JP7515201B2 - GAME SYSTEM, GAME CONTROL DEVICE, PROGRAM, AND GAME CONTROL METHOD - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applied Announced on December 12, 2019 via the website addresses https://twitter.com/pawa_app573/status/1205008446266855424, https://asc.s.konaminet.jp/asc/pawasma/webpage/news/news_detail.php?set_user_id=0&id=6870, https://asc.s.konaminet.jp/asc/pawasma/webpage/help/success_detail08.php

The present invention relates to a program, a game control method, a game device, and a game system.

For example, in a game in which a player develops a character, the parameters of multiple items associated with the character can be changed as the game progresses (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-140938

In this type of game, the appeal of the game can be improved by varying the parameters of multiple items associated with a character to reflect the user's intended direction. On the other hand, if the parameters could be easily varied, for example when a beginner player of the game changes parameters or when the player wants to develop a character quickly, the appeal of the game can be improved.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to improve the entertainment value of games.

The program according to the present invention is a program for controlling a game that includes varying the parameters of multiple items associated with a character, and causes a computer to execute an accumulation process that accumulates points acquired as the game progresses as accumulated points, and an allocation process that varies the parameters of the corresponding item by allocating the accumulated points to one of the multiple items of the character, and the allocation process can selectively execute a manual allocation process that allocates the accumulated points to an item arbitrarily selected by the user from among the multiple items of the character, thereby varying the parameters of the item, and an automatic allocation process that allocates the accumulated points to an item selected according to a predetermined rule from among the multiple items of the character, thereby varying the parameters of the item, and is characterized in that the manual allocation process and the automatic allocation process can be executed while maintaining the state in which the accumulated points are allocated to items by one of the allocation processes.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an event deck display screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an ability list screen when the main character is a pitcher. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an ability list screen when the main character is a pitcher. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a main screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a practice screen when practice is selected. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for increasing the ability value of a basic ability. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for increasing the ability value of a basic ability. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for acquiring a special ability. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of a game system. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the game device. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by the game device. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an automatic allocation process. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen for confirming that automatic allocation is to be performed. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for allowing a user to specify an allocation policy. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for notifying a result of experience point allocation by an automatic allocation process.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[1. Game Description]
Below, an outline of a game suitable for application of the present invention will be described using a screen displayed on a liquid crystal display panel equipped with a touch panel on a game device described later with reference to Figures 1 to 8.

The game of this embodiment is mainly a baseball game, and has a training part in which characters are trained, and a match part in which matches are played using the characters trained in the training part. In this embodiment, pitchers or fielders (including catchers) are trained in the training part, and in the match part, a baseball team including the pitchers and fielders trained in the training part plays a match against another team.

The development part will be described in detail below. In the development part, the main character to be developed belongs to a high school baseball team, and through practice and events, the main character is developed as a pitcher or fielder. Note that in this embodiment, multiple scenarios are prepared for the development part, and the high school to which the main character advances varies depending on the scenario. A scenario is a game story that unfolds as the game progresses. In the game of this embodiment, the user selects one of the scenarios to determine the high school to which the main character advances.

When a scenario is selected, the user first determines basic information for the main character. The basic information includes the name of the main character, the position of the main character, the dominant arm of the main character, the batting form of the main character, and if the main character is a pitcher, the pitching form is also determined. The position of the main character can be selected from pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, and outfielder. In the following, positions other than pitcher will be described as fielders. The dominant arm of the main character can be selected to be right-handed or left-handed, and can also be selected to be right-handed, left-handed, or switch hitter. The batting form of the main character can be selected from multiple types such as standard and open stance. The pitching form can be selected from multiple types such as overhand, three-quarter, sidearm, and underhand. When determining the basic information of the main character, preset basic information can be displayed on the screen first, and the user can change the basic information.

Once the basic information about the main character has been determined, the event deck is then set. The event deck is a deck for setting event characters who will be teammates with the main character and practice together at the high school the main character will attend. An event character is a character that affects the development of the main character (has a beneficial effect on the user) when an event occurs during the development process of the main character, and the user selects an event character to set in the event deck from among the event characters they possess. Event characters can be acquired as a reward for winning in battle mode or by lottery. In addition, before starting a scenario in the development part, the user can increase the level of the event character in advance. The higher the level of the event character, the higher the increase in the main character's abilities through practice and the initial evaluation of the main character, allowing the user to proceed through the scenario with an advantage.

Figure 1 shows an example of an event deck display screen G100. When setting up an event deck, the display screen G100 shown in Figure 1 is displayed. The deck name is displayed in the display area A110. The user can pre-register the combination of event characters in the event deck before starting a scenario in the training part. The change button B1101 is a button for changing the deck name.

The selected event character is displayed in display area A112. A maximum of six event characters can be set in the event deck. Event characters are selected from the event characters owned by the user, but some event characters owned by other users can be selected. For example, depending on the type of scenario, the user may not have an event character required to progress through the scenario to an advantage. Even in such a case, if the user can select an event character owned by another user, the user can progress through the scenario to an advantage and enjoy the game with that scenario.

Display area A111 displays the rarity of each event character. Rarity indicates how difficult it is to obtain, and there are six types of rarity: "Normal (N)", "Powerful Normal (PN)", "Rare (R)", "Powerful Rare (PR)", "Super Rare (SR)", and "Powerful Super Rare (PSR)". The rarity increases in the order of N, PN, R, PR, SR, and PSR, and the higher the rarity, the greater the benefit when developing the main character when an event occurs, etc. In addition, display area A113 displays the level of the event character.

In addition, each event character may have a favorite practice associated with them, and if certain conditions are met, the main character can gain a lot of experience points by practicing the event character's favorite practice together with that event character.

A list of the favorite practices of the event character is displayed in the display area A114, and the types of practices are composed of "batting", "muscle strength", "base running", "arm strength", "pitch speed", "control", "stamina", "curve ball", "defense", and "mental". When an event character is set in the event deck, the number of event characters who are favorite practices is displayed in the display area A115. In the example shown in FIG. 1, one event character is set as a favorite practice for batting, two event characters are set as a favorite practice for muscle strength, one event character is set as a favorite practice for base running, one event character is set as a favorite practice for arm strength, and one event character is set as a favorite practice for mentality. Note that an event character may have two or more favorite practices, and when an event character with two or more favorite practices is set in the event deck, the total number displayed in the display area A115 is increased accordingly.

Once the event characters have been set in the event deck as described above, the next step is to select game items. Game items can be acquired as rewards for winning in battle mode or by lottery, and users can use up to two game items in the training part. Types of game items include items for increasing the event occurrence rate, items for restoring stamina, items for reducing the occurrence rate of injury, etc. In this embodiment, game items include automatic allocation permission items that enable the automatic experience point allocation process described below.

Once the selection of game items has been completed as described above, the scenario begins. Before explaining the contents of the scenario, the abilities of the main character to be developed will be explained. Figure 2 shows an example of an ability list screen G200 when the main character is developed as a fielder. The main character is displayed in the display area A210. The appearance of the main character is determined when determining the basic information of the main character, but can be changed after the main character is developed.

