JP6726085B2 - Game device and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a game device and a program, and more particularly to a game device that provides a game experience related to an electronic game that trains a character.

There is a game device that provides a game (training game) having a training element for growing a character according to a user's operation input. In Patent Literature 1, a training simulation device (game) that can train a character in various forms by performing an operation input related to care such as meals and toilets during a period corresponding to the life of one character. Apparatus) is disclosed.

The game device described in Patent Document 1 is configured to present that one character hatched from an egg grows. For example, after the character reaches the end of life, the user resets the device. You can experience the game again from the egg state. On the other hand, in a game device in which the training of a new character (new character) is started without considering the state of the character (old character) trained by the user, what is the old character and the new character? Since there is no relevance to the above and the same breeding game is repeated by simply resetting, the user's interest can be reduced. Therefore, in order to encourage the user's attachment to the new character, in recent years, a parent-child relationship has been defined between the old character and the new character, and a new character is produced by spawning after the old character has been married. is there.

JP, 10-274921, A

On the other hand, in the training game as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a predetermined branch is adopted as a character training mode for a game result according to a user's operation input such as a degree of success in caring. Therefore, even if a birth effect that makes the user aware of the parent-child relationship as described above is performed, it is difficult for the user to recognize the connection between the new character and the old character by an element other than the effect, which makes the user entertaining. There was a possibility that it could not be increased appropriately.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a game device and a program that provide a game experience in which the connection between characters can be suitably recognized.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a game device that provides a game in which the aspect of the target character of the present invention can change, wherein the target character is associated with a first character having a first relationship, Furthermore, at least a first stage and a second stage in which the aspect changes are provided, and the game device includes a setting unit that sets a plurality of constituent elements according to the aspect for each of the target character and the first character. , A list for generating a list image of the presenting means for presenting the target character and the character having a first derived relationship with the target character in a mode relating to the plurality of components set by the setting means an image generating unit, and a control means for controlling the setting means, the control means, at least one component of the target character, the setting means so as to set from among a plurality of components of the first character The constituents that are controlled and set from among the plurality of constituents of the first character for the target character are different between the plurality of constituents of the first stage and the plurality of constituents of the second stage. Ri, presenting means, further presented a list image generated by the image list generation means.

With such a configuration, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a game experience in which the connection between characters can be preferably recognized.

The figure which showed the external appearance of the game device 100 which concerns on embodiment and modification of this invention. Block diagram showing the functional configuration of a game device 100 according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention. Diagram for explaining a family tree configured in the game device 100 according to the embodiment and the modification of the present invention The flowchart which illustrated the character formation process performed in the game device 100 which concerns on embodiment and modification of this invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining control relating to the configuration of a character image according to Modification 3 of the present invention. The figure which showed the structural example of various information used with the game device 100 which concerns on embodiment and modification of this invention.

[Embodiment]
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is a game that can provide a user with play of a training game in which one character (target character) that is a training target (operation target) appears as an example of a game device. An example in which the present invention is applied to a device will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to training, but can be applied to any device capable of providing a game in which the mode of the target character can change. Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the target character according to the present invention is a target to be raised in the above-mentioned breeding game will be described, but the genre of the game is not limited to this in the implementation of the present invention, and appears in the game. Any character may be the target character.

<<Structure of game device>>
1A and 1B show the appearance of the game device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the game device 100 of the present embodiment is provided with a spherical surface 120 formed in an elliptic spherical shape, a display unit 106 for displaying a screen of game content, and an operation input unit 109 for receiving an operation input from the user. The outer surface is formed with the flat surface 130. The game device 100 is, for example, a toy body of a size that can be held by both hands of an infant, and is battery operated. The game device 100 also includes a communication unit 110 that performs data communication with another game device by infrared rays.

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

The control unit 101 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each block included in the game device 100. Specifically, the control unit 101 controls the operation of each block by, for example, reading the operation program of each block stored in the recording medium 102, loading the program in the memory 103, and executing the program.

The recording medium 102 is a recording device such as a non-volatile memory or an HDD that can hold data permanently. The recording medium 102 records, in addition to the operation program of each block included in the game device 100, information such as parameters necessary for the operation of each block and various graphics data used in the training game of the present embodiment. .. The memory 103 is a storage device used for temporary data storage, such as a volatile memory. The memory 103 is used not only as an expansion area for the operation program of each block, but also as a storage area for temporarily storing the data output in the operation of each block.

The element DB 104 manages various pieces of information related to presentation elements (or constituent elements) described later, which are referred to for presenting various characters including the target character in the breeding game provided by the game device 100 of the present embodiment. It is a database to do.

