JP7335739B2 - SYSTEM, METHOD AND PROGRAM FOR PROVIDING A GAME - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a system, method, and program for providing a game using a deck containing multiple game contents.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a game or the like in which players can compete against each other, each player is matched with another player (competitive/cooperative play partner) (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). . Such matching is performed, for example, so that players who have the same level of parameter values related to the strength of the decks used in the battle become opponents.

JP 2018-015502 A

However, there may be a case where an appropriate matching cannot be achieved simply by matching players with deck strengths of the same level. For example, when matched players play against each other for a predetermined period (for example, one week), even if the players have decks of similar strength at the start of the period, in the second half of the period , there was a case where a big difference appeared in the strength of the deck. A match between players with different strengths may reduce interest.

One object of the embodiments of the present invention is to support appropriate matching for players. Other objects of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the specification as a whole.

A system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises one or more computer processors for providing a game using a deck containing multiple game contents, the one or more computer processors comprising: a process of clustering feature vectors obtained by vectorizing features relating to decks of each of a plurality of players in response to execution of readable instructions; and matching one or more other players to play with, wherein the feature vector is configured to include predetermined components representing growth potential for the deck to grow.

A method according to one embodiment of the present invention is a method, executed by one or more computers, for providing a game using a deck containing multiple game content, wherein a feature associated with each deck of a plurality of players is provided. and matching one or more other players to play with each of the plurality of players based at least on results of clustering the feature vectors. The feature vector is configured to include predetermined components representing growth potential for the deck to grow.

A program according to one embodiment of the present invention is a program for providing a game using a deck containing a plurality of game contents, wherein one or a plurality of computers store characteristics of each deck of a plurality of players as vectors. and matching one or more other players to play with each of the plurality of players based at least on the result of clustering the feature vectors. , the feature vector is configured to contain predetermined components representing the growth potential for the deck to grow.

Various embodiments of the present invention assist in properly matching players.

1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing the configuration of a network including a game providing system 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the functions of the game providing system 10; FIG. The figure which illustrates the information which the player information table 411 manages. FIG. 4 is a diagram exemplifying information managed by a possessed content information table 412; FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating processing executed by the system 10 at a predetermined timing before the start of a limited-time competition event; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining feature vectors of decks in an example of the present embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between a character's training state (evolution stage and enhancement level) and the character's strength; FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining deck feature vectors in another example of the present embodiment;

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing the configuration of a network including a game providing system 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 10 is communicably connected to player terminals 30 via a communication network 20 such as the Internet. Although only one player terminal 30 is illustrated in FIG. 1 , the system 10 is communicatively connected to a plurality of player terminals 30 . The system 10 provides games to users of the player terminals 30 . A game provided by the system 10 is configured as a game using a deck containing a plurality of game contents.

The system 10 is configured as a general computer, and as shown in FIG. , and a storage (storage device) 15, and these components are electrically connected via a bus or the like (not shown).

The computer processor 11 loads various programs stored in the storage 15 or the like into the main memory 12 and executes various instructions included in the programs. The main memory 12 is composed of, for example, a DRAM.

The input/output I/F 13 includes various input/output devices for exchanging information with the user. The input/output I/F 13 includes, for example, information input devices such as keyboards and pointing devices (for example, mice, touch panels, etc.), voice input devices such as microphones, and image input devices such as cameras. The input/output I/F 13 includes an image output device such as a display and an audio output device such as a speaker.

The communication I/F 14 is implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, various types of communication software, or a combination thereof, and is configured to enable wired or wireless communication via the communication network 20 or the like.

The storage 15 is composed of, for example, a magnetic disk, flash memory, or the like. The storage 15 stores various programs including an operating system, various data, and the like.

In this embodiment, the system 10 can be configured using multiple computers each having the hardware configuration described above. For example, system 10 may be configured by one or more server devices.

The game providing system 10 configured in this way has functions as a web server and an application server, and receives requests from web browsers or other applications (for example, game applications, etc.) installed in the player terminal 30. , and transmits screen data (for example, HTML data), control data, etc. according to the results of the processing to the player terminal 30 . A web page or other screen based on the received data is displayed on the player terminal 30 .

The player terminal 30 is configured as a general computer, and as shown in FIG. F 34 and a storage (storage device) 35 are provided, and these constituent elements are electrically connected via a bus or the like (not shown).

The computer processor 31 loads various programs stored in the storage 35 or the like into the main memory 32 and executes various instructions included in the programs. The main memory 32 is composed of, for example, a DRAM.

