JP7430750B2 - Program, system, method and information processing device for game including collaborative target determination function - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a program for a game that includes a collaboration target determination function, and particularly includes a collaboration target determination function that determines a collaboration target in a game in which a plurality of players cooperate to play a quest. Concerning programs for games, etc.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, information processing devices equipped with communication functions, such as smartphones, have become increasingly popular, and many games have been released that can be executed on information processing devices equipped with such communication functions. Among these types of games, a game in which one user accomplishes a game task using a group of objects including a plurality of objects (characters, etc.) is widely known (Patent Document 1). When the number of objects increases, there is a problem in that the player cannot easily judge what kind of object group is optimal.

In Patent Document 1, performance information is accumulated each time another user completes a game task, and when the user determines a group of objects for challenging the game task, the game is updated based on the accumulated performance information. A system is disclosed that presents a user with information on a group of objects to serve as a guideline for accomplishing a task.

Patent No. 6345866

In a game in which one user organizes a plurality of objects and plays the game, determining how to organize one's own object group is one of the great pleasures for the player. However, the system described in Patent Document 1 provides information on the object group that serves as a guide when determining the object group to be operated by the player, and if the player follows the presented guideline, the player can The range of discretion in determining the object group to be used is reduced. Therefore, if the system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used, although it may be advantageous for achieving game tasks, there is a risk that the player's interest may be lost.

The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and its main purpose is to provide a program and the like that can assist in achieving game tasks without impairing the interest of the game.

1. In order to achieve the above object, a program according to an aspect of the present invention allows a plurality of players to collaborate on a quest using a group of game media including two or more game media associated with the player identifier of each player. A program for a game in which game media group information associated with a player identifier used when a quest is cleared is stored as candidate information in association with the quest identifier of the quest, and a step of determining a quest identifier of a quest to be played by a player; and a collaboration target determining step of determining a player identifier of another player who cooperates to play the quest and game media group information associated with the player identifier. Instead of determining player identifiers of at least some of the other players and game media group information associated with the player identifiers based on a predetermined condition, the collaboration target determining step includes: It is determined that the game media group information controlled by the computer is used to proceed with the game, and the game media group information controlled by the computer is associated with the determined quest identifier among the stored candidate information. Including determining from candidate information.

2. Further, in the program described in item 1, the predetermined condition may be that a predetermined time has elapsed in order to determine player identifiers of a predetermined number of other players.

3. In the program described in Section 1 or 2, when a quest is cleared by multiple players, among the acquired score, amount of damage, amount of damage received, and character parameters associated with the game media group information used by each player. Game media group information to be stored as candidate information may be determined based on quest clear information including at least one of the following.

4. In the program according to any one of items 1 to 3, the step of determining game media group information associated with a player identifier of a player controlled by the computer includes determining game media group information stored as candidate information. Based on the quest clear information including at least one of the acquired score, amount of damage, amount of damage received, and character parameters when the quest is cleared using the game media group information, which are stored in association with each other, the game The method may include determining media group information.

5. In the program according to any one of items 1 to 3, the step of determining game media group information associated with a player identifier of a player controlled by the computer includes selecting the determined game media group information from among the stored candidate information. The method may include determining the game medium group information through a lottery process from candidate information associated with the quest identifier.

6. In the program according to any one of items 1 to 5, at least the number of second candidate information stored after the first candidate information is stored and the elapsed period since the first candidate information is stored. Based on one, the first candidate information may be discarded.

7. A system as one aspect of the present invention is a system for a game in which a plurality of players cooperatively play a quest using a group of game media including two or more game media associated with the player identifier of each player. The system includes a plurality of player terminals and a server device, the plurality of player terminals and the information processing device are interconnected via a network, and the information processing device is used when the quest is cleared. storing game media group information associated with the player identifier of the quest as candidate information in association with the quest identifier of the quest; determining the quest identifier of the quest to be played by the player based on the quest request from the player terminal; A collaboration target determination process is executed to determine a player identifier of another player who collaborates to play the quest and game media group information associated with the player identifier, and the collaboration target determination process is performed according to a predetermined condition. 2. Proceeding the game using game media group information controlled by the computer, instead of determining player identifiers of at least some of the other players and game media group information associated with the player identifiers based on the game information. and determining computer-controlled game media group information from candidate information associated with the determined quest identifier among the stored candidate information.

8. An aspect of the present invention provides a method for a game in which a plurality of players cooperatively play a quest using a set of game media including two or more game media associated with a player identifier of each player. A method executed by a player, wherein game media group information associated with a player identifier used when a quest is cleared is stored as candidate information in association with a quest identifier of the quest. a step of determining a quest identifier of a quest to be played; and a step of determining a collaboration target, determining a player identifier of another player who cooperates with the quest and game media group information associated with the player identifier. The collaboration target determining step is controlled by a computer instead of determining player identifiers of at least some of the other players and game media group information associated with the player identifiers based on predetermined conditions. The game media group information to be controlled by the computer is determined from the candidate information associated with the determined quest identifier among the stored candidate information. including doing.

