JP7469692B2 - Information processing device, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program.

An example of a game in which an object such as a character is raised is the game described in Patent Document 1. In the game described in Patent Document 1, a player acquires a racehorse character and trains the acquired racehorse character to improve its abilities. The player trains the racehorse character multiple times to bring the racehorse character's abilities to a desired level, but the more times training is performed, the more time and effort is required for operations, etc.

On the other hand, among games played by communicating with other players over a network, there are games in which the player can play in-game events on behalf of the other player instead of playing the events themselves. For example, in the game described in Patent Document 2, the player requesting a proxy play specifies the mission and reward in the game, and the player who accepts the request is granted the right to play as a proxy, and is provided with a specified reward if the mission is accomplished.

In a game in which an object is developed, if the play proxy system described in Patent Document 2 is applied, the player who owns the object to be developed can request another player to develop it on his/her behalf, thereby saving the trouble of developing operations. Also, by having a player who is good at developing develop his/her object, the player can develop the object to have better abilities than if the player developed the object himself/herself.

JP 2006-198231 A JP 2018-011632 A

Generally, a certain value must be paid (spent) to raise an object, and in the game described in Patent Document 1, a player consumes medals, which are the in-game currency, when raising a racehorse character. When requesting a player to raise an object on his/her behalf, if the requested player is forced to bear the above-mentioned payment burden (cost), there is a risk that the player will lose motivation to accept the request. In such a situation, even if raising substitutes are possible in a game in which objects are raised, there is a possibility that raising substitutes will not be actively used.

The present invention aims to provide an information processing device, information processing method, and program for creating a game environment in which object training proxy can be actively utilized.

An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized by having a proxy processing unit that executes a process of having a second player act on behalf of a first player in raising a target object, and a change unit that subtracts the amount of value consumed by the second player in raising the target object from the amount of value possessed by the first player.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to create a game environment in which object training proxy can be actively utilized.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen, showing an example of a screen for selecting a training course. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen, showing an example of a screen for requesting a training proxy. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen, and shows an example of a screen showing a list of trustee candidates. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen, showing an example of a screen for confirming substitute training. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system including an information processing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing functions of the information processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of player information stored in a storage unit. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of race horse information stored in a storage unit. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the number of possessed medals stored in a storage unit. 13 is a diagram showing an example of training proxy request information stored in a storage unit. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of substitute training status information stored in a storage unit. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an information processing flow according to the first embodiment of the present invention (part 1). FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an information processing flow according to the first embodiment of the present invention (part 2). FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an information processing flow according to the first embodiment of the present invention (part 3). FIG. 11 is a diagram showing functions of an information processing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a screen of a list of trustee candidates in the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an information processing flow according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an information processing flow according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an information processing flow according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an information processing flow according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

The information processing device, information processing method, and program of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to several preferred embodiments (specifically, the first to eighth embodiments). However, the embodiment described below is merely an example given to facilitate understanding of the present invention and does not limit the present invention, and the present invention may be modified or improved from the following embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention includes its equivalents.

The examples of screens described in this specification and the drawings are merely examples, and the screen configuration and design, content of the displayed information, and GUI (Graphical User Interface), etc., can be freely designed according to the system design specifications and user preferences, etc., and can be changed as appropriate.

[Games to which the present invention can be applied]
Before describing the information processing device, information processing method, and program of the present invention, a game to which the present invention is applied (hereinafter, referred to as the Game) will be described. The Game is a genre of game in which an object is developed within the game and the developed object is used to play events within the game.

An "object" is a virtual character used by a player of the Game to play each event in the game, and is the subject of development by the player in the Game. Examples of "characters" include living things such as people, animals, and plants, machines such as vehicles and robots, non-mechanical objects, imaginary characters such as monsters, or other characters similar to these. Examples of "events" include, for example, accidents and other occurrences that occur during the game, quests, stages, and missions that are played for the purpose of clearing them, and in-game competitions in which objects participate. Examples of "in-game competitions" include races in which participants compete for finishing order, and matches or battles in which players compete for victory or defeat.
In the following description, a "racehorse" is given as an example of an object, but the present invention is also applicable to games in which objects other than racehorses are bred.

In this game, players can acquire racehorses by winning them in a lottery event within the game, being given a racehorse as a reward in the game, or by generating (creating) a new horse through an event in which two previously acquired racehorses are mated as parent horses.

The player also trains the acquired racehorses. A training period is set for each racehorse, and the player can train racehorses that have remaining training periods. The training period is the number of days set as in-game time, for example, N weeks in the game (N is any natural number). Here, in-game time refers to time that passes within the game and passes at a faster rate than real time. For example, when the player performs a specific operation (hereinafter referred to as a weekly operation) once, a week passes in the game, which is only a few minutes in real time.
It should be noted that racehorses that have passed the training period cannot be trained, but can be used as parent horses for mating with other racehorses.

The player can train a racehorse through weekly operations, and the racehorse's parameters change as a result of training. Racehorse parameters are the characteristics of the racehorse that relate to the progress of the game, i.e., the racehorse's abilities, evaluated using numbers or symbols, and specifically include those that affect the outcome of a race, such as stamina, speed, and power. Racehorse parameters also include past racing performance (race history), such as the number of races entered, the number of race wins, and winning percentage.

In this game, one weekly task operation, that is, one training can be performed per week in game time. Usually, the racehorse's parameters gradually increase as the number of weeks of training (hereinafter also referred to as the number of training weeks) increases. On the other hand, for example, an accident such as an injury may occur to a racehorse being trained in the game, in which case the parameters of the racehorse may decrease or return to the state before training.
The number of times that training can be performed in one weekly operation is not particularly limited, and training may be performed two or more times.

In this game, the methods of training available are "training" and "racing."
When training, a menu list ML related to training courses is displayed on the screen as shown in FIG. 1. A training course is an example of a form of training a racehorse. In this game, multiple types of courses are prepared, and the content of training changes depending on the type of course. The player performs training by specifying one of the multiple training courses listed in the menu list ML. The type and amount of change of parameters changed by training vary depending on the specified training course; for example, in "Course A", stamina can be focused on increasing, and in "Course B", speed can be focused on increasing.
It is not necessary that parameters increase in a single training session. For example, when training is performed by specifying a certain type of development course, certain parameters may increase while other parameters decrease.

In this game, the setting is that racehorses are kept in stables (hereafter referred to as farms) owned by the player within the game and undergo training. Farms are assigned a grade (rank), and the higher the grade of the farm in which the racehorse to be trained is kept, the greater the amount of parameter increase that can be achieved through training. The grade of a farm can be changed, and the player can upgrade their own farm, for example, by performing a specified operation (for example, paying a specified number of medals in the game, as described below).

When training in this game, the player consumes value possessed within the game. "Value" refers to a value that increases or decreases in the amount possessed within the game, specifically, currency that can be used within the game (in-game currency), or countable items that give an advantage in the game the more you possess. In-game currency is, for example, exchanged for characters or other items, or consumed when playing a certain event within the game, specifically, items that have a monetary aspect within the game, such as medals, etc.
In the following description, "medals" will be used as an example of value. The "number of medals" in the following description corresponds to the "number of values" of the present invention.

The number of medals owned by a player can be increased, for example, by the player logging in to the game and starting the game, but can also be decreased if training is performed. The number of medals consumed for training is determined according to the type of training course and the grade of the farm owned by the player. Furthermore, the user may be able to increase the number of medals consumed in one training session at their own will, in which case the amount of increase in parameters due to training may change according to the increase in the number of medals consumed.

When training a race to compete in, the player specifies the racehorse to be trained, registers it to run in the race in which it wishes to compete, and on the day the race is held in game time, the player has the registered racehorse compete in that race. The outcome of the racehorse to be trained is determined based on the parameters of each of the horses running in the race, including the racehorse, at the time of the race, the weather on the day of the race, and environmental conditions such as the ground conditions of the racetrack.