The input/output I/F 33 includes various input/output devices for exchanging information with the user. The input/output I/F 33 includes, for example, information input devices such as keyboards and pointing devices (for example, mouse, touch panel, etc.), voice input devices such as microphones, and image input devices such as cameras. The input/output I/F 33 includes an image output device such as a display and an audio output device such as a speaker.

The communication I/F 34 is implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, various types of communication software, or a combination thereof, and is configured to enable wired or wireless communication via the communication network 20 or the like.

The storage 35 is configured by, for example, a magnetic disk or flash memory. The storage 35 stores various programs including an operating system, various data, and the like. A program stored in the storage 35 can be downloaded from an application market or the like and installed.

In this embodiment, the player terminal 30 may be configured as a smart phone, tablet terminal, wearable device, personal computer, game terminal, or the like.

A user (game player) of the player terminal 30 configured in this way communicates with the system 10 via a web browser or other application installed in the storage 35 or the like, thereby allowing the system 10 to provide You can play games that

Next, functions of the game providing system 10 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the functions of system 10. As shown in FIG. As shown, the system 10 includes an information storage management unit 41 for storing and managing various information, a basic function control unit 43 for controlling basic functions, a game progress control unit 45 for controlling game progress, and a player and a matching processing unit 47 that executes processing related to matching of opponents. These functions are realized by cooperative operation of hardware such as the computer processor 11 and the main memory 12, and various programs and data stored in the storage 15 and the like. It is implemented by the computer processor 11 executing instructions included in the program loaded into the . Also, part or all of the functions shown in FIG.

The information storage management unit 41 of the system 10 stores and manages various information in the storage 15 or the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the information storage management unit 41 has a player information table 411 that manages information about players, and a owned content information table 412 that manages information about game content owned by players.

The basic function control unit 43 of the system 10 executes various processes related to control of basic functions. For example, the basic function control unit 43 transmits screen data or control data of various screens related to the basic functions to the player terminal 30, and responds to operation input by the player via the screens displayed on the player terminal 30 to perform various operations. processing is executed, and screen data or control data according to the result of the processing is transmitted to the player terminal 30 . Basic functions controlled by the basic function control unit 43 include, for example, login processing (user authentication), billing control, and player management (for example, updating the player information table 411).

The game progress control unit 45 of the system 10 executes various processes related to controlling the progress of the game. For example, the game progress control unit 45 transmits screen data or control data of various screens for progressing the game to the player terminal 30, and responds to an operation input by the player via the screen displayed on the player terminal 30. and executes various processes, and transmits screen data or control data according to the results of the processes to the player terminal 30 .

The matching processing unit 47 of the system 10 executes various processes related to player matching. In this embodiment, the matching processing unit 47 is configured to cluster feature vectors obtained by vectorizing features relating to the decks of each of a plurality of players. Clustering is achieved by unsupervised learning, dividing a set to be classified into subsets (clusters) such that internal coupling and external separation are achieved. For example, clustering is achieved by applying various techniques such as, but not limited to, k-means, topic models, or hierarchical clustering.

In this embodiment, the feature vector of the deck is configured to include predetermined components that express the growth potential of the deck. The growth potential of the deck includes, for example, the growth (development) potential of game content that can be included in the deck. The growth potential of the game content is sometimes called growth (eg, “enhancement” or “evolution”) accompanied by an increase in parameters used in battle (eg, HP, attack power, defense power, etc.). ). In addition, the growth potential of the deck includes, for example, the growth potential of the deck itself, for example, relaxation of restrictions on game content that can be set (for example, expansion of the number of game content that can be set/total cost, etc.) including the possibility of Potential for growth can also be referred to as the degree of expected growth.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the matching processing unit 47 selects one or more other players (partners in competitive/cooperative play) to play together with each of the plurality of players, based on at least the result of clustering the feature vectors. configured to match. For example, the matching processing unit 47 is configured to match opponents based on clusters to which each of the plurality of players belongs as a result of clustering.

In this way, the game providing system 10 of the present embodiment matches players based on the results of clustering feature vectors obtained by vectorizing deck-related features. Since the feature vector of includes a component that expresses the growth potential of the deck, matching that takes into account the growth potential of the deck is possible. In this manner, system 10 assists in proper matching of players.

Games provided by the system 10 of the present embodiment may include various types of games using decks. Also, the game content included in the deck may include various game content such as characters, cards, and items associated with them (for example, equipment items equipped by characters).

