JP6493459B2 - GAME DEVICE, GAME SYSTEM, AND PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game device, a game system, and a program for controlling a game based on a user operation.

  At present, sports games are popular in which a moving body that moves within a game screen is repelled by a user operation. For example, in a baseball game, a user operating a batter character performs a batting operation by placing a meat cursor indicating an area hit by a bat on a reaching point on a strike zone of a ball thrown by a pitcher character. Also, in a conventional baseball game, a user operating a batter character predicts a pitching course in advance, and when that prediction is hit, the hitting power of the batter character is improved. Some of them reduce the batting power of the batter character.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-200133 JP 2011-072481 A

  In a conventional baseball game, it is difficult for a user who performs a batting operation to feel a change in batting power based on a user's prediction result. For example, even if the result is a normal hit, the user may decide whether the hit was reduced because his / her expectation was lost, or the hit was weak, or the hit operation was not successful and the hit was hit. It's hard to understand clearly. For this reason, there is a problem that it is difficult to obtain a sense of satisfaction with the result of the prediction made by the user himself.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to realize a game in which a sense of satisfaction can be obtained with respect to a result of prediction performed by the user himself / herself.

  A game apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is a game apparatus that controls a game that acts on a moving body, and that includes a prediction receiving unit that receives a user's prediction regarding a moving parameter of the moving body, and a movement of the moving body. Determining means for determining the result of the prediction of the user based on the moving means for determining the parameter, information on the prediction of the user received by the prediction receiving means, and the movement parameter determined by the moving means Display control means for displaying an arrival point area indicating a position where the moving body reaches in an action area capable of acting on the moving body, and within the action area based on a predetermined operation by a user. Determining means for determining an action on the moving body when a specific area for acting on the moving body is designated. , Wherein the display control unit, on the basis of the result of the determination made by the determining means, changing the period from the movement start of the movable body until the display start of the goal area.

  A program according to another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to operate as the game device, and causing the computer to function as each means included in the game device.

  A game system according to another aspect of the present invention includes a terminal device used by a first user and a terminal device used by a second user, and a character operated by the first user is moved by the second user. A game system for controlling a game that acts on a body, wherein a prediction receiving unit that receives a prediction of a first user regarding a moving parameter of the moving body, a moving unit that determines a moving parameter of the moving body, and the prediction receiving A determination means for determining a result of the prediction of the first user based on the information on the prediction of the first user accepted by the means and the movement parameter determined by the movement means; Display control means for displaying a reaching point area indicating a position where the moving body reaches in an action area capable of giving Determination means for determining an action on the moving body when a specific area for giving an action to the moving body is designated in the action area based on a predetermined operation by a first user, The display control means changes a period from the start of movement of the moving body to the start of display of the destination area based on the result of determination by the determination means.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the game device which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a game system. It is a block diagram which shows the other structural example of a game system. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the game screen of the user at the pitcher side. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the game screen of the batter side user before pitching. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the game screen of the batter side user after a pitch. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state to which an arrival point area | region moves with the movement of a ball | bowl. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of an aiming cursor and an arrival point area | region. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of an aiming cursor and an arrival point area | region. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of an aiming cursor and an arrival point area | region. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the game screen when a 1st user anticipates an in-course. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the game screen when a 1st user estimates an out course. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the game screen immediately after a pitch in case a 1st user's course prediction is successful. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the game screen immediately after a pitch in case a 1st user's course prediction is removed. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the game screen after predetermined | prescribed delay period progress from pitching in case a 1st user's course estimate is removed. It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of the main structures of a game management apparatus. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the degree of agreement of anticipation. It is a functional block diagram which shows the other example of main structures of a game management apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the game screen of the batter side user. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the game screen of the batter side user. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the game screen of the batter side user. It is explanatory drawing explaining the example in which a specific area | region is set by the contact to the screen of a finger | toe. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process which controls pitching. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process which controls a hit. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process which controls a hit. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a hit result determination process. It is explanatory drawing explaining the state to which the position of an arrival point area | region changes with the change of the track | orbit of the ball | bowl which comes out from an estimated course in the middle of a movement. It is explanatory drawing explaining the state from which the position of an arrival point area | region changes with the change of the track | orbit of the ball | bowl which enters the prediction course from the middle of a movement. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of the process which controls a hit | damage. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the game screen in case a 1st user's course prediction is successful. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the game screen when a 1st user does not perform course prediction. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the game screen in case a 1st user's course prediction is removed. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of the process which controls a hit | damage. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of an aiming cursor and an arrival point area | region. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of an aiming cursor and an arrival point area | region. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of an aiming cursor and an arrival point area | region. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of a hit result determination process. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of the process which controls a hit | damage. It is a functional block diagram which shows the other example of main structures of a game management apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a game system.

  Hereinafter, a game device, a game system, a game control method, and a program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Configuration of game device]
As the game device according to the embodiment of the present invention, various devices can be applied as long as they are information processing devices capable of executing a game program. For example, game devices include stationary or portable game machines, personal computers (hereinafter referred to as “PCs”), tablet computers, smartphones, mobile phone terminals, PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) terminals, mobile phones. An information terminal (PDA: Personal Digital Assistant), a multi-function television receiver (so-called smart TV) having an information processing function, or the like can be applied.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the game apparatus 100. In this embodiment, as an example of the game apparatus 100, a home video game machine used by being connected to a home television 200 will be described. The game apparatus 100 is loaded with a computer-readable recording medium 300 on which a game program is recorded, and the game program is appropriately read from the recording medium 300 to execute the game. Alternatively, the game program stored in the memory 18 is read and the game is executed.

  The game apparatus 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1, a bus line 2, a graphics data generation processor 3, an interface circuit (I / F) 4, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 5, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 6, and a decompression. A circuit 7, a parallel port 8, a serial port 9, a drawing processor 10, an audio processor 11, a decoder 12, an interface circuit (I / F) 13, buffers 14 to 16, a recording medium drive 17, a memory 18, and a controller 19. Yes. The television 200 to which the game apparatus 100 is connected includes a television monitor 21, an amplifier circuit 22, and a speaker 23.

  The CPU 1 is connected to the bus line 2 and the graphics data generation processor 3. The bus line 2 includes an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. Via this bus line 2, the CPU 1, interface circuit 4, RAM 5, ROM 6, decompression circuit 7, parallel port 8, serial port 9, drawing processor 10, audio processor 11, decoder 12, interface circuit 13 and communication control unit 20 Are connected to each other.

  The drawing processor 10 is connected to the buffer 14 and the television monitor 21. The audio processor 11 is connected to the buffer 15 and the amplifier circuit 22 of the television 200. The decoder 12 is connected to the buffer 16 and the recording medium drive 17. The interface circuit 13 is connected to the memory 18 and the controller 19.

  When the game apparatus 100 is configured as a personal computer or a workstation, the television monitor 21 and the like correspond to a computer display. In addition, the decompression circuit 7, the drawing processor 10, the audio processor 11, and the like are respectively provided on a part of the game control program data recorded on the recording medium 300 or on hardware on an expansion board installed in an expansion slot of the computer. Correspond. The interface circuit 4, the parallel port 8, the serial port 9, and the interface circuit 13 correspond to hardware on an expansion board mounted in an expansion slot of a computer. The buffers 14 to 16 correspond to the storage areas of the RAM 5 or the extended memory, respectively.

  The graphics data generation processor 3 serves as a so-called coprocessor of the CPU 1, and performs coordinate conversion and light source calculation, for example, calculation of fixed-point format matrices and vectors by parallel processing. The main processing performed by the graphics data generation processor 3 is based on the coordinate data, movement amount data, rotation amount data, and the like of each vertex in the two-dimensional or three-dimensional space of the image data supplied from the CPU 1. There are a process of obtaining address data of a processing target image on a predetermined display area and returning it to the CPU 1, a process of calculating the brightness of the image according to a distance from a virtually set light source, and the like.

  The interface circuit 4 is used for an interface of a peripheral device, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball. The RAM 5 is used as a main memory. The ROM 6 stores program data that is an operating system of the game apparatus 100.

  The decompression circuit 7 performs decompression processing on a compressed image compressed by intra coding in accordance with the MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) standard for moving images and the JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) standard for still images. This decompression processing includes decoding processing (decoding of data encoded by Variable Length Code), inverse quantization processing, IDCT (Inverse Discrete Cosine Transform) processing, intra image restoration processing, and the like.

  The drawing processor 10 performs a drawing process on the buffer 14 based on a drawing command issued by the CPU 1 every predetermined time (for example, 1/60 second which is one frame period). The buffer 14 is constituted by a RAM, for example, and is divided into a display area (frame buffer) and a non-display area. The display area is composed of a development area for image data to be displayed on the display surface of the television monitor 21. The non-display area is composed of storage areas such as data for defining skeletons, model data for defining polygons, animation data for causing the model to move, pattern data indicating the contents of each animation, texture data, and color palette data. . Here, the texture data is two-dimensional image data, and the color palette data is data for designating a color such as texture data. The CPU 1 reads these data from the recording medium 300 at a time or in a plurality of times according to the progress of the game, and records them in the non-display area of the buffer 14 in advance.

  The audio processor 11 stores ADPCM (Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation) data read from the recording medium 300 in the buffer 15 as a sound source. For example, the audio processor 11 reads ADPCM data from the buffer 15 based on a clock signal having a frequency of 44.1 kHz, and performs processing such as pitch conversion, noise addition, envelope setting, level setting, and reverb addition on the ADPCM data. Apply. The audio data processed by the audio processor 11 is output from the speaker 23 via the amplifier circuit 22.

  As the recording medium drive 17, for example, a DVD-ROM drive, a CD-ROM drive, a hard disk drive, an optical disk drive, a flexible disk drive, a silicon disk drive, a cassette medium reader, or the like is used. In this case, as the recording medium 300, a DVD-ROM, a CD-ROM, a hard disk, an optical disk, a flexible disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like is used. The recording medium drive 17 reads image data, audio data, and program data from the recording medium 300 and supplies the read data to the decoder 12. The decoder 12 performs error correction processing using ECC (Error Correction Code) on the data read by the recording medium drive 17 and supplies the processed data to the RAM 5 or the audio processor 11.

  The memory 18 is an auxiliary storage device, and has a nonvolatile storage area for storing various game parameters and the like in order to maintain the game state at the time of interruption when the game is interrupted, for example. The memory 18 can store game programs and various data. As the memory 18, for example, a card type memory, a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like can be used.

  The controller 19 is an operation device that is used by a user who is an operator to input various operation commands, and sends an operation signal corresponding to the user's operation to the CPU 1 via the interface circuit 13. The controller 19 includes, for example, an analog stick, a direction key, a confirmation button, and the like. The controller 19 is used to give the CPU 1 a command for executing the movement of the aiming cursor 503, the batting by the batter character 501, and the like.

  Next, a schematic operation of the game apparatus 100 will be described. When the game apparatus 100 is turned on, the CPU 1 instructs the recording medium drive 17 to read the game program from the recording medium 300 based on the operating system stored in the ROM 6. Image data, audio data, and program data read from the recording medium 300 by the recording medium drive 17 are supplied to the decoder 12 and subjected to error correction processing.

  The image data subjected to the error correction process is supplied to the expansion circuit 7 via the bus line 2 and subjected to the above-described expansion process. Thereafter, the image data is supplied to the drawing processor 10 and written into the non-display area of the buffer 14 by the drawing processor 10. The audio data that has been subjected to error correction processing by the decoder 12 is written into the buffer 15 via the RAM 5 or the audio processor 11. The program data that has been subjected to error correction processing by the decoder 12 is written into the RAM 5.

  Thereafter, the CPU 1 performs a player card exchange process and a game progress process based on the game control program stored in the RAM 5 and the content instructed by the user using the controller 19. That is, the CPU 1 appropriately performs control of image processing, control of sound processing, control of internal processing, and the like based on content that the user instructs using the controller 19.

  In addition, the game apparatus 100 includes a communication control unit 20 including a communication interface. The game apparatus 100 is connected to another game apparatus 100 by wireless LAN communication, Internet communication, distance wireless communication, wired communication, or the like, and synchronizes between the two. However, it is also possible to execute a communication battle type game by exchanging data.

  As shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, in a form in which two users compete for communication, two game devices 100 respectively operated by the two users are connected to be communicable via a network 600. The network 600 may be the Internet, public line (telephone line, mobile communication line, etc.), wired LAN (Local Area Network), wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), UWB (Ultra Wide Band), etc. Alternatively, a combination of these may be used.

  As a communication battle method via the network 600, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a so-called P2P (Peer to Peer) method in which a plurality of game apparatuses 100 communicate with each other by directly communicating with each other can be applied. Also, a wireless communication battle in an ad hoc mode in which a plurality of game apparatuses 100 perform direct wireless communication and a wired communication battle through a communication cable are possible, and these are included in the P2P system. In the communication battle, for example, two game devices 100 construct a common virtual game space while synchronizing with each other by P2P communication, and the game proceeds.

  In addition, as a communication battle system via the network 600, a so-called client / server system in which a plurality of game devices 100 as clients battle via the server device 400 as shown in FIG. For example, in the case of a baseball game, when performing a battle in which a batter character hits a ball sent from a pitcher character while communicating between the two game devices 100, communication is performed via the server device 400. Also good.

  The game has a game mode (so-called CPU battle mode) in which the user battles against a computer, in addition to a game mode in which the user battles against other users. Hereinafter, an example of a game will be described mainly using a game mode of communication battle as an example.

[Example of game]
The game controlled by the game device according to the present embodiment is a game that acts on a moving body. An example of the moving body is a ball object (hereinafter simply referred to as “ball”) in a sports simulation game. Other examples of moving objects include fighters and missiles in action games, as well as abstract objects not related to sports or actions. Moreover, as an example of an action, there are hitting a moving body, adding rotation, capturing, and destroying. As an example of this game, a first character operated by a first user acts on a moving body sent from a second character operated by a second user (or automatically controlled by a CPU). There is a game. For example, when a batter character as an example of the first character is sent from a pitcher character as an example of the second character, the aiming point of the ball as an example of the moving body is aligned with the aiming cursor, finger, pen, etc. As an example of the action, there is a baseball or softball game in which a batting is performed.

  The game apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is not limited to a baseball game and a softball game, but can be applied to various games that have some effect on a moving body such as soccer, tennis, and battle simulation. An application example to a baseball game will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, in the form in which two users compete for communication via the network 600, the television monitor 21 of the television 200 connected to each of the two game devices 100 is shown in FIG. An exemplary screen and a screen illustrated in FIG. 5 are respectively displayed. That is, the screen of FIG. 5 is displayed on the television monitor 21 of the game apparatus 100 on the side that operates the batter character 501, and the television monitor 21 of the game apparatus 100 on the side that operates the pitcher character 502 displays FIG. The game screen is displayed.

  FIG. 4 shows a state immediately after the pitcher character 502 has pitched against the batter character 501. This figure shows an image in a state where the batter side is viewed from the pitcher side, and the second user who operates the pitcher character 502 plays a game while watching this screen during a pitching match. The second user on the pitcher side can select the ball type and the pitching course before the pitching. For example, a ball type selection icon 511 is displayed on the screen, and the second user operates the controller 19 (analog stick or direction key or the like) while watching the ball type selection icon 511 to select the ball type, Press the enter button to confirm the ball type selection.

  In the example of the ball type selection icon 511 shown in FIG. 4, six lines a, b, c, d, e, and f extend from the center to the periphery, and one of the six types of ball types is selected. Selectable. For example, a is “straight”, b is “shoot”, c is “sinker”, d is “fork”, e is “curve”, and f is “slider”. In the example of FIG. 4, six types of ball types can be selected. However, the selectable ball types differ for each pitcher character 502, and for example, only two to five types of ball types may be selected. . The ball type selected by the operation of the second user is displayed above the ball type selection icon 511.

  When the ball type is determined as described above, the pitcher character 502 enters a pitching motion. For example, after that, until the pitcher character 502 releases the ball, the second user can designate a pitching course. On the screen, a strike zone 504 and a course designation cursor 512 for designating a pitching course are displayed. For example, the second user can operate the controller 19 (such as an analog stick or a direction key) to move the course designation cursor 512 and designate a pitching course.

  In addition, when the screen is a touch panel in the game device 100 of the screen integrated type or the like, the second user can specify the contact position as a pitching course by touching the screen with a finger or a stylus pen. May be.

  After designating the pitching course as described above, the pitcher character 502 starts pitching and releases the ball when the second user presses the pitching start button of the controller 19 or automatically. In FIG. 4, for the sake of convenience, the strike zone 504, the ball type selection icon 511, and the course designation cursor 512 are displayed. However, these displays may be deleted after the ball is released, for example.

  When the first user hits in the CPU battle mode, the CPU 1 of the game apparatus 100 automatically determines a ball movement parameter such as a ball type and a pitching course.

  The game device 100 calculates the trajectory of the ball released from the pitcher character 502 based on the ball type and the pitching course selected by the second user, and moves the ball in the home base direction. Note that the game device 100 may calculate the trajectory of the ball released from the pitcher character 502 based on the ability parameters (ball speed, control, change level, etc.) of the pitcher character 502 as well as the ball type and pitching course. Good. A known algorithm can be applied to the calculation of the ball trajectory.

  In the above example, the second user on the pitcher side selects the ball type and the pitching course. However, a simpler baseball in which the pitcher character 502 starts pitching by selecting only the pitching course is shown. It can also be a game.

  By the way, the first user who operates the batter character 501 cannot see the screen of the game apparatus 100 on the pitcher side (the screen of FIG. 4), and therefore does not know which ball type or pitching course the opponent has selected. Also in the CPU battle mode, the first user does not know which ball type or pitching course is automatically selected by the CPU 1 of the game apparatus 100.

  On the other hand, the first user who operates the batter character 501 plays the game while viewing the screen illustrated in FIG. This figure shows an image before pitching in a state where the pitcher side is viewed from the batter side, and the first user who operates the batter character 501 plays the game while watching this screen during a pitching battle. On this game screen, a batter character 501 operated by the first user, an opponent pitcher character 502, an aiming cursor 503, a strike zone 504, a bat object 505, a home base 508, and the like are displayed.

  In the baseball game, the aiming cursor 503 is also referred to as a bat cursor, and is an area where the batter character 501 can hit the ball (that is, an area hitting the bat). When the first user performs an operation of moving the aiming cursor 503, the position of the swing of the bat object 505 can be adjusted. For example, in the case of the controller 19 having an analog stick, the aiming cursor 503 displayed above the home base 508 can be moved to an arbitrary position by performing an operation of tilting the analog stick in an arbitrary direction.

  When the first user performs a bat swing operation (for example, an operation of pressing a predetermined button of the controller 19), the bat object 505 swings so as to pass the position of the aiming cursor 503 in the action region including the strike zone 504. Is done. In addition, in the aiming cursor 503, a meet cursor 503a, which is an area where the ball can be effectively hit, is also displayed. The meet cursor 503a represents a predetermined area including a so-called sweet spot near the center of gravity of the bat. As for the cursor display on the screen, only the meet cursor 503a may be displayed without displaying the aiming cursor 503.

  In this baseball game, the first user can predict a pitching course that is a ball movement parameter before the pitcher character 502 throws. The prediction by the first user is arbitrary, and a predetermined prediction operation may be performed only when the first user wants to predict the pitching course. First, a case where a pitching course is not predicted by the first user will be described below.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of the game screen of the first user on the batter side after the pitch. As shown in FIG. 6, the scheduled position where the ball 506 reaches the action area above the home base 508 is shown immediately after the pitcher character 502 throws the ball 506 or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the pitch. A reaching point area 507 is displayed. Here, the action area is an area where an action can be given to the ball 506 as a moving body. In a baseball game, the action area includes a strike zone 504 and a surrounding ball zone. In addition, the reaching point area 507 may be arbitrarily named, for example, a landing point or a hitting point in a baseball game.

  The aiming cursor 503, the meet cursor 503a, the strike zone 504, and the reaching point area 507 are all displayed in the action area and are semi-transparent so as not to obstruct the display of the moving ball 506.

  Further, the strike zone 504 may be deleted after the pitcher character 502 starts a pitching action or after the pitcher character 502 sends out the ball 506. This is to make it easier to see other objects superimposed on the strike zone 504 during a pitch.

  As described above, the reaching point area 507 is displayed in the action area above the home base 508 immediately after the pitching or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the pitching, but at this timing, the reaching point area 507 is not necessarily displayed. It does not indicate the final arrival position on the working area. That is, the reaching point region 507 gradually moves according to the movement of the ball 506, and reaches the final reaching position at a timing when the ball 506 passes above the home base 508. As described above, since the reaching point area 507 is translucent, when the thrown ball 506 overlaps the reaching point area 507, the ball 506 itself is not invisible.

  In FIG. 7, as an example, a state where the reaching point area 507 moves with the movement of the ball 506 when the left-throwing pitcher character 502 pitches a slider (or the right-throwing pitcher character 502 shoots). Show. In FIG. 7, in order to explain the display and behavior of the ball 506 and the reaching point area 507, other images are omitted.

  The position of the ball 506 moving in the game space is projected on the action area (action face) above the home base 508 and displayed as a reaching point area 507. In particular, in the case of a changing sphere, the coordinate position of the ball 506 changes in the horizontal direction and / or the vertical direction on a plane (xy plane) perpendicular to the traveling direction (z-axis direction) of the ball 506. The position change of 506 is reflected (projected) as the position change of the arrival point area 507 in the action area. In the case of a straight ball, there is no change in the position of the arrival point region 507 accompanying the movement of the ball 506, or only a change in position due to a slight drop in the vertical direction due to gravity.

  The first user can predict the final arrival position on the home base 508 by paying attention to the moving direction and speed of the arrival point area 507. Therefore, the first user moves the aiming cursor 503 in accordance with the movement of the arrival point area 507 or near the final position of the expected arrival point area 507, and moves the aiming cursor 503 (in particular, the arrival point area 507). An operation for overlaying the meet cursor 503a) is performed. Further, the bat swing operation is performed at the timing when the ball 506 finally arrives at the arrival point area 507 (for example, a predetermined operation button of the controller 19 for performing the bat swing is pressed). Therefore, in order for the bat object 505 to hit (hit) the ball 506, the following conditions (a) and (b) are required.