If the racehorse being trained wins a race, i.e., if it finishes first in that race, a specified number of medals will be awarded as prize money to the player training that racehorse. The number of medals awarded as prize money is determined, for example, according to the type and title of the race entered.

The game is a game that supports online play, and multiple players can play the game together through a communication network such as the Internet or a mobile communication line. For example, in the game, multiple players can compete against each other by entering their own racehorses in the same race.

In addition, in this game, a player can train a racehorse owned by another player. Training a racehorse is when the player requesting the training athlete grants training authority for the racehorse owned by the player to the other player who undertakes (accepts) the training athlete, and the game process involves entrusting the racehorse to the farm of the other player and changing the parameters of the entrusted racehorse based on the operation of the other player.

In this game, the player who requested the training proxy cannot train the racehorse during the training proxy period. In other words, the training authority for the racehorse is transferred from the player who requested the training proxy to another player who takes on the training proxy during the training proxy period, and the player who requested the training proxy cannot perform any processing related to the training of the racehorse. However, this is not limited to this, and the player who requested the training proxy may be able to train the racehorse during the training proxy period.
Furthermore, even if the player who has requested substitute training continues playing the game during the substitute training, the game progress does not affect the racehorse related to the substitute training.

Below, we will explain the subject of racehorse training. In the following, the player who requests the training is referred to as the "first player", the player who accepts the training is referred to as the "second player", and the racehorse for which the first player requests training is referred to as the "target horse". Here, the target horse corresponds to the "target object" of the present invention.

When requesting the training of a target horse, the first player specifies various request items through the game screen as shown in FIG. 2. The specified request items include the training period and training conditions. The training period is the period during which the first player requests the training of the target horse, and is a period expressed in real time (more specifically, real dates) rather than in-game time. The training conditions are the conditions for the training that the first player requests the second player to perform the training, and are specifically the contents specified by the first player regarding the training mode during the training mode. Examples of the training mode include the number of training weeks to be reached during the training mode, the training course, the type of parameter to be increased, the increase or target value of the parameter, and the number of races to be entered or the number of race wins during the training mode.

After specifying the requested items, the first player selects one of the multiple potential recipients listed in the potential recipient list JL shown in FIG. 3. A potential recipient is a player (strictly speaking, a player other than the first player) who has been registered in advance as someone willing to be entrusted with the training of the target horse. In addition to the player name or ID of the potential recipient, the potential recipient list JL should also list the number of times they have been entrusted with training as their training performance.

After a candidate horse is selected, the selected candidate player is notified of a training proxy request from the first player. The player who receives the notification decides whether or not to accept the training proxy role for the target horse through the confirmation screen CS shown in FIG. 4. The player who decides to accept the training proxy role for the target horse acts as the second player and can train the target horse through their own operations during the training period specified by the first player, specifically, they can train the target horse at their own farm and enter it in races.

When the second player has finished the substitute training, the substitute training authority set for the second player is cancelled/revoked, and the authority to train the target horse is returned to the first player. In the game, the target horse that was left at the second player's farm is returned to the first player's farm, so below, the return of the substitute training authority for the target horse from the second player to the first player is also referred to as "the target horse being returned to the first player."

After the training substitution is completed, the first player pays the second player a specified number of medals as a reward. The number of medals paid as a reward may vary depending on the results of the training substitution by the second player, specifically the number of weeks of training during the training substitution, or the increase in parameters due to the training substitution. The reward is not limited to medals, and may be, for example, an item that can be used in the game or a race horse.

When the second player trains (strictly speaking, trains) the target horse during the training proxy role, a number of medals is consumed according to the training content, just as in normal training, but in this game, the number of medals consumed by the second player in training the target horse on behalf of the first player is borne by the first player. This is a feature of the present invention, which will be explained in detail in the following paragraphs.

[Configuration of the information processing device and user terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention]
Next, the configurations of an information processing device and a user terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The information processing device according to the first embodiment is configured by a computer for games, specifically a server computer (hereinafter referred to as a server 10). As shown in FIG. 5, the server 10 is communicably connected to a user terminal 12 via a network 14, and together with the user terminal 12, constitutes an information processing system S for games.
The server 10 may be configured with one computer, or may be configured with a plurality of computers distributed in parallel.

As shown in FIG. 5, the server 10 has a processor 21, memory 22, a communication interface 23, and storage 24, and these devices are electrically connected via a bus 25. In addition, the server 10 has installed therein, as software, an operating system (OS) and a dedicated program for processing information related to the game. These programs correspond to the "programs" of the present invention. When the processor 21 operates according to the above programs, the server 10 functions as the information processing device of the present invention and executes a series of processes related to the progress of the game.

The processor 21 may be composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), an MCU (Micro Controller Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or the like.
The memory 22 may be configured with semiconductor memory such as a Read Only Memory (ROM) and a Random Access Memory (RAM).
The communication interface 23 may be, for example, a network interface card, a communication interface board, etc. The standard of data communication by the communication interface 23 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include communication by a wireless LAN based on Wi-fi (registered trademark), communication by a mobile communication system of 3G to 5G or a later generation, or communication based on LTE (Long Term Evolution).
The storage 24 may be configured with a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flexible disk (FD), a magneto-optical disk (MO disk), a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a secure digital card (SD card), or a universal serial bus memory (USB memory). The storage 24 may be built into the server 10 or may be attached to the server body in an external form. Furthermore, the storage 24 may be configured with an external computer (e.g., a database server) communicably connected to the server body. As a technology for recording various data, a distributed ledger technology such as a blockchain may be used to avoid unauthorized data tampering.

The server 10 distributes information necessary for the progress of the game to each player, and also collects and stores information from each player. The information stored by the server 10 includes information about each player's play history of the game, such as the racehorses that each player has acquired to date and the current parameters of each racehorse, the number of medals they own, and the number of times they have been entrusted with training. In addition, for players who have requested to train a racehorse, information about the training proxy, such as the training conditions and the current status of the training proxy, is stored in the server 10.

In addition, the server 10 executes various information processes related to the progress of the game, including the processes described below.
- Processing to change the parameters of the racehorse being trained - Processing to have the second player act on behalf of the first player in training the target horse - Processing to complete or interrupt the training of the target horse by the second player - Processing to identify the time (training time) that the second player has acted as the trainer of the target horse - Processing to identify the number of medals spent by the second player in the training of the target horse - Processing to change the number of medals held by each player - Processing to generate or hold various in-game events including races - Processing to award prize money to players whose racehorses win races, etc.

The user terminal 12 is a client terminal operated by a player to play the game, and specifically comprises a personal computer, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a game console, a television set capable of inputting information, a wearable terminal, etc.
For convenience of illustration, only two user terminals 12 are shown in FIG. 5, but the number of user terminals 12 may be any number equal to or greater than two.

The user terminal 12 receives information necessary for the progress of the game from the server 10, and displays images contained in the information on a screen such as a display, and outputs audio from a speaker, etc. The user terminal 12 also accepts operations performed by the player while playing the game, and transmits information corresponding to the content of those operations to the server 10.

For example, when training a racehorse in the game, the player performs training operations on the user terminal 12. Training operations are operations related to training a racehorse, such as inputting information necessary for training and selecting from multiple items related to training. For example, the player specifies a training course in the menu list ML of FIG. 1, and performs operations for entry registration via a registration screen (not shown) to enter the racehorse in a desired race.