The display control unit 105 generates screen data displayed on the display unit 106 such as an LCD provided in the game device 100 of the present embodiment, and controls the display content of the display unit 106. In the present embodiment, the display control unit 105 draws screen data using graphic data such as a character to be operated (operation character) and a background stored in the recording medium 102, and causes the display unit 106 to display the screen data. In the following description, it is assumed that the display control unit 105 draws screen data including not only a predetermined GUI such as an operating character and a menu screen but also a background image indicating a location such as a living space where the operating character is placed. To do. However, in implementing the present invention, the display control unit 105 does not have to draw all the background images of the screen data. For example, for some background images, the display area of the display unit 106 is layered. In some cases, the background image may be partially formed in advance in any of the layers. Further, it is assumed that the display unit 106 has a backlight, and the display control unit 105 also controls lighting/extinction of the illumination state of the backlight of the display unit 106 under the control of the control unit 101.

The reproduction control unit 107 controls the sound reproduction related to the training game executed in the game device 100 of the present embodiment. The sound may include, for example, a speech sound of the target character, a sound effect related to the action, a notification sound of the occurrence of various events in the training game, or the like. The audio output is performed by the audio output unit 108, which may be an audio output device such as a speaker.

The game device 100 of the present embodiment includes a display unit 106 capable of image display and a sound output unit 108 capable of sound reproduction, as a functional configuration capable of presenting the state of the target character related to the training game to the user. However, the mode of presentation is not limited to these. The presentation of information related to the training game is, for example, control of the lighting state of a lighting device (not shown) such as an LED provided on the exterior of the game device 100 (lighting or blinking), rotation control of a motor to which an eccentric member is attached (vibration transmission) ), or the above-described mode of controlling the turning on/off of the backlight of the display unit 106 and the like.

The operation input unit 109 is a user interface such as operation buttons included in the game device 100. When the operation input unit 109 detects that an operation input is made by the user, the operation input unit 109 transmits a control signal corresponding to the operation content to the control unit 101.

The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for data communication included in the game device 100. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 110 is described as adopting the infrared communication system as described above, but the communication system used by the communication unit 110 is not limited to this. For example, so-called near field communication or near field communication (NFC: Near Field Communication) method is employed, in which communication and data transmission/reception are performed when a device or an article having the same communication interface is approached within a predetermined distance or less. It may be one.

《Game outline》
In the breeding game of the present embodiment, a plurality of growth stages are defined for the growth of the target character, and the information (presentation element) used for presenting the target character to the user is changed as the growth stage shifts. Make growth visible to users. The presentation element after the change is determined based on at least one of the operation input performed by the user in relation to the training and the elapsed time. In the training game of the present embodiment, the presentation element will be described as being changed when a transition to a different growth stage occurs in a predetermined number of growth stages. However, the presentation element can be changed during the game, for example. When an in-game element such as an item is acquired, communication with another game device or external input occurs, the process may be performed without being limited to the transition to the growth stage.

Note that in the implementation of the present invention, “presentation” related to the target character refers to providing the state or action of the target character in a manner that the user can recognize. The game device 100 of the present embodiment is described as including the display unit 106 and the audio output unit 108 as a functional configuration capable of presenting, but the presenting mode is not limited to this as described above.

The presentation elements related to the target character are, for example:-Shape and characteristics (pattern, length, etc.) of parts forming the character's appearance.
・Color of parts ・Information that defines behavior (action, behavior) of the character such as behavior pattern (depending on time and growth stage), thinking tendency, behavior frequency, special skill, preference, etc. (Playing pattern of meow, pitch of sound, etc.)
-It may include elements that are presented in various forms, such as the ending tendency and display font of the utterance text, as well as the image and sound of the character. In the present embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, a mode will be described in which the parts and the colors of the parts necessary for forming an image (character image) showing the appearance of the character displayed in the training game are the presentation elements. Therefore, in the following description, among the above-mentioned presentation elements, the parts and the colors of the parts that are necessary to form the character image are referred to as “components”. It is assumed that a plurality of types of parts and colors of parts are provided in advance and are managed in the element DB 104, and constituent elements are selected from information managed in the element DB 104 and set for each character.

Further, in the breeding game provided by the game device of the present embodiment, male and female (sex) is set as the type of character. With this, when the target character is in a specific growth stage or later, the user builds a “marital relationship” with the heterosexual character so that a new generation that is the next generation between the target character and the heterosexual character. A character (child character) can be generated. At this time, a “parent-child relationship” is established between the target character (or heterosexual character) and the child character. That is, the target character becomes a parent character for the child character.

The heterosexual character capable of establishing a marital relationship appears by communicating with the character appearing in the game according to the play content of the breeding game and the same game device owned by another user via the communication unit 110. It may be at least one of the characters trained in the game devices of other users.

