JP7502646B2 - Terminal device, control program, information processing device, and server device program - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies [Publication on Website] (1) July 9, 2019, https://www. monster-dreamcompany. com/(2) July 13, 2019, https://www. youtube. com/watch? v=yrwqdDIovaQ(3) August 24, 2019, https://www. youtu. be/A2Vt1gKL6hM(4) August 26, 2019, https://www. youtu. be/1yY46YY8xxk(5)July 20, 2019, https://www. youtu. be/z4Xz709l7q4(6) July 9, 2019, https://twitter. com/monpany(7) July 9, 2019, https://www. monster-strike. com/news/20190709_1. html(8) July 9, 2019, https://prtimes. jp/main/html/rd/p/000000382.000016514. html(9) July 9, 2019, http://line. me/ti/p/%40monpany(10)August 26, 2019, https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=bQ7OQR16kSE (11) August 15, 2019, https://gamebiz.jp/?p=246109 [Released by the meeting] (12) July 13, 2019, XFLAG PARK 2019, Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall 1-8 (2-1 Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture) [Open to the public through pamphlet distribution] (13) July 13, 2019, XFLAG PARK 2019, Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall 1-8 (2-1 Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture)

The present invention relates to a terminal device, a control program, an information processing device, and a program for a server device.

In recent years, communication terminals with touch panel displays such as smartphones have become widespread, and each user has his or her own communication terminal. In this context, a service that provides users with community-type services over the Internet, that is, a social networking service (hereinafter referred to as "SNS"), is known. As one such SNS, online games (social games) are provided to users. For example, the following technology has been disclosed as a technology related to games.

For example, a program for executing a game in which a player character plays against an enemy character has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The program causes a computer to perform the following processes: When it is determined that a first position condition is satisfied, the program moves a placement object toward a target position; When the placement object reaches the target position, the program causes the player character associated with the placement object that has reached the target position to perform a predetermined action.

JP 2015-047347 A

However, the above program moved a moving object within a specified movement area on the game screen based on the player's input information, but did not result in a specified action.

Therefore, as one aspect of the present invention, a technology is provided that determines a route from a starting point to a destination point in response to a user's input operation, and identifies a displayed object that is the target of a predetermined action in accordance with the route.

In one aspect of the present invention, a terminal device capable of allowing a user to perform input operations on a display screen includes a first object that is placed on a possible movement path displayed on the display screen, and includes a movement path identification unit that identifies a movement path determined in response to an input operation of the user from among multiple movement path candidates from a starting point of the first object that is operable by the user to a destination point determined in response to the input operation of the user, and a target object identification unit that identifies at least one second object that is a target of the first object to perform a predetermined action from one or more second objects displayed on the display screen in response to the identified movement path, and is characterized in that the target object identification unit identifies at least one of the second objects that is the target when a third object used for the predetermined action is placed on the identified movement path.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a route from a starting point to a destination point can be determined in response to a user's input operation, and a display object that is the target of a predetermined action can be identified in response to the route.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a terminal device according to the present embodiment. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration of a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of a Sugoroku game in the present embodiment. 11A to 11C are schematic diagrams for explaining route selection using an arrow UI in this embodiment. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of a display when a route on which a predetermined item is located is selected by route selection using an arrow UI in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of a game system 11 of the game system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a route from a starting point to a destination point according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a divided region according to the embodiment. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between a destination point Nt via initial branch routes Rb1, Rb2 (branch points Nb1, Nb2) and divided areas A, B. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram of a case where the position of the arrival point to be corrected is corrected by arrival point position correction processing 35b. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the angular range of a reach point according to the embodiment; FIG. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a process for identifying a predetermined object as an attack target in this embodiment. 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating effect images related to attacks in this embodiment. 1 is a flowchart (part 1) showing the overall processing in this embodiment. 11 is a flowchart (part 2) showing the overall processing in this embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing a route/arrow UI association process (S15). FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a hardware environment of a computer that executes a program according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a terminal device in this embodiment. An example of the terminal device 1 is the terminal device 12 described below. The terminal device 1 is a device that allows a user to perform input operations on a display screen. The terminal device 1 includes a travel path identification unit 2 and a target object identification unit 3.

The movement path identification unit 2 identifies a movement path determined in response to a user's input operation from among multiple movement path candidates from a starting point of the first object to a destination point determined in response to the user's input operation. The first object is an object that is placed on a movable path displayed on the display screen and can be operated by the user. An example of the movement path identification unit 2 is the routing unit 33 described below. An example of the first object is the player character piece 21 described below.

The target object identification unit 3 identifies at least one second object, of one or more second objects displayed on the display screen, as a target for the first object to perform a predetermined action according to the identified movement path. An example of the target object identification unit 3 is the target identification unit 42 described below. An example of a second object is an enemy character piece 28 described below.

The target object identification unit 3 identifies at least one second object to be a target when a third object used for a predetermined action is located on the identified movement path. An example of the third object is an attack item object, which will be described later. An example of the predetermined action is an attack using an attack item object, which will be described later.

By configuring it in this way, it is possible to determine a route from a starting point to a destination point in response to a user's input operation, and to identify a display object that is the target of a predetermined action in accordance with that route. This makes it easier for the user to see the target.

The target object identification unit 3 identifies, among one or more second objects, the second object that is closest to the destination point of the identified movement path.

By configuring it in this way, it is possible to identify, for example, the second object closest to the destination of the identified movement path as the target of an action.

The terminal device 1 further includes a movement amount determination unit 4. The movement amount determination unit 4 can determine the movement amount by which the first object is moved on the identified movement path in response to an input operation by the user. At this time, the movement amount determination unit 4 can determine the set movement amount between a predetermined lower limit value and a predetermined upper limit value. An example of the movement amount determination unit 4 is the movement amount determination unit 41 described below.

By configuring it in this way, you can set the range of movement, so you can adjust the progress of a game like Sugoroku, for example.

The terminal device 1 further includes a display control unit 5. When a first object performs a predetermined action on a second object, the display control unit 5 changes a performance image related to the predetermined action according to the attributes of the third object. An example of the display control unit 5 is the display control unit 44 described below.

By configuring it in this way, it is possible to change the presentation image for a given action depending on the attributes of the third object, thereby improving the visual presentation in the game and increasing user satisfaction.

The display control unit 5 further controls the movement of the first object along the movement path based on the determined movement amount. At the same time, when moving the first object, if a third object is placed on the movement path, the display control unit 5 controls the first object to acquire the third object and perform a predetermined action on the identified second object. Here, the display control unit 5 causes the first object to acquire the third object by the item acquisition unit 43 described later.

By configuring it in this way, when a third object placed on the movement path is acquired, a predetermined action can be performed on the second object, thereby improving the playability of the game.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the network configuration of a game system in this embodiment. The game system 11 includes a terminal device 12, a server device (hereinafter referred to as "server") 15, and a communication network 16. The terminal device 12 and the server 15 are connected to each other via the communication network 16 so that they can communicate with each other.

The terminal device 12 is a portable electronic terminal device with a communication function that can be connected to a communication network, such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, or mobile phone carried by a user. The terminal device 12 has an operation display unit 13, a microphone for inputting sound, a speaker for outputting sound, and the like. The operation display unit 13 is a device that allows input operations to be made to the screen 14 and displays images on the screen 14, and is, for example, a touch panel display. The terminal device 12 may also be a so-called personal computer.

The terminal device 12 can download and install a game application program purchased from an application program sales site on the Internet. This allows the user to play the game of that application program by performing input operations on the operation display unit 13 of the terminal device 12. In this embodiment, it is assumed that an application program for a game based on Sugoroku (hereinafter, Sugoroku game) is installed in the terminal device 12.

The server 15 is an information processing device that manages the game application installed on the terminal device 12. For example, the server 15 manages information about users who use the game application (e.g., gameplay content, status information of the character playing, point information, etc.) and manages information about billing. The server 15 may be a server system made up of one or more physical information processing devices, or a virtual server system made up of one or more virtual server devices.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the Sugoroku game in this embodiment. Figure 3 shows an outline of a Sugoroku game board image 20 that is displayed on the screen 14 of the operation display unit 13 when a user plays the Sugoroku game. A number of squares 22 are arranged on the Sugoroku game board image 20, along which pieces 21 can move. As an example, the squares 22 are arranged two-dimensionally (flat), but may also be arranged three-dimensionally (sterically).

