's team matched by the game server 1 (for example, 6 games are executed per day). It is a mode to raise.

  The special training in the game is a mode in which the player character can be specially trained by consuming a predetermined in-game currency (for example, 300 coins) and one point of physical strength of the player character at a time. The experience value of the player character can be improved by special training. For example, in the normal mode in which the user is in the prefecture of the home, the player's experience value accumulated by special training per operation or processing is 1 point, but the user moves outside the home prefecture In the expedition mode, the player character experience value accumulated by special training per operation or per process is improved to 2 points. That is, the game content varies depending on the movement of the user in the real world.

  In addition, in-game player scouting means that in a normal mode, a predetermined amount of in-game currency (for example, 1000 coins) is consumed per action (per operation or per process). It is a game in which player characters can be acquired by scouting. For example, in the normal mode in which the user is in the prefecture of the home, the scouting area in the game is all over Japan, but if the user moves outside the prefecture of the home and enters the expedition mode, The scout target area is limited to the movement destination area (movement destination prefecture) or a specific area including the movement destination area. That is, the game content varies depending on the movement of the user in the real world. For example, when a user whose home is Tokyo moves to Kyoto and enters the expedition mode, the scouting area in the game is limited to the Kyoto or Kinki area. In this way, in the expedition mode, the area for scouting in the game is limited to the Kyoto prefecture (or Kinki area), etc. from all over Japan, so the consumption of in-game currency per action is also smaller than in normal mode. Become. For example, in the normal mode, the consumption amount of the in-game currency per action is 1000 coins. In the expedition mode, the consumption amount of the in-game currency per action is halved to 500 coins. That is, if the same amount of in-game currency is consumed, more scout processing can be executed in the expedition mode than in the normal mode (more player characters can be acquired).

  Further, in-game lottery means that a single player character can be obtained by lottery by consuming a predetermined amount of in-game points (interaction point 200P described later) per operation or per process in the normal mode. It is a game. For example, one of the five rare levels (rareness) of 1 to 5 is set for the player character, and the lottery probability is lower as the rare degree is higher. For example, in the normal mode in which the user is in the prefecture of the home, the lottery probability of a player character with a rarity level of 3 or higher is 5%, but when the user moves to a prefecture other than the home prefecture and enters the expedition mode The lottery probability of a player character with a rarity of 3 or higher increases to 10%. That is, the game content varies depending on the movement of the user in the real world.

[Functional configuration of game management device]
Next, an example of a functional configuration of the game management device that realizes the baseball game will be described. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a basic configuration of a game management device (game server 1 and database server 2) that communicates with the terminal device 3.

  The game management apparatus according to the present embodiment includes user information storage control means 60, reception means 61, game execution means 62, screen generation means 63, transmission means 64, access management means 65, and the like. Each of these means is realized by the CPU 11 of the game server 1 executing the program according to the present embodiment.

  The user information storage control means 60 stores and manages information related to each user's game in the database server 2. FIG. 5 shows an example of information relating to the user's game stored in the database server 2 by the user information storage control means 60 (in this example, information for one user ID = 000001).

  The user information storage control means 60 associates basic information about each user such as a login ID, password, user name (nickname used in the game), team, etc. The data is stored in a predetermined storage area of the server 2. Here, the login ID and password are used for login authentication when each user operates the terminal device 3 to access the game server 1. The user name and the team are arbitrary information set by the user when the user registers to use the game service or when the game is executed for the first time. The user name and team are displayed on the game screen as necessary. Further, the user information storage control means 60 stores the address (reference area) of the user's home in a predetermined storage area of the database server 2 in association with the user ID.

  Further, the user information storage control means 60 associates the user ID with information on the user's game level (the user's supervisor level in the game of the present embodiment, so that the user's supervisor level). Is stored in the storage area. In this baseball game, the game level is improved each time the number of times the user has won an arbitrary game or an automatic game reaches the reference number.

  In addition, the user information storage control means 60 associates the user ID with the player character information (player ID for uniquely identifying the player character) acquired and held in the game by the database server. 2 in a predetermined storage area. Each player character held by the user is provided with parameters (attributes) such as individual ability, physical strength, experience value, player level, etc., and these parameters are also associated with the user ID and player ID in the database server. 2 is stored. Examples of the individual ability of the player character include meet, power, running ability, catching, throwing, and defensive suitability.

  Further, the database server 2 stores a player database (player DB) in which image data of player characters, player names, positions, belonging teams, ability values (unenhanced initial values) and the like are stored in association with player IDs. ) And the game server 1 can acquire the image data of the player character corresponding to the player ID based on the player ID stored by the user information storage control means 60.

  Further, the user information storage control means 60 associates the user ID with various points owned by the user in the game (including values corresponding to the points) in the database server 2 for each user ID. Store in the area. In this game, in addition to the above-mentioned in-game currency (coins), the user can acquire exchanges with other users (user's friends, etc.) through exchanges such as greetings, message transmissions, gifts, battle cooperation, chats, etc. There are points.

  Further, the user information storage control means 60 stores items acquired by the user in the game in association with the user ID in a predetermined storage area of the database server 2 for each user ID. As shown in FIG. 5, examples of items include the above-mentioned recovery items, game tickets, and the like. Other examples of items include special bats, spikes, gloves and the like that can be improved in ability by being attached to a player character.

  Next, the reception means 61, game execution means 62, screen generation means 63, and transmission means 64 shown in FIG. 4 will be described. The reception unit 61 and the transmission unit 64 are functions realized by the CPU 11 and the communication control unit 15 of the game server 1.

  When the game screen is displayed by the web browser of the user's terminal device 3, when the user performs an input operation to select a selectable button object or a character string with a hyperlink on the game screen, Information regarding the input (game screen request or the like) is transmitted to the game server 1 by the web browser of the terminal device 3. In the game server 1, when the receiving means 61 receives the information related to the input, the game executing means 62 executes the game by reading out information related to the user's game in accordance with the information and performing calculations and data processing.

  For example, in the case where the user performs an input operation to play against another user's team in an arbitrary game, the game execution means 62 is a player of both teams corresponding to the user IDs of both users who are playing the battle. Information on the characters (characters participating in the game) is read from the database server 2. Then, the game execution means 62 executes a baseball game simulation based on parameters such as the ability of the player characters of both teams by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) program or the like, and determines the outcome of the game.