When the child character is in a generated state, after the target character has transitioned to a predetermined growth stage, after a predetermined game event (expiring, retiring, etc.) relating to the target character has occurred, or a user operation. According to the input, the user can continuously play the game in which the child character is a new breeding target. That is, the operation input related to the upbringing of the target character up to now becomes impossible (end of the training game related to the target character), and the child character is ready to input the operation related to the upbringing as a new target character (the child character The generation change, which is the start of the raising game as a new target character) is realized. By enabling such a generational change, the user's interest in the training game can be maintained.

Therefore, in the game device 100 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6A, the part information managed by the element DB 104 for each part is associated with, for example, a part ID 601 for identifying the part, Information 602 indicating whether the part is a part, settable stage information 603 indicating a growth stage in which the part can be set, set possibility information 604 indicating the gender of a character in which the part can be set, and an initial state of the part It is assumed that basic color information 605 indicating a preset color and a graphics ID 606 that identifies graphics data relating to the part are managed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the character information stored in, for example, the memory 103 to form the character image in the breeding game is associated with the character ID 611 for identifying the character, and the character image of the character image is obtained at each growth stage. As component information 612 indicating the information of the parts and colors used for the composition, and as candidates (component candidates, including parts and colors due to succession of the components described later) when setting the parts and colors used for the configuration of the character image. Component candidate information 613 indicating the referenced information, parent-child character information 614 indicating the character IDs of the characters (parents and children) associated with the parent-child relationship, and a couple indicating the character IDs of the heterosexual characters associated with the marital relationship. The character information 615 and the generation number information 616 indicating the number of generations corresponding to the genealogy derived from the characters having a parent-child relationship (or simply, the number of times the raising game is executed on the game device 100) are managed. It

The component element information 612 manages, for each growth stage, the part ID of the part to be used and the color information indicating the color used for the part in the configuration of the character image as one component for each growth stage. It only needs to be configured. The constituent element candidate information 613 is referred to as a constituent element candidate when deciding a part used for the actual construction of the character image, based on the content of the game play or based on the constituent element information set for the character corresponding to the parent character. It is assumed that the part ID of the part and the color information used for determining the color of the part are separately managed. It should be noted that the heterosexual characters associated with the marital relationship are not targets of the training game executed in the game device 100, and thus, for example, in the memory 103, character information predetermined for the heterosexual characters and the heterosexual characters. Therefore, the character information configured during the game or the character information of the opposite sex information received from another game device may be referred to by being stored in association with the character ID.

<Succession of components>
In the breeding game of the present embodiment, in order to allow the user to recognize the connection between the characters corresponding to the parent and child, some of the constituent elements used to configure the character image of the parent target character are Also used for character image construction. More specifically, the part or color used to form the figure of the target character is controlled to be included in at least a part as a constituent element of the child character.

By doing so, the user can visually recognize that the element of the parent character for the child character is inherited in the child character's upbringing. Instead of repeating the game, you can play the game with more attachment and familiarity.

The configuration of the character image related to the target character is performed based on the component information 612 of the character information (parts group used to form the figure of the target character and the color of each part) as described above. Basically, when the growth stage of the target character shifts, the control unit 101 determines the characteristics (for example, long ears, whole body The tendency that red) appears is determined, and the predetermined number of parts information of the component corresponding to the determined condition and the gender of the target character is read out from the element DB 104 for each part part, and the part ID 601 and the basic color information 605 of these are respectively read out. Is included in the component candidate information 613 of the character information related to the target character.

In the present embodiment, the description is made assuming that the constituent element candidates are determined for each growth stage. However, for example, at the time of generation (birth) of the target character, the constituent element candidates are determined and stored for the states of the growth stage to which the transition can be made thereafter. It may be configured.

Further, in the present embodiment, the description will be made assuming that the tendency of appearance of features is determined and the part information to be included in the component candidate information 613 is read out. ) Is defined and a combination of themes that can be transitioned from any theme after growth is defined, the part information including the part ID and the color information in the component candidate information 613 is determined based on the definition. It may be one.

From the component candidate information 613 stored in this way, the control unit 101 selects the component (part and its color) used for forming the figure of the target character relating to the growth stage after the transition, and configures the part. It is set in the element information 612. Then, the display control unit 105 configures the character image based on the set component information 612 of the growth stage, and displays the character image on the display unit 106.

On the other hand, in the training game of the present embodiment, the following control is performed in order to realize the succession of the constituent elements. Specifically, when there is a parent character associated with a parent-child relationship with the target character, the control unit 101 controls so that the parts or colors used to form the figure of the parent character can appear in the target character. Processes as follows. The control unit 101 stores, for example, information of a constituent element (parent element) used to form the appearance of the parent character (constituent element information 612 of the parent character) in the constituent element candidate information 613 related to the target character, When setting the constituent element information 612 of the target character for an arbitrary growth stage, it is set so as to include at least a part of the parent element (which may be at least one of parts and colors), whereby succession is realized. That is, when the parent character is associated with the target character, the control unit 101 controls the component element information 612 to include at least one parent element for each growth stage of the target character. By doing so, the succession of the parent element is shown in a manner visible to the user. Here, as described above, there are two male and female parent characters associated with the parent-child relationship with the target character, but the inheritance of the parent element is related to at least one of the parent characters. It may include elements.

