JP7464784B2 - GAME PROGRAM, INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a game program, an information processing device, and an information processing method that are configured to automatically read card data stored on the backs of cards by arranging operation media (e.g., cards) on a play field , and to progress a predetermined video game with game content according to the combination of card data placed on the play field.

Conventionally, game devices have been put into practical use in which players place multiple player cards or other control media on a flat playfield, create a soccer team or baseball team, and slide these cards across the playfield as a control means for progressing through the game, thereby progressing through a simulation game of the sport. For example, in a game device for soccer, when a player arranges player cards on the playfield, an internal image sensor reads the card data stored on the back of the player cards, and data for a team made up of multiple players is created from these multiple player cards, and the game begins.

The player is configured to be able to specify the position and formation of the players by moving the placement of the player cards on the playfield. In such a card game, one new player card is paid out to the player each time a game is played, so the player has the enjoyment of being able to collect new cards that can be used in the card game, such as player cards. In such a game device, the game progress control program reads various information data stored on multiple cards placed on the playfield and detects the movement of the cards, thereby controlling the progress of the game. In addition, the game can be played either between players or by one player playing against a computer. An example of such a game device is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

According to the game device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a player can select a specific player card by rubbing a player card placed on the playfield on the playfield, and can further specify the player's position and formation by moving the player card while rubbing it. The player can also execute a shot by operating the shoot button, and the resulting image is displayed on the monitor. When one game ends, a new player card can be dispensed from the card dispenser of the game device, allowing the player to obtain a new player card. This new player card can be used the next time the player plays a game, expanding the range of player selection and player substitutions and allowing for a more strategic game.

JP 2002-301264 A

In conventional game devices such as that disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, actual cards are used as the operating means for progressing through the game, providing a different interest from games in which the player progresses through the game by simply operating operating buttons or levers provided on the game device.

The cards that serve as the operating medium for this type of game include rare cards (also called uncommon cards or premium cards) that are issued in extremely limited numbers compared to general cards and are therefore highly valuable. Players can enjoy playing games using these cards, as well as collecting, admiring, exchanging, or buying and selling these cards. However, there is a problem in that using actual cards in games leaves them with a feeling of use. Even if a protective case is used to protect the card when it is in use, it cannot be denied that the card still shows a strong feeling of use compared to a card that has never been used and has been kept for display purposes. In fact, when looking at the situation of exchanges and buying and selling, there is a clear difference in value between used and unused cards, even if they are the same type of card.

On the other hand, it is also true that highly valuable cards such as the rare cards mentioned above often have higher ability values and effects than general cards, and using them in a game can give you an advantage in the game and increase your chances of winning. Therefore, players are faced with conflicting feelings: they want to keep them unused for decoration or for trading such as exchanging or buying, and they want to use them in games because they have a high gaming effect, and they are forced to sacrifice one of these feelings in order to choose one over the other.

Furthermore, in this type of game, a wide variety of cards are available, and the cards used will differ depending on the game strategy, such as whether the game will be played with a team that emphasizes offense, defense, or a team that has a good balance between offense and defense. Therefore, unless players carry a large number of cards, they will not be able to play the game when, for example, they unexpectedly have free time to go to the amusement facility. Thus, amusement facilities are unknowingly faced with the problem of opportunity loss.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and aims to provide a game program, an information processing device, and an information processing method that can solve the conflicting psychological problems that players have with rare cards, which are operating media with a low release rate, and that allow players to play games without always having to carry a large number of operating media. Another aim is to provide a certain level of satisfaction to players even when they acquire cards (characters, etc.) that they have already acquired .

In order to solve such problems, the invention described in claim 1 is a game device that can be played using a normal operation medium on which at least one of position detection data or angle detection data and character data is stored, and an alternative operation medium on which at least one of the position detection data or the angle detection data is stored and identification information indicating a specific operation medium different from the normal operation medium is stored, the game device comprising: a playfield on which the normal operation medium and the alternative operation medium are placed; an operation medium data reading means for reading at least one of the position detection data or the angle detection data and the character data; an operation medium identification means for identifying whether the operation medium placed on the playfield is the normal operation medium or the alternative operation medium; a player information storage means for storing player information linked to ownership information of the normal operation medium specific to a player; and a game device that stores the alternative operation medium in the current game by the operation medium identification means. The game device is characterized by comprising: a character data registration means for registering the character data set in one normal operation medium selected by the player based on ownership information of the normal operation medium linked to the player information read by the player information reading means when the medium is identified as being used, as character data for the alternative operation medium in the current game; an alternative operation medium recognition means for recognizing the alternative operation medium used in the current game as the normal operation medium corresponding to the character data registered by the character data registration means; a character image generation means for generating a character image based on the character data of the normal operation medium read by the operation medium data reading means and the character data of the alternative operation medium registered by the character data registration means in the current game; and an image display means for displaying a game image including the character image generated by the character image generation means.

According to the game device described in claim 1, when a player wishes to use a rare card that has a high game ability value and a lower drop rate than normal operating media in a game, the player can play the game using an alternative operating medium instead of the actual normal operating medium that the player owns, allowing the player to enjoy the game using the abilities (effects) of the rare card without damaging the valuable rare card.

In addition, for example, if a rental machine for alternative control media is installed in an amusement facility, a player can borrow an alternative control medium and play the game in the same way as if using the normal control media even when he or she does not have the normal control media.

In addition, because the normal character data linked to the alternative operating medium is limited to that registered in the ownership information linked to the player information, a player who does not own the medium cannot play the game using the alternative operating medium instead of the normal operating medium. This makes it possible to prevent the infinite proliferation of normal gaming media (rare cards) that are scarce. Also, for example, by transferring only the ownership data while keeping the actual card, the transferor can no longer use the transferred card in the game, but can collect the actual card for decorative purposes, and the transferee can play the game using the alternative card. In other words, it is possible to increase the number of ways in which card trading can be carried out, and to promote the circulation of cards.

The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the game device described in claim 1, it comprises a payout operation medium data reading means for reading the character data of the normal operation medium newly paid out at the end of a game, and an ownership information update means for updating the ownership information linked to the player information based on the character data read by the payout operation medium data reading means.

According to the game device described in claim 2, the ownership information of the player is automatically updated by the ownership information update means each time a game ends, so that the infinite proliferation of rare cards, which are highly valuable operating media, due to lending and borrowing, etc., can be prevented.

The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in the game device described in claim 2, it comprises an operation medium payout selection means for selecting whether or not a new payout of the normal operation medium is desired at the end of a game, a normal operation medium payout means for updating the ownership information by the ownership information update means and then paying out the normal operation medium when a selection is made by the operation medium payout selection means to desire the payout of the normal operation medium, and a normal operation medium recovery means for updating the ownership information by the ownership information update means and then recovering the normal operation medium when a selection is made by the operation medium payout selection means to not desire the payout of the normal operation medium.

According to the game device described in claim 3, when the control medium (such as a card) that is discharged at the end of the game is a card that the player does not need, the player can choose not to pay out the card at his/her discretion and can update only the ownership information, which contributes to resource conservation and does not force the player to store or discard unnecessary cards.

The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that, in the game device described in claim 1, the normal operation medium stores unique operation medium data linked to character data corresponding to the type of operation medium for each operation medium, and the device is provided with a unique operation medium data determination means for determining whether or not there is unregistered unique operation medium data in the ownership information of the player among the unique operation medium data read by the operation medium data reading means of the normal operation medium used in the current game, an owner information reference means for referencing the presence or absence of owner information of the unique operation medium data when it is determined by the unique operation medium data determination means that there is unregistered unique operation medium data, an ownership information update means for registering ownership information of the normal operation medium corresponding to the unique operation medium data in the ownership information of the player when there is no owner information related to another player by the owner information reference means, and updating the ownership information of the player, and an unowned operation medium use refusal means for refusing the use of the normal operation medium when there is owner information related to another player by the owner information reference means.

According to the game device described in claim 4, in addition to the effects and advantages of the invention described in claim 1, the unique operation medium data determination means determines whether or not there is unregistered unique operation medium data in the ownership information of the player among the unique operation medium data used in the current game, and the owner information reference means references the presence or absence of owner information of the unique operation medium data when the unique operation medium data determination means determines that there is unregistered unique operation medium data, and when the owner information reference means determines that there is no owner information related to another player, the ownership information update means registers the ownership information of the normal operation medium corresponding to the unique operation medium data in the ownership information of the player to update the ownership information of the player, and when the owner information reference means determines that there is owner information related to another player, the unowned operation medium use refusal means refuses the use of the normal operation medium, so there is no need to read the data of the operation medium dispensed when the operation medium is dispensed after the game ends, and the ownership information can be updated all at once when the operation medium is registered before the start of the game.

The invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that it includes an image display control means for displaying, on the image display means, the game image including the character image of the normal operating medium corresponding to the character data of the alternative operating medium registered by the character data registration means in the current game when the operating medium being operated is identified as the alternative operating medium by the operating medium identification means.

According to the game device described in claim 5, when an alternative operating medium is being operated, the image display control means displays on the image display means a character image corresponding to the character data of the normal operating medium corresponding to the alternative operating medium, so that the game can be played while checking the name, design, ability values, attributes, and other data of the alternative operating medium being operated on the image.