  (A) The aiming cursor 503 overlaps the arrival point area 507 when the ball 506 reaches the action area above the home base 508.

  (B) A predetermined bat swing operation is performed by the first user at a predetermined timing when the ball 506 arrives at or near the action area.

  In other words, the condition (b) above is performed when the ball 506 arrives at or near the arrival point region 507 on the action region (the arrival point region 507 and the ball 506 substantially overlap). It is to be. Here, the predetermined timing can be a predetermined hitable time zone (for example, four frame periods) in which the ball 506 passes in the vicinity of the action area above the home base 508. One frame period is 1/60 seconds, for example.

  Regarding the condition (a), if the reaching point area 507 and the aiming cursor 503 are separated from each other, even if the bat swings, the bat object 505 is swung at a place other than the reaching point. . As for the condition (b), if the timing of the bat swing deviates from the predetermined timing and is too early or too late, as in the case of actual baseball hitting, the player swings idle.

  In addition to the game specifications that cannot be hit unless both conditions (a) and (b) are satisfied, the game specifications may be set so that the player can hit if only the condition (a) is satisfied. it can.

  The aiming cursor 503 is a specific area for applying an action to the ball 506 in the action area. When the hitting condition is satisfied, the ball 506 is based on the positional relationship between the aiming cursor 503 and the reaching point area 507. The action (blow result) is determined. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the lower region of the reaching point region 507 is captured by the upper region of the meet cursor 503a in the aiming cursor 503, the angle of the hit ball is increased, and the hit result is a flying ball (fly or liner). Become. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when the lower region of the reaching point region 507 is captured by the lower region of the meet cursor 503 a in the aiming cursor 503, the angle of the hit ball is lowered and the hit result is Goro. Note that the closer the distance between the center of the meet cursor 503a and the center of the destination area 507, the stronger the hit ball, and the higher the probability of hits and home runs.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10, even if the meet cursor 503a does not overlap the arrival point area 507, if the area other than the meet cursor 503a of the aiming cursor 503 overlaps the arrival point area 507, the ball 506 is moved. Can be hit. However, the area other than the meet cursor 503a of the aiming cursor 503 is a hit area, and is a hitting ball weaker than the area of the meet cursor 503a. As illustrated in FIG. 10, when the upper region of the reaching point region 507 is captured by a lower region other than the meet cursor 503 a of the aiming cursor 503, the hit result is a rough hitting hit. Although not shown, when the lower region of the reaching point region 507 is captured by an upper region other than the meet cursor 503a of the aiming cursor 503, the hitting result is a hitting hitting ball.

  Further, for example, if the timing of the bat swing operation is near the middle of the hittable time zone, hitting in the center direction, if earlier, so-called pulling hit, and if later, so-called hitting hitting. . Thus, the direction of the hit ball is determined by the timing of the bat swing operation.

  Further, the game device 100 may calculate the trajectory of the ball 506 that has been hit back in consideration of the ability parameters (power, trajectory, etc.) of the batter character 501. A known algorithm can be applied to calculate the trajectory of the hit ball 506.

  Next, a case where a pitching course is predicted by the first user will be described. The first user can arbitrarily perform a predetermined prediction operation for predicting a pitching course in advance by a predetermined timing until the ball 506 is sent from the pitcher character 502. For example, the prediction operation may be possible until the pitcher character 502 enters the pitching motion, or the prediction operation may be enabled until the ball 506 is sent from the pitcher character 502 even after the pitching motion is entered. Entering the pitching motion means starting the motion of the pitcher character 502 swinging or raising the foot, and is an operation performed before the ball 506 is sent out.

  An example of the pitching course prediction is that the first user predicts either in-course or out-course. For example, in the case of the controller 19 having two left and right analog sticks, the meat cursor 503a is moved with the left analog stick, while the pitch course prediction operation is performed with the right analog stick. For example, if the first user tilts the analog stick for predictive operation to the left, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the color of the left area 504a obtained by dividing the strike zone 504 into the left middle right and right is changed. The in-course (left batter out-course) is expected. For example, the color of the strike zone 504 is a semi-transparent gray as a whole when no course prediction is performed, but when the right batter's in-course prediction input is performed, the strike zone 504 color is The color of the left region 504a changes to a predetermined color such as a translucent orange color. This is an example. In addition to the color change, the display state of the area corresponding to the predicted course changes due to the density change, lighting, blinking, etc., and the first user is notified of the predicted course input state. As described above, in the present embodiment, an intuitive and easy-to-understand user interface is realized in which the strike zone 504 is used to notify the user of the input state of the predicted course.

  Also, for example, if the first user tilts the analog stick for predictive operation to the right, as shown in FIG. 12, the color of the right area 504b of the strike zone 504 changes, and the right batter's out course (left batter In-course).

  In the following description, for the sake of convenience, simply saying “in course” or “out course” indicates “in course” or “out course” of the right batter.

  The first user can cancel or change the predicted input any number of times as long as the predicted operation is possible. For example, when canceling the predicted input, if the first user tilts the analog stick for predicted operation up or down, the current predicted input is canceled and the first user enters an unpredictable state. Further, when changing the current prediction input, for example, the in-course prediction, an operation for newly predicting the out-course may be performed by tilting the analog stick for prediction operation to the right. That is, the last (latest) predicted operation performed within the time during which the predicted operation can be performed becomes valid, and the predicted input by the last predicted operation is determined as the time during which the predicted operation can be performed ends. If the predicted operation is not performed at all during the time when the predicted operation is possible, or if the last performed operation is an operation for canceling the predicted input, the prediction by the first user has not been performed.

  The predicted operation by the first user is not limited to the operation using the analog stick of the controller 19 but may be an operation using a direction key or other buttons, for example. In the case of the game device 100 having a touch panel, the course prediction operation may be performed by directly touching the left area 504a or the right area 504b of the strike zone 504 with a finger or the like. In this case, for example, if the middle area of the strike zone 504 is touched with a finger or the like, the expected input can be canceled. Or, swipe your finger to the left on the touch panel to “in course”, swipe right to “out course”, swipe up or down to “cancel expected input” You may be able to do it. These are examples of the predicted operation, and other operations may be applied.

  In addition, in the battle between the first user and the second user, the second user operating the pitcher character 502 cannot see the screen of FIG. 11 or FIG. 12, so the first user on the batter side predicted the pitching course. I don't know whether or not and which pitching course was expected.

  When the pitching course is predicted by the first user, the game device 100 determines the prediction result. For example, when the first user predicts an out course and the actual pitching course of the ball 506 is an out course, it is determined that the user's prediction is correct. On the other hand, if the first user predicts an out course and the actual pitching course of the ball 506 is an in-course or a middle course, it is determined that the first user's prediction has been missed.

  In the game according to the present embodiment, when a pitching course is predicted by the first user, display of the arrival point area 507 displayed in the action area above the home base 508 is started based on the prediction result. The timing, that is, the period from when the pitcher character 502 starts to send the ball 506 to when the arrival point area 507 starts to be displayed changes.

  Here, the period from the start of sending the ball 506 by the pitcher character 502 (that is, the start of movement of the pitched ball 506) to the start of display of the arrival point area 507 is referred to as “delayed period after pitch” or simply “ It shall be called “delay period”.

  FIG. 13 shows an example of a game screen when the first user's pitching course is predicted, and FIGS. 14 and 15 show an example of the game screen when the first user's pitching course is not predicted. In each case, it shows how the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 changes. 13 to 15 are diagrams mainly for explaining a change in the display start timing of the arrival point area 507, and thus images of the batter character 501 and the like are omitted.

  FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 are both screen examples immediately after the ball 506 is sent out from the pitcher character 502. For example, when the first user predicts an out course and the actual pitching course of the ball 506 is an out course (when the user predicts), the arrival point is reached at the same time as the pitcher character 502 starts sending the ball 506. Display of area 507 is started. In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the arrival point area 507 is displayed on the out course without delay immediately after the pitching. Of course, after the display of the arrival point area 507 on the screen is started, the display of the arrival point area 507 is continued until the ball 506 reaches the action area on the home base 508. When the ball type of the ball 506 is a change ball, the position of the reaching point area 507 gradually moves, so that the batter character 501 (user) pays attention to the movement of the reaching point area 507, as described above. The bat swing operation is performed at the timing when the reaching point area 507 and the ball 506 substantially overlap each other.

  On the other hand, when the first user predicts an out course and the actual ball pitching course of the ball 506 is not an out course (when the user's prediction is not satisfied), as illustrated in FIG. The arrival point area 507 is not displayed on the screen. In addition, the reaching point area | region 507 'shown by the dotted line in FIG. 14 has shown the arrival position of the ball | bowl 506 on an action area | region calculated from the movement course of the ball | bowl 506 immediately after pitching, for convenience of explanation, The reaching point area 507 ′ indicated by the dotted line is not displayed on the actual game screen. If the user's expectation is lost, as shown in FIG. 15, the display of the reaching point area 507 on the screen is started after a predetermined delay period has elapsed since the pitcher character 502 started sending the ball 506. . FIG. 15 shows an example in which the arrival point area 507 is displayed on the in-course different from the out-course expected by the user through the delay period after the pitch. Also in this case, after the display of the reaching point area 507 on the screen is started, the display of the reaching point area 507 is continued until the ball 506 reaches the action area on the home base 508.

  For example, when the time from when the ball 506 is sent out from the pitcher character 502 until reaching the action area on the home base 508 is 90 frames (= 90/60 seconds = 1.5 seconds), the user's expectation is In the case of detachment, the screen shown in FIG. 15 is displayed 20 frames (= 20/60 seconds) after the start of delivery of the ball 506, and display of the reaching point area 507 is started. That is, the reaching point area 507 appears on the screen for the first time after the ball 506 sent from the pitcher character 502 moves in the direction of the home base 508 by 20 frames.

  This is because, when the course prediction of the first user is deviated, since the ball 506 is out of the batter's line of sight, the visibility with respect to the ball 506 is reduced. By making the length longer, it is simulated on the game. As described above, when the user's expectation is lost and the display start of the arrival point area 507 after the pitch is delayed, the first user who performs the batting operation determines where the ball 506 finally comes on the home base 508. The confirmation timing is delayed. Therefore, when the user's prediction is wrong, the first user's batting operation is clearly more difficult than when the prediction is successful, and a sense of tension is created in the game.

  On the other hand, when the first user's prediction is correct, as shown in FIG. 13, the display of the arrival point area 507 starts immediately after the pitch without delay, so the arrival point of the meet cursor 503a is reached from an early stage immediately after the pitch. An operation of moving to the position of the region 507 is possible. This is because if the user's course prediction is correct, the batter's line of sight is there, so that the visibility with respect to the ball 506 is improved, and this state is displayed at the same time as the movement of the ball 506 starts. This is a simulated reproduction on the game. Therefore, when the first user's prediction is correct, the difficulty level of the batting operation is clearly lower than when the prediction is not satisfied.

  In addition, when the prediction by the first user is not made, for example, the delay period can be made longer than the case where the prediction is made, and the delay period can be made shorter than the case where the prediction is not made. . For example, the delay period when the prediction is successful is set to 0 (zero), the delay period when the prediction is not performed is set to 10 frame periods, and the delay period when the prediction is lost is set to 20 frame periods. As a result, when the first user makes a course prediction, there is a chance that the batting operation becomes easier than when the prediction is not made, but there is also a risk that the batting will be difficult if the prediction goes wrong. Therefore, high game performance can be realized.

  Alternatively, in both cases where the prediction is successful and the prediction is not performed, the delay period is set to 0 (zero), for example, and the arrival point area 507 is displayed without delay at the same time as the pitching. A delay period greater than 0 may be provided only when the distance is off to delay the display start of the arrival point area 507 after the pitch. As described above, regarding the display start timing of the arrival point area 507, when the prediction is the same as the case where the prediction is not performed, the demerit when the prediction is lost is clear, but the prediction Therefore, it is preferable to generate other merits (merits such as an increase in the display range of the aiming cursor 503, as will be described later) when the prediction is made.

  Hereinafter, the functional configuration and operation details of the game apparatus 100 for realizing the game as described above will be described.

[Functional configuration and operation of game device]
Next, with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG. 16 and the like, the main functional configuration of the game apparatus 100 that controls the game that acts on the moving body will be described. The game apparatus 100 is a baseball or softball game in which a batter character 501 operated by a first user hits a ball thrown by a pitcher character 502 operated by a second user (or automatically controlled by a CPU). Control.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the game apparatus 100 mainly includes a prediction receiving unit 71, a moving unit 72, a determining unit 73, a display control unit 74, and a determining unit 75. Each of these means is realized by the CPU 1 of the game apparatus 100 executing the program according to the present embodiment.

  The prediction receiving means 71 has a function of receiving the first user's prediction regarding the movement parameter of the moving object. For example, the prediction receiving unit 71 receives the prediction of the first user when a predetermined prediction operation is performed by the first user. In the baseball game of the present embodiment, the ball 506 thrown by the pitcher character 502 is a moving body.

  Other examples of the moving body include various balls in a sports simulation game such as a soccer ball for a soccer game and a tennis ball for a tennis game. Other examples of the moving body include fighters and missiles in action games.

  The prediction regarding the moving parameter of the moving body includes the prediction of the moving course of the moving body. In the baseball game of the present embodiment, the pitching course prediction (in-course and out-course prediction) corresponds to the prediction regarding the moving parameter of the moving object. Note that the prediction of the pitching course is not limited to the prediction of the in-course and out-course. For example, an in-course, middle course, and out-course may be predicted, a high-order course and a low-order course may be predicted, and a narrower pitch course, in-course high-level and in-course low Eyes, out-course high eyes, out-course low eyes, middle middle-high eyes, middle middle-low eyes, etc. may be predicted.

  Further, as the prediction of the pitching course, the predicted course position (coordinates) may be pinpointed in addition to the predicted course area such as in-course and out-course as described above.

  In addition, the prediction related to the moving parameter of the moving object can include prediction of the trajectory change when the moving object moves. In a baseball game, a ball type prediction (a prediction of a straight ball or various changed balls) corresponds to a prediction of a trajectory change.

  In addition, the prediction regarding the moving parameter of the moving object may include an estimation of the “speed” of the moving object. In a baseball game, the prediction of the ball speed (for example, a fast ball such as a fast ball or a slow ball such as a change-up) corresponds to this.

  For example, the prediction receiving unit 71 can receive the first user's prediction until a predetermined timing before the moving body starts moving, and can not receive the first user's prediction thereafter. As described above, in the baseball game according to the present embodiment, until the pitcher character 502 starts a pitching motion (or until the ball 506 is sent from the pitcher character 502), the prediction receiving means 71 is predicted by the first user. Accept the operation. As described above, the prediction by the first user is an arbitrary matter, and the prediction receiving unit 71 receives the prediction of the first user only when the first user performs a prediction operation during the predictable period.

  The prediction receiving means 71 stores information related to the received prediction (hereinafter simply referred to as “forecast information”) in a storage device (for example, the RAM 5). The prediction information received by the prediction receiving means 71 (that is, acquired based on the prediction operation of the first user) includes at least one of “movement course”, “speed”, and “trajectory change during movement” of the moving body. Expectation information for the movement parameters can be included. That is, the 1st user can estimate the movement parameter regarding the movement of a moving body by combining one or more of these.

  In the case of prediction of a pitching course, information indicating the area of an expected course such as an in-course or out-course or coordinate information of an expected course can be used as “forecast information” received by the expectation receiving means 71. A specific example will be described below.

  For example, if the color of the left region 504a of the strike zone 504 changes as illustrated in FIG. 11 due to the first user performing a prediction operation such as tilting the analog stick for prediction operation to the left, The accepting means 71 acquires “in course” as the prediction information. In this case, code information indicating in-course, for example, “1” may be acquired as the prediction information. Further, for example, when the first user performs a predictive operation such as tilting the analog stick for predictive operation to the right, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the color of the right region 504b of the strike zone 504 changes. The prediction receiving means 71 may acquire “out course” as prediction information, or code information indicating it, for example, “0” as prediction information.

  As another example of the predictive operation by the first user, for example, a plurality of pitching courses such as “in course” and “out course” are displayed on the screen as options, and the first user can predict any one of them. You may make it select a pitching course by operating the controller 19 grade | etc.,.

  Alternatively, the first user may input the position (coordinates) of the expected pitching course on the screen using a pointing device. Or when the display part which displays a screen is comprised with the touch panel, a 1st user makes the position (coordinates) of the pitching course to anticipate on a screen by making a finger | toe or a touch pen etc. contact on a screen. You may enter. Alternatively, in the case of the game device 100 in which input to the screen is possible by bringing a finger or the like into contact with a contact input unit (touch pad or the like) provided on the back surface or the like of the display unit that displays the screen, The position (coordinates) of the expected pitching course may be input on the screen by an operation on the input unit. In such a case, the prediction receiving means 71 acquires the pitch of the pitching course as prediction information.

  In addition, for example, in the case of a ball type prediction, information on a predicted ball type such as a straight ball, a curve, or a slider can be used as “predicted information”. As an example in which the first user performs an input operation for predicting the ball type, the ball type selection icon 511 shown in FIG. 4 is also displayed on the game screen of the first user, and this ball type selection icon 511 is used. To input the prediction of the ball type.

  Further, for example, in the case of prediction of the ball speed, information on “fast sphere” such as fast sphere and “slow sphere” such as change-up can be set as “prediction information”. As an example in which the first user performs an input operation for predicting the ball speed, for example, options such as “fast sphere” and “slow sphere” are displayed on the screen, and the first user selects the controller 19 by operating the controller 19 or the like. To do. Alternatively, for example, options of a ball speed of “less than 130 km / h”, “more than 130 km / h and less than 145 km / h”, and “more than 145 km / h” are displayed on the screen, and the first user can select the controller 19 Etc. may be selected by operating.

  Hereinafter, a preferable example will be described in which the first user performs an operation for predicting a pitching course, and the prediction receiving unit 71 that receives the prediction operation acquires information on the expected pitching course as the prediction information. That is, the prediction receiving means 71 continues the following description on the assumption that the information on the predicted pitching course that predicted the ball pitching course is acquired based on the prediction operation of the first user.

  Next, the moving means 72 will be described. The moving means 72 has a function of determining a moving parameter of the moving body. Further, the moving means 72 moves the moving body on the screen based on the determined movement parameter. In the baseball game, in a mode in which the first user and the second user play, the second user performs an operation for determining a pitching course, a ball type, and the like as a movement parameter of the ball thrown by the pitcher character 502. The moving means 72 determines a pitching course, a ball type, or the like as a movement parameter based on the operation, and moves the ball toward the batter character 501 based on the movement parameter. The pitching course and ball type determination operation by the second user can be performed by using, for example, the ball type selection icon 511 and the course designation cursor 512 shown in FIG.

  In addition, when the first user hits by one player in the CPU battle mode, the moving means 72 automatically determines the ball movement parameters such as the ball type and the pitching course, and the ball is played by the batter character 501. Move towards.

  Next, the determination unit 73 will be described. The determination means 73 is based on the first user's prediction information received by the prediction reception means 71 (that is, the movement parameter predicted by the user) and the movement parameter determined by the movement means 72. It has a function to determine the result of prediction.

  The determination of the prediction result by the determination unit 73 can determine whether the first user is predicted. For example, when the first user predicts an out course and the actual ball throwing course determined by the moving means 72 is an out course, it is determined that the first user's prediction is hit, and the actual ball throwing course is determined. If is not out of course, it is determined that the user's expectation has been lost.

  Further, the determination of the prediction result by the determination unit 73 may be determination of the degree of coincidence of prediction. Here, as the degree of coincidence, the degree of coincidence between the prediction information of the first user received by the prediction receiving unit 71 (that is, the movement parameter predicted by the user) and the actual movement parameter determined by the moving unit 72 Can be expressed as a value or level, for example.

  For example, the degree of coincidence is defined as “1” or “level A” when the movement parameter predicted by the user matches the actual movement parameter, and “0” or “level B” when the movement parameter does not match. May be expressed in two levels or levels. For example, when the expected pitching course of the first user is an in-course, the degree of coincidence is evaluated in the above two steps depending on whether or not the actual pitching course is an in-course. This is substantially the same as determining whether or not the first user is expected.

  Alternatively, the degree of coincidence between the prediction information for the movement parameter and the actual movement parameter may be represented by three or more levels or levels. For example, the action area above the home base 508 is divided into three areas of an in-course, a middle course, and an out-course. For example, the strike zone 504 is divided into three equal parts in the middle left and right, the middle course area is the middle course area, the in-course area is the in-course area from the middle course area, and the out-course area is the out-course area from the middle course area. When the predicted pitch course is an in-course area, for example, if the actual pitch course is the in-course area, the degree of coincidence is “2” or “level A (maximum)”, and if the expected pitch course is the middle course area, the degree of coincidence is “ The degree of coincidence is “0” or “level C (lowest level)” in the case of “1” or “level B” and the out-course area. In the case where the predicted pitch course is an out-course area, if the actual pitch course is an out-course area, the degree of coincidence is “2” or “level A”, and if it is the middle course area, the degree of coincidence is “1” or “ If the level is “B” and the in-course area, the degree of matching is “0” or “level C”. When the predicted pitch course is the middle course area, if the actual pitch course is the middle course area, the coincidence degree is “2” or “level A”, and if the expected pitch course is the in course area or the out course area, the coincidence degree is “ 1 ”or“ level B ”.

Alternatively, when the prediction information is the coordinate information of the predicted pitch course, the degree of coincidence is calculated based on the amount of deviation (distance L between the coordinates) between the coordinates of the predicted pitch course and the coordinates of the actual pitch course. Also good. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, the coordinates of the first user's expected pitch course in the XY plane (action area) including the strike zone 504 in the screen are A (X1, Y1), and the actual determined by the moving means 72 Let B (X2, Y2) be the pitch of the pitching course. Then, for example, the degree of coincidence M is calculated by the following equation (1) based on the distance L between AB.
M = a−√ {(X2−X1) 2+ (Y2−Y1) 2} (1)
In the above formula (1), a is a constant, and an arbitrary value can be set. For example, the diagonal distance of the strike zone 504 can be set as a.