The three-dimensional Sugoroku game board image 20 is, for example, an image in which adjacent squares 22 have vertical steps. The area in which squares 22 are arranged may have areas in which squares 22 are not arranged. The area in which squares 22 are arranged is a planar area. In this embodiment, the planar area is an area that includes the movement path 23 of the piece 21, and is a plane when the Sugoroku game board image 20 is viewed from above. In other words, even if there are vertical steps in the squares 22 that form the Sugoroku game board image 20, the three-dimensional Sugoroku game image 20 is treated as a planar area when the Sugoroku game board image 20 is viewed from above. Note that in this embodiment, the planar area is an area parallel to the screen 14.

The movement path (route) 23 is a path along which the piece 21 can move from its current position. Specifically, the route 23 is a path that connects a start point (departure point), which is the current position of the piece 21, and an end point (arrival point), which is a position that the piece 21 can reach in one go.

The piece 21 is, as an example, a character in a sugoroku game, and the character's abilities grow as the sugoroku game progresses. In FIG. 3, the position of the piece 21 corresponds to the starting point for deriving a route 23, which will be described later.

In this embodiment, a route 23 is derived from the current position of the piece 21. There may be cases where multiple routes 23 along which the piece 21 can move are derived. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, a route 23 according to the state of contact of the user's finger with the screen 14 (hereinafter also referred to as a "touch operation") is displayed on the screen 14. After the user determines the route 23 for the piece 21, the number of movements of the piece 21 is determined and the piece 21 is moved.

When a user determines the route 23 of his/her piece 21, the user touches the screen 14 with a finger and moves the finger on the screen 14. In response to the user's touch operation, an arrow user interface (hereinafter referred to as "arrow UI") 24 is displayed on the screen 14. The arrow UI 24 is a direction indication image based on the operation of sliding a finger from a reference position 26a to a moving position 26b. As an example, the arrow UI 24 is an image of a straight line with one end in an arrow shape, which allows the user to recognize the movement of the finger that is sliding from the reference position 26a. More specifically, the arrow UI 24 according to this embodiment extends in the direction of the tip of the arrow and the direction of the rear end of the arrow from the reference position 26a in response to the operation of sliding a finger from the reference position 26a to the moving position 26b, as shown in FIG. 3.

The reference position 26a does not change during one route selection until the user removes his/her finger from the screen 14. On the other hand, the movement position 26b changes in response to the user's slide operation of moving his/her finger on the screen 14. That is, the tip and end positions of the arrow change in response to the user's slide operation. The shape of the arrow UI 24 changes to a pulled shape, i.e., the arrow becomes longer and sharper, in response to the change in the tip and end positions.

In this embodiment, an operation in which a user touches the screen 14 of the operation display unit 13 with a finger, slides the touching finger a predetermined amount, and then removes the finger from the screen 14 is hereinafter referred to as a "pull operation." Also, removing the finger that has touched the screen 14 is hereinafter referred to as a "touch off."

Note that in FIG. 3, the reference position 26a, the movement position 26b, and the dashed line connecting these two points are shown for the sake of convenience, but in an actual Sugoroku game, these are not displayed on the screen 14.

The route 23 is displayed on the screen 14 according to the direction of the arrow UI24. Note that displaying the route 23 here means highlighting the squares 22 that form the route 23 so that they can be distinguished from the squares 22 that do not form the route 23. In the example of FIG. 3, the route 23 is represented by an arrangement of consecutive squares 22 hatched with diagonal lines.

The user moves his/her finger on the screen 14 to change the direction of the arrow UI24, thereby switching the routes 23 displayed on the screen 14 and selecting a route 23. Then, the route 23 displayed on the screen 14 when the user touches off the screen 14 is determined to be the route 23 selected by the user. This will be explained using FIG. 4.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram required to explain route selection using the arrow UI in this embodiment. Of the route candidates derived from the position of the current frame 21, the route 23 corresponding to the direction of the arrow UI 24 is displayed on the screen 14 as the route 23 currently selected by the user. Therefore, even if multiple route candidates are derived, the route 23 displayed on the screen 14 is the one route 23 currently selected by the user. When the user wants to select another route 23, as shown in Figure 4, the user moves the finger touching the screen 14 to change the direction of the arrow UI 24. As a result, the other route 23 is displayed on the screen 14.

Now, let us explain FIG. 4 in detail. First, the user performs a pulling operation on the screen 14. An arrow UI 24 whose shape changes in response to this pulling operation is displayed. For example, assume that a pulling operation is performed from the reference position 26a in the upper left direction. If the arrow UI displayed in response to this pulling operation is the arrow UI 24a, the route 23a is selected and displayed.

Next, suppose that the user moves the finger touching the screen 14 to change the direction of the arrow UI. For example, suppose that the user performs a pulling operation from the reference position 26a to the lower left, changing the direction of the arrow UI to arrow UI 24b. In this case, route 23b is selected and displayed.

That is, when the arrow UI24 points in a specific direction (within an angle range), the route 23a is selected, and when the arrow UI24 points in another direction (within an angle range), the route 23b is selected. In this way, there is a 1:1 correspondence between the direction of the arrow UI24 (angle range) and the derived route. This allows the user to select route 23a or 23b of the piece 21 by moving the finger based on the position where the finger first touched the screen 14.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 3, the user selects the route 23 of the piece 21 by selecting the direction of the displayed arrow UI24 through a pulling operation. After selecting the route 23, when the user releases his/her finger from the screen 14, the selected route 23 is confirmed. At the same time, an effect image is displayed in which a dice object (dice object) 25 is rolled based on the elastic force of the pulled arrow UI24. The piece 21 moves through the squares 22 on the route 23 selected by the user by a number corresponding to the roll of the dice object 25.

Furthermore, various items 27 and enemy character pieces 28 are arranged on the squares 22. When the piece 21 stops on or passes through a square 22 on which an item 27 is arranged, it can acquire the item 27. Furthermore, when the piece 21 acquires an attack item as the item 27, it can attack the enemy character piece 28. This will be explained using FIG. 5.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing a display example when a route on which a specific item is located is selected by route selection using the arrow UI in this embodiment. Figure 5 shows the state in which the hatched route 23 in Figure 3 has been determined and the piece 21 has moved six spaces in accordance with the result of rolling 6 on the dice object 25.

Attack item objects such as swords, guns, bombs, bows, and magic wands (which allow for magical attacks using natural phenomena, for example) are placed on the squares 22. When a piece 21 stops on or passes through a square 22 on which an attack item is placed, the piece 21 can obtain the attack item 27.

Furthermore, object pieces 28 representing one or more enemy characters are arranged on the squares 22. When the user selects a route for the pieces 21, if the user selects a route 23 on which an attack item is arranged from among the route candidates, other pieces 28 that satisfy a predetermined condition can be identified as an attack target. Here, the predetermined condition is, for example, one or more enemy character pieces that are closest to the destination of the selected route 23. Furthermore, when a target is identified as an attack target, for example, an attack target identification mark 29 indicating that it has been identified as an attack target is added to the target piece and displayed.

When the user selects and confirms a route 23 on which an attack item is placed, the piece 21 moves according to the number rolled on the dice object 25. If, as a result of the movement, the piece 21 stops on or passes through the square 22 on which the attack item is placed, the piece 21 can obtain the attack item and use it to attack that piece 28.

The Sugoroku game according to this embodiment is an online game, and multiple terminal devices 12 are connected to the communication network 16, allowing multiple users to play simultaneously (hereinafter referred to as "multiple-player play"). In multi-player play, as an example, a shared Sugoroku game board image 20 is displayed on the screen 14 of each user's terminal device 12. In the example of FIG. 3, one piece 21 is displayed, but in the case of multi-player play, a piece 21 is displayed for each user playing.

In a multiplayer game, the order in which users move their pieces 21 (hereafter referred to as "turns") is determined in advance. During their turn, the user selects the route for the piece 21 and moves the piece 21.

An event may be set on a square 22. In this case, when the piece 21 stops on or passes through the square 22 on which the event is set, the event is executed.

Furthermore, in the sugoroku game according to this embodiment, the condition for clearing the game is, for example, to complete a specific mission. Note that the condition for clearing the game is not limited, and the condition for clearing the game may be determined to be reaching a goal, which is the final destination of the piece 21, or obtaining a certain number of points. Furthermore, in the sugoroku game, although the user performs specific events or missions, there may not be a clear concept of clearing the game.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the game system 11 of the game system in this embodiment. The terminal device 12 includes an operation display unit 13, a control unit 31, a memory unit 51, and a communication unit 58.