For inheritance of the parent element, for example, regarding the growth stage of the target character in which the component is selected, at least one of the information of the parts and the color of the part selected as the component in the same growth stage of the parent character is used as the target character. It may be performed by including it in the component element information 612 related to. Note that, in the embodiment of the present invention, from the constituent element candidate information 613 related to the target character, the constituent element information related to the same growth stage is selected from the constituent element information 612 of the parent character, and the constituent element information 612 related to the target character is selected. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the parent element set in the component information 612 relating to one growth stage of the target character is not limited to the component relating to the same growth stage of the parent character, and may be the component relating to any growth stage. Further, for example, the character information stored in the memory 103 or the like in relation to the parent character without being stored in the constituent element candidate information 613 of the parent element (or the character information is configured without the constituent element candidate information 613). Alternatively, the parent element may be selected and set in the component element information 612 related to the target character.

Further, in order to produce a mode in which the appearance of the parent character becomes stronger as the target character grows, the number of parent elements included in the component element information 612 in the growth stage after the transition is the same as the number of parent elements in the growth stage before the transition. The number of parent elements included in the component element information 612 may be controlled to be greater than the number of parent elements. At this time, the parent element set in the component element information 612 for the growth stage before the transition is set as a component even if the growth stage transitions (for example, when the part of the parent character's mouth is selected, The effect may be enhanced by configuring such that the parts of the mouth do not change in the subsequent growth stage). Alternatively, on the contrary, the component information 612 is provided for each growth stage so that the parent character has a strong image in the undeveloped stage, but the image becomes faint as the target character grows, and an element unique to the target character appears. The number of parent elements included in may be controlled to decrease with growth.

In the implementation of the present invention, the inheritance of the parent element is not limited to the above-described example, and the element information 612 may include a different element or a different combination of element groups at different growth stages of the target character. Good.

By the way, in the breeding game of the present embodiment, the child character is not always generated. That is, depending on the play content of the breeding game, even if the heterosexual character does not appear in the game, or even if the heterosexual character appears in communication with another game device, the condition is not satisfied, or the user of one game device If an operation input for refusing to build a marital relationship is made, the marital relationship may not be associated. In this case, the game play is not continued due to the relationship between the parent and child after the target character transitions to a predetermined growth stage or after the occurrence of a predetermined game event (such as reaching the end of life or escape) of the target character. However, the game device 100 is configured so that the user can play a game in which a new target character is a target for breeding without performing a hard reset. At this time, the setting of the component information 612 of the new target character is set to any configuration used for the character image of the character that was the training target of the training game performed before the training game for the target character. It is determined based on the element. That is, succession of the above-described components is performed when the child character is generated, and when the breeding game for the new target character is executed without generating the child character, the game is Similar to the case where the breeding game is started in the initial state of the device (when shipped or when the main body is reset), the determination of the constituent element candidate is performed regardless of the play content of the past breeding game.

<Generation of family tree>
Further, the game device according to the present embodiment has a function of generating a family tree capable of listing a group of derived characters having a parent-child relationship so that the user can more easily recognize the connection between the trained characters.

The family tree includes not only a parent character associated with the target character as having a parent-child relationship, but also a parent-child relationship such as a character associated with the parent character as having a parent-child relationship (corresponding to the grandparent of the target character). A group of characters related to a plurality of generations, which are related to each other by being constructed by being derived from, is included. Character groups that are related to each other in the family tree are shown by a line connection as shown in FIG. 3A so that the parent-child relationship and the marital relationship among them can be recognized. In FIG. 3A, solid lines are shown between the characters to which the parent-child relationship is associated among the characters to be raised, and between the characters to which the marital relationship is associated with the character to be raised. Indicates a double line. In the present embodiment, the family tree is not a training target in the game device so that the inherited components can be confirmed, but the family tree is described as including a character associated with a marital relationship. It may be composed of only the characters.

Note that the family tree may include images of more characters than in the case where only the game play of the raising game related to one target character is provided, so that the family tree is not generated when a display request is made, and It is preferable that a character image is formed in advance for a portion of the related characters other than the target character, a family tree is generated and stored in the memory 103, and the responsiveness to the display request is enhanced.