  Next, the display control means 74 will be described. The display control means 74 has a function of displaying an arrival point area 507 indicating a position where the moving body reaches in the action area that can act on the moving body. In the baseball game of the present embodiment, the strikeable area including the strike zone 504 and the surrounding ball zone, that is, the area above the home base 508 is the action area. The display control means 74 displays a reaching point area 507 at a planned position where the pitched ball 506 reaches (or reaches and passes) in the action area.

  Further, the display control means 74 has a function of changing the position at which the arrival point area 507 is displayed in accordance with the change of the trajectory when the trajectory changes during the movement of the moving body. For example, when the pitcher character 502 throws a changing ball such as a slider, the trajectory changes during the movement of the ball 506. In this case, as described above, the ball reaches the action area as the ball 506 moves. The position of the point area 507 is changed (see FIG. 7).

  As a variation, even if it is a change sphere, the arrival point area 507 is fixedly fixed to the final expected arrival position from the display start time of the arrival point area 507 without changing the position of the arrival point area 507. It may be displayed.

  The display control unit 74 has a function of changing a delay period from the start of movement of the moving object to the start of display of the arrival point area 507 based on the determination result by the determination unit 73. In other words, the display control unit 74 has a function of changing the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 after the moving body starts moving based on the determination result by the determination unit 73. As described above, the arrival point area 507 indicates a planned position where the ball 506 reaches the action area above the home base 508, and the aiming area 507 can be hit by placing the aiming cursor 503 on the arrival point area 507. . That is, the change in the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 affects the difficulty level of the batting operation.

The display control means 74 makes the delay period longer when the determination means 73 determines that the first user's prediction is wrong than when the prediction is not performed (or when it is determined that the prediction is correct). That is, it is preferable to delay the display start timing of the arrival point area 507. For example, the delay period when no prediction is made is T0, and the delay period changed based on the determination of the prediction result is T1. And when it determines with the 1st user's anticipation deviating, the following formula (2) is applied, for example, and the said delay period T1 can be determined.
T1 = T0 + k (2)

  Here, k is a constant and k> 0. As an example, when the above equation (2) with k = 0.3 is applied, and the first user is not expected, the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 is higher than when the prediction is not performed. Is delayed by 0.3 seconds. Note that T0, T, and k in the above equation (2) may be the number of frames of the game screen. For example, if k = 20 (frame), the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 is delayed by 20 frame periods when the prediction of the first user is not expected compared to when the prediction is not performed. This is an example, and other arithmetic expressions may be applied.

  Alternatively, the information of the delay period is stored in advance in a storage device (such as the RAM 5) for each of a case where the prediction is not performed (and a case where the prediction is successful) and a case where the prediction is lost, Based on the information, the value of the delay period may be determined.

  As described above, the delay period when the first user's prediction is successful may be the same as the delay period when the prediction is not performed, and the latter is made longer than the former. Also good. For example, the delay period when the first user's prediction is successful, and the delay period when the prediction is not performed are both zero, both are 10 frame periods, the former is zero, and the latter is It may be 10 frame periods.

  With this configuration, when the user's prediction is not satisfied, the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 displayed in the strike zone 504 as the action area is not predicted (or is predicted). Will be slower. This is because, when the course prediction of the first user is deviated, since the ball 506 is out of the batter's line of sight, the visibility with respect to the ball 506 is reduced. By making the length longer, it is simulated on the game.

  In addition, when the prediction of the first user is a ball type prediction or a ball speed prediction, similarly, if the prediction is not satisfied, the delay period is longer than when the prediction is successful or when the prediction is not made. Accordingly, the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 is delayed. This is because if the first user predicts the ball type and the prediction is not correct, the batter's eyes will not be aware of the change in the trajectory of the ball 506, and the visibility with respect to the ball 506 will decrease. By delaying the display start timing of 507, it is reproduced on the game in a pseudo manner. In addition, if the first user predicts the ball speed (for example, whether it is fastball or change-up) and the prediction is not correct, the visibility of the ball 506 is lowered because the batter's eyes are not aware of the difference in the speed of the ball 506. This state is simulated on the game by delaying the display start timing of the arrival point area 507.

  With this configuration, the timing for confirming where the ball 506 finally comes on the home base 508 is delayed as compared with the case where the prediction of the first user is wrong, the case where the prediction is successful, or the case where the prediction is not made. In other words, when the first user's prediction is disappointed, the time allowance for aligning the meet cursor 503a with the arrival point area 507 displayed after the delivery of the ball 506 is delayed or not predicted. Since it is less than the case, the striking operation is clearly difficult.

  In addition, it is preferable that the display control unit 74 sets the delay period to zero when the determination unit 73 determines that the first user's prediction is successful (or when the prediction is not performed). In this case, when it is determined that the prediction has been made (or when the prediction has not been made), the arrival point area 507 starts to be displayed simultaneously with the start of the movement of the pitched ball 506, so that the first user The demerit in the case where the above prediction is missed, that is, the delay in the display start of the arrival point area 507 becomes clearer.

In addition, the display control unit 74 determines that the delay period is longer than when the prediction is not performed (or when it is determined that the prediction is not satisfied) when the determination unit 73 determines that the prediction of the first user has been received. Is preferably shortened, that is, the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 is preferably advanced. For example, the following formula (3) or formula (4) can be applied to determine the delay period T1 when the first user's prediction is hit.
T1 = T0-m (3)
T1 = n × T0 (4)

  Here, m and n are constants, and m> 0 and m <T0. Further, n> 0 and n <1. As an example, the above equation (3) with m = 10 (frame) is applied. This is an example, and other arithmetic expressions may be applied.

  Alternatively, the information of the delay period is stored in advance in a storage device (such as the RAM 5) for each of the case where the prediction is not performed (and the case where the prediction is lost) and the case where the prediction is received. Based on the information, the value of the delay period may be determined.

  With this configuration, when the first user is predicted, the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 displayed in the strike zone 504 as the action area is not predicted (or is not predicted). If). This is because if the course prediction is correct, the batter's line of sight is there and the visibility to the ball 506 is improved. This state is changed from an early stage after the start of the movement of the ball 506 (for example, movement start and At the same time, by displaying the reaching point area 507, it is reproduced on the game in a pseudo manner.

  Similarly, when the prediction of the first user is a ball type prediction or a ball speed prediction, if the prediction is correct, the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 is not predicted (or the prediction is Faster) This is because the first user predicts the ball type, and if the prediction is correct, the batter's eye is likely to notice the trajectory change of the ball 506, so the visibility to the ball 506 is improved. By making the display start timing of the point area 507 earlier, it is reproduced on the game in a pseudo manner. In addition, if the first user predicts the ball speed (for example, fast ball or change-up) and the prediction is correct, the batter's speed is likely to be noticed by the batter, so the visibility to the ball 506 is improved. This state is simulated on the game by advancing the display start timing of the arrival point area 507.

  With this configuration, the timing for confirming where the ball 506 finally comes on the home base 508 is earlier than when the prediction is correct or when the prediction is not performed (or when the prediction is not satisfied). That is, when the prediction of the first user is reached, for example, the arrival point area 507 is displayed simultaneously with the delivery of the ball 506, so that the arrival point area 507 is more than when the prediction is not performed (or when the prediction is not satisfied). This makes it possible to have a time margin for aligning the meet cursor 503a with each other, and the batting operation is facilitated.

  Further, the display control unit 74 can be configured to increase the delay period, that is, to delay the display start timing of the arrival point region 507 as the degree of coincidence of the prediction determined by the determination unit 73 is lower. As described above, the degree of coincidence of prediction can be determined based on, for example, the amount of deviation (distance between both coordinates) between the coordinates of the course predicted by the user and the coordinates of the actual pitching course. The larger the is, the lower the degree of coincidence of expectations.

  For example, when the degree of coincidence of the prediction is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold or level, it is assumed that the prediction is correct, and the delay period is made shorter than when the prediction is not expected. In this case, the delay period is shortened continuously or stepwise as the degree of coincidence of prediction is higher.

  Further, for example, when the degree of coincidence of the prediction is less than a predetermined threshold or level, it is assumed that the prediction is not satisfied, and the delay period is made longer than the case where the prediction is not expected. The delay period in this case becomes longer continuously or stepwise as the degree of coincidence of the prediction is lower, and the difficulty level of the hitting operation increases.

A specific example in which the delay period is changed according to the degree of coincidence of prediction will be described below. For example, T0 is the delay period when no prediction is made, T1 is the delay period changed based on the determination of the prediction result, and M is the degree of coincidence of the prediction obtained by the above equation (1). Then, for example, the following equation (5) can be applied to determine the magnitude of the delay period T1.
T1 = (a / 2M) × T0 (5)

  In the above formula (5), a is the same constant as the above formula (1). Further, T0> 0. In the case of the above formula (5), when the degree of coincidence M of the prediction is M> (a / 2), the value of the delay period T1 becomes smaller than that in the case where the prediction is not performed, and M <(a / 2) In this case, it becomes larger than the case where no prediction is made. This is an example, and other arithmetic expressions may be applied.

  Alternatively, the delay period may be determined based on information indicating the relationship between the degree of coincidence of prediction and the delay period. For example, table information indicating the relationship between the degree of coincidence of prediction and the delay period is stored in the recording medium 300 on which the game program is recorded, and the table information is loaded into the RAM 5 when the game is executed. In this case, the display control unit 74 sets the delay period corresponding to the degree of coincidence of prediction based on the table.

  In this way, by changing the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 after the start of the movement of the pitched ball 506 according to the degree of coincidence of the prediction, the degree of coincidence of the expectation is changed. It can be accurately reflected as the difficulty level of the batting operation, and a more interesting game can be realized.

  It is preferable that an upper limit be provided for the length of the delay period. For example, when the period from when the ball 506 is sent out from the pitcher character 502 until reaching the action area on the home base 508 is 90 frame periods, the upper limit of the length of the delay period is, for example, 45 frame periods And This is an example, and the delay period may be 30 frame periods or 60 frame periods. If the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 is too late, the difficulty of the batting operation becomes too high and it becomes almost impossible to hit, so an appropriate upper limit of the delay period should be set within a range that does not impair the game performance. Is desirable.

  By the way, if the first user predicts a pitching course or the like, the parameters such as the batting power of the batter character 501 are improved compared to the case where the batter character 501 is not predicted. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that is lower than the unexpected case. Or you may employ | adopt the structure which parameters, such as a hitting force, improve, so that the degree of coincidence of anticipation is high. Thus, in the case of a configuration in which the parameter of the character or the parameter of the action applied to the moving body changes in accordance with the result of the user's prediction, a change in batting power or the like based on whether or not the prediction is made is the first to perform the batting operation. It is thought that it is difficult for the user to feel it. In other words, for example, even if you can hit a hit as a result, whether the hit was improved because the prediction was successful, or it was a hit because the hit operation was successful, or whether it was a hit It is difficult for the first user to clearly understand. In addition, even if the result is a normal hit, it is clear to the first user whether the hit was reduced and the hit was reduced because it was not expected, or whether the hit operation was not successful and the hit was hit. Is hard to understand. This is because even if parameters such as batting force improve internally, if the batting operation cannot be performed successfully (that is, if the center of the meet cursor 503a and the center of the reaching point area 507 are greatly separated) If the batting operation is successful even if the batting force is reduced (that is, if the reaching point area 507 can be captured near the center of the meet cursor 503a), a hit ball having a strong hit property can be hit. It is.

  In contrast, in the configuration of game device 100 of the present embodiment, the result of prediction by the first user is not reflected as a change in internal parameters such as batting power (or as a change in internal parameters). In addition, the change in the display start timing of the arrival point area 507, that is, the change in the visibility of the ball 506 is reflected on the screen. In the case of this configuration, the prediction result is clarified by the change in the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 displayed on the screen. Therefore, the merit (or the fact that the prediction is lost) for the first user The first user can be clearly recognized through the screen display. Therefore, the feeling of exhilaration or tension during play when predicted is increased, and playability is improved.

  Next, the determination means 75 will be described. The determining means 75 has a function of determining an action on the moving body when a specific area for applying an action to the moving body is designated in the action area based on a predetermined operation by the first user. In the present embodiment, the determining unit 75 determines an action (battering result) on the moving body based on the positional relationship between the specific area and the reaching point area 507. As will be described later, the determining means 75 may determine the action on the moving body based on the positional relationship between the specific area and the moving body (the moving body when it reaches the action area).

  In the example of the baseball game, the predetermined operation includes an operation of moving the aiming cursor 503 to an arbitrary position, or a bat by directly touching an arbitrary position on the screen with a finger or a pen as will be described later. This includes operations for specifying the hit area. By such a predetermined operation, a specific area in the action area (in the case of a baseball game, an area where a bat is hit) can be designated. For example, the aiming cursor 503 (the area where the aiming cursor 503 exists) when the ball 506 reaches the action area becomes a specific area designated based on a predetermined operation (cursor moving operation) by the first user. Then, the determination unit 75 determines the action (hit result) on the ball 506 based on the positional relationship between the aiming cursor 503 serving as the specific area and the reaching point area 507. For example, as described above, when the reaching point area 507 and the aiming cursor 503 are separated from each other, the swinging ball is swung, and when the aiming cursor 503 overlaps the lower area of the reaching point area 507, the hit ball becomes a flying ball. If the aiming cursor 503 overlaps the upper area of the area 507, the hit ball becomes a ball.

  That is, there is a correlation between the reaching point area 507 and the ball 506, and by aiming a desired location in the reaching point area 507 with the aiming cursor 503, it is reflected as a hit on the ball 506 that has been pitched. In the present embodiment, a similar correspondence is provided between the reaching point region 507 and the ball 506, and the aiming cursor 503 is superimposed on the lower portion of the reaching point region 507. The lower part of the ball 506 corresponding to the lower part is hit. That is, the shape of the reaching point region 507 and the shape of the ball 506 as a moving body when reaching the reaching point region 507 are the same or substantially the same. Further, when the ball 506 reaches the strike zone 504 as the action area, the ball 506 overlaps the reaching point area 507.

  In the game of the present embodiment, the aiming cursor 503 is used to specify a specific area that is an area where the bat is hit. In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 18, the game apparatus 100 includes cursor control means 76. The cursor control means 76 has a function of moving the aiming cursor 503 according to the operation of the first user. For example, when the first user operates an analog stick, a direction key, or the like of the controller 19, the cursor control unit 76 changes the position of the aiming cursor 503 on the screen according to the operation. The movement operation of the aiming cursor 503 by the first user can be performed not only after the ball 506 is sent out from the pitcher character 502 but also before the sending out.

  Note that in the game device 100 with the screen being a touch panel, the first user can also move the aiming cursor 503 displayed on the screen by touching the screen with a finger or a pen. . Here, it is also possible for the first user to perform a moving operation by placing a finger directly on the aiming cursor 503. However, in this case, the aiming cursor 503, the ball 506, and the reaching point area 507 are partially hidden by the first user's own finger, which impedes operability.

  Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 19, it is preferable to display an operation icon 520 for performing a movement operation of the aiming cursor 503 at a position on the screen different from the aiming cursor 503. In this configuration, the aiming cursor 503 moves in conjunction with the displacement of the operation icon 520 while maintaining the relative positional relationship with the operation icon 520. The operation icon 520 can be moved by dragging the operation icon 520 on the screen without releasing the finger 530 while the finger 530 is in contact with the operation icon 520 on the screen. Therefore, the first user does not directly touch the aiming cursor 503 with the finger 530, but touches and drags the finger 530 to the operation icon 520 displayed in a different area, so that the aiming cursor 503 associated with the operation icon 520 is dragged. Can be moved indirectly.

  Since the ball 506 thrown by the pitcher character 502 approaches the home base 508 side, the first user makes contact with the operation icon 520 on the screen while observing the timing when the ball 506 arrives on the home base 508. The finger 530 is released from the screen. As shown in FIG. 20, the bat swing of the batter character 501 is performed when the first user releases the finger 530 from the screen. That is, the bat swing operation in this configuration is to release the finger 530 from the screen. Thus, in this configuration, both the movement operation of the aiming cursor 503 and the bat swing operation can be smoothly performed by dragging and dropping one finger 530. In addition, since the display of the aiming cursor 503, the ball 506, and the reaching point area 507 is not blocked by the finger 530, high operability with excellent screen visibility can be realized.

  In the examples of FIGS. 19 and 20, the strike zone 504 is made transparent and invisible after a pitch.

  Although FIG. 19 shows an example in which the operation icon 520 for performing the movement operation of the aiming cursor 503 is arranged on the right side of the screen, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the operation icon 520 may be present at an arbitrary position different from the aiming cursor 503 on the screen. Therefore, for example, the operation icon 520 may be arranged on the left side of the aiming cursor 503 or may be arranged above the pitcher character 502.

  Further, by performing the following, it is possible to move the aiming cursor 503 as described above without using the operation icon 520. That is, the first user touches the finger 530 at an arbitrary position on the screen (a position different from the aiming cursor 503). In this case, the game apparatus 100 acquires the position coordinates where the finger 530 is in contact with the screen, and thereafter, even if the finger 530 moves on the screen, the contact position of the finger 530 and the position of the aiming cursor 503 Maintain the relative positional relationship between. Therefore, if the first user moves (ie, drags) the finger 530 in contact with the screen, the aiming cursor 503 maintains the relative positional relationship with the contact position of the finger 530 while maintaining the relative position relationship between the finger 530 and the finger 530. Moves in conjunction with changes in the contact position. Also in this case, the bat swing is performed when the first user releases the finger 530 from the screen.

  In the baseball game described above, an example in which a batting operation is performed by displaying the aiming cursor 503 on the screen and placing the aiming cursor 503 on the destination area 507 is shown. In addition to this, when the screen is a touch panel, a striking operation is performed by directly touching an arbitrary position on the screen with a finger or a pen without using the aiming cursor 503. Is also possible.

  In the case of this configuration, as illustrated in FIG. 21, the first user touches the finger 530 so as to overlap the destination area 507 while observing the timing at which the ball 506 arrives on the home base 508. In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 22, the game apparatus 100 recognizes the position coordinate with which the finger 530 is in contact, and sets an area in a predetermined range centered on the coordinate as the specific area 509 where the bat is hit. Then, when the ball 506 reaches the action area above the home base 508 or in the vicinity of the action area, the specific area 509 set by the contact of the finger 530 and the arrival point area 507 overlap with each other. The ball 506 hits the bat object 505.

  22 shows an example in which the specific area 509 is circular, but the shape of the specific area 509 can be arbitrarily set. For example, the specific area 509 can be a bat similar to the aiming cursor 503 in FIG. It is good also as a shape.

  Alternatively, the following variations are possible. The first user touches the screen with the finger 530 before the ball 506 arrives on the home base 508, and moves the finger 530 so that the finger 530 overlaps the destination area 507 without releasing the finger 530 from the screen. (Drag). Then, the finger 530 is released from the screen, or the finger 530 is released while swiping in a predetermined direction (for example, in a direction in which a ball is desired to be hit) while observing the timing at which the ball 506 arrives on the home base 508. A bat swing is performed when the finger 530 is released from the screen. Also in this case, the game apparatus 100 recognizes the position coordinate with which the finger 530 is in contact, and sets an area within a predetermined range centered on the coordinate as the specific area 509 where the bat hits. The specific area 509 set by the contact of the finger 530 and the reaching point area 507 overlap each other at a predetermined timing at which the ball 506 reaches the action area above the home base 508 or in the vicinity thereof and can be hit. When 530 is separated from the screen, the ball 506 hits the bat object 505.

  As described above, even when the first user designates the specific area 509 by touching the finger 530 or the like, when the arrival point area 507 and the specific area 509 are separated from each other, the first user is idle and the arrival point area 507 If the specific area 509 overlaps the lower area, the hit ball becomes fly, and if the specific area 509 overlaps the upper area of the arrival point area 507, the hit ball becomes goro.

  In the above description, the determination unit 75 has described the configuration in which the action (battering result) on the moving body is determined based on the positional relationship between the specific area and the arrival point area 507, but the specific area and the moving body ( You may make it determine the effect | action with respect to a moving body based on the positional relationship with the moving body at the time of reaching | attaining an action area | region. In a baseball game, if the ball 506 when it reaches the action area and the specific area designated by the aiming cursor 503 or the like are separated from each other, the game is skipped. If the specific area overlaps the lower area of the ball 506 The hit ball becomes a flying ball (fly, liner), and if the specific area overlaps the upper area of the ball 506, the hit ball becomes a ball.

  As described above, the game apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment controls the baseball (or softball) game in which the batter character 501 operated by the user hits the ball 506 thrown by the pitcher character 502. A preferable configuration of the game apparatus 100 includes a prediction accepting unit 71 that receives a user's prediction regarding a pitching course when a predetermined prediction operation is performed by the user, and a moving unit 72 as a pitching course determining unit that determines a pitching course. Determination means 73 for determining the result of the prediction of the user based on the information on the prediction of the user received by the prediction receiving means 71 and the pitching course determined by the moving means 72, and a ball Based on the display control means 74 for displaying the reaching point area 507 indicating the position (scheduled position) where the ball 506 arrives in the action area where the ball 506 can be hit, and the ball within the action area based on a predetermined hitting operation by the user When a specific area for hitting 506 is designated, the position of the specific area and the arrival point area 507 Based on the relationship, and a determining means 75 for determining a batting result. Then, the display control means 74, when the determination means 73 determines that the user's prediction has been missed, the thrown ball than when the prediction is determined or when the prediction is not performed. The period from the start of movement 506 to the start of display of the arrival point area 507 is lengthened.

  By the way, in the baseball game, the game progresses by changing the offense and defense for each inning, so the user can operate the game from the standpoint of the batter or from the standpoint of the pitcher. The user is a “first user” when performing a game operation from the standpoint of a batter, and a “second user” when performing a game operation from the standpoint of a pitcher.

  When two users each operate their game device 100 and compete in communication, one of the game devices 100 may function as a server and the other as a client. Alternatively, the two game devices 100 that compete in communication may cooperate if the functions are distributed.