The operation display unit 13 is a touch panel display that allows input by a user's input operation and also allows display. Note that in this embodiment, a touch panel display is used as an example, but this is not limited thereto, and the input unit and the display unit may be independent of each other.

The control unit 13 controls the operation of the entire terminal device 12. The control unit 31 executes the program according to this embodiment, thereby functioning as an operation reception unit 32, a routing unit 33, a movement amount determination unit 41, a target identification unit 42, an item acquisition unit 43, and a display control unit 44.

The operation acceptance unit 32 accepts operations input to the operation display unit 13. For example, the operation acceptance unit 32 identifies the position where the user touches the screen 14 as the reference position 26a, and identifies the position where the user slides the finger from the reference position 26a as the movement position 26b. That is, the operation acceptance unit 32 identifies a pull operation. The identified reference position 26a and movement position 26b are used in the process of displaying the arrow UI 24 on the screen 14 by the display control unit 44.

The routing unit 33 derives the route 23 of the piece 21 in the Sugoroku game, and selects and determines the route by the user. The routing unit 33 functions as a route derivation unit 34, a route/arrow UI matching unit 35, a route selection unit 36, and a route determination unit 37.

The route derivation unit 34 derives a route 23 that satisfies the number of spaces that can be moved from the starting point of the piece 21 displayed on the screen 14.

The route/arrow UI matching unit 35 matches the derived route with the direction (angle range) of the arrow UI on a 1:1 basis. More specifically, the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 calculates the angle between a predetermined reference line passing through the starting point of the piece 21 and a straight line connecting the starting point of the piece 21 and the destination point of the route in the planar area where the squares 22 are arranged (destination point position calculation process 35a). The destination point is a position that the piece 21 can reach in one turn, and is a position that can be moved from the starting point of the piece 21 by the number of movable squares.

In addition, when the first branch route and the destination point via this first branch route are included in different divided areas, the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 corrects this destination point as a correction target (destination point position correction process 35b). A divided area is an area obtained by dividing the planar area in which the squares 22 are arranged by a dividing line. Divided areas will be described later. The route/arrow UI matching unit 35 corrects the destination point to be corrected so that it is included in a divided area that includes the first branch route that leads to this destination point.

In addition, the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 sets an angle range for each arrival point (arrival point angle range setting process 35c). In addition, the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 identifies the arrival point according to the pull angle of the arrow UI 24 (pull angle/arrival point matching process 35d).

The route selection unit 36 identifies the route 23 leading to the destination identified by the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 as the route 23 selected by the user. The route 23 identified by the route selection unit 38 is displayed on the screen 14.

The route determination unit 37 determines the route 23 displayed on the screen 14 when the user's finger touches off the screen 14 as the route 23 selected by the user.

The movement amount determination unit 41 starts the rotation of the dice object 25 after determining the route 23, and determines the result (number) shown when the rotation of the dice object 25 stops as the movement amount of the piece 21.

When the attack item 27 is on the route 23 specified by the route selection unit 38, the target specification unit 42 specifies a predetermined piece 28 that satisfies a predetermined condition for the destination of the specified route 23. The predetermined condition may be, for example, one or more pieces in the square closest to the destination of the specified route 23. The destination of the route is not limited to the maximum value of the roll of the dice object 25 to be rotated, but may be the destination of the route to be reached in the future. The destination of the route to be reached in the future is, for example, when the roll of the dice object 25 is not random but is determined in advance in sequence, the destination to which the piece 21 moves and reaches after several trials is known. In this way, a predetermined piece 28 that satisfies a predetermined condition for the destination of the route to be reached in the future (for example, one or more pieces in the square closest to the destination of the specified route 23) may be specified. The predetermined piece 28 is, for example, an enemy character piece 28. As described below, the display control unit 44 controls the screen display so that the piece 21 moves along the route 23 by the amount of movement determined above.

In addition, when there is an attack item 27 on the identified route 23, the target identification unit 42 may change the above-mentioned predetermined condition according to the type of the attack item 27. For example, when the attack item 27 is a close-range attack item (e.g., a knife, a sword, etc.), one or more pieces in the square closest to the destination of the identified route 23 may be identified. For example, when the attack item 27 is a medium-range attack item (e.g., a whip, a grenade, a shuriken, etc.), one or more pieces in a square that is a predetermined distance away from the destination of the identified route 23 (e.g., a square halfway between the nearest enemy character and the furthest enemy character) may be identified. For example, when the attack item 27 is a long-range attack item (e.g., a rifle, a boomerang, a missile, etc.), one or more pieces in a square that is farthest from the destination of the identified route 23 may be identified. In this way, a condition that takes into account the distance from the destination may be set according to the characteristics of the attack item 27.

When the piece 21 stops on or passes through a square 22 on which an item is placed, the item acquisition unit 43 causes the piece 21 to acquire the item. Then, the item acquisition unit 43 identifies the acquired item.

The display control unit 44 controls the display state of the screen 14. More specifically, the display control unit 54 causes the screen 14 to display images necessary for the user to play the Sugoroku game, such as the Sugoroku game board image 20, pieces 21, 28, arrow UI 24, the route 23 selected by the user, dice objects 25, item objects 27, etc.

The display control unit 44 also displays the attack target identification mark 29 in a coordinated manner so as to surround the piece 28. Here, the attack target identification mark 29 is sign information indicating that the piece 28 identified by the target identification unit 42 has been identified as an attack target. Furthermore, after the piece 21 acquires an attack item and moves to the destination point, the display control unit 54 displays a performance image relating to an attack according to the acquired attack item on the piece 28 to which the target display information has been assigned.

The storage unit 51 stores installed programs (including the programs according to this embodiment) and various data. In this embodiment, the storage unit 51 stores, as an example, arrow UI data 52, sugoroku game board data 53, piece data 54, item data 55, effect data 56, sound data 57, and the like. Here, data includes not only status information and character data, but also graphical data.

The arrow UI data 52 is data relating to an arrow whose shape changes in response to a pulling operation by the user. The sugoroku game board data 53 is, for example, the sugoroku game board image 20 for each stage and related data, background data, etc. The piece data 54 is data relating to various piece objects such as the player character's piece and the enemy character's piece. The item data 55 is data relating to objects such as attack items (e.g., swords, guns, bows, magic wands) placed on the squares 22 and other item objects. The effect data 56 is data relating to, for example, performance images related to attacks corresponding to the attack items. The sound data 57 is data relating to music played while playing the sugoroku game and sound effects used in various scenes.

The communication unit 58 is an interface that enables communication with devices connected to the communication network 16. Here, the communication unit 58 communicates with the server 15 via the communication network 16.

The server 15 includes a control unit 61, a storage unit 62, and a communication unit 66. The control unit 61 controls the operation of the entire server 15, executes processes in response to requests from the terminal device 12, and performs other controls such as returning execution results to the terminal device 12. For example, the control unit 61 authenticates users who play the Sugoroku game, shares screen information used by users when multiple people play, manages turns, manages the content of play on the terminal device 12, and performs billing management.

The memory unit 62 stores a user management database (DB) 63, a charge management DB 64, an API 75, etc. The user management DB 63 is a database related to users who have installed the Sugoroku game. The charge management DB 64 is a database that manages processing related to charges within the Sugoroku game. Note that in FIG. 4, the charge management DB 64 is stored in the memory unit 72, but this is just one example and it may be stored in another storage device. The API 65 is an application program interface used by the Sugoroku game program installed in the terminal device 12.

The communication unit 66 is an interface that enables communication with devices connected to the communication network 16. Here, the communication unit 66 communicates with the terminal device 12 via the communication network 16.

Next, the functions of the operation reception unit 32 and the routing unit 33 (route derivation unit 34, route/arrow UI matching unit 35, route selection unit 36, and route determination unit 37) will be described in detail. First, the route derivation unit 34 will be described.

The route derivation unit 34 derives a route 23 that satisfies a predetermined condition from the starting point of the piece 21 displayed on the screen 14. The starting point is the current position of the piece 21 that is the subject of derivation of the route 23. The predetermined condition is the maximum number of squares that the piece 21 can move in one turn (hereinafter referred to as the "number of movable squares").

