JP7540038B2 - Program, system, and method for providing a game - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a program, a system, and a method for providing a game.

Conventionally, various games that use content such as virtual cards, characters, and items are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). In such games, players can enjoy collecting content in addition to enjoying the game progress itself.

JP 2014-147593 A

However, while conventional games allow players to enjoy the act of collecting content, they do not adequately provide players with the additional enjoyment of using the content they have collected.

One of the objectives of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide players with enjoyment using their owned content. Other objectives of the embodiments of the present invention will become apparent by reference to this entire specification.

A program according to one embodiment of the present invention is a program for providing a game, and causes one or more computers to execute the following processes: managing the progress of tasks associated with content owned by a player; updating the value of a first parameter possessed by a character based at least on the progress of tasks associated with content associated with the character; and displaying the character based at least on the value of the first parameter.

A system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a system for providing a game, comprising one or more computer processors, the one or more computer processors executing, in response to execution of readable instructions, a process for managing the progress of tasks associated with content owned by a player, a process for updating the value of a first parameter possessed by a character based at least on the progress of tasks associated with content associated with the character, and a process for displaying the character based at least on the value of the first parameter.

A method according to one embodiment of the present invention is executed by one or more computers and is a method for providing a game, comprising the steps of: managing the progress of tasks associated with content owned by a player; updating the value of a first parameter possessed by a character based at least on the progress of tasks associated with the content associated with the character; and displaying the character based at least on the value of the first parameter.

Various embodiments of the present invention provide players with enjoyment using their owned content.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a network including a game providing server 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of information managed by a player information table 151. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information managed by a character information table 152. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information managed by a content information table 153. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the correspondence between characters and characters with different costumes. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information managed by an assignment information table 154. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of information managed by a player character management table 155. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of information managed by a player content management table 156. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of information managed by a player task management table 157. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a character list screen 50. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a point reward list screen 60. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a character details screen 70. A figure showing an example of a character details (mission) screen 80. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a process executed by the game providing server 10. 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining changes in the display of a character according to the rank of the character.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a network including a game providing server 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the server 10 is communicatively connected to player terminals 30 via a communication network 20 such as the Internet. Although only one player terminal 30 is shown in Figure 1, the server 10 can be communicatively connected to multiple player terminals 30. The server 10 provides a game to a user who operates the player terminal 30. The game providing server 10 is an example of a device that implements all or part of the system of the present invention.

The game providing server 10 is configured as a general computer, and as shown in FIG. 1, includes a computer processor 11, a main memory 12, an input/output I/F 13, a communication I/F 14, and a storage (memory device) 15, and each of these components is electrically connected via a bus or the like (not shown).

The computer processor 11 is configured as a CPU or GPU, etc., and loads various programs stored in the storage 15, etc., into the main memory 12 and executes various instructions contained in the programs. The main memory 12 is configured, for example, from a DRAM, etc.

The input/output I/F 13 includes various input/output devices for exchanging information with a user, etc. The input/output I/F 13 includes, for example, information input devices such as a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse, a touch panel, etc.), an audio input device such as a microphone, and an image input device such as a camera. The input/output I/F 13 also includes an image output device such as a display, and an audio output device such as a speaker.

The communication I/F 14 is implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, various communication software, or a combination of these, and is configured to enable wired or wireless communication via a communication network 20, etc.

The storage 15 is composed of, for example, a magnetic disk, a flash memory, etc. The storage 15 stores various programs including an operating system, various data, etc. For example, the storage 15 stores a player information table 151 that manages information about players of the game provided by the server 10, a character information table 152 that manages information about characters in the game, a content information table 153 that manages information about content in the game, a task information table 154 that manages information about tasks in the game, a player-specific character management table 155 that manages information on each character of each player, a player-specific content management table 156 that manages information on each content of each player, and a player-specific task management table 157 that manages information on each task of each player. In addition, for example, the storage 15 stores a game program 40 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The program 40 is a program for causing the game providing server 10 to function as all or part of a system for providing a game. At least a part of the game program 40 can be configured to be executed on the player terminal 30 side via a web browser or other application.