In addition, the player requesting the training of a racehorse, i.e., the first player, performs operations for requesting training on the user terminal 12, for example, specifying various request items on the training request screen IS in Figure 2, and selecting one candidate receiver from the candidate receiver list JL in Figure 3.
The player who has accepted the training proxy, i.e., the second player, indicates his/her intention to comply with the first player's training proxy request through the confirmation screen CS of Figure 4, and then can train the racehorse (target horse) for which he/she is being trained on behalf of the other player by performing the same training operations on the user terminal 12 as usual.

In addition, during the substitute training, the first player can check the status of the second player's substitute training of the target horse at any time through communication between the user terminal 12 and the server 10, and can view, for example, the number of weeks of training and the parameters of the target horse at each point during the substitute training on the screen of the user terminal 12.

[Functions of the information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention]
The configuration of the server 10, which is an information processing device according to the first embodiment, will be described again from the functional aspect. As shown in Fig. 6, the server 10 has an operation reception unit 30, a distribution unit 40, a storage unit 50, and an information processing unit 60. Of these, the storage unit 50 is realized by the memory 22 or the storage 24, and the other functional units are realized by the cooperation of the hardware devices constituting the server 10 and the programs installed in the server 10.
Each functional unit will be described in detail below.

(Operation reception unit)
The operation reception unit 30 receives operations performed by the player on the user terminal 12 while playing the game, and more precisely, receives data indicating the content of the operations from the user terminal 12. As shown in FIG. 6 , the operation reception unit 30 has a training operation reception unit 31, a request reception unit 32, a candidate selection reception unit 33, an acceptance confirmation reception unit 34, and a race registration reception unit 35.

The training operation receiving unit 31 receives a racehorse training operation by the player. The training operation is a specification operation for training a racehorse, or more precisely, for training, and specifies the racehorse to be trained, the training course, the number of medals to be spent on training (number of medals consumed), etc. The training operation receiving unit 31 receives data indicating the above-mentioned specified contents from the user terminal 12.
The request receiving unit 32 receives a designation operation performed by the first player to request the training of a racehorse, specifically, an operation to designate requested items such as the training period and training conditions described above, and more specifically, receives data indicating the designated requested items from the user terminal 12.

The candidate selection receiving unit 33 receives an operation by the first player to select one candidate from the candidate receiver list JL when making a training proxy request, and in detail receives data indicating the selection result from the user terminal 12.
The acceptance confirmation receiving unit 34 accepts the acceptance confirmation operation performed when the candidate player selected by the first player decides to accept the training agency through the confirmation screen CS of Figure 4, and more specifically, receives data indicating whether or not the acceptance has been accepted from the user terminal 12.
The race registration reception unit 35 receives a registration operation performed by a player to enter a racehorse in a race of his/her choice. In the registration operation, the desired race to enter, the date of the race, the racehorse to enter, etc. are specified, and the race registration reception unit 35 receives data indicating these contents from the user terminal 12.

(Distribution Department)
The distribution unit 40 distributes information necessary for the progress of the game to each player's user terminal 12, and has an event information distribution unit 41 and an inquiry unit 42 as shown in Fig. 6. The event information distribution unit 41 distributes information related to various events such as races. On the user terminal 12 side that receives the information distributed by the event information distribution unit 41, video and audio of the event production are output (displayed, played, etc.).
The inquiry unit 42 delivers inquiry information regarding a predetermined matter to a predetermined player, for example, delivers inquiry information regarding whether or not to continue substitute training to the first player or the second player.

(Memory unit)
The memory unit 50 stores information necessary for the progress of the game, and as shown in FIG. 6, has a player information memory unit 51, a racehorse information memory unit 52, a number of horses owned memory unit 53, a training proxy request memory unit 54, and a training proxy status memory unit 55.

The player information storage unit 51 stores player information for each player of the game. As shown in FIG. 7, the player information includes the name or ID of each player, the account name for the game, the total play time of the game, the ID of the racehorse owned (owned horse ID), the grade of the farm owned, the number of times training has been entrusted to the player, a training agency flag indicating whether or not the player is currently requesting training agency, and a candidate player flag indicating whether or not the player is currently a candidate player. Note that the player information may also include other information about the player, such as the names or IDs of other players registered by the player as friends.

The racehorse information storage unit 52 stores racehorse information on each racehorse owned by each player. As shown in FIG. 8, the racehorse information includes the name of each racehorse, an identification ID, the account name of the player who owns the racehorse, current parameters (specifically, ability values such as stamina, speed, and power, and racing results such as the number of races participated in and the number of wins in the past), the current number of weeks of training, and the number of remaining training periods (number of weeks remaining). Note that other information on the racehorse, such as the name or ID of the parent horse, may also be included in the racehorse information.
As shown in FIG. 9, the number-of-medals-possessed storage unit 53 stores, for each player, the number of medals that each player currently possesses.

The training proxy request storage unit 54 stores training proxy request information related to a training proxy request for each request. As shown in FIG. 10, the training proxy request information includes an ID for identifying the training proxy request (request ID), the account name of the player who requested the training proxy, the training period, an ID for identifying the racehorse related to the requested training proxy, training conditions (specifically, the number of training weeks to be achieved during the training proxy, the training course, and the type of parameter to be increased by the training proxy and its target value), and the account name of the player who accepted the training proxy.

The substitute training status storage unit 55 stores, for each substitute training, training status information relating to the progress of the currently ongoing substitute training. As shown in FIG. 11, the substitute training status information includes a request ID, the start date of the substitute training in real time, the number of weeks of training from the start of the substitute training to the present time in game time, the current value of the desired training parameters, the number of medals passed as the training budget, and the number of medals consumed on the substitute training up to the present time. The number of medals passed as the training budget will be described later.

(Information Processing Section)
The information processing unit 60 executes information processing necessary for the progress of the game, and as shown in FIG. 6, has a parameter changing unit 61, a proxy processing unit 62, a proxy completion unit 63, a proxy interruption unit 64, a proxy time determination unit 65, a number of possessions changing unit 66, a number of consumption determination unit 67, a race result determination unit 68, and a prize awarding unit 69.

When the training operation receiving unit 31 receives a training operation from the player, the parameter changing unit 61 executes a process to change the parameters of the racehorse to be trained stored in the racehorse information storage unit 52, specifically ability values such as stamina, speed, and power, according to the content of the operation. At this time, the amount of change (increase) of each parameter changes according to the training course and number of medals inserted specified by the player in the training operation, etc.

When the acceptance confirmation acceptance unit 34 accepts a response from the candidate acceptor selected by the first player to accept the training proxy, the proxy processing unit 62 executes a process of designating the acceptor as the second player and having the second player act on behalf of the second player in training the target horse. Specifically, the proxy processing unit 62 grants the second player the authority to train the target horse, and stores the account name of the second player in the training proxy request storage unit 54 in association with the request ID for the training proxy.
During the substitute training, the first player can check the progress of the second player's substitute training of the target horse (for example, the evaluation value described below, and the current parameters of the target horse, etc.). This allows the first player to appropriately check whether the substitute training is progressing smoothly (whether the training quota can be achieved) and whether it is okay to continue with the current substitute training conditions (for example, whether it is better to change the training course, etc.).

When the completion conditions for the training substitution are met, the proxy completion unit 63 completes the training substitution of the racehorse by the player who has been entrusted with the training substitution. The completion conditions are, for example, a condition that the training conditions specified by the first player when requesting the training substitution are met. In other words, when the number of training weeks in the training substitution of the target horse by the second player reaches the number of training weeks specified by the first player, or when the parameters of the target horse increase to the target values specified by the first player, the proxy completion unit 63 completes the training substitution of the target horse by the second player. When the proxy completion unit 63 completes the training substitution of the target horse by the second player, the target horse is returned from the second player to the first player.