Display area A211 displays the name of the main character. The name of the main character is decided when deciding the main character's basic information, but can be changed after the main character is trained. Display area A212 displays the number of the main character's position. If the position is catcher, the number 2 is displayed; if it is first baseman, the number 3 is displayed; if it is second baseman, the number 4 is displayed; if it is third baseman, the number 5 is displayed; if it is shortstop, the number 6 is displayed; if it is left field, the number 7 is displayed; if it is center fielder, the number 8 is displayed; and if it is right fielder, the number 9 is displayed.

Display area A213 displays the batting form and dominant hand of the main character, which are determined when determining the main character's basic information. Display area A214 displays the main character's position, which is determined when determining the main character's basic information. It is also possible to train the main character to be able to play defense in multiple positions, in which case multiple positions can be displayed.

Display areas A215 to A221 display the basic abilities of a fielder. The basic abilities displayed in display areas A216 to A221 are displayed in eight levels of evaluation rank: S, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. An ability score of 90 or higher is S, 80 to 89 is A, 70 to 79 is B, 60 to 69 is C, 50 to 59 is D, 40 to 49 is E, 20 to 39 is F, and 19 or less is G.

The display area A215 displays information on the basic ability "trajectory," and the evaluation rank is expressed as a number from 1 to 4. The higher the number, the higher the trajectory of the ball when batting, and the easier it is to hit a home run. The display area A216 displays information on the basic ability "meet," and the higher the ability of "meet," the easier it is to hit the ball with the bat and get a hit. The display area A217 displays information on the basic ability "power," and the higher the ability of "power," the easier it is to hit a long ball when batting. The display area A218 displays information on the basic ability "running ability," and the higher the ability of "running ability," the faster the base running will be, and the easier it is to get an infield hit. The display area A219 displays information on the basic ability "shoulder strength," and the higher the ability of "shoulder strength," the faster the ball can be thrown in defense. The display area A220 displays information on the basic ability "defensive ability," and the higher the ability of "defensive ability," the wider the defensive range. Display area A221 displays information about the basic ability "catching," and the higher the "catching" ability, the easier it is to catch the ball defensively and the less likely an error will occur.

Display area A222 displays notation A2221 indicating that the ability is a fielder's ability, and a list of the names A2222 of the special abilities possessed by the main character. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the main character possesses five types of special abilities: "infield hit", "pinch hit", "inside", "throw", and "stable form". In other words, the main character is prone to infield hits, his ability value increases when he appears as a pinch hitter, he is good at "inside hits" when batting, he has an accurate throwing direction when defending, and he is in stable form.

Figure 3 shows an example of an ability list screen G200 when the main character is trained as a pitcher. Note that explanations of content that overlaps with the case of a fielder shown in Figure 2 will be omitted. In the case of a pitcher, the display area A212 displays "1", which is the number of the main character's position.

Display area A310 displays the pitching form and dominant hand of the main character, and is determined when determining the main character's basic information. Display area A311 displays "pitcher."

Display areas A312 to A314 display the pitcher's basic abilities. Display area A312 displays information about the basic ability "pitch speed," and displays the maximum speed at which a pitcher can throw a straight ball. The basic abilities displayed in display areas A313 and A314 are displayed in eight levels of evaluation rank, S, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, just like fielders, with an ability score of 90 or higher being S, 80-89 being A, 70-79 being B, 60-69 being C, 50-59 being D, 40-49 being E, 20-39 being F, and 19 or less being G.

Information about the basic ability "control" is displayed in display area A313; the higher the "control" ability, the less likely the pitcher is to make a bad pitch and the easier it is to pitch the ball to the intended course. Information about the basic ability "stamina" is displayed in display area A314; the higher the "stamina" ability, the less likely the pitcher will tire and the less likely his or her ability will decline in the latter half of a match.

The display area A315 displays the type and amount of change of the curveball that the main character has mastered. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the main character can throw a "slider" and a "forkball" in addition to a straight ball, and shows that when a curveball is thrown, the amount of change is medium.

Display area A316 displays notation A3161 indicating pitcher abilities, and a list of the names A3162 of the special abilities possessed by the main character. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the main character possesses four types of special abilities: "heavy ball," "strikeout," "tenacity," and "toughness." In other words, the main character can throw a heavy ball, making it easy to strike out batters, can pitch with tenacity even when tired, and is not easily shaken by giving up a hit.

Next, the details of the scenario content will be explained. As mentioned above, multiple scenarios are prepared for the training part, but here, the common content of these scenarios will be explained. Each scenario is composed of four sections, with sections 1 to 3 each consisting of 12 turns, and only section 4 consisting of 15 turns. The user can select the practice content for each turn and let the main character rest. Note that since high school baseball preliminaries and high school baseball games at Koshien are included from the middle of section 4, if the player loses a game and is eliminated, section 4 will be forced to end. Also, there may be games that occur outside section 4 (section 3), and there may be games in which the section (training part) does not end even if the player is eliminated.

In each turn of each section, multiple teammates appear in addition to the main character, and have a significant impact on the main character's development. Teammates include event characters set in the event deck, event characters that are predefined specific to that scenario, and other default characters (non-event characters). Note that the same characters as the predefined event characters specific to that scenario can also be set in the event deck.

In addition, morning and afternoon events may occur with one turn in between, and the events that occur include scenario-specific scenario events, event character events with event characters set in the event deck, and event character events with event characters that are predetermined and specific to the scenario. In scenario-specific scenario events, event characters that are predetermined and specific to that scenario mainly appear. Whether an event occurs in the morning or afternoon is predetermined based on the content of the scenario event and the event characters, and the conditions for each event are that it occurs if an event occurrence lottery is won. When these events occur, the main character is given a training effect that corresponds to the event that occurred.

Figure 4 shows an example of the main screen G400 for each turn. The current section and current turn (the number of turns remaining in the current section) are displayed in display area A401. The main character's school year, month, and week in the current section and turn are displayed in display area A402. An icon indicating the main character's motivation parameter is displayed in display area A414. The type of icon switches in multiple stages depending on the main character's motivation parameter, and changes when an event occurs. In addition, when the menu button B403 is operated, a menu screen is displayed, allowing the user to check the settings or interrupt the scenario.

Display area A404 displays the main character's current stamina gauge; if you choose to practice that turn, the stamina gauge will go down, and if you take a rest or go on a date, the stamina gauge will go up. Display area 405 displays the main character's name and the current evaluation rank of his basic abilities. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the main character is trained as a fielder, so the current evaluation ranks of the above-mentioned "trajectory," "batting," "power," "running ability," "arm strength," and "defensive ability" are displayed. If the main character is trained as a pitcher, "ball speed," "control," "stamina," and "type and amount of changeup" are displayed.

During each turn, the user can choose what to do that turn from among multiple options P407, P408, P411 to P413. If option P410 "Improve abilities" is selected, the turn will not be consumed. Also, option P409 varies depending on the type of scenario, and some options consume a turn and some do not. The content of each option will be explained below.

When the "Rest" option P407 is selected, the player will not practice that turn, but will instead rest and recover their stamina. The amount of stamina recovered is determined by lottery. When the "Practice" option P408 is selected, the screen transitions to a practice screen G500 in FIG. 5, which will be described later, and the user then selects one of several types of practice content. Details of the practice content will be described later. Option P409 is a scenario-specific option, and the content varies depending on the selected scenario.