In this embodiment, the game providing server 10 may be configured using multiple computers, each having the hardware configuration described above. For example, the server 10 may be configured by one or multiple server devices.

The game providing server 10 configured in this way functions as a web server and an application server, executes various processes in response to requests from a web browser or other applications installed in the player terminal 30, and transmits screen data (e.g., HTML data) and control data according to the results of the processes to the player terminal 30. The player terminal 30 displays a web page or other screen based on the received data.

The player terminal 30 is configured as a general computer, and as shown in FIG. 1, includes a computer processor 31, a main memory 32, an input/output I/F 33, a communication I/F 34, and a storage (memory device) 35, and these components are electrically connected via a bus or the like (not shown).

The computer processor 31 is configured as a CPU or GPU, and loads various programs stored in the storage 35, etc., into the main memory 32 and executes various commands contained in the programs. The main memory 32 is configured, for example, from a DRAM, etc.

The input/output I/F 33 includes various input/output devices for exchanging information with a user, etc. The input/output I/F 33 includes, for example, information input devices such as a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse, a touch panel, etc.), an audio input device such as a microphone, and an image input device such as a camera. The input/output I/F 33 also includes an image output device such as a display, and an audio output device such as a speaker.

The communication I/F 34 is implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, various communication software, or a combination of these, and is configured to realize wired or wireless communication via the communication network 20, etc.

Storage 35 is composed of, for example, a magnetic disk or a flash memory. Storage 35 stores various programs including an operating system and various data. The programs stored in storage 35 can be downloaded from an application market, etc., and installed.

In this embodiment, the player terminal 30 may be configured as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a wearable device, a personal computer, a dedicated game terminal, or the like.

A user (game player) of a player terminal 30 configured in this manner can play a game provided by the server 10 by communicating with the server 10 via a web browser or other application installed in the storage 35, etc.

Next, the functions of the game providing server 10 of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the computer processor 11 of the server 10 is configured to function as a game progress control unit 111 by executing instructions contained in a program (e.g., at least a part of the game program 40) loaded into the main memory 12.

The game progress control unit 111 is configured to execute various processes related to the control of the progress of the game. For example, the game progress control unit 111 transmits screen data or control data of various screens related to the game to the player terminal 30, executes various processes (including various processes for progressing the game) in response to operation input by the player via the screen displayed on the player terminal 30, and transmits screen data or control data according to the results of the processes to the player terminal 30.

In this embodiment, the game progress control unit 111 is configured to manage the task completion status of each player. The tasks may be called missions, tasks, quests, etc., and are typically configured to be completed as the game progresses. In this embodiment, the tasks include tasks associated with content. The correspondence between such tasks and content may be managed in the task information table 154. For example, the game progress control unit 111 is configured to manage the task completion status of each player, including whether or not the task has been completed, and the progress toward completion. The task completion status of each player may be managed in the per-player task management table 157.

The game progress control unit 111 is also configured to update the values of certain parameters (hereinafter sometimes referred to as character parameters) possessed by the characters. In this embodiment, the values of the character parameters are updated based at least on the progress of the tasks associated with the content associated with the corresponding character (which can also be referred to as tasks associated with the character via the content). The values of the character parameters can be managed in the per-player character management table 155. Furthermore, the correspondence between the characters and the content can be, for example, set in advance (in which case, the correspondence can be managed in the content information table 153), or can be set individually by the player (in which case, the correspondence can be managed in the per-player content management table 156).

The game progress control unit 111 is also configured to display a character based at least on the values of the character parameters possessed by the character. For example, the game progress control unit 111 is configured to transmit screen data and control data, etc. of a predetermined screen including the character to the player terminal 30, and the screen is configured to display the character based at least on the values of the character parameters possessed by the character.

In this way, the game providing server 10 in this embodiment updates the values of character parameters based on the completion status of a task associated with content owned by a player and associated with the character, and displays the character based on the values of the character parameters, so that the player can enjoy the change in the display of the character through the completion of a task associated with the owned content. In other words, the game providing server 10 can provide the player with fun using the owned content.