  For example, the movement parameter of the ball 506 determined by the moving means 72 of the game device 100 of the second user on the pitcher side is transmitted to the game device 100 of the first user on the batter side. Therefore, the moving means 72 of the game device 100 of the first user moves the ball 506 sent from the pitcher character 502 based on the movement parameter received from the game device 100 of the second user. Further, for example, the information on the hit result determined by the determining means 75 of the game device 100 of the first user is also transmitted to the game device 100 of the second user.

  When the user plays alone in the CPU battle mode, when the user is in the position of “first user” who operates the batter character 501, the CPU 1 of the game apparatus 100 automatically controls based on an AI program (Artificial Intelligence Program) or the like. Then, the pitching by the pitcher character 502 is controlled. For example, the moving means 72 in the CPU battle mode determines the movement parameter of the ball 506 to be thrown when the batter character 501 stands at the bat (that is, before the first user performs the predictive operation). Thus, even in the CPU battle mode, the first user can predict the movement parameter.

  In the CPU battle mode, when the user is in a “second user” position who operates the pitcher character 502, the CPU 1 of the game apparatus 100 controls the batting by the batter character 501 by automatic control based on the AI program or the like.

  Here, an example of the operation of the game apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing for controlling the pitching of the pitcher character 502. 24 to 26 are flowcharts showing an example of processing for controlling the batter character 501's hitting.

  First, an example of processing when the pitcher character 502 pitches against one batter character 501 will be described with reference to FIG. In step S1, when the battle mode is the inter-user battle mode, the second user performs a ball type determining operation (S2) and a pitching course determining operation (S3) before starting the pitching. For example, the second user operates the controller 19 to select a ball type with the ball type selection icon 511 shown in FIG. 4 and moves the course designation cursor 512 to an arbitrary position to designate a pitching course.

  The game device 100 determines the movement parameter (ball type, pitching course) of the ball 506 based on the operation for determining the above-mentioned ball type and pitching course (S4). Thereafter, when the second user presses the pitching start button of the controller 19, or automatically, the game device 100 causes the pitcher character 502 to send out the ball 506 (S5). At this time, the screen of the first user's game device 100 is displayed with an image as seen from the batter side as shown in FIG. 5, and the screen of the second user's game device 100 is shown in FIG. In this way, an image with a different viewpoint from FIG. 5 is displayed when the batter side is viewed from the pitcher side, but the pitcher character 502 hits the ball 506 at approximately the same timing on both screens while communicating between both game devices 100. Send it out.

  Thereafter, the game device 100 of the first user and the second user moves the ball sent from the pitcher character 502 in the direction of the home base 508 (the direction of the batter character 501) based on the movement parameter determined in S3. (S6). Thereby, one pitching by the pitcher character 502 is completed.

  If the pitcher character 502 continues to pitch the batter character 501 standing at the current bat (YES in S7), the process returns to step S1 and steps S1 to S6 are repeated.

  On the other hand, when the battle mode is the CPU battle mode in step S <b> 1, the CPU 1 of the game apparatus 100 moves the ball 506 without performing the ball type determination operation (S <b> 2) and the pitching course determination operation (S <b> 3) by the second user. Movement parameters (ball type, pitching course) are automatically determined (S4).

  Next, an example of a process for controlling the hit of one batter character 501 will be described. Here, an example in which an impact is performed using the aiming cursor 503 is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 24, when the batter character 501 stands at the bat (S11), the game apparatus 100 predicts the first user until the pitcher character 502 starts a pitching action (YES in S16). Accept the operation. Here, when a predictive operation is performed by the first user (YES in S12), for example, an operation of predicting either in-course or out-course is performed by tilting the analog stick of the controller 19 to the right or left. If so, the user is notified of the input state of the expected course (S13). For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the color of the left side region 504a of the strike zone 504 is changed to notify that an expected in-course input is performed, or as shown in FIG. The color of the right area 504b is changed to notify that an out-course expected input is being performed.

  Furthermore, the game device 100 acquires information (prediction information) regarding the accepted prediction, and stores it in a storage device such as the RAM 5 (S14). For example, when the first user tilts the analog stick to the right and performs an operation of predicting in-course, the game apparatus 100 stores “in-course” (or code information “1” indicating the same) as prediction information in the RAM 5. To remember.

  As mentioned above, it is possible to predict the pitching course by specifying the expected course position (coordinates) in addition to selecting the expected course area such as in-course and out-course. is there. In the latter case, the game device 100 stores the coordinate information of the predicted course in the RAM 5 as the predicted information.

  After the execution of step S14 or when no predictive operation is performed in step S12, the process proceeds to step S15.

  Further, the first user can move the aiming cursor 503 before throwing, and if the first user moves the aiming cursor 503, the cursor control for moving the aiming cursor 503 to a position corresponding to the operation. Processing is executed (S15).

  Before the pitching motion of the pitcher character 502 is started (NO in S16), it is possible to change or cancel the prediction, and when the predicted operation is performed a plurality of times before the pitching motion, the predicted operation performed last. The prediction information corresponding to is valid, and the prediction information is stored in the RAM 5.

  Whether or not to make a prediction is an arbitrary matter, and it is also possible not to make a prediction. If the predicted operation has never been performed before the pitching action of the pitcher character 502 is started, or if the last performed operation is an operation to cancel the prediction, the prediction has not been performed, The prediction information is not stored in the RAM 5 (or the prediction information stored in the RAM 5 is invalidated).

  When the pitching action of the pitcher character 502 is started (YES in S16), the acceptance of the prediction operation is ended, and the presence / absence of the prediction of the first user and the prediction information when the prediction is performed are determined.

  In the example of FIG. 24, the expectation is accepted until the pitcher character 502 starts the pitching motion (or until the next pitching motion starts after the previous pitch) after the batter character 501 stands at the bat. Although it is set as a period, it is not limited to this, For example, you may receive a 1st user's anticipation until the ball 506 is sent out from the pitcher character 502. FIG.

  Even after the pitching motion of the pitcher character 502 is started, the movement operation of the aiming cursor 503 is possible. When the first user performs the operation of moving the aiming cursor 503, the cursor that moves the aiming cursor 503 to a position corresponding to the operation. A control process is executed (S17).

  When the ball 506 is released from the pitcher character 502 and the movement of the ball 506 is started (YES in S18), the process proceeds to step S19 in FIG.

  After the movement of the ball 506 is started, an arrival point area 507 is displayed in the action area above the home base 508. The display start timing of the arrival point area 507 depends on whether the first user has predicted or not. Varies depending on the result of the forecast. The game apparatus 100 determines whether or not a prediction has been made (S19). If no prediction has been made (NO in S19), the game apparatus 100 sets the delay period to a default value, for example, 10 frames, and is thrown. Display of the reaching point area 507 on the screen is started after the elapse of 10 frame periods from the start of the movement of the ball 506 (S20).

  Regarding step S20, the default delay period when no prediction is made is not limited to 10 frame periods, and can be set to any value, for example, 5 frame periods. Further, as described above, the default delay period when no prediction is made may be set to zero, and at the same time when the pitched ball 506 starts moving, the display of the reaching point area 507 on the screen is started. Good.

  On the other hand, when the prediction is performed (YES in S19), the game device 100 determines the result of the prediction (S21). That is, the game device 100 compares the prediction information stored in the RAM 5 with the pitching course of the movement parameter determined in step S4 in FIG. 23, and determines whether or not the prediction is correct. For example, when the prediction information regarding the pitching course stored in the RAM 5 is “in-course” and the pitching course as the movement parameter determined in step S4 is also included in the in-course area, the prediction is correct. It is determined. On the other hand, when the prediction information is “in course” and the pitching course determined in step S4 is not included in the in-course area, it is determined that the prediction has failed.

  Note that the prediction result may be determined using the degree of coincidence indicating the degree of coincidence between the prediction information of the pitching course acquired in step S14 and the pitching course of the movement parameter determined in step S4 of FIG. Good. As described above, the degree of coincidence may be a value or level of two or three or more levels. As illustrated in FIG. 17 and the above equation (1), the coordinates of the predicted pitch course and the coordinates of the actual pitch course are used. You may calculate based on deviation | shift amount. If the degree of coincidence of the prediction is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold or level, it is determined that the prediction is correct, and if the degree of coincidence of the prediction is less than the predetermined threshold or level, it is determined that the prediction is wrong. May be.

  If the prediction is correct (YES in S21), for example, the game apparatus 100 sets the delay period to zero, and at the same time as the pitched ball 506 starts moving, the screen of the reaching point area 507 is displayed. Display is started (S22). Therefore, when the first user predicts, a merit that the difficulty level of the hitting operation is reduced occurs, and it is possible to immediately move the meet cursor 503a to the arrival point area 507 displayed simultaneously with the pitching. It becomes.

  In addition, regarding the step S22, the delay period when the first user's prediction is hit is not limited to zero, and can be set to any value equal to or less than the delay period when the prediction is not made. .

  On the other hand, if the prediction is not satisfied (NO in S21), the game apparatus 100 sets the delay period to 20 frames, for example, and reaches the destination area after 20 frames have elapsed since the start of the movement of the pitched ball 506. The display on the screen 507 is started (S23). As described above, when the prediction is not satisfied, the difficulty of the hitting operation is increased by delaying the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 as compared with the case where the prediction is successful (or the case where the prediction is not performed). Disadvantages occur.

  In addition, regarding the step S23, the delay period when the prediction is lost is not limited to the 20 frame period, but is an arbitrary value larger than the default delay period when the prediction is not performed (however, It can be set to a value smaller than the period from the start of movement of the ball 506 until reaching the action region.

  As described above, the game device 100 may increase the delay period continuously or stepwise as the degree of coincidence of prediction is lower.

  By executing any one of steps S20, S22, and S23, display of the reaching point area 507 is started in the action area of the screen. When the pitch of the pitched ball 506 is straight, the position of the arrival point area 507 once displayed does not change (or even if it changes, it is about the amount of natural fall due to gravity). In the case of a changing ball, the display position of the arrival point area 507 displayed on the screen also changes as the trajectory of the ball 506 changes.

  After the ball 506 is released from the pitcher character 502, the first user performs an operation of moving the aiming cursor 503 so as to overlap the reaching point area 507 displayed on the screen. When the user moves the aiming cursor 503, a cursor control process for moving the aiming cursor 503 to a position corresponding to the operation is executed (S24).

  When the first user attempts to hit the ball 506, the first user performs a bat swing operation in anticipation of the timing at which the ball 506 arrives at the arrival point area 507. For example, a predetermined operation button of the controller 19 for bat swing is pushed. Of course, the first user can also see off without hitting the ball 506.

  When the bat swing operation is performed by the first user (YES in S25), the process proceeds to step S27, and the game device 100 executes a hit result determination process (S27). Hereinafter, an example of the hit result determination process will be described with reference to the flowchart illustrated in FIG.

  The game device 100 determines whether or not the aiming cursor 503 overlaps the arrival point area 507 at the time when the ball 506 reaches the action area above the home base 508 (S31). Here, when the arrival point area 507 and the aiming cursor 503 do not overlap (NO in S31), the hit result is “missing” (S33).

  On the other hand, if the reaching point area 507 and the aiming cursor 503 overlap (YES in S31), it is determined whether or not the bat swing operation has been performed at a predetermined hitting possible timing when the ball 506 has reached the action area or its vicinity. Determine (S32). Here, when the bat swing operation is not performed at the timing at which the strike is possible (NO in S32), the strike result is “missing” (S33).

  On the other hand, when the bat swing operation is performed at the timing at which it is possible to hit (YES in S32), the game device 100 determines that the bat object 505 has hit the ball 506, and positions of the reaching point region 507 and the aiming cursor 503 Based on the relationship, the parameters of the hit ball are determined as follows.

  That is, as illustrated in FIG. 8, when the lower portion of the reaching point area 507 overlaps the aiming cursor 503 (YES in S34), the hitting result is set as a flying ball (fly or liner) (S35). This is because hitting the ball under the spherical ball 506 increases the angle of the hit ball. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 9, when the upper portion of the reaching point region 507 overlaps the aiming cursor 503 (NO in S34), the hit result is determined as Goro (S36). This is because if the ball is hit on the spherical ball 506, the angle of the hit ball is lowered.

  Further, the game device 100 calculates the trajectory of the hit ball 506 based on the timing at which the bat swing operation is performed, the amount of deviation between the center of the meet cursor 503a and the center of the reaching point region 507, and the like. Furthermore, the trajectory of the hit ball 506 may be determined in consideration of the ability parameter of the batter character 501 and the like.

  Returning to FIG. 25, when the description is continued, the game device 100 displays the hit result determined in step S <b> 27 on the screen (S <b> 28). On the other hand, when the first user does not perform the bat swing operation and sees off the ball (YES in S26), the game device 100 displays the result of the batter character 501 seeing off the ball on the screen (S28). In the screen of FIG. 5 and the like, the display of the ball count, the out count, and the like is omitted. For example, when the ball 506 passes the strike zone 504, “Strike” is displayed, and when the ball is out of the strike zone 504, “ “Ball” and the ball count display is updated.

  After step S28, the game device 100 determines whether or not to continue pitching on the batter character 501 currently standing at the bat (S29). For example, when the batter character 501 hits but fouls, it is swung but not shaken, or when the ball is turned off but is not a strike or a four ball, the pitch to the same batter character 501 is continued (YES in S29). In these cases, the process returns to step S12 in FIG.

  On the other hand, if the batter character's bat result (hit or out) is confirmed and the pitching to the batter character 501 is not continued (NO in S29), the process ends. When a new batter character 501 stands at the bat, the processes of FIGS. 24 and 25 are executed again.

  As described above, according to this configuration, the difficulty level of the batting operation can be changed by changing the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 in accordance with the result of the prediction of the first user. For example, when the display of the arrival point area 507 after a pitch is delayed due to a user's disappointment, the user who performs the batting operation is hard to hit because the timing for confirming where the ball 506 finally comes is delayed. Become. In addition, when the user's prediction is correct, for example, if the display of the arrival point area 507 is started without delay immediately after the pitching, an operation for bringing the meet cursor 503a to the arrival point area 507 from an early stage immediately after the pitching. Thus, the difficulty level of the batting operation is lower than when the user's expectation is lost. As described above, since the prediction result is clarified as the difficulty level of the user operation, the user can feel the merit or demerit based on the prediction result, and the user can easily get a sense of satisfaction with the prediction result.

  By the way, when the pitched ball 506 is a changing ball such as a slider, the trajectory of the ball 506 changes during movement, so the ball 506 enters the first user's expected course (or exits the expected course) from the middle. )Sometimes. FIGS. 27 and 28 are diagrams illustrating a state in which the position of the arrival point area 507 displayed in the strike zone 504 changes with the change in the trajectory of the ball 506. FIG. A reaching point area 507a indicated by a dotted line in the drawing indicates the display position of the reaching point area 507 calculated based on the moving course (trajectory) of the ball 506 immediately after the release from the pitcher character 502, and the reaching point indicated by a solid line An area 507b indicates the display position of the arrival point area 507 when the ball 506 finally reaches the strike zone 504 as the action area. The arrows in the figure indicate that the display position of the arrival point area 507 has moved with the change in the trajectory of the ball 506. Here, it is assumed that the first user expects in-course (thus, the color of the left region 504a of the strike zone 504 has changed).

  As illustrated in FIG. 27, immediately after the release from the pitcher character 502, the ball 506 is in the in-course that is the first user's expected course, but is off the in-course on the way, and finally to a course other than the expected course. May reach. On the contrary, as illustrated in FIG. 28, immediately after the release from the pitcher character 502, the ball 506 is in an out course that is out of the first user's expected course, but enters the in course that is the expected course from the middle. In some cases, you may eventually reach the in-course.

  As described above, in the case where the first user predicts the moving course of the moving body, when the trajectory changes during the movement of the moving body, the moving course immediately after the moving body starts moving and finally the action area is reached. The control when the movement course is different will be described below.

  The determination means 73 of the present embodiment preferably determines the course prediction result of the first user based on the moving course immediately after the moving body starts moving. Based on the result of the determination, the display control unit 74 controls the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 as described above.

  Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 27, the movement course of the ball 506 immediately after the start of movement matches the expected course of the first user, but due to the change in the trajectory, the course has deviated from the expected course of the user during the movement. In that case: In this case, since the movement course immediately after the start of the movement of the ball 506 matches the user's expectation, even if the final arrival position of the ball 506 is different from the user's expectation, it is considered that the user's expectation has come. The display start timing of the arrival point area 507 is controlled. Therefore, the delay period is set to be shorter than the case where the prediction is not satisfied (or the case where the prediction is not performed). For example, the delay period is set to zero, and the arrival point area 507 is displayed simultaneously with the start of the movement of the ball 506.

  In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 28, when the movement course of the ball 506 immediately after the start of movement is out of the user's expected course, but due to a change in the trajectory, when the course matches the user's expected course during the movement, It becomes as follows. In this case, since the movement course immediately after the start of the movement of the ball 506 is out of the user's expectation, even if the final arrival position of the ball 506 matches the user's expectation, the user's expectation is disregarded. The display start timing of the arrival point area 507 is controlled. Therefore, the delay period is set longer than when the prediction is successful (or when the prediction is not performed), and the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 is delayed.

  Further, based on the movement course immediately after the moving body starts moving, for example, the above equation (1) is applied to determine the degree of coincidence of the prediction, and control is performed to increase the delay period as the degree of coincidence of the prediction is low. May be.

  As described above, when the trajectory changes during the movement of the moving body, the user's prediction result is determined based on the moving course immediately after the start of movement, and the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 is controlled based on this determination. The reason is as follows. For example, in the case of a baseball game, if the course of the ball 506 immediately after the pitch is the user's expected course, the batter's eyes can quickly catch the ball after the pitch (the visibility to the ball 506 is high). Even if the trajectory of the ball deviates from the predicted course, it is considered that the user has made a prediction, and the display of the arrival point area 507 is started at an early timing. On the other hand, if the course of the ball 506 immediately after the pitch is not the user's expected course, even if the final course of the ball 506 enters the user's expected course, the batter's eyes immediately hit the ball immediately after the pitch. Since it cannot be captured (the degree of visibility with respect to the ball 506 is low), it is considered that the user's expectation is lost, and the display start of the arrival point area 507 is delayed.

  Further, when the trajectory changes during the movement of the moving body, the user's prediction result is determined based on the final moving course (arrival position to the action area) of the moving body, and based on this determination When the display start timing of the arrival point area is controlled, the following inconvenience may occur. For example, as shown in FIG. 28, when the course of the ball immediately after the pitch is out of the in-course expected by the user and the course of the ball enters the user's expected course from the middle, If the start of display is performed at an early timing assuming that the prediction is correct, the user predicts that the arrival point area 507 will eventually reach the in-course when the arrival point area 507 is displayed. I can do it. The reason is that the arrival point area 507 is displayed at an early stage immediately after the pitching, which means that the user's course prediction is correct. When the arrival point area 507 is displayed, the arrival point area 507 can be predicted to finally reach the in-course expected by the user. That is, it becomes possible to predict the future of the trajectory change of the changing sphere beyond the course prediction range.

  On the other hand, as described above, the user's prediction result is determined with reference to the moving course immediately after the moving object starts moving, and the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 is controlled, thereby the future as described above. Avoid situations where you can make predictions.

  However, as a variation, the determination unit 73 determines the result of the user's course prediction based on the final moving course in which the moving body reaches the action region, and the display control unit 74 arrives based on the determination result. The display start timing of the point area 507 may be controlled. In the case of this variation, a configuration that allows the user to feel the benefits of a course prediction by creating a state where the future prediction for the trajectory change of the changing sphere can be made with the course prediction alone. It becomes.

  Further, in the configuration in which the first user's course prediction result is determined based on the moving course immediately after the moving body starts moving, and the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 is controlled based on the determination result. It is preferable to apply the configuration of That is, the moving course of the moving body immediately after the start of movement is out of the moving course predicted by the first user, and the moving course of the moving body is predicted by the first user from the middle of the movement due to the change in the trajectory of the moving body. If it is determined by the determination means 73 that the movement course matches, the display control means 74 moves the movement predicted by the first user in all of the movement course of the moving body from the start of movement to the action area. It is preferable to shorten the delay period as compared with a case where the course is off course.

  Here, “the moving course of the moving body deviates from the moving course predicted by the first user” means that the moving course predicted by the first user and the moving course determined by the moving means 72 are inconsistent. Or the case where the degree of coincidence of both is less than a predetermined threshold or level. In addition, “the moving course of the moving body matches the moving course predicted by the first user” means that the moving course predicted by the first user matches the moving course determined by the moving means 72. Or a case where the degree of coincidence between them is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold or level.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 28, when the course of the ball 506 immediately after the pitch is out of the in-course expected by the first user, it is considered that the prediction is wrong as described above, and the prediction is hit (or The delay period becomes longer than when the prediction is not performed, and the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 is delayed. However, when the movement course of the ball 506 matches the user's expected course due to a change in the trajectory of the ball 506, the movement course of the ball 506 deviates from the user's expected course from the beginning to the end. The delay period is shortened, and the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 is accelerated.

  This is because immediately after the start of the movement of the pitched ball 506, even if it is out of the expected course of the first user, it enters the expected course from the middle of movement, so that the batter's visibility to the ball 506 increases from the middle Is simulated on the game. Thereby, when the trajectory changes during the movement of the ball 506, the predicted result of the user's moving course can be accurately reflected as the difficulty level of the batting operation.

  Here, an example of the operation of the game apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 29 is a partial modification of the flowchart of FIG. 25 for controlling the batting, and the processing after step S24 is the same as in FIG. The same steps as those in FIG. 25 are denoted by the same step numbers, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  The game apparatus 100 determines whether or not the first user has predicted a pitching course or the like (S19), and when the prediction is not performed (NO in S19), the delay period is set to a default value, for example, 5 A frame (or may be zero) is set (S20).

  On the other hand, when the prediction is made (YES in S19), the game device 100 determines whether or not the course of the ball 506 immediately after the pitch matches the predicted course of the first user (S121). That is, the game device 100 compares the prediction information stored in the RAM 5 with the course (trajectory) immediately after the pitching of the movement parameter determined in step S4 in FIG. 23, and determines whether or not the prediction is correct. To do. For example, when the prediction information regarding the pitching course stored in the RAM 5 is “in course” and the course immediately after the pitching as the movement parameter determined in step S4 is included in the in-course area, the prediction matches. It is determined that it has been hit. On the other hand, if the prediction information is “in course” and the course immediately after the pitch determined in step S4 is not included in the in-course area, it is determined that the prediction has been missed.