When the "Ability Improvement" option P410 is selected, the abilities of the main character can be improved. In other words, if you want to increase the basic ability scores of the main character or acquire a special ability, select this option P410 to improve the abilities of the main character. Details will be described later, but by spending the experience points that the main character has acquired and accumulated as the game progresses through practice, events, etc., it becomes possible to increase the basic ability scores or acquire special abilities.

When the "Visit the Hospital" option P411 is selected, the main character's illness will be cured with a certain probability. When the "Play" option P412 is selected, the main character's physical strength will be restored, and there is a high probability that the main character's motivation parameter will be increased by one level. When the "Date" option P413 is selected, the main character's physical strength will be restored.

Next, a case where the "Practice" option P408 is selected on the main screen G400 shown in FIG. 4 will be described. When the "Practice" option P408 is selected, the screen transitions to the practice screen G500 shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 shows an example of the practice screen G500. Note that in the example shown in FIG. 5, the screen shows a state in which the practice to train "muscle strength" is provisionally selected by the arrow P510. The display area A501 displays the unconsumed experience points among the experience points acquired and accumulated by the main character as the game progresses. The experience points are points that are consumed to improve the abilities of the main character. There are five types of experience points: "muscle strength", "agility", "technique", "curve ball", and "spirit", and the type and value of the experience points obtained differ depending on the practice content. As shown in FIG. 5, when the practice of "muscle strength" is selected, experience points for "muscle strength" and experience points for "spirit" are obtained. In addition, the display area A502 displays the increase in experience points when the practice is selected, and the user can select the practice content while referring to the increase in experience points.

Display area A505 displays teammates who will participate in the practice. Teammates who participate include the above-mentioned scenario-specific, predefined event characters, event characters set in the event deck, other default characters, teammates randomly selected by scouts and managers, and the more teammates who participate, the more experience points can be obtained. Display area A506 displays the teammate's name and the evaluation value for the main character in a gauge. The evaluation value for the main character can be increased by the occurrence of an event involving that teammate or by practicing with that teammate. The higher the evaluation value for the main character, the more likely it is that the player will acquire tips on special abilities and the greater the increase in experience points. Note that acquiring tips on special abilities reduces the experience points required to acquire that special ability.

Display area A507 displays the favorite practice associated with that teammate. If the ultimately selected practice matches the favorite practice, the protagonist will receive benefits that are advantageous to his/her development, such as gaining more experience points. Note that favorite practices are only displayed for event characters set in the event deck, and are not displayed for event characters that are specific to the scenario and predetermined (except for those set in the event deck) or other default characters. It is possible to practice with up to five teammates, and the combination of teammates corresponding to each practice (content) is drawn by lottery every turn.

Furthermore, if there is an event character among the teammates practicing together whose favorite practice matches the selected practice and whose evaluation of the main character is above a certain value, a special practice called special tag practice will be performed when that practice is selected. When special tag practice is performed, more experience points can be obtained than usual.

Display area A508 displays the injury rate when that practice is selected. The lower the current physical strength, the higher the injury rate; the user can refer to the injury rate and operate the back button B504 to return to the main screen G400 in FIG. 4 and reselect "rest", etc. The higher the injury rate, the more likely the main character will be injured when practicing. If the character is injured, they will not gain experience points even if they practice.

Each of the options P511 to P516 allows the user to select a different practice content, and for example, the user can execute that practice by pressing one of the options P511 to P516 with a finger or the like. Furthermore, before finally selecting one of the options P511 to P516, the user can slide the arrow P510 horizontally to check the amount of experience points that will be gained when selecting each practice and the teammates that will practice with them. Furthermore, the level of each practice is displayed on the options P511 to P516. The level increases by selecting the same practice multiple times, and the higher the level of the practice, the more experience points can be gained.

When the "Strike" option P511 is selected, the experience points required to increase "Meat", one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points are obtained for "Strength", "Technique", and "Spirit", which are displayed in the display area A501. When the "Strength" option P512 is selected, experience points are obtained for "Strength" and "Spirit", which are displayed in the display area A501.

When the "base running" option P513 is selected, the experience points required to increase "running ability", one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points are obtained for "strength" and "agility", which are displayed in the display area A501. When the "shoulder strength" option P514 is selected, the experience points required to increase "shoulder strength", one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points are obtained for "strength", "agility", and "technique", which are displayed in the display area A501.

When the "Defense" option P515 is selected, the experience points required to increase "Defense", one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points are obtained for "Agility", "Technique", and "Spirit", which are displayed in the display area A501. When the "Mental" option P516 is selected, the main character's physical strength is restored and experience points are obtained for "Technique" and "Spirit", which are displayed in the display area A501.

The example shown in FIG. 5 is an example of training the main character as a fielder. When training the main character as a pitcher, the practice options P511 to P516 are combinations of "pitch speed," "control," "stamina," "breaking ball," "defense," and "mentality." The types of experience points are the same as when training the main character as a fielder. Similarly, when training the main character as a pitcher, the types and values of experience points gained differ depending on the practice. For example, when "control" practice is selected, experience points for "technique" and experience points for "mentality" are gained.

When the "ball speed" option is selected, the experience points required to increase "ball speed," one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points are obtained for "strength," "technique," and "spirit," which are displayed in display area A501. When the "control" option is selected, the experience points required to increase "control," one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points are obtained for "technique" and "spirit," which are displayed in display area A501.

When the "Stamina" option is selected, the experience points required to increase "Stamina," one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points are obtained for "Strength" and "Spirit," which are displayed in display area A501. When the "Curveball" option is selected, the experience points required to increase the type and amount of change in "Curveball," one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points are obtained for "Skill," "Curveball," and "Spirit," which are displayed in display area A501.

When the "Defense" option is selected, experience points are gained for "Agility," "Technique," and "Spirit," which are displayed in display area A501. When the "Mental" option is selected, the main character's physical strength is restored and experience points are gained for "Technique" and "Spirit," which are displayed in display area A501.

Next, a case will be described where the "Improve Ability" option P410 is selected on the main screen G400 shown in FIG. 4. When the "Improve Ability" option P410 is selected, the screen transitions to the settings screen G600 shown in FIG. 6.

Figure 6 shows an example of a setting screen G600 for increasing the ability value of the basic ability of the main character who is trained as a fielder. Figure 6 shows the setting screen G600 in the initial state when transitioning from the main screen G400. The initial state refers to a state in which the improvement of the main character's abilities (increasing the ability value of the basic ability, acquiring a special ability) has been confirmed before the current time in the scenario. The display area A601 displays the evaluation rank and ability value of each basic ability in the initial state. Also, the display area A602 displays the evaluation rank and ability value of each basic ability in a state in which experience points have been allocated. The selection button B611 is a button for transitioning to a setting screen for increasing the ability value of the basic ability, and in the example of Figure 6, the selection button B611 is shown in a state in which it is operated. Note that when the selection button B612 is operated, transition is made to a setting screen G800 for acquiring a special ability as shown in Figure 8.

Display area A603 displays the currently accumulated experience points that have not been used for allocation. By allocating the experience points displayed in display area A603 to basic abilities or special abilities, it is possible to increase the ability values of the main character's basic abilities or acquire special abilities. Allocating experience points means associating the experience points required to increase the abilities that make up basic abilities and special abilities, either once or multiple times. Allocated experience points are treated as used, and are subtracted from the experience points displayed in display area A603. "Used" means putting them in a provisionally consumed state until the allocation is finalized, as described below. In this way, the experience points that are currently available for use are displayed in display area A603.