  Next, the screen generation means 63 will be described. The screen generation unit 63 generates game screen data composed of, for example, HTML data in accordance with the execution result of the game execution unit 62. The HTML data may include image data such as characters read from the database server 2. Moreover, the script (program) which operate | moves by the plug-in of the web browser of the terminal device 3 may be embedded in HTML data. When the script provided from the game server 1 is executed by the terminal device 3, the game screen displayed on the terminal device 3 can be a moving image. Alternatively, the screen generation unit 63 may generate a video in a streaming format.

  In addition, the transmission unit 64 uses the screen data (HTML data, streaming format video data, etc.) generated by the screen generation unit 63 as a response to the request for the game screen or as an execution result by the game execution unit 62. It transmits to the terminal device 3. In the terminal device 3 of the user who has received the game screen data, the game screen is displayed on the display unit 35 by a web browser and its plug-in.

  Next, the access management means 65 will be described. When a user who wants to receive a game service operates the terminal device 3 to access (log in) the game server 1, the access management means 65 determines whether or not the user has a game participation qualification and performs login authentication. Do. An example of this authentication is authentication based on a login ID and password associated with a user ID. In addition, an individual identification number of a mobile phone or a smartphone that is the terminal device 3 (a terminal different from the telephone number is uniquely assigned so that the user does not have to input a login ID and a password each time the user accesses the game server 1. Identification information) or contractor's unique ID (information that uniquely identifies the contractor of the terminal and does not change as long as the contractor is the same even if the model is changed) Authentication may be performed.

  Next, the main functional configuration of the game management device (game server 1 and database server 2) will be described with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG. The game server 1 as a game management device mainly includes reference area storage control means 71, position acquisition means 72, movement detection means 73, and game content change means 74. Each of these means is realized by the CPU 11 of the game server 1 executing the program according to the present embodiment.

  The reference area storage control means 71 has a function of storing a user's reference area in a storage device (such as the database server 2). This reference area storage control means 71 is one of the functions of the above-mentioned user information storage control means 60. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. The storage control to be stored is executed.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the reference area is a prefecture unit is shown, but an area having other administrative divisions (state, county, city, town, village, etc.) as a unit may be used. In addition, an area that does not depend on the administrative division can be used as a reference area. For example, a predetermined area including the user's home (such as an area having a radius of 1 km around the home) may be used as the reference area.

  The position acquisition unit 72 has a function of acquiring real-world position information of the user. Here, as an example of the position information, GPS positioning information using the GPS function of the user terminal device 3 can be used. The position acquisition unit 72 communicates with the user's terminal device 3 and acquires position information (such as latitude and longitude information of the current position) measured by the GPS positioning unit 42 (see FIG. 3) of the terminal device 3. Since the user operates the terminal device 3 to access the game server 1 to play the game, the GPS positioning information acquired from the user's terminal device 3 is considered as the current position information of the user in the real world.

  As another example of the position information, position information included in a radio wave transmitted from a radio base station for mobile communication (mobile phone, PHS, etc.) can be used. That is, each mobile phone or PHS base station is arranged in a cell shape with a predetermined communication area, and has location information (including base station identification information) included in radio waves received from each base station. It can be seen that the terminal device 3 exists in the communication area of the base station. Therefore, although the accuracy as the position information is lower than the latitude and longitude information by GPS positioning, it is also possible to use the position information that can be acquired from the radio base station as the position information of the user carrying the terminal device 3. is there. In this case, the position acquisition means 72 communicates with the user's terminal device 3 and acquires the position information obtained by the terminal device 3 from the radio wave of the radio base station.

  Another example of the position information will be described next. For example, when the terminal device 3 is provided with a wireless LAN communication function such as Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity, registered trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance), the wireless communication master (wireless LAN access point or router) is identified. Information (for example, MAC (Media Access Control) address or IP (Internet Protocol) address) can also be used as position information. That is, there are cases where a wireless communication master unit (one or a plurality of wireless LAN access points or routers) for a wireless LAN connection service is installed in a real-world station or commercial facility. When the user accesses the terminal device 3 to a wireless communication master such as a wireless LAN access point, the terminal device 3 acquires the identification information of the wireless communication master as position information. For example, identification information of a wireless communication master set installed at a certain station can be used as position information indicating that the user's terminal device 3 exists in a wireless communication area near the station. In this case, the position acquisition unit 72 communicates with the user's terminal device 3 and acquires the position information (identification information of the wireless communication parent device) obtained by the terminal device 3 from the radio wave of the wireless communication parent device.

  The game server 1 stores the history of the user position information acquired by the position acquisition unit 72 in a storage device such as the database server 2. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the location information (prefecture) of the user and the time information when the location information is acquired are stored in the database server 2 in association with the user ID. For example, when the user terminal device 3 accesses the game (logs in to the game server 1), the game server 1 acquires position information from the user terminal device 3 and adds the position information to the user access log. A history of user location information can be recorded.

  When the game server 1 stores user location information in the database server 2, GPS positioning information (latitude and longitude information) may be stored as it is. However, in this embodiment, the location information is other than the home prefecture. Since it is used to determine whether or not it has moved to, GPS positioning information and the like are converted into prefecture information and stored.

  In addition, when the user always connects the terminal device 3 to the game server 1, whenever the user's location information changes in a predetermined area unit (in this embodiment, the prefecture changes), A history of changes in position information may be stored in the database server 2.

  Next, the movement detection means 73 will be described. The movement detection unit 73 has a function of detecting the movement of the user from the home prefecture (reference area) of the user based on the user position information acquired by the position acquisition unit 72. That is, the movement detection unit 73 determines that the user's location information (prefecture) acquired by the position acquisition unit 72 is different from the user's home prefecture stored by the reference area storage control unit 71. Judge that it has moved from the home area.

  The game content changing unit 74 has a function of changing the game content based on the detection result by the movement detecting unit 73. For example, when the user's home is Tokyo, and the movement detecting means 73 detects that the user has moved to an area other than Tokyo, the arbitrary game is changed from the practice game mode to the expedition game mode as described above. The content of the game changes.