In this embodiment, changes in the display of a character based on the value of a character parameter include changes in various aspects. For example, the game progress control unit 111 can be configured to display the character so that its appearance is based at least on the value of the character parameter. This appearance includes the appearance of the character itself, the appearance of parts other than the character, such as the background and decorations, and the appearance of the area in which the character is displayed. This configuration allows the player to enjoy changes in the appearance of the character display through the completion of tasks associated with the content the player owns.

In this embodiment, the game progress control unit 111 may be configured to transmit screen data and control data of a specific screen that displays the challenges to the player terminal 30. In this case, the screen may be configured to display a number of objects corresponding to a number of pieces of content associated with the character, and, in response to the selection of one of the multiple objects, to display (filter) the challenges associated with the content corresponding to the selected object. Such a screen is typically configured to display the progress of the challenges. This configuration enables the display of challenges associated with specific content.

In this embodiment, the tasks include tasks associated directly with the character (not via the content) in addition to tasks associated with content owned by the player. In this case, the game progress control unit 111 can be configured to update the value of a predetermined parameter (which may be the character parameter described above or a parameter other than the character parameter) possessed by the character based at least on the progress of the tasks directly associated with the character, and to display the character based at least on the value of the predetermined parameter. The correspondence between the character and the tasks can be managed in the task information table 154. This configuration allows the player to enjoy the change in the display of the character through the completion of the tasks directly associated with the character.

Furthermore, in this case, the specified screen that displays the tasks can be configured to display an object corresponding to the character, and to display (filter) tasks that are directly associated with the character in response to the selection of that object. This configuration makes it possible to display tasks that are directly associated with the character.

In this embodiment, the character parameters possessed by the characters can be configured as variables of various types, for example, as points (numeric values). In this case, the game progress control unit 111 is configured to add a predetermined number of points (for example, a fixed number of points, or a number of points that changes depending on the task) to the value of the character parameters possessed by the corresponding character in response to the completion of a task. This configuration makes it possible to display a character based on the value of the character parameters configured as points.

In this embodiment, the game progress control unit 111 may be configured to grant content to the player. For example, the game progress control unit 111 may be configured to grant content to the player in accordance with the progress of the game (e.g., in response to clearing a specific stage or in response to logging in, etc.) or by lottery (e.g., gacha, etc.). Information regarding the content granted to the player (owned by the player) may be managed in the per-player content management table 156. Such a configuration may provide the player with enjoyment using content acquired in accordance with the progress of the game/by lottery.

In this case, the game progress control unit 111 can be configured to activate a task associated with a specific piece of content in response to the provision of the specific content. For example, the specific task is pre-associated with the specific content, and the game progress control unit 111 is configured to activate a specific task for a specific player in response to the provision of the specific content to the specific player. Enabling a task includes, for example, starting management of the task completion status. Such a configuration makes it possible to activate a task in response to the provision of content.

In this embodiment, the content includes various electronic and virtual content (e.g., characters, items, objects, etc.) used in the game. For example, the content may be configured as an item that can be set for a character. Also, for example, the content may be configured as one of multiple variations of a character. In this case, the multiple variations of a character include, for example, multiple characters that differ from each other in part of their appearance (e.g., costumes). Such a configuration makes it possible to enjoy changes in the display of the character through the achievement of tasks associated with the variations of the character, such as characters with different costumes.

In this embodiment, a challenge associated with a specific content may be configured as a challenge to be achieved as the game progresses using the specific content. For example, a challenge associated with a specific item as specific content may be achieved as the game progresses with the specific item set for the player character, and a challenge associated with a specific version of a character as specific content may be achieved as the game progresses with the specific version of the character set as the player character. This configuration promotes the use of the specific content.

The game progress control unit 111 can also be configured to update the values of certain parameters (hereinafter sometimes referred to as player parameters) possessed by the player based at least on the values of the character parameters possessed by each of the multiple characters, and to grant a reward to the player based at least on the values of the player parameters. The reward granted to the player typically has a higher value as the value of the player parameter increases. This configuration enables the player to enjoy obtaining a reward in addition to seeing changes in the display of the corresponding character through the completion of a task.