In the display area A604, a list of basic abilities is displayed, and the experience points required to increase the ability value of each basic ability by 1 are displayed. In this way, the experience points required to increase the ability value of each basic ability are determined by the type of experience points for each basic ability, so that the way of allocating experience points becomes diverse. A button B613 is displayed corresponding to each basic ability, and by operating the button B613, the ability value of the corresponding basic ability can be increased by using experience points. For example, when the button B613 for "meat" is operated once in the initial state of FIG. 6, as shown in FIG. 7, the experience points required to increase the ability value of "meat" by 1 (1 for "strength", 6 for "technique", 4 for "spirit") are used, and the ability value of "meat" increases by 1, and the display of the display area A602 and the display area A603 is updated to reflect this. The ability value of the corresponding basic ability can be increased in stages depending on the number of times the button B613 is operated. In this way, by allocating experience points to a basic ability selected by the user on the setting screen G600, a manual allocation process for increasing the ability value of the basic ability is possible.

In display area A604, for example, grayed out basic abilities whose ability values cannot be increased because there are not enough experience points (currently available experience points) displayed in display area A603, or basic abilities whose ability values have already reached their upper limit, are grayed out as they are not eligible for experience point allocation. For example, in the initial state of FIG. 6, there are not enough experience points for "agility" required to increase the ability value of the basic ability "running", so the basic ability "running" is grayed out.

In addition, by operating the automatic button B617, an automatic allocation process is executed. Details will be described later, but in the automatic allocation process, experience points are allocated to basic abilities and special abilities selected according to predetermined rules, thereby increasing the ability values of basic abilities or acquiring special abilities. In this embodiment, the automatic allocation process can be executed when a certain condition is met, that is, the game items selected before the start of the scenario include an item permitted for automatic allocation. By placing restrictions on the execution of the automatic allocation process in this way, the intrigue of the game can be improved.

The allocation of experience points in this manner is not finalized until the Confirm button B618 is operated. In other words, until the Confirm button B618 is operated, the allocation is provisional, and the consumption of experience points is not finalized.
For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the button B614 is displayed in correspondence with the basic ability to which the experience points are allocated. By operating the button B614, the allocation of the experience points can be cancelled and the used experience points can be returned to an unused state. This process is called a refund process. For example, in the state of FIG. 7, when the button B614 for "meat" is operated once, the experience points ("strength" 1, "technique" 6, and "spirit" 4) used to increase the ability value of "meat" by 1 are returned to an unused state, and the ability value of "meat" is decreased by 1, and the display of the display area A602 and the display area A603 is updated to reflect this (in this case, the initial state of FIG. 6 is returned to). When the ability value of the basic ability is increased in stages, the ability value of the corresponding basic ability can be decreased in stages depending on the number of times the button B614 is operated.

In addition, by operating the reset button B616, the allocation of experience points at that time can be canceled all at once, and the experience points used can be returned to an unused state. In other words, the initial state can be restored.

In addition, by operating the back button B615, the selection of the "ability improvement" option P410 on the main screen G400 can be cancelled and the screen can return to the main screen G400. If experience points have been allocated at the time the back button B615 is operated, the allocation of experience points at that time is cancelled all at once and the used experience points are returned to an unused state, i.e., the screen is returned to its initial state, and the screen returns to the main screen G400.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a setting screen G800 for acquiring special abilities of a main character who is trained as a fielder. The setting screen G800 basically has the same screen configuration as the setting screen G600 for increasing the ability value of basic abilities, and the description of the contents that overlap with the setting screen G600 will be omitted. A list of special abilities is displayed in the display area A801, and the experience points required to acquire each special ability are displayed. In this way, the experience points required to acquire a special ability are determined for each special ability and by type of experience points, so that the way of allocating experience points becomes diverse. In addition, all special abilities can be viewed by moving the scroll bar displayed in the display area A802.
As with the setting screen G600, buttons B613 are displayed corresponding to each special ability, and buttons B614 are displayed corresponding to special abilities to which experience points have been allocated. The setting screen G800 also enables manual allocation processing for acquiring a special ability selected by the user by allocating experience points to the special ability. Also, refund processing is possible.
Also, in the same way as the setting screen G600, in the display area A801, special abilities that cannot be acquired because the experience points displayed in the display area A603 are insufficient, or special abilities that have already been acquired, are grayed out, for example, as it is not possible to allocate experience points to them.

The examples shown in Figures 6 to 8 show the case where the main character is trained as a fielder, but if the main character is trained as a pitcher, the basic abilities listed in display area A604 are replaced with "ball speed,""control," and "stamina."
Furthermore, for "breaking ball," one of the basic abilities for training a pitcher, a separate setting screen is provided for "ball speed,""control," and "stamina." In addition to a selection button for basic abilities similar to the selection button B611 shown in FIG. 6 and a selection button for special abilities similar to the selection button B612, a selection button for setting the type and amount of change of a breaking ball is displayed, and when this selection button is selected, the type of breaking ball can be selected. As with the other basic abilities, the experience points required to increase the amount of change of a breaking ball by 1 are displayed, and the amount of change of a breaking ball can be increased by using experience points.

2. Game System Configuration
Next, an overview of a game system for implementing the game described above will be given.
9 is a diagram showing an example of the overall hardware configuration of the game system 1 according to this embodiment. In the game system 1 according to this embodiment, the server device 30 and the game devices 10 are wirelessly connected via a network 20.

The game device 10 is a device for operating the above-mentioned game, and may be, for example, a portable communication device such as a smartphone, a dedicated portable game device, a tablet, a stationary game device, etc. The game device 10 has a CPU 101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, a communication unit 104, an operation unit 105, a display unit 106, and a storage device 107.

The CPU 101 reads out the control program stored in the ROM 102 into the RAM 103 and executes various processes. The ROM 102 stores the control program (OS, etc.) required to operate the game device 10. A flash memory (NVRAM) may be used instead of the ROM 102. The RAM 103 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of the CPU 101. The communication unit 104 performs communication processing with the server device 30 and other external devices via the network 20. The operation unit 105 accepts various operations by the user. Note that, if the display unit 106 is a liquid crystal display panel equipped with a touch panel, the touch panel is the operation unit 105. The display unit 106 displays various information such as the above-mentioned game screen. The storage device 107 mainly stores game programs related to the game and various data related to the game.

The functions and processing of the game device 10 are realized by the CPU 101 reading a program stored in the ROM 102 or the storage device 107 and executing this program. As another example, the CPU 101 may read a program stored in a removable recording medium such as an SD card, rather than reading a program stored in the ROM 102 or the like. The means for supplying the program to the computer may be a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM on which the program is recorded, or a transmission medium such as the Internet for transmitting the program. In the following, the game device 10 will be described as a smartphone having a liquid crystal display panel equipped with a touch panel.

The server device 30 has a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, a communication unit 304, and a storage device 305.