The number of spaces that can be moved is, for example, six spaces. In addition, as the predetermined condition, for example, a predetermined waypoint through which the piece 21 passes may be set as described below. In addition, as the predetermined condition, for example, a predetermined route through which the piece 21 passes (part of the route 23) may be set.

The route derivation unit 34 derives all routes 23 that can be moved from the current position of the piece 21 by the number of movable spaces. Note that the method of deriving the routes 23 is not limited and may be, for example, a method of deriving the routes 23 by exhaustive search.

The route derivation unit 34 may be performed when it is the turn of the piece 21 (user) that is the subject of the derivation, or may be performed after the turn of the piece 21 (user) that is the subject of the derivation has ended and before the next turn, for example, while another user's turn is being performed.

Next, the operation reception unit 32 will be described. During the turn of the piece 21 (user) that is the subject of derivation, the operation reception unit 32 determines the position where the user's finger touches the screen 14 after the route 23 is derived as shown in FIG. 3 as the reference position 26a, and detects the position 26b to which the finger moves from the reference position 26a as a pulling operation. The display control unit 44 controls the shape and direction of the arrow UI 24 to be displayed in accordance with the detected pulling operation, and displays it.

The reference position 26a is, as an example, a position that is the starting point of a slide operation, which will be described later. In addition, the reference position 26a is not limited to this, and may be, for example, the first position of multiple consecutive touch operations (e.g., two touch operations).

Next, the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 will be described. The route/arrow UI matching unit 35 performs a destination point position calculation process 35a, a destination point position correction process 35b, a destination point angle range setting process 35c, and a pull angle/destination point matching process 35d. These processes will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 12.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing a route from a starting point to a destination point according to this embodiment. Figure 7(A) is an example in which a starting point (St) of a piece 21, a branching point (Nb) of a route, and a destination point (Nt) of the route are arranged in a planar area in which squares 22 are arranged. In this example, only two of the branching points Nb of the route, Nb1 and Nb2, are given symbols. Also, in this example, 12 destination points (Nt1 to Nt12) are arranged as the destination points Nt of the route. Figure 7(B) shows the route from the starting point (St) of Figure 7(A) to the destination point Nt in a tree format.

In this embodiment, the position of the arrival point is represented by the angle between the line connecting the starting point St and the arrival point Nt of the frame 21 and the reference line Ref. The reference line Ref is a predetermined line passing through the starting point St. For example, in the case of the arrival point Nt2, the line connecting the starting point St and the arrival point Nt2 is inclined at 63° with respect to the reference line Ref, so the position of the arrival point Nt2 is shown as 63°. For example, in the case of the arrival point Nt11, the line connecting the starting point St and the arrival point Nt11 is inclined at 206° with respect to the reference line Ref, so the position of the arrival point Nt11 is shown as 206°. Note that the position of the arrival point is not limited to the above angle, and may be shown in XY coordinates, with the horizontal direction of the screen 14 as the X coordinate and the vertical direction of the screen 14 as the Y coordinate.

For each arrival point Nt, the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 calculates the angle between the reference line Ref and the straight line connecting the starting point St of the frame 21 and the arrival point Nt, and identifies the position of each arrival point Nt (arrival point position calculation process 35a).

Next, the destination point position correction process 35b will be described. When selecting a route for the frame 21, the user tends to check the destination Nt of the frame 21, but also check destinations close to the starting point St of the frame 21, i.e., routes (branching routes) that branch off close to the starting point St, when selecting the destination for the frame 21.

For this reason, when a branch route close to the starting point St is far from the destination point Nt, more specifically when selecting a route 23 having a route that goes around the starting point St, the direction of the branch route and the destination point Nt may differ from the starting point St. This may cause the user to feel uncomfortable and unable to intuitively select the route.

Therefore, in order to enable the user to select a route more intuitively, the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 corrects the position of the arrival point that is not included in a certain area range (arrival point position correction process 35b).

Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram of divided regions according to this embodiment. In the example of Figure 7, a route (branch route) heading towards branch point Nb1 and a route (branch route) heading towards branch point Nb2 are generated from the first branch point Nb (starting point St). Therefore, as shown in Figure 8, the planar region is divided so that the branch route Rb1 (branch point Nb1) and branch route Rb2 (branch point Nb2) arising from the first branch point Nb (starting point St) are respectively in different divided regions A and B. In the following description, the branch routes Rb1 and Rb2 arising from the first branch point (starting point St) are also referred to as the first branch routes.

The dividing line Div that divides the planar region is, for example, a straight line that passes through the first branch point (starting point St) and is equidistant from the first branch routes Rb1, Rb2 (or branch points Nb1, Nb2).

In the example of FIG. 8, the branch route Rb1 (branch point Nb1) is located at 90° and the branch route Rb2 (branch point Nb2) is located at 180° relative to the first branch point (starting point St). In this case, as described above, the division line Div is represented by a straight line passing through 135° and 315°.

In this case, the range of division area A is 315°≦0°≦135°, and the range of division area 64B is 135°≦180°≦315°. Note that all branch routes Rb, branch points Nb, and destination points Nt are included in either division area A or B.

As an example, the destination point Nt on the division line Div is included in the division area that includes the first branch route Rb that leads to the destination point Nt. In the example of FIG. 7, the destination point Nt1 (315°) of the route that passes through the first branch route Rb1 is included in division area A. On the other hand, the destination point Nt12 (315°) of the route that passes through the first branch route Rb2 is included in division area B.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 8(B), a straight line corresponding to the division line Div is drawn on the tree of routes from the starting point (St) in FIG. 7(A) to the destination point Nt, and the destination point of the route via the first branch route Rb1 is placed above the straight line, and the destination point of the route via the first branch route Rb2 is placed below the straight line. This will be described in detail using FIG. 9.

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the destination point Nt via the first branch routes Rb1 and Rb2 (branch points Nb1 and Nb2) and the divided areas A and B. As shown in Figure 9 (A), the destination points Nt1 to Nt4 via the branch route Rb1 are included in the divided area A. On the other hand, the destination points Nt5 and Nt6 are not included in the divided area A, even though they are via the branch route Rb1, but are included in the divided area B. Similarly, the destination points Nt9 to Nt12 via the branch route Rb2 are included in the divided area B. On the other hand, the destination points Nt7 and Nt8 are not included in the divided area B, even though they are via the branch route Rb2, but are included in the divided area A. This means that when the user selects the route 23 that leads to the destination points Nt5 and Nt6 via the branch route Rb1 or the route 23 that leads to the destination points Nt7 and Nt8 via the branch route Rb2, the user may feel uncomfortable with the touch operation for route selection, making it difficult to make an intuitive selection.

Therefore, in the arrival point position correction process 35b, if the first branch route Rb and the arrival point Nt passing through it are included in different division areas, the position of the arrival point is corrected so that the arrival point Nt is included in the division area that includes the first branch route Rb.

Figure 9 (B) shows an example in which the positions of the arrival points Nt5 to Nt8 have been corrected. The position of the arrival point Nt5 is corrected from 161° to 125° so that it is included in divided area A, and the position of the arrival point Nt6 is corrected from 180° to 130°. In addition, the position of the arrival point Nt7 is corrected from 90° to 140°, and the position of the arrival point Nt8 is corrected from 108° to 145° so that it is included in divided area B.

In addition, in the arrival point position correction process 35b, the position of the arrival point 62 that is the subject of correction is corrected so that it is between the arrival point 62 that is not the subject of correction and the division line 66.

Specifically, in the example of FIG. 9(B), the arrival points Nt5 and Nt6 that are the subject of correction are corrected to be between the arrival point Nt4 that is not the subject of correction and the dividing line Div, that is, within the range of 116° to 135° (hereinafter referred to as the "correctable range"). In the example of FIG. 9(B), the arrival points Nt5 and Nt6 are corrected to 125° and 130° at 5° intervals (hereinafter referred to as the "correction interval") based on the dividing line Div.

The correction interval is determined by the number of arrival points Nt to be corrected that are included between the arrival point Nt that is not the subject of correction and the dividing line Div. In the example of FIG. 9(B), two arrival points Nt5 and Nt6 to be corrected are included between the arrival point Nt4 that is not the subject of correction and the dividing line Div, which is between 116° and 135° (the correctable range). Therefore, as an example, when the positions of the corrected arrival points Mt5 and Nt6 are set to an interval of 5° that does not exceed the correctable range, they are corrected to 125° and 130°, respectively.