Next, a specific example of the game providing server 10 of this embodiment having such functions will be described. In this specific example, the game providing server 10 provides a game involving a battle between a player character and an enemy character arranged in a virtual game space. The battle takes place in each area of a quest having multiple areas, and each area has one or more predetermined enemy characters arranged therein. In a specific quest, the player can proceed to the next area when he or she defeats all enemy characters arranged in each area, and the specific quest is cleared when all enemy characters arranged in the final area are defeated. Note that this example is merely one example of a game in this embodiment, and various aspects of the embodiment of the present invention are not limited to this.

Figure 2 illustrates information managed by the player information table 151 in this example. The player information table 151 in this example manages information about players of the game, and as shown, manages information such as "basic information" including account name, gender, date of birth, etc., and "total character points" (player points), in association with "player accounts" that identify individual players. The total character points are the sum of the character points of the multiple characters of the corresponding player, as will be described in more detail below.

Figure 3 illustrates information managed by character information table 152 in this example. Character information table 152 in this example manages information related to characters in the game, and as shown, manages information such as "name" and "image information" in association with a "character ID" that identifies an individual character. Image information includes information related to the character's image file.

Figure 4 illustrates information managed by content information table 153 in this example. In this example, content information table 153 manages information related to costumed characters (content) in the game, and as shown, manages information such as "related character ID" that identifies related characters, "name", "image information", and "attributes" in association with a "character ID by costume" that identifies an individual character by costume. The image information includes information related to image files of characters by costume.

Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining the correspondence between characters and costumed characters in this example. In this example, as shown in the figure, a plurality of costumed characters corresponding to a plurality of different costume variations are pre-associated with each of a plurality of predetermined characters. For example, costumed characters such as "Character A (Costume A1)", "Character A (Costume A2)", and "Character A (Costume A3)" are associated with a character "Character A", and similarly, costumed characters such as "Character B (Costume B1)", "Character B (Costume B2)", and "Character B (Costume B3)" are associated with a character "Character B". The correspondence between such costumed characters and related characters is managed via related character IDs in the content information table 153.

Figure 6 illustrates information managed by the task information table 154 in this example. The task information table 154 in this example manages information related to tasks (missions), and as shown in the figure, manages information such as an "associated character ID" that identifies an associated character, an "associated costume-specific character ID" that identifies an associated costume-specific character, "number of points awarded," and "mission content," in association with a "mission ID" that identifies an individual mission. The associated character ID is set to a corresponding character ID when the corresponding mission is directly associated with a character. The associated costume-specific character ID is set to a corresponding costume-specific character ID when the corresponding mission is associated with a costume-specific character. In this example, the associated character ID and the associated costume-specific character ID are set to only one of them (i.e., one mission is associated with only one of the character or the costume-specific character).

The number of points awarded is the number of points awarded as character points to the corresponding character (a character associated directly or via a costumed character) when the corresponding mission is accomplished. In this example, the mission contents include, for example, acquiring a specific costumed character, raising the level of a specific costumed character to a predetermined value, defeating a predetermined number of enemy characters using a specific costumed character, and fighting a predetermined number of battles using a specific costumed character.

Figure 7 illustrates information managed by the per-player character management table 155 in this example. The per-player character management table 155 in this example manages character-by-character information for each player, and as shown, manages information such as "character points" and "rank" in association with a combination of a "player account" that identifies an individual player and a "character ID" that identifies an individual character. Character points, which will be described in more detail below, are added in response to the accomplishment of a mission associated with a character directly or via a costume-specific character. Rank increases in a stepped manner (rank up) as character points increase.

Figure 8 illustrates information managed by the per-player content management table 156 in this example. In this example, the per-player content management table 156 manages information on a per-costume character basis for each player, and as shown, manages information such as "experience points" that increase as the game progresses (such as by completing quests), "levels" that increase in a stepped manner as experience points increase, and an "acquisition flag" that indicates whether the corresponding player has already acquired the corresponding costume character, in association with a combination of a "player account" that identifies an individual player and a "costume-specific character ID" that identifies an individual costume-specific character.

In this example, when the game progresses (such as when completing a quest), a player character is selected from multiple costumed characters owned (already acquired) by the player. The experience points in the per-player content management table 156 are added according to the execution of a quest in which the corresponding costumed character is selected as the player character. Thus, in this example, while the costumed characters are used as player characters, the characters are not used directly as player characters. The characters are used as a unit for grouping multiple costumed characters together.