The CPU 301 reads out the control programs stored in the ROM 302 and executes various processes. The RAM 303 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of the CPU 301. The communication unit 304 performs communication processing with the game device 10 and other external devices via the network 20. The storage device 305 stores programs related to the game, identification information such as the ID of the user who operates the game device 10, and various other information for each user required for the game. Note that some of this information may be stored in a database (not shown) or the like.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the game device 10.
The game device 10 includes a storage device 107 and a game control unit 120 .
The storage device 107 stores a game program for executing the game, and further includes a data storage unit 1071 for storing various data necessary for game processing. The data storage unit 1071 stores event character data DT1, event deck data DT2, main character data DT3, retained item data DT4a, used item data DT4b, game situation data DT5, etc. The event character data DT1 and retained item data DT4a are fixed data that do not depend on the game situation, while the event deck data DT2, main character data DT3, used item data DT4b, and game situation data DT5 are data that are updated depending on the game situation.

The event character data DT1 consists of various information related to the event character. The event character data DT1 includes information on the type of event character the user owns in the game, information on the favorite practice associated with the event character, information on the level of the event character, information on the event character's events, and other information related to the event character. It also includes information on scenario-specific event characters and non-event characters that appear as teammates, and information on scenario-specific, predetermined scenario events is also included in the event character data DT1.

The event deck data DT2 consists of various information related to the event deck. The event deck data DT2 includes reference information for the event character data DT1 related to the event characters set in the event deck.

The protagonist character data DT3 consists of various information about the protagonist character who is trained in the training part. The protagonist character data DT3 includes basic information such as the protagonist character's name, position, dominant hand, batting form, and pitching form, as well as information on the unused experience points that the protagonist character has acquired and accumulated as the game progresses, information on the evaluation score of the event character relative to the protagonist character, and information on the protagonist character's current basic abilities and special abilities. The protagonist character data DT3 is updated each time the scenario in the training part progresses.

The held item data DT4a consists of information about game items that can be used in the training part. The held item data DT4a includes information about the type and number of game items that the user owns in the game.

The used item data DT4b includes information about items used in the selected scenario. The used item data DT4b includes the type and number of game items selected when entering basic information about the main character, and information about whether the selected game items have already been used.

The game status data DT5 also includes information about the situation in the scenario that is necessary to progress through the game. The game status data DT5 includes information about the current section number and the current turn number, etc.

Furthermore, the game control unit 120 performs control necessary for the user to play the game on the game device 10. The functions of the game control unit 120 are realized by the CPU 101 executing a game program stored in the storage device 107. In this embodiment, the game control unit 120 includes an experience point management unit 1201, a manual allocation unit 1202, an automatic allocation unit 1203, and a refund unit 1204, and as described with reference to Figures 6 to 8, by allocating experience points to basic abilities and special abilities, changes the ability value of the corresponding basic ability and whether or not the special ability is acquired.
In this embodiment, experience points correspond to accumulated points as referred to in the present invention, abilities constituting basic abilities and special abilities correspond to items as referred to in the present invention, and ability values of basic abilities and whether or not special abilities have been acquired correspond to parameters as referred to in the present invention. The experience point management unit 1201 functions as accumulation means as referred to in the present invention, and the manual allocation unit 1202 and the automatic allocation unit 1203 function as allocation means as referred to in the present invention. The game system 1 and the game device 10 execute a game that includes varying parameters of a plurality of items associated with a character.

The experience point management unit 1201 executes an accumulation process that accumulates experience points acquired as the game progresses in the main character data DT3. The experience point management unit 1201 reads out the experience points accumulated in the main character data DT3, and displays them in the display area A501 of the practice screen G500 illustrated in FIG. 5, and in the display area A603 of the initial state setting screens G600 and G800 illustrated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 8. Furthermore, when the confirm button B618 is operated after experience points have been allocated by the manual allocation unit 1201 or the automatic allocation unit 1203, the experience point management unit 1201 confirms the consumption of experience points and subtracts them from the experience points accumulated in the main character data DT3, thereby updating the experience points in the main character data DT3.

The manual allocation unit 1202 executes a manual allocation process in which the user increases the ability value of a basic ability or acquires a special ability by allocating experience points to a basic ability or special ability selected by the user within the range of experience points displayed in the display area A603 of the setting screens G600 and G800. The manual allocation unit 1202 updates the display of the display area A602 and the display area A603 of the setting screens G600 and G800 as the manual allocation process is executed.

The automatic allocation unit 1203 executes an automatic allocation process that increases the ability value of a basic ability or acquires a special ability by allocating experience points to basic abilities and special abilities selected according to predetermined rules within the range of experience points displayed in display area A603 of the setting screens G600 and G800. The automatic allocation unit 1203 updates the display of display area A602 and display area A603 of the setting screens G600 and G800 as the automatic allocation process is executed. In addition, when the automatic allocation unit 1203 executes the automatic allocation process, it notifies the result of the experience points allocated by the automatic allocation process.

The refund unit 1204 cancels the allocation of experience points and executes a refund process that returns the used experience points to an unused state in accordance with the operation of the button B614 displayed on the setting screens G600 and G800. The refund unit 1204 updates the display of the display areas A602 and A603 of the setting screens G600 and G800 in conjunction with the execution of the refund process.

[3. Processing flow in the game system]
The flow of processing in the game device 10 according to this embodiment will be described below.
11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the game device 10 according to this embodiment. The processing described below is realized by the CPU 101 reading a game program stored in the storage device 107 into the RAM 103 and executing this game program.

The flowchart in Figure 11 is executed when a user operation is performed when the "Ability Improve" option P410 is selected on the main screen G400 shown in Figure 4 and the device is in the "Ability Improve" mode, that is, when the setting screens G600, G800 illustrated in Figures 6 to 8 are displayed.
In step S100, the game control unit 120 determines whether or not the user operation is a manual allocation instruction operation, specifically, whether or not the user operation is an operation of the button B613. If it is a manual allocation instruction operation, the process proceeds to step S102, and if it is not a manual allocation instruction operation, the process proceeds to step S104.

In step S102, the manual allocation unit 1202 of the game control unit 120 executes a manual allocation process. Specifically, the manual allocation unit 1202 increases the ability value of a basic ability or acquires a special ability by allocating a single amount of experience points to the basic ability or special ability corresponding to the operated button B613. In addition, the manual allocation unit 1202 updates the display of the display area A602 and display area A603 of the setting screens G600 and G800 in conjunction with the execution of the manual allocation process. Thereafter, the process returns to step S100. Note that, as described above, the allocation of experience points is not confirmed until the confirmation button B618 is operated.

In step S104, the game control unit 120 determines whether the user operation is an operation to instruct automatic allocation, specifically, whether the user operation is an operation of the automatic button B617. If it is an operation to instruct automatic allocation, the process proceeds to step S106, and if it is not an operation to instruct automatic allocation, the process proceeds to step S108.

In step S106, the automatic allocation unit 1203 of the game control unit 120 executes an automatic allocation process. Details of the automatic allocation process will be described later, but the automatic allocation unit 1203 increases the ability value of a basic ability or acquires a special ability by allocating experience points to the basic ability or special ability selected according to a predetermined rule. Then, the process returns to step S100. Note that, as described above, the allocation of experience points is not confirmed until the confirmation button B618 is operated.

In step S108, the game control unit 120 determines whether the user operation is an operation of the back button B615. If the user operation is an operation of the back button B615, the process proceeds to step S110, and if the user operation is not an operation of the back button B615, the process proceeds to step S112.

In step S110, the game control unit 120 executes a return process. Specifically, if experience points have been allocated at the time the back button B615 is operated, the game control unit 120 cancels all the experience points allocated at that time, returns the used experience points to an unused state, i.e., returns to the initial state, and then returns to the main screen G400 and exits this flowchart.