When the interruption condition for the training proxy is satisfied, the proxy interruption unit 64 interrupts the training proxy of the racehorse by the player who has been entrusted with the training proxy in the middle of the training proxy. The interruption condition is a condition related to the progress of the training proxy of the target horse, specifically, the progress of the training proxy at the current time has not reached a standard, etc. As an example, the proxy interruption unit 64 calculates an evaluation value at each point in time during the training proxy. The evaluation value is a value calculated based on the later-described proxy time (specifically, the number of training weeks increased during the training proxy period) and the number of medals consumed for the training proxy, for example, the ratio of the number of medals consumed to the proxy time. Then, when the evaluation value satisfies the interruption condition, specifically, when the evaluation value falls below a standard value, the proxy interruption unit 64 interrupts the second player's training proxy of the target horse at that point in time. Note that when the proxy interruption unit 64 interrupts the second player's training proxy of the target horse, the target horse is returned from the second player to the first player.

The interruption condition is not limited to the above-mentioned conditions, and may be, for example, that the duration of the substitution falls below a predetermined time after a certain time has elapsed since the start of the substitution. Alternatively, the second player's substitution of the target horse's training may be interrupted if the parameter value of the target horse that has been increased by the time a certain time has elapsed since the start of the substitution does not reach a reference value. Also, as described above, during the substitution period, the first player can check the progress of the second player's substitution of the target horse, and can appropriately determine whether the substitution is proceeding smoothly. Therefore, if it is determined that the substitution is not proceeding smoothly, the first player may be able to interrupt the second player's substitution of the target horse by performing a predetermined interruption operation.

The proxy time determination unit 65 determines the in-game time spent on the substitute training of a racehorse (hereinafter referred to as the proxy time). The proxy time corresponds to, for example, the number of weeks of training from the start of the substitute training to the current time. In other words, when determining the proxy time for the second player's substitute training of the target horse, the proxy time determination unit 65 determines the number of weeks of training that have been reached since the second player began the substitute training of the target horse to the current time as the proxy time. The determined proxy time, i.e., the number of weeks of training, is used by the proxy interruption unit 64 as a basis for determining whether the interruption condition has been met.

The possession number changing unit 66 corresponds to the "changing unit" of the present invention, and changes the number of possessed medals stored in the possession number memory unit 53 when the training operation receiving unit 31 receives a training operation from the player. For example, when the player trains a racehorse owned by the player, the possession number changing unit 66 subtracts the number of medals to be spent on training, or more specifically, the number of medals to be inserted specified during the training operation, from the number of possessed medals of the player.

In addition, when the second player acts as a substitute for the first player in raising the target horse, that is, when the substitute processing unit 62 has the second player act as a substitute for raising the target horse, the number of medals held change unit 66 subtracts the number of medals consumed by the second player in the substitute raising of the target horse from the number of medals held by the first player. In other words, when another player acts as a substitute for the player requesting the substitute raising of a racehorse, the number of medals spent on the substitute raising is borne by the requester.

In the first embodiment, when the proxy processing unit 62 causes the second player to act on behalf of the first player in raising the target horse, the possession number changing unit 66 subtracts a first number of medals determined as a training budget from the number of medals possessed by the first player. The first number of medals corresponds to a "first value number", and when the request receiving unit 32 receives a request from the first player to act on behalf of the first player in raising the target horse, the first number of medals is determined according to the number of training weeks, training course, and target values of desired parameters specified by the first player. At this time, the first number of medals includes the number of medals spent on the training of the target horse, as well as the number of medals set as a reward for the training agent (i.e., the second player). The number of medals as a reward may be a predetermined value or may be a value determined by the first player.

The possession number changing unit 66 subtracts the first medal number determined as the training budget from the medal possession number of the first player. Furthermore, when the entrustment confirmation receiving unit 34 receives a reply from the player who is the entrustment candidate selected by the first player that the entrustment of the training proxy will be accepted, the possession number changing unit 66 adds a number of medals corresponding to the first medal number to the medal possession number of that player (i.e., the second player). In other words, the first medal number is given to the second player who has accepted the training proxy as the training budget. The second player can pay the expenses for the training proxy of the target horse (the number of medals consumed) from the given training budget.
It is preferable that the number of medals held by the second player after the training budget has been handed over and added to be divided into the number of medals in the training budget and the number of other medals, and that the number of medals in the training budget be restricted so that it is not used for any purpose other than acting as a training agent.

The consumption number determination unit 67 corresponds to a value number determination unit, and determines the number of medals spent on the training of a racehorse. For example, when the aforementioned completion condition is satisfied for the training of a target horse by the second player, the consumption number determination unit 67 determines the number of medals spent up to the point in time when the completion condition is satisfied. The number of medals spent determined at this time corresponds to a "second value number" and is also referred to as the "second medal number" below. Furthermore, the consumption number determination unit 67 can determine the number of medals spent on the training of a racehorse at any point in time during the training, and the number of medals spent determined at each point in time is also referred to as the "total medal number consumed" below.

The race result determination unit 68 determines the outcome of each race in the game, i.e., the finishing order of each racehorse, and generates event presentation data according to the determined race results. The generated event presentation data is distributed by the event information distribution unit 41 to the player who has entered a racehorse in the race.

The prize money awarding unit 69 corresponds to a value awarding unit, and awards a number of medals according to the result of a race to a specified player as prize money. For example, if the second player enters the target horse in a race while acting as a training agent and wins the race, a specified number of medals is awarded as prize money. In this case, the prize money may be awarded to the second player acting as a training agent for the target horse, or to the first player who is the owner of the target horse. When the prize money is awarded, the number of medals held changing unit 66 adds the number of medals equivalent to the prize money to the number of medals held by the player to whom the prize money is awarded, which is stored in the number of medals held storage unit 53.

[Information processing flow according to one embodiment of the present invention]
Next, a description will be given of a flow related to a training proxy (hereinafter, referred to as a training proxy flow) among the information processing flows by the information processing system S. The training proxy flow employs the information processing method of the present invention, in other words, each step in the training proxy flow corresponds to a component of the information processing method of the present invention.
In the following, a specific case will be presented to easily explain the training agency flow, and the first player requesting the training agency will be referred to as Player X, the second player accepting the training agency will be referred to as Player Y, and the racehorse (target horse) related to the training agency will be referred to as Racehorse Z.

When the training proxy flow is executed, players X and Y log in to the game and start playing. In the game, players X and Y each own at least one racehorse and also possess medals as in-game currency (value). In other words, before the training proxy flow is executed, server 10 stores the number of medals possessed by each of players X and Y in memory 22 or storage 24 (specifically, possession number storage unit 53) for each player. In addition, for the training proxy flow, multiple players including player Y (strictly speaking, multiple players other than player X) are registered in advance as potential recipients.

The substitute training flow progresses, for example, along the flow shown in Figures 12 to 14, and begins with player X operating the user terminal 12 to specify the requested items regarding the substitute training of racehorse Z, specifically the training period and training conditions, etc. (S001). The server 10 accepts player X's substitute training request through communication with player X's user terminal 12, and acquires data indicating the requested items in detail (S002).

Next, when the player X operates the user terminal 12 to select a trustee candidate (S003), the server 10 accepts the selection result of the player X through communication with the user terminal 12 of the player X, and more specifically, acquires data indicating the trustee candidate selected by the player X (S004). Incidentally, in this case, the player Y corresponds to the selected trustee candidate.

Then, through communication with the user terminal 12 of player Y, the server 10 inquires of player Y whether or not to accept the training proxy requested by player X (S005). Player Y responds via the confirmation screen CS of FIG. 4 whether or not to accept the training proxy, and responds to that effect if he or she intends to accept (S006). The following steps will be explained assuming that player Y has responded that he or she will accept the training proxy.