The invention described in claim 6 is a game device capable of playing using a normal card in which at least one of position detection data or angle detection data and character data is stored, and a substitute card in which at least one of the position detection data or the angle detection data is stored and in which identification information indicating a specific card different from the normal card is stored, the game device comprising: a play field on which the normal card and the substitute card are placed; a card data reading means for reading at least one of the position detection data or the angle detection data and the unique card data; a card identification means for identifying whether the card placed on the play field is the normal card or the substitute card; a player information storage means for storing player information linked to ownership information of the normal operating medium unique to the player; and a card identification means for identifying the substitute card as having been used in the current game. character data registration means for registering the character data set in one normal card selected by the player based on ownership information of the normal card linked to the player information read by the player information reading means as character data of the substitute card in the current game; substitute card recognition means for recognizing the substitute card used in the current game as a normal card owned by the player corresponding to the character data registered by the character data registration means; character image generation means for generating a character image based on the character data of the normal card read by the card data reading means and the character data of the substitute card registered by the character data registration means in the current game; and image display means for displaying a game image including the character image generated by the character image generation means.

According to the invention described in claim 6, a card that is easy to operate and has low manufacturing costs can be used as the operating medium in the game device described in claim 1. In addition, when storing the card for display purposes, it can be easily stored in a card album or the like, and is convenient to carry around.

In the present invention, the term "operation medium" includes cards, objects with figures such as dolls or animals attached to cards, rectangular or cubic objects, cylindrical or prismatic objects, conical or pyramidal objects, three-dimensional objects such as fish-shaped or dome-shaped objects, and coin-shaped objects that can be used as operation means (play items) for progressing through a game. A "card" refers to a thin plate-like object made of paper, resin, glass, wood, or the like. In addition, in the case of a thin plate-like object, the outer shape is not limited to a rectangle, and may be a square, circular, elliptical, star-shaped, or the like. In addition, it may be made of paper or soft plastic, etc., folded in two, folded in three, accordion-shaped, or formed into a multi-page booklet. At least position detection data and angle detection data that can be read by a data reading means, character data that can identify the type of the operation medium, or unique operation medium data are stored. On both sides or one side of the operation medium (card), individual patterns or photos that can visually identify the type of the operation medium may be printed.

A "normal operation medium" is one that stores at least one of position detection data and angle detection data that can be read by a data reading means, and character data that can identify the type of the operation medium, or unique operation medium data linked to the character data. Individual patterns, photographs, etc. that enable the type of the operation medium to be visually identified are printed on both sides or one side of the operation medium.

An "alternative operation medium" is an operation medium that stores at least one of position detection data and angle detection data that can be read by a data reading means, and stores identification information that indicates a specific operation medium different from a normal operation medium, and that can be used in a game in place of any normal operation medium owned by the player. Any number of alternative operation media can be used in one game in place of another normal operation medium, but the number that can be used at one time may be limited depending on the specifications of the game.

The "position detection data," "angle detection data," "character data," and "unique operation medium data" stored on the card refer to information that can be read by a data reading means, for example. Any form is acceptable as long as the data can be read and calculated by the data reading means, such as a form formed by printing a predetermined code pattern shape using paint that transmits, reflects, or absorbs invisible light, or a form in which the current position coordinates and angle of the operation medium are calculated using an imaging means installed above or below the playfield. In particular, when printed in a predetermined code pattern shape, the character data and unique operation medium data are preferably formed with invisible transparent paint to prevent counterfeiting and alteration of the code pattern of the stored data. The position detection data and angle detection data are also preferably formed with transparent paint so as not to interfere with the design printed on the card.

"Play field" means a board surface on which multiple cards used in a game can be placed. For example, the play field can have a transparent board surface. Alternatively, the transparent board surface can be laminated with a sheet material that transmits invisible light, and a mock ground or the like for a sport such as soccer or baseball can be printed on the sheet material. Furthermore, the surface of the sheet material on which the cards are placed can be formed with minute projections and recesses to prevent the cards from sticking to the play field and allow the cards to be operated smoothly.

The "character data" stored on a normal card can be in any form as long as it can identify the type of control medium. In other words, it can be configured so that the "attack power," "defense power," and other characteristic value data and attribute data of the control medium are all stored in each individual control medium, or this characteristic value data and attribute data are linked to the type of control medium and stored in a database. In the latter configuration, the game device can learn the characteristic values of each control medium by referencing the database.

"Unique operation medium data" is unique identification information (unique ID) that is different for each and every operation medium (sheet). Each unique operation medium data is linked to character data that identifies the type of operation medium and stored in the database. Therefore, even if the type of operation medium is the same, different unique operation medium data is stored in different operation media, so by reading the unique operation medium data, the linked character data can be referenced. In addition, player information is linked to the unique operation medium data as owner information and stored in the database.

Similarly, the "player information (player ID)" may be any type of data as long as it can identify the player. The player information is usually linked to ownership information of the operation medium and stored in a database along with attribute data such as the player's nickname, match results, and level. The configuration for acquiring the player information may include a player information reading means, and may be configured to read the player information from a player information storage medium (such as a player ID card). Alternatively, the player information may be stored in a storage device of the game device or in a storage device of a server device connected to the game device via a network, and the player may be authenticated by inputting a PIN number or the like, and the player information corresponding to each player may be read from the storage device.
"Ownership information" includes data such as the type and number of control media owned by the player, usage history, and payout information for actual cards, and is stored in a database linked to player information. Note that "ownership" refers to a state in which the control media can be used in a game, and does not necessarily include a state in which the actual control media (cards, etc.) are not in the player's possession.

In addition, the above-mentioned player attribute data, ownership information, characteristic value data and attribute data of each owned operating medium, etc. may all be stored in the player information storage medium.

When identifying a player using the player information storage medium, it is preferable to authenticate the player using a password or other means to prevent the player information storage medium from being stolen or used by someone who finds a lost one. As the "player information reading means", for example, a barcode reader/writer device, an RFID reader/writer device, a semiconductor memory reader/writer device, etc. can be used.

According to the invention described in claim 1, when a player wishes to use an operating medium such as a rare card with high game ability values or effects in a game, the player can play the game using an alternative operating medium while keeping the actual normal operating medium for decorative purposes, allowing the player to enjoy the game without damaging the valuable rare card. In addition, if a rental machine for alternative operating media is installed in a game facility, players can borrow an alternative operating medium and play the game in the same way as when using normal operating media, even if they do not always carry a large number of normal operating media with them.

In addition, by configuring the system with a payout operation medium data reading means that reads the character data of a new regular card that is paid out at the end of a game, and an ownership information update means that updates the ownership information linked to the player information based on the read character data, the player's ownership information is automatically updated by the ownership information update means every time a game ends, so it is possible to prevent cards from multiplying infinitely due to the lending and borrowing of rare cards, etc.

In addition, by providing an operating medium payout selection means for selecting whether or not a new normal operating medium is desired to be paid out at the end of a game, a normal operating medium payout means for updating ownership information by an ownership information update means and then paying out the normal operating medium when a selection is made by the operating medium payout selection means to desire the payout of the normal operating medium, and a normal operating medium recovery means for updating ownership information by an ownership information update means and then recovering the normal operating medium when a selection is made by the operating medium payout selection means not to desire the payout of the normal operating medium, if the operating medium discharged at the end of a game is an operating medium that the player does not need, the player can choose not to pay out the operating medium at his/her will and can update only the ownership information, which contributes to resource conservation and does not force the player to store or discard the unnecessary operating medium. If the player does not desire the payout of a new normal operating medium, this information can be stored when updating the ownership information, so that the actual operating medium can be provided at a later date as needed.

According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effects of the game device described in claim 1 above, there is no need to read the data of the control medium dispensed when the control medium is dispensed after the game ends, and ownership information can be updated all at once when the control medium is registered before the game starts.

1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of an embodiment of a game device according to the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a terminal device operated by each player of a game device according to the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an embodiment of a game device according to the present invention. 2 is a plan view of the playfield 24 from above. A vertical cross-sectional view of a housing 76 to which a playfield 24 is attached. 1 is an enlarged plan view showing a play field 24 and an operation unit of the terminal device 16a. FIG. A plan view showing an example of a printing pattern of the playfield 24. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing the cross-sectional structure of the playfield 24. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a code pattern stored on the back of a player card 20. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an image of the back side of a player card 20 captured by an image sensor 56. FIG. 1 shows the start positions S1 to S4 of bits in an ID data area 176 and a data area 180. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the arrangement of pattern data 0 to 15. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a card position coordinate detection method. 13 is a diagram for explaining a position angle detection pattern area 174. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of detecting each of the protrusions 174a to 174d. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a reference marker 200. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for recognizing card data stored on the back side of a player card 20. 1 is a front view showing an example of a code pattern stored on the front and back sides of a substitute card 21. FIG. 3 is a main flowchart showing a game progression procedure of the game device 10. 13 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a player card registration process. 13 is a flowchart showing the steps of a player card registration process in another embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for a replacement card registration process. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for transferring ownership of a normal card 20 used in the game device 10 to another player 22.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of a game device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a terminal device operated by each player of the game device according to the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the game device 10 is composed of two large panel displays 12, a main control unit 14 that controls the display of the large panel displays 12, and a plurality of terminal devices 16a to 16h (eight in this embodiment) that are communicatively connected to the main control unit 14.