In step S112, the game control unit 120 determines whether the user operation is a redemption instruction operation, specifically, whether the user operation is an operation of button B614. If it is a redemption instruction operation, the process proceeds to step S114, and if it is not a redemption instruction operation, the process proceeds to step S116.

In step S114, the refund unit 1204 of the game control unit 120 executes a refund process. Specifically, the refund unit 1204 cancels one allocation of experience points to the basic ability or special ability corresponding to the operated button B614, and returns the experience points used in one allocation to an unused state. In addition, the refund unit 1204 updates the display of the display areas A602 and A603 of the setting screens G600 and G800 in conjunction with the execution of the refund process. Refunds are possible regardless of whether the allocation was performed by the manual allocation process in step S102 or the automatic allocation process in step S106. Thereafter, the process returns to step S100.

In step S116, the game control unit 120 determines whether the user operation is an operation of the reset button B616. If the user operation is an operation of the reset button B616, the process proceeds to step S118, and if the user operation is not an operation of the reset button B616, the process proceeds to step S120.

In step S118, the game control unit 120 executes a reset process. Specifically, the game control unit 120 cancels all experience point allocations at the time the reset button B616 was operated, and returns the used experience points to an unused state, i.e., returns to the initial state. Then, the process returns to step S100.

In step S120, the game control unit 120 determines whether the user operation is an operation of the Confirm button B618. If the user operation is an operation of the Confirm button B618, the process proceeds to step S122, and if the user operation is not an operation of the Confirm button B618, the process returns to step S100.

In step S122, the game control unit 120 executes a confirmation process. Specifically, the game control unit 120 confirms the allocation of experience points at the time the confirmation button B618 was operated, returns to the main screen G400, and exits this flowchart. In addition, the experience point management unit 1201 of the game control unit 120 confirms the consumption of experience points and subtracts this from the experience points accumulated in the main character data DT3, thereby updating the experience points in the main character data DT3.

Next, the automatic allocation process in step S106 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
12A and 12B are flow charts showing an example of the automatic allocation process in step S106.
12A, in step S200, the automatic allocation unit 1203 determines whether or not the game items selected before the start of the scenario include an item that allows automatic allocation. If an item that allows automatic allocation is not included, the process proceeds to step S202. If an item that allows automatic allocation is included, the process proceeds to step S204.

In step S202, the automatic allocation unit 1203 displays a message to notify the user that the automatic allocation process cannot be executed. At this time, the message may also be notified that an automatic allocation permission item is required to be able to execute the automatic allocation process. Then, the flow chart is exited.

In step S204, the automatic allocation unit 1203 superimposes a confirmation screen G1300 on the setting screens G600 and G800 to confirm that automatic allocation is to be performed, as shown in FIG. 13, for example. Note that the confirmation screen G1300 may also notify the user that experience points can be refunded or reset even after the automatic allocation process.

In step S206, the automatic allocation unit 1203 determines whether "Yes" has been selected on the confirmation screen G1300. If "Yes" has been selected, the process proceeds to step S208; if "No" has been selected, the process exits this flowchart.

In step S208, the automatic allocation unit 1203 performs automatic allocation.
In automatic allocation, first, the abilities to be allocated (the abilities that make up the basic abilities and special abilities) are determined. Abilities to which experience points displayed in display area A603 cannot be allocated are excluded from the allocation targets. In other words, abilities to be allocated are abilities that are candidates for experience points to be allocated in automatic allocation. As described above, basic abilities and special abilities whose ability values cannot be increased or acquired due to a lack of experience points, basic abilities whose ability values have already reached the upper limit, and special abilities that have already been acquired are excluded from the allocation targets.

Then, within the range of experience points displayed in the display area A603, experience points are allocated so that the player evaluation of the main character is as high as possible. Evaluation values are set for each of the abilities that make up the basic abilities and special abilities, and the sum of these is the player evaluation. By increasing the player evaluation of the main character, it is possible to develop him into a high-ranking player.
Here, in order to allocate experience points so that the player's evaluation is higher, an index called "evaluation efficiency" is used. Evaluation efficiency is the evaluation value of a certain ability divided by the experience points required to increase that ability. In other words, evaluation efficiency is an index that shows how easy it is to increase the evaluation value with respect to experience points.

For special abilities, a single evaluation value is set for each ability. For example, if the evaluation value of special ability A is 80 and the experience points required to acquire special ability A are 100, the evaluation efficiency will be 0.80.

On the other hand, for basic abilities, the assessment efficiency will be different depending on the range of the ability value, even for the same ability. For basic abilities, the assessment value will increase as the ability value increases, but this does not mean that the assessment value will increase if the ability value increases by 1. There is a threshold for the ability value at which the assessment value increases. For example, for "running ability," the assessment value increases when the ability value reaches 5, 15, 25, 30, 35, 45, etc. (In other words, for example, the assessment value will not change if the ability value of "running ability" is 35 or 44). In addition, the way the assessment value increases at each threshold and the experience points required to increase the ability value by 1 also vary depending on the range of the ability value. Therefore, the assessment efficiency will be different depending on the range of the ability value, and there will be a mixture of ranges with high and low assessment efficiency. For example, for "running ability," the assessment efficiency will be different for ability values in the ranges of 5 to 14, 15 to 24, 25 to 29, 30 to 34, and 35 to 44.

By taking advantage of this evaluation efficiency, experience points can be allocated in order of the basic abilities and special abilities to be allocated, starting with those with the highest evaluation efficiency, so that the player evaluation of the main character will be higher.

FIG. 12B shows an example of the automatic allocation in step S208.
In step S2081, the automatic allocation unit 1203 determines the abilities to be allocated (the abilities that constitute the basic abilities and special abilities) as described above. The abilities to be allocated are the abilities that are candidates for allocating experience points by automatic allocation, and basic abilities and special abilities whose ability values cannot be increased or cannot be acquired due to insufficient experience points, basic abilities whose ability values have already reached the upper limit, and special abilities that have already been acquired are excluded from the allocation targets.
In step S2082, the automatic allocation unit 1203 identifies the ability with the highest assessment efficiency among the abilities to be allocated.
In step S2083, the automatic allocation unit 1203 allocates one experience point to the ability identified in step S2082.
In step S2084, the automatic allocation unit 1203 determines whether a termination condition has been met. For example, the termination condition may be when the experience points displayed in the display area A603 have been used up, that is, when there are no experience points remaining to allocate one time to any ability.
If the termination condition is not satisfied in step S2084, the process returns to step S2081. Since the allocation of experience points in step S2083 may result in an increase in abilities that are no longer eligible for allocation, the process of step S2081 must be performed each time (for each allocation of experience points). In addition, since the allocation of experience points in step S2083 may result in an increase in abilities that are no longer eligible for allocation, and since the evaluation efficiency of the same basic ability varies depending on the range of ability values, the ability with the highest evaluation efficiency may change due to the allocation of experience points in step S2083, the process of step S2082 must be performed each time (for each allocation of experience points).
On the other hand, if the end condition is met in step S2084, the process exits from this flowchart.

