JP7296703B2 - Server system, game system and matching processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a server system or the like that performs matching by combining groups of players as matching candidates.

In a multiplayer game in which a plurality of players participate and play at the same time, matching is generally performed to combine the players participating in the game (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2015-163262 A

As a form of multi-play game, in a game in which a group of players competes or cooperates with each other, matching is performed on a group-by-group basis. On the premise that matching should be established as quickly as possible, it is required that the sense of unfairness between groups be suppressed as much as possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and its object is to provide a new technology that enables matching between groups to be performed quickly and in a way that enhances player satisfaction. .

A first invention for solving the above problems is
A server system that performs matching for combining a group of players as matching candidates in order to execute a multiplayer game by combining matching candidates,
Determination means (e.g., chat status determination unit 214 in FIG. 7) for determining the usage status of each intra-group interaction function prepared for each group and allowing at least chat between players;
A matching unit (for example, the matching unit 216 in FIG. 7) that determines the priority of a group as a matching candidate based on the usage status of the group and performs matching based on the priority;
It is a server system with

According to the first invention, matching for combining groups of players for executing a multi-play game is performed based on the priority determined based on the usage status of the intra-group interaction function prepared for each group. For example, groups that actively use the intergroup interaction function are considered to be highly motivated to play multiplayer games. In addition, it is possible to realize matching that is more satisfying for the player.

A second invention is the server system of the first invention,
The matching means sets the priority of a group that is using the intra-group interaction function higher than the priority of a group that is not using the intra-group interaction function.
It is a server system.

According to the second invention, matching can be performed with priority given to groups using the intra-group interaction function over groups not using it.

A third invention is the server system of the first or second invention,
The matching means gives a higher priority to a group that satisfies an active state condition indicating that the usage state is active than a priority of a group that does not satisfy the condition.
It is a server system.

According to the third aspect, matching can be performed with priority given to a group that is actively using the intra-group interaction function.

A fourth invention is the server system according to any one of the first to third inventions,
The matching means has an exclusion means for excluding from the matching candidates a group in which the number of players using the intra-group interaction function is less than a given required number of players to be a matching candidate.
It is a server system.

According to the fourth aspect, by excluding from the matching candidates groups whose number of players using the intra-group interaction function is less than the required number of matching candidates, it is possible to speedily and quickly Matching with high satisfaction can be performed.

A fifth invention is the server system according to any one of the first to fourth inventions,
For a group in which the number of players using the intra-group interaction function exceeds a given maximum number of matching candidates, the matching means selects players whose number is equal to or less than the maximum number of players as a temporary group. has temporary group organization means for matching candidates by
It is a server system.

According to the fifth invention, matching can be performed so that the number of players in a group as matching candidates does not exceed the maximum number of players.

A sixth invention is the server system of the fifth invention,
The temporary group organizing means selects players to be organized into the temporary group based on the chat transmission status.
It is a server system.

According to the sixth aspect, the players to be organized into the temporary group can be selected based on the status of chat transmission in the intra-group interaction function. Players who send many chats are considered to be highly motivated to play the game. For example, by selecting players in order of the number of chats and organizing them into a temporary group, quick matching with a high level of player satisfaction can be achieved. It can be performed.

A seventh invention is the server system according to any one of the first to sixth inventions,
The multiplayer game is a game in which groups compete with each other,
The matching means is
Selectively presenting a group of matching candidates in a presentation order based on the priority to a presentation destination group to which matching candidates are presented;
inquiring of a group selected by the presentation group from among the presentations whether to approve matching with the presentation group;
Establishing a match between the inquiry group and the presentation group if the inquiry is approved;
I do,
It is a server system.

According to the seventh aspect, it is possible to rapidly establish matching between the presentation destination group that has presented the matching candidate and the matching candidate group selected by the presentation destination group as groups that compete against each other.

An eighth invention is the server system of the seventh invention,
The presentation by the matching means and the inquiry are performed by notification on the display screen of the intra-group interaction function.
It is a server system.

According to the eighth invention, the presentation of matching candidates to the presentation destination group and the inquiry of matching approval to the inquiry destination group are immediately notified to the players using the intra-group interaction function of the corresponding group. Therefore, matching can be quickly established.