In the present embodiment, the game device 10 is capable of playing a soccer game, and can be applied to sports other than soccer (for example, team-based sports such as baseball, rugby, American football, and hockey), as well as to a match game in which players control characters with parameters such as physical strength, offensive power, and defensive power to compete against each other. The large panel display 12 displays images such as an overall image of the soccer field, a match digest for all seats, and the match results for all seats. A player participating in the game for the first time first purchases a starter set (items) necessary for the game and sits in each seat where the terminal devices 16a to 16h are installed. This starter set includes an IC card (player information recording medium) 18 used as a recording medium for recording practice results, match results, etc., and eleven player cards (items) 20 on which photos of each soccer player are printed. The player cards 20 are normal cards in this embodiment. In the following description of this embodiment, cards are used as an example of the control medium/control item, but the control medium is not limited to cards. Cards with figures such as dolls or animals attached, rectangular or cubic objects, cylindrical or prismatic objects, conical or pyramidal objects, fish-boiled or dome-shaped objects, and coin-shaped objects are all applicable to the present invention as long as they can be used as a control means (play item) for the progress of the game.

As described below, the player cards 20 have a photo of each different player printed on the front, and a data pattern (character data) for identifying the individual player printed on the front recorded on the back. The IC card 18 also stores player information that can identify at least the player 22. Therefore, by reading the player information stored on the IC card 18 and referring to a database stored in the storage device of the main control unit 14, it is possible to obtain the data necessary for the game and to confirm that the player 22 is eligible to participate in the game. In this embodiment, the game can also be played using a substitute card 21, which will be described later.

Since the terminal devices 16a to 16h have the same configuration, the terminal device 16a will be described here. The terminal device 16a is provided with a play field 24 on which the player 22 places the player cards 20 and substitute cards 21, a monitor 26 on which images of the practice and matches of the soccer team created by the player 22 are displayed, an IC card reader/writer 28 into which the IC card 18 is inserted, and a card issuing unit 30 from which the player cards are dispensed after the game ends. In addition, on the left side of the play field 24, strategy instruction buttons 32a to 32c are provided for selecting and instructing a strategy menu, and on the right side of the play field 24, input buttons 34a and 34b for instructing player power and the like are provided. The player 22 can give instructions to the players during practice and matches by operating the strategy instruction buttons 32a to 32c. That is, the player 22 can operate the strategy instruction buttons 32a to 32c to, for example, instruct tactics such as side attacks, instruct shots on the goal, and switch the camera of the match scene displayed on the monitor 26.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the game device in this embodiment. The main control unit 14 is connected to a large panel control unit 36 for controlling the display of the large panel display 12 via a hub 40 of a LAN (Local Area Network) 38, to each of the terminal devices 16a to 16h, and to an external network (not shown).

The large panel control unit 36 has a CPU 42, a memory (RAM) 44, an input/output interface 46, a sound circuit 48, and a graphic display circuit 50. The memory (RAM) 44 stores various image data (e.g., an overall image of the soccer field, play images of each player, a digest scene of the current game, or a goal scene of a past game, etc.) to be displayed on the large panel display 12, as well as a control program that selects various image data to be displayed on the large panel display 12, prioritizes them, and displays them in sequence. The input/output interface 46 is connected to a switch 52 for operating the main control unit 14 and the large panel display 12. The sound circuit 48 is connected to a sound amplifier 54 that outputs sounds corresponding to the various images displayed on the large panel display 12. The graphic display circuit 50 displays an image (e.g., an overall image of the soccer field, play images of each player, a digest scene of the current game, or a goal scene of a past game, etc.) selected by a control signal from the CPU 42 on the large panel display 12.

Each of the terminal devices 16a to 16h also has a CPU 62, a memory (RAM) 64, an input/output interface 66, a sound circuit 68, and a graphic display circuit 70. The memory (RAM) 64 stores various image data (e.g., various game selection images and play images of each player) and control programs to be displayed on the monitor 26. In addition to the main control unit 14, the input/output interface 66 is connected to an IC card read/write 28, an image sensor 56 for reading card data stored on the back of the player card 20, and a switch 72 for operating the monitor 26. The sound circuit 68 is connected to a sound amplifier 74 that outputs sounds corresponding to the various images displayed on the monitor 26. The graphic display circuit 50 displays an image selected by a control signal from the CPU 62 on the monitor 26.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the playfield 24 seen from above. Figure 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the housing 76 to which the playfield 24 is attached. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the playfield 24 is composed of a transparent glass plate 78 attached to cover the top opening 76a of the housing 76, and a thin playfield sheet 80 laminated on the top surface of the glass plate 78.

The player card 20 and the substitute card 21 are placed on the upper surface of the playfield sheet 80. Inside the housing 76, there are attached a light source 82 that irradiates the backs of the player card 20 and the substitute card 21 placed on the playfield 24 with infrared light (invisible light), a first filter 84 that removes visible light from the light emitted from the light source 82, an image sensor 56 that captures the pattern of card data stored on the backs of the player card 20 and the substitute card 21 placed on the playfield 24, a first reflector 86 that reflects the light reflected by the backs of the player card 20 and the substitute card 21 upward, a second reflector 88 that guides the light reflected by the first reflector 86 (invisible light) to the image sensor 56, and a second filter 90 that removes disturbance light (visible light) contained in the light reflected by the reflectors 86 and 88. The light source 82 is a light-emitting diode (LED) that emits invisible light such as infrared light or ultraviolet light that is invisible to the naked eye. Of course, the first filter 84 can be removed when no visible light is emitted from the light source 82.

The first reflector 86 is supported by the lower inclined portion 76b of the housing 76 so as to be inclined at a predetermined inclination angle α with respect to the horizontally disposed playfield 24. The second reflector 88 is attached at an inclination angle corresponding to the attachment angle of the first reflector 86.

The housing 76 has a lower inclined portion 76b, so that when the player 22 is seated, the player's 22 feet can be inserted below the lower inclined portion 76b. This allows the player 22 to reach all the way to the back of the playfield 24 when arranging the player cards 20 and substitute cards 21 on the playfield 24, and allows the player 22 to place the player cards 20 and substitute cards 21 anywhere on the entire surface of the playfield 24.

Infrared light (invisible light) that blocks visible light is irradiated from the light source 82 onto the playfield 24 from inside the sealed housing 76, so the inside of the housing 76 cannot be seen even when looking at the playfield 24 from above.

Figure 6 is an enlarged plan view of the play field 24 and operation section of the terminal device 16a. As shown in Figure 6, the top surface of the housing 76 is provided with the play field 24, strategy instruction buttons 32a-32c and input buttons 34a, 34b operated by the player. The top surface of the play field 24 is provided with a participating player card placement area 92 for placing player cards 20 that will be regular players and substitute cards 21, and a sub player card placement area 94 for placing player cards 20 that will be reserve players and substitute cards 21.

In addition, the player 22 can place 11 player cards 20 from the player cards 20 he or she owns in the participating player card placement area 92, and can place up to five player cards 20 in the sub player card placement area 94 as reserve players.

Furthermore, the operation instruction button 32a is operated as a select button that moves the cursor upward on the menu image displayed on the monitor 26, the operation instruction button 32b is operated as a decision button, and the operation instruction button 32c is operated as a select button that moves the cursor downward on the menu image displayed on the monitor 26.

In addition, input button 34a is an operation button for changing the parameters of the player cards 20 and substitute cards 21 arranged in the participating player card arrangement area 92 to a full strength level, and input button 34b is an operation button for changing the parameters of the player cards 20 and substitute cards 21 arranged in the participating player card arrangement area 92 to a stamina conservation level.

Before starting the game, the player 22 inserts the IC card 18 into the IC card reader/writer 28 and has the terminal device 16 read the player information stored on the IC card 18. The terminal device 16 stores in the RAM 64 various data linked to the read player information from the main control unit 14 via the LAN 38.

Figure 7 is a plan view showing an example of a printing pattern of the playfield 24. As shown in Figure 7, a white line frame 96 indicating the above-mentioned participating player card arrangement area 92 and a line frame 98 indicating the sub player card arrangement area 94 are printed on the back of the playfield sheet 80 of the playfield 24. Furthermore, on the back of the playfield sheet 80, the participating player card arrangement area 92 is divided into three blocks, and a forward area 100 for arranging forward (FD) player cards 20, a midfielder area 102 for arranging midfielder (MD) player cards 20, a defender area 104 for arranging defender (DF) player cards 20, and a goalkeeper area 105 for arranging goalkeeper (GK) player cards 20 are printed with ink of different shades of green, for example.

Each of these areas 100, 102, 104, and 105 is printed with a pigment ink that transmits infrared rays so that the card data (the player's identification data printed on the card) recorded on the back of the player card 20 can be recognized. The sub player card placement area 94 is printed on the back of the playfield sheet 80 with, for example, brown ink, and five yellow framed lines 106 are printed so that up to five reserve player cards 20 can be placed therein.

In the game device 10, for example, the position of the player printed on each player card 20 is determined as either forward, midfielder, defender, or goalkeeper, and when the area on which each player card 20 is placed matches the position of the player printed on that player card 20, the player parameters and team parameters are set to normal values.

However, when the area in which each player card 20 is placed does not match the player's position printed on that player card 20, the player parameters and team parameters are set to low values. For example, if a forward (FD) player card 20 is placed in the defender area 102, this will have an effect such as weakening the team's offensive power.

In addition, the player 22, who is the manager, can decide which player cards 20 to place in each of the areas 100, 102, and 104. The player 22 can also decide which formation to start the game with, 3-3-4, 3-4-3, or 4-3-3, in terms of the number of player cards 20 to be placed in each of the areas 100, 102, and 104.