On the other hand, in the case of a portable small toy body such as the game device 100 of the present embodiment, since the memory capacity is limited, the area that can be allocated to the generated family tree storage is also limited. Therefore, in the game device 100 of this embodiment, the upper limit of the number of generations that can be included in the family tree is set according to the capacity of the storage area. For example, when the number of generations that can be included in the family tree is 21 generations including the target character, when the family tree is generated when the raising game related to the new target character related to the 22nd generation is executed, The first generation character cannot be included in the family tree. At this time, the control unit 101 generates a code indicating the information of the character relating to the first generation, such as a 16-digit number string shown in FIG. 3B, and causes the display control unit 105 to display the code on the display unit 106. You may control. The code may be configured to have information that enables the reproduction of the family tree by a dedicated application by inputting the code into an external device having a storage capacity larger than that of the game device 100, for example.

In addition, the character information (reproduction information) necessary for generating the code and the family tree is information that can identify the component selected for the character (for example, component information of each of two characters having a marital relationship). 612, parent-child character information 614 related to the character that was the breeding target, and generation number information 616). Since the amount of data is smaller than when a character image is formed for a plurality of characters, the house It does not occupy the area of the memory 103 as compared to the genealogy. Therefore, more information than the number of generations included in the family tree may be stored in an area other than the one for storing the family tree, and the code is not included in the family tree at the timing of generation of the family tree. Not only in the mode displayed for each character, but when an operation input relating to a code display request for a character of an arbitrary generation is made, a code is generated based on the reproduction information related to the character of the requested generation and The display may be what is done. The code is not limited to a number string as long as it can be input to an external device, and may be generated in any form such as a two-dimensional code or an infrared signal.

In addition, as described above, when a breeding game relating to a new target character having no parent-child relationship is executed instead of a continuous game targeting a child character as a new breeding target, the user is associated with past breeding games. Corresponding reproduction information may be retained so as to ensure the opportunity to browse the family tree. On the other hand, since the configuration of providing a plurality of types of family tree can complicate data management and browsing operations, information having a parent-child relationship as shown in FIG. 3C is not shown, but a new generation of the target character is not shown. A family tree including images may be configured. That is, for the character after the derivation of the affinity is interrupted, the parent-child character information 614 does not include the character ID indicating the specific character, but has the generation number information 616 continuously numbered from the past game. By using the reproduction information, a family tree as shown in FIG. 3C can be constructed. In this case, the family tree may be configured to clearly indicate that the derivation of the affinity for the past breeding game has been interrupted, for example, by displaying a character of a generation in which a child character has not been generated with a crying face. When the breeding game is newly executed after the hard reset is performed, the family tree related to the past breeding game is not generated, and the family tree that presents only the characters related to the target character is generated. It may be configured to.

In addition, the family tree may be displayed in response to an operation input relating to the display request, or may be displayed in other states. For example, in a state in which the user may make an operation error related to the game, such as a state where the illumination of the display unit 106 is turned off, the operation input operation related to the game is controlled to be impossible, and the operation input can be performed by the user. The family tree may be displayed so as not to be erroneously recognized. At this time, when an operation input is made, the illumination of the display unit 106 may be controlled to the lighting state to switch to the display of the character image, and the operation-disabled state may be released. By the control, it is possible to present the family tree while preventing a user's erroneous operation.

<Character formation processing>
With regard to the character forming process executed by the game device 100 of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, a specific process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The processing corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading out a corresponding processing program stored in the recording medium 102, expanding the processing program in the memory 103, and executing the program. It should be noted that the present character forming process will be described as being started, for example, when the transition of the growth stage is determined in the breeding game executed for the target character. However, this character forming process may be started, for example, when it is decided to generate a child character.

In step S<b>401, the control unit 101 determines the tendency of features to appear in the growth stage after the transition, based on the play content performed in the growth stage before the transition. The tendency of the features to appear is determined based on, for example, the number of game events that have achieved the setting conditions in the pre-transition growth stage, or a theme that can be derived from the themes defined for the pre-transition growth stage components. It may be one.

In step S402, the control unit 101 reads out the part information of the corresponding component from the element DB 104 based on the determined tendency and the gender of the target character, and sets the part ID 601 and the basic color information 605 of the part information individually. It is stored in the component candidate information 613 related to the target character as the component information. In the present embodiment, the control unit 101 includes, for each part part, two kinds of constituent elements (part IDs) as parts and two kinds of constituent elements (color information) as colors in the constituent element candidates.

In S403, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a parent character exists for the target character. Specifically, the control unit 101 refers to the parent-child character information 614 of the character information related to the target character, and determines the present step depending on whether or not the character ID related to the parent character is included. When determining that the parent character exists, the control unit 101 moves the process to S404, and when determining that the parent character does not exist, moves the process to S406.