  The timing of changing the game content can be changed from the practice game mode to the expedition game mode when it is detected that the user has moved outside the home prefecture. In addition, it is possible to change from the expedition game mode to the practice game mode when it is detected that the user has moved from the prefecture other than the home prefecture to the home prefecture. In this case, the practice game mode is applied while the user is playing the game in the home prefecture, and the expedition game mode is applied while the user is playing the game outside the home prefecture. For example, when the game server 1 is accessed (logged in) from the user's terminal device 3, the game server 1 acquires the user's location information, and if it is determined that the user exists in the home prefecture, the game server 1 selects the practice game mode. On the other hand, if it is determined that the user exists outside the home prefecture, the expedition game mode is applied. In order to notify the user that the expedition game mode has been applied, it may be announced on the game screen as shown in FIG.

  As another example of changing the game content, the game time may be changed by setting a reference time and determining whether the user exists in the home prefecture at each reference time. Here, the “reference time” can be arbitrarily determined. For example, midnight every day can be set as the “reference time”. Every day at midnight, the configuration of determining whether the user is in the home prefecture or moving to a place other than the home prefecture means determining whether the date has changed outside the home prefecture. As described above, in the present embodiment, when the date moves outside the prefecture registered as the home as a result of the user moving in the real world with his terminal device 3, the next day is “ “Practice match mode” changes to “Expedition match mode”.

  The game content changing unit 74 according to the present embodiment for realizing this is described in the following. When the movement detecting unit 73 detects that the user exists in the home prefecture (reference area) at the reference time “midnight”, While the “practice game mode” is applied, the “expedition game mode” is applied when it is detected that the user has moved to a prefecture different from the home prefecture at the reference time. In this case, one day (24 hours) from midnight to midnight (next reference time) is the application period of the “practice game mode” or “expedition game mode”.

  By the way, when the user's terminal device 3 and the game server 1 are always connected and the game server 1 can communicate with the terminal device 3 at any time to obtain the user's location information, the user's location information at the reference time is obtained. It can be acquired in real time. On the other hand, when accessing the game server 1 only when the user plays a game, the user does not necessarily access the game server 1 at the reference time. In this case, when the reference time is reached, it is determined whether or not the user exists outside the home prefecture based on the user location information stored before the reference time. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 7, each time a user accesses the game, the user's location information is stored in the database server 2, and when the reference time is midnight, the game is accessed at the end of the day. Based on the position information (prefecture) at the time of the determination, it is determined whether or not the date has changed outside the home prefecture. In this case, if the location information when the user accesses the game at the end of the day is the home prefecture, the “practice game mode” is applied for the next day for 24 hours. On the other hand, if the location information when the user accesses the game at the end of the day is other than the home prefecture, the “expedition game mode” is applied for the next day for 24 hours.

  In this way, the process of determining whether to change the game contents is always simplified by the configuration in which the reference time is set and the determination to switch between a plurality of game modes having different game contents is executed only at the reference time. Can be

  The change of the game content by the game content changing means 74 is not limited to the above-described content as long as the game specifications, rules, display mode, and the like are changed. Other examples of changes in game content include points that can be earned per operation or per process, etc., for a predetermined period, lottery probability for rare items, for a predetermined period, points per operation or per process, etc. Various things can be considered, such as a reduction in consumption for a predetermined period. In addition, the game content may be changed by changing the character's ability, form, age, school year, title, equipment, and the like. In other words, after the user moves out of the reference area, the ability may be improved as the experience and experience of the character increase virtually, the character form may be increased, the age, grade, It may be raised or equipped with a lot of equipment, weapons, and tools. Furthermore, when the character's stamina or team ’s strength, which has been reduced or zero, revives over time, the speed of the resurgence should be increased after movement. Also good.

[Game system operation]
In the above configuration, a basic operation example of the game system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 8 shows a processing flow of the terminal device 3 and the game server 1 when the user operates the terminal device 3 to access the game server 1 and receive a game service.

  When the user receives a game service, first, the web browser is activated by operating the operation input unit 40 of the terminal device 3 (S11). Thereafter, the user performs an operation of accessing a game site managed by the game server 1, and an access request is transmitted from the terminal device 3 to the game server 1 (S12). At this time, the game server 1 performs login authentication for access from the terminal device 3 (S21), and confirms that the access is from a user who is registered for use of the game service. At this time, position information such as GPS positioning information is transmitted from the terminal device 3 to the game server 1, and the game server 1 stores the user's position information in the database server 2 together with the access log.

  Thereafter, the game server 1 transmits screen data such as a main screen described in HTML or the like to the terminal device 3 (S22). If there is a game top screen different from the main screen, the top screen may be transmitted first. Further, a screen of a predetermined game mode may be transmitted directly without going through the main screen. And in the terminal device 3 which received screen data, a web browser or its plug-in interprets the said data, and displays a screen on the display part 35 (S13).

  An example of the main screen (user's My Page) of the game according to the present embodiment is shown in FIG. The main screen includes user game information 151 (user's photo or avatar, user level, etc.), a button group 152 for selecting various game modes, a player character 153 set by the user as a team order, A text display area 154 for displaying an explanation of the operation being executed and various notifications is displayed.

  Here, when the user performs an operation of selecting an object such as a selectable button or a hyperlink displayed on the main screen or other screens, a screen request corresponding to the operation is sent from the terminal device 3 to the game server 1. (S14). Receiving this request, the game server 1 executes the game by performing arithmetic processing and data processing according to the user's operation (S23). Further, the game server 1 transmits screen data reflecting the game execution result to the terminal device 3 (S24). And in the terminal device 3 which received screen data, a web browser interprets the said data, and displays (updates) the game screen on the display part 35 (S15).

  Thereafter, the above-described S14 and S15 are repeated in the user terminal device 3, and the above-described S23 to S24 are repeated in the game server 1, whereby the selectable items displayed on the screen of the terminal device 3 can be selected. Each time the user selects a button or the like, the game screen of the terminal device 3 is switched one after another, and the game can be advanced.

  Thereafter, when the user operates the terminal device 3 to close the game screen (S16), the game server 1 performs logout processing (S25). For example, when the user closes the web browser, the game server 1 performs logout processing after a session timeout.

[Operation of game management device]
Next, an operation example of the game management device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. FIG. 10 shows a processing example of the game server 1 that changes the game contents at that time when it is detected that the user has moved to a prefecture other than the home prefecture. FIG. 10 is a processing flow for one user, and the game server 1 executes the same processing for each user registered in the game service.