Figure 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an enlarged cross-sectional structure of the playfield 24. As shown in Figure 8, the playfield 24 has a laminated structure in which a playfield sheet 80 is placed on the upper surface of a reinforcing glass plate 78. The playfield sheet 80 is made of transparent polycarbonate resin and serves to protect the above-mentioned areas 100, 102, 104 printed on the lower surface, as well as the sub player card placement area 94, the white line frame 96, the yellow line frame 106, etc. Furthermore, fine irregularities (also called "grain") 110 are formed on the upper surface of the playfield sheet 80.

With these minute projections and recesses 110 on the surface, the player cards 20 and substitute cards 21 do not stick together when placed on the surface, and the player cards 20 and substitute cards 21 can be easily taken or moved. Furthermore, because the playfield sheet 80 has minute projections and recesses 110 on its surface, it becomes semi-transparent as light from the outside is diffusely reflected, and also serves as a screen to prevent the inside of the cabinet 76 from being seen. Moreover, because the light source 82 emits invisible light inside the cabinet 76, the inside of the cabinet 76 is pitch black even when the playfield 24 is viewed from above, and the player 22 cannot see inside the cabinet 76.

Note that the ink layer 108 uses pigment ink that transmits infrared rays in colors other than black and white. This is because the card data is recorded on the back of the player card 20 in a black and white pattern when viewed with invisible light.

Next, the card data stored on the back of the player card 20 will be explained with reference to the drawings. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of card data stored on the back of the player card 20.

In this embodiment, a circular code pattern is used to detect the position and angle of the card data printed on the back of the player card 20. In this embodiment, the position and angle of each card are detected using a circular code pattern, but if a strip-shaped barcode, a two-dimensional barcode such as a stack type or a matrix type, or a magnetic code or an electronic tag, or other data stored in the card data and a reading means capable of reading the data are separately provided, the game device according to the present invention can be applied. This is not limited to position detection data and angle detection data, but it is also the same for character data and unique card data described later. In this embodiment, the position and angle of the player card 20 on the playfield 24 are detected using a circular code pattern, but it is also possible to configure the device to detect only either the card coordinate position or the orientation (angle).

In this embodiment, the detection of the card coordinate position, orientation (angle), and ID code obtained by reading the data pattern recorded on the back of the player card 20 is performed in separate steps. First, the position coordinates of the player card 20 are detected for almost the entire area of the play field 80 (step 1), then angle detection is performed for the detected position coordinates (step 2), and finally the card's ID data is decoded for the detected position coordinates and angle (step 3).

Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of a code pattern in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, a code pattern 170 consisting of multiple patterns with different radii is printed on the back of the player card 20. This code pattern 170 has a card position detection circle 172, a position angle detection pattern area 174 formed on the outer periphery of the card position detection circle 172, an ID data area 176 formed outside the position angle detection pattern area 174, an annular white area 178 formed inside the card position detection circle 172, a data area 180 formed inside the annular white area 178, and a center point 182 formed inside the data area 180. The code pattern 170 is recognized by the density difference between the black portion 170a and the white portion 170b.

In addition, the code pattern 170 is printed using ink that transmits infrared rays, so that it cannot be seen directly by the player. This prevents the player 22 or other persons from tampering with the code pattern 170 to alter it, or from counterfeiting a card that resembles the code pattern 170.

In addition, the code pattern 170 includes a card position detection circle 172, a position angle detection pattern area 174, an ID data area 176, an annular white area 178, and a data area 180, which are formed in concentric circles centered on a central point 182, and the ID data area 176, which has a radius larger than the short side of the card 20, is formed in an arc-like curved shape. That is, in the ID data area 176, a portion of the outermost circular pattern located at a radius larger than the short side of the rectangular card surface is recorded in an arc shape, so that the entire area of the card surface can be used effectively.

Figure 10 shows an image of the back of a player card 20 captured by the image sensor 56. As shown in Figure 10, when the code pattern 170 is captured by the image sensor 56, the black and white portion is recognized as a "1" and the black and white portion is recognized as a "0." The white portions of the ID data area 176 and data area 180 are shown as hatched areas, but are not blank and display specific information in combination with the black portions.

In other words, the combination of the black and white parts is configured to be extracted as a 1-bit signal, and the arrangement pattern of the black and white parts varies depending on the content of the predetermined information, and this arrangement pattern of the black and white parts functions as a code pattern. In this embodiment, the size is determined so that each half bit (one black or white part) becomes 6 dots on the screen captured by the image sensor 56.

The game device 10 does not know where the player card 20 will be placed on the playfield sheet 80, and it is not known in which direction in the rotation direction the player card 20 will be tilted, as the player card 20 will not be placed in a uniform orientation. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the detection position and position angle before detecting the code pattern 170 printed on the back of the player card 20.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the code position (center position) is detected from the code pattern 170 of the player card 20 by the brightness difference between the inside and outside of the card position detection circle 172. For this reason, white areas 171, 173 are formed in annular shapes on the inside and outside of the card position detection circle 172, which clarifies the brightness difference between the inner and outer circumferences of the card position detection circle 172. Because the card position detection circle 172 is a circle, it is possible to detect the position regardless of the orientation (position angle) of the card 20.

In addition, the position angle of the code pattern 170 (the orientation of the card 20) is detected by detecting the circumferential spacing of the protrusions 174a to 174d of the position angle detection pattern area 174 that protrude radially outward from the outer periphery of the card position detection circle 172. Therefore, the circumferential spacing of each of the protrusions 174a to 174d is not equal, but is made different, and the position angle of the card 20 is determined by detecting this spacing.

The value of each bit is determined by the difference in brightness between two adjacent half-bit regions. When calculating the brightness of each region, the brightness of the center of each region is extracted without using the areas at the very edge of the boundaries in order to reduce the effects of out-of-focus and errors in position and angle detection.

As shown in FIG. 11, the starting positions S1 to S4 of the bits in the ID data area 176 and the data area 180 are different for each player card 20.

As shown in FIG. 12, 16-bit information consisting of pattern data 0 to 15 is obtained in ID data area 176 and data area 180. Each pattern data 0 to 15 is composed of the black and white parts described above, and the area of each of the black and white parts is set large to make it easy to distinguish from the image data captured by image sensor 56, thereby preventing erroneous recognition of the data.

Here, we will explain the card position coordinate detection process executed by the CPU 62 of the terminal device 16. First, when a player card 20 is placed on the playfield sheet 80, the position coordinates of the player card 20 are detected. Here, by detecting the card position detection circle 172 consisting of a circular code pattern to detect the position coordinates, the position coordinates can be detected quickly because they are not affected by the position angle of the card 20.

Therefore, in the card position coordinate detection process, the position of the card 20 is detected by measuring the brightness difference between the black part of the card position detection circle 172 and the white areas formed inside and outside it from the code pattern 170 shown in Figures 10 to 12 using pattern matching.

As shown in Figures 13 (A) to (D), the position of the card position detection circle 172 is the position of the card 20, so the card position coordinate detection method recognizes the position of the card 20 by detecting the position of the card position detection circle 172 from the image data captured by the image sensor 56.

As shown in FIG. 13(A), the inside of the card position detection circle 172 is divided into 12 regions R1 to R12 for evaluation. Two pairs of points, indicated by white dots 182 and black dots 184, are placed in each of the 12 divided regions R1 to R12. For these two pairs of points, the white dots 182 are positive and the black dots 184 are negative, and the brightness of each is added together to determine the evaluation value for each region R1 to R12.

Figure 13 (B) shows the arrangement pattern of white dots 182 and black dots 184 with the inner periphery of the card position detection circle 172 as the boundary. Based on this arrangement pattern of white dots 182 and black dots 184, the inner periphery contour data of the inner periphery of the card position detection circle 172 is evaluated using the card position detection circle 172 and its inner area 186. This allows the rough coordinate position of the position where the player card 20 is placed to be recognized.

The hatched portion representing the card position detection circle 172 is assigned an evaluation value of 0. Furthermore, coordinates where all evaluation values of the 12 divided areas as described above exceed the set threshold A, and 10 of these (which can be changed by settings) exceed threshold B, are stored as candidates for card coordinates. At this time, the sum of the evaluation values of all areas is stored as the evaluation value N of that coordinate.

Then, the card coordinates stored as candidates for the card coordinates are evaluated using a 12-division pattern 188 shown in FIG. 13(C). This 12-division pattern 188 is evaluated using the outer periphery of the card position detection circle 172 and its outer area. FIG. 13(D) shows an arrangement pattern of white dots 190 and black dots 192 with the outer periphery of the card position detection circle 172 as the boundary. Based on this arrangement pattern of white dots 190 and black dots 192, the outer periphery of the card position detection circle 172 is evaluated using the card position detection circle 172 and the white area of the position angle detection pattern area 174 formed outside of it, to evaluate the outer periphery contour data. This allows the accurate coordinate position of the position where the player card 20 is placed to be recognized.

Four pairs of points, indicated by white dots 190 and black dots 192, are placed in each of the 12 divided regions R1 to R12 as described above. The brightness of each of these points is added, with the white dots 190 being positive and the black dots 192 being negative, and this sum is the evaluation value for each region R1 to R12. The hatched areas are set to 0. The coordinates where all evaluation values for each of these regions R1 to R12 exceed the set threshold C, and nine of these (which can be changed by setting) exceed threshold D, are stored as candidates for card coordinates. At this time, the sum of the evaluation values for all regions R1 to R12 is stored as the evaluation value M of that coordinate. The sum of evaluation value N and evaluation value M is set as the evaluation value Σ of that coordinate.