9. An information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is for a game in which a plurality of players cooperate to play a quest using a group of game media including two or more game media associated with a player identifier of each player. The information processing device stores game media group information associated with the player identifier used when the quest is cleared as candidate information in association with the quest identifier of the quest, and stores the quest of the quest played by the player. determining an identifier, executing a collaboration target determination process that determines a player identifier of another player who collaborates to play the quest, and game media group information associated with the player identifier; uses game media group information controlled by a computer instead of determining player identifiers of at least some other players and game media group information associated with the player identifiers based on predetermined conditions. The method includes deciding to proceed with the game and determining media group information to be controlled by the computer from candidate information associated with the determined quest identifier among the stored candidate information.

According to the present invention, when a plurality of players cooperate to play a quest, under predetermined conditions, a group of game media to be controlled by a computer is determined from candidate information, thereby reducing the interest of the game. It is possible to decide on the target of collaboration without any problems.

1 is an overall configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an example of a game screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an example of a flowchart according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is an example of a flowchart illustrating collaboration target determination processing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a game system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, for convenience of explanation, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters or redundant explanations of substantially the same configurations may be omitted.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the game system 1 includes a plurality of player terminals 10 and a server 20. The player terminals 10 and the server 20 are connected to a network 2 such as the Internet and can communicate with each other. The player terminal 10 and the server 20 are examples of information processing devices. Examples of information processing devices include computers, smartphones, tablets, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the player terminal 10 and server 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The player terminal 10 includes a processor 11, a display device 12, an input device 13, a storage device 14, and a communication device 15. Each of these components is connected by a bus 16. It is assumed that an interface is provided between the bus 16 and each component device as necessary. In this embodiment, the player terminal 10 is a smartphone. However, the player terminal 10 may be a terminal such as a tablet computer or a computer equipped with a contact input device such as a touch pad, as long as it has the above configuration.

As shown in FIG. 1, this system includes a plurality of player terminals 10, but in FIG. 2, only one player terminal 10 is shown as an example. The player terminals 10 are not only connected to the server 20 by a network 2 (omitted in FIG. 2), but also are connected to each other via the network 2 so that they can communicate with each other.

The server 20 similarly includes a processor 21, a display device 22, an input device 23, a storage device 24, and a communication device 25. Each of these components is connected by a bus 26. Note that an interface is interposed between the bus 26 and each component device as necessary. In this embodiment, the server 20 is realized by a computer.

The processors 11 and 21 control the overall operation of the player terminal 10 or the server 20, and are, for example, CPUs. Note that as the processors 11 and 21, electronic circuits such as MPUs may be used. The processors 11 and 21 execute various processes by reading and executing programs and data stored in the storage devices 14 and 24. In one example, processors 11, 21 are comprised of multiple processors.

The display devices (displays) 12 and 22 display application screens and the like to the user of the player terminal 10 (player) or the user (administrator) of the server 20 under the control of the processors 11 and 21. A liquid crystal display is preferred, but a display using organic EL, a plasma display, etc. may also be used.

The input devices 13 and 23 are user interfaces that accept input from users to the player terminal 10 and the server 20, and are, for example, touch panels, touch pads, keyboards, or mice. In this embodiment, the player terminal 10 is a smartphone, so the player terminal 10 is equipped with a touch panel as the input device 13, the touch panel also functions as the display device 12, and the display device 12 and the input device 13 have an integrated structure. . The display device 12 and the input device 13 may be separate forms located at different locations. Since the server 20 is a computer, it is assumed that it is equipped with a keyboard and a mouse as an input device, and a liquid crystal display as a display device.

In one example, the storage devices 14, 24 are common storage devices, including volatile memory RAM, non-volatile memory storage devices using flash memory such as eMMC, UFS, SSD, and magnetic storage devices. It is a storage device included in smartphones and computers. Further, as the storage device, an external memory physically separated from the player terminal 10 and the server 20 or a database can also be used. For example, the storage device 14 stores a game application, and the storage device 24 stores a server game application. A game application includes a game program for executing a game and various data referred to when executing the game program. The game program is started in response to a user's operation on the player terminal 10, and is executed on an operating system (OS) installed in the player terminal 10 in advance. The server game application is executed on each information processing device that is a client, and includes functions and various data for managing the game program so that it is executed appropriately.

The communication devices 15 and 25 exchange data with other devices via the network 2 (omitted in FIG. 2). For example, the communication devices 15 and 25 connect to the network 2 by performing mobile communication or wireless communication such as a wireless LAN. The player terminal 10 uses the communication device 15 to communicate with the server 20 and other player terminals 10 (not shown) via the network. The communication devices 15 and 25 may perform wired communication using an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable or the like.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a functional block diagram of the player terminal 10 and the server 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The player terminal 10 includes an input section 31, a display section 32, a communication section 33, and a game control section 34, and the server 20 includes an input section 41, a display section 42, a communication section 43, a game management section 44, and a candidate information storage section 45. and a collaboration target determining unit 46. In this embodiment, these functions are realized by the processors 11 and 21 executing programs. For example, the programs to be executed are a game program and a game management program stored in the storage devices 14 and 24. In this way, various functions are realized by reading a program, so that another part may have part or all of one part (function). These functions may also be realized by hardware by configuring an electronic circuit or the like to realize some or all of the functions.