The positions of the arrival points Nt7 and Nt8 are also corrected in the same way, with the range of possible correction being 135° to 153° between the arrival point Nt9, which is not subject to correction, and the dividing line Div. The positions of the arrival points Nt7 and Nt8, which are subject to correction, are corrected to 140° and 145° at 5° intervals from the dividing line Div so that they are included in the range of possible correction.

Figure 10 is a conceptual diagram of a case where the position of the arrival point to be corrected is corrected by arrival point position correction process 35b. Figure 10(A) shows arrival point position correction process 35b for divided area A. Figure 10(B) shows arrival point position correction process 35b for divided area B.

In FIG. 10(A), the positions of arrival points Nt5 and Nt6, which are outside the range of divided area A, have been corrected to 125° and 130°, respectively, so that they are included in the range of possible correction. In FIG. 10(B), the positions of arrival points Nt7 and Nt8, which are outside the range of divided area B, have been corrected to 140° and 135°, respectively, so that they are included in the range of possible correction.

In addition, the position of the arrival point to be corrected may be corrected at equal intervals within the correctable range without a correction interval being set. For example, if the correctable range is from 116° to 135° and there are two arrival points Nt to be corrected, the arrival positions of these two arrival points Nt are corrected to 122.3° and 128.6°, respectively.

Here, the display position of the corrected arrival point Nt on the screen 14 does not change even if the arrival point position is corrected by the arrival point position correction process 35b. In other words, the corrected arrival point position is used to identify the route 23 selected by the user, and is not used to change the display state of the screen 14. As a result, correcting the arrival point position does not affect the progress of the sugoroku game.

Next, the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 performs a reach point angle range setting process 35c. The reach point angle range setting process 35c is a process for setting the angle that is the boundary between adjacent reach points Nt. In this embodiment, the midpoint angle between two adjacent reach points Nt is set as the boundary angle that is the angle that is the boundary between adjacent reach points Nt. This will be explained using FIG. 11.

Figure 11 is a diagram for explaining the angular range of the arrival point according to this embodiment. For example, as shown in Figure 11, the arrival point position of the arrival point Nt2 is 63°, and the arrival point positions of the adjacent arrival points Nt1 and Nt2 are 315° and 90°, respectively. Therefore, the angular range of the arrival point Nt2 is centered at 63° and ranges from 354°, which is the intermediate value between 315° and 63°, to 76.5°, which is the intermediate value between 63° and 90°. Therefore, when the direction of the arrow UI24 is from 354° to 76.5°, the route to the arrival point Nt2 is displayed on the screen 14.

Similarly, the angular ranges of the other arrival points Nt are also determined. Note that the angular range of each arrival point Nt does not overlap with the angular ranges of other arrival points Nt.

In addition, the angular range of the arrival point Nt cannot be determined to exceed the angle of the division line Div that defines the divided region. Therefore, the angular range of the arrival point Nt adjacent to or overlapping with the division line Div is determined by the angle of the division line Div and other adjacent arrival points. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the position of the arrival point Nt is 315°, which is the same as the angle of the division line Div. Therefore, the angular range of the arrival point Nt is 315° to 354°.

Furthermore, the angle range of the arrival point Nt is set to be equal to or greater than a predetermined lower limit. Setting a lower limit for the angle range of the arrival point Nt prevents the route 23 from being specified within a narrow angle range, making it easier for the user to select the route 23. If the angle range that is the lower limit includes multiple routes 23, for example, a route 23 with a predetermined high priority may be displayed on the screen 14 so that the user can select it. Also, the angle range of all or some of the arrival points Nt may be adjusted so that the angle range of all the arrival points Nt is equal to or greater than the lower limit, in other words, the position of the arrival points may be corrected.

Then, the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 performs a pull angle/arrival point matching process 35d. The pull angle/arrival point matching process 35d calculates the angle between the reference line Ref and the straight line connecting the reference position 26a where the user touched the screen 14 and the movement position 26b (hereinafter referred to as the "pull angle"), that is, the pull angle of the arrow UI24, which is the angle at which the arrow UI24 points. The route/arrow UI matching unit 35 compares the calculated pull angle with the angle range of each arrival point Nt set in the arrival point angle range setting process 35c, and identifies the arrival point Nt corresponding to the angle range including the pull angle based on the comparison result. Then, the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 identifies the route 23 leading to the identified arrival point Nt.

The route selection unit 36 identifies the route 23 leading to the destination identified by the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 as the route 23 selected by the user. The display control unit 44 displays the route 23 identified by the route selection unit 38 on the screen 14.

The route determination unit 37 determines the route 23 displayed on the screen 14 when the user's finger touches off the screen 14 as the route 23 selected by the user.

Next, the movement of the piece according to the result of the dice object will be described. The movement amount determination unit 41 determines the movement amount of the piece 21 after the user has determined the route 23 of the piece 21. The dice object 25 is, as an example, a regular hexahedron, with the numbers 1 to 6 displayed on each face. Note that the dice object 25 may be a polyhedron other than a regular hexahedron. Also, in the sugoroku game according to this embodiment, as an example, one dice object 25 is displayed as shown in FIG. 3, but the number of dice objects 25 is not limited to this and may be multiple.

After the route 23 of the piece 41 is determined, the display control unit 44 starts changing the display state of the numbers on the dice object 25 based on instructions from the movement amount determination unit 41. In other words, after the route 23 of the piece 21 is determined, the dice object 25 rotates without the user performing any other operation. Then, the movement amount determination unit 41 determines the movement amount of the piece 21 based on the number shown when the change in the display state of the dice object 25 stops, i.e., when the rotation of the dice object 25 stops.

In this embodiment, the result of the dice object 25, i.e., the numerical value indicating the movement amount of the piece 41, is determined randomly. Note that in the sugoroku game in this embodiment, the number of dice objects 25 that the user can select is one, but this is not limited to this and multiple dice objects 25 may be selectable. When the user selects multiple dice objects 25, the total value of the numbers indicated by the selected dice objects 25 may be determined as the movement amount, or the total value of the numbers indicated by all of the dice objects 25 may be determined as the movement amount.

In addition, the numerical value of the dice object 25 that the user does not select as the amount of movement of the piece 21 may be used for other purposes. For example, the numerical value of the dice object 25 that the user does not select as the amount of movement may be added to the score of the Sugoroku game, or added to points for purchasing items in the Sugoroku game, or points that can be used for other services.

Furthermore, the rotation state (change in display state) of the dice object 25 may change depending on the state when the finger, which is the indicator, is touched off the screen 14.

For example, the tendency of the number rolled may change depending on the moving distance, which is the distance from the reference position 26a to the moving position 26b of the finger. Specifically, the greater the moving distance, the more likely it is that a larger number roll will be rolled, and the smaller the moving distance, the more likely it is that a smaller number roll will be rolled. Also, the greater the moving distance, the more the number of dice objects 25 increases, the greater the moving distance, the greater the maximum number of numbers rolled on the dice objects 25, or the greater the moving distance, the greater the number of faces on the dice objects 25.

The rotation state of the dice object 25, for example the number of rotations, may also be changed depending on the movement (gesture) of the finger on the screen 14 when the finger is touched off the screen 14.

For example, when the screen 14 is touched off while making a gesture such as flicking a finger, the number of rotations of the dice object 25 may increase as the movement of the gesture increases. Also, the number of rotations of the dice object 25 may change depending on the time elapsed from when the finger touches the screen 14 to when it is touched off. Also, a gauge image may be displayed on the screen 14, the value of the gauge may change over time, and the number of rotations of the dice object 25 may change depending on the value of the gauge at the time when the finger is touched off the screen 14.

Furthermore, the sugoroku game may allow control of the number rolled on the dice object 25 as the character, which is the piece 21, grows. For example, the character may be given the ability to increase or decrease the number rolled on the piece 41, or the character may be given the ability to display a desired number roll.

As described above, in this embodiment, the dice object 25 rotates without the user performing any other operation after the route 23 of the piece 21 is determined, but this is not limited thereto. The dice object 25 may rotate after the user performs another operation, such as touching a specific image displayed on the screen 14, after the route 23 of the piece 21 is determined.

In addition, in this embodiment, the object for determining the amount of movement of the piece 41 is a dice object 25, but this is not limited to this, and the object may have another shape as long as it displays multiple different numbers, such as a roulette object that imitates a roulette.