When all coordinates have been evaluated or the number of candidate coordinates exceeds the set number, thinning is performed by deleting the coordinates with the smallest evaluation value from among the multiple candidate coordinates that are within a distance of the value set as the thinning distance. The coordinates with the large evaluation value remaining after thinning are set as the coordinate position of the player card 20.

Next, the card angle detection process performed after card position detection will be described with reference to FIG. 14 and FIGS. 15(A)-(C). As shown in FIG. 14, in the card angle detection process, angle detection is performed for the coordinates where the card position was detected. This angle detection method detects and determines the circumferential spacing of protrusions 174a-174d of position angle detection pattern area 174 (shown by hatching in FIG. 14) that protrude radially from the outer periphery of card position detection circle 172. In this way, the coordinates on which angle detection is performed are narrowed down by position detection, so the processing time is shorter than if it were performed for all coordinates.

The position angle (orientation) of the player card 20 placed on the playfield sheet 80 is determined by the circumferential intervals L1 to L4 of the protrusions 174a to 174d that protrude from the outer periphery of the position angle detection pattern area 174, which are set to predetermined intervals, and are arranged at different intervals such that L1 < L2 < L3 < L4. Therefore, the position angle of the player card 20 can be determined from the time interval of the detection pulses by scanning the detection positions of the protrusions 174a to 174d.

In this embodiment, angle detection is performed by pattern matching by comparing the detection pulse pattern of each protrusion 174a to 174d with a pre-stored pattern. For example, if the width (circumferential dimension) of each protrusion 174a to 174d for angle detection is 1, the protrusions 174a to 174d are arranged so that the ratio of the spacing L1:L2:L3:L4 between them is 3:4:5:8. In this way, changing the ratio of the spacing L1 to L4 prevents erroneous recognition of the angle detection.

Instead of changing the ratio of the intervals L1 to L4 between the protrusions 174a to 174d, the width (circumferential dimension) of the protrusions 174a to 174d may be changed to have different dimensions. In addition, the position angle detection pattern area 174 is made as large as possible, up to the limit of the width of the player card 20, to reduce detection errors.

As shown in Figures 15(A) to (C), in the method of detecting each of the protrusions 174a to 174d, the edge (side edge) is detected from the density difference (brightness difference) between the white of the position angle detection pattern area 174 and the black of each of the protrusions 174a to 174d, and the intervals on the time axis of these detection signals are the intervals L1 to L4 mentioned above. Furthermore, when the edge of each of the protrusions 174a to 174d is detected, the detection signal of the edge where white switches to black rises to the + side, and the detection signal of the edge where black switches to white falls to the - side. Therefore, the interval L between the detection signal on the - side and the next detection signal on the + side detected matches one of the intervals L1 to L4 of each of the protrusions 174a to 174d.

In this embodiment, the luminance data Y[n] (at angle n) is extracted from the position angle detection pattern area 174 at angles from 0° to 359° in 1° increments, and the edge value is extracted by Edge[n] = V[n-1] - V[n+1]. Note that on the playfield sheet 80, the upward direction in front of the player is set as the reference angle of 0°.

Then, the total value obtained by multiplying the filter signal (pre-registered) shown in FIG. 15(A) by the detection signal of the circumferential edge of each protrusion 174a to 174d shown in FIG. 15(B) is calculated by shifting the value by 1°. When the filter signal and the edge detection signal match at any angle, the total value is maximized. Therefore, the point where the total value shown in FIG. 15(C) is maximized is set as the angle (orientation) α of the card 20. Therefore, it is determined that the player card 20 placed on the playfield sheet 80 is rotated clockwise by the angle α from the reference angle (0°).

If the lighting on the player card 20 is not uniform, the detection level for the spacing between the white parts may be smaller than the spacing between the black parts, and it may be difficult to distinguish this from noise. In contrast, in this embodiment, by evaluating the detection values of the circumferential edges of each protrusion 174a-174d as described above, even if the lighting on the player card 20 is not uniform, each protrusion 174a-174d can be accurately detected by performing relative processing as if the lighting is almost uniform within a very narrow range, so that the position angle can be detected more accurately.

Here, we will explain the ID decoding process for reading the ID data area 176 and data area 180.

When the position coordinates and position angle of the player card 20 are known as described above, the bit positions formed in the ID data area 176 and the data area 180 are uniquely determined, so that the discrimination process can be performed accurately without erroneous recognition. Also, in this embodiment, it is necessary to perform the decoding process only on the position coordinates of the detected player card 20, so the card information can be read in a short time.

As shown in Figures 9 to 12, the code patterns formed in the ID data area 176 and data area 180 have each code (black portion 170a and white portion 170b) consisting of approximately 6 dots x 6 dots, with half bits (black portion 170a or white portion 170b) and the entire half bit area being either white or black. In adjacent code pattern areas, one bit is always composed of a combination of black portion 170a and white portion 170b. This makes it possible to determine each bit of the code pattern based on the relative brightness difference, even when the absolute brightness value cannot be determined due to uneven lighting, etc.

As shown in FIG. 12, 4-bit code patterns 0 to 3 are arranged in the data area 180 located inside the card position detection circle 172, and the positions where these are arranged are calculated from the card position coordinates and position angle detected as described above to obtain an evaluation value for each half-bit area. The evaluation value in this case is the sum of the multiple dots in the data area 180 displayed at the card position in the image captured by the image sensor 56.

In this way, by using the sum of multiple dots as the evaluation value, the impact of missing dots or noise can be reduced. Note that if it is possible to accurately evaluate one dot, the value of one dot can be used as the evaluation value.

At this time, the boundary portions of the data area 180 are not used because they may be hindered in calculating an accurate evaluation value due to errors in position coordinates and angle detection, blurring during photography, etc.

Similarly, 12-bit code patterns 4 to 15 are arranged in the ID data area 176 located outside the card position detection circle 172, and the evaluation values of code patterns 4 to 15 are also calculated to determine each bit of the card data stored in the player card 20. At this time, if the difference in evaluation value between the white part and the black part of each bit exceeds the threshold value E for a set number or more, it is registered as a proper code, and if the difference in evaluation value between the white part and the black part of each bit does not exceed the threshold value E for a set number or more, it is deleted as an improper code.

In addition, a parity (error detection code) bit is set, and any code that has a parity error is deleted as an illegal code. The bit sequence that is recognized as a correct value is then decoded according to an ID decode table (not shown) to obtain the ID data for the player card 20. In this embodiment, the most significant two bits of the 16 bits are parity bits, and the parity is calculated, and if there is an error, the code is deleted as an illegal code.

In this embodiment, the character data of the player card 20 corresponds to the type of player card 20. Generally, the number of types of cards used in this type of card game is at most several thousand, so using the upper two bits of the 16 bits as parity bits as described above is sufficient to accommodate this.

On the other hand, when attaching unique card data to every card, since the total number of cards issued for some popular card games can exceed hundreds of millions, it is possible to address this by using, for example, a 13-digit barcode as the unique card data (unique ID).

Next, aspect ratio correction of the image captured by the image sensor 56 will be described. Depending on the model of image sensor 56, the pixel width:aspect ratio may not be 1:1. In that case, rotating the image as is will distort the image and make it difficult to handle, so aspect ratio correction processing is performed. For example, if the pixel width:aspect ratio is 1.29:1, the pixel is vertically multiplied by 1.29 to make it a square pixel.

Next, the lens distortion correction process for the image sensor 56 will be described. When there is lens distortion in the image sensor 56, it is necessary to correct it as follows to remove the lens distortion. In that case, for example, the focal length of the image sensor 56 is set to 4.8 mm. Then, the image of the image sensor 56 is manually adjusted so that 500 mm at 100% becomes 440 dots (0.88 dots/mm). Also, in this embodiment, it is possible to automatically adjust the magnification by determining it from the reference marker 200 captured by the image sensor 56.

Reference markers 200 consisting of black rings as shown in FIG. 16(A) are placed at the four corners of the playfield sheet 80. Then, a marker position detection process is performed to set the reference coordinates from the image of the playfield sheet 80 captured by the image sensor 56. Then, the coordinates of the reference markers 200 placed at the four corners of the playfield sheet 80 are recognized.

A Sobel filter is used as a method for recognizing the reference marker 200. As shown in FIG. 16(B), the Sobel filter detects the marker pattern 202 from the density difference of the outline of the reference marker 200, and recognizes the outline of the reference marker 200. By extracting the outline of the reference marker 200 in this way, the offset component can be removed.

In the contour extraction process of the reference marker 200, a Sobel filter is used to extract the contour of the reference marker 200. The position where the total value obtained by multiplying the contour values of the reference marker 200 is maximized becomes the coordinate of the reference marker 200. Then, pattern matching is performed with the position of this reference marker 200 to correct the position coordinate of the playfield sheet 80.

Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for recognizing the card data stored on the back of the player card 20. As shown in Figure 17, when a coin is inserted, the CPU 62 of the terminal device 16a executes an aspect ratio correction process in step S111. Since the pixel width:aspect ratio may not be 1:1 depending on the model of the image sensor 56 mentioned above, this aspect ratio correction process corrects the pixel aspect ratio to 1:1 to create square pixels.

Next, in step S112, a spherical correction filter process is performed to correct the lens distortion of the image sensor 56. This spherical correction filter process is a process that removes image distortion caused by the distortion of the lens system of the image sensor to obtain an undistorted image.

Next, in step S113, a reference coordinate marker position detection process is performed. This reference coordinate marker position detection process extracts and recognizes the outlines of the reference markers 200 provided at the four corners of the playfield sheet 80 as described above (step S113a).