The input units 31 and 41 are configured using the input devices 13 and 23, and accept inputs from users to the player terminal 10 and the server 20. The player terminal 10 and the server 20 accept user input through the input units 31 and 41. In this embodiment, the player terminal 10 can use a touch detection function that smartphones with a touch panel generally have.

The display unit 32 displays a game screen including a quest selection screen and a game field for playing the quest, and displays the game screen according to the progress of the game and user operations. The game control unit 34 performs control processing when executing the game of this embodiment.

The display unit 42 displays a management screen for the game administrator as necessary. The game management unit 44 performs processing for managing games executed on the player terminal 10. In one example, when a game application is executed on the player terminal 10, the game management unit 44 transmits and receives data periodically or as needed to advance the game. For example, the game management unit 44 stores various setting information and history information necessary for the game executed on the player terminal 10, and provides the information to the player terminal 10 as appropriate.

In this embodiment, when the player starts a quest, screen information for selecting which quest to play is displayed on the player terminal 10, and a request to start the quest selected by the player is sent from the player terminal 10. It is sent to the server 20. Then, the game management unit 44 of the server 20 determines a quest identifier for identifying the quest based on the received quest request. In addition, when starting collaborative play by multiple players, the game management unit 44 receives game media group information used by each player from each player terminal 10, and receives information about the quest to be played and other players' information. The game media group information used by the player terminal 10 is transmitted to each player terminal 10.

The game control unit 34 of each player terminal 10 advances the game based on its own game state and the game state transmitted from other player terminals 10. In this embodiment, when a quest is started, direct peer-to-peer (PtoP) communication is performed between the player terminals 10 participating in collaborative play (multiplayer), and operation inputs from each player are transmitted and received, and the game is played. shall proceed.

The game control units 34 of each player terminal 10 transmit and receive data to and from each other periodically or as needed to progress the game. For example, the game control unit 34 stores various setting information and history information necessary for the game executed on the player terminal 10, and provides the information to the player terminals 10 of other cooperative players as appropriate through PtoP communication. As a modification, the game may be advanced by a server client system in which the game management unit 44 of the server 20 manages information from the player terminals 10 and provides the information to each player terminal as appropriate. Furthermore, instead of the game program executed on the player terminal 10, a browser program may be operated to transmit and receive data to and from the server 20 periodically or as needed to advance the game.

In collaborative play in which multiple players work together to play the same quest, the player terminal 10 that has sent the quest request to start playing the quest is the host player terminal 10, and the player terminal 10 that has sent the quest request to start playing the quest is the host player terminal 10, and the player terminal 10 that has sent the quest request to start playing the quest Another player terminal participating in the quest is assumed to be a guest player terminal 10. Individual parameters such as hit points of enemy characters in a quest are managed by the game control unit 34 of the host player terminal 10, and the game control unit 34 of the host player terminal 10 uses information sent from the guest player terminal 10. Based on this, the remaining hit points of the enemy character are sequentially updated and the updated information is transmitted to the guest player terminal 10.

Further, when the quest is cleared through cooperative play, the game management section 44 determines whether or not to store information including the game media group information used by the players in the candidate information storage section 45 as candidate information. The candidate information storage unit 45 stores, as candidate information, information including game media group information that has been determined to be stored as candidate information by the game management unit 44 in association with the quest identifier of the cleared quest. The candidate information can include any information related to the game media group when the quest is cleared.

It is assumed that the candidate information storage unit 45 can store a plurality of pieces of candidate information. The first candidate is selected based on at least one of the number of second candidate information stored after the first candidate information was stored among the stored information and the elapsed period since the first candidate information was stored. The information may be discarded.

The candidate information stored in the candidate information storage unit 45 includes, for example, game media group information including information that identifies each game media included in the game media group, and player acquisition when clearing a quest using the game media group. Quest clear information including at least one of a score, an amount of damage, and an amount of damage received can be included. Game media group information can include parameters associated with each game media organized into a game media group. Examples of candidate information stored in the candidate information storage unit 45 in this embodiment are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

For each quest identifier, a plurality of pieces of candidate information are stored in the candidate information storage unit 45 in association with candidate information identifiers (IDs). Table 1 includes parameters related to the degree of contribution of each candidate information associated with the candidate information ID in clearing the quest, and Table 2 includes game media group information associated with each candidate information ID. Candidate information IDs are assigned, for example, in the order in which candidate information is stored. Candidate information similar to Tables 1 and 2 is stored for each quest identifier. For example, Tables 1 and 2 are candidate information associated with quest identifier Q0001, and another candidate information is stored in association with another quest identifier Q0002.