As a ninth invention,
a server system according to any one of the first to eighth inventions;
a player terminal of each player;
You may configure a game system comprising

The configuration diagram of the game system. Explanatory drawing of the outline|summary of matching. Explanatory drawing of selection of matching. An example of a chat screen. An example of presentation of matching candidates on a chat screen. An example of a matching approval inquiry on the chat screen. FIG. 3 is a functional configuration diagram of a server system; An example of player management data. An example of group management data. An example of a chat status setting table. An example of matching management data. Flowchart of matching processing.

An example of an embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described below, but it goes without saying that the form to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the following embodiments.

[System configuration]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a game system 1 of this embodiment. According to FIG. 1, the game system 1 accesses the server system 1000, which is a computer system connectable to a communication line N, and the server system 1000 via the communication line N, and performs data communication with the server system 1000. A plurality of player terminals 1500 (1500a, 1500b, . . . ) are provided.

A communication line N means a communication path capable of data communication. That is, the communication line N includes a dedicated line (dedicated cable) for direct connection, a LAN (Local Area Network) such as Ethernet (registered trademark), a telephone communication network, a cable network, and a communication network such as the Internet. It does not matter whether the communication method is wired or wireless.

The server system 1000 has a main unit 1002, a keyboard 1004, a display 1006, and a storage 1020, and a control board 1010 is mounted on the main unit 1002. FIG.

The control board 1010 includes various processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1012, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), various IC memories 1014 such as VRAM, RAM, and ROM, and a communication device 1016. ing. Part or all of the control board 1010 may be realized by an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or SoC (System on a Chip). These arithmetic circuits can also be called processors. The server system 1000 realizes various services for operating the game of this embodiment by the control board 1010 performing arithmetic processing based on predetermined programs and data. For example, 1) a player management function related to player registration, etc., and 2) a player 3 (3a, 3b, . 3) an online shopping function that sells game objects such as various items and characters that can be used in the game to players online; , to realize.

Note that the server system 1000 is not limited to the single configuration shown in FIG. 1, and may have a configuration in which a plurality of blade servers sharing each function are installed and connected to each other via an internal bus so as to enable data communication. . Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of independent servers installed at remote locations are allowed to perform data communication via communication lines, thereby functioning as the server system 1000 as a whole.

The player terminals 1500 (1500a, 1500b, . . . ) are terminals individually used by the players 3 (3a, 3b, . It is a portable electronic device (electronic device) capable of executing a game.

Also, the player terminal 1500 of this embodiment is a device called a smartphone, but may be a portable game device, a game controller, a tablet computer, a wearable computer, or the like. In addition, not only the single device shown in FIG. 1, but also a combination of a controller and a main device, or a combination of a smart watch and a smartphone, etc., a configuration in which multiple devices are combined and cooperated to function integrally. may be

[overview]
The game provided by the game system 1 is a multiplayer game in which groups of players compete against each other. One of the features of this embodiment is that it uses the usage status of a chat room, which is an example of an intra-group interaction function, in matching in which two groups that are opponents of each other are combined as matching candidates.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an overview of matching in this embodiment. In the game of this embodiment, the player belongs to any group. This group is a set of one or more players, and can be freely created by the players. A player may create a new group by himself or join a group created by another player. Although there is no limit to the number of people who belong to a group, an upper limit may be set. Also, when a group is created, a "chat room" that can be used only by players belonging to the group is prepared for each group. In the chat room, chat (message exchange) can be performed between players belonging to the same group.

In the present embodiment, groups compete against each other based on this group, and the number of opponents is determined, for example, "4 against 4". However, the number of players belonging to each group differs. For this reason, a temporary group consisting of a predetermined number of players (for example, four) selected from one group is formed, and these temporary groups are matched as opponents. Specifically, a predetermined number of players are selected from among the players who belong to a certain group and are in the chat room, and a temporary group is organized as a unit of the match. That is, for a group in which the number of players in the chat room exceeds the number of opponents (four players in FIG. 2), the players of this number of opponents are selected to form a temporary group. A group in which the number of players in the chat room is less than the number of opponents (four players in FIG. 2) is excluded from matching candidates.