  When there is an access (login) from the user's terminal device 3 (Y in S51), the game server 1 communicates with the terminal device 3 to acquire the user's position information (S52). For example, the game server 1 receives GPS position information obtained by the GPS positioning unit 42 of the terminal device 3. In this case, when the terminal device 3 accesses the game server 1, the terminal device 3 may be set in advance so as to transmit the position information to the game server 1, or the terminal device 3 that the game server 1 has accessed. The terminal device 3 may send a position information response to the game server 1 in response to the request. Thereafter, the game server 1 determines whether or not the user has moved to a prefecture other than the home prefecture based on the acquired position information (S53). For example, when the user's home is Tokyo, if the user exists in Tokyo (NO in S53), the practice game mode is applied (S54), and if the user is moving outside Tokyo (YES in S53), The expedition game mode is applied (S55).

  Thereby, when a user plays an arbitrary game, game contents differ depending on whether the user plays when he / she is in his home Tokyo or moves to a place other than Tokyo. As described above, in the expedition game mode, a battle is preferentially performed with another user whose home area is the destination area (prefecture). Further, in the expedition game mode, the experience value accumulated in the player character who participated in the game is doubled compared to the case of the practice game mode, so that the player character improves his ability at twice the speed of the practice game mode. On the other hand, the player character's physical strength consumption is also doubled (the physical strength consumption may be the same as the practice game mode).

  In the operation example of FIG. 10, the practice game mode or the expedition game mode is determined based on the current position of the user when the user first accesses (logs in) the game. The determined mode can be continued during the game (while the access is continuing).

  As a variation, the game server 1 acquires the current location information of the user periodically (for example, every 5 minutes) even during the user's game, and the user has moved from the home prefecture to other than the prefecture. If detected, the practice game mode may be changed to the expedition game mode at that time. Further, when it is detected during the user's game that the user has returned to the home prefecture from other than the home prefecture, the expedition game mode may be changed to the practice game mode at that time.

  Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 11, an example of operation in the case of changing from the “practice game mode” to the “expedition game mode” when the date changes outside the home prefecture as a result of the user moving will be described. . FIG. 11 is a processing flow for one user, and the game server 1 executes the same processing for each user registered in the game service.

  When there is an access (login) from the user's terminal device 3 (Y in S61), the game server 1 communicates with the terminal device 3 to acquire the user's position information (S62), and the acquired position information is stored in the database. Store in the server 2 (S63). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the database server 2 stores information such as prefecture name and time as user location information in association with the user ID. The processes in steps S61 to S63 are repeated every day until midnight (reference time).

  When the standard time is midnight (YES in S64), the game server 1 allows the user to play the game one or more times on the target day (24 hours from midnight one day before the previous standard time). It is determined whether access is made (S65). If the user has not accessed the game once a day (NO in S65), the user's current position cannot be determined, but in this case the date has not changed outside the home prefecture, The “practice game mode” is applied until midnight of the next day, which is the next reference time (S67).

  On the other hand, in step S65, if the user has accessed the game at least once a day (YES in S65), based on the user's location information at the end of the target day, the user is in the home prefecture It is determined whether or not it has moved (S66). For example, when the user's home is Tokyo, if the user exists in Tokyo (NO in S66), the date does not change outside the home prefecture, so the practice game mode is applied (S67). On the other hand, if the user has moved outside Tokyo (YES in S66), it is determined that the date has changed outside the home prefecture, and the expedition game mode is applied (S68). The application mode set here is continued until midnight the next day, which is the next reference time. Then, it returns to step S61 and each above-mentioned process is repeated.

  For example, when the expedition game mode is applied due to the user moving from Tokyo (Home) to Kyoto Prefecture and changing the date, when the user accesses the game, the main screen in FIG. The fact that the expedition game mode is applied is notified. For example, in the text display area 154 of the main screen, a notification message such as “moving from home to expedition to Kyoto! Expedition match mode is applied for today's arbitrary game. Opportunity to improve player ability!” Is displayed. . In addition, a message indicating that the expedition game mode is being applied is also displayed on an arbitrary game screen (not shown).

  In the flowchart of FIG. 11, an example in which the reference time is set to midnight every day is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the reference time can be set arbitrarily. A plurality of reference times may be provided per day. For example, the game time may be changed twice a day with 0:00 and 12:00 as the reference time. Alternatively, for example, the reference time is set with an interval of one day or more, such as 0 o'clock on Monday, 0 o'clock on Wednesday, and 0 o'clock on Friday. It may be taken.

  As described above, the game management apparatus according to the present embodiment mainly includes the reference area storage control means 71, the position acquisition means 72, the movement detection means 73, and the game content variation means 74 as shown in FIG. It is a configuration. In this configuration, a highly interesting game can be realized by changing the game content itself according to the movement of the user.

  Next, a configuration for changing the game content according to the length of the movement distance of the user will be described. The game content changing means 74 having this configuration has a function of changing the game contents in accordance with the length of the moving distance from the reference area (home prefecture) of the user detected by the movement detecting means 73.

  For example, the longer the travel distance from the user's reference area (the farther the prefecture where the user is moving from the prefecture where the user is moving) is, the longer the duration of the “expedition game mode” is. For example, if the user's moving distance from the reference area is less than 100 km, 100 km or more, less than 1000 km, or 1000 km or more, the duration of the “expedition game mode” is 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, respectively. . For example, if a user in Tokyo moves to Kanagawa Prefecture and enters the “Expedition Match Mode”, the “Expedition Match Mode” lasts for only one day, but moves to Kyoto Prefecture to “Expedition Match Match”. When “mode” is entered, the “expedition game mode” is continued for two days. In this case, the “expedition game mode” is continued for two days even if the user returns to the home Tokyo only after staying in Kyoto for one night.

  Or, when the prefecture of the user's destination area is adjacent to the prefecture of the user's home, the duration of the “expedition game mode” is one day, and the prefecture of the user's destination area is far from the prefecture of the user's home If it is not adjacent to each other, the duration of the “expedition game mode” may be two days.