In step S404, the control unit 101 acquires at least one of the information of the parent element used in the configuration of the character image of the parent character in the growth stage after the transition, and sets the part ID and the color information to the individual components. Is added to the constituent element candidate information 613 related to the target character. More specifically, the control unit 101 associates the character ID of the parent character included in the parent-child character information 614 of the target character with the constituent element information 612 related to the parent character stored in the memory 103, and determines the growth stage after the transition. The information of the constituent element set in relation to is acquired, and the part ID and color information of the information are added to the constituent element candidate information 613 related to the target character. Note that the addition of the information related to the parent element may be performed by adding the information of the candidate constituent element (part ID or color information) to three or more types for the added part part, or 2 One of the constituent elements of the seed may be replaced with the information of the added parent element. The parent element may have the latter configuration in order to facilitate the use in the configuration of the character image relating to the growth stage after the transition. Further, the information of the added constituent element may be information indicating that it is a parent element (that is, the inherited element).

In step S<b>405, the control unit 101 includes, for each part part of the target character, the information of the constituent elements (parts and their colors) used to configure the character image related to the growth stage after the transition is included in the constituent element candidate information 613. Set based on element (part or color) information. Specifically, the control unit 101 selects one part ID and one color information from the information of the constituent elements included in the constituent element candidate information 613 regarding the growth stage after the transition for one part part. Then, these are associated and included in the component element information 612. Which constituent element is selected from the candidates for one part may be determined according to, for example, a lottery process. Note that in the configuration of the component information 612 of this step, the control unit 101 determines, for at least one of the part parts, the component (parent element) related to the parent character in the component information included in the component candidate information 613. ) The information shall be controlled so that it is included. Further, the number of parent elements included in the component element information 612 may be determined according to the growth stage, and the number of additional parent element information in S404 and the number of selected parent element information in this step are It may be controlled according to the growth stage after the transition.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S403 that the parent character does not exist, the control unit 101 determines in S406 the constituent elements (parts and their colors) used to construct the character image relating to the growth stage after the transition for each part part of the target character. Information is set based on the information of the component (part or color) included in the component candidate information 613. The setting may be performed in the same manner as the processing of S405, but if the parent character does not exist, the constituent element candidate information 613 does not include the parent element information, and thus includes the parent element information. There is no control. If the parent character does not exist, the part ID selected to be included in the component element information 612 must be associated with the color information defined as basic color information in the part information related to the part ID. It may be controlled.

In step S<b>407, the display control unit 105, under the control of the control unit 101, creates color information associated with the parts of each part based on the component information set in the component information 612 related to the growth stage after the transition. A character image of the target character is constructed by drawing in a base color and combining these. The character image configured in relation to the growth stage after the transition is not limited to one composition, and may be a plurality of patterns of images that realize transitions related to various actions of the target character, for example.

In step S408, the control unit 101 determines a background image related to the living space of the target character and causes the display control unit 105 to generate the background image. In the breeding game of the present embodiment, display control is performed so that a character having a specific component (part or color) uses a background image of the living space in accordance with the theme of the component. Suitable locations such as forests, sky, sea, towns, mountains, etc. are defined for specific components, and the control unit 101 determines locations for components (parts and colors) set for all parts. The scores assigned according to the selection are added up, and the background image is changed in accordance with the location having the highest total score. If it is determined that the location has not changed from the growth stage before the transition, it is not necessary to cause the display control unit 105 to generate the background image again.

In step S409, the control unit 101 stores the character image of the target character and the background image in the memory 103 as images to be used in the growth stage after the transition, and completes the character forming process.

By doing so, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a raising game in which the user can suitably recognize the connection between the characters by the succession effect of the constituent elements between the characters having the parent-child relationship. ..

In the present embodiment, a new child character having a parent-child relationship (first relationship according to the present invention) with these characters is created from two characters in which a marital relationship (second relationship according to the present invention) is constructed. Although described as generating, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, the first relationship is not a parent-child relationship, but may be another character in the game, such as a master-apprentice relationship, a friend relationship, or a newly generated character. In this case, the character having the second relationship is not always necessary in associating the character having the first relationship with the newly generated character.

Also, for example, in a game in which a new character is generated by combining/combining a plurality of characters, the first relationship is not the parent-child relationship, but the relationship between the character that is the basis of the combination and the character that is generated by the combination. May be associated with each other. In this case, the character having the second relationship is not limited to the two male and female characters as in the present embodiment, but may be three or more characters.

[Modification 1]
In the above-described first embodiment, in the setting of the component used to configure the character image, after adding each of the part ID and the color information to the component candidate as a component for each part part, the part ID and the color from the candidate are added. Information and information have been described as being selected respectively. However, regarding colors, when the first relationship is associated between the target character and the plurality of characters so that mixed colors can be expressed, the following control may be performed.