Then, two temporary groups are selected as a combination of matching candidates from among the plurality of temporary groups that are competition units. The selection conditions at this time include the usage status of the chat room, group level, and group differences. Groups with frequent chat (message) exchanges in chat rooms are presumed to have a high level of willingness to compete and cooperative relationships between players, so chat room usage is brisk (actively used). A certain temporary group is prioritized and selected as a matching candidate (selection based on chat room usage). In a group to which a large number of players belong, there is a possibility that two or more temporary groups will be organized. selection based on differences). In addition, a temporary group whose group levels are "close" (specifically, the group level difference is within a predetermined range) is selected as a matching candidate (selection based on group level) so as to have a competitive match. Then, when approval is obtained from each other's temporary groups selected as matching candidates, the matching is established and the match proceeds.

FIG. 3 is a diagram specifically explaining the selection of matching candidates. As shown in the upper right of FIG. 3, a plurality of temporary groups are organized as units of competition. Each white rectangle indicates a temporary group. From these, two temporary groups are selected as a combination of matching candidates. For example, when selecting a matching candidate to be combined with the "temporary group α", the selection is made as follows. That is, from among the other temporary groups, a temporary group formed by players belonging to groups different from the temporary group α (selection based on group differences) and having a similar group level is extracted ( selection based on group level). Next, a priority is set for each of the extracted temporary groups according to the usage status of the chat room, and matching candidates are selected in descending order of the set priority and presented to the temporary group α (presentation destination group). Then, an inquiry is made to the "temporary group β (inquiry destination group)" selected as the opponent by the temporary group α (presentation destination group) from among the presented matching candidates whether to approve the matching with the temporary group α. When "approval" is obtained from the temporary group β (inquiry destination group), matching between the temporary group α and the temporary group β is established.

[Display screen example]
Players to be organized into the temporary group may be selected in any way, but in the present embodiment, the temporary group is organized by players who have entered the chat room and have expressed their willingness to participate in the match. to decide.

FIG. 4 is an example of a chat room display screen (chat screen). FIG. 4 shows a display example of a chat screen on the player terminal 1500a of a certain player 3a. The player 3a has entered the chat room of "group XX" to which he belongs. A temporary group list 12 showing a list of corresponding icons of the players organized into the temporary group, a battle icon 13 for the player to express his/her willingness to participate in the battle, and a cancellation icon 14 for the player to cancel his/her intention to participate are displayed. On the other side, a chat area 15 is formed in which messages sent by each player are displayed in chronological order in balloons together with the player's icon. In the room member list 11 and the temporary group list 12, the icon of the player himself (the player 3a in FIG. 4) is highlighted.

A player can express his/her willingness to participate in the battle by selecting the battle icon 13, and the player who has expressed his/her willingness to participate is organized into a temporary group, and an icon representing the player is displayed in the temporary group list 12. be. Then, when the number of players who have expressed their intention to participate reaches a predetermined number of opponents (four players in FIG. 4), it is determined that a temporary group has been formed, and matching candidates are selected. That is, in the example of FIG. 4, the temporary group in which the player 3a belonging to "Group XX" is organized is the presentation destination group, and matching candidates for this temporary group are selected and presented.

Presentation of the selected matching candidate and inquiry for approval of matching for the selected matching candidate are made by notification on the chat screen (intra-group interaction function display screen).

FIG. 5 is an example of presentation of matching candidates on a chat screen. FIG. 5 shows a display example of a chat screen on the player terminal 1500a of the player 3a. The player 3a belongs to "group XX", and the temporary group in which the player 3a is organized is the presentation destination group. As shown in FIG. 5, on the chat screen W3 of the player terminal 1500 of each player of the presentation destination group, a presentation screen W4 presenting matching candidates selected for the presentation destination group is popped up.

The selected matching candidates are displayed according to their priority on the presentation screen W4. Specifically, first, for the matching candidate with the highest priority, the name and description of the corresponding temporary group (“Group XX” in FIG. 5), and an icon representing the organized player are displayed. , a selection icon 21 indicating the player's intention to select this matching candidate as an opponent, and a refusal icon 22 indicating the player's intention not to select this matching candidate as an opponent are displayed. Further, a next display icon 23 for displaying the next matching candidate is displayed on the presentation screen W4, and when the next display icon 23 is selected, the display is changed to another matching candidate with the next highest priority. be.