As described later, in this embodiment, when a player clears a quest, candidate information is stored based on the clear information at that time. Table 1 shows the acquired score, amount of damage, and amount of damage received, which are associated with each candidate information. The acquired score is the score that the player obtained when clearing the quest, and the amount of damage and the amount of damage received indicate the amount of damage dealt to the enemy character and the amount of damage received from the enemy character when clearing the quest. .

Table 2 is an example of game media group information associated with candidate information ID. Here, the game medium is a character, but may include other game mediums such as weapons and items. The game media group may be of any kind as long as it includes a plurality of game media. The CID is identification information indicating a character included in the game media group of the candidate information specified by the candidate information ID. Here, it is assumed that one player plays the game using a party as a game medium group including three player characters. Therefore, three CIDs are associated with one candidate information ID.

For example, candidate information ID001 is associated with parties including CIDs: C501, C540, and C082. Attack power, defense power, HP (hit points), and special abilities indicate character parameters specified by each CID. These parameters are the actual parameters when the quest is cleared, but they may be adjusted by a predetermined method or may be set as default values. Furthermore, it is not necessary to include all of this information as candidate information. For example, only party information may be included without contribution information.

The collaboration target determining unit 46 collaborates with the player who requested to start the quest to determine the player identifier of another player (user) who plays the quest and the game media group information associated with the player identifier. Execute target determination processing. The collaboration target determination process includes game media controlled by a computer, instead of determining player identifiers of at least some of the other players and game media group information associated with the player identifiers based on predetermined conditions. It is decided to proceed with the game using the group information, and the game media group information controlled by the computer is selected from among the candidate information stored in the candidate information storage unit 45, the candidate associated with the quest identifier of the quest to be played from now on. Involves making decisions from information.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen. The game control unit 34 sets the game field 50 as a virtual space in which the game progresses. The game screen shown in FIG. 4 is a screen displayed on the entire screen of the touch panel 17 that functions as the input section 31 and display section 32 of the player terminal 10. The game field 50 is preferably displayed on most of the entire screen of the touch panel 17, as shown in FIG.

The game control unit 34 generates a game field 50 configured as a virtual space surrounded by a virtual wall 58, and arranges various objects according to the progress of the game. In the game field 50 shown in FIG. 4, there is a party object 51 that is the operation target of the player of the player terminal 10, party objects 52 and 53 that are the operation targets of other players, an enemy object 54, an operation object 55, and an attack object. 56 are arranged. The party object 51 includes three objects 511, 512, and 513 that move within the game field 50. The same applies to the other players' party objects 52 and 53. By displaying the party objects of other players semitransparently, they can be easily distinguished from the party objects operated by the player.

In this embodiment, the objects included in each party object represent a player character as a game medium that is operated by each player, and the party object represents a party as a group of game media including three game media. be. A game media group may be composed of two game media, or may include four or more game media.

The player character is a character that can be operated directly or indirectly by the player who is the user. In the game of this embodiment, a plurality of player characters are set in advance by a game administrator or the like, and individual parameters corresponding to each player character are set. For example, the individual parameters set for the player character include level, attack power, defense power, hit points, special abilities, and the like. Each player acquires a player character through a predetermined method such as lottery processing or game progress, forms a party including three player characters selected from the player characters he/she owns, and plays a quest.

The enemy object 54 is one of the collision objects and corresponds to an enemy character. Attack object 56 is also one of the collision objects and is ejected from enemy object 54 . In the game of this embodiment, a game administrator or the like sets corresponding individual parameters for each character or the like associated with a collision object or for each collision object. For example, for the enemy characters associated with the enemy object 54, individual parameters corresponding to each enemy character are set in the same manner as for the player characters. For example, the individual parameters set for the enemy character include attack power, defense power, hit points, special abilities, and the like.

The game of this embodiment includes a plurality of game fields 50 corresponding to a plurality of quests, and the game control unit 34 can place each object at a different position for each game field 50. The game field 50 shown in FIG. 4 is one example.

The game control unit 34 sets virtual gravity on the game field 50. Virtual gravity is a phenomenon similar to gravity in the real world that is reproduced in virtual space. The game control unit 34 performs physical calculations using mechanical parameters including virtual gravity and a coefficient of repulsion. A known physics engine can be used for the physics calculation. The game control unit 34 sets mechanical parameters such as mass, shape, position, speed, and coefficient of repulsion for each of the player object, collision object, and operation object 55. These mechanical parameters are parameters for physical calculations that are different from individual parameters corresponding to the player character. Dynamic parameters such as mass, shape, and coefficient of repulsion are determined in advance by a game administrator or the like.