In the next step S113b, a pattern matching process is performed with the detection positions of the reference markers 200 provided at the four corners of the playfield sheet 80. That is, the detection positions of the reference markers 200 are compared with the reference marker pattern data previously stored in the database to determine the amount of deviation, and the deviation of the image captured by the image sensor 56 is corrected according to this amount of deviation.

In the next step S114, as shown in Figures 13(A) to (D) above, card position detection processing is performed for all coordinates on the playfield sheet 80. In step S114a, pattern matching processing is performed. That is, the pattern data for each rotation position registered in advance is matched with a score, and the entire image is searched by shifting it by one dot at a time, and coordinates and angles with values above a certain level are stored. In the next step S114b, since the only distinction is made based on values above a certain level, unnecessary coordinates are also included, and therefore a thinning process is performed to remove unnecessary pixels.

In the next step S115, card angle detection processing is executed. As shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 (A) to (C) above, this card angle detection processing detects edges from the density difference between the white color of the position angle detection pattern area 174 and the black color of each of the protrusions 174a to 174d, and determines the card position angle by pattern matching the intervals on the time axis of this detection signal (step S115a).

In the next step S116, a luminance image is extracted from the card position coordinates and angle described above, and as shown in Figures 11 and 12 described above, the left/right luminance difference is read out as, for example, black/white = 0, black/white = 1 from the luminance difference formed in the ID data area 176 and data area 180. Then, the ID code of the code pattern 0 to 15 in the ID data area 176 and data area 180 stored on the back of the player card 20 is detected.

Figure 18 is a plan view showing a replacement card 21 in this embodiment, where Figure 18(a) shows an example of the front side of the replacement card 21, and Figure 18(b) shows an example of card data stored on the back side of the replacement card 21.

As shown in FIG. 18(a), on the front side of the substitute card 21, the word "Alternate Card" is printed in the card name fields 211 at the top and bottom of the long sides of the rectangle. Also, a unique ID 212 for identifying the substitute card 21 is displayed in the center of the front side of the substitute card 21. In the soccer game of this embodiment, 11 players can be used as regular players and a maximum of 5 players as reserve players in one game, so a maximum of 16 substitute cards 21 can be used. Therefore, a unique ID 212 for identifying each of the maximum 16 substitute cards 21 is attached.

As shown in FIG. 18(b), a code pattern 220 using a part of the code pattern 170 stored on the back of the player card 20 is printed on the back of the substitute card 21. This code pattern 220 has a card position detection circle 222, a position angle detection pattern area 224 formed on the outer periphery of the card position detection circle 222, an annular white area 228 formed inside the position angle detection pattern area 224, and an ID data area 230 formed inside the annular white area 228. The code pattern 220 is not stored in the ID data area 226 outside the position angle detection pattern area 224 and the area 232 inside the ID data area 230 formed inside the annular white area 228 (the area where the center point 182 of the player card 20 shown in FIG. 9 is printed) in the code pattern 170 printed on the back of the player card 20. This code pattern 220 is also recognized by the density difference between the black part 220a and the white part 220b, similar to the code pattern 170 shown in FIG. 9.

This substitute card 21 is identified as a substitute card 21 by detecting that the center point 182 shown in FIG. 9 is not printed in the inner area 232 of the ID data area 230. Note that in this embodiment, an example is shown in which a player card 20 or a substitute card 21 is identified based on the presence or absence of the center point 182 shown in FIG. 9, but since one bit of information is sufficient for this identification process, one bit of identification information may be stored in a position other than the center area 232 of the substitute card 21 (for example, any position in the area 226 outside the position angle detection pattern area 224).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, ID data specific to the substitute card 21 is stored in the ID data area 230 formed inside the annular white area 228. As described in FIG. 12, 4-bit identification information can be stored in the ID data area 230 inside the annular white area 228, so that up to 16 substitute cards 21 can be individually identified. Note that if it is necessary to identify even more substitute cards 21 depending on the type of game, 16-bit identification information can be stored by also using the area 226 outside the position angle detection pattern area 224 described above.

The process of detecting the position and angle of a substitute card 21 placed on the play field 24 is the same as the process in steps S114 and S115 in FIG. 17 described above. In the case of a substitute card 21, in step S116 in FIG. 17, the substitute card 21 is identified as such and the ID data is decoded.

Next, we will explain how to play and the control process of the game device 10 configured as described above. Figure 19 is a flowchart showing the basic gameplay process by the main control unit 14 and the terminal device 16 of the game device 10 in this embodiment.

In step S201, the CPU of the main control unit 14 performs processing to allow each of the terminal devices 16a to 16h to start a new game. In other words, if the previous game is in progress, permission to play a new game is not granted, and once all processing to end the previous game is complete, processing to allow game execution is performed, and each of the terminal devices 16a to 16h is controlled to a state in which a new game can be played. At this time, the insertion of new coins and investment of credits become valid, and preparations for game execution are made.

Next, in step S202, the game device 10 reads the player information stored in the IC card 18 inserted into the IC card reader/writer 28, which is the player information reading means in this embodiment, and performs a process of displaying a display screen on the monitor 26 of the terminal device 16 that prompts the player 22 to enter a password, thereby performing an authentication process for the player 22.

Next, in step S203, a process is performed to determine whether the player 22 who was authenticated in step S202 is playing the game for the first time. If it is determined that the player is playing the game for the first time, the process proceeds to step S204, and if it is determined that the player is playing the game for the second or subsequent time, the process proceeds to step S205.

In step S204, the main control unit 14 performs a process of storing the character data of the player card 20 included in the starter set in a database of the main control unit 14, linked to the player information of the player 22 who is playing the game for the first time. At this time, initial values are stored in the storage areas for the battle record data, level data, and ranking data that are stored in association with the player information.

In step S205, the CPU of the main control unit 14 performs a matching process between players 22 who have entered each of the terminal devices 16a to 16b, or between players 22 and virtual teams stored in the game device 10. The CPU of the main control unit 14 performs a matching process so that players 22 with similar level data or ranking data are matched up as opponents based on the player information of each player 22, and when there are no opponents of the same level, a virtual team of the same level is selected from the above-mentioned virtual teams and the matching process is performed. Note that the matching process may be configured to proceed in the order in which the players 22 entered. When the matching process is completed, a table of the determined match pairings and the like are displayed on the large panel display 12.

Next, in step S206, a process is performed to register the player card 20 or substitute card 21 set by the player 22 on the playfield 24 as a player to be used this time. The player 22 selects eleven player cards 20 as regular players from among the player cards 20 he owns, and selects five player cards 20 as reserve players. The player 22 then arranges the eleven player cards 20 selected as regular players in the forward area 100, midfielder area 102, defender area 104, and goalkeeper area 105 (see FIG. 7) of the participating player card arrangement area 92 formed on the playfield 24, and arranges the five player cards 20 selected as reserve players in the sub player card arrangement area 94. Up to five player cards 20 of reserve players can be placed in the sub player card arrangement area 94, but if the player 22 only has one for regular players, the game can be played without placing them in the sub player card arrangement area 94. This player card registration process will be described in detail later with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 20 to 22.

When the player card registration process in step S206 is completed, the game progress process is performed in step S207. In the game progress process, the player 22 plays against another player's team or a computer-controlled virtual team. When the game starts, the player 22 considers tactics as a manager while watching the progress of the game displayed on the monitor 26, and progresses the game by moving each player card 20 placed on the playfield 24 and substituting players. The game ends automatically when a preset time has elapsed. Note that the game progress process is a publicly known technique, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

Note that while the match is progressing, the CPU 62 of the terminal device 16 performs processing to generate a character image based on the character data of the player card 20 or substitute card 21 registered in step S206 above. The CPU 62 displays the generated character image on the screen of the monitor 26 at a position corresponding to the position detected based on the position detection circles 172, 222, together with the background image of the game, etc. The CPU 62 is the character image generating means in this embodiment, and the monitor 26 is the image display means in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the player 22 can operate the character corresponding to the card 20, 21 by rubbing the card 20, 21 on the play field 24. At this time, if the card operated by the player 22 is a normal card 20, the CPU 62 performs processing to display only the movement of the character image on the monitor 26. On the other hand, when the player 22 operates a substitute card 21, the CPU 62 performs processing to display the movement of the character image corresponding to the substitute card on the monitor 26, and also displays information printed on the normal card 20, such as the character's name, ability value, attributes, etc., in a specified area on the screen of the monitor 26. The CPU 62 is the image display control means in this embodiment.

In addition, while the match is in progress, a digest of each match is displayed on the large display panel 12. By appropriately displaying digests of the match on the large panel display 12 in this way, customers waiting in line other than the player 22 can be prevented from getting bored, and the fun of the game can be appealed to customers who have already participated in the game, thereby increasing the customer attraction effect.

When a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the match and the match progress processing has ended, the process proceeds to step S208, where the processing for displaying the match results is performed. The match results are displayed on the monitors 26 of the terminal devices 16 operated by each player 22, and the results of all matches are displayed on the large panel display 12.

When the progress processing for one game is completed, in step S209, the payout card data reading means installed near the card issuing unit 20 reads the character data of the player card 20 that is to be newly paid out, and then the CPU of the main control unit 14, which is the ownership information update means for the player card 20 in this embodiment, adds the ownership information of the player card 20 corresponding to the read character data to the ownership information linked to the player information, and performs a process of updating and storing the ownership information stored in the database (step S210), and proceeds to the next step S211.