When the player selects the selection icon 21, a matching candidate to be an opponent of the presentation destination group is selected. Since the temporary group is composed of a plurality of players (four players in FIG. 5), the selection of matching candidates to be opponents may be determined by a majority vote of all the players who organize the temporary group. Alternatively, one leader (representative) of the temporary group may be determined, and the leader may have the right of choice. After that, matching candidates selected as opponents are queried for matching approval.

FIG. 6 is an example of an inquiry for approval of matching on the chat screen. FIG. 6 shows a display example of a chat screen on the player terminal of the player 3b. The player 3b belongs to "group XX", and the temporary group in which the player 3b is organized is the inquiry destination group selected as a matching candidate for the opponent by "group XX". As shown in FIG. 6, an inquiry screen W6 for approving matching with the presentation group is popped up on the chat screen W5 on the player terminal 1500 of each player of the inquiry group.

The inquiry screen W6 displays the name and description of the presentation destination group (“group XX” in FIG. 6) and icons representing the organized players, and allows the player to request matching with this presentation destination group. An approval icon 31 indicating the intention to approve and a refusal icon 32 indicating the intention not to approve the matching are displayed.

When the player selects the approval icon 31, matching with the presentation destination group is approved. Since the temporary group consists of a plurality of players (four players in FIG. 6), the matching may be approved by a majority vote of all the players forming the temporary group, or the leader of the temporary group (representative It is also possible to appoint a single person as a leader and have the authority to decide on the approval. If the inquiry destination group approves the matching with the presentation destination group, the matching is established, and after both groups are notified to that effect, the game shifts to battle.

[Function configuration]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server system 1000. As shown in FIG. 7, the server system 1000 includes an operation input section 102, a display section 104, a sound output section 106, a communication section 108, a processing section 200, and a storage section 300. FIG.

The operation input unit 102 outputs operation input signals to the processing unit 200 according to various operation inputs for managing the server system 1000 . The keyboard 1004 in FIG. 1 corresponds to this.

The processing unit 200 is realized by, for example, a processor such as a CPU or GPU, or an electronic component such as an ASIC or an IC memory, and controls data input/output with each functional unit including the operation input unit 102 and the storage unit 300. conduct. Based on predetermined programs and data, operation input signals from the operation input unit 102, data received from the player terminal 1500, and the like, various arithmetic processing is executed to comprehensively control the operation of the server system 1000. FIG. The control board 1010 in FIG. 1 corresponds to this. The processing unit 200 also includes a player management unit 202, a billing management unit 204, a game management unit 210, a clock unit 230, an image generation unit 234, a sound generation unit 236, and a communication control unit 238. . Of course, functions other than these can be included as appropriate.

The player management unit 202 manages processing related to player registration procedures and data of each player 3 linked to a player account. In this embodiment, the player management unit 202 performs 1) granting a unique player account to a registered player, 2) registration information management for registering and managing personal information for each player account, and 3) billing elements related to the game (this embodiment). 4) Management of game data. Of course, it is also possible to appropriately include functions for managing data linked to accounts other than these. The player management unit 202 manages data relating to each player 3 by assigning a unique account (player ID) to the player 3 who has undergone the player registration procedure and generating player management data 310 .

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the player management data 310. As shown in FIG. The player management data 310 is generated for each registered player and stores a unique player account 311 assigned to the player, billing history data 312, play history data 313, and game save data 314.

The player account 311 includes a unique player ID, player name, authentication password, communication address of the player terminal 1500 of the player, and the like. The play history data 313 is log data in which the content of the game played so far by the player is stored in chronological order. The game save data 314 is data on the progress of the game at the end of the previous game play by the player, and includes, for example, the player level, possessed character data, possessed item data, and the like.

The billing management unit 204 manages the billing history for each player 3 and updates the billing history data 312 of the corresponding player management data 310 .

The game management unit 210 performs various processes related to game execution management. Since the game of this embodiment is performed as a client-server network game, control is performed to provide data necessary for game play while communicating with the player terminal 1500 . The game management section 210 also has a group management section 212 , a chat situation determination section 214 , a matching section 216 , and a battle control section 220 .