Here, the main object is an object 511 that moves at the head of the party objects 51, and this is an object equivalent to a ball in a pinball game. Therefore, the main object 511 is an object that can move like a ball, and the other player objects 512 and 513 follow it and move. The game control unit 34 controls the operation of the main object 511 so that it moves within the game field 50 according to virtual gravity, and the main object 511 accelerates in the direction of gravity under the influence of the virtual gravity. In the game field 50 shown in FIG. 4, the direction of gravity is downward.

The game control unit 34 determines a collision between the main object 511 of the party objects 51 and a collision object including the enemy object 54. A known method can be used for collision determination (hit determination). When determining that the main object 511 and the enemy object 54 have collided, the game control unit 34 changes the individual parameter set for the enemy object 54 determined to have collided, based on the individual parameter set for the main object 511. let

In one example, if the game control unit 34 determines that the main object 511 and the enemy object 54 collide, the player character associated with the main object 511 causes damage to the enemy character associated with the enemy object 54. It is determined that it has been given. At this time, the game control unit 34 calculates the amount of damage from individual parameters such as attack power set for the player character associated with the main object 511. Next, the game control unit 34 uses the calculated damage amount to change the individual parameters of the enemy character, such as decreasing the hit points of the enemy character associated with the enemy object 54 determined to have collided. Further, if it is determined that the player has collided with an enemy character, the player's acquired score is increased or the amount of damage is added.

Furthermore, if it is determined that the attack object 56 is released from the enemy object 54 and collides with any one of the player objects 511, 512, and 513, the hit points of the player object determined to have collided are reduced. Additionally, the amount of damage received by the player is added.

The operation object 55 is an object operated by the user of the player terminal 10, and is a ball hitting object 55 corresponding to a flipper in a pinball game. As shown in FIG. 4, the operation objects 55 are a pair of ball hitting objects 55. The pair of ball hitting objects 55 are configured to be vertically displaced around one outer end 55a and the other end 55b.

In one example, when the game control unit 34 determines that the main object 511 and the ball-hitting object 55 have collided, it performs a physical calculation regarding the rebound motion at the time of the collision, and uses the physical calculation result to calculate the speed of the main object 511. decide. The game control unit 34 operates the operation object 55 based on the touch detected by the touch panel 17. Specifically, when the touch panel 17 receives a touch, the game control unit 34 moves the other end side 55b of each ball-hitting object 55 to a predetermined position on the upper side compared to when the touch panel 17 does not detect a touch. Displace it to. The game control unit 34 holds the other end 55b of the ball-hitting object 55 at a predetermined position while the touch panel 17 is accepting a touch. A ball hit object 55 shown in FIG. 4 indicates a state in which the touch panel is not accepting a touch.

In the game field 50, a gap is formed between the pair of ball hitting objects 55 through which the main object 511 can pass, and a hole 59 is further formed at the bottom in the direction of gravity. When the main object 511 falls into the hole 59, that is, when the main object 511 falls into the hole 59, the game control unit 34 reduces the hit points of the player character associated with each object or causes the game to end. have negative effects such as

One of the objectives of the game of this embodiment is to prevent the party object 51 from hitting the attacking object 56 and from falling into the hole 59, so as to cause the main object 511 to hit the enemy object 54, or to activate special abilities. By doing so, the enemy character's hit points become zero before the player character's hit points become zero. Since this embodiment is a multi-player game in which multiple players play the same quest at the same time, multiple players cooperate to attack enemy characters in order to achieve this objective.

It is assumed that the quest is cleared when a predetermined condition is achieved. For example, when the enemy character's hit points reach zero, it is determined that the enemy character associated with the enemy object 54 has been defeated, and it is determined that the enemy characters associated with all enemy objects 54 in the quest have been defeated. It may be determined that the quest has been cleared, or it may be determined that one of the enemy objects 54 is a boss character, and that the quest is cleared when that boss character is defeated. The game may be cleared when the points acquired through attacks etc. reach a certain value or more.

Next, a process 100 executed in the game system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG. 5. First, when a player who wishes to start a quest selects a quest he wishes to start from among the quests displayed on the display section 32 of the player terminal 10 via the input section 31, the game control section 34 selects the selected quest identifier. Determine. Further, the player determines a group of player characters to be operated by the player in order to play the quest. Then, the game control unit 34 transmits a quest request including the determined quest identifier and player character group information to the server 20 via the communication unit 33 (S101).

When the server 20 receives the quest request, the server 20 sets the player terminal 10 that sent the quest request as the host player terminal 10, sets the player who is the user as the host player, and sends the quest specified by the quest identification information included in the quest request to the host player terminal 10. A cooperative object determination process to be played cooperatively with the player is executed (S102).

FIG. 6 shows an example of the flow (200) of the collaboration target determination process (S102). Here, the game management unit 44 of the server 20 transmits a quest participation recruitment notification indicating the host player information and the quest to the other player terminals 10, and in response, the player terminal 44 of the player terminal 10 that transmitted the quest participation request The guest players shall be determined from the following. The quest participation request includes a player identifier for identifying the guest player and player character group information indicating the player character group operated by the guest player. The number of guest players is two, and the two players who first sent a participation request in response to a quest participation request are considered guest players, and the player identifiers and player character group information that identify the guest players included in the participation request are shared. It is determined as a work target (S201).