In step S211, the CPU 62 notifies the monitor 26 of the terminal device 16 of the character data of the new player card 20, and performs processing to display a selection screen for the player 22 as to whether or not he/she wishes to pay out the player card 20. The player 22 operates the strategy instruction buttons 32a to 32c to select and decide whether or not he/she wishes to pay out the new player card 20. This processing in step S211 is the card payout selection means in this embodiment. When the player 22 selects that he/she wishes to pay out the new player card 20, the player card payout means is operated to perform processing to pay out the player card 20 from the card issuing unit 30 (step S212), and when he/she selects that he/she does not wish to pay out the new player card 20, the player card collection means is operated to perform processing to collect the player card 20 in a collection box (not shown) inside the terminal device 16, and the basic game processing for one game is completed.

When adding ownership information of a new player card 20 to ownership information linked to player information, a process of storing not only ownership but also card acquisition number information, which is the total number of cards acquired so far, may be executed. In addition, a configuration may be made such that various parameters of the corresponding player card 20 can be changed according to the card acquisition number information. For example, by configuring the basic parameters of the character of the corresponding player card 20 to increase as the acquisition number data value increases, even a player card 20 called a normal card (common card), which generally has a high release rate and low rarity value, can be configured to have parameter values equivalent to those of a rare card by repeatedly acquiring similar normal cards due to its high release rate. This makes it possible to provide a certain level of satisfaction to the player even when a player card 20 that has already been acquired is paid out.

Next, the player card registration process in step S206 in FIG. 19 will be described with reference to FIG. 20 to FIG. 22. When the matching process in step S205 in FIG. 19 is completed and the opponent is determined, the player 22 selects the player card 20 or the substitute card 21 to be used in the current game, and sets 11 regular player cards 20 and up to five reserve player cards 20 in predetermined positions on the playfield 24. Here, a player 22 who does not own a player card 20 can use up to 16 substitute cards 21 in place of the player cards 20 he or she owns. After setting the player card 20 or the substitute card 21, pressing the decision button 32b activates the card data reading means of the terminal device 16 to read the code pattern 170 of the player card 20.

Figure 20 is a flowchart showing the steps of the player card registration process when character data corresponding to the card type is stored on the player card 20.

In step S301, the CPU 62 of the terminal device 16 performs processing to determine whether or not a predetermined number of player cards 20 or substitute cards 21 have been set on the play field 24. If it is determined that the predetermined number of player cards 20 or substitute cards 21 have not been set (NO determination in step S301), an error is displayed on the monitor 26 (step S302) and the process returns to step S301, whereas if it is determined that the predetermined number of player cards 20 or substitute cards 21 have been set, the process proceeds to step S303.

In step S303, a process is performed to extract one card from among the player cards 20 or substitute cards 21 set on the playfield 24 that has not been subjected to the card registration process in step S306 described below, and the process proceeds to step S304.

In step S304, the CPU 62 reads the code patterns 170, 220 of the card extracted by the card data reading means, and performs processing to identify whether the extracted card is a normal player card 20 or a substitute card 21 based on the read code patterns 170, 220. In this embodiment, the presence or absence of a center point 182 shown in FIG. 9 in the center of the read code patterns 170, 220 is identified. Then, when it is identified that there is a center point 182, it is determined that the card is a player card 20 and the process proceeds to step S305, and when it is identified that there is no center point 182, it is determined that the card is a substitute card 21 and the process proceeds to step S308. The CPU 62 is the card identification means in this embodiment.

When it is determined in step S304 that the extracted card is a player card 20, the CPU 62 refers to the database of the main control unit 14 to confirm the ownership information of the extracted player card 20 and performs processing to determine whether or not the extracted player card 20 is a card that the player 22 has already acquired. Then, when it is determined that the extracted player card 20 is a player card 20 that the player 22 has not already acquired (NO determination in step S304), an error is displayed on the monitor 26 (step S307) and the process returns to step S301, and when it is determined that the extracted player card 20 is a player card 20 that the player 22 has already acquired, the process proceeds to step S306.

When it is determined in step S305 that the extracted player card 20 is a player card 20 that the player 22 has already acquired, in step S306 the CPU 62 performs a process of registering the character data of the player card 20 in the memory RAM 64 of the terminal device 16 as the player card 20 to be used in the current game. The CPU 62 refers to the database of the main control unit 14 and performs a process of storing in the memory RAM 64 the characteristic value data and attribute data set in the player card 20 that are linked to the character data of the registered player card 20, so that they can be used as data during the game progression process.

The characteristic value data set on the player card 20 includes, for example, mental aspects such as "leadership," "judgment," and "mental strength," skill aspects such as "passing," "dribbling," "heading," and "tackling," physical aspects such as "kicking power," "running ability," and "stamina," as well as other characteristic values. In addition, data such as "player name," "age," "place of origin," "experience points," "favorite position," and "favorite tactic" are set as attribute data. The characteristic value data and attribute data are configured to be updated as they are used in the game.

When it is determined in step S304 that the extracted card is a substitute card 21, the CPU 62 performs a substitute card registration process in step S308 to make the substitute card 21 usable in the current game. In this substitute card registration process, a process is performed to register the substitute card 21 in the memory RAM 64 of the terminal device 16 so that the substitute card 21 can be used in place of the player card 20 owned by the player 22 in the current game. The procedure for the substitute card registration process will be described in detail separately with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 22.

In step S309, the CPU 62 performs a process to determine whether or not the registration process for all player cards 20 and substitute cards set on the playfield 24 has been completed. If there are any unregistered cards, the process of steps S303 to S308 described above is repeated. If it is determined that all cards have been registered, the CPU 62 ends the player card registration process and proceeds to step S207 in FIG. 19.

Figure 21 is a flowchart showing the steps of the player card registration process when card-specific unique card data is stored in the player card 20. Here, the processes in steps S301 to S304 and steps S306 to S309 are the same as those shown in Figure 20.

The procedure for proceeding to step S306 when the judgment result in the judgment process of step S305 described above is YES is the same as that shown in FIG. 20.

In the above-mentioned determination process of step S305, when it is determined that the unique card data is not registered in the ownership information of the player 22 (NO in the determination process of step S305), the process proceeds to step S3051.

In step S3051, the CPU 62 refers to the owner information of the unique card data stored in the database of the main control unit 14 and performs a process of determining whether or not the unique card data not registered in the ownership information of the player 22 is registered as a card owned by another player. In this determination process, if the owner information of another player is registered, a process of displaying an error message indicating that the use of the player card 20 is rejected on the monitor 26 is performed (step S307), and the process returns to step S301. On the other hand, if the unique card data not registered in the ownership information of the player 22 is not registered as a card owned by any other player, the CPU 62 determines that the player 22 is the legitimate owner of the unregistered player card 20 and performs a process of newly registering the unregistered player card 20 in the ownership information of the player, updates the ownership information (step S3052), and proceeds to step S306.

In this embodiment, the ownership information of the player 22 is updated by using an unregistered player card 20 that the player 22 has legitimate ownership of in the game, so the processing of steps S209 and S210 in FIG. 19 described above may be omitted. In this case, the terminal device 16 does not need a data reading means for the payout card, so the cost of the terminal device 16 can be reduced.

Figure 22 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the replacement card registration process in step S308 shown in Figure 20. When it is determined that the extracted card is a replacement card 21 in the determination process in step S304 in Figure 20, the card data reading means of the terminal device 16 reads the 4-bit identification information stored in the ID data area 230 inside the annular white area 228 of the code pattern 220 stored on the back of the replacement card 21 (step S401), and performs a process of determining whether the read replacement card ID has already been registered (step S402). If the read replacement card ID has already been registered as the ID of the replacement card 21 to be used this time, an error is displayed on the monitor 26 (step S403) and the process returns to step S401, and if it is determined that the replacement card ID is not registered, the process proceeds to step S404.

In step S404, the CPU 62 performs processing to display a selection screen for player cards 20 on the monitor 26 of the terminal device 16. The player 22 operates the strategy instruction buttons 32a to 32c to select and confirm one player card 20 from among the player cards 20 displayed on the selection screen displayed on the monitor 26.

In step S405, the CPU 62 performs a process of referring to the ownership information of the player card 20 linked to the player information of the player 22 to determine whether or not the player card 20 selected by the player 22 in step S404 is a player card 20 owned by the player 22. If this determination process determines that a player card 20 not owned by the player 22 has been selected, an error is displayed on the monitor 26 (step S406) and the process returns to step S301, and if it determines that a player card 20 owned by the player 22 has been selected, the process proceeds to step S407.

Note that in step S404 described above, if a player card list is generated by extracting only the player cards 20 that the player 22 can select (have ownership of) from the ownership information of the player 22, and is configured to be displayed on the selection screen of the monitor 26, the processing of steps S405 and S406 described above is not necessary.

In step S407, the CPU 62 performs a process of associating the characteristic value data and attribute data linked to the character data of the player card 20 selected in step S404 with the substitute card ID read in step S401, and then proceeds to step S408.

Then, in step S408, the CPU 62 performs a process of registering the character data of the substitute card 21 in the memory RAM 64 of the terminal device 16 as the player card 20 selected in step S404 above and to be used in the current game. The CPU 62 performs a process of storing the characteristic value data and attribute data associated in step S407 above in the memory RAM 64, and ends the substitute card registration process by making them available as data during the game progression process. Note that the CPU 62 is a character data registration means and a substitute card recognition means in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the replacement cards 21 may be sold in sets of a predetermined number of cards with different identification information, or the player 22 may purchase as many as he needs. Alternatively, a replacement card lending device (not shown) may be installed in the terminal device 16, and the replacement cards may be lent to the player for a fee or free of charge. In this case, for example, the IC card 18 of the player 22 may not be ejected from the IC card reader/writer 28 unless the lent replacement card 21 is returned, thereby preventing the replacement card 21 from being taken away.