The group management unit 212 creates a new group, disbands an existing group, participates in an existing group, withdraws from a group to which it belongs, and chats corresponding to the created group in response to a request from a player. It performs various processes related to group management, such as chat room management processing including room opening. The group management unit 212 also manages data related to each group by assigning a unique group ID to the created group and generating group management data 320 .

FIG. 9 is an example of the group management data 320. As shown in FIG. The group management data 320 is generated for each group, and includes a unique group ID 321 assigned to the group, a group name 322 arbitrarily set by the player who created the group, a list of affiliated players 323, and a group level 324. , chat room management data 330 and temporary group management data 340 are stored.

The affiliated player list 323 is a list of players that belong to the group (affiliated players), and stores each affiliated player in association with the player ID, date and time of participation in the group, and the like. The group level 324 is changed according to the result of each match each time the group (more specifically, a temporary group organized by the players belonging to the group) is played.

The chat room management data 330 is data relating to the chat room of the group, and includes entry/exit history 331 , chat history 332 , and chat status 333 . The entry/exit history 331 is the entry/exit history of the player who belongs to the chat room. Each entry/exit of the player is associated with the player ID, the date and time of entering the room, the date and time of leaving the room, etc., and is stored in chronological order. ing. The chat history 332 is a history of chats made in the chat room. For each transmission of a chat, the date and time of transmission, the player ID of the player who transmitted the transmission, the content of transmission, etc. are associated with each other and stored in chronological order. there is The chat status 333 is the usage status of the chat room and is determined by the chat status determination unit 214 .

The temporary group management data 340 is data relating to a temporary group organized for a match, and is generated for each temporary group. Temporary group management data 340 for one temporary group includes a unique temporary group ID 341 assigned to the temporary group, an organized date and time 342, an organized player list 343, a matching candidate list 344, and a matching result 345. Store. The organization player list 343 is a list of players (organization players) organized in the temporary group, and stores the player ID and the like of each organization player. The matching candidate list 344 is a list of matching candidates for which the temporary group is selected as the presentation destination group, and stores each matching candidate in association with the priority of the temporary group ID of the temporary group. The matching result 345 stores the success or failure of matching, and the temporary group ID of the matched temporary group when the matching is successful.

The chat status determination unit 214 determines the usage status of each group's chat room. Specifically, as the usage status of the chat room, the degree of activity representing the degree of active usage is determined. That is, by referring to the chat history 332 of the group management data 320 and counting the number of chats (messages) sent by each player in the most recent past predetermined period of time (for example, 30 minutes), the average number of chats (messages) sent per unit time is calculated. Call frequency, which is the number of calls, is calculated. Then, referring to the chat status setting table 360, the degree of calling corresponding to the calling frequency is determined. The chat status determination unit 214 determines the chat status at any time, and the chat status 333 of the group management data 320 is updated to the latest value at any time.

FIG. 10 is an example of the chat situation setting table 360. According to FIG. 10, the chat situation setting table 360 stores the frequency of chat transmission and the degree of activity in association with each other. In the example of FIG. 10, the higher the call frequency, the higher the activity level. If the activity level is "0 (zero)", it means that the chat room is not being used. The higher the activity level, the more active the chat room is used. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the chat room is in use (active) depending on whether the activity level is "0" or "1 or more".

The matching unit 216 has a temporary group formation unit 218 and performs matching by combining groups of players as matching candidates. Matching is performed based on the determined priority by determining the priority of a group as a matching candidate based on the utilization status of the group's chat room, which is an intra-group interaction function.

The temporary group formation unit 218 forms a temporary group by selecting a predetermined number of players from among the players belonging to the group satisfying predetermined formation conditions. The organization condition is a condition under which it is possible to organize a temporary group. Reaching the number of opponents. The temporary group formation unit 218 selects, on a first-come-first-served basis, players belonging to the group who have expressed their intention to participate in the match on the chat screen, and organizes them into a temporary group (see FIG. 4).

Note that the method of selecting players to be organized into the temporary group is not limited to this. You may choose. Alternatively, regardless of the player's intention to participate, the player may be selected at random from among the players currently using the chat room, or in descending order of the number of chat transmissions in the chat room.

The organized temporary group is added to matching list 370 . The matching list is a list temporarily storing temporary groups (exactly, temporary group IDs, etc.) for which no matching has been established yet. A temporary group for which matching is established is deleted from the matching list 370 .