As described above, the predetermined rule in the automatic allocation process is to select the ability to which experience points are allocated based on the assessment efficiency, but other rules may also be included.
For example, a priority ability may be set. In this case, first, experience points are allocated so that the priority ability can be obtained regardless of the evaluation efficiency, and after the priority ability is obtained, experience points are allocated to abilities with high evaluation efficiency. When playing a game, a fielder needs a certain degree of batting power. Therefore, for example, experience points are allocated preferentially to the basic ability "meet" and the basic ability "power" until a predetermined evaluation value is reached. Also, a pitcher needs a certain degree of control and ball speed. Therefore, for example, experience points are allocated preferentially to the basic ability "ball speed" and the basic ability "control" until a predetermined evaluation value is reached. A game may be played in the middle of the training part (the fourth section of the scenario), and the result of the game will affect the subsequent training. In a game in the middle of the training part, the main character with the ability at that time (the main character in the middle of training) is used, so it is preferable to prioritize and improve abilities that are more effective when playing a game at an early stage of the training part.

In addition, in the automatic allocation process, the experience points displayed in the display area A603 are used up, but experience points may be automatically allocated up to a predetermined upper limit. By setting an upper limit for experience points, the player evaluation of the main character is automatically increased to a certain extent, and thereafter, the user can have fun improving the abilities of the main character to suit their preference.

In addition, the automatic allocation process may allow the user to specify an allocation policy. In this embodiment, when developing a main character as a pitcher, as shown in FIG. 14, a screen G1400 is displayed superimposed on the setting screens G600 and G800 to allow the user to select whether or not to emphasize "stamina." If the player aims to be a starting pitcher, emphasis is placed on "stamina" and the "stamina" ability is increased as a priority, whereas if the player aims to be a closer, other abilities can be increased without placing emphasis on "stamina." By allowing the user to specify an allocation policy in this way, the automatic allocation process can reflect the policy intended by the user.

In this embodiment, like basic abilities and special abilities, sub-positions can be acquired by consuming experience points. By acquiring a sub-position, the main character can take on a defensive position other than his/her aptitude. In the automatic allocation process, experience points are not allocated to acquiring a sub-position. In addition, when a sub-position is acquired by consuming experience points, "ability improvement in sub-position" is added as one of the special abilities. This special ability "ability improvement in sub-position" may be acquired through the automatic allocation process.

Returning to FIG. 12(a), in step S210, the automatic allocation unit 1203 displays to inform the user of the results of experience points allocated by the automatic allocation process. For example, if experience points are allocated to both basic abilities and special abilities, as shown in FIG. 15, a screen G1500 indicating that the experience points have been allocated to "basic abilities" and "special abilities" is superimposed on the setting screens G600 and G800. In the case of a pitcher, "basic abilities", "breaking balls" and "special abilities" may be displayed. If no experience points could be allocated by the automatic allocation process due to a lack of experience points, for example, a screen G1501 indicating that no experience points have been allocated is superimposed on the setting screens G600 and G800.

As described above, manual allocation processing and automatic allocation processing can be selectively executed, and while maintaining the state in which experience points are allocated by either the manual allocation processing or the automatic allocation processing, the other allocation processing can be executed.
For example, when the manual allocation process of step S102 is executed, the display in the display area A603 is updated so as to subtract the experience points used for the allocation, and in step S106, the automatic allocation process can be executed within the range of the experience points displayed in the display area A603. Also, when the automatic allocation process of step S106 is executed, the display in the display area A603 is updated so as to subtract the experience points used for the allocation, and in step S102, the manual allocation process can be executed within the range of the experience points displayed in the display area A603. Furthermore, regardless of whether the allocation was performed by the manual allocation process of step S102 or the automatic allocation process of step S106, the refund process of step S114 can be executed, and from the refunded state, the manual allocation process of step S102 or the automatic allocation process of step S106 can also be executed.
In this way, the manual allocation process allows experience points to be allocated in a manner that reflects the user's intended policy, thereby improving the appeal of the game. Automatic allocation allows experience points to be easily allocated, for example, when a beginner player of the game allocates experience points or when the player wishes to quickly train the main character, thereby improving the appeal of the game. By making it possible to execute a combination of the manual allocation process and the automatic allocation process, the main character's abilities can be easily improved while reflecting the user's intended policy, thereby improving the appeal of the game.

[4. Modifications]
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the above embodiment and can be appropriately modified without departing from the gist of the present invention.
In the above-described embodiment, the experience points, which correspond to the accumulated points in this invention, are divided into multiple types ("strength,""agility,""technique,""curveball," and "spirit"), but the number of types is not limited, and it is also possible not to divide them into multiple types.

In the above embodiment, the automatic button B617 is always displayed, and if the game items selected before the start of the scenario include an item that allows automatic allocation, the automatic button B617 becomes active. However, if no item that allows automatic allocation is included, the automatic button B617 itself may not be displayed.

In addition, the automatic allocation process is not limited to the rules described in the embodiment, and other rules may be changed or added. For example, a target player may be specified, and abilities may be improved to bring the player closer to the specified target player. In this case, even if there are excess experience points, the ability value of the target player's basic abilities may not be exceeded, and special abilities that the target player does not have may not be acquired.

In the above-described embodiment, when the user is notified of the results of experience points being allocated by the automatic allocation process, only "basic ability" and "special ability" (for a pitcher, "basic ability", "curveball", and "special ability") are notified, but more detailed information may be notified. For example, in the display areas A604 and A801 of the setting screens G600 and G800, the abilities to which experience points have been allocated by the automatic allocation process may be displayed in a different color or other way to make them stand out.

In the above embodiment, the processing described in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 is performed on the game device 10 side, but all or part of the processing may be performed on the server device 30 side. Also, the server device 30 side may hold all or part of the processing of the data stored in the data storage unit 1071, and the game device 10 may realize the above processing while communicating with the server device 30.

In the above embodiment, the training part in a baseball game has been described, but it may be a sport other than baseball, or may be a training part in a game related to academics. For example, when training through sports in general, the content of the practice options may be changed to types such as "baseball,""soccer," and "volleyball," and when training through academics, options such as "Japanese,""English," and "math" may be used.
Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to games in which characters are developed, but can be applied to any game in which points acquired as the game progresses are accumulated as accumulated points, and the accumulated points are allocated to one of a number of items of the character to vary the parameters of the corresponding item.

[5. Notes]
The present invention can be understood, for example, as follows.
(1)
A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program for controlling a game that includes varying parameters of multiple items associated with a character, and causes a computer to execute an accumulation process that accumulates points acquired as the game progresses as accumulated points, and an allocation process that varies the parameters of the corresponding item by allocating the accumulated points to one of the multiple items of the character, wherein the allocation process is capable of selectively executing a manual allocation process (step S102) in which the accumulated points are allocated to an item arbitrarily selected by a user from among the multiple items of the character, thereby varying the parameters of the item, and an automatic allocation process (step S106) in which the accumulated points are allocated to an item selected according to a predetermined rule from among the multiple items of the character, thereby varying the parameters of the item, and is characterized in that the program is capable of executing the other allocation process while maintaining a state in which the accumulated points are allocated to items by either the manual allocation process or the automatic allocation process.