In addition, a configuration may be made such that a player 22 who does not own any player cards 20 can use the player cards 20 included in the starter set in a game in which a substitute card 21 is loaned. By configuring in this way, it becomes possible to play the game without purchasing a starter set by collecting new player cards 20 that are issued at the end of the game, thereby reducing the initial investment of the player 22.

Next, referring to Figure 23, an example of a method for transferring ownership of a normal card 20 used in the above-mentioned game device 10 to another player 22 will be described. Figure 23 is a diagram for explaining a method for transferring ownership of a normal card 20 using a terminal device 16 in an amusement facility.

The following describes a method for transferring ownership of a normal card 20 owned by player A to player B. First, player A displays a menu screen on the monitor 26 of the terminal device 16, selects the normal card transfer menu, and transmits player information (player ID, password) to the main control unit 14 (step SA01).

The CPU of the main control unit 14 performs authentication processing for Player A based on the received player information, obtains the transfer request screen data, and transmits it to the terminal device 16 (step SM01).

While referring to the transfer request screen displayed on the monitor 26, Player A places the normal card 20 to be transferred at the specified position on the play field 24 and presses the decision button 32b. The CPU 62 of the terminal device 16 operates the card data reading means to read the code pattern 170 and performs processing to transmit a card information signal to the main control unit 14 (step SA02).

The CPU of the main control unit 14 refers to the ownership information of player A from the player information and performs a process to determine whether the normal card 20 to be transferred is a normal card 20 owned by player A or not. If it is determined that the normal card 20 is not owned by player A, it performs a process to send an error signal to the terminal device 16 (step SM02). If it is determined that the normal card 20 is owned by player A, it performs a process to store the transfer card information in a specified transfer card information storage area of the main control unit 14, and performs a process to obtain screen data requesting the transferee's data to be sent and send it to the terminal device 16 (step SM03).

Player A inputs the transferee information of Player B at a specified position on the monitor 26 and transmits it to the main control unit 14 (step SA03). Note that the transferee data transmitted here may be information such as a password or nickname agreed upon by Player A and Player B prior to the ownership transfer procedure, and does not necessarily have to be information that allows the main control unit 14 to recognize the transferee as Player B.

The CPU of the main control unit 14 performs processing to store the transferee data in a specified memory area in association with the transfer card information described above, and performs processing to obtain screen data showing completion of the transfer procedure by Player A in the ownership transfer procedure and transmit it to the terminal device 16 (step SM04).

Player A checks the transfer procedure completion screen displayed on monitor 26 (step SA04) and informs Player B that the transfer procedure on Player A's side has been completed (step SA05).

Next, the transfer procedure for Player B will be described. Player B displays the menu screen on the monitor 26 of the terminal device 16, selects the normal card transfer menu, and transmits player information (player ID, password) to the main control unit 14 (step SB01).

The CPU of the main control unit 14 performs authentication processing for Player B based on the received player information, obtains transfer application screen data, and transmits it to the terminal device 16 (step SM05).

Player B inputs the card information of the normal card 20 to be transferred in a predetermined position on the transfer application screen displayed on the monitor 26 and transmits it to the main control unit 14 (step SB02). Here, the card information of the normal card 20 to be transferred may be any information that can identify the type of the normal card 20, such as the "player name" or any symbol or number printed on the normal card 20 that can identify the type of card.

The CPU of the main control unit 14 performs a process of referring to the data in the transfer card information storage area stored in step SM03 from the transfer card information transmitted in step SB02 to determine whether the normal card 20 to be transferred is stored as a transfer card in the transfer card information storage area, and performs a process of transmitting an error signal to the terminal device 16 when it is determined that the normal card 20 is not stored in the transfer card information storage area, and performs a process of obtaining screen data requesting the transmission of the transferee's data and transmitting it to the terminal device 16 when it is determined that the normal card 20 is stored in the transfer card information storage area (step SM06).

Player B inputs the transferee information of Player B at a predetermined position on the monitor 26 and transmits it to the main control unit 14 (step SB03). Note that the transferee data transmitted here is data that can be commonly recognized by Player A and Player B, as explained in step SA03 above.

The CPU of the main control unit 14 performs a process to determine whether the transmitted transferee data matches the transferee data stored in a specified memory area in step SM04 described above, and if it is determined that the transferee data does not match, performs a process to send an error signal to the terminal device 16 (step SM07). If it is determined that the transferee data matches, it performs a process to update the owner information of the normal card 20 in the owner information database stored in a specified memory area of the main control unit 14 to Player B, and performs a process to obtain screen data indicating the completion of the ownership transfer procedure for the normal card 20 and send it to the terminal device 16 (step SM08).

Player A checks the ownership transfer procedure completion screen displayed on monitor 26 (step SB04) and informs player B that the transfer procedure on Player A's side has been completed. In this way, ownership of the normal card 20 can be transferred between players 22. This makes it possible to exchange or buy just the actual normal card 20, or just the ownership of the normal card 20 (the right to use it in the game), or even to exchange or buy and sell the actual normal card 20 for the ownership of a different normal card 20, thereby increasing the number of ways card trading can be carried out and promoting the circulation of cards.

In the above embodiment, the ownership transfer method using the terminal device 16 is shown, but it is also possible to configure the system so that, for example, Player A or Player B can access a server that manages the owner information of the regular card 20 from a home computer or mobile terminal via a network such as the Internet and carry out the ownership transfer procedure.

In the above embodiment, a soccer game is used as an example on the game device 10, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can of course be applied to other sports games in which multiple players form a team and compete.

Of course, it can also be applied to games other than sports, such as organized games in which multiple individuals participate and work together for the same goal, and competitive games in which players control characters with parameters such as stamina, offensive power, and defensive power and compete against each other.

10 Game device 12 Large panel display 14 Main control unit 16a to 16h Terminal device 18 IC card 20 Player card (normal card)
21 Replacement card 22 Player 24 Play field 26 Monitor 28 IC card reader/writer 30 Card issuing section 32a to 32c Strategy instruction buttons 34a, 34b Input button 36 Large panel control section 42, 62 CPU
44, 64 Memory (RAM)
56 Image sensor 76 Housing 78 Glass plate 80 Play field sheet 82 Light source 84 First filter 86 First reflector 88 Second reflector 90 Second filter 110 Concave and convex 170, 220 Code pattern 172, 222 Card position detection circle 174, 224 Position angle detection pattern area 174a to 174d, 224a to 224d Protrusion 176, 230 ID data area 178, 228 Annular white area 180 Data area 182 Center point 232 Inner area

Claims (6)

In the information processing device,
A process of creating a team, which is made up of two or more characters associated with a player , each of the characters cooperating for the same purpose ;
a process of progressing a multiplayer game using parameters set for two or more characters constituting the team;
A process of having the player acquire some characters from a group of at least two characters each having a different rarity value, and notifying the player of the acquired characters;
a process of increasing a parameter set for one character corresponding to the player based on the acquisition of the same character as the one character;
A game program characterized by executing the above. In the information processing device,
creating a team of players consisting of a plurality of characters;
a process of progressing a competitive game in which each character changes its position and direction of movement based on the operation of the player as a result of the player individually performing an operation to move each character constituting the team;
a process of notifying the player on a screen of a character to be newly acquired by the player from among a plurality of characters each having a rarity value set;
A process of increasing a parameter set for an already acquired character when the same character as the already acquired character is acquired ;
A game program characterized by executing the above. A processing unit that creates a team composed of two or more characters associated with a player , each of the characters cooperating for the same purpose ;
a processing unit for progressing a multiplayer game using parameters respectively set for two or more characters constituting the team;
a processing unit that allows the player to acquire some characters from a group of at least two characters each having a different rarity value, and notifies the player of the acquired characters;
a processing unit that increases a parameter set for one character associated with the player based on the acquisition of the same character as the one character;
An information processing device comprising: A processing unit for creating a team of players composed of a plurality of characters;
a processing section for progressing a competitive game in which each character changes its position and moving direction based on an operation of the player as a result of the player individually performing an operation to move each character constituting the team;
a processing unit that notifies the player on a screen of a character that the player is to newly acquire from among a plurality of characters each having a rarity value set;
a processing unit that increases a parameter set for an already acquired character when the same character as the already acquired character is acquired ;
An information processing device comprising: An information processing device,
A process of creating a team, which is made up of two or more characters associated with a player , each of the characters cooperating for the same purpose ;
a process of progressing a multiplayer game using parameters set for two or more characters constituting the team;
A process of having the player acquire some characters from a group of at least two characters each having a different rarity value, and notifying the player of the acquired characters;
a process of increasing a parameter set for one character corresponding to the player based on the acquisition of the same character as the one character;
2. An information processing method comprising: An information processing device,
creating a team of players consisting of a plurality of characters;
a process of progressing a competitive game in which each character changes its position and direction of movement based on the operation of the player as a result of the player individually performing an operation to move each character constituting the team;
a process of notifying the player on a screen of a character to be newly acquired by the player from among a plurality of characters each having a rarity value set;
A process of increasing a parameter set for an already acquired character when the same character as the already acquired character is acquired ;
2. An information processing method comprising:

Images