The server 10 determines the training budget, i.e., the first number of medals, according to the training conditions specified by player X, subtracts the first number of medals from the number of medals owned by player X stored in the number-of-medals storage unit 53, and adds the same number of medals to the number of medals owned by player Y (S007). The first number of medals includes the number of medals spent to act as a training agent for racehorse Z under the training conditions specified by player X and the number of medals given to player Y as a reward for acting as a training agent, and more specifically, is the sum of these.

The server 10 also executes a process to have the player Y act as a substitute for the training of the racehorse Z, that is, sets the substitute training authority for the racehorse Z for the player Y (S008). Thereby, the player Y can thereafter act as a substitute for the training of the racehorse Z, in other words, the training operation of the player Y regarding the racehorse Z becomes acceptable to the server 10.
In FIG. 12, the above step S008 is performed after step S007 of changing the number of medals of players X and Y, but the order of these steps may be reversed, or these steps may be performed simultaneously.

When player Y performs a training operation on the user terminal 12 to train racehorse Z (S009), the server 10 accepts the training operation through communication with player Y's user terminal 12, and specifically receives data indicating the training course and the number of medals inserted (S010). In response to this, the server 10 (specifically the parameter change unit 61) changes the parameters of racehorse Z stored in the racehorse information storage unit 52, specifically stamina, speed, power, etc. (S011). At this time, each parameter is changed according to the content of the training operation accepted from player Y, i.e., the training course and the number of medals inserted, etc.

The server 10 also subtracts the number of medals spent on training racehorse Z from the number of medals owned by player Y stored in the number-of-medals storage unit 53 (S012). Note that in FIG. 13, step S012 is performed after step S011 of changing the parameters of racehorse Z, but the order of these steps may be reversed, or these steps may be performed simultaneously.

When player Y performs a registration operation on the user terminal to enter racehorse Z in a race during the training substitution period (S013), the server 10 accepts the registration operation through communication with the user terminal 12 of player Y, and specifically receives data indicating the race to be entered, the racehorse to be entered (i.e., racehorse Z), the race date, etc. (S014). Then, when the race date arrives in the game time (S015), the server 10 determines the outcome of the race based on the parameters of each racehorse in the race, and awards a prize to the player of the winning racehorse (who finished first) (S016). For example, if racehorse Z wins a race in which player Y entered racehorse Z, the server 10 adds the number of medals equivalent to the prize money to the number of medals owned by a specific player (e.g., player X) stored in the number-of-medals storage unit 53.

Although not shown in FIG. 13, when a race is held, the server 10 performs a step of generating event presentation data according to the results of the race and distributing the generated data to each player who has entered a racehorse in the race.

During the substitute training period, the server 10 appropriately determines whether or not a completion condition is met for the substitute training of racehorse Z by player Y (S017). For example, the completion condition is met when the number of training weeks during the substitute training period reaches a value specified by player X, or when a parameter of racehorse Z desired by player X reaches a target value. When the completion condition is met, the server 10 (specifically, the substitution completion unit 63) completes the substitute training of racehorse Z by player Y (S018).

The server 10 also appropriately determines whether or not an interruption condition is met for the substitute training of racehorse Z by player Y during the substitute training period (S019). For example, if the number of weeks of training falls below a predetermined number a certain amount of time has passed since player Y began substitute training of racehorse Z, or if the parameters of racehorse Z up to that point (particularly the ability values that player X wants to increase) have not reached the reference values, the interruption condition is met. When the interruption condition is met, the server 10 (specifically, the substitute interruption unit 64) interrupts player Y's substitute training of racehorse Z (S020).

The substitute training flow ends when the substitute training of racehorse Z by player Y is completed or interrupted. With the end of the substitute training flow, the substitute training authority for racehorse Z set for player Y is cancelled, and racehorse Z is returned to player X with its parameters changed according to the substitute training up to that point.
On the other hand, while neither the completion condition nor the interruption condition is satisfied, the above-mentioned steps S009 to S016, S017, and S019 of the substitute breeding flow are repeatedly performed. In other words, as long as neither the completion condition nor the interruption condition is satisfied, the player Y can repeatedly perform breeding operations and registration operations, can change the parameters of the racehorse Z every time the breeding operation is performed, and can enter the racehorse Z in a race every time the registration operation is performed.

[Regarding the second embodiment of the present invention]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 15 and 16. In the following, the second embodiment will be described mainly with respect to the differences from the first embodiment, and in Figure 15, functional parts common to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment (i.e., the reference numerals shown in Figure 6).

As shown in FIG. 15, the server 10A according to the second embodiment further includes an acceptance condition acceptance unit 36 in the operation acceptance unit 30. When a player who is willing to accept the entrustment of training a racehorse is registered as a candidate for the entrustment, the acceptance condition acceptance unit 36 accepts settings relating to the conditions for the entrustment of the training from the player. The acceptance conditions are the conditions under which the candidate for the entrustment performs the training of a racehorse, and are presented by the candidate for the entrustment, and specifically include the grade of the farm that the candidate for the entrustment owns and uses for the training, or the number of medals required to perform the training at a farm that the candidate for the entrustment owns, etc.

When the trustee conditions receiving unit 36 receives the settings of the trustee conditions from the player registered as a trustee candidate, the trustee conditions of each trustee candidate, specifically the farm grade and the number of medals required for training on behalf of the player, are displayed in the trustee candidate list JL as shown in FIG. 16. The first player requesting the training of a racehorse selects one of the multiple trustee candidates listed in the trustee candidate list JL while checking the trustee conditions of each trustee candidate.

When the candidate selection receiving unit 33 receives the selection result of the first player, the training proxy flow proceeds in the same manner as in the first embodiment. That is, the player who is the candidate selected by the first player is asked whether or not to accept the training proxy. If the player replies that he or she will accept the training proxy, he or she becomes the second player, and the number of medals held change unit 66 subtracts the first number of medals (i.e., the training budget) according to the conditions of acceptance set by the second player from the number of medals held by the first player and adds it to the number of medals held by the second player.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the second player who accepts the training proxy presents the conditions for the training proxy, and the first player who requests the training proxy bears the number of medals according to the presented conditions as part of the training budget.

[Regarding the third embodiment of the present invention]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following, the third embodiment will be mainly described with respect to the differences from the first embodiment.

In the third embodiment, when the second player who has been entrusted with the training of a target horse enters the target horse in a race as an in-game competition and the target horse wins the race, the number of medals awarded as prize money can be incorporated into the cost of the training agency. To explain in more detail, when the second player enters the target horse in a race during the training agency period and the target horse wins the race, the number of medals equivalent to the prize money is secured for the training agency. In other words, the server 10 (specifically, the prize money awarding unit 69) adds the number of medals according to the outcome of the race in which the target horse that is being trained on behalf of the second player participates to the first number of medals (training budget) and awards it to the second player. As a result, the number of medals owned by the second player is further increased by the number of medals according to the outcome of the race.

As described above, in the third embodiment, the number of medals obtained by adding up the first number of medals given to the second player as the training budget and the number of medals equivalent to the prize money won in races entered during the training substitution period can be used for the training substitution of the target horse. If the number of medals spent on the training substitution is within the range of the above-mentioned total number of medals, the surplus number of medals may be given as a reward to the second player who performed the training substitution.
The number of medals equivalent to the prize money is not limited to being awarded when a race is won (i.e., finishing first), but may also be awarded according to the finishing position even if the racer finishes second or lower.

[Regarding the fourth embodiment of the present invention]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the following, the fourth embodiment will be mainly described with respect to the differences from the first embodiment. In addition, in the training proxy flow according to the fourth embodiment, steps S001 to S016 are the same as those in the first embodiment, so that the explanation and illustration thereof will be omitted.