In this example, the costumed character is given to the player, for example, as a bonus for clearing a quest. The costumed character is given to the player, for example, through a lottery (gacha). When the player acquires the costumed character that has been given to him, the value of the acquired flag in the per-player content management table 156 is updated. Note that the costumed character may also be given through a virtual item such as coins that can be acquired as the game progresses (such as exchanging the costumed character for a predetermined number of items).

Figure 9 illustrates information managed by the per-player task management table 157 in this example. The per-player task management table 157 in this example manages information on a mission-by-mission basis for each player, and as shown in the figure, manages information such as "achievement status" and "activation flag" in association with a combination of a "player account" that identifies an individual player and a "mission ID" that identifies an individual mission. In this example, the achievement status is set to a value that corresponds to whether or not the mission has been accomplished.

In this example, a mission associated with a costumed character is enabled for a player who owns (has acquired) that costumed character. In other words, when a player acquires a specific costumed character, the mission associated with that specific costumed character is enabled, and the enable flag in the per-player task management table 157 is updated. For example, when a mission to defeat a predetermined number of enemy characters using a specific costumed character is enabled, a count of the number of enemy characters defeated using that specific costumed character begins. Note that, in this example, missions directly associated with characters are enabled as an initial state.

Figure 10 illustrates an example of a character list screen 50 displayed on the player terminal 30. As shown in the figure, the screen 50 has a total character point display area 52 that displays the player's total character points, a filtering area 54, and a list display area 56 that displays a list of characters.

The total character point display area 52 displays the total character points of the corresponding player ("3,648,920 pt" in the example of FIG. 10) and information regarding the next point reward (an image corresponding to the next reward, and the remaining number of points required to acquire the next reward ("16,500 pt" in the example of FIG. 10)), and also has a reward confirmation object 521 displayed as "Point Reward."

11 illustrates an example of a point reward list screen 60 displayed on the player terminal 30 in response to the selection of a reward confirmation object 521. As illustrated, the screen 60 has a total character point display area 62 that displays the total character points, and a list display area 64 that displays a list of point rewards. In the list display area 64, individual display areas 641 that each display information about an individual point reward (e.g., a corresponding image and the number of total character points required, etc.) are arranged in a grid pattern. Also, as illustrated, among the multiple individual display areas 641, an area 641 that corresponds to a point reward that has already been granted to the player has a circular granted object 642 marked "Done" added to its upper left corner. In this example, each time the total character points reach a predetermined number of points (e.g., set every 500 points) that is set in stages, the corresponding point reward is granted to the player.

Returning to FIG. 10, in the list display area 56 of the character list screen 50, individual display areas 561, each of which displays information about an individual character, are arranged in a grid pattern. In the initial state, the characters displayed in the character list display area 56 are all characters, and are filtered by specifying an attribute via the filtering area 54. Specifically, when an attribute is specified via the filtering area 54, the characters displayed in the character list display area 56 become characters corresponding to the costumed characters having the specified attribute (i.e., characters for which at least one of the corresponding costumed characters has the specified attribute).

The individual display area 561 displays an image of the corresponding character. When any of the multiple individual display areas 561 arranged in the list display area 56 is selected, a character details screen 70 as shown in FIG. 12 is displayed on the player terminal 30. Note that the individual display area 561 may be selectable when the player has one or more costumed characters associated with the corresponding character, and may not be selectable (e.g., grayed out) when the player does not have any costumed characters associated with the corresponding character.

The character details screen 70 is a screen that displays information about the character corresponding to the selected individual display area 561, and as shown in FIG. 12, has a character information display area 72 that displays information about the corresponding character, a list display area 74 that displays a list of one or more costumed characters corresponding to that character, and a display switching object 76 that displays "Mission."

The character information display area 72 displays the name of the corresponding character ("Character A" in the example of FIG. 12) and the character points ("736272pt" in the example of FIG. 12), and also has an image display area 721 that displays an image of the character, and a costume-specific character information display area 722 that displays information about the corresponding costume-specific character.