  As another example, as the moving distance of the user from the reference area is longer, the experience value obtained in the “expedition game mode” may be increased. For example, when the distance traveled from the reference area is less than 100 km, 100 km or more and less than 1000 km, or more than 1000 km, the experience value that the player character can acquire per game in the “expedition game mode” is 2 points, 3 points and 4 points (in the “practice game mode”, the experience value per game is 1 point). In this case, as the experience value that can be acquired by the player character increases, the physical strength consumption may increase correspondingly, or the physical strength consumption may not change.

  As other examples, the longer the user moves from the reference area, the larger the points that can be earned per operation or per process, etc., the higher the probability of drawing rare items, Various things can be considered, such as a point consumption amount per processing being smaller.

  For example, when the user acquires player characters by lottery, in the normal mode as described above, the lottery probability of a player character with a rarity degree of 3 or higher is 5%. On the other hand, when the user moves to a prefecture other than the home prefecture and enters the expedition mode, the player character having a rarity level of 3 or more when the moving distance from the reference area is less than 100 km, 100 km or more, less than 1000 km, or 1000 km or more The lottery probabilities are 10%, 15%, and 20%, respectively.

  In addition, in the case of a player scout in a game, as described above, in the normal mode, player characters can be obtained by scouting from all over Japan by consuming 1000 coins per action (per operation or per process). . On the other hand, when the user moves to a place other than the home prefecture and enters the expedition mode, the coin consumption decreases as follows according to the movement distance of the user from the reference area.

  That is, when the user's moving distance from the reference area is less than 100 km, the scouting area in the game is limited to West Japan or East Japan (the action range is narrower than scouting from all over Japan) In-game currency consumption is reduced to 700 coins. In addition, when the user's moving distance from the reference area is 100 km or more and less than 1000 km, the scouting area in the game is limited to about 5 prefectures such as the Kinki area and the Kanto area. The consumption of local currency is reduced to 500 coins. For example, when a user whose home is Tokyo moves to Kyoto and enters the expedition mode, the Kinki area including Kyoto becomes a scouting area, and a player character can be acquired if 500 coins are consumed per action. In addition, when the moving distance of the user from the reference area is 1000 km or more, the consumption amount of the in-game currency per action is up to 300 coins because the scout target area in the game is limited to the prefecture of the moving destination area. descend. That is, if the same amount of in-game currency is consumed, more scout processing can be executed (more player characters can be acquired) as the moving distance of the user from the reference area increases.

  The change in the game content according to the length of the user's moving distance is not limited as long as the game specifications, rules, display mode, etc. are changed according to the length of the user's moving distance. It is not limited. As another example, the longer the moving distance, the larger the form of the character, the higher the age, the school year, and the post, or the more equipment, weapons, and tools may be provided. In addition, when the character's physical strength or team's strength, which has once decreased or become zero, is revived over time, the speed of the resurgence should be increased as the moving distance after the start of movement increases. Also good.

  As described above, in this configuration, it is possible to further enhance the interest of the game by changing the game content according to the length of the movement distance of the user.

  By the way, for example, in a user in a prefecture where his home (Chiba) and his workplace (Tokyo) are different, if he starts the game in Tokyo where he is working and sets his home to Tokyo, his home Chiba prefecture By simply playing the game, it becomes an expedition game mode, and the game can be performed under conditions different from those of other users. A configuration for avoiding this will be described below.

  In the game management device according to the present embodiment, the movement detection means 73 that executes detection processing at each reference time (here, midnight) indicates that the user exists in the same prefecture other than the home prefecture. Are continuously detected, the game content changing means 74 returns the application to the practice game mode from the expedition game mode. As a result, when staying in the same prefecture other than the home prefecture (for example, Chiba Prefecture), the expedition game mode is only for one day, and if the user has not moved to another prefecture the next day, practice Return to match mode. In the following, a reference example will be shown in which the “practice game mode” and the “expedition game mode” are switched on a daily basis, with midnight as the “reference time” every day. In the following reference example, for example, staying in Kyoto Prefecture means that the location information of the user is determined to be Kyoto Prefecture at midnight.

Reference Example 1 below shows a case where a user who is home in Tokyo moves to three different prefectures (Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo) in the Kansai region for 3 days and 4 days and plays a game in each destination prefecture. The application mode for the next day is shown.
Reference example 1 (standard area = 3 nights 4 days in Kansai region in Tokyo)
Overnight in Kyoto (Expedition game mode the next day)
1 night in Osaka (expedition game mode the next day)
Overnight in Hyogo (Expedition game mode the next day)
In this reference example 1, since it is not staying consecutively in the same prefecture other than the home prefecture, the next day after staying in Kyoto, Osaka, and Hyogo, all become an expedition game mode.

Reference Example 2 below shows an application mode for the next day when a user whose home is in Tokyo moves to Kyoto Prefecture for 3 days and 4 days and plays a game in the destination Kyoto Prefecture.
Reference Example 2 (4 days 3 nights in Kyoto when reference area = Tokyo)
Overnight in Kyoto (Expedition game mode the next day)
1 night in Kyoto (Practice match mode the next day)
1 night in Kyoto (Practice match mode the next day)
In this Reference Example 2, since the three consecutive nights (Kyoto Prefecture) other than the home prefecture, the expedition game mode is applied only the day after the first night in Kyoto Prefecture, but after that the practice game mode Return to.

In Reference Example 3 below, a user who was home in Tokyo traveled for 3 days and 4 days, 1 night in Kyoto, 1 night in Osaka, and 1 night in Kyoto, and played the game in each destination prefecture. Shows the application mode of the next day.
Reference Example 3 (standard area = 1 night in Kyoto, 1 night in Osaka, 1 night in Kyoto)
Overnight in Kyoto (Expedition game mode the next day)
1 night in Osaka (expedition game mode the next day)
Overnight in Kyoto (Expedition game mode the next day)
In Reference Example 3, the destination area for the first night and the third night is Kyoto, but since the second night is moving to another area (Osaka Prefecture) Since they are not staying overnight in the same prefecture (Kyoto Prefecture), the expedition game mode will be applied on the next day for all three nights.

  Next, an operation example of the game server 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In addition, the same step number is attached to the process similar to the flowchart of FIG. 11, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Also in the processing flow of FIG. 12, the processing from step S61 to S66 is common to the processing flow of FIG. In step S66, if the location information of the user when accessing the game at the end of the day (target date) is outside the home area (YES in S66), the prefecture outside the home area is the same prefecture as the previous day. It is determined whether or not there is (S71). Here, if the prefecture outside the home area is not the same prefecture as the previous day (NO in S71), the “expedition game mode” is applied until midnight of the next day (S68). On the other hand, if the prefecture outside the home area is the same prefecture as the previous day (YES in S71), the “practice game mode” is applied until midnight of the next day (S67).