In the present embodiment, the predetermined component that expresses the growth potential of the deck is at least part of a plurality of game contents owned by the player (for example, a deck included (set) in the game contents owned by the player). game content), and can be configured as a component that expresses the growth state of the corresponding game content. Information about the development state of game content is managed in the possessed content information table 412, for example. Such a configuration enables matching that considers the growth potential of the deck based on the development state of the game content.

In addition, the predetermined component is configured to express the current development stage of the game content (for example, enhancement level or evolution level) and the possibility of promotion to the next development stage as the development state of the game content. can be For example, the training status is represented as a numerical value consisting of an integer part corresponding to the current training stage and a decimal part corresponding to promotion potential. Such a configuration enables matching that takes into consideration the current stage of development of the game content and the potential for promotion.

In the present embodiment, the possibility of promotion of game content can be set based on at least the fulfillment of promotion requirements, which are the conditions necessary for moving up to the next training stage. For example, the satisfaction status of the necessary promotion condition is a predetermined parameter of the corresponding game content, and the predetermined parameter (for example, experience value for strengthening , or enhancement level for evolution). In addition, for example, the status of satisfaction of the necessary promotion conditions indicates the status of possession of training contents (for example, enhancement/evolution items, etc.) necessary for moving up to the next training stage by the player (for example, player information table 411 or owned contents managed in the information table 412). Such a configuration enables matching that considers the satisfaction of promotion requirements.

Also, the predetermined component can be configured to represent the growth speed of the corresponding player's deck. The growth rate is set, for example, based on the amount of change per unit time in the past of the values of specific parameters (for example, total power, strength, HP, etc.) of the player's deck. Such a configuration enables matching that considers the growth speed of the deck.

Also, the predetermined component may be configured to represent a player's game play performance (eg, play time, billing amount, etc., over a particular period of time), which is related to the growth potential of the deck. The game play record is managed in the player information table 411, for example.

In this embodiment, the matching processing unit 47 clusters the feature vectors of each of the plurality of players before a predetermined event starts, and divides the plurality of players into a plurality of groups based at least on the results of the clustering ( grouping), and can be configured to match players belonging to the same group during the period of the predetermined event. The group may be the same unit as the cluster in clustering, or may be a different unit (for example, multiple clusters may be integrated into one group, or one cluster may be divided into multiple groups. .). Such a configuration prevents players with different deck strengths from being matched with each other, for example, in the second half of an event period in which players compete against each other or cooperate with each other.

Next, a specific example of the game providing system 10 of this embodiment having such functions will be described. The system 10 in this specific example provides a social game in which quests are executed using a deck composed of multiple characters. Also, as a battle event for a limited time in the social game, a battle is held between players using similar decks.

FIG. 3 illustrates information managed by the player information table 411 in this example. The player information table 411 manages information for each player, and as shown in the figure, is associated with a "player account" that identifies an individual player, and an "experience value ", "Rank" that increases step by step each time the experience value reaches a predetermined value, "Deck information" that is information about the player's deck, and information about the feature vector in which the features of the deck are vectorized " Information such as "feature vector information", "possessed item information" that is information about items held by the player, and "event group" that is the group to which the player belongs in a battle event for a limited time.

In this example, the deck is composed of a predetermined number of characters, which is two or more, and the player selects a predetermined number of characters from the characters owned by the player to construct the deck. The deck information of the player information table 411 includes information (for example, character ID) that can specify each of a plurality of characters included in the deck. In this example, the player can set up only one deck. However, in another example of the present embodiment, the player can set a plurality of decks (a plurality of variations of the deck), and when executing a quest or battle, the set decks You can choose which deck to use.

FIG. 4 illustrates information managed by the possessed content information table 412 in this example. The possessed content information table 412 manages information relating to characters as game content possessed by players, and as shown in the figure, a "player account" for identifying an individual player and a "player account" for identifying an individual character possessed by the player. Information such as "character type", which is the type of character, "equipment item information", which is information about items equipped by the character, "strengthening level", "evolution stage", etc., in association with the combination with "character ID" to manage.

The character in this example has three stages as an evolution stage (development stage), and when both of the following two conditions (requirements for promotion) are satisfied, it rises (evolves) to an evolution stage one level higher. be able to.
(1) Reinforcement level (predetermined parameter) at that evolution stage has reached the maximum value (2) Possession of the type and number of evolution items (training content) required for evolution

When the character evolves, the enhancement level of the character returns to 0, and the player consumes the necessary types and numbers of evolution items. In this example, information about evolution items owned by the player is managed in the owned item information of the player information table 411 .