The component relating to the color of the part is configured to have a plurality of color elements as color information for determining the color that finally appears. For example, when the finally appearing color is purple, the color information is “red/blue”, when the color is white, the color information is “white/white”, and the color information has two types of color elements. The color corresponding to the color information is determined (mixed) based on these color elements. Therefore, if the first relationship is a parent-child relationship, in which the father parent character uses purple color information and the mother parent character uses white color information as a constituent element, the parent element is succeeded to the constituent element candidate. The color information to be included is assumed to include, for example, “red/blue” and “white/white”, which are the color information of the parent itself, as well as “red/white” and “blue/white”, which are color mixing in color elements. Good. At this time, the color information of “red/white” corresponds to pink and the color information of “blue/white” corresponds to light blue.

[Modification 2]
Further, the color of the target character may be changeable during the playing of the breeding game related to the target character so that the user can easily attach to the target character or systematically guide the color that appears in the child character. For example, the color information of the game elements acquired during the game satisfies a predetermined condition, such as obtaining and using an item for color change or ingesting food of a desired color continuously for a predetermined number of times. It may be realized by controlling that the color information of the constituent element is changed.

[Modification 3]
The game is developed in a so-called media mix, and when a character defined for a story corresponding to the game exists, or when an event, a collaboration campaign, or the like is performed in the game, the user has already been recognized. The appearance of such a predetermined fixed character can improve the user's interest.

In the breeding game of the above-described embodiment, such an effect mode is changed to a fixed character at a predetermined growth stage when the target character is in a predetermined growth stage, for example, when a predetermined condition is satisfied or the result of the lottery process is a win. It can be realized by controlling so that

In the rendering mode, the constituent elements of all parts defined for the fixed character are included in the constituent element candidate information 613, and when the constituent element candidate information 613 includes the constituent elements, the setting of the constituent elements of the character image is set. It may be realized by controlling so as to preferentially select. Alternatively, it is realized by controlling the constituent element candidate information 613 to only a plurality of constituent elements defined for the fixed character so that there is no other option related to the setting of the constituent elements of the character image. May be

On the other hand, the fixed character which is already recognized by the user has a predetermined gender, which may be different from the gender of the target character. That is, in such a case, if a plurality of constituent elements of the fixed character are used in the construction of the character image of the target character, a failure in the game may occur. Therefore, the fixed characters such as the eyes and the hairstyle as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, for example, are shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B so as not to cause a failure in the game while recognizing that the growth corresponding to the fixed characters has occurred. It is also possible to change and control some of the parts to parts provided according to gender.

[Modification 4]
By the way, in order to recognize the connection between the characters, for example, some constituent elements are not the same between the parent and child. That is, as in the above-described embodiment, one of the elements of the related character that is formed by having the parent-child relationship and derived is the element that appears in the era of inheritance in the constituent element of the subsequent character. May be.

For example, the constituent element used for the parent character of the target character may not be selected as the constituent element of the target character, but may be selected as the constituent element of the child character. Specifically, in the addition of information to the component candidate information 613 related to the target character, a part of the parent element used to configure the character image of the parent character provides information that is not allowed to be used to configure the character image of the target character. It may be included as an associated non-component. At this time, in the setting of the constituent elements of each part part related to the character image of the target character, the control unit 101 treats non-constituent elements as included in the constituent element candidate information 613 but not selected. On the other hand, in setting the constituent elements of the child character, the constituent element candidate information 613 of the parent character, which is the parent character, is also referred to. May be included in the component element information 612 of FIG.

By doing so, it is possible to achieve the succession of the constituents across generations, and in playing the raising game related to the target character, make the user look nostalgic for the past raising game and increase the interest in the game. You can

In the above example, in the three generations of the parent character, the target character, and the child character that have a parent-child relationship, at least some of the constituent elements of the parent character do not appear in the character image of the target character, and Although described as appearing in an image, the practice of the invention is not so limited. That is, the non-constituent element inherited from a certain character does not have to be configured to appear in the character image of the related character with one generation vacated, and may appear in the character image of the related character with two or more generations vacated. It may be configured. In this case, for example, information that counts down the number of generations to be inherited before non-components appear in the character image is set, and when the information related to the component candidate information 613 of the child character is added, the character that is the parent of the child character is set. When there is a non-component which does not have a count of 0 in the component candidate information 613, the non-component is added to the component candidate information 613 of the child character, and when there is a non-component which has a count of 0. The non-constituent elements may be controlled to be added to the constituent element information 612 of the child character.

[Other Embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The game device according to the present invention can also be realized by a program that causes one or more computers to function as the game device. The program can be provided/distributed by being recorded in a computer-readable recording medium or through an electric communication line.