Next, we will explain the target identification unit 42 and the item acquisition unit 43.

Figure 12 is a diagram explaining the process in this embodiment when a specific object is identified as an attack target. Figure 12 (A) shows the routing when no attack item is placed on the selected route. Figure 12 (B) shows the routing when an attack item is placed on the selected route.

As shown in FIG. 12(A), when a route 23c on which an attack item 27a is not placed is selected from among the derived routes 23 in response to the arrow UI 24 that is pulled, there is no particular change in the display of the enemy character's piece 28. In the case of FIG. 12, a sword object is displayed as the attack item 27a.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12(B), when a route 23d on which an attack item 27a is located is selected from among the derived routes 23 in response to the arrow UI 24 by a pull operation, the target identification unit 42 identifies an enemy character's piece 28 that meets a predetermined condition as an attack target. Then, the display control unit 44 highlights an attack target identification mark 29 surrounding the piece 28, indicating that the piece 28 identified by the target identification unit 42 has been identified as an attack target. The attack target identification mark 29 may be displayed, for example, by surrounding the attack target with a circular mark, or the color of the piece 28 may be changed, and is not particularly limited as long as some kind of highlighting is performed.

Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating an attack-related effect image in this embodiment. In Figure 12 (B), assume that a route 23d is determined by a pulling operation, the dice object 25 rotates, and the result is, for example, 4. In this case, the display control unit 54 performs display control so as to move the piece 21 four squares. At this time, an attack item 27a is placed in the third square from the starting point.

In this case, when the piece 21 passes through the square 22 on which the attack item 27a is placed, the item acquisition unit 43 causes the piece 21 to acquire the attack item 27a. The item acquisition unit 43 identifies the acquired attack item 27a. In the case of FIG. 13, the piece 21 has acquired a sword object as the attack item 27a.

After the piece 21 has moved by the number rolled on the dice object 25, the display control unit 54 displays an effect image 71 relating to an attack corresponding to the acquired attack item 27a on the piece 28 to which the attack target identification mark 29 has been added. In the example of FIG. 13, a spark-shaped effect image 71 is displayed as an example to show that the player character of the piece 21 that has acquired the attack item 27a is being attacked by a sword technique (such as a special move). Note that the effect image 71 is not limited to sparks, and may be an effect image based on natural phenomena such as fire, water, wind, etc., or may be based on a phenomenon such as an explosion caused by gunpowder, and there is no particular limit to the method of effect.

The content of the effect image also changes depending on the type and rank of the acquired attack item 27a. For example, if the acquired attack item 27a is a magic wand, an effect image corresponding to a magic attack is displayed.

When an attack is performed, the player character's piece may grab an attack item 27a and jump on the target piece to attack. The acquired attack item 27a may change depending on the degree of pulling by the pulling operation. For example, if the acquired attack item 27a is a knife, an image may be used in which the knife grows into a sword or spear as it is pulled further by the pulling operation.

In addition, in a single turn, if there are multiple items on the determined route 23, and the player character's piece acquires two or more attack items 27a, the presentation image may be changed according to the combination of the acquired attack items 27a. For example, if the acquired attack items 27a in a single turn are a sword and a magic wand, the presentation may be such that the target is attacked with a sword imbued with magic power (for example, a flaming sword).

In the case of simultaneous play by multiple players, suppose that during one's turn, another player character's piece X is on the determined route 23. In this case, if the player character's piece 21 stops on or passes through the square 22 of piece Y, the piece X may attack the target, or the piece 21 and piece X may cooperate to attack the target with a technique (or a combined technique).

FIGS. 14A and 14B are flowcharts showing the overall processing in this embodiment. This flow is executed while the user is playing the Sugoroku game. The control unit 31 reads out the program according to this embodiment from the storage unit 51, and executes the flow in FIG. 14A and FIG. 14.

First, the route derivation unit 34 waits until it is the turn of the user who operates the terminal device 12 (NO in S11). When it is the turn of the user who operates the terminal device 12 (YES in S11), the route derivation unit 34 derives all routes 23 that can be moved from the current position of the piece 21 by the number of movable spaces (S12).

The operation reception unit 32 determines whether or not the user has touched the screen 14 based on the input operation from the operation display unit 13 (S13). In S13, the operation reception unit 32 waits until the user touches the screen 14 (NO in S13).

If it is determined that the user has touched the screen 14 (YES in S13), the operation reception unit 32 identifies the reference position 26a and the movement position 26b from the input operation information from the operation display unit 13 (S14).

The route/arrow UI matching unit 35 performs a route/arrow UI matching process (S15). The route/arrow UI matching process (S15) includes a destination point position calculation process 35a, a destination point position correction process 35b, a destination point angle range setting process 35c, and a pull angle/destination point matching process 35d. The process of S15 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 15. The process of S15 identifies a route 23 leading to a destination point that corresponds to the angle range according to the orientation of the arrow UI 24.

The route selection unit 36 identifies the route 23 that leads to the destination point that corresponds to the angle range according to the orientation of the arrow UI24 as the route 23 selected by the user (S16). The display control unit 44 displays the route 23 identified by the route selection unit 36 on the screen 14 (S17).

The target identification unit 42 determines whether an attack item has been placed on the route 23 identified by the route selection unit 36 (S18). If an attack item has not been placed on the route 23 identified by the route selection unit 36 (NO in S18), the process proceeds to S20. If an attack item has been placed on the route 23 identified by the route selection unit 36 (YES in S18), the target identification unit 42 targets an enemy character's piece 28 that satisfies a predetermined condition for the destination point of the identified route as an attack target, and displays an attack target identification mark (S19).

The route determination unit 37 determines whether or not the user's finger has touched off the screen 14 (S20). If the user's finger has not touched off the screen 14 (NO in S20), the process returns to S15. When the process returns to S15, the route 23 displayed on the screen 14 is switched according to the change in the direction of the arrow UI24 until the user touches off the finger.

When the user's finger touches off the screen 14 (YES in S20), the route determination unit 37 determines the route 23 displayed on the screen 14 when the user's finger touches off the screen 14 as the route 23 selected by the user (S21).

The target identification unit 42 determines whether or not an attack target has been identified in S19 (S22). If an attack target has not been identified in S19 (NO in S22), the process proceeds to S24. If an attack target has been identified in S19 (YES in S22), the target identification unit 42 determines that the identified piece 28 is the attack target (S23).

Next, the movement amount determination unit 41 rotates the dice object 25 and determines the number shown when the dice object 25 stops as the movement amount m (m is an integer) of the piece 21 (S24).

The display control unit 44 initializes the counter parameter i to 0 (S25). The display control unit 44 controls the display of the screen 14 so that the piece 21 moves one space along the route 23 (S26). The display control unit 44 increments the counter parameter i (S27).

The item acquisition unit 43 determines whether an attack item is placed on the moved square (S28). If an attack item is not placed on the moved square (NO in S28), the process proceeds to S30. If an attack item is placed on the moved square (YES in S28), the item acquisition unit 43 acquires the attack item 27a and causes it to be held by the piece 21 (S29).

If the movement amount m is less than or equal to the counter parameter i (NO in S30), the processes in S26 to S30 are repeated.

If the movement amount m>counter parameter i (YES in S30), the target identification unit 42 determines whether the attack target has been determined in S23 (S31). If the attack target has not been determined in S23 (NO in S31), the process returns to S11.

If the attack target is determined in S23 (YES in S31), the display control unit 44 determines whether the attack item 27a has been acquired by the item acquisition unit 43 (S32). If the attack item 27a has not been acquired by the item acquisition unit 43 in S29 (NO in S32), the process returns to S11.

If an attack item 27a has been acquired by the item acquisition unit 43 in S29 (YES in S32), the display control unit 44 causes an effect image 71 relating to an attack corresponding to the acquired attack item 27a to be displayed on the piece 28 to be attacked (S33). That is, an effect image of the piece 21 attacking the piece 28 using the acquired attack item 27a is displayed.

At this time, the effects of the attack may be changed depending on the degree of pulling caused by the pulling operation. For example, the effects of the attack may be made more dynamic (e.g., animated) or more flashy the further the pull is made. Also, the further the pull is made, the greater the attack and the damage it causes may be dealt to the target.