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating processing executed by the system 10 at a predetermined timing (for example, several hours before the start date and time of the event) before the start of the competition event for a limited time. First, the system 10 sets the feature vector of the deck of each player participating in the battle event, as shown in the figure (step S100). In this example, a player who wishes to participate in the battle event needs to register for participation in advance, and in step S100, the feature vectors of the decks of each of the plurality of players who have registered for participation are set.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the feature vectors of the deck in this example. The feature vector in this example is obtained by vectorizing the feature information of the deck, and the feature information includes a predetermined number of characters (four in the example of FIG. 6) that make up the deck and a predetermined number of characters that each character is equipped with. consists of information about equipment items in the . As illustrated, the information about the character is the character type, evolution stage, and enhancement level, and the information about the equipped item is the type of the equipped item.

As shown in FIG. 6, the feature vector has components corresponding to each character and each equipment item. The component corresponding to each character is configured as a vector having the number of dimensions of all types of characters in the social game of this example, and among the components of the vector, the component corresponding to the type of the character in question has an evolution stage and the growth state parameter, which is a numerical value based on the enhancement level, is set, while 0 is set for other components.

Specifically, the growth state parameter consists of an integer part corresponding to the evolution stage (one of 1 to 3) and a decimal part corresponding to the enhancement level at that stage. The fractional part is constructed as a ratio of the current value to the maximum enhancement level for that stage. In the example of FIG. 6, the value of the growth state parameter set in the component of the vector corresponding to character 2 is "1.8", so the evolution stage of character 2 is "1", and the enhancement level is "1.8". The ratio of the current value to the maximum value is "80%" (for example, the maximum value is "50" and the current value is "40"). In addition, the component corresponding to each equipment item is configured as a vector having the number of dimensions of all types of equipment items in the social game of this example, and among the components of the vector, the corresponding equipment item type While 1 is set in the component, 0 is set in other components.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between a character's training state (evolution stage and enhancement level) and the character's strength. As shown in the figure, in each of the three evolution stages, while the strength increases in proportion to the strengthening level, the timing of evolution (specifically, when the value of the training state parameter reaches 2.0 or 3.0 ), the strength increases stepwise.

Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 5, the feature vector set in step S100 is registered in the feature vector information of the player information table 411. FIG. After the feature vectors are set in this way, the system 10 clusters the set feature vectors (step S110). Specifically, in this example, clustering is performed by applying the k-means method. Note that the number of clusters in clustering is set to an arbitrary value in advance by an administrator or the like, for example, a value based on the number of registered participants in the battle event.

Subsequently, the system 10 groups the players based on the clustering results (step S120). Specifically, in this example, an event group is assigned to each player so that players belonging to the same cluster belong to the same group. That is, in this example, an event group is the same unit as a cluster in clustering. The event group assigned to each player is registered in the player information table 411. FIG.

In this way, when an event group is set based on the clustering result of deck feature vectors, matching of opponents in the battle event is performed based on the group. Specifically, opponents are matched so that players belonging to the same group play against each other during the period of the battle event.

In the above example, the feature vector has components corresponding to each character and each equipment item, and the component corresponding to the character expresses the ratio of the current value to the maximum enhancement level. The ratio of the current value to the maximum value of the enhancement level” is an example of the status of fulfillment of the necessary conditions for evolution. Possession status may be expressed in the component corresponding to the character of the feature vector.

In another example of this embodiment, the growth speed of the corresponding player's deck is represented in the feature vector. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining deck feature vectors in the other example. The deck feature information in this example consists of a predetermined number of characters (four in the example of FIG. 8) that make up the deck, and information on the growth speed of the corresponding player's deck. is. The feature vector has components corresponding to the growth rate of each character and deck. In this example, the growth speed of the deck is calculated based on the amount of change in strength of the deck during a predetermined period, and expressed in three levels (slow, normal, fast).

In FIG. 8, the component corresponding to each character is configured as a vector having the number of dimensions for all types of characters, and among the components of the vector, 1 is set in the component corresponding to the corresponding character type. On the other hand, 0 is set for other components. As for the components corresponding to the growth speed of the deck, 1 is set to the relevant component among the three components corresponding to the growth speed in three stages, while 0 is set to the other components.