  With this configuration, even when an area (such as the user's work place) that is different from the area where the user's home is located (such as Chiba Prefecture) is registered as the home address, It is possible to effectively avoid the inconvenience that the game in the “expedition game mode” can be performed.

  The above configuration is particularly effective as a countermeasure for a user who is in a prefecture where his home is different from his work place (commuting destination). However, as shown in Reference Example 2 above, even if a user who is home in Tokyo is moving to an area (Kyoto Prefecture) that is clearly far from the daily movement distance, In the case of consecutive nights, the “practice game mode” is applied instead of the “expedition game mode” after the second night. Therefore, in the following, a preferred configuration in which the expedition game mode is continued for the number of consecutive nights when the moving distance from the prefecture of the user's home exceeds a threshold (for example, 100 km) will be described.

  In the game server 1 according to the present embodiment, when the user's moving distance from the reference area (the user's home prefecture) exceeds the threshold, the user exists in the same area outside the reference area. When the game content change means 74 is detected continuously, the game expedition mode 74 continues to apply the “expedition game mode”. Here, the threshold value can be set to an arbitrary value such as 50 km, 100 km, or 200 km.

  Next, an operation example of the game server 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In addition, the same step number is attached to the process similar to the flowchart of FIG. 11 or FIG. 12, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Also in the processing flow of FIG. 13, the processing from step S61 to S66 is the same as the processing flow of FIG. In step S66, if the location information of the user when accessing the game at the end of the day (target date) is outside the home area (YES in S66), the prefecture outside the home area is the same prefecture as the previous day. It is determined whether or not there is (S71). Here, if the prefecture outside the home area is the same prefecture as the previous day (YES in S71), it is determined whether or not the user's moving distance from the reference area exceeds the threshold of 100 km (S72). Here, when the moving distance of the user exceeds 100 km (YES in S72), the “expedition game mode” is applied until midnight of the next day (S68). On the other hand, if the movement distance of the user does not exceed 100 km (NO in S72), the “practice game mode” is applied until midnight of the next day (S67).

If this is applied to the above-mentioned reference example 2, there is a distance exceeding 100 km between Tokyo and Kyoto, so that the following reference example 4 is obtained.
Reference example 4 (standard area = Tokyo 3 nights 4 days, threshold = 100 km)
Overnight in Kyoto (Expedition game mode the next day)
Overnight in Kyoto (Expedition game mode the next day)
Overnight in Kyoto (Expedition game mode the next day)

Reference Example 5 below shows an application mode for the next day when a user whose home is in Tokyo moves to Chiba Prefecture for 3 days and 4 days and plays a game in the destination Chiba Prefecture.
Reference example 5 (standard area = Tokyo, 3 nights 4 days, threshold = 100 km)
Overnight in Chiba (expedition game mode the next day)
Overnight in Chiba (Practice match mode on the next day)
Overnight in Chiba (Practice match mode on the next day)
In this reference example 5, Chiba prefecture stays in the same prefecture (Chiba prefecture) other than the home prefecture, and the Tokyo and Chiba prefectures are adjacent to each other (the moving distance of the user is 100 km or less). The expedition game mode is applied only on the day after the first night in Japan, but after that it returns to the practice game mode.

  As described above, in this configuration, the case where there is a possibility of daily movement (movement between the home and the commuting destination) and the case of long distance movement exceeding the threshold are distinguished. And even when staying in the same prefecture (Chiba Prefecture) other than the home prefecture, for the user who has traveled long enough to exceed the threshold, the expedition game mode as in Reference Example 4 above Can be made so as not to interfere with the application.

  By the way, for a user in a prefecture where the home and the commuting destination are different, for example, the morning before going to work and the night after returning home exist in the A prefecture at home, and the day B in the commuting destination. Therefore, if the timing at which the user accesses the game is adjusted, the two prefectures can be alternately changed every day without continuously detecting that the user exists in the same prefecture. For example, when the application mode of the next day is determined based on the position of the real world when the user accesses the game at the end of the day (see FIG. 11 and the like), the game play of the day is performed in A prefecture at home on one day. The next day, the game play of the day is finished in the prefecture B of the commuting destination, and the game play of the day is finished in the prefecture A of the home the next day. It can be created intentionally.

  In this case, even if the measures illustrated in FIG. 12 or FIG. 13 (measures for returning to the practice game mode when it is detected that the user stays in the same prefecture outside the reference area) are taken every other day Play in the expedition game mode will be possible. Therefore, it is desirable that the game content changing means 74 limit the application of the expedition game mode when the user moves to the same area outside the reference area within a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period. For example, the application of the expedition game mode in which the home is moved to other than A prefecture by a user in A prefecture is limited to once per month. In addition, it is not limited to once per month, Arbitrary periods and frequency | counts, such as once in 2 months and 2 times in 3 months, can be defined.

  This may be applied only when the moving distance of the user from the reference area is not more than a threshold value (for example, 100 km). In other words, if the user is moving a long distance that the moving distance from the reference area of the user exceeds the threshold, even if the user moves in the same area outside the reference area, the expedition game is unlimited The mode shall be applied.

  Next, an operation example of the game server 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In addition, the same step number is attached to the process similar to the flowchart of FIGS. 11 thru | or 13, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the processing flow of FIG. 14 as well, the processing from step S61 to S66 is the same as the processing flow of FIG. In step S66, if the location information of the user when accessing the game at the end of the day (target date) is outside the home area (YES in S66), the prefecture outside the home area is the same prefecture as the previous day. It is determined whether or not there is (S71). Here, if the prefecture outside the home area is not the same prefecture as the previous day (NO in S71), the same prefecture as the current destination (for example, Chiba prefecture) will be within the predetermined period, for example, within one month. It is determined whether the expedition has been performed once or more (S81). If “YES” in this step S81, the “practice game mode” is applied until midnight of the next day (S67). On the other hand, in the case of NO in this step S81, the “expedition game mode” is applied until midnight of the next day (S68). After that, the game server 1 stores the history information (information such as date) to which the expedition game mode is applied in the storage device (database server 2 or the like) in association with the user ID (S82). This history information is used when step S81 is subsequently executed.