The matching unit 216 performs matching by combining the temporary groups organized by the temporary group organizing unit 218 as matching candidates. Specifically, one temporary group stored in the matching list 370 is set as a presentation destination group, and among the other temporary groups, this presentation destination group is different from the organizing group, and the group level is A temporary group that satisfies a predetermined approximation condition is selected as a matching candidate to be combined with the presentation destination group. The approximation condition is a condition that the group levels are close, for example, the difference between the group levels is a predetermined value or less (for example, 2 or less).

Next, the priority of each of the selected temporary groups is set so that the priority increases in descending order of the degree of activity, which is the chat situation of the temporary group. Note that the group level and chat status of the temporary group are the group level and chat status of the group that organized the temporary group. The selected temporary group is stored as matching candidate list 344 in association with priority. Then, the selected temporary groups are presented as matching candidates in descending order of priority to the presentation destination group so as to be selectable. The matching candidates are presented on the chat screen of the player terminal 1500 of each organized player of the presentation destination group (see FIG. 5).

In other words, the priority of the temporary group that is using the chat room is higher than the priority of the temporary group that is not using the chat room. In addition, in the chat status setting table 360 (see FIG. 10), the higher the frequency of chat transmission, the higher the activity level is set. Assuming that the active state condition indicates the active state, it can be said that the priority of the temporary group that satisfies the active state condition is higher than the priority of the temporary group that does not satisfy the active state condition. By presenting in order of priority, a temporary group with a more lively usage situation of the chat room is preferentially presented. Here, it is possible to determine whether or not the chat room is being used by setting the threshold value equal to or greater than a predetermined value set as the active state condition to "1".

When a matching candidate to be an opponent is selected from the presentation destination group, the temporary group, which is the matching candidate, is set as the inquiry destination group, and an inquiry is made to the inquiry destination group for approval of the matching. Inquiries about approval of matching are made on the chat screen of the player terminals 1500 of the players in the inquiry destination group (see FIG. 6). If the matching is approved by the inquiry destination group, the matching between the presentation destination group and the inquiry destination group is established. If the matching is rejected, the matching between the presentation destination group and the inquiry destination group is not established, and the presentation destination group is made to select another matching candidate, or the matching candidate is selected from among the unselected temporary groups as the matching candidate. is reselected and resubmitted.

The established matching is managed as matching management data 380 . FIG. 11 is an example of the matching management data 380. As shown in FIG. According to FIG. 11, the matching management data 380 is generated for each established matching, and includes a unique matching ID 381 assigned to the matching, temporary group IDs 382 and 383 of the two temporary groups in which the matching is established, and the corresponding temporary groups. and battle information 384 relating to the battle between the two temporary groups.

The match control unit 220 controls the match between the two temporary groups that have been matched by the matching unit 216 .

Processing related to battle control can be performed using the game data 306 . In addition, the play history data 313 and game save data 314 of the corresponding player management data 310 are updated according to the progress control of the game. The game data 306 includes data for configuring a game stage and setting data for characters and items such as player characters and enemy characters appearing in the game.

The clock unit 230 clocks the current date and time using the system clock.

The image generator 234 generates an image related to system management of the server system 1000, a game image (or data for displaying the game image on the player terminal 1500), and the like. Images related to system management are output to the display unit 104 . The display unit 104 displays various images for system management based on image signals input from the image generation unit 234 . For example, it can be realized by an image display device such as a flat panel display, a projector, or a head-mounted display. The display 1006 in FIG. 1 corresponds to this.

The sound generation unit 236 is implemented by executing an IC or software that generates and decodes audio data, and generates or decodes audio data such as operation sounds and BGM related to system management of the server system 1000 and game play. Then, the audio signal is output to the sound output unit 106 . The sound output unit 106 emits sound based on the audio signal. A speaker (not shown) included in the main unit 1002 and the display 1006 in FIG. 1 corresponds to this.

The communication control unit 238 executes data processing related to data communication and exchanges data with an external device via the communication unit 108 . The communication unit 108 is connected to the communication line N to realize communication. For example, it is implemented by a wireless communication device, a modem, a TA (terminal adapter), a wired communication cable jack, a control circuit, or the like. The communication device 1016 in FIG. 1 corresponds to this.