The costumed character information display area 722 displays the name of one costumed character included in one or more costumed characters associated with the corresponding character (in the example of FIG. 12, "Character A (Costume A1)") and a 3D model.

In the list display area 74, circular individual display areas 741, each of which displays information about an individual costumed character, are arranged in a grid pattern. The area 741 displays information such as the image, level, and attributes of the corresponding costumed character. The individual display areas 741 are configured to enable identification of whether the player owns the corresponding costumed character. For example, if the player does not own the corresponding costumed character, the area is grayed out. When one of the individual display areas 741 arranged in the list display area 74 is selected, the display in the costumed character information display area 722 of the character information display area 72 is switched to display the costumed character corresponding to the selected area 741. In the initial state, a specific costumed character (for example, the costumed character with the smallest costumed character ID value) is displayed in the costumed character information display area 722.

When the display switching object 76 on the character details screen 70 is selected, a character details (mission) screen 80 as shown in FIG. 13 is displayed on the player terminal 30. As shown in the figure, the screen 80 has a character information display area 82 that displays information about the corresponding character, a filtering area 84, a list display area 86 for displaying a list of multiple missions related to the corresponding character, and a back object 88 that displays "back." When the object 88 is selected, the display returns to the character details screen 70 as shown in FIG. 12.

The character information display area 82 displays the character's name, character points, and the number of remaining points required to move up to the next rank (rank up) ("14263 pts" in the example of FIG. 13), and also has an image display area 821 that displays an image of the character.

The filtering area 84 is an area for filtering the missions displayed in the list in the list display area 86, and has one ALL object 841 located at the left end and multiple costumed character objects 842 located to the right of the ALL object 841 arranged side by side in the left-right direction. Each of the multiple objects 842 corresponds to a multiple costumed character associated with the corresponding character.

The ALL object 841 is an object for narrowing down the missions displayed in the list display area 86 to those directly associated with the character. The costumed character object 842 is an object for narrowing down the missions displayed in the list display area 86 to those associated with the corresponding costumed character. In the initial state, the missions displayed in the list display area 86 are all missions related to the corresponding character, and when objects 841, 842 are specified via the filtering area 84, only the corresponding missions are displayed (filtered). Note that the ALL object 841 and the costumed character objects 842 can specify two or more objects 841, 842 at the same time.

In the list display area 86, individual display areas 861, each of which displays information about an individual mission, are arranged vertically. The areas 861 display an image of the character or costumed character associated with the corresponding mission, as well as the details of the mission. In addition, a circular completed object 862 labeled "Completed" is added to the right end of the individual display area 861 corresponding to a completed mission. The list display area 86 displays currently active and inactive missions in a distinguishable manner, and for example, individual display areas 861 corresponding to currently inactive missions (specifically, missions associated with costumed characters not owned by the player) are grayed out.

Here, the operations related to the completion of the mission in this example will be described. FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating the processes executed by the game providing server 10 in relation to the completion of the mission. These processes are executed in response to the occurrence of a specific event in the game (e.g., login, end of a battle, etc.).

As shown in the figure, the server 10 first checks whether the mission has been accomplished (step S100), and if the mission has been newly accomplished (YES in step S100), updates the character points (step S110). Specifically, the character points corresponding to the number of granted points (managed in the task information table 154) corresponding to the accomplished mission are added to the character points of the character corresponding to the accomplished mission (the character associated with the mission directly or via a costume-specific character).

Then, the server 10 determines whether the character's rank has been updated (step S120), and if there has been a rank update (YES in step S120), it updates the rank of the corresponding character (step S130). Specifically, when the character's character points reach the range of the character points for the next rank after the current rank, the character's rank is updated to the next rank.

In this example, the display of a character is configured to change depending on the rank of the character. Specifically, the display of the character's image in the individual display area 561 of the character list screen 50, the image display area 721 of the character details screen 70, and the image display area 821 of the character details (mission) screen 80 changes depending on the rank of the character.

15 is a diagram for explaining the change in the display of a character according to the rank of the character in this example. FIG. 15(A) illustrates areas 561, 721, and 821 when the character's rank is a first value, and FIG. 15(B) illustrates areas 561, 721, and 821 when the character's rank is a second value. As shown in the figure, areas 561