(7)
A game control method according to one aspect of the present invention is a game control method for controlling a game that includes varying parameters of a plurality of items associated with a character, the method including an accumulation step of accumulating points acquired in accordance with the progress of the game as accumulated points, and an allocation step of allocating the accumulated points to one of the plurality of items of the character, thereby varying the parameters of the corresponding item, wherein the allocation step is capable of selectively executing a manual allocation process (step S102) in which the accumulated points are allocated to an item arbitrarily selected by a user from among the plurality of items of the character, thereby varying the parameters of the item, and an automatic allocation process (step S106) in which the accumulated points are allocated to an item selected according to a predetermined rule from among the plurality of items of the character, thereby varying the parameters of the item, and wherein the method is capable of executing the other allocation process while maintaining a state in which the accumulated points are allocated to items by either the manual allocation process or the automatic allocation process.

(8)
A game device according to one aspect of the present invention is a game device that executes a game including varying parameters of a plurality of items associated with a character, and is equipped with an accumulation means (1201) that accumulates points acquired as the game progresses as accumulated points, and an allocation means (1202, 1203) that varies the parameters of the corresponding item by allocating the accumulated points to one of the plurality of items of the character, wherein the allocation means is capable of selectively executing a manual allocation process (step S102) in which the accumulated points are allocated to an item arbitrarily selected by a user from among the plurality of items of the character, thereby varying the parameters of the item, and an automatic allocation process (step S106) in which the accumulated points are allocated to an item selected according to a predetermined rule from among the plurality of items of the character, thereby varying the parameters of the item, and is capable of executing the other allocation process while maintaining a state in which the accumulated points are allocated to items by either the manual allocation process or the automatic allocation process.

(9)
A game system according to one aspect of the present invention is a game system that executes a game including varying parameters of a plurality of items associated with a character, and includes an accumulation means (1201) that accumulates points acquired as the game progresses as accumulated points, and an allocation means (1202, 1203) that varies the parameters of the corresponding item by allocating the accumulated points to one of the plurality of items of the character, wherein the allocation means is capable of selectively executing a manual allocation process (step S102) in which the accumulated points are allocated to an item arbitrarily selected by a user from among the plurality of items of the character, thereby varying the parameters of the item, and an automatic allocation process (step S106) in which the accumulated points are allocated to an item selected according to a predetermined rule from among the plurality of items of the character, thereby varying the parameters of the item, and is capable of executing the other allocation process while maintaining a state in which the accumulated points are allocated to items by either the manual allocation process or the automatic allocation process.

According to the above aspects (1), (7), (8), or (9), the manual allocation process can vary the parameters of multiple items of a character according to the user's intended policy. For example, if the parameters represent the character's abilities, it becomes possible to enhance the abilities selected by the user. Furthermore, the automatic allocation process can easily vary the parameters of multiple items of a character. For example, if the parameters represent the character's abilities, it becomes possible to easily enhance the character's abilities according to predetermined rules. Furthermore, by combining the automatic allocation process and the manual allocation process, the parameters of multiple items of a character can be easily varied while reflecting the user's intended policy, thereby improving the entertainment value of the game.

(2)
In one aspect of the present invention, in the aspect (1) above, the automatic allocation process is executable when certain conditions are satisfied.
According to the above aspect (2), by imposing restrictions on the execution of the automatic allocation process, it is possible to improve the entertainment value of the game.

(3)
In one aspect of the present invention, in the above aspects (1) or (2), an assessment value is set for each item, and the predetermined rules include rules for selecting an item to which the accumulated points are to be allocated based on an index representing the ease of increasing the assessment value for the accumulated points.
According to the above aspect (3), in the automatic allocation process, accumulated points can be allocated so that the character's evaluation, which is represented by the sum of the evaluation values for each item, becomes higher.

(4)
In one aspect of the present invention, in any one of the above aspects (1) to (3), a user is allowed to specify an allocation policy in the automatic allocation process.
According to the above aspect (4), it is possible to reflect the user's intended policy in the automatic allocation process.

(5)
In one aspect of the present invention, in any one of the aspects (1) to (4) above, accumulated points are divided into multiple types, and the accumulated points required to vary parameters are determined for each item and type.
According to the above aspect (5), the accumulated points can be allocated in a wide variety of ways, which can improve the entertainment value of the game.

(6)
In one aspect of the present invention, in any one of the aspects (1) to (5) above, the computer is caused to execute a process of notifying a result of the allocation of the accumulated points by the automatic allocation process.
According to the above aspect (6), the user can check the results of the accumulated points allocated by the automatic allocation process.

1: Game system, 10: Game device, 20: Network, 30: Server device, 101, 301: CPU, 102, 302: ROM, 103, 303: RAM, 104, 304: Communication unit, 105: Operation unit, 106: Display unit, 107, 305: Storage device, 1071: Data storage unit, 120: Game control unit, 1201: Experience point management unit, 1202: Manual allocation unit, 1203: Automatic allocation unit, 1204: Refund unit

Claims (11)

A game system for controlling a game including varying or acquiring each of a plurality of parameters of a character, comprising:
an accumulation means for accumulating points acquired in accordance with the progress of the game;
a manual allocation means capable of executing a manual allocation process for allocating the points to a parameter selected by a user from among the plurality of parameters, thereby varying or acquiring the parameter;
an automatic allocation means capable of executing an automatic allocation process for allocating the points to an automatically selected parameter from among the plurality of parameters, thereby varying or acquiring the parameter;
Including,
The automatic allocation process can be executed while maintaining the state in which the points have been allocated by the manual allocation process.
Game system. the manual allocation means executes the manual allocation process based on a manual allocation operation performed by the user on a screen that accepts a manual allocation operation for allocating the points to the parameters;
The automatic allocation means is capable of executing the automatic allocation process based on an automatic allocation operation performed by the user on the screen.
The game system according to claim 1 . The automatic allocation means is capable of executing the automatic allocation process when a predetermined condition is satisfied.
3. The game system according to claim 1 or 2 . The predetermined condition is a condition related to a game item owned by the user.
The game system according to claim 3 . An assessment value is set for each of the parameters,
In the automatic allocation process, the parameter to which the points are to be allocated is selected based on an index representing the ease of increasing the assessment value for the points.
The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . having the user specify an allocation policy for the automatic allocation process;
The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . The points are divided into several types,
The points required to vary or obtain the parameter are determined for each parameter and for each type.
The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . The game system further includes a notification means for notifying a result of the point allocation by the automatic allocation process.
The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 7 . A game control device for controlling a game including varying or acquiring each of a plurality of parameters of a character,
an accumulation means for accumulating points acquired in accordance with the progress of the game;
a manual allocation means for executing a manual allocation process for allocating the points to a parameter selected by a user from among the plurality of parameters, thereby varying or acquiring the parameter;
an automatic allocation means for executing an automatic allocation process for allocating the points to an automatically selected parameter from among the plurality of parameters, thereby varying or acquiring the parameter;
Including,
The automatic allocation process can be executed while maintaining the state in which the points have been allocated by the manual allocation process.
Game control device. A program for causing a computer to function as the game system according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or the game control device according to claim 9 . 1. A game control method for controlling a game including varying or acquiring each of a plurality of parameters of a character, comprising:
Accumulating points acquired in accordance with the progress of the game;
A manual allocation process is executed in which the points are allocated to a parameter selected by a user from among the plurality of parameters, and the parameter is changed or acquired;
An automatic allocation process is executed to allocate the points to an automatically selected parameter from among the plurality of parameters, thereby varying or acquiring the parameter;
The automatic allocation process can be executed while maintaining the state in which the points have been allocated by the manual allocation process.
Game control methods.

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