In the fourth embodiment, of the first number of medals given to the second player as a training budget when the second player completes the training of the target horse, the number of medals remaining is returned to the first player. Specifically, in the training proxy flow according to the fourth embodiment, when a completion condition is met for the second player's training of the target horse, the server 10 (specifically, the proxy completion unit 63) completes the training proxy, as shown in FIG. 17 (S017, S018). In this case, the server 10 determines whether the first number of medals given to the second player as a training budget is larger than the number of medals consumed by the second player up until the completion condition is met for the training proxy by the second player, i.e., the second number of medals (S021).

Then, if the second medal number is smaller than the first medal number, the server 10 (specifically, the possessed medal number changing unit 66) calculates the difference between the two medal numbers, and adds a number of medals corresponding to the difference to the number of medals possessed by the first player after the first medal number has been subtracted (S022). Here, the "number of medals corresponding to the difference" may be a number of medals having the same value as the difference, or may be a number of medals obtained by subtracting the reward for the second player from the difference.
Although not shown in Figure 17, when the number of medals corresponding to the difference is returned to the first player in step S022, the server 10 (specifically, the number of medals held change unit 66) subtracts the same number of medals from the number of medals held by the second player.

[In the fifth embodiment of the present invention]
In the fourth embodiment, when the completion condition is met and the second player completes the training of the target horse, the number of medals remaining at the time of completion of the training of the target horse among the first number of medals given to the second player as the training budget is returned to the first player. However, this is not limited to this, and the second player may be allowed to continue the training of the target horse until the training budget is used up. Such a case will be described as the fifth embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG. 18.
In the following, the fifth embodiment will be described with respect to the differences from the fourth embodiment. In addition, in the training proxy flow according to the fifth embodiment to be described, steps S001 to S016 are the same as those in the first and fourth embodiments, so that the description and illustration thereof will be omitted.

In the substitute training flow according to the fifth embodiment, when a completion condition is met for the substitute training of the target horse by the second player (S017), as shown in FIG. 18, the server 10 determines whether the first number of medals given to the second player as the training budget is larger than the number of medals consumed up to the point when the completion condition is met for the substitute training of the second player, i.e., the second number of medals (S031). If the second number of medals is larger than the first number of medals, the server 10 (specifically, the substitution completion unit 63) completes the substitute training (S018).

On the other hand, if the first medal count is greater than the second medal count, the server 10 (specifically, the inquiry unit 42) inquires of the first player who requested the horse training substitution as to whether or not the horse training substitution will continue (S032). The first player operates the user terminal 12 to respond as to whether or not the horse training substitution will continue (S033).

If the first player responds that he/she will continue to act as the substitute for the horse, the server 10 (specifically, the substitute processing unit 62) allows the second player to continue to act as the substitute for the horse until the training budget is used up (S034). In other words, if the first number of medals is greater than the second number of medals when the completion condition is met and a response is received from the first player that the substitute for the horse will continue to train the horse, the server 10 allows the second player to continue to act as the substitute for the horse until the number of medals spent on the substitute for the horse reaches the training budget (i.e., the first number of medals). As a result, the second player can continue to act as the substitute for the horse from the point when the completion condition is met, and the horse can grow until the training budget is used up.

On the other hand, if the first player responds that he or she will not continue the substitute training, the server 10 completes the substitute training of the target horse by the second player and returns to the first player a number of medals corresponding to the difference between the first number of medals and the second number of medals (S035). In other words, if the first number of medals is greater than the second number of medals at the time the completion condition is met and the substitute training of the target horse by the second player is to be completed without being continued, the server 10 adds a number of medals corresponding to the difference to the number of medals owned by the first player.

[Regarding the sixth embodiment of the present invention]
Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the following, the sixth embodiment will be mainly described with respect to the differences from the first embodiment. In addition, in the training proxy flow according to the sixth embodiment, steps S001 to S016 are the same as those in the first embodiment, so that the explanation and illustration thereof will be omitted.

In the sixth embodiment, of the first number of medals given to the second player as a training budget when the second player is suspended from training the target horse, the number of medals remaining at the time when the second player is suspended is returned to the first player. To be more specific, the training flow according to the sixth embodiment is similar to that of the fourth embodiment described above, and when the suspension condition is met for the second player's training of the target horse, the server 10 (specifically, the suspension unit 64) suspends the training as shown in FIG. 19 (S019, S020). In this case, the server 10 determines the magnitude relationship between the first number of medals given to the second player as a training budget and the total number of medals consumed up until the suspension condition is met (S041).

Then, if the total number of medals consumed is smaller than the first number of medals, the server 10 (specifically, the possession number change unit 66) adds a number of medals corresponding to the difference between the two numbers of medals to the number of medals possessed by the first player after the development budget has been subtracted (S042).
Although not shown in Figure 19, when the number of medals corresponding to the difference is returned to the first player in step S042, the server 10 (specifically, the number of medals held change unit 66) subtracts the same number of medals from the number of medals held by the second player.

[Regarding the seventh embodiment of the present invention]
Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 20. In the following, the seventh embodiment will be described mainly with respect to the differences from the first embodiment. In addition, in the training proxy flow according to the seventh embodiment, steps S001 to S008 and steps S017 to S020 are the same as those in the first embodiment, so that the description and illustration thereof will be omitted.

In the substitute training flow according to the seventh embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when the second player performs a training operation on the target horse during the substitute training period, the server 10 (specifically, the training operation receiving unit 31) receives the training operation (S009, S010). After that, the server 10 (specifically, the consumption number determination unit 67) determines the total number of medals consumed by the second player from the start of the substitute training of the target horse to the current time, as shown in FIG. 20 (S010a). The server 10 then determines whether the determined total number of medals consumed is larger or smaller than the first number of medals given to the second player as a training budget (S010b).

If the total number of medals consumed is less than the first number of medals (i.e., if it is within the training budget), the server 10 executes steps from S011 onwards to change the parameters of the target horse in accordance with the training operations of the second player, and then executes subsequent processing.
On the other hand, when the total number of medals consumed becomes greater than the first number of medals (i.e., exceeds the training budget), the server 10 (specifically, the proxy interruption unit 64) will interrupt the second player's proxy training of the target horse at that point (S010c).

As described above, in the seventh embodiment, the second player is made to act as a substitute for the training of the target horse within the limits of the training budget, and the substitute training is interrupted when the total number of medals consumed in the substitute training exceeds the training budget. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, when the total number of medals consumed exceeds the training budget, the second player may be required to cover the excess number of medals, and the excess number of medals may be subtracted from the number of medals possessed by the second player. In this case, even if the second player has used up the training budget, the second player may be allowed to continue acting as a substitute for the target horse.

The excess number of medals does not necessarily have to be borne by the second player, but may be borne by the first player who requested the training proxy, and the excess number of medals may be subtracted from the number of medals possessed by the first player. In this case, for example, the second player may apply to the first player for an additional budget for the training proxy, and the server 10 may subtract the number of medals corresponding to the requested additional budget from the number of medals possessed by the first player, and add the number of medals equivalent to the additional budget to the number of medals possessed by the second player.

[Regarding the eighth embodiment of the present invention]
In the above embodiment, when the second player starts to train the target horse on behalf of the first player, the first number of medals as the training budget is transferred from the first player to the second player. In other words, in the above embodiment, when the second player starts to train the target horse on behalf of the first player, the number of medals to be spent on the training is subtracted in one lump sum from the number of medals owned by the first player.

However, unlike the above-described embodiment, an embodiment is also conceivable in which the number of medals spent on one substitute training of the target horse (in other words, each time the second player accepts a training operation from the second player regarding the target horse during the substitute training) is subtracted from the number of medals owned by the first player. This embodiment is described below as the eighth embodiment of the present invention. Note that the following mainly describes the differences between the eighth embodiment and the first embodiment.