The display control unit 44 reduces the life points of the attack target by the amount of damage inflicted by the attack in S33 (S34). The attack target has life points set in advance, and as long as the life points remain, the attack target is considered to be alive.

The display control unit 44 determines whether the life points of the attack target are zero (S35). If the life points of the attack target are not zero (NO in S35), the process returns to S11. If the life points of the attack target are zero (YES in S35), the display control unit 44 causes the attack target to disappear from the screen 14 (S36).

The display control unit 44 determines whether or not there is another enemy character piece 28 (S37). If there is another enemy character piece 28 (YES in S37), the process returns to S11. If there is no other enemy character piece 28 (NO in S37), the process ends.

Figure 15 is a flowchart showing the route/arrow UI matching process (S15). The route/arrow UI matching unit 35 (arrival point position calculation process 35a) calculates the angle between the reference line Ref and the straight line connecting the starting point St of the frame 21 and the arrival point Nt for each arrival point Nt, and identifies the position of each arrival point Nt (S41).

The route/arrow UI matching unit 35 (arrival point position correction process 35b) identifies the first branch point where the route branches out, using the position of the piece 21 before it moves as the starting point St (S). Note that the starting point St is also included as a candidate for the first branch point.

The route/arrow UI matching unit 35 (arrival point position correction process 35b) divides the planar area so that the branch routes arising from the first branch point Nb (starting point St) each become a different divided area (S43).

The route/arrow UI matching unit 35 (arrival point position correction process 35b) determines whether there is a destination point to be corrected (S44). That is, the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 (arrival point position correction process 35b) determines whether the first branch route Rb and the destination point Nt passing through it are included in different divided areas. If the first branch route Rb and the destination point Nt passing through it are not included in different divided areas, that is, if there is no destination point to be corrected (NO in S44), the process proceeds to S46.

If the first branch route Rb and the destination point Nt that passes through it are included in different division areas, i.e., if there is a destination point to be corrected (YES in S44), the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 (destination point position correction process 35b) corrects the position of the destination point so that the destination point Nt is included in the division area that contains the first branch route Rb (S45).

The route/arrow UI matching unit 35 (arrival point angle range setting process 35c) sets the angle range for each arrival point (S46).

The route/arrow UI matching unit 35 (pull angle/destination point matching process 35d) identifies an arrival point within an angle range according to the pull angle of the arrow UI (S47). The route/arrow UI matching unit 35 (pull angle/destination point matching process 35d) identifies a route leading to the identified arrival point (S48). This ends the flow in FIG. 15, and the process returns to S15 in FIG. 14A.

According to the flow of FIG. 15, when the user selects a route using the arrow UI 24, the first branch route Rb and the destination point Nt via this first branch route Rb are located in the same direction relative to the starting point St. This allows the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 to select a route intuitively for the user, i.e., to select a route that is easier for the user to understand.

In this embodiment, the route 23 has the first branch point Nb and the starting point St at the same location, but this is just an example, and the starting point St and the first branch point Nb may be at different locations.

In addition, in this embodiment, the number of branch routes from the first branch point is two, but this is not limited to this, and there may be three or more branch routes. For example, when there are three branch routes from the first branch point, it is as follows. In the planar area, from the first branch point, there is a first branch route (Rb1) in the right direction, a first branch route (Rb2) in the downward direction, and a first branch route (Rb3) in the left direction, and the next branch points of the first branch point are represented by branch point Nb1 (position: 90°), branch point Nb2 (position: 180°), and branch point Nb3 (position: 270°), respectively. Here, the coordinate system is assumed to have a reference line Ref that passes through the first branch point, as in FIG. 8. In this case, the division line Div1 is a straight line that starts from the first branch point and is equidistant from the first branch routes Rb1 and Rb2. Also, the division line Div2 is a straight line that starts from the first branch point and is equidistant from the first branch routes Rb2 and Rb3. Furthermore, division line Div3 is a straight line that starts at the first branch point and is equidistant from the first branch routes Rb3 and Rb1. In this case, the division areas can be divided into division area A, which is a range of 0° to 135° relative to the first branch point, division area B, which is a range of 135° to 225°, and division area C, which is a range of 225° to 360°. In this case, as in the case where there are two first branch routes, if the first branch route and the destination point via this route are included in different division areas, the position of the destination point can be corrected so that the destination point is included in the division area that includes the first branch route.

For example, if there are four initial branching routes, it will look like this: In a planar region, if there are initial branching routes in four directions (up, down, left, right) from the initial branching point, the divided regions can be as follows, with respect to the initial branching point: divided region A for the range of 45° to 135°, divided region B for the range of 135° to 225°, divided region C for the range of 225° to 315°, and divided region D for the range of 315° to 45°. In this case, just like when there are two initial branching routes, if the initial branching route and the destination point via this route are included in different divided regions, the position of the destination point can be corrected so that the destination point is included in the divided region that includes the initial branching route.

In addition, in this embodiment, the predetermined branch point that serves as the basis for dividing the planar area is the first branch point, but this is not limited to this. The predetermined branch point may be, for example, the second branch point from the starting point St, and may be changeable by the administrator or user of the sugoroku game.

Figure 16 is an example of a configuration block diagram of a hardware environment of a computer that executes a program in this embodiment. The computer 101 functions as a terminal device 12 or a server 13. The computer 101 is composed of a CPU 102, a ROM 103, a RAM 104, a storage device 105, an input I/F 106, an output I/F 107, a communication I/F 108, a reading device 109, and a bus 110.

Here, CPU refers to a central processing unit. ROM refers to a read-only memory. RAM refers to a random access memory. I/F refers to an interface. The bus 110 is connected to the CPU 102, ROM 103, RAM 104, storage device 105, input I/F 106, output I/F 107, communication I/F 108, and, if necessary, a reading device 109.

The CPU 102 reads out the program according to this embodiment from the storage device 105, and executes the program as the operation reception unit 32, the routing unit 33, the movement amount determination unit 41, the target identification unit 42, the item acquisition unit 43, and the display control unit 44. The ROM 103 indicates a read-only memory. The RAM 104 is a temporary storage memory.

The storage device 105 is a device that stores large amounts of information. Various types of storage devices can be used as the storage device 105, such as a hard disk, a solid state drive (SSD), or a flash memory card. The storage device 105 stores a program according to an embodiment of the present invention and various data stored in the storage unit 40.

The input I/F 106 can be connected to input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, electronic camera, web camera, microphone, scanner, sensor, tablet, touch panel display, information reading device, etc. The output I/F 107 can be connected to output devices such as a display, touch panel, projector, printer, speaker, etc.

The communication I/F 108 is an interface such as a port for connecting to a communication network and communicating with other devices. The communication network may be the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a dedicated line, a wired network, a wireless network, or the like. The reading device 109 is a device for reading portable recording media.

The program that realizes the processing described in the above embodiment may be stored, for example, in the storage device 105 from the program provider via the communication network and the communication I/F 108. The program that realizes the processing described in the above embodiment may also be stored in a portable storage medium that is commercially available and in circulation. In this case, the portable storage medium may be set in the reading device 105, and the program may be read and executed by the CPU 102. Various types of storage media can be used as the portable storage medium, such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, an IC card, a USB memory device, or a semiconductor memory card. The program stored in such a storage medium is read by the reading device 109.

The program may be installed on a stand-alone computer, or may be installed by a cloud computer and provide only the functions to the user. In this embodiment, an application program capable of communicating with the server 13 is installed on the terminal device 12 to control the game system in this embodiment, but this is not limited to this. For example, a web browser installed on the terminal device 12 may be used to access the server 15 and use the game system according to this embodiment operated on the server 15 side.

As described above, the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 according to this embodiment derives a route 23 that satisfies the number of movable spaces from the starting point of the piece 41 displayed on the screen 14. Then, the route/arrow UI matching unit 35 sets the position where the user's finger touches the screen 14 as the reference position 26a. The route/arrow UI matching unit 35 displays the position 26b to which the finger moves from the reference position 26a, i.e., the route 23 corresponding to the arrow UI 24, on the screen 14. Therefore, the user can easily select the route 23 for the piece 21.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the arrow UI 24 is described as extending from the reference position 26a toward the tip and rear end of the arrow in response to the operation of sliding the finger from the reference position 26a to the moving position 26b. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the arrow UI 24 may be changed so that it extends from the reference position 26a to the moving position 26b (pulling direction) with the reference position 26a as the tip. Also, for example, the moving position 26b may be the tip of the arrow UI 24. In this case, the arrow UI 24 is displayed by moving the finger in the opposite direction to the example in FIG. 3. Therefore, the tip position of the arrow and the length of the arrow UI 24 in this case change in response to the sliding operation by the user.