  In the case of YES in step S121, for example, the game device 100 sets the delay period to zero, and starts displaying the reaching point area 507 on the screen simultaneously with the start of the movement of the pitched ball 506 (S22). .

  On the other hand, in the case of NO in step S121, the game device 100 determines whether or not the course (trajectory) of the moving ball 506 matches the expected course of the first user (S122). That is, the game device 100 compares the prediction information stored in the RAM 5 with the pitching course of the movement parameter determined in step S4 of FIG. 23, and the course (trajectory) in the middle of the movement is the first user's prediction course. It is determined whether or not they match.

  In the case of NO in step S122, that is, when the moving course of the ball 506 is out of the expected course of the first user from the start of movement to the end of reaching the action area (for example, the first user predicts the in-course. When a straight ball is thrown on the out course), the delay period is set to 20 frame periods (S123).

  On the other hand, in the case of YES in step S122, that is, immediately after the start of the movement of the ball 506, it is out of the first user's expected course, but it matches the first user's expected course during the movement (for example, the first user Predicts an in-course and a change ball that changes from an out-course to an in-course is thrown), the delay period is set to 10 frame periods (S124).

  Note that the delay period set in step S124 is not limited to 10 frame periods, but is any value larger than the delay period set in step S123 (however, no prediction was made). Value greater than the default delay period).

  In addition, the delay period set in steps S22, S123, and S124 may be a value that varies according to the degree of coincidence of prediction, instead of a fixed value.

  By executing any one of steps S20, S22, S123, and S124, display of the reaching point area 507 is started in the action area of the screen. When the pitch of the pitched ball 506 is straight, the position of the arrival point area 507 once displayed does not change (or even if it changes, it is about the amount of natural fall due to gravity). In the case of a changing ball, the display position of the arrival point area 507 displayed on the screen also changes as the trajectory of the ball 506 changes.

  After any of Steps S20, S22, S123, and S124 is executed, the process proceeds to Step S24 shown in FIG. The processing after step S24 is as shown in FIG.

  In addition, even if the course of the ball 506 immediately after the pitch matches the predicted course of the first user, the course does not deviate from the expected course until the end of reaching the action area, and the course is moved or deviated from the expected course. Since there is a case, as a variation, the delay period in the latter case may be set longer than the delay period in the former case.

  That is, the delay period in the case where the moving course of the moving body matches the expected course from the start of movement to the end of reaching the action area is Ta, and the expected course is matched immediately after the start of movement. Tb is the delay period when it does not match (departs from the expected course), Tc is the default delay period when no prediction is made, and does not match the expected course immediately after the start of movement, but matches the expected course from the middle When the delay period when Td is set to Td and the delay period when Te does not match the expected course from the start of movement to the end of reaching the action area is Te, “Ta <Tb <Tc <Td <Te” or “Ta < The delay period may be set so that the relationship of Tb ≦ Tc <Td <Te ”is established.

[Other Embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the display start timing (the delay period) of the arrival point area 507 is changed based on the result of the user's prediction has been described. A configuration for changing the size of the arrival point region 507 will be described. Note that the configuration for changing the size of the arrival point region 507 of the present embodiment may be applied in combination with the configuration for changing the display start timing of the arrival point region 507 described above, or may be adopted alone. Good.

  In the game of the present embodiment, when a prediction is made by the first user (throwing course, ball type, ball speed, etc.), the arrival displayed on the action area above the home base 508 based on the prediction result. The size of the point area 507 changes. FIG. 30 shows an example of a game screen when the first user's pitching course is predicted, FIG. 31 shows an example of a game screen when the pitching course is not predicted, and FIG. 32 shows the first user's pitching course. It shows an example of the game screen when the prediction is lost, and shows how the size of the reaching point area 507 changes in each case. 30 to 32 are diagrams mainly for explaining the change in the size of the reaching point area 507, and thus the image of the batter character 501 and the like is omitted.

  As illustrated in FIG. 30, when the first user is predicted, the size of the arrival point area 507 is larger than when the prediction is not performed (see FIG. 31). This is because if the course prediction is correct, the visibility to the ball 506 is improved because there is a line of sight, so this state is simulated on the game as the size of the destination area 507.

  Therefore, when the first user predicts, the first user can easily aim at a desired location in the arrival point area 507 displayed larger than the normal time (when not expected), and the difficulty of the hitting operation is reduced. To do. In other words, it becomes easy to hit a flying ball aiming at the lower part of the arrival point area 507 displayed large, or hitting the upper part of the flying ball. In addition, since the reaching point area 507 itself is large, the aiming cursor 503 is easily overlaid on the reaching point area 507 and is not easily swung.

  For example, in a scene where there is no death or one death and the runner is in third base, if a batting operation aiming at the outfield fly is performed, it is possible to enjoy a play in which a score is given by touch-up. Further, for example, in a scene where the runner is in a second position without death, it is possible to enjoy a play in which the runner is advanced by performing a striking operation of hitting the ball in the right direction (light direction). Therefore, in the above-mentioned scene, if the first user makes a prediction such as a course and the prediction is correct, the arrival point area 507 becomes larger than the normal time (when it is not predicted), There is a chance that it will be easier to perform the batting operation as you wish.

  Of course, even if the scene is not as described above, the first user can arbitrarily make a prediction regardless of the outcount or the presence or absence of a runner.

  Further, as illustrated in FIG. 32, when the first user is not predicted, the size of the arrival point area 507 is smaller than when the prediction is not performed (see FIG. 31). This is because if the course is not predicted, the ball 506 is out of line of sight, so the visibility of the ball is reduced, so this state is simulated on the game by reducing the size of the destination area 507. Is. For this reason, when the prediction is wrong, the batting operation becomes more difficult than when the prediction is not made, and a sense of tension is generated in the game. In other words, when the user makes a prediction of the pitching course in a situation where it is, the chance that the operation such as hitting becomes easier will occur, but if the prediction is off, it will be difficult to hit. Since there is also a risk of becoming, high gameability can be realized.

  Note that the shape of the arrival point area 507 and the shape of the moving body when reaching the arrival point area 507 are the same or substantially the same, and as illustrated in FIGS. 30 to 32, the arrival point area 507 Even if the size (area) of 507 changes according to the result of the first user's prediction, the shape is similar to that of the moving object.

  Further, it is the reaching point region 507 that changes in size according to the prediction result of the first user, not the ball 506 as a moving body. The size of the ball 506 itself sent from the pitcher character 502 does not change depending on the presence or absence of the prediction and the result.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the game apparatus 100 of the present embodiment mainly includes the above-described prediction receiving means 71, moving means 72, determination means 73, display control means 74, and determination means 75. Here, as described above, the determination means 75 acts on the moving object (battery result) based on at least the positional relationship between the specific area (area where the bat strikes) designated by the aiming cursor 503 and the arrival point area 507. ). That is, the size of the reaching point area 507 affects the difficulty level of the hitting operation. The display control unit 74 has a function of changing the size of the arrival point region 507 based on the determination result by the determination unit 73.

When the determination unit 73 determines that the prediction of the first user has been received, the display control unit 74 has a reaching point area 507 than when the prediction has not been performed (or when it has been determined that the prediction has failed). Is preferably displayed large. For example, it is assumed that the radius of the arrival point region 507 when the prediction is not performed is R0, and the radius of the arrival point region 507 changed based on the determination of the prediction result is R1. If it is determined that the first user's prediction is correct, the size of the arrival point region 507 can be determined by applying the following formula (6) or formula (7), for example.
R1 = R0 + b (6)
R1 = c × R0 (7)

  Here, b and c are constants, and b> 0 and c> 1. As an example, the above equation (6) with b = 0.3 is applied. This is an example, and other arithmetic expressions may be applied.

  Alternatively, the information on the size of the reaching point area 507 is stored in advance in a storage device (such as the RAM 5) for each of the case where the prediction is not made and the case where the prediction is made, and the reaching point area 507 is based on the information. May be determined.

  With this configuration, as illustrated in FIG. 30, when the first user is predicted, the size of the arrival point area 507 is larger than when the prediction is not performed (see FIG. 31). This is because if the first user's course prediction is correct, the batter's eyes are there and the visibility with respect to the ball 506 is improved. Therefore, this state is assumed to be the size of the destination area 507 on the game in a pseudo manner. It is a reproduction.

  Similarly, when the prediction of the first user is a ball type prediction or a ball speed prediction, the size of the reaching point area 507 is larger than that when the prediction is not performed. This is because the first user predicts the ball type, and if the prediction is correct, the batter's eye is likely to notice the trajectory change of the ball 506, so the visibility to the ball 506 is improved. The size of the point area 507 is simulated on the game. In addition, if the first user predicts the ball speed (for example, fast ball or change-up) and the prediction is correct, the batter's speed is likely to be noticed by the batter, so the visibility to the ball 506 is improved. This state is simulated on the game as the size of the reaching point area 507.

In addition, the display control unit 74 has a reaching point area when the determination unit 73 determines that the prediction of the first user has been lost than when the prediction has not been performed (or when the prediction has been determined). It is preferable to display 507 small. For example, the following equation (8) or equation (9) can be applied to determine the size of the arrival point region 507 when the first user's prediction is not satisfied.
R1 = R0-d (8)
R1 = e × R0 (9)

  Here, the above d and e are constants, and d> 0 and d <R0. Further, e> 0 and e <1. As an example, the above equation (4) with d = 0.3 is applied. This is an example, and other arithmetic expressions may be applied.

  Alternatively, information on the size of the arrival point area 507 is stored in advance in a storage device (such as the RAM 5) for each of the cases where the prediction is not performed, the case where the prediction is successful, and the case where the prediction is lost. The size of the reaching point area 507 may be determined based on the information.

  With this configuration, as illustrated in FIG. 32, when the first user is not predicted, the size of the arrival point area 507 is smaller than when the prediction is not performed (see FIG. 31). This is because if the course is not predicted, the ball 506 is out of line of sight, so the visibility of the ball is reduced, so this state is simulated on the game by reducing the size of the destination area 507. Is.

  Similarly, when the prediction of the first user is a ball type prediction or a ball speed prediction, if the prediction is not satisfied, the size of the arrival point area 507 becomes smaller than the case where the prediction is not performed. This is because if the first user predicts the ball type and the prediction is not correct, the batter's eyes will not be aware of the change in the trajectory of the ball 506, and the visibility with respect to the ball 506 will decrease. The size of 507 is reduced and reproduced on the game in a pseudo manner. In addition, if the first user predicts the ball speed (for example, whether it is fastball or change-up), and the prediction is not correct, the batter's eye will not be noticed by the difference in the speed of the ball 506, so the visibility to the ball 506 is improved. This state is simulated on the game by reducing the size of the reaching point area 507.

  For this reason, when the first user's expectation is lost, it is difficult to place the aiming cursor 503 on the arrival point area 507 that has become smaller, and it is easier to perform the idling. In addition, since the reaching point area 507 is small, it is very difficult to hit the flying ball aiming at the lower part of the reaching point area 507 or hitting the upper part aiming at the upper part. As described above, when the first user's prediction is not expected, the batting operation is more difficult than when the first user is not predicted, and a sense of tension is generated in the game.

  In other words, when the first user makes a prediction such as a pitching course in the scene, a chance to make it easier to perform the hitting operation as desired is generated. Since there is also a risk that it will be difficult, it is possible to achieve high game performance.

  Further, the display control means 74 can be configured to increase the display range of the arrival point area 507 as the degree of coincidence of the prediction determined by the determination means 73 is higher. For example, when the degree of coincidence of the prediction is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold or level, it is assumed that the prediction is correct, and the reaching point area 507 is displayed larger than the case where the prediction is not expected. In this case, the reaching point area 507 is increased continuously or stepwise as the degree of coincidence of prediction is higher.

  Further, for example, when the degree of coincidence of the prediction is less than a predetermined threshold or level, it is assumed that the prediction is not satisfied, and the reaching point area is displayed smaller than the case where the prediction is not predicted. In this case, the reaching point region becomes smaller continuously or stepwise as the degree of coincidence of prediction is lower, and the difficulty level of the hitting operation increases.

A specific example in which the size of the reaching point area 507 is changed according to the degree of coincidence of the prediction will be shown below. For example, when the prediction is not performed, the radius of the arrival point region 507 is R0, the radius of the arrival point region 507 changed based on the determination of the prediction result is R1, and the degree of coincidence of the prediction obtained by the above equation (1) Is M. Then, for example, the size of the arrival point region 507 can be determined by applying the following equation (10).
R1 = (2M / a) × R0 (10)

  In the above formula (10), a is the same constant as the above formula (1). In the case of the above equation (10), when the degree of coincidence M of the prediction is M> (a / 2), the size of the reaching point region 507 is larger than that in the case where the prediction is not performed, and M <(a / In the case of 2), it becomes smaller than the case where no prediction is made. This is an example, and other arithmetic expressions may be applied.

  Alternatively, the size of the reaching point region 507 may be determined based on information indicating the relationship between the degree of coincidence of prediction and the size of the reaching point region 507. For example, information on a table indicating the relationship between the degree of coincidence of prediction and the size of the reaching point area 507 is stored in the recording medium 300 on which the game program is recorded, and the information on the table is loaded into the RAM 5 when the game is executed. Is done. In this case, the display control means 74 sets the size of the reaching point area 507 corresponding to the degree of coincidence of prediction based on the table.

  In this way, by changing the size of the reaching point area 507 according to the degree of coincidence of the prediction, the degree of coincidence of the prediction can be accurately reflected as the difficulty level of the batting operation, and a more interesting game can be achieved. realizable.

  According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the result of the user's prediction is clarified by the change in the size of the arrival point area 507 displayed on the screen. It is possible to make the first user clearly recognize the demerit caused by the deviation through the screen display. Therefore, by this configuration, or by combining this configuration with the configuration of the above-described embodiment that changes the display start timing of the arrival point area 507, the merit or demerit based on the prediction result can be changed in the difficulty level of the hitting operation. As a result, the user can actually feel and the user can be more satisfied with the expected result.

  Here, an example of the operation of the game apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 33 is a partial modification of the flowchart of FIG. 25 for controlling the batting, and the processing after step S24 is the same as in FIG. The same steps as those in FIG. 25 are denoted by the same step numbers, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  The game apparatus 100 determines whether or not the first user has predicted a pitching course or the like (S19), and when the prediction is not performed (NO in S19), sets the delay period to a default value. At the same time (S20), the reaching point area 507 is displayed in the default standard size (S131). For example, the default delay period may be set to zero, and display of the reaching point area 507 on the screen may be started simultaneously with the start of movement of the pitched ball 506. Alternatively, the delay period may be set to a default value, for example, 10 frames, and the display of the reaching point area 507 on the screen may be started after a lapse of 10 frame periods from the start of the movement of the pitched ball 506.

  On the other hand, when the prediction is performed (YES in S19), the game device 100 determines the result of the prediction (S21). If the prediction is correct (YES in S21), for example, the game apparatus 100 sets the delay period to zero, and at the same time as the pitched ball 506 starts moving, the screen of the reaching point area 507 is displayed. Display is started (S22). At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 30, the game device 100 displays the size of the reaching point area 507 larger than the case where the prediction is not performed (see FIG. 31) (S132). Therefore, when the first user predicts, a merit that the difficulty level of the hitting operation is reduced occurs, and the meet cursor 503a is immediately moved to the reaching point area 507 displayed larger than usual at the same time as the pitching. It is possible to perform the operation. In addition, it is easy to make a hit by hitting a flying ball aiming at the lower part of the arrival point area 507 displayed large or hitting the upper part of the flying ball.

  On the other hand, if the prediction is not satisfied (NO in S21), the game device 100 sets the delay period to 20 frames, for example, and reaches the reaching point area after 20 frames have elapsed from the start of the movement of the pitched ball 506. The display on the screen 507 is started (S23). At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 32, the game apparatus 100 displays the size of the reaching point area 507 smaller than the case where no prediction is made (see FIG. 31) (S133). As described above, when the prediction is wrong, the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 is delayed and the arrival point area 507 itself is made smaller than when the prediction is successful (or when the prediction is not performed). As a result, there is a demerit that the difficulty level of the hitting operation increases.

  As a variation, step S133 is omitted and only the disadvantage of display delay of the arrival point area 507 is generated, or step S23 is omitted and only the disadvantage of reduction of the display area of the arrival point area 507 is generated. It may be.

  As described above, the game device 100 increases the delay period and / or decreases the size of the arrival point region 507 continuously or stepwise as the degree of coincidence of prediction is lower. Also good.

  After one of the steps S131 to S133 is executed, the process proceeds to step S24 shown in FIG. The processing after step S24 is as shown in FIG.

  By the way, in the case of the present embodiment, as exemplified in FIGS. 30 and 31, the reaching point region 507 partially overlaps the aiming cursor 503, and as shown in FIGS. 34 to 36, the reaching point region All of 507 may overlap the aiming cursor 503. In particular, in a case where the unexpected arrival point area 507 is reduced and the arrival point area 507 becomes smaller than the aiming cursor 503, the entire reaching point area 507 may overlap the aiming cursor 503. Therefore, it is preferable to modify the hitting result determination process illustrated in FIG. 26 as illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. Here, the flowchart of FIG. 37 is obtained by adding steps S141 and S142 to the flowchart of FIG. 26, and the same steps as those in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 37, when the reaching point area 507 and the aiming cursor 503 overlap (YES in S31) and the bat swing operation is performed at the timing at which the strike is possible (YES in S32), the following is exemplified. The parameters of the hit ball are determined by the processing. First, it is determined whether or not a part of the reaching point area 507 overlaps the aiming cursor 503 (S141). When YES is determined in this step S141, it is determined whether or not the lower portion of the reaching point area 507 overlaps the aiming cursor 503 (S34). As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 30, when the lower portion of the reaching point region 507 overlaps the aiming cursor 503 (YES in S34), the hitting result is set as a flying ball (fly or liner) (S35). Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 30, when the upper portion of the reaching point region 507 overlaps the aiming cursor 503 (NO in S34), the hit result is determined to be goro (S36).

  On the other hand, when all of the reaching point area 507 overlaps the aiming cursor 503 (NO in S141), the game apparatus 100 determines the hit ball as follows based on the positional relationship between the reaching point area 507 and the aiming cursor 503. Determine the parameters.

  That is, as illustrated in FIG. 34, when the arrival point area 507 is captured in the upper area of the aiming cursor 503 (YES in S142), the hitting result is a flying ball (fly or liner) (S35). This is because the surface of the bat object 505 has a curved surface shape, and when the ball 506 is captured by the curved surface of the upper region, the angle of the hit ball is increased. Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 35 and 36, when the arrival point area 507 is captured in the upper area of the aiming cursor 503 (NO in S142), the hit result is determined to be sloppy (S36). This is because when the ball 506 is captured by the curved surface of the lower area of the bat object 505, the angle of the hit ball is lowered.

  As shown in FIGS. 34 and 35, when the arrival point area 507 is captured by the meet cursor 503a of the aiming cursor 503, a strong hitting ball is obtained, and the part other than the meet cursor 503a in the aiming cursor 503 as shown in FIG. Thus, when the arrival point area 507 is captured, a weak hit ball (ordinary hit) is obtained. However, it is not always necessary to provide the aiming cursor 503 with a hit area called the meet cursor 503a.

  As described above, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, when the first user makes a prediction such as a pitching course and the prediction is correct, the reaching point area 507 is increased and the visibility of the ball is increased. Will be improved. As a result, there is a chance that it becomes easy to perform a hitting operation as desired, such as hitting a flying ball or a ball. Therefore, the first user can enjoy a game play such as making a prediction in a scene where points can be scored by touch-up and aiming for an outfield fly. If the prediction is successful, the above-described merits occur. On the other hand, if the prediction is lost, the reaching point area 507 becomes small and the visibility of the ball decreases, and the hitting operation becomes difficult on the contrary. As a result, it is possible to achieve high game performance.

  If the display of the reaching point area 507 is always enlarged in order to enable the batting operation to be performed, the batting operation itself is always easy and the game performance is impaired. I can not. On the other hand, in the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to generate a chance that the hitting of the hit ball is easy only when the prediction is correct, and by adding a risk when the prediction is not satisfied, High game performance can be realized.

  Note that when the trajectory changes during movement of the moving body, such as a changing sphere, it is preferable to control the size of the arrival point region 507 in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. That is, the determination unit 73 determines the result of the user's course prediction based on the moving course immediately after the moving object starts moving, and the display control unit 74 determines the size of the destination area 507 based on the determination result. It is preferable to change. Alternatively, the result of the user's course prediction is determined based on the final moving course in which the moving body reaches the action area, and the display control means 74 changes the size of the arrival point area 507 based on the determination result. A configuration may be adopted.

  Further, the moving course of the moving body immediately after the start of the movement is out of the moving course predicted by the user, and the moving course of the moving body is changed from the middle of the movement due to the change in the trajectory of the moving body. When it is determined by the determination unit 73 that the two match, the display control unit 74 determines that the moving course of the moving body is out of the moving course predicted by the user in all of the period from the start of movement to the action area. It is preferable to enlarge the display range of the arrival point area 507.

  However, when the display range of the arrival point area 507 is enlarged as described above from the start of the display of the arrival point area 507, the arrival point area 507 is finally displayed when the arrival point area 507 is displayed. The user can predict the future when he or she arrives at the movement course predicted by the user. This is because the arrival point area 507 displayed in a large size as described above means that the final user's course prediction is correct. For example, although the in-course should have been predicted, the out-course is reached. When the point area 507 is displayed, the arrival point area 507 can be predicted to finally reach the in-course expected by the user. That is, it becomes possible to predict the future of the trajectory change of the changing sphere beyond the course prediction range. Therefore, in the above case, it is preferable to enlarge the display range of the arrival point area 507 from the middle instead of increasing the arrival point area 507 from the initial display of the arrival point area 507. That is, in the above case, at the start of display of the arrival point area 507, the display control means 74 displays the arrival point area 507 in all of the period from the start of movement of the moving body to the action area. It is displayed in the same size as when the user deviates from the expected moving course. Thereafter, the display range of the reaching point area 507 is enlarged as described above at a stage in the middle of the moving body reaching the action area. As a result, it is possible to avoid the situation in which the future prediction can be performed at the time when the arrival point area 507 is displayed.