In the eighth embodiment, when a training operation related to training of a target horse is performed by the second player during the training substitution, the server 10 (specifically, the training operation receiving unit 31) receives the training operation. This triggers the server 10 (specifically, the possession number changing unit 66) to subtract the number of medals for one training substitution from the number of medals possessed by the first player. Then, when the second player repeatedly performs training operations on the target horse multiple times during the training substitution, the server 10 (specifically, the possession number changing unit 66) subtracts a predetermined number of medals from the number of medals possessed by the first player each time a training operation is accepted.

[summary]
The information processing device of the present invention has a proxy processing unit 62 and a possession number changing unit 66, the proxy processing unit 62 executes a process of having a second player act on behalf of a first player in raising a target horse, and the possession number changing unit 66 subtracts the number of medals consumed by the second player in the proxy raising of the target horse from the number of medals possessed by the first player. In other words, the cost of the second player's proxy raising of the target horse, i.e., the number of medals consumed in the proxy raising of the target horse, is borne by the first player who requested the proxy raising. In other words, the second player does not need to bear the cost of proxy raising of the target horse, which stimulates the desire of players to be entrusted with proxy raising and leads to active use of the proxy raising system.

The information processing device of the present invention also has an operation reception unit 30 (more specifically, a training operation reception unit 31) that receives training operations from the second player regarding the training of the target horse. In this configuration, each time the operation reception unit 30 receives a training operation, the number of medals held change unit 66 may subtract the number of medals consumed in response to the training operation from the number of medals held by the first player. In this case, the number of medals consumed in response to the number of training operations performed by the second player is subtracted from the number of medals held by the first player, so that the first player can be more accurately responsible for the number of medals consumed for training on behalf of the second player.

In addition, in the information processing device of the present invention, when the proxy processing unit 62 has the second player act as a proxy in raising the target horse, the number of medals held change unit 66 may subtract a first number of medals determined as the training budget from the number of medals held by the first player. In this case, it is not necessary to subtract the number of medals held by the first player each time the second player performs a training operation, and therefore the information processing for changing the number of medals held can be further simplified.

The information processing device of the present invention also has a request receiving unit 32 that receives a substitute training request for a target horse from a first player, and the substitute training request may include details specified by the first player regarding the training mode of the target object to be applied during the substitute training. In this configuration, it is preferable that when the request receiving unit 32 receives a substitute training request from the first player, the possession number changing unit 66 subtracts a first medal number corresponding to the training mode specified by the first player from the first player's possessed medal number. It is more preferable that the possession number changing unit 66 adds a medal number corresponding to the first medal number to the possessed medal number of the second player.
According to the above configuration, the number of medals according to the training mode designated by the first player can be handed over to the second player as a training budget, which makes it easier for the second player to act as a substitute for the first player in training the target horse in the training mode designated by the first player.

The information processing device of the present invention may also have a condition acceptance unit 36 that accepts from a player settings regarding the conditions for the substitution of training for the target horse. In this configuration, it is preferable that the number of medals held change unit 66 subtracts a first number of medals according to the conditions set by the second player from the number of medals held by the first player. In this case, the second player can carry out the substitution of training for the racehorse under the conditions set by himself/herself. Furthermore, since the number of medals spent on the substitution of training under the conditions set by the second player is borne by the first player, it becomes even easier for the second player to carry out the substitution of training.

The information processing device of the present invention may also have a substitution interruption unit 64 that interrupts the substitute training of the target horse when the interruption condition is met. In this configuration, it is preferable that, after the possession number change unit 66 subtracts the first number of medals as the training budget from the number of medals possessed by the first player, when the substitution interruption unit 64 interrupts the substitute training of the target horse by the second player, the possession number change unit 66 adds the number of medals corresponding to the interruption of the substitute training of the target horse to the number of medals possessed by the first player. In this case, the number of medals remaining at the time of interruption of the substitute training of the target horse out of the first number of medals given to the second player as the training budget can be returned to the first player, and the remaining number of medals can be appropriately handled.

The information processing device of the present invention may also have a proxy time determination unit 65 that determines the proxy time as the in-game time spent on the substitute training of the target horse, and a consumption number determination unit 67 that determines the total number of medals consumed by the second player on the substitute training of the target horse. In this configuration, it is preferable that the proxy interruption unit 64 interrupts the substitute training of the target horse by the second player when a value (specifically, an evaluation value) calculated based on the proxy time determined by the proxy time determination unit 65 for the substitute training of the target horse by the second player and the total number of medals consumed determined by the consumption number determination unit 67 satisfies an interruption condition. In this case, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not to interrupt the substitute training based on the proxy time and the total number of medals consumed. As a result, for example, when the substitute training situation is unfavorable, the second player's substitute training of the target horse can be interrupted, so that the first player can have the second player substitute the training of the target horse with peace of mind.

The information processing device of the present invention may also have an agency completion unit 63 that completes the agency training of the target horse when the completion condition is met, and a consumption number determination unit 67 that determines the number of medals consumed by the second player in the agency training of the target horse. The consumption number determination unit 67 may determine, as the number of medals consumed, a second number of medals consumed by the second player until the completion condition is met in relation to the agency training of the target horse. In this configuration, when the first number of medals is greater than the second number of medals, it is preferable that the possession number change unit 66 adds a number of medals corresponding to the difference between the first number of medals and the second number of medals to the number of medals possessed by the first player after the first number of medals has been subtracted. In this case, of the first number of medals given to the second player as the training budget, the number of medals remaining at the time the agency training of the target horse is completed can be returned to the first player, and the remaining number of medals can be appropriately handled.

The information processing device of the present invention may also have an inquiry unit 42, which, when a completion condition is satisfied, inquires of the first player as to whether or not the second player will continue to take charge of training the target horse. In this configuration, when the first number of medals is greater than the second number of medals and the inquiry unit 42 receives a response from the first player indicating that the second player will continue to take charge of training the target horse, it is preferable that the proxy processing unit 62 continues the second player's role in training the target horse until the number of medals consumed reaches the first number of medals. In this case, by continuing the role of training until the number of medals given to the second player as the training budget is used up, the target horse can be further developed and the entertainment value of the game can be increased.

The information processing device of the present invention may also have a proxy interruption unit 64 that interrupts the substitute training of the object, and a consumption number determination unit 67 that determines the number of medals consumed by the second player in the substitute training of the target horse. In this configuration, it is preferable that the proxy interruption unit 64 interrupts the substitute training of the target horse by the second player when the number of medals consumed by the second player in the substitute training of the target horse exceeds the first medal number. In this case, since the substitute training of the target horse is interrupted when the number of medals given to the second player as the training budget is used up, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the number of medals consumed in the substitute training exceeds the budget.

The information processing device of the present invention may also have a prize money awarding unit 69, which may add a number of medals corresponding to the results of a race in which the target horse being trained on behalf of the player participates to the first number of medals and award this to the second player. In this case, the prize money from the race can be used to cover training costs, so that if the second player, for example, enters the target horse in a race and wins the race, the second player can use the prize money to properly carry out training on behalf of the horse.

In addition, in the information processing device of the present invention, when the proxy processing unit 62 executes a process of having the second player act as a proxy in raising the target horse, the possession number change unit 66 may subtract a first medal number including the number of medals consumed for the proxy raising of the target horse and a number of medals set as a reward to the second player from the first player's possession number of medals. In this case, since the first medal number including the reward for the proxy raising is determined, the training budget can be handed over to the second player after securing the reward for the second player. This can further stimulate the second player's motivation to act as a proxy in raising the horse.

The information processing method of the present invention is characterized in that the computer executes a process of having a second player act on behalf of the first player in raising a target horse, and the computer subtracts the number of medals consumed by the second player in the act of raising the target horse from the number of medals owned by the first player. This information processing method makes it easier to accept the act of raising a racehorse in the game, and therefore leads to active use of the act of raising a racehorse.