As a variation, when multiple players send quest requests for the same quest, the first player to send a quest request is considered the host player, and the second and subsequent quest requests are determined as a host player and a guest player. The player who sent the message may be determined as the guest player.

Instead of determining player identifiers of at least some other players (guest players) and game media group information associated with the player identifiers based on predetermined conditions, game media group information controlled by a computer may be determined. can be used to determine the progress of the game and game media group information controlled by the computer.

In this embodiment, after the server 20 transmits the quest participation recruitment notification, it waits for participation requests from other player terminals 10 for a predetermined time, and when it receives participation requests from two or more player terminals 10 within the predetermined time. , or when a predetermined period of time has elapsed without receiving participation requests from two or more player terminals 10, the cooperative player determination process (S201) is ended.

Then, it is determined whether the number of guest players determined as cooperative players has reached a predetermined number (S202). Here, the predetermined number is 2, and if the player identifiers of two guest players as collaboration targets have not been determined, the player identifier of the other player (guest player) and the game media group information associated with the player identifier Instead of determining, a group of NPCs including a plurality of non-player characters (NPCs) controlled by the computer is determined as a collaboration target (S204).

The NPC group is selected from the candidate information storage section 45. Here, the candidate information is selected by lottery from among the candidate information stored in the candidate information storage unit 45 in association with the quest identifier to be played. It can also be determined based on quest clear information including acquired score, amount of damage, amount of damage received, and character parameters. For example, candidate information whose acquisition score is within a predetermined range may be extracted from among the stored candidate information, and the candidate information may be further determined by lottery from the extracted candidate information.

The candidate information stored in the candidate information storage unit 45 is based on the clear parameter information when the quest was previously cleared by the player. , it is not necessary that the player who will play the quest from now on be the same.

After the host player terminal 10 sends a quest request, assuming that the quest cannot be started until a predetermined number of cooperating players are gathered, if there are not enough players who wish to play the quest at that timing, the quest cannot be started until the quest starts. You may have to wait for a long time. Other players who have requested to participate in the quest will also have to wait until the remaining number of cooperating players are gathered, and if the waiting time becomes too long, they may end up canceling their participation request. As a result, the time it takes to gather the necessary number of players to start the quest becomes even longer, and there is even a possibility that the quest cannot be started.

By using this embodiment, if a predetermined number of cooperating players cannot be determined after a predetermined time has elapsed since the quest request, a group of NPCs including a plurality of NPCs controlled by a computer is determined as a cooperating target. You can avoid a situation where you cannot start a quest for more than an hour.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the NPC group uses information copied from the party information included in the candidate information stored in the candidate information storage section 45. The NPC group determined as a collaboration target is the same as the party information selected from the candidate information actually used when clearing the quest by a previous player, so the NPC group may be too strong or weak. To make it possible to enjoy playing a quest in the same way as when playing cooperatively with a group of characters being played by other users, without being too busy.

If the candidate information storage unit 45 stores information on a very strong party that was actually used, a strong party may be selected. However, when playing cooperatively with other players, a strong party may be selected. There are cases where I will participate. Since the candidate information is information about the party that actually played the game, the players who are playing cooperatively can also recognize it as an event that could actually occur, and can continue playing without losing interest. In one modification, in order to prevent party information that is too strong or too weak from being selected as an NPC group, based on quest clear information including at least one of the acquired score, amount of damage, amount of damage received, and character parameters, Game media group information to be stored as candidate information may be determined. For example, the candidate information may be selected from candidate information in which parameters such as attack power of party information stored in the candidate information are within a predetermined range.

In this embodiment, when it is decided to proceed with the game using the game media group information controlled by the computer, the game management unit 44 of the server 20 determines a player identifier for the player controlled by the computer. Furthermore, the player name assigned to the player identifier and the NPC group controlled by the computer are determined. For example, a plurality of default names can be registered in advance, and the player name can be randomly selected from among them. The player name is preferably a name that does not make it obvious at first glance that the player is being operated by a computer. The present invention can be implemented without assigning a player identifier or a player name to the computer that controls the NPC group.

After determining the player identifier, player name, and NPC group of the player controlled by the computer, the server 20 transmits information indicating these to each player terminal 10. In each player terminal 10, the player name of a computer-controlled player and the player name of a player played by another user are displayed in the same manner. Since a cooperating player cannot determine whether or not another player is being controlled by a computer, it is possible to let the player play while giving the player the feeling that he or she is playing with other users.

When the collaboration target to cooperatively play the quest is determined by the collaboration target determination process (S102), the game management unit 44 transmits a quest start command to each player terminal 10, and the quest is executed ( S104). As described above, when the quest is executed, the game is progressed under the control of each game control section 34 while PtoP communication is performed between the player terminals 10 that are playing cooperatively. When the quest ends, a quest end notification is sent from the player terminal 10 of the host player to the server 20. The game management unit 44 of the server 20 that has received this determines whether the quest has been cleared based on the received quest completion information (S106).