  When the display range of the arrival point area 507 is enlarged from the middle as described above, for example, the movement course of the moving body that is out of the user's expected course reaches the user's expected course at the timing. The point area 507 may be instantaneously increased, may be gradually increased from the timing, or may be gradually increased from a predetermined time before the timing (for example, 10 frames before) to the timing.

  In addition, the case where the timing at which the moving course of the moving body matches the expected course of the user is just before reaching the action area of the moving body is also conceivable. If the size of the arrival point area 507 is changed at this timing immediately before the hitting, it may be difficult to perform the hitting operation on the contrary. There may be a restriction on the remaining period until the arrival at. For example, when the remaining time until the moving body arrives at the action area is smaller than 45 frames, 45 frames before the moving body arrives at the action area is set as a timing for increasing the arrival point area 507 from the middle. .

  Alternatively, the timing at which the arrival point area 507 is enlarged from the middle may be fixed regardless of the timing at which the moving course of the moving body matches the expected course of the user. For example, the timing at which the arrival point area 507 is enlarged from the middle may be fixed before a predetermined time (for example, 45 frames before) when the moving body arrives at the action area.

  However, as a variation, the display range of the arrival point area 507 may be enlarged as described above from the start of the display of the arrival point area 507.

  In addition, the size (area) of the reaching point region 507 when the moving course of the moving body matches the predicted course from the start of movement to the end of reaching the action region is Sa, and matches the expected course immediately after the start of movement. However, Sb is the size of the arrival point area 507 when it does not match the predicted course from the middle (out of the predicted course), Sc is the size of the default arrival point area 507 when no prediction is made, and immediately after the start of movement Does not match the expected course, but the size of the reaching point area 507 when it matches the expected course from the middle is Sd, and the reaching point area 507 when it does not match the expected course from the start of movement to the end of reaching the action area If the magnitude of Se is Se, the relationship of “Sa> Sb> Sc> Sd> Se” or “Sa> Sb ≧ Sc> Sd> Se” is established so that the relationship of the reaching point region 507 is satisfied. May be of air is set.

[Other Embodiments]
In each of the above-described embodiments, a configuration in which the display start timing (the delay period) of the arrival point region 507 is changed and / or a size of the arrival point region 507 is changed based on a user's prediction result. However, in the present embodiment, a configuration for changing the moving speed of the moving body based on a user's expected result will be described. In addition, the structure which changes the moving speed of the mobile body of this Embodiment may be applied in combination with any one or both of each structure mentioned above, and may be employ | adopted independently.

  The game according to the present embodiment is a game in which an action can be applied to a moving body when a predetermined action-giving operation is performed by a user at a predetermined timing when the moving body reaches or near the action area. It is. As described above, in the baseball game, it is possible to hit the ball 506 when the first user performs a bat swing operation at a predetermined hitable timing when the ball 506 reaches the action area or the vicinity thereof. . Therefore, the first user who operates as a batter measures not only the operation of overlapping the specific area specified by the aiming cursor 503 or the like on the arrival point area 507 but also the timing at which the ball can be hit while watching the moving ball 506. It is necessary to perform a bat swing operation (operation for designating the timing of applying an action). Therefore, the moving speed of the ball 506 is an important game element in measuring timing.

  The moving means 72 of the game apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment has a function of changing the moving speed of the moving body based on the determination of the user's expected result by the determining means 73.

When the determination unit 73 determines that the user's prediction has been reached, the moving unit 72 preferably reduces the moving speed of the moving body compared to the case where the prediction is not performed. For example, it is assumed that the moving speed of the ball 506 when the prediction is not performed is V0, and the moving speed of the ball 506 changed based on the determination of the prediction result is V1. If it is determined that the first user's prediction is correct, the moving speed V1 of the ball 506 can be determined by applying the following formula (11) or formula (12), for example.
V1 = V0−f (11)
V1 = g × V0 (12)

  Here, f and g are constants, and f> 0 and f <V0. Further, g> 0 and g <1. As an example, the above equation (12) with g = 0.5 is applied. This is an example, and other arithmetic expressions may be applied.

  Alternatively, information on the magnitude of the moving speed of the ball 506 is stored in advance in a storage device (such as the RAM 5) for each of the case where the prediction is not made and the case where the prediction is made, and the movement speed is determined based on the information. The size may be determined.

  In the case of a baseball game, the movement speed V0 of the ball 506 when no prediction is made varies depending on the type of ball (straight ball, changing ball) and the ability of the pitcher character 502, but the movement parameters (throwing course, ball speed, For example, when the prediction regarding the ball type or the like is made, for example, the moving speed V1 of the ball 506 is half of the moving speed V0. For example, if the time from when the ball 506 is sent from the pitcher character 502 until reaching the home base 508 is 1.5 seconds (90 frames), The speed until 506 is reduced and the time to reach the home base 508 is 3.0 seconds (180 frames). That is, the distance of the ball 506 moving in one frame is halved, and the number of drive frames until the ball 506 reaches the home base 508 is doubled.

  This is because if the first user's course prediction is correct, the batter's eyes are there and the visibility of the ball 506 is improved, so that the state where the ball 506 appears to move slowly in slow motion This is simulated above.

  Similarly, when the prediction of the first user is a ball type prediction or a ball speed prediction, the movement speed of the ball 506 will be smaller than the case where the prediction is not performed if the prediction is correct. This is because if the first user predicts the ball type and the prediction is correct, the batter's trajectory changes easily, and the visibility to the ball 506 is improved. This is simulated on the game by reducing the moving speed of 506. In addition, if the first user predicts the ball speed (for example, fast ball or change-up) and the prediction is correct, the batter's speed is likely to be noticed by the batter, so the visibility to the ball 506 is improved. This state is simulated on the game by reducing the moving speed of the ball 506.

  For this reason, when a 1st user's anticipation hits, it becomes easy for the 1st user to take the timing which performs bat swing operation etc., and the difficulty level of batting operation falls. Therefore, this configuration is combined with a configuration in which the delay period is shortened and / or the arrival point area 507 is displayed larger when the first user's prediction is correct than when the prediction is not performed. When it employ | adopts, a 1st user becomes easier to perform desired striking operation.

Further, it is preferable that the moving unit 72 increase the moving speed of the moving object when the determination unit 73 determines that the user's prediction is not satisfied, compared with the case where the prediction is not performed. For example, the following equation (13) or equation (14) can be applied to determine the moving speed V1 of the ball 506.
V1 = V0 + h (13)
V1 = i × V0 (14)

  Here, h and i are constants, and h> 0 and i> 1. As an example, the above equation (14) with i = 1.5 is applied. This is an example, and other arithmetic expressions may be applied.

  Alternatively, information on the magnitude of the moving speed of the ball 506 is stored in advance in a storage device (such as the RAM 5) for each of the case where the prediction is not expected, the case where the prediction is successful, and the case where the prediction is lost. The magnitude of the moving speed may be determined based on the above.

  As a specific example, if the time from when the ball 506 is sent out from the pitcher character 502 until it reaches the home base 508 is 1.5 seconds (90 frames), the ball 506 is not expected. And the time to reach the home base 508 is 1.0 second (60 frames).

  This is because, for example, when the course is not predicted, the ball is out of sight, so the user's line of sight cannot catch up with the movement of the ball, and the ball feels sensibly fast. Is.

  In addition, when the prediction of the first user is a ball type prediction or a ball speed prediction, similarly, if the prediction is not satisfied, the moving speed of the ball 506 becomes larger than the case where the prediction is not performed. This is because the first user predicts the ball type, and if the prediction is not met, the ball will not notice the batter's trajectory change. It has been reproduced. In addition, if the first user predicts the ball speed (for example, fast ball or change-up) and the prediction is off, the ball feels fast because the batter's eye does not notice the difference in the speed of the ball 506. This state is simulated on the game.

  For this reason, when the first user's expectation is lost, it becomes difficult to adjust the timing to the ball 506 that moves faster than usual, and it is easy to miss the ball. For this reason, when the user's prediction is not satisfied, the action imparting operation such as a batting operation becomes more difficult than when the user has not predicted, and a sense of tension is generated by the game.

  The determination unit 73 determines the degree of coincidence of the prediction based on the information related to the user's prediction received by the prediction reception unit 71 and the movement parameter of the moving body. As the degree of coincidence of the prediction determined by the means 73 is higher, the moving speed of the moving body can be made smaller. For example, when the degree of coincidence of the prediction is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold or level, it is assumed that the prediction is correct, and the moving speed of the ball 506 is made smaller than when the prediction is not expected. In this case, the moving speed of the ball 506 is reduced continuously or stepwise as the predicted degree of coincidence increases.

  Further, for example, when the degree of coincidence of the prediction is less than a predetermined threshold or level, it is assumed that the prediction is not satisfied, and the moving speed of the ball 506 is made larger than when the prediction is not expected. In this case, the moving speed of the ball 506 increases continuously or stepwise as the predicted degree of coincidence decreases, and the difficulty of the hitting operation increases.

A specific example in which the moving speed of the ball 506 is changed according to the degree of coincidence expected is shown below. For example, when the prediction is not performed, the moving speed of the ball 506 is V0, the moving speed of the ball 506 changed based on the determination of the prediction result is V1, and the degree of coincidence of the prediction obtained by the above equation (1) is M. And For example, the following equation (15) is applied to determine the moving speed V1.
V1 = (a / 2M) × V0 (15)

  In the above equation (15), a is the same constant as in the above equation (1). In the case of the above equation (15), when the degree of coincidence M of the prediction is M> (a / 2), the moving speed V1 becomes smaller than the moving speed V0 when the prediction is not performed, and M <(a / In the case of 2), the moving speed becomes higher than V0. This is an example, and other arithmetic expressions may be applied.

  Alternatively, the magnitude of the moving speed of the ball 506 may be determined based on information indicating the relationship between the expected degree of coincidence and the moving speed of the ball 506. For example, table information indicating the relationship between the degree of coincidence of prediction and the magnitude of the moving speed of the ball 506 is stored in the recording medium 300 on which the game program is recorded, and the information on the table is stored in the RAM 5 when the game is executed. Loaded. In this case, the moving means 72 sets the moving speed of the ball 506 corresponding to the expected degree of coincidence based on the table.

  As described above, by changing the moving speed of the ball 506 according to the degree of coincidence of the prediction, the degree of coincidence of the expectation can be accurately reflected as the difficulty level of the batting operation (operation that swings at the timing when the batting is possible). And a more interesting game can be realized.

  Here, an example of the operation of the game apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is shown in the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 38 is obtained by adding processing (steps S151 to S153) for changing the moving speed of the ball 506 based on the presence / absence of prediction and the result of prediction to the flowchart of FIG. 33 for controlling hitting. The same step numbers are appended to the same steps as in FIG.

  The game device 100 determines whether or not the first user has predicted a pitching course or the like (S19), and when the prediction is not performed (NO in S19), sets the moving speed of the ball 506 to the default. (S151). Here, the default moving speed corresponds to the moving speed V0 of the ball 506 in the above equations (11) to (15) when no prediction is made, and is determined in step S4 of FIG. The normal moving speed based on the moving parameter. If no prediction is made, the delay period and the size of the arrival point area 507 are also set to default (S20 and S131).

  On the other hand, when the prediction is performed (YES in S19), the game device 100 determines the result of the prediction (S21). Here, when the prediction is correct (YES in S21), the game device 100 sets the moving speed of the ball 506 to be smaller than the case where the prediction is not performed (S152). As a result, since the pitched ball 506 moves slowly, a swing operation in accordance with the timing at which the ball can be hit is facilitated. Further, the game device 100 sets the delay period to, for example, zero (S22), and displays the size of the reaching point area 507 larger than the case where no prediction is made (S132). That is, when the prediction of the first user is made, the three merits of the steps S152, S22, and S132 occur, and the difficulty level of the batting operation is lowered. Note that at least one of these three merits may occur when a prediction is made.

  On the other hand, if the prediction is not satisfied (NO in S21), the game device 100 sets the moving speed of the ball 506 to be larger than that in the case where the prediction is not performed (S153). Furthermore, the game device 100 sets the delay period to a value (for example, 20 frames) longer than that in the case where the prediction is not performed (S23), and the size of the reaching point area 507 is not predicted. It is displayed smaller than the case (S133). That is, when the first user's prediction is not satisfied, the three disadvantages of steps S153, S23, and S133 occur, and the difficulty level of the batting operation is improved. Note that if the prediction is not met, at least one of these three disadvantages may occur.

  After any of Steps S41, S42, and S43 is executed, the process proceeds to Step S24 shown in FIG. The processing after step S24 is as shown in FIG.

  When the trajectory changes during the movement of the moving body like a changing sphere, it is preferable to control the moving speed of the moving body in the same manner as in each of the above-described embodiments. That is, the determination unit 73 determines the course prediction result of the user based on the moving course immediately after the moving body starts moving, and the moving unit 72 changes the moving speed of the moving body based on the determination result. Is preferred. Alternatively, as a configuration in which the result of the user's course prediction is determined on the basis of the final moving course in which the moving body reaches the action area, and the moving unit 72 changes the moving speed of the moving body based on the determination result. Also good.

  Further, the moving course of the moving body immediately after the start of the movement is out of the moving course predicted by the user, and the moving course of the moving body is changed from the middle of the movement due to the change in the trajectory of the moving body. When the determination is made by the determination means 73, the moving means 72 is more than the case where the moving course of the moving body deviates from the moving course predicted by the user in all of the movement course from the start of movement to the action area. However, it is preferable to reduce the moving speed of the moving body.

  However, if the moving speed of the moving body is reduced as described above after the moving body starts moving, the user finally predicts that the destination area 507 will reach the moving course predicted by the user. I can do it. This is because the moving speed of the moving body is reduced as described above, which means that the final user's course prediction is correct. For example, although the in-course should have been predicted, the point of reaching the out-course is reached. When the area 507 is displayed, it is possible to predict that the reaching point area 507 will eventually reach the in-course expected by the user. That is, it becomes possible to predict the future of the trajectory change of the changing sphere beyond the course prediction range. Therefore, in the above case, it is preferable to reduce the moving speed in the middle of the movement, rather than reducing the moving speed of the moving body from the time when the moving body starts moving. That is, in the above case, immediately after the moving body starts moving, the moving means 72 sets the moving speed of the moving body so that the user does not change the moving course of the moving body from immediately after the moving start until reaching the action area. It is the same as when it is outside the expected travel course. Thereafter, the moving speed of the moving body is decreased as described above at a stage in the middle of the moving body reaching the action area. Thereby, the situation where the future prediction as described above can be avoided from the time when the moving body starts moving can be avoided.

  When the moving speed of the moving body is reduced from the middle as described above, for example, the moving speed of the moving body that has deviated from the user's expected course becomes equal to the user's expected course. It may be decreased instantaneously, gradually decreased from the timing, or gradually decreased from a predetermined time before the timing (for example, 10 frames before) to the timing.

  In addition, the case where the timing at which the moving course of the moving body matches the expected course of the user is just before reaching the action area of the moving body is also conceivable. If the moving speed of the moving body is changed at this timing immediately before hitting, it may be difficult to perform the hitting operation on the contrary, so the timing for reducing the moving speed of the moving body from the middle (until the moving body arrives at the action area) The remaining period) may be limited. For example, when the remaining time until the moving body arrives at the action area is less than 45 frames, the timing at which the moving speed of the moving body is reduced from the middle 45 frames before the moving body arrives at the action area; To do.

  Alternatively, the timing at which the moving speed of the moving body is reduced from the middle may be fixed regardless of the timing at which the moving course of the moving body matches the expected course of the user. For example, the timing at which the arrival point area 507 is enlarged from the middle may be fixed before a predetermined time (for example, 45 frames before) when the moving body arrives at the action area.

  However, as a variation, the moving speed of the moving body may be reduced as described above after the moving body starts moving.

  In addition, the moving speed of the moving body when the moving course matches the expected course from the start of movement to the end of reaching the action area is Va, and it matches the expected course immediately after the start of the movement. The moving speed of the moving body when it does not match the course (departs from the predicted course) is Vb, the moving speed of the default moving body when the prediction is not performed is Vc, and does not match the expected course immediately after the start of movement. If the moving speed of the moving body when it matches the predicted course from the middle is Vd, and the moving speed of the moving body when it does not match the predicted course from the start of movement to the end of reaching the action area is Ve, then “Va <Vb The moving speed may be set so that a relationship of <Vc <Vd <Ve ”or“ Va <Vb ≦ Vc <Vd <Ve ”is established.

[Other Embodiments]
Hereinafter, a variation in which the delay period and / or the size of the arrival point region 507 is changed will be described.

  The game of the present embodiment is a game in which a first character operated by a user acts on a moving body. Here, examples of the first character include a batter character 501 in a baseball game, a goalkeeper character in a soccer game, and a receiver character that returns a ball hit by the opponent in a tennis game. The first character need not be a human character, and may be an animal, a monster, a robot, a fighter, or the like. These are examples, and a first character corresponding to the type and content of the game can be applied.

  As shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. 39, the game apparatus 100 includes information management means 77 in addition to the means 71 to 75 described above. This information management means 77 has a function of managing the parameters of the first character. Here, the first character will be described as a batter character 501 of a baseball game.

  Examples of parameters of the batter character 501 include batting ability, strength and weakness of the pitching course, strength and weakness of the ball type, and stamina (decrease of stamina due to fatigue as the number of innings increases). The information management means 77 manages the parameters of the batter character 501 as described above by storing them in a storage device (such as the RAM 5). The parameters of the batter character 501 are stored, for example, in the recording medium 300 or the memory 18 shown in FIG. 1, read out at the start of the game, and stored in the RAM 5. Further, when the game apparatus 100 accesses the server apparatus 400, the latest parameters may be downloaded.

  And the display control means 74 of this Embodiment has the function to change the magnitude | size of the said delay period and / or the said arrival point area | region 507 based on the parameter of the batter character 501 as a 1st character.

  For example, the display control means 74 decreases the basic value of the delay period (the default value when not expected) as the hitting ability parameter of the batter character 501 increases. Here, the basic value of the delay period corresponds to, for example, the delay period T0 in the above formulas (2) to (5) when the prediction is not performed.

  Further, the display control means 74 increases the basic size of the reaching point area 507 (the default size when it is not predicted) as the parameter of the batting ability of the batter character 501 is higher. Here, the basic size of the arrival point region 507 corresponds to, for example, the radius R0 of the arrival point region 507 in the above formulas (6) to (10) when no prediction is made.

  This is because the higher the hitting ability, the higher the ability to catch the ball with the bat, and this is reflected as the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 (the delay period) or the size of the arrival point area 507. It is.

For example, when the parameter of the batting ability of the batter character 501 is “p”, in the above formulas (2) to (5), the delay period T0 when no prediction is made is
T0 = f (p)
As a function of the parameter “p”. As described above, the delay period T1 may further change from the delay period T0 depending on whether the prediction is correct or not based on the above equations (2) to (5).

Similarly, when the parameter of the batting ability of the batter character 501 is “p”, the radius R0 of the reaching point area 507 when no prediction is made in the above formulas (6) to (10) is
R0 = f (p)
As a function of the parameter “p”. As described above, the radius R1 of the reaching point region 507 may further change from the radius R0 depending on whether the prediction is correct or based on the above formulas (6) to (10).

  Further, for example, when the course of the ball 506 thrown by the pitcher character 502 is a good course of the batter character 501 standing at the bat (for example, out-of-course high), the delay period is longer than that. Becomes smaller and / or the basic size of the reaching point region 507 becomes larger. On the contrary, when the pitched ball 506 course is a weak course of the batter character 501 standing at the bat (for example, low in course), the basic value of the delay period is more than that. Increases and / or the basic size of the destination area 507 decreases.

  Further, for example, when the ball type of the ball 506 thrown by the pitcher character 502 is a good ball type (for example, straight) of the batter character 501 standing at the bat, the delay period is longer than that when the pitch type character 502 is not. The basic value decreases and / or the basic size of the arrival point area 507 increases. On the contrary, when the pitch of the pitched ball 506 is a weak ball type (for example, slider) of the batter character 501 standing at the bat, the basic value of the delay period is more than that when it is not. Increases and / or the basic size of the destination area 507 decreases.

  Further, for example, as the number of innings in the game of the batter character 501 increases, the stamina parameter of the batter character 501 decreases. Therefore, the smaller the stamina parameter of the batter character 501 standing at the bat (in other words, the larger the number of appearance innings), the larger the basic value of the delay period and / or the basic of the reaching point region 507. The size of becomes smaller.

  Furthermore, for example, the above formulas (2) to (5) are applied, and the basic value of the delay period determined based on the parameters of the batter character 501 changes depending on whether the prediction is correct or not. Further, for example, the basic size of the reaching point area 507 determined by applying the above formulas (6) to (10) and based on the parameters of the batter character 501 changes depending on whether the prediction is correct or not.

  In this way, the various parameters of the batter character 501 as the first character are reflected as the delay period for determining the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 and / or the size of the arrival point area 507, thereby making it more interesting. A high game can be realized.

  Next, another variation for changing the size of the reaching point area 507 will be described. The game of the present embodiment is a game in which a second character sends out a moving object. Here, examples of the second character include a pitcher character in a baseball game, a kicker character kicking in a PK battle in a soccer game, and a server character in a tennis game. Note that the second character need not be a human character, and may be an animal, a monster, a robot, a fighter, or the like. These are examples, and a second character corresponding to the type and content of the game can be applied.

  The information management means 77 of the game apparatus 100 has a function of managing the parameters of the second character. Here, the second character will be described as a pitcher character 502 in a baseball game.

  Examples of the parameters of the pitcher character 502 include ball power, ball control power, strength and weakness of the pitching course, strength and weakness of the ball type, and stamina (decrease of stamina due to fatigue as the number of pitching innings increases). The information management means 77 manages the parameters of the pitcher character 502 as described above by storing them in a storage device (RAM 5 or the like). The parameters of the pitcher character 502 are stored, for example, in the recording medium 300 or the memory 18 shown in FIG. 1, and are read out and stored in the RAM 5 at the start of the game. Further, when the game apparatus 100 accesses the server apparatus 400, the latest parameters may be downloaded.