100: game device, 101: control unit, 102: recording medium, 103: memory, 104: element DB, 105: display control unit, 106: display unit, 107: reproduction control unit, 108: audio output unit, 109: operation Input unit, 110: communication unit

Claims (20)

A game device that provides a game in which the mode of the target character can change,
The target character is associated with a first character having a first relationship, and is provided with at least a first stage and a second stage in which the aspect changes,
The game device is
Setting means for setting a plurality of constituent elements according to the aspect for each of the target character and the first character;
Presentation means for presenting the target character in a mode relating to the plurality of constituent elements set by the setting means,
List image generation means for generating a list image of characters having a relationship derived from the first relationship for the target character,
A control means for controlling the setting means ,
Said control means, at least one component of the target character, and controls the setting means so as to set from among a plurality of components of the first character,
The constituent elements set among the plurality of constituent elements of the first character for the target character are the plurality of constituent elements according to the first stage and the plurality of constituent elements according to the second stage. different Ri,
It said presenting means further presents to that game device the list image generated by the image list generation means. In the transition from the first stage to the second stage, the appearance of the target character presented by the presenting means is different from the first aspect before the transition, and the second aspect is different from the first aspect. The game device according to claim 1, wherein the game device changes to. The target character is an operation target character,
The game device according to claim 1, wherein the first character is a non-operation target character. The control means determines the number of constituent elements set among the plurality of constituent elements of the first character according to the second step, and the plurality of constituent elements of the first character according to the first step. 4. The game device according to claim 1, wherein the number of constituent elements is set to be greater than the number of constituent elements set from among the elements. Characters that can be made to appear in the game include fixed characters in which a plurality of components related to a predetermined stage are preset.
When the target character is the fixed character, the control unit controls the setting unit to set a plurality of constituent elements preset in the fixed character to a plurality of constituent elements of the target character. The game device according to any one of items 1 to 4. The fixed character has a predetermined type,
When the target character is the fixed character and the type of the target character and the type of the fixed character are different from each other, at least one of a plurality of constituent elements set in advance for the fixed character is used. The game device according to claim 5, wherein the setting unit is controlled so as to change the constituent element to a constituent element corresponding to the type of the target character and set the plural constituent elements of the target character. The component includes color information for determining the color of at least a part of the appearance of the character,
7. The presenting means presents the figure of the target character using a color determined based on the color information included in a plurality of constituent elements of the target character. Game device. The game device according to claim 7, wherein the presenting means changes and presents at least a part of the color of the appearance of the target character based on color information included in the game element acquired in the game. 9. The presenting means changes and presents at least a part of the color of the appearance of the character when a game element having the color information related to the same color is continuously acquired a predetermined number of times. Game device. Said presenting means, said presenting the target character in a state capable of accepting an operation input of the game, either in non-state receives an operation input relating to the game of claims 1 to 9, presenting the list image Or the game device according to item 1 . Determination means for determining whether or not the play content of the game satisfies a predetermined condition for the target character;
A character generation unit that newly generates a second character having the first relationship for the target character when the determination unit determines that the play content satisfies the predetermined condition;
Further comprising a an execution means for executing said game,
The execution means, if the second character is generated by the character generating means, a character of the second to any one of claims 1 to 10 for performing the game to the new target character The game device described. The list image generation means indicates that the derivation having the first relationship is interrupted when the game in which the character different from the second character as the new target character is executed by the execution means. the game device according to claim 1 1 to generate the list image by adding information. The list image generation unit generates the list image that presents characters including the target character, the number of derivatives of which has the first relationship and is equal to or less than a predetermined derivation number,
The game device has a relationship derived from the first relationship, which is not presented in the list image when the number derived from the first relationship exceeds the predetermined derivation number. further comprising a first code generating means for generating a code indicating the information to become the character,
The game device according to any one of claims 1 to 12 , wherein the presenting means presents the code generated by the first code generating means. Further comprising a second code generating means for generating a code indicating the information of the character to be derived relationships have the first relationship,
14. The game device according to claim 1, wherein the presenting means presents the code generated by the second code generating means. Code presented by the presenting means, it is input at the external device, according to claim 1 3 or 1 4 including information for configuring the image list of characters derived have the first relationship The game device according to 1. There are a plurality of the first characters,
The control unit controls the setting unit to set at least one constituent element of the target character from among a plurality of constituent elements of at least one character of the plurality of first characters. Item 15. The game device according to any one of items 1 to 15 . The game apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the plurality of first characters include a character associated with the first character in a second relationship different from the first relationship. From another of said game apparatus further comprises a communication means for acquiring information of a target character in the another game device,
Wherein the plurality of first character, the game apparatus according to claim 1 6 or 1 7 comprising at least one of the target character in appeared in character, and the other game devices in the game. Presenting by the presenting means includes presenting a background image together with the figure of the target character,
The game device according to any one of claims 1 to 18 , wherein the presenting means presents a background image corresponding to at least one of a plurality of constituent elements set by the setting means for the target character. Program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the game device according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

Images