The information processing method of the present invention can be realized by an information processing device alone, or by a combination of the information processing device with another terminal such as a user terminal. Here, the information processing device may be a server computer for an ASP (Application Service Provider), SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). In this case, the above-mentioned series of information processes (excluding the input and display of information) are executed by the server computer, so that the user terminal only needs to input information to be handed over to the server computer and display information distributed from the server computer.

The program of the present invention causes a computer to execute a process for having a second player act on behalf of a first player in raising a target horse, and causes the computer to subtract the number of medals consumed by the second player in the act of raising the target horse from the number of medals owned by the first player. By having a computer execute this program, it becomes easier to accept the act of raising a racehorse in the game, and a game environment in which the act of raising a racehorse can be actively utilized is created.
The program of the present invention may be acquired by reading it from a computer-readable recording medium, or may be acquired (downloaded) via a network such as the Internet or an intranet.

[Other embodiments]
Up to this point, the information processing device, information processing method, and program of the present invention have been described using several specific examples. However, the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and other embodiments may be conceived.

In the above embodiment, the server computer for distributing game data (i.e., the server 10) functions as the information processing device of the present invention, but this is not limited thereto, and some of the functions of the server 10 may be provided in the user terminal 12. For example, the user terminal 12 may have one or both of the functions of the proxy processing unit 62 and the possession count changing unit 66.

In the above embodiment, when the second player accepts the training of the target horse, a predetermined number of medals is subtracted from the first player's number of medals as a training budget, or a predetermined number of medals is subtracted from the first player's number of medals each time the second player accepts an operation (training operation) to train the target horse. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, when the second player's training of the target horse is completed or interrupted, the number of medals consumed up to that point may be identified, and a number of medals corresponding to the identified number of medals consumed may be subtracted from the first player's number of medals.

In the above embodiment, the first player who requested to raise the target horse selects from among multiple candidate recipients, confirms the intention to accept the raising on behalf of the selected candidate recipient, and if the selected candidate recipient responds that they will accept the raising on behalf of the horse, the candidate recipient becomes the second player and the second player is made to raise the target horse on their behalf. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, the first player may specify the raising conditions when requesting to raise the target horse, the candidate recipient player may set the entrustment conditions, the two conditions may be compared, and the candidate recipient who set the entrustment conditions that match the raising conditions may be made the second player, and the second player may be made to raise the target horse on their behalf.

10, 10A Server 12 User terminal 14 Network 21 Processor 22 Memory 23 Communication interface 24 Storage 25 Bus 30 Operation reception unit 31 Training operation reception unit 32 Request reception unit 33 Candidate selection reception unit 34 Acceptance confirmation reception unit 35 Race registration reception unit 36 Acceptance condition reception unit 40 Distribution unit 41 Event information distribution unit 42 Inquiry unit 50 Memory unit 51 Player information memory unit 52 Racehorse information memory unit 53 Possession number memory unit 54 Training proxy request memory unit 55 Training proxy status memory unit 60 Information processing unit 61 Parameter change unit 62 Proxy processing unit 63 Proxy completion unit 64 Proxy interruption unit 65 Proxy time determination unit 66 Possession number change unit 67 Consumption number determination unit 68 Race result determination unit 69 Prize money award unit CS Confirmation screen IS Training proxy request screen ML Menu list JL Candidate receiver list S Information processing system

Claims (12)

A processor is provided.
The processor,
having a second player take charge of raising a target object of the first player;
interrupting the raising of the target object by the second player when an interruption condition is satisfied based on the amount of value consumed by the second player for the raising of the target object before a completion condition for the raising of the target object by the second player is satisfied;
Information processing device. A processor is provided.
The processor,
having a second player take charge of raising a target object of the first player;
Regarding the substitutional raising of the target object, when a period of time during which the second player has been performing the substitutional raising of the target object falls below a predetermined period of time at a time point when a certain period of time has elapsed since the start of the substitutional raising of the target object by the second player before a completion condition for the substitutional raising of the target object is satisfied by the second player, the substitutional raising of the target object by the second player is interrupted;
Information processing device. A processor is provided.
The processor,
having a second player take charge of raising a target object of the first player;
interrupting the substitutional raising of the target object by the second player when a parameter of the target object has not reached a reference value at a time point when a certain time has elapsed since the second player started the substitutional raising of the target object before a completion condition of the substitutional raising of the target object is satisfied by the second player;
Information processing device. A processor is provided.
The processor,
having a second player take charge of raising a target object of the first player;
when a condition for interrupting the raising of the target object is satisfied before a condition for completing the raising of the target object by the second player is satisfied by the second player, interrupting the raising of the target object by the second player;
subtracting the amount of value consumed by the second player in taking charge of raising the target object from the value granted by the first player to the second player;
when the second player interrupts the raising of the target object on his/her behalf, returning to the first player a difference between the value given by the first player and the value spent by the second player on the raising of the target object on his/her behalf;
Information processing device. The processor causes a second player to raise the target object on behalf of the first player;
a processor interrupts the raising of the target object by the second player when an interruption condition is satisfied based on a consumption amount of value spent on the raising of the target object by the second player before a completion condition of the raising of the target object by the second player is satisfied;
Information processing methods. The processor causes a second player to raise the target object on behalf of the first player;
a processor, when a time period during which the second player has taken charge of raising the target object falls below a predetermined time period when a certain time period has elapsed since the second player started taking charge of raising the target object before a completion condition for taking charge of raising the target object is satisfied by the second player, interrupts the second player's taking charge of raising the target object;
Information processing methods. The processor causes a second player to raise the target object on behalf of the first player;
a processor, when a parameter of the target object does not reach a reference value at a time point when a certain time has elapsed since the second player started to raise the target object on behalf of the target object before a completion condition of the raising of the target object is satisfied by the second player, interrupts the second player's raising of the target object on behalf of the target object.
Information processing methods. The processor causes a second player to raise the target object on behalf of the first player;
a processor, when a condition for interrupting the raising of the target object is satisfied before a condition for completing the raising of the target object by the second player, interrupts the raising of the target object by the second player;
a processor subtracts a consumption amount of the value spent on the raising of the target object by the second player from the value granted to the second player by the first player;
the processor, when the second player's proxy raising of the target object is interrupted, returns to the first player a difference between the value granted by the first player and the value spent by the second player on the proxy raising of the target object.
Information processing methods. The processor:
having a second player take charge of raising a target object of the first player;
interrupting the raising of the target object by the second player when an interruption condition is satisfied based on the amount of value consumed by the second player for the raising of the target object before a completion condition for the raising of the target object by the second player is satisfied;
A program for executing a process. The processor:
having a second player take charge of raising a target object of the first player;
Regarding the substitutional raising of the target object, when a period of time during which the second player has been performing the substitutional raising of the target object falls below a predetermined period of time at a time point when a certain period of time has elapsed since the start of the substitutional raising of the target object by the second player before a completion condition for the substitutional raising of the target object is satisfied by the second player, the substitutional raising of the target object by the second player is interrupted;
A program for executing a process. The processor:
having a second player take charge of raising a target object of the first player;
interrupting the substitutional raising of the target object by the second player when a parameter of the target object has not reached a reference value at a time point when a certain time has elapsed since the second player started the substitutional raising of the target object before a completion condition of the substitutional raising of the target object is satisfied by the second player;
A program for executing a process. The processor:
having a second player take charge of raising a target object of the first player;
when a condition for interrupting the raising of the target object is satisfied before a condition for completing the raising of the target object by the second player, interrupting the raising of the target object by the second player;
subtracting the amount of value consumed by the second player in taking charge of raising the target object from the value granted by the first player to the second player;
when the second player interrupts the raising of the target object on his/her behalf, returning to the first player a difference between the value given by the first player and the value spent by the second player on the raising of the target object on his/her behalf;
A program for executing a process.