The storage unit 300 stores programs, various data, and the like for realizing various functions for causing the processing unit 200 to integrally control the server system 1000 . It is also used as a work area for the processing unit 200 and temporarily stores calculation results and the like executed by the processing unit 200 according to various programs. For example, it is implemented by IC memories such as RAM and ROM, magnetic disks such as hard disks, optical disks such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and online storage. The storage unit 300 stores a server program 302 for realizing various functional units of the server system 1000, a distribution game program 304, game data 306, player management data 310, group management data 320, and chat status data. A setting table 360, a matching list 370, and matching management data 380 are stored.

The distributed game program 304 is the original game client program provided to the player terminal 1500 .

[Process flow]
FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of matching processing. This processing is executed by the matching unit 216 and executed in parallel for each group managed by the group management unit 212 .

First, it is determined whether the target group satisfies a predetermined organization condition, and if the target group satisfies the condition (step S1: YES), the temporary group formation unit 218 selects a predetermined number of players from among the players belonging to the target group. to form a temporary group and add it to the matching list 370 (step S3). Then, the matching unit 216 performs matching to combine the organized temporary group (hereinafter referred to as “target temporary group”) with other temporary groups.

That is, from among the other temporary groups stored in the matching list 370, a temporary group whose organization group is different from the target temporary group and whose group level satisfies a predetermined approximation condition is selected (step S5). Next, for each of the selected temporary groups, a priority is set according to the chat status of the organizing group (step S7). Then, the selected temporary groups are presented as matching candidates in descending order of set priority so as to be selectable to the target temporary group (step S9).

If the target temporary group issues an instruction to select an opponent from among the presented matching candidates (step S11: YES), the temporary group of the selected matching candidate is set as the inquiry group, and the inquiry group is set as the target temporary group. An inquiry as to whether to approve matching with the group is sent (step S13). If approval is notified from the inquiry group (step S15: YES), matching between the target temporary group and the inquiry destination group is established (step S23). Then, the target temporary group is deleted from the matching list 370 (step S25). After notifying each of the two temporary groups in which matching has been established (target temporary group and inquiry destination group) that matching has been established, the battle control unit 220 proceeds to battle processing (step S27).

On the other hand, if the target temporary group does not give an instruction to select an opponent, or gives a refusal instruction (step S11: NO), the inquiry destination group does not notify the matching approval or notifies the refusal. If so (step S15: NO), the target temporary group is set as an inquiry destination group, and it is determined whether or not there is an inquiry from another temporary group as to whether to approve the matching.

If there is an inquiry (step S17: YES), the target temporary group is notified of an inquiry as to whether to approve matching with the temporary group of the inquiry source (step S19). Then, if the target temporary group issues an approval instruction for the inquiry (step S21: YES), matching between the target temporary group and the inquiry source temporary group is established (step S23). Also, the target temporary group is deleted from the matching list 370 (step S25). Then, after notifying each of the two temporary groups (the target temporary group and the inquiry source temporary group) that the matching has been established that the matching has been established, the battle control unit 220 shifts to battle processing (step S27). .

On the other hand, if there is no inquiry from another temporary group as to whether or not to approve the matching (step S17: NO), or if there is an instruction to reject the inquiry from the target temporary group (step S21: NO), the temporary group of the inquiry source , after notifying the refusal of the inquiry about approval, the process returns to step S5, and the same processing is repeated.

[Effect]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, matching that combines groups that compete against each other is performed based on the priority determined based on the usage status of the chat room, which is the intra-group communication ability prepared for each group. . Groups actively using the chat room are considered to be highly motivated to play the game. A high degree of matching can be realized.

[Modification]
It goes without saying that the embodiments to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

(A) Inquiry about Approval of Matching In the above-described embodiment, it was decided to inquire about approval of matching for the matching candidate selected by the presentation destination group. Matching with the presentation destination group may be established.

(B) Presentation of matching candidates In addition, in the above-described embodiment, matching candidates are presented to the presentation destination group. Matching candidates) and the presentation destination group may be matched.