In the above example, information about characters included in the deck is exemplified as deck feature information. may also be included.) may be applied as deck characteristic information.

In the above example, the event group set based on the clustering result of the feature vectors of the deck matches the same players as opponents. Matching (for example, matching of simultaneous battles by multiple players in the same event group, or matching of league matches by such multiple players, etc.) is performed, or one or more cooperative play opponents belonging to the same event group matching is done.

The game providing system 10 according to the present embodiment described above matches players based on the results of clustering of feature vectors obtained by vectorizing deck-related features. Since the feature vector of contains a component that expresses the growth potential of the deck (for example, the ratio of the current value to the maximum value of the evolution stage and enhancement level of each character included in the deck), the growth potential of the deck is Considered matching is possible. In this manner, system 10 assists in proper matching of players.

In addition, the embodiment of the present invention that enables matching that considers the possibility of deck growth in this way allows matched players to perform a certain number of times or a specific During the period, it is more preferably applied to a game in which players compete or cooperate.

The processes and procedures described herein, other than those explicitly described, may be implemented in software, hardware, or any combination thereof. For example, the processes and procedures described herein are implemented by implementing logic corresponding to the processes and procedures in media such as integrated circuits, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, magnetic disks, and the like. Moreover, the processes and procedures described in this specification can be implemented as computer programs corresponding to the processes and procedures, and can be executed by various computers.

Although the processes and procedures described herein are described as being performed by a single device, software, component or module, such processes or procedures may be performed by multiple devices, software, components or modules. and/or by multiple modules. Also, the software and hardware elements described herein can be implemented by consolidating them into fewer components or decomposing them into more components.

In this specification, even if the elements of the invention are described as either singular or plural, or without being limited to either singular or plural, they should be interpreted differently depending on the context. , the component may be singular or plural.

10 Game Providing System 20 Communication Network 30 Player Terminal 41 Information Storage Management Section 411 Player Information Table 412 Owned Content Information Table 43 Basic Function Control Section 45 Game Progress Control Section 47 Matching Processing Section

Claims (11)

A system, comprising one or more computer processors, for providing a game using a deck containing multiple game content, the system comprising:
The one or more computer processors, in response to executing readable instructions,
A process of clustering feature vectors obtained by vectorizing features related to each deck of a plurality of players;
and matching each of the plurality of players with one or more other players to play with, based at least on results of clustering the feature vectors;
The feature vector is configured to include a predetermined component that expresses a growth potential for the deck to grow.
system. The predetermined component corresponds to each of at least some of the plurality of game contents possessed by the player, and is configured to express the growth state of the corresponding game contents.
The system of Claim 1. The predetermined component is configured to correspond to each of a plurality of game contents included in the deck, out of the plurality of game contents owned by the player.
3. The system of claim 2. The predetermined component is configured to express the current development stage of the corresponding game content and the possibility of promotion to the next development stage.
4. The system of claim 2 or 3. The possibility of promotion is set based on at least the satisfaction of promotion requirements, which are the conditions necessary for moving up to the next training stage,
5. The system of claim 4. The satisfaction status of the promotion requirement is a predetermined parameter of the corresponding game content, and includes the current value of the predetermined parameter that requires a predetermined value to advance to the next training stage.
6. The system of claim 5. The status of fulfillment of the necessary promotion conditions includes the status of possession by the player of the training content necessary to move up to the next training stage,
7. System according to claim 5 or 6. The predetermined component is configured to express the growth speed of the corresponding player's deck,
8. The system of any one of claims 1-7. The clustering process includes clustering the feature vectors of each of the plurality of players before a predetermined event starts, and dividing the plurality of players into a plurality of groups based at least on the results of clustering;
The matching process includes matching players belonging to the same group during the period of the predetermined event.
9. The system of any one of claims 1-8. A method for providing a game executed by one or more computers and using a deck containing game content, comprising:
clustering feature vectors in which features for each deck of a plurality of players are vectorized;
matching each of the plurality of players with one or more other players to play with based at least on results of clustering the feature vectors;
The feature vector is configured to include a predetermined component that expresses a growth potential for the deck to grow.
Method. A program for providing a game using a deck containing multiple game contents, the program comprising:
A process of clustering feature vectors obtained by vectorizing features related to each deck of a plurality of players;
and matching each of the plurality of players with one or more other players to play with, based at least on results of clustering the feature vectors;
The feature vector is configured to include a predetermined component that expresses a growth potential for the deck to grow.
program.

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