It is assumed that each player terminal 10 is the computer that controls the NPC group during the quest execution. When the game management unit 44 transmits the quest start command to each player terminal, it transmits a seed value of a random number for a computer-controlled NPC group to each player terminal. Each player terminal 10 controls the enemy character and the NPC group (party) based on the received seed value. If the seed values are the same, the behavior of the NPC group at each player terminal 10 can be made the same, so that it is possible to prevent inconsistency in the play results at each player terminal 10. Further, the NPC group may be controlled by the server 20 and the results sequentially transmitted to each player terminal 10, or the host player terminal 10 may be controlled and the results transmitted to other player terminals 10. You may also do so.

Furthermore, the party controlled by the player, who is the user, is controlled based on player input, but if autoplay is selected, the party can also be controlled by computer control. In that case, it may be controlled by each player terminal 10 using a seed value, similar to the control of the NPC group, or it may be controlled by the server 20 or the host player terminal 10.

If it is determined that the quest has been cleared, candidate information storage processing is executed (S108). In this embodiment, the quest end notification includes quest clear information. The quest clear information includes the acquired scores, damage amounts and damage received amounts, and character parameters of all cooperating players. Here, the degree of contribution of each player is calculated based on the acquired score, the amount of damage, and the amount of damage received, and the quest clear information of the player with the second highest contribution among the three players is stored as candidate information. A generally known method may be used to calculate the degree of contribution. The acquired score may be used as the degree of contribution, or the amount of damage received may be subtracted from the amount of damage as the degree of contribution.

The players whose contributions are compared here do not include computers. Quest clear information of the player with the second highest degree of contribution among the players who are users is stored. For example, if the player with the second highest degree of contribution is a computer, it is assumed that the player is the user with the third highest degree of contribution. Alternatively, it may be the player who is the user with the highest degree of contribution, or if there are only two user players, there is no need to perform storage processing of candidate information.

As a modification, all players whose contribution is within a predetermined value range may be stored as candidate information. Further, the quest clear information to be stored may be such that only the game media group information is stored, and other contribution information such as the acquired score is not stored.

In this embodiment, a maximum number of candidate information to be stored in the candidate information storage section 45 is set, and if storing newly determined candidate information exceeds the maximum number, information on the already stored candidate information is set. Among them, the first stored candidate information is discarded (deleted), and newly determined candidate information is stored. Here, the maximum number is set for each quest, and up to 100 pieces of candidate information can be stored for each quest.

Depending on the game, there are countless possible combinations of characters that can be used by the player to form a party. Furthermore, as in online games, new characters may be added from time to time, and the number of character combination patterns may increase. In such a case, a trend may occur in the combination of characters actually used by the player, and the trend may change from moment to moment. Candidate information that has been stored as candidate information for a long time may have a pattern that deviates from the trend and is not actually selected by the user at the time it is selected from the candidate information and used as an NPC group. There is sex.

A player who discovers that another player is playing in an unusual party containing only old characters will be able to deduce that the other player is a computer, and will be able to cooperate with other players. There is a possibility that it will not be possible to provide a sense of presence. Furthermore, if a combination of characters that is not very effective at the time of play is selected, it may work at a disadvantage for the player when playing the quest.

As in this embodiment, by sequentially deleting the oldest candidate information and adding new candidate information, the party played by the computer resembles the party actually selected by the user, and collaborative play is achieved. The player is less likely to feel that he or she is being controlled by the computer, and can feel as if he or she is actually playing cooperatively with other players.

As a modification, as information processing separate from storage of new candidate information, candidate information may be deleted when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the candidate information was stored in the candidate information storage section 45. Good too. By deleting old candidate information that has been stored for a certain period of time, it is possible to prevent it from being selected as part of the NPC group. In addition to a limit on the maximum number of candidate information that can be stored as candidate information, a limit based on elapsed time may be set to delete candidate information that has passed a certain period of time since being stored.

In games where quests are played using a party made up of characters selected from multiple player characters, the game can progress to an advantage depending on the composition, so it is up to the player to decide what kind of composition is effective. This is interesting information. However, deciding which character to form into a party from among a plurality of player characters is one of the great pleasures for the player. Therefore, a function that allows a player to copy and use an advantageous composition provided by a computer in his own composition limits the player's options and greatly impairs the interest of the game.

Furthermore, in a so-called multiplayer game in which a plurality of players cooperate to play, a function is known that allows an NPC to participate when it is not possible to determine which player to cooperate with. However, since it is difficult to appropriately control the strength of NPCs for each quest, there is a problem that the NPCs may be too strong or too weak, making it impossible for the player to fully enjoy the game.