  As described above, in this configuration, the application of the expedition game mode due to the user moving in the same area outside the reference area is limited to a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period. Thereby, the situation where application of expedition game mode occurs frequently by daily movement (movement between a house and a commuting destination etc.) can be avoided effectively. Of course, the above limitation can be arbitrarily set according to game characteristics. For example, a user who intends to use a round trip between his / her home and work place for a game can be allowed a certain degree of allowance and can be allowed up to twice a week as an expedition game mode.

  By the way, when registering the reference area (home prefecture) at the start of the game, the user may intentionally or mistakenly register a prefecture different from his / her own address in the real world. For example, at the start of the game, a user living in Tokyo may intentionally register Hokkaido as his / her home address. As a countermeasure, when the user registers the home prefecture, the GPS function of the terminal device 3 is used, and the position acquisition unit 72 acquires the real world position information of the user. And the structure which the reference | standard area memory | storage control means 71 registers a user's home prefecture automatically based on the positional information which the position acquisition means 72 acquired can be considered. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the user from registering an arbitrary prefecture that is not related to his current position as his / her home address.

  Note that the user may move from the home prefecture registered at the start of the game to another prefecture. Therefore, it is preferable that the user can correct the prefecture of his home by operating the terminal device 3. Also in the correction of the home prefecture, the position acquisition means 72 acquires the user's real world position information, and the reference area storage control means 71 determines the user's home prefecture based on the acquired position information. A configuration to correct is conceivable.

  However, it is considered that some users who have moved do not perform an operation to correct the home prefecture. In addition, the following is also conceivable when adopting a configuration in which the prefecture of the user's home is registered using the GPS function of the terminal device 3 or the like. That is, when the home registration (or home correction) at the start of the game is performed while traveling to a place different from the user's actual address (for example, Tokyo), for example, “Hokkaido”, the GPS function of the terminal device 3 It is possible that “Hokkaido” acquired using the above or the like is registered as the user's home prefecture.

  Therefore, hereinafter, a game management apparatus having a function of automatically correcting the reference area of the user based on the daily real-world position information of the user acquired by the position acquisition means will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the game management apparatus according to the present embodiment further includes a reference area correction unit 81 in addition to the reference area storage control unit 71, the position acquisition unit 72, the movement detection unit 73, and the game content variation unit 74. I have.

  The reference area correction means 81 automatically selects the user reference area (home prefecture) stored in the database server 2 by the reference area storage control means 71 based on the user position information acquired by the position acquisition means 72. Has a function to modify. An example of automatic correction of the reference area by the reference area correction means 81 is shown below.

  Based on the history of user location information (GPS location information, etc.) for a predetermined period, for example, one month, more than a predetermined number of days in one month (for example, more than half in one month) are registered If it is the same area “Tokyo” that is different from the existing reference area “Hokkaido”, the reference area correction means 81 automatically corrects the reference area of the user to “Tokyo”. The reference area correction unit 81 periodically executes this automatic correction process every predetermined period, for example, every month. Thereby, even if there is an error in the home prefecture registered by the user as the reference area, the reference area is automatically corrected accurately based on the user's actual position information within one month. .

  As another example of automatic correction, an area (prefecture) where the user stayed most often is recognized as a reference area based on the history of the user's location information during a predetermined period (for example, one month), and if necessary Automatically correct the reference area.

  As illustrated in FIG. 7, the history of location information of the user in the real world is stored in the database server 2 every time the user terminal device 3 accesses the game (logs in to the game server 1). By analyzing the history of the location information of the user, it is possible to determine which area (prefecture) the user is staying in (acting in) on a daily basis. Then, when the center area of the user's daily stay is different from the currently set user's reference area, the area that the reference area correction means 81 has identified as the center of the user's daily stay Is automatically corrected as a reference area.

  With this configuration, even if an incorrect reference area is registered, the reference area is automatically corrected accurately based on the user's real-world location information, so the game content can be changed based on the incorrect reference area. Can be effectively avoided.

[Other configuration examples of the game system]
In each of the above-described embodiments, a game execution program is installed on the game server 1 side, and the game server 1 performs arithmetic processing and data processing for game progress in response to an input operation on the terminal device 3 of each user. The application example to the game system in which the game progresses by transmitting the screen data reflecting the execution result to the terminal device 3 has been described. This is a so-called client-server game system, and is an example in which a game management device is configured by servers (game server 1 and database server 2). As described above, this configuration is suitable for providing users with services such as browser games, social games, and cloud gaming, but the configuration of the game management device is not limited to this.

  For example, the game server 1 manages the game information of each user and provides the user with game services such as exchanges between users in the game and matching (on-line opponent determination processing) during online battles, while proceeding with the game. The game execution process to be performed is basically applicable to a game system performed on the user terminal device side.

  In other words, the present invention can also be applied to a game system in which a part or all of the game execution program is downloaded or installed on the user terminal device side and the game execution process is also performed on the terminal device. For example, a user terminal device peers with another user terminal device by Internet communication, wireless LAN communication, short-range wireless communication using a predetermined frequency band (for example, 2.4 GHz frequency band), or wired LAN communication. It is also possible to execute a peer-to-peer game by connecting two to peers.

  The server and the terminal device can communicate with each other to send and receive various data, and are information processing devices (computers) each including a CPU, ROM, RAM, auxiliary storage device, communication control unit, and the like. The hardware configuration is as follows. Therefore, in a game system including a server and a terminal device, each means included in the game management device described in each of the above embodiments may be provided in either the server or the terminal device. In other words, the game management device can be configured to be provided in a server and a terminal device that communicate with each other to send and receive various data, and achieve the same effects as the above-described embodiment.