(C) Number of Players In the above-described embodiment. The number of players is fixed (for example, 4), and a temporary group is organized by this number of players. good. In this case, the minimum number of opponents (2) is the number required for matching candidates, and the maximum number of opponents (6) is the maximum number of matching candidates. The matching of the temporary groups may be performed by matching temporary groups with the same number of organized players, or by matching even if the number of organized players is different.

(D) Do not Organize Temporary Groups In the above embodiment, temporary groups are organized and the temporary groups are matched as matching candidates, but the groups themselves are matched as matching candidates without organizing temporary groups. You can do it. In that case, the organization of the temporary group in the above embodiment will be omitted. Also, in that case, the number of players may differ between the competing groups, but matching can be performed by allowing this.

(E) Replenishment of NPCs (Non-Playable Characters) When competing, NPCs may participate in the competition to match the number of people in the competing group and be computer-controlled.

(F) Multiplayer game In the above-described embodiment, a multiplayer game is played in which groups are played against each other, and groups that are opponents are matched. It is also possible to play a game against a team of different characters or against an enemy character. In this case, groups are matched as one team.

(G) Intra-Group Interaction Function In the above-described embodiment, the inter-group interaction function is a group chat room, but it may be a one-to-one message exchange between friends. In this case, matching is performed with two friends exchanging messages as one group.

Also, the intra-group interaction function may be an intra-group exchange function for owned characters and owned items. In that case, one chat (call) in the above-described embodiment may be regarded as one item exchange or character exchange.

1 Game system 1000 Server system 200 Processing unit 202 Player management unit 204 Billing management unit 210 Game management unit 212 Group management unit 214 Chat situation determination unit 216 Matching unit 218 Temporary group organization Unit 220 Match control unit 300 Storage unit 302 Server program 304 Delivery game program 310 Player management data 320 Group management data 360 Chat situation setting table 370 Matching list 380 Matching management data 1500 Player terminal 3... player

Claims (7)

A server system for matching matching candidates for a multiplayer game by combining matching candidates organized by a plurality of players,
Judgment means for judging the utilization status of an intra-group interaction function including at least a chat function between players belonging to each group, which is prepared for each group to which a player belongs, as the group, wherein the utilization status is , determination means for determining at least the usage status of the group regarding the chat function ;
organizing means for organizing the matching candidates from among the players who belong to the same group and who are set to want to participate in the multi-play game;
matching means for determining the priority of the matching candidates organized by the organizing means based on the usage status of the group related to the matching candidates, and performing matching by combining the matching candidates based on the priorities;
A server system with The matching means divides the priority of the matching candidates organized by the players belonging to the group using the intra-group interaction function into the priority of the matching candidates organized by the players belonging to the group not using the intra-group interaction function. higher priority than
The server system according to claim 1. The matching means assigns priority to matching candidates organized by players belonging to a group that satisfies an active state condition indicating that the utilization situation is active, and priority to matching candidates organized by players belonging to a group that does not satisfy the active condition condition. make higher than
A server system according to claim 1 or 2. The multiplayer game is a game in which the matching candidates compete against each other,
The matching means is
Presenting the matching candidates of the opponent so as to be selectable in the order of presentation based on the priority to the matching candidate of the presentation destination who presents the matching candidate of the opponent ;
inquiring of the opponent's matching candidate selected by the presentation destination matching candidate from among the presented whether to approve matching with the presentation destination matching candidate ;
Establishing matching between the matching candidate of the inquiry destination and the presentation destination matching candidate when the inquiry is approved;
I do,
A server system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The presentation by the matching means and the inquiry are performed by notification on the display screen of the intra-group interaction function.
The server system according to claim 4 . a server system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ;
a player terminal of each player;
A game system comprising A matching processing method in which a computer system executes matching of matching candidates for a multiplayer game by combining matching candidates organized by a plurality of players,
A judgment step for judging the usage status of an intra-group interaction function prepared for each group to which a player belongs, which includes at least a chat function between players belonging to the group, wherein the usage status is , a determination step of determining at least the usage status of the group regarding the chat function ;
an organizing step of organizing the matching candidates from among the affiliated players who belong to the same group and who are set to wish to participate in the multiplayer game;
a matching step of determining the priority of the matching candidate organized by the organizing step based on the usage status of the group related to the matching candidate, and performing matching by combining the matching candidate based on the priority;
Matching processing methods, including

Images