By using this embodiment, the strength of the NPC group can be controlled within an appropriate range by determining the composition of the NPC group from the party of the player who previously played the game and cleared the quest. In addition, the parties of the NPC group as other players who play cooperatively are determined from the stored candidate information, and the party formation controlled by the player himself is not restricted, so the fun of forming a party can be enjoyed. It will not be damaged.

Furthermore, by setting a certain limit on the candidate information to be stored, such as the maximum number that can be stored, it is possible to set a more appropriate NPC group that reflects trends that change over time. Furthermore, by setting certain restrictions when determining quest clear information to be stored as candidate information, such as memorizing the party composition of the second contribution level when clearing a quest, NPC groups of appropriate strength can be set. make it possible to provide

Although this embodiment has described cooperative play in a game similar to pinball, any type of game in which multiple players cooperate, such as an action game, a shooting game, or a role-playing game, can be used. Those skilled in the art will understand that even games can be implemented.

Other embodiments of the present invention may include a program that implements the functions of the embodiment of the present invention described above and the information processing shown in the flowchart, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the program. In other embodiments, a method may be used to implement the functions of the embodiments of the present invention described above and the information processing shown in the flowcharts. In other embodiments, a server can be used that can supply a computer with a program that implements the functions of the embodiments of the present invention described above and the information processing shown in the flowcharts. In other embodiments, a virtual machine may be used that implements the functions of the embodiments of the present invention described above and the information processing shown in the flowcharts.

In the processing or operation described above, as long as there is no contradiction in the processing or operation, such as using data that should not be available at that step in a certain step, the processing or operation can be freely performed. Can be changed. Further, each of the embodiments described above is an illustration for explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist thereof.

1: game system, 2: network, 10: player terminal, 11: processor, 12: display device, 13: input device, 14: storage device, 15: communication device, 16: bus, 17: touch panel, 20: server, 21: processor, 22: display device, 23: input device, 24: storage device, 25: communication device, 26: bus, 31: input section, 32: display section, 33: communication section, 34: game control section, 41 : input section, 42: display section, 43: communication section, 44: game management section, 45: candidate information storage section, 46: collaboration target determination section, 50: game field, 51 to 53: party object, 54: enemy Object, 55: Hitting object, 56: Attack object, 58: Wall, 59: Hole

Claims (7)

determining a quest identifier for the quest to be played based on player input of the player;
Based on the game media information used by another player when clearing the quest with the quest identifier, from the player identifier of the other player and the game media group information stored as candidate information in association with the quest identifier, a collaboration target determining step of determining game media group information of a game media group controlled by computers that cooperate to play the quest specified by the determined quest identifier;
a quest execution step of executing a quest specified by the determined quest identifier using the determined game media group information;
make the computer run
The collaboration target determining step includes determining player identifiers of at least some of the other players who cooperatively play the quest and game media group information associated with the player identifiers, based on predetermined conditions. A program to be executed instead. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the game medium group information stored as the candidate information is stored when it is determined that a quest played using the game medium group information has been cleared. 3. The program according to claim 1, wherein the game media group information stored as the candidate information includes parameters related to each game media organized into the game media group. 4. The program according to claim 1, wherein the game media group controlled by the computer is controlled by a player terminal that receives the player input or a server connected to the player terminal. A system for a game including a plurality of player terminals and a server,
The server is
determining a quest identifier for a quest to be played based on player input of a player;
Based on the game media information used by another player when clearing the quest with the quest identifier, from the player identifier of the other player and the game media group information stored as candidate information in association with the quest identifier, determining game media group information of a game media group controlled by computers that cooperatively play the quest identified by the determined quest identifier;
using the determined game media group information to execute the quest specified by the determined quest identifier;
Determining the game media group information of the game media group controlled by the computer may include, based on predetermined conditions, player identifiers of at least some of the other players who cooperatively play the quest and the player identifiers. performed in place of determining associated game media group information;
system. determining a quest identifier for the quest to be played based on player input of the player;
Based on the game media information used by another player when clearing the quest with the quest identifier, from the player identifier of the other player and the game media group information stored as candidate information in association with the quest identifier, a collaboration target determining step of determining game media group information of a game media group controlled by computers that cooperate to play the quest specified by the determined quest identifier;
a quest execution step of executing a quest specified by the determined quest identifier using the determined game media group information;
including;
The collaboration target determining step includes determining player identifiers of at least some of the other players who cooperatively play the quest and game media group information associated with the player identifiers, based on predetermined conditions. A method performed on behalf of and performed by a computer. determining a quest identifier for a quest to be played based on player input of a player;
Based on the game media information used by another player when clearing the quest with the quest identifier, from the player identifier of the other player and the game media group information stored as candidate information in association with the quest identifier, determining game media group information of a game media group controlled by computers that cooperatively play the quest identified by the determined quest identifier;
using the determined game media group information to execute the quest specified by the determined quest identifier;
Determining the game media group information of the game media group controlled by the computer may include, based on predetermined conditions, player identifiers of at least some of the other players who cooperatively play the quest and the player identifiers. performed in place of determining associated game media group information;
Information processing device.

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