In addition, in selecting a route for the piece 21, waypoints from the starting point of the piece 21 may be determined. Specifically, after it is the user's turn, the square 22 that the user first touches on the screen 14 is set as the waypoint, and then the route 23 is derived with the waypoint as the starting point. The user then selects the route 23 using the arrow UI 24. In other words, it is confirmed that the piece 21 will move from the starting point to the set waypoint, and the route 23 after the waypoint is selected by the user using the arrow UI 24. Note that waypoints may be set automatically as part of an event, etc., without being set by the user.

In addition, in this embodiment, a form has been described in which the amount of movement of the piece 21 is determined after the route 23 is selected by the user, but this is not limited to the above, and the route 23 may be selected by the user after the amount of movement of the piece 21 is determined.

Although this aspect has been described above based on the embodiment and modified examples, the embodiment of the above-mentioned aspect is intended to facilitate understanding of this aspect and does not limit this aspect. This aspect may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and equivalents are included in this aspect. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it may be deleted as appropriate.

In addition to the above embodiment, the following is further noted.
(Appendix 1)
A terminal device that allows a user to perform an input operation on a display screen,
a movement path specification unit that specifies a movement path determined in response to an input operation of a user from among a plurality of movement path candidates from a starting point of the first object that is operable by a user and arranged on a movement path displayed on the display screen to a destination point determined in response to an input operation of the user;
a target object specification unit that specifies, among one or more second objects displayed on the display screen, at least one second object as a target for the first object to perform a predetermined action in accordance with the specified movement path;
Equipped with
The terminal device, characterized in that the target object identification unit identifies at least one of the second objects that is to be the target when a third object used for the specified action is located on the identified movement path.
With this configuration, a route from a starting point to a destination point can be determined in response to an input operation by the user, and a display object that is a target of a predetermined action can be specified in response to the route, making it easier for the user to visually recognize the target.
(Appendix 2)
The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the target object identification unit is configured to identify a second object that is closest to the destination point of the identified movement path, among the one or more second objects.
With this configuration, it is possible to specify the second object closest to the destination point of the specified movement path as, for example, the target of an action.
(Appendix 3)
The terminal device further comprises:
a movement amount determination unit that determines a movement amount by which the first object is to be moved along the specified movement path in response to an input operation by the user;
Equipped with
The terminal device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the movement amount determination unit determines the set movement amount between a predetermined lower limit value and a predetermined upper limit value.
By configuring in this way, the range of the amount of movement can be set, so that the progress of a Sugoroku game, for example, can be adjusted.
(Appendix 4)
The terminal device further comprises:
a display control unit that changes a performance image related to the predetermined action in accordance with an attribute of the third object when the first object performs the predetermined action on the second object;
4. The terminal device according to claim 1,
By configuring in this manner, the presentation image for a specified action can be changed depending on the attributes of the third object, thereby improving the visual presentation in the game and increasing user satisfaction.
(Appendix 5)
The display control unit further controls the movement of the first object along the movement path based on the determined movement amount, and when moving the first object, if the third object is located on the movement path, controls the first object to acquire the third object and perform the specified action on the identified second object.
With this configuration, when a third object placed on the movement path is acquired, a predetermined action can be performed on the second object, thereby improving the playability of the game.
(Appendix 6)
A computer that allows a user to input data to a display screen,
a movement path specification process for specifying a movement path determined in response to an input operation of a user from among a plurality of movement path candidates from a starting point of a first object that is operable by a user and that is placed on a movement path displayed on the display screen to a destination point determined in response to an input operation of the user;
a target object specifying process for specifying at least one second object, which is a target for the first object to perform a predetermined action, among one or more second objects displayed on the display screen, according to the specified movement path;
Run the command,
The target object identification process identifies at least one of the second objects that is to be the target when a third object used for the specified action is located on the identified movement path.
With this configuration, a route from a starting point to a destination point can be determined in response to an input operation by the user, and a display object that is a target of a predetermined action can be specified in response to the route, making it easier for the user to visually recognize the target.
(Appendix 7)
An information processing device capable of communicating with a terminal device that allows a user to perform an input operation,
a movement path specification unit that specifies a movement path determined in response to an input operation of a user from among a plurality of movement path candidates from a starting point of a first object that is operable by a user and that is placed on a movement path displayed on a display screen to a destination point determined in response to an input operation of the user;
a target object specification unit that specifies, among one or more second objects displayed on the display screen, at least one second object as a target for the first object to perform a predetermined action in accordance with the specified movement path;
Equipped with
the target object identification unit is configured to identify at least one of the second objects that is to be the target when a third object used for the predetermined action is located on the identified movement path.
With this configuration, a route from a starting point to a destination point can be determined in response to an input operation by the user, and a display object that is a target of a predetermined action can be specified in response to the route, making it easier for the user to visually recognize the target.
(Appendix 8)
A server device capable of communicating with a terminal device that allows a user to perform an input operation on a display screen,
a movement path specification process for specifying a movement path determined in response to an input operation of a user from among a plurality of movement path candidates from a starting point of a first object operable by a user to a destination point determined in response to an input operation of the user, the movement path being a first object arranged on a movement path displayed on a display screen;
a target object specifying process for specifying at least one second object, which is a target for the first object to perform a predetermined action, among one or more second objects displayed on the display screen, according to the specified movement path;
Run the command,
The program for a server device, characterized in that the target object identification process identifies at least one of the second objects that is to be the target when a third object used for the specified action is located on the identified movement path.
With this configuration, a route from a starting point to a destination point can be determined in response to an input operation by the user, and a display object that is a target of a predetermined action can be specified in response to the route, making it easier for the user to visually recognize the target.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 1 Terminal device 2 Movement path identification unit 3 Target object identification unit 4 Movement amount determination unit 5 Display control unit 11 Game system 12 Terminal device 13 Operation display unit 14 Screen 15 Server 16 Communication network 31 Control unit 32 Operation reception unit 33 Routing unit 34 Route derivation unit 35 Route/arrow UI matching unit 35a Arrival point position calculation process 35b Arrival point position correction process 35c Arrival point angle range setting process 35d Pull angle/arrival point matching process 36 Route selection unit 37 Route determination unit 41 Movement amount determination unit 42 Target identification unit 43 Item acquisition unit 44 Display control unit

Claims (3)

a processor, the processor comprising:
when a second object to be used for a predetermined action is located on a movement path selected by a user from among a plurality of movement path candidates from a starting point to a destination point of a first object operable by a user, identifying at least one third object on which the first object is to perform the predetermined action based on the selected movement path, and displaying the third object on a display screen so as to be distinguishable from other objects;
determining a movement amount from a starting point of the first object from among a plurality of different movement amounts based on an operation received from a user after the movement path is determined, and moving the first object based on the determined movement amount ;
When the first object reaches the second object that is placed on the determined movement path, the first object is caused to perform the predetermined action on the third object.
Information processing device. a processor, when a second object to be used for a predetermined action is located on a movement path selected by a user from among a plurality of movement path candidates from a starting point to a destination point of a first object operable by a user, identifies at least one third object on which the first object is to perform the predetermined action based on the selected movement path, and displays the third object on a display screen so as to be distinguishable from other objects;
a processor determines a movement amount from a starting point of the first object from among a plurality of different movement amounts based on an operation received from a user after the movement path is determined, and moves the first object based on the determined movement amount ;
a processor causing the first object to perform the predetermined action on the third object when the first object reaches the second object that is located on the determined movement path;
Information processing methods. a processor that, when a second object to be used for a predetermined action is located on a movement path selected by a user from among a plurality of movement path candidates from a starting point to a destination point of a first object operable by a user, identifies at least one third object on which the first object is to perform the predetermined action based on the selected movement path, and displays the third object on a display screen so as to be distinguishable from other objects;
causing a processor to determine a movement amount from a starting point of the first object from among a plurality of different movement amounts based on an operation received from a user after the movement path is determined, and to move the first object based on the determined movement amount ;
a processor that causes the first object to perform the predetermined action on the third object when the first object reaches the second object that is disposed on the determined movement path;
A program that executes a process.

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