  And the display control means 74 of this Embodiment has the function to change the magnitude | size of the said delay period and / or the said arrival point area | region 507 based on the parameter of the pitcher character 502 as a 2nd character.

  For example, the display control means 74 increases the basic value of the delay period and / or decreases the basic size of the reaching point region 507 as the pitcher character 502's ball power or control power parameter is higher. This is because the pitcher character 502 with higher ball power or control power can throw a ball that is harder for the batter to hit, so this is the delay period for determining the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 and / or the size of the arrival point area 507. Is reflected.

For example, when the pitch parameter of the pitcher character 502 is “q” and the parameter of the ball control power is “r”, the delay period T0 when the prediction is not performed in the above formulas (2) to (5) is
T0 = f (q, r)
As a function of parameters “q” and “r”. As described above, the delay period T1 may further change from the delay period T0 depending on whether the prediction is correct or not based on the above equations (2) to (5).

Similarly, when the parameter of the pitcher character 502 is “q” and the parameter of the ball control power is “r”, the reaching point region 507 when the prediction is not made in the above formulas (6) to (10). The radius R0 of
R0 = f (q, r)
As a function of parameters “q” and “r”. As described above, the radius R1 of the reaching point region 507 may further change from the radius R0 depending on whether the prediction is correct or based on the above formulas (6) to (10).

  In addition, for example, if the course pitched by the pitcher character 502 is a course that he is good at (for example, out-of-course low course), the basic value of the delay period is larger than the case where it is not, and / or The basic size of the arrival point area 507 is reduced. Conversely, if the course pitched by the pitcher character 502 is a course that he is not good at (for example, in-course high course), the basic value of the delay period is smaller than the case where it is not, and / or The basic size of the arrival point area 507 is increased.

  In addition, for example, if the pitch type that the pitcher character 502 has pitched is a ball type (for example, a slider) that the player is good at, the basic value of the delay period is larger than that in the case that is not so, and / or The basic size of the arrival point area 507 is reduced. Conversely, if the pitch type pitched by the pitcher character 502 is his or her weak ball type (for example, straight), the basic value of the delay period is smaller than that in the case where it is not, and / or The basic size of the arrival point area 507 is increased.

  Further, for example, the above formulas (2) to (5) are applied, and the basic value of the delay period determined based on the parameters of the pitcher character 502 changes depending on whether the prediction is correct or not. Further, for example, by applying the above formulas (6) to (10), the basic size of the reaching point area 507 determined based on the parameters of the pitcher character 502 changes depending on whether the prediction is correct or not.

  In this way, the various parameters of the pitcher character 502 as the second character are reflected as the delay period for determining the display start timing of the arrival point area 507 and / or the size of the arrival point area 507, thereby making it more interesting. A high game can be realized.

  Next, another variation for changing the size of the reaching point area 507 will be described. The game of the present embodiment is a game in which the first character operated by the user acts on the moving body sent out by the second character. For example, in a baseball game, the first character corresponds to the batter character 501 and the second character corresponds to the pitcher character 502, as described above.

  And the information management means 77 of this Embodiment has the function to manage the information regarding the compatibility of a 1st character and a 2nd character. Here, the information regarding compatibility may be, for example, information that the right batter is compatible with the left pitcher and is not compatible with the right pitcher. It may be compatible. For example, the batter B1 may be information indicating that the batter B1 is good at the pitcher P1 (the batting percentage for the pitcher P1 is higher than the standard) but is not good at the pitcher P2 (the batting percentage for the pitcher P2 is lower than the standard). Such compatibility information is stored in, for example, the recording medium 300 or the memory 18 shown in FIG. 1, read out at the start of the game, and stored in the RAM 5. Further, when the game apparatus 100 accesses the server apparatus 400, the latest information may be downloaded.

  Further, the information management means 77 manages the data of individual battle results (batting rate, etc.) between each batter character 501 and each pitcher character 502 in the game, and the compatibility between each batter and the pitcher is the latest information. You may make it update to. For example, a batter character 501 whose personal battle batting rate for a certain pitcher character 502 is equal to or higher than a first reference batting rate (for example, 30%) is managed as having a good pitcher character 502 (good compatibility). Also, a batter character 501 whose personal battle batting rate for a pitcher character 502 is equal to or less than a second reference batting rate (for example, 20%) is managed as having poor pitcher character 502 (not compatible).

  And the display control means 74 of this Embodiment has a function to change the magnitude | size of the said delay period and / or the arrival point area | region 507 based on the information regarding the said compatibility.

  For example, when the specific pitcher character 502 that is compatible with a batter character 501 is the opponent, the display control means 74 makes the basic value of the delay period smaller and / or reaches the arrival point area 507 than when it is not. Increase the basic size of. This is because the batter character 501 often sees the ball thrown by the opponent when the compatible pitcher character 502 is the opponent, so this is regarded as the delay period and / or the size of the reaching point area 507. Is reflected. On the contrary, when the specific pitcher character 502 that is not compatible with a batter character 501 is the opponent, the basic value of the delay period is increased and / or the basic size of the reaching point area 507 is higher than when the specific pitcher character 502 is not the other party. Make it smaller.

  Furthermore, for example, the above formulas (2) to (6) are applied, and the basic value of the delay period determined based on the information about the compatibility changes depending on whether the prediction is correct or not. Further, for example, the basic size of the arrival point region 507 determined based on the information on the compatibility by applying the above formulas (6) to (10) changes depending on whether the prediction is correct or not.

  In this way, the information regarding the compatibility between the batter character 501 as the first character and the pitcher character 502 as the second character is managed, and the delay period for determining the display start timing of the arrival point area 507, and / or Alternatively, by reflecting the size of the reaching point area 507, a more interesting game can be realized.

[Other Embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, the moving speed of the moving body such as the ball 506 is changed by changing the delay period, changing the size of the reaching point area 507, and / or depending on the result of the user's prediction. The configuration for changing the above has been described. As a variation, the configuration that changes the speed of the moving body after the action is applied according to the result of the user's expectation is combined with at least one of the above-described configurations or without being combined with the above-described configurations alone. May be adopted.

  That is, the determining means 75 that determines the action on the moving body changes the moving speed of the moving body after the action is given based on the determination result by the determining means 73 that determines the result of the user's prediction. For example, when the determination unit 73 determines that the user's prediction is correct, the determination unit 75 increases the moving speed of the moving body after the action is applied, compared to the case where the prediction is not performed. . For example, in a baseball game, when the user's prediction is correct, the hitting speed when the ball 506 is hit back is made larger than when no prediction is made (for example, the hitting speed is 1.2. Double).

  Further, for example, when the determination unit 73 determines that the user's prediction is not satisfied, the determination unit 75 determines the moving speed of the moving body after the action is applied, compared to the case where the prediction is not performed. Make it smaller. For example, in a baseball game, when the user's expectation is lost, the hitting speed when the ball 506 is hit back is made smaller than when the prediction is not made (for example, the hitting speed is increased by 0.8 times). ).

  Further, for example, the determination means 75 increases the moving speed of the moving body after the action is applied continuously or stepwise as the degree of coincidence of the prediction determined by the determination means 73 is higher. Also good.

  Next, a variation of a method in which the prediction receiving unit 71 of the game apparatus 100 acquires prediction information related to the moving course of the moving object will be described. The game apparatus 100 having this configuration includes cursor control means 76 that moves the aiming cursor 503 according to the operation of the first user, and the expectation accepting means 71 is aimed at a predetermined timing at the start of movement of the moving body or before the start of movement. It has a function of acquiring position information of the cursor 503 as prediction information for a moving course as a movement parameter.

  The timing when the moving body starts moving is the timing when the ball 506 is released from the pitcher character 502. An example of the predetermined timing before the moving body starts moving is a timing at which the pitcher character 502 starts a pitching action. The position information of the aiming cursor 503 at such timing is acquired as prediction information related to the pitching course.

  For example, when the first user predicts the in-course, it is considered that the aiming cursor 503 is moved to the in-course position in advance before the ball 506 is released from the pitcher character 502. This is because the first user makes the aiming cursor 503 wait in advance in the predicted course, and if the prediction is correct, it is possible to accurately adjust the arrival point area 507 only by finely adjusting the position of the aiming cursor 503. It is because it can be caught. Therefore, the position of the aiming cursor 503 when the ball 506 is released from the pitcher character 502 (or when the pitching motion is started) is regarded as the pitching course predicted by the first user, and the position information is acquired as the predicted information. is there.

  The position information of the aiming cursor 503 can be, for example, coordinate information of the central portion of the meet cursor 503a in the aiming cursor 503. Alternatively, if the position of the center of the meet cursor 503a is in the in-course area, the position information is “in course”, and if the position is in the out-course area, the position information is “out course”. "," Out course ", etc.

  With this configuration, the first user simply performs the movement operation of the aiming cursor 503, and at the same time, performs the operation for predicting the moving course of the moving body, so that the operation can be simplified.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example of application to a baseball game has been mainly shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to various games that give some action to a moving body such as soccer and tennis. An example of application to a soccer game is shown below.

  As an example of a moving body sent out (kicked out) from a kicker character operated by a second user (or automatically controlled by a CPU), a goalkeeper character operated by a first user in a soccer PK game Catch or play the ball. For example, the first user who operates the goalkeeper character can catch or play the ball by overlaying the aiming cursor or the finger on the arrival point area of the ball sent from the kicker character.

  In the case of such a soccer game, the first user can predict the kick course of the ball in advance. For example, when the first user predicts that the kicker character is aiming for the right course, the first user performs, for example, a prediction operation of tilting the analog stick of the controller 19 to the right before the ball is sent from the kicker character. Thereby, for example, the color on the right side of the goal object changes to notify that the course prediction input has been performed. And the prediction reception means 71 of the game device 100 acquires the prediction information with respect to the course as an example of a movement parameter based on the said prediction operation of a 1st user.

  If the prediction is made, if the prediction is correct, the time period from the start of the movement of the ball kicked by the kicker character to the start of display of the arrival point area (the delay period) is shorter than the case where the prediction is made. And / or a merit that the reaching point area becomes large occurs. Accordingly, the first user can perform an operation of placing the aiming cursor (specific area) on the reaching point area from an early stage immediately after the kick of the kicker character. In addition, the aiming cursor can be easily overlapped with a desired position in the destination area. For example, when the aiming cursor overlaps the upper area, the lower area, the right area, and the left area of the destination area, the ball can be played in the downward direction, the upward direction, the left direction, and the right direction, respectively. For example, when the game continues after the penalty kick by the kicker character, it is preferable that the goalkeeper character plays the ball in the direction in which the teammate player character is present. In this regard, the delay period is shorter than usual (for example, the delay period becomes zero), and if the arrival point area becomes larger, the ball is played in the direction where the player character of the teammate is present. It is easy to place the aiming cursor at a desired position in the destination area.

  On the other hand, when the first user's course is not predicted, there is a demerit that the delay period becomes longer and / or the destination area becomes smaller than when the course is not predicted. The game device 100 that controls the soccer game also has the same effects as the baseball game.

  Next, an application example to a tennis game is shown. In a tennis serve scene, a receiver character operated by a first user strikes back a ball as an example of a moving body sent from a server character operated by a second user (or automatically controlled by a CPU). . For example, the first user who operates the receiver character can strike back the ball by placing the aiming cursor or finger on the destination area of the served ball.

  In such a tennis game, the first user can predict in advance the course on which the serve will come. For example, when the first user predicts that the server character is aiming for the right course, the first user performs, for example, a prediction operation of tilting the analog stick of the controller 19 to the right before the ball is sent from the server character. Thereby, for example, the color on the right side of the tennis court changes to notify that the course prediction input has been performed. And the prediction reception means 71 of the game device 100 acquires the prediction information with respect to the course as an example of a movement parameter based on the said prediction operation of a 1st user.

  If the prediction is made, if the prediction is correct, the period from the start of the movement of the ball served by the server character to the start of the display of the arrival point area (the delay period) is shorter than the case where the prediction is not expected. And / or a merit that the reaching point area becomes large occurs. This makes it easy for the first user to place the aiming cursor (specific area) at a desired position in the destination area from an early stage immediately after serving. For example, if the aiming cursor overlaps the upper area of the reaching point area, it becomes a drive shot, whereas if the aiming cursor overlaps the lower area of the reaching point area, the ball is rotated in reverse and becomes a slice shot. be able to. Therefore, if the prediction is correct, it is easy to perform an operation of dividing the drive shot and the slice shot from the early stage immediately after the serve, aiming at a desired position in the enlarged arrival point region.

  On the other hand, when the first user's course is not predicted, there is a demerit that the delay period becomes longer and / or the destination area becomes smaller than when the course is not predicted. The game apparatus 100 that controls the tennis game also has the same effects as the baseball game.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the game program is executed in the game device 100 operated by the user has been described. However, the game program is executed in the server device in accordance with the game operation input in the terminal device, and the execution is executed. A game system that transmits the result to the terminal device of each user can also be applied. A configuration example of this game system is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, this game system includes a server device 1000 installed on a network 600 such as the Internet, and a terminal device 2000 of each user that can communicate with the server device 1000 via the network 600. Is done.

  The server apparatus 1000 provides the user with a so-called cloud gaming service that transmits a game video as a result of executing the game to the terminal apparatus 2000 in a streaming format, for example. In the service form for providing this cloud gaming, it is not necessary to download or install software dedicated to the game on the user terminal device 2000, and the user can easily connect the server device anywhere in the environment where the terminal device 2000 can be connected to the network 600. The game service provided from 1000 can be enjoyed.

  The hardware configuration of the server device 1000 and the terminal device 2000 can be a general computer configuration including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an auxiliary storage device, a communication interface, and the like. The functional configuration of the server apparatus 1000 may include a prediction receiving unit 71, a moving unit 72, a determining unit 73, a display control unit 74, and a determining unit 75, as in the game device 100 described above. The server apparatus 1000 may include the information management unit 77 described above. Thus, even when the server device 1000 has the function of the game apparatus 100, the same effects as the game apparatus 100 are obtained.

  The server apparatus 1000 and the terminal apparatus 2000 can communicate with each other to transmit and receive various data, and are information processing apparatuses (computers) each including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an auxiliary storage device, a communication interface, and the like. It has the same hardware configuration. Therefore, in the game system including the server apparatus 1000 and the terminal apparatus 2000, each unit included in the game apparatus 100 described in each of the above embodiments may be included in either the server apparatus 1000 or the terminal apparatus 2000. Good. In other words, each unit included in the game apparatus 100 can be distributed between the server apparatus 1000 and the terminal apparatus 2000. This configuration also provides the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment.

  Further, regarding a configuration having a storage control function for storing various types of information in a storage device, the storage device itself is not included in the configuration, so it is installed anywhere, whether inside or outside the game device 100, server device, or game system. May be. For example, the storage device may be the RAM 5 or memory 18 included in the game device 100, the RAM or auxiliary storage device included in the server device, or a file server (online storage) having a configuration different from that of the game device 100 or server device. .

  The configurations described in the above embodiments can be applied in appropriate combination.

  The computer-readable program according to the present embodiment is recorded on various computer-readable non-transitory recording media such as a hard disk, an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.), a flexible disk, and a semiconductor memory. The data is read from the recording medium and executed by the CPU of the game device and the server device. The means for providing the program to a game device or the like is not limited to the recording medium described above, and can be performed via a communication network such as the Internet.

  As described so far, the outline of the game device and the like of the present embodiment is as follows.

  1) A game device (100, 1000) according to an aspect of the present invention controls a game that acts on a moving body (for example, a ball 506), and is a user related to a moving parameter of the moving body (506). A prediction receiving means (71) for receiving the prediction, a moving means (72) for determining a movement parameter of the mobile body (506), information on the prediction of the user received by the prediction receiving means (71), Based on the movement parameter determined by the moving means (72), a determination means (73) for determining the result of the user's prediction, and an action area capable of acting on the moving body (506) , A display control means (74) for displaying an arrival point area (507) indicating a position where the moving body (506) arrives, and a predetermined by the user A determination means (75) for determining an action on the moving body (506) when a specific area for acting on the moving body (506) is designated in the action area based on the operation; The display control means (74) changes a period from the start of movement of the mobile body (506) to the start of display of the destination area based on the result of determination by the determination means (73). .

  The game controlled by the game apparatus having this configuration is a game that acts on a moving body. An example of the moving body is a ball in a sports simulation game. Other examples of moving objects include fighters and missiles in action games. Moreover, as an example of an action, there are hitting a moving body, adding rotation, capturing, and destroying. An example of this game is a baseball game in which a batter character operated by a user hits back (hits) a ball (moving body) thrown by a pitcher character. This game apparatus can be applied not only to baseball games but also to various games that give some action to moving objects, such as soccer, tennis, and battle simulation.

  In this game apparatus, the prediction receiving unit receives a user's prediction regarding the movement parameter of the moving object when, for example, a predetermined prediction operation is performed by the user. The prediction by the user is arbitrary, and only when the user wants to predict, the prediction operation may be performed. The user's prediction regarding the moving parameter of the moving object includes the prediction of the moving course of the moving object, the prediction of the trajectory change when the moving object moves, and the like. For example, in a baseball game, a pitching course prediction (inner angle, outer angle, high eye, low eye, etc. prediction), a ball type prediction (straight ball, various change ball predictions), etc. are user predictions regarding the moving parameters of the moving object. included.

  Further, the moving means determines a movement parameter. Then, the moving body is moved based on the determined movement parameter. For example, in a baseball game, an opponent user performs an operation for determining a movement parameter (throwing course, ball type, etc.) of a ball thrown by a pitcher character, so that the moving means can perform a pitching course or a ball based on the operation. Decide the seed and move the ball toward the batter character. When the batter-side user plays against the computer by playing alone (so-called CPU battle), the moving means automatically determines the movement parameters (throwing course, ball type, etc.).

  When a prediction is made by the user, the determination unit determines that the determination unit is based on the information about the user's prediction about the movement parameter received by the prediction reception unit and the actual movement parameter determined by the movement unit. Determine the outcome of the prediction. The determination of the prediction result by the determination unit may determine whether or not the user's prediction is correct, or may determine the degree of coincidence of the prediction. For example, if the user predicts an out course and the actual ball throwing course is an out course, it is determined that the user's prediction has been hit. If the actual ball throwing course is other than the out course, It is determined that the expectation has been lost. In addition, as the degree of coincidence, for example, the degree of coincidence between the movement parameter predicted by the user (information about the user's prediction about the movement parameter) and the actual movement parameter (movement parameter determined by the moving unit) is, for example, a value Or it can be expressed as a level.

  In addition, a reaching point area indicating a position where the moving body arrives is displayed in an action area that can act on the moving body (for example, in a baseball game, a strike zone or a strikeable area including the strike zone). The mobile body may further pass through the arrival point area displayed in the action area. For example, in a baseball game, when the ball is turned off without swinging the bat, or when the ball is swung, the ball as the moving body passes through the strike zone as the action area.

  The user can give an action to the moving body by a predetermined operation. Here, the predetermined operation is an operation for giving an action to the moving body. Taking a baseball game as an example, the predetermined operation can be an operation to move the meet cursor to an arbitrary position, or an operation to directly touch an arbitrary location with a finger or pen to specify an area (specific area) where the bat hits Etc. are included. In addition, for a predetermined operation, an operation for performing a bat swing in synchronization with the moving ball (for example, an operation of pressing a swing button or an operation of bringing a finger into contact with the screen or releasing it from the screen at the timing of the swing) Etc.). Note that the game may be able to be hit only by performing an operation of designating an area hit by a bat with a meet cursor or the like, and in addition to designating an area hit by a bat, a bat swing is performed at a timing capable of hitting. It may be a game that cannot be hit unless an operation (operation for designating the timing of applying an action) is performed. That is, in the example of the baseball game, the predetermined operation includes at least an operation for designating a specific area (area where the bat is hit).

  When a specific area (an area where a bat hits in the case of baseball) is designated at least in the action area by the predetermined operation, an action on the moving body is determined by the determining means. For example, the determining means can determine the action (battering result) on the moving body based on the positional relationship between the specific area and the reaching point area. For example, if the arrival point area and the specific area are separated from each other, the swing is lost, and if the specific area overlaps the lower area of the arrival point area, the hit ball becomes a flying ball (fly, liner), and the upper area of the arrival point area If the specific area overlaps, the hit ball will go round.

  Alternatively, the determining means can determine the action (battering result) on the moving body based on the positional relationship between the specific area and the moving body (the moving body when it reaches the action area). For example, if the moving object and the specific area are separated from each other when the action area is reached, the swinging movement is lost, and if the specific area overlaps the lower area of the moving object, the hit ball becomes a flying ball (fly, liner) and moves If the specific area overlaps the upper area of the body, the hit ball becomes a ball.

  Of course, when it is necessary to perform the bat swing operation at a timing at which it can be struck, the action (striking result) may be determined in consideration of the timing of the bat swing operation. That is, the determining means may determine an action on the moving body based on an operation for designating a specific area by the user, or move based on an operation for designating the specific area and an operation for designating the timing of applying the action. The effect on the body may be determined.

  And in this game device, based on the result of the determination by the determination means for determining the result of the user's prediction, the display start timing of the arrival point area displayed in the action area, that is, the movement object arrives from the start of movement It has a characteristic configuration in which a period until the start of display of the dot area (this period is referred to as a “delay period”) changes.

  For example, as in the configuration of 2) described later, when the user's prediction is lost, the delay period is set longer than when the prediction is not performed or when the prediction is made. As an example, as in the configuration of 4) described later, the delay period when the prediction is not made or when the prediction is made is zero (that is, the arrival point without delay at the same time when the moving object starts moving). When the display of the area is started and the prediction is lost, the delay period is set to, for example, 20 frame periods (here, 1 frame = 1/60 seconds).

  Further, for example, as in the configuration of 3) described later, when the prediction by the user is correct, the delay period is made shorter than when the prediction is not performed or when the prediction is not satisfied.

  Or you may make it change so that the said delay period may become long continuously or in steps, so that the concordance degree of prediction is low like the structure of 5) mentioned later.