  For example, in FIG. 6, the game server 1 includes the reference area storage control unit 71, the position acquisition unit 72, the movement detection unit 73, and the game content variation unit 74, but as illustrated in FIGS. 16 to 18, It is possible to give the functions of the means 71 to 74 to either the server or the terminal device. Here, the hardware configuration of the server shown in FIGS. 16 to 18 is the same as that of the game server 1 shown in FIG. 2, and the hardware configuration of the terminal device is the same as that of the terminal device 3 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 16 shows a configuration example in which the reference area storage control unit 71, the position acquisition unit 72, and the movement detection unit 73 are provided in the server 101, and the game content change unit 74 is provided in the terminal device 301. FIG. 17 shows a configuration example in which the server 102 is provided with the reference area storage control means 71 and the position acquisition means 72, and the terminal device 302 is provided with the movement detection means 73 and the game content variation means 74. FIG. 18 shows a configuration example in which the server 103 is provided with the position acquisition unit 72, the movement detection unit 73, and the game content variation unit 74, and the reference area storage control unit 71 is provided in the terminal device 303. 16 to 18 are examples of the configuration of the game system, and other configurations are possible.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 19, the game terminal 304 can include a reference area storage control unit 71, a position acquisition unit 72, a movement detection unit 73, and a game content variation unit 74. That is, the game management device can be mounted on the game terminal 304 itself, and in this case, the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained. In this case, the server 104 manages game information of each user and provides game services such as matching of matches (arbitrary matches) to the user, but all other processing is performed on the game terminal 304 side. be able to. Alternatively, the management of game information of each user is also performed on the game terminal 304 side of each user, and the server 104 can only provide the user with game services such as match matching. Further, in the configuration in which the game terminal 304 includes all of the reference area storage control means 71, the position acquisition means 72, the movement detection means 73, and the game content changing means 74, it can be a stand-alone game terminal 304. Server 104 is not essential.

  Further, the reference area correction means 81 described above can be provided not only on the server side but also on the terminal device (game terminal) side.

[Other Embodiments]
In each of the above embodiments, when the user moves out of the reference area, the “practice game mode” changes to the “expedition game mode” in any game, and the experience value accumulated in the player character is doubled. An example to do. Or, if the user moves out of the reference area, the “normal mode” changes to “expedition mode”, and the experience value and points that can be earned per operation or per process, etc., improve the lottery probability of rare items In this example, various benefits are generated, such as the improvement in the amount of consumption of in-game currency (points) per action. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and it is only necessary that the game content can be changed based on the detection result by the movement detection means 73.

  Therefore, when the user moves out of the reference area, the game content may be changed not only to change the game content so as to produce a merit for the user but also to cause a disadvantage. As an example of changing the game contents so as to cause a demerit, an experience value or points that can be acquired per operation or per process is shifted to a game mode in which the experience value or points are reduced for a predetermined period of time compared to the normal mode.

  For example, when the user moves out of the reference area, a lottery is executed. If the user wins the lottery, the game content may be changed, and if the user moves out, the game content may be changed. That is, the expedition mode is provided with a first expedition mode in which a merit in the game is generated as compared with the normal mode and a second expedition mode in which a demerit in the game is generated as compared with the normal mode. In this case, the probability that the merit occurs is higher than the probability that the demerit occurs (for example, the probability that the merit occurs is 90% and the probability that the demerit occurs is 10%), so that the user is outside the reference area. If the user feels that there is a high possibility that a merit will be generated by moving to, the user can be actively moved outside the reference area to play the game.

  By the way, regarding a configuration having a storage control function for storing various types of information in the storage device (reference area storage control means 71 and the like), the storage device itself is not included in the configuration, so the inside and outside of the game management device (or game system) It may be installed anywhere. For example, the storage device is a RAM 13 or auxiliary storage device 14 that the game server 1 has, a database server 2, a RAM 33 or auxiliary storage device 39 that the terminal device 3 has, or a file server (online that is different from the game management device or terminal device). Storage) or the like.

  The configurations described in the above embodiments can be applied in appropriate combination.

  The computer-readable program according to the present embodiment is recorded on various computer-readable recording media such as a hard disk, an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.), a flexible disk, a semiconductor memory, and the like. Are executed by the CPU of the server and terminal device (game terminal). The means for providing the program to the server or the like is not limited to the recording medium described above, and can be performed via a communication network such as the Internet.

1 Game server (game management device)
2 Database server (game management device)
3 Terminal device 4 Network 11 CPU
12 ROM
13 RAM
14 Auxiliary storage device 71 Reference area storage control means,
72 Position acquisition means 73 Movement detection means 74 Game content change means 81 Reference area correction means 101-104 Server (game management device, game system)
301-303 Terminal device (game management device, game system)
304 Game terminal (game management device, game system)

Claims (11)

A game management device for managing a game,
Reference area storage control means for storing a user's reference area in a storage device;
Position acquisition means for acquiring real-world position information of the user;
A movement detection means for detecting a movement of the user from the reference area based on the user position information acquired by the position acquisition means;
When the movement detecting unit detects that the user has moved out of the reference area, the game advantage for the user is increased stepwise or gradually depending on the movement distance of the user from the reference area. Game content changing means for changing the game content,
A game management device comprising: a reference area correction unit that automatically corrects the reference area based on the user position information acquired by the position acquisition unit .   The game content changing means applies the first game mode when the movement detecting means detects that the user exists in the reference area, while the movement detecting means makes the user different from the reference area. The game management device according to claim 1, wherein, when it is detected that the user has moved to an area, the second game mode having a greater game advantage than the first game mode is applied.   The game management device according to claim 1, wherein the movement detection unit detects whether or not a user has moved from the reference area at a predetermined reference time.   4. The game content changing means according to claim 1, wherein the game content changing means changes the game content so that as the moving distance is longer, a point that a user can acquire per operation or per process becomes larger. The game management device according to item.   5. The game management device according to claim 1, wherein the game content changing unit changes the game content so that a rare item is easily acquired during the game as the moving distance is longer.   6. The game content changing means according to claim 1, wherein the game content changing means changes the game content so that the point consumption per operation or processing during the game becomes smaller as the moving distance is longer. The game management device described.   The game content changing means according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the longer the moving distance is, the longer the duration of the merit on the game caused by the movement of the user from the reference area is. The game management device described. Game management device according to any one of constituted claims 1 to 7 as a server capable of communicating with the game terminal device operated by a user. Game management device according to any one of 7 claims 1 configured as a game terminal device operated by a user. Is configured as a game system including a server and a terminal device communicating with each other, said each means, game management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 either the server or the terminal device comprises . A program for causing a computer to operate as the game management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the program causes the computer to function as each unit included in the game management device.

Images