  As described above, it is difficult to perform a user operation (for example, a batting operation of a baseball game) for acting on a moving body by changing the timing of starting the display of the arrival point area according to the result of the user's prediction. The degree can be changed. For example, if the user's expectation is wrong and the display of the arrival point area after the pitch is delayed, the user who performs the batting operation is delayed in the timing for confirming where the ball as the moving body finally comes. It becomes difficult to do. In addition, when the user's prediction is correct, for example, if the display of the arrival point area is started without delay immediately after the pitching, an operation of placing the cursor or the like on the arrival point area from an early stage immediately after the pitching becomes possible. The difficulty level of the batting operation is lower than when the user's expectation is lost. As described above, since the prediction result is clarified as the difficulty level of the user operation, the user can feel the merit or demerit based on the prediction result, and the user can easily get a sense of satisfaction with the prediction result.

  2) In the configuration of the above 1), the display control means (74) determines that the prediction is successful when the determination means (73) determines that the user's prediction is not satisfied, or It is preferable to make the period longer than when no prediction is made.

  Here, the determination means is a case where the movement parameter predicted by the user (information regarding the user's prediction about the movement parameter received by the prediction reception means) and the movement parameter determined by the movement means do not match, or When the degree of coincidence between the two is less than a predetermined threshold or level, it can be determined that “the prediction has been lost”.

  According to this configuration, when the user's prediction is deviated, the display start timing of the arrival point area displayed in the action area is later than when the prediction is successful or when the prediction is not performed. This is because, for example, if the course is not predicted, the moving body (such as a ball) is out of the user's line of sight, so the visibility of the moving body decreases. By making it larger, it is reproduced on the game in a pseudo manner. For this reason, the user's operation such as batting becomes clearly more difficult and the game is more tense than when the prediction is wrong, when the prediction is successful, or when the prediction is not made.

  3) In the configuration of the above 1) or 2), the display control means (74) is determined to have lost the prediction when the determination means (73) determines that the user's prediction has been met. It is preferable to shorten the period compared to the case or the case where the prediction is not performed.

  Here, the determination means is the case where the movement parameter predicted by the user (information regarding the user's prediction about the movement parameter received by the prediction reception means) matches the movement parameter determined by the movement means, or When the degree of coincidence between the two is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold or level, it can be determined that “the prediction has been hit”.

  According to this configuration, when the user's prediction is correct, the display start timing of the arrival point area displayed in the action area is earlier than when the prediction is missed or when the prediction is not performed. This is because, for example, if the course prediction is correct, the visibility of the moving body (such as a ball) is improved because the user's eyes are there. By displaying the arrival point area (simultaneously with the start of movement), it is simulated on the game. For this reason, the user's operation such as hitting is clearly easier to perform than when the prediction is correct, when the prediction is wrong, or when the prediction is not made.

  4) In the configuration of 2) above, the display control means (74) sets the period when the prediction is determined by the determination means (73) or when the prediction is not performed to zero. It is preferable to do.

  In this configuration, when it is determined by the determination means that the prediction has been achieved or when the prediction has not been performed, display of the arrival point region is started simultaneously with the start of movement of the moving body. Thereby, the demerit when the user's expectation is lost, that is, the delay in starting the display of the arrival point area becomes clearer.

  5) In the configuration of 1) above, the determination unit (73) includes the information on the prediction of the user received by the prediction reception unit (71) and the movement parameter determined by the movement unit (72). Based on the above, it is preferable that the degree of coincidence of prediction is determined, and the display control means (74) lengthens the period as the degree of coincidence of prediction is lower.

  According to this configuration, the lower the degree of coincidence of prediction, the later the display start timing of the arrival point area is delayed. The degree of coincidence of prediction can be calculated based on, for example, the amount of deviation between the coordinates of the course predicted by the user and the coordinates of the actual pitching course (the distance between the two coordinates). The degree of coincidence is low.

  In this way, by changing the display start timing of the arrival point area continuously or stepwise according to the degree of coincidence of the prediction, an operation (battering operation) for adding the effect to the degree of coincidence of the prediction Etc.) can be accurately reflected as the degree of difficulty.

  6) In the configuration of any one of 2) to 5) above, when the trajectory changes during the movement of the moving body (506), the display control means (74) performs the arrival according to the change of the trajectory. The position where the point area (507) is displayed is changed, the movement parameter is a movement course, and the determination means (73) is based on the movement course immediately after the movement of the moving body (506) starts. It is preferable to determine the expected result.

  For example, in a baseball game, when the pitched ball is a changing ball such as a slider, the trajectory of the ball changes during movement. For example, when the traveling direction of the ball is the z-axis direction, the coordinate position of the ball in the horizontal direction and / or the vertical direction on a plane (xy plane) perpendicular to the z-axis by changing the trajectory of the ball Therefore, this change in the position of the ball is reflected as a change in the position of the reaching point area in the action area (strike zone). In this case, the user can predict the final arrival position of the ball in the strike zone by paying attention to the moving direction and speed of the arrival point area.

  In this configuration, the user can predict a “movement course” (a pitching course in the example of a baseball game) as a movement parameter of the moving object. Then, the determining means determines the result of the user's prediction (presence / absence of prediction, degree of coincidence, etc.) based on the moving course immediately after the moving body starts moving, and based on the result of the determination, the display control means Controls the display start timing of the destination area.

  For example, the moving course of the moving body immediately after the start of movement matches the moving course predicted by the user, but the moving course of the moving body is changed from the middle of moving due to a change in the trajectory of the moving body. In the case of deviating from the above (when the final position of the moving body is different from the user's expectation), the following occurs. In this case, since the moving course immediately after the start of movement of the moving body matches the user's expectation, the delay period is shorter than when the prediction is deviated or when the prediction is not performed. For example, the arrival point area is displayed immediately after the start of movement, with the delay period set to zero.

  In addition, for example, the moving course of the moving body immediately after the start of movement is out of the moving course predicted by the user. If it matches the course: In this case, since the moving course immediately after the start of movement of the moving body is out of the user's expectation, the delay period becomes longer than the case where the prediction is made or the case where the prediction is not made and The start timing is delayed.

  In this way, when the trajectory changes during the movement of the moving body, the user's prediction result is determined based on the moving course immediately after the start of movement, and the display start timing of the destination area is controlled based on this determination. The reason is as follows. For example, in the case of a baseball game, if the course of the ball immediately after the pitch is the user's expected course, the batter's eyes can quickly catch the ball after the pitch (high visibility to the ball). Even if the ball's trajectory goes off the course, the arrival point area is displayed at an early timing. On the other hand, if the ball course immediately after the pitch is not the user's expected course, even if the final ball course enters the user's expected course, the batter's eyes can catch the ball immediately after the pitch. Since there is no (the visibility with respect to a ball | bowl is low), the display start of the arrival point area | region is made late.

  Further, when the trajectory changes during the movement of the moving body, the user's prediction result is determined based on the final moving course (arrival position to the action area) of the moving body, and based on this determination When the display start timing of the arrival point area is controlled, the following inconvenience may occur. For example, assume that the user anticipates in-course. When the ball course immediately after throwing is out of the in-course expected by the user, and the ball course enters the user's expected course from the middle, the prediction of hitting the start of the arrival point area is correct If this is done at an early timing, the user can predict the future that the destination area finally reaches the in-course when the destination area is displayed. That is, it becomes possible to predict the future of the trajectory change of the changing sphere beyond the course prediction range. As in this configuration, it is possible to avoid the situation where the future prediction can be performed by determining the result of the user's prediction based on the moving course immediately after the start of movement and controlling the display start timing of the arrival point area.

  7) In the configuration of 6) above, the moving course of the moving body (506) immediately after the start of movement is out of the moving course expected by the user, and the moving body (506) moves due to a change in the trajectory. If the determination means (73) determines that the moving course of the moving body (506) matches the moving course predicted by the user from the middle, the display control means (74) may display the moving body (506). It is preferable that the period of time is shorter than the case where the user's movement course is out of the movement course predicted by the user from the time immediately after the movement starts until the movement area is reached.

  Here, “the moving course of the moving body deviates from the moving course predicted by the user” means that the moving course predicted by the user does not match the moving course determined by the moving means, or the two match. Includes cases where the degree is less than a predetermined threshold or level. In addition, “the moving course of the moving body matches the moving course predicted by the user” means that the moving course predicted by the user matches the moving course determined by the moving means, or the two match. Includes cases where the degree is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold or level.

  Basically, as in the configuration of 6) above, the user's prediction result is determined based on the moving course immediately after the start of movement, and the display start timing of the destination area is controlled based on this determination. Therefore, when the moving course of the moving body immediately after the start of movement is out of the moving course predicted by the user, the delay period becomes longer than the case where the prediction is not performed, etc. The start timing is delayed. However, if the moving course of the moving body matches the moving course predicted by the user due to a change in the trajectory of the moving body, the moving course of the moving body will reach the action area immediately after the movement starts. The display start timing of the arrival point area is made earlier than in the case where the user has deviated from the expected course. For example, when the moving course of the moving object is out of the user's expected course from the start to the end of the movement (for example, when the user expects an in-course and a straight ball is thrown on an out-course), the delay The period is set to 20 frame periods, and immediately after the start of movement, the user has deviated from the movement course predicted by the user. However, when the movement course predicted by the user is in the middle of the movement (for example, the user anticipates in-course and out-of-course When a changing ball that changes in-course is thrown), the delay period is 10 frame periods. This is because even if the moving body is out of the movement course predicted by the user immediately after the movement starts, the user's visibility with respect to the moving body increases from the middle because the user enters the moving course predicted by the user during the movement. The state is a simulated reproduction of the game. Thereby, when the trajectory changes during the movement of the moving body, the predicted result of the user's moving course can be accurately reflected as the difficulty level of the game operation.

  8) In the configuration according to any one of 1) to 7), the game is a game in which a first character (for example, a batter character 501) operated by a user acts on the moving body (506). The display control means (74) preferably changes the period based on a parameter of the first character (501).

  Here, examples of the first character include a batter character in a baseball game, a goalkeeper character in a soccer game, and a receiver character that returns a ball hit by the opponent in a tennis game. These are examples, and a first character corresponding to the type and content of the game can be applied.

  For example, in the baseball game, the parameters of the first character can be exemplified by the hitting ability, the strength and weakness of the pitching course, the strength and weakness of the ball type, and the stamina (the stamina decreases as the number of innings increases). . For example, the higher the striking ability of the first character, the smaller the basic value of the delay period (default value when not expected), and the basic value further changes depending on whether the prediction is correct. Also, for example, if the pitched ball course is a good course of the first character, the basic value of the delay period is smaller than the case where it is not so, and the basic value is an anticipation (or coincidence) It varies further depending on the degree.

  In this way, by reflecting the parameters of the first character in the delay period that determines the display start timing of the arrival point area, a more interesting game can be realized.

  9) In the configuration of any one of 1) to 8), the game is a game in which the second character (502) sends out the moving body (506), and the display control means (74) The period is preferably changed based on a parameter of the second character (for example, pitcher character 502).

  Here, examples of the second character include a pitcher character in a baseball game, a kicker character kicking in a PK battle in a soccer game, and a server character in a tennis game. These are examples, and a second character corresponding to the type and content of the game can be applied.

  For example, in a baseball game, the parameters of the second character include ball power, control power, strength and weakness of the pitching course, strength and weakness of the ball type, and stamina (decrease stamina due to fatigue as the number of pitching innings increases). It can be illustrated. For example, the higher the ball parameter of the second character, the larger the basic value of the delay period (the default value when the batter user does not anticipate), and the basic value further varies depending on whether the prediction is correct or not. To do. Also, for example, if the pitched course is a course that the second character is good at, the basic value of the delay period is larger than that when it is not, and the basic value depends on whether the prediction is correct (or the degree of coincidence). Further changes.

  As described above, by reflecting the parameters of the second character in the delay period that determines the display start timing of the arrival point area, a more interesting game can be realized.

  10) In the configuration according to any one of 1) to 9) above, in the game, the first character (501) operated by the user acts on the moving body (506) sent by the second character (502). The information management means (77) for managing information relating to the compatibility between the first character (501) and the second character (502), wherein the display control means (74) It is preferable to change the period based on information on compatibility.

  For example, in a baseball game, as described above, the first character corresponds to the batter character, and the second character corresponds to the pitcher character. In this configuration, information regarding compatibility between the first character and the second character is managed. The information on compatibility may be, for example, information that the right batter is compatible with the left pitcher and is not compatible with the right pitcher, or the compatibility between each batter and the pitcher. May be. For example, the batter B1 may be information that the batter B1 is good at the pitcher P1, but is not good at the pitcher P2.

  For example, when the second character that is compatible with the first character is the opponent, the basic value of the delay period (the default size when the user did not expect) is smaller than the other character, and the basic Is further changed depending on whether the prediction is correct (or matching).

  As described above, by managing information related to the compatibility between the first character and the second character and reflecting the information in the delay period for determining the display start timing of the destination area, a more interesting game can be realized.

  11) In the configuration according to any one of 1) to 10) above, the determination unit (75) may be configured to move the moving body (506) based on a positional relationship between the specific area and the arrival point area (507). The action is determined, and the display control means (74) preferably changes the size of the arrival point area (507) based on the result of determination by the determination means (73).

  In this configuration, the user can perform a hit or the like targeting a desired location in the destination area by a predetermined operation. As described above, the predetermined operation includes an operation of moving the meet cursor to an arbitrary position, an operation of directly touching an arbitrary portion with a finger or a pen and designating an area hit by the bat. By this operation, when a specific area within the action area (area where the bat hits in the case of baseball) is designated, the action (hit result) on the moving body is determined based on the positional relationship between the specific area and the arrival point area. The

  In other words, there is a correlation between the reaching point area and the moving object, and by aiming a desired location in the reaching point area with a cursor or a finger specifying a specific area, it is reflected as an action on the moving object. The For example, a similar correspondence is provided between the reaching point area and the moving object, and a cursor or the like is superimposed on the lower part of the reaching point area (performing a predetermined operation for imparting an action). Will give an action to the lower part of the moving body corresponding to the lower part of the reaching point region. In an example of a baseball game, placing a cursor or the like under the reaching point area hits a corresponding lower part of the pitched ball. Therefore, it is preferable that the shape of the reaching point region and the shape of the moving body when reaching the reaching point region are set to be the same or substantially the same.

  And in this game device, it has the characteristic structure that the magnitude | size of the arrival point area | region displayed on an effect | action area | region changes based on the determination result by the determination means which determines the result of a user's anticipation. For example, when the determination unit determines that the user's prediction is correct, the display control unit determines that the arrival point region is higher than the case where the prediction is determined to be wrong or when the prediction is not performed. Is displayed larger. In addition, for example, the display control unit may determine that the arrival is more likely than the case where it is determined that the prediction is successful or the case where the prediction is not performed when the determination unit determines that the user's prediction is not satisfied. Display the point area small. Alternatively, the display control means may enlarge the display range of the destination area as the degree of coincidence of the prediction is higher.

  As described above, the difficulty level of the user's operation (for example, a baseball game batting operation) for changing the moving body is changed by changing the size of the reaching point area according to the result of the user's prediction. be able to. For example, if the user's prediction is correct, the arrival point area that directly affects the application of the action is displayed large even if the size of the moving object itself does not change. Fingers and the like can be easily stacked, and operations such as hitting are clearly facilitated. For example, in a baseball game, it becomes easy to hit a flying ball aiming at the lower part of a large reaching point area, or hitting the upper part of the baseball game. On the other hand, when the user's prediction is not satisfied, the reaching point area becomes small, and it is difficult to place a cursor or a finger on the reaching point area, and operations such as hitting are clearly difficult. As described above, since the prediction result is clarified as the degree of difficulty of the user operation, the user can feel a merit or demerit based on the prediction result, and the user can be more satisfied with the prediction result. .

  12) In any one of the constitutions 1) to 11), the moving means (72) changes the moving speed of the moving body (506) based on the result of the determination by the determining means (73). It is preferable.

  For example, in a baseball game, when a user performs a bat swing operation (action imparting operation) at a predetermined timing when a ball (moving body) reaches a strikeable area (an action area or its vicinity) including a strike zone In addition, it is possible to hit. Therefore, a user who operates as a batter needs to perform a bat swing operation at a timing at which the user can hit the ball while watching the moving ball, as well as an operation of matching the specific area specified by the meet cursor or the like with the destination area. Therefore, the speed of the ball as the moving body is an important factor in measuring the timing when the user performs the bat swing operation.

  And in this structure, the moving speed of a moving body changes based on the determination result by the determination means which determines the result of a user's anticipation. For example, when the determination unit determines that the user's prediction has been hit, the moving unit moves the moving object more than when the prediction is determined to be wrong or when the prediction is not performed. Reduce the speed. Further, for example, when the determination unit determines that the user's prediction is not satisfied, the moving unit determines that the mobile unit is more likely than the case where the prediction is determined or the prediction is not performed. Increase the movement speed. Alternatively, the moving means may decrease the moving speed of the moving body as the degree of coincidence of the prediction is higher.

  With this configuration, when the user's prediction is correct or the degree of coincidence of the prediction is high, the user can easily take a timing for performing an operation such as a bat swing, and can easily perform a desired operation. On the other hand, when the user's prediction is not met or the degree of coincidence of the prediction is low, the difficulty of operation such as bat swing increases, and the game creates tension. As described above, since the user's prediction result is clarified as the difficulty level of the user operation, the user can feel more merits or demerits based on the prediction result, and the user's sense of satisfaction is further obtained with respect to the prediction result. It becomes easy.

  13) In the game device (100, 1000) according to another aspect of the present invention, the batter character (501) operated by the user hits the ball object (506) thrown by the pitcher character (502). A game device (100, 1000) for controlling a ball game, wherein a prediction accepting means (71) for accepting a user's prediction regarding a pitching course, a pitching course determining means (75) for determining a pitching course, and the prediction accepting means Determination means (73) for determining the result of the prediction of the user based on the information on the prediction of the user accepted by (71) and the pitching course determined by the pitching course determination means (75). And the ball object in an action area where the ball object (506) can be hit. In order to hit the ball object (506) in the action area based on a display control means (74) for displaying an arrival point area (507) indicating a position reached by (506) and a predetermined operation by the user. Determining means (75) for determining a batting result based on the positional relationship between the specific area and the arrival point area (507) when the specific area is designated, and the display control means (74 ) Is the ball object that has been thrown when it is determined by the determination means (73) that the user's prediction has been exceeded, or when the prediction has been determined or when the prediction has not been made. The period from the start of movement of (506) to the start of display of the arrival point area (507) is lengthened.

  14) A game system according to another aspect of the present invention includes a terminal device (2000) used by a first user and a terminal device (2000) used by a second user, and a character operated by the first user (for example, A game system in which a batter character 501) controls a game that acts on a moving body (for example, a ball 506) operated by a second user, and the first user's prediction regarding a moving parameter of the moving body (506) A prediction receiving means (71) for receiving, a moving means (72) for determining a movement parameter of the moving body (506), information on the prediction of the first user received by the prediction receiving means (71), Based on the movement parameters determined by the movement means (72), the predicted result of the first user is A determination means (73) for determining, and a display control means for displaying a reaching point area (507) indicating a position where the moving body (506) reaches in an action area capable of acting on the moving body (506). (74) and an action on the moving body (506) when a specific area for acting on the moving body (506) is designated in the action area based on a predetermined operation by the first user. Determination means (75), and the display control means (74) is based on a result of determination by the determination means (73), and the arrival point from the start of movement of the moving body (506). The period until the display start of the area (507) is changed.

  15) A program according to another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to operate as the game apparatus (100, 1000) according to any one of 1) to 13) above. It is a program for functioning as each means with which an apparatus (100, 1000) is provided.

71 Predictive accepting means 72 Moving means (throwing course determining means)
73 determination means 74 display control means 75 determination means 76 cursor control means 77 information management means 100 game device 400, 1000 server device 501 batter character 502 pitcher character 503 aiming cursor 504 strike zone 506 ball character (an example of a moving object)
507 destination area 508 home base 509 specific area 2000 terminal device

Claims (7)

A game device for controlling a game that acts on a moving body,
Anticipation accepting means for accepting a user's anticipation regarding the movement parameter of the mobile body;
Moving means for determining a moving parameter of the moving body;
A determination unit that determines a result of the prediction of the user based on information on the prediction of the user received by the prediction reception unit and the movement parameter determined by the movement unit;
Display control means for displaying an arrival point area indicating a position where the moving body reaches before the moving body reaches the action area in an action area capable of acting on the moving body ;
Determination means for determining an action on the moving body when a specific area for giving an action to the moving body is designated in the action area based on a predetermined operation by a user;
When the determination unit determines that the user's prediction is correct, the display control unit determines that the moving speed of the moving body is higher than when the prediction is determined to be wrong or when the prediction is not performed. A game apparatus that shortens the period from the start of movement of the moving body to the start of display of the destination area . The determination means determines the degree of coincidence of prediction based on the information on the prediction of the user received by the prediction reception means and the movement parameter determined by the movement means,
The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving unit decreases the moving speed of the moving body as the degree of coincidence of the prediction is higher. When the trajectory changes during the movement of the moving body, the display control means changes the position where the arrival point region is displayed according to the change of the trajectory,
The travel parameter is a travel course,
The moving course of the moving body immediately after the start of movement is out of the moving course predicted by the user, and the moving course of the moving body is predicted by the user due to a change in the trajectory of the moving body. If it is determined by the determination means, the display control means is more than the case where the moving course of the moving body deviates from the moving course predicted by the user until the movement area is reached immediately after the movement starts. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a moving speed of the moving body is reduced.   The game is a game in which an action can be applied to the moving body when a predetermined operation is performed by a user at a predetermined timing when the moving body reaches or near the action area. Item 4. The game device according to any one of Items 1 to 3.   The game apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the game is a baseball game that hits a ball as the pitched moving body, and the movement parameter is a pitching course, a ball type, or a ball speed. . A game system including a server and a terminal device capable of communicating with the server,
A game system provided with any one of the means of the game device according to claim 1, in either one of the server or the terminal device.   A program for causing a computer to operate as the game device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the program causes the computer to function as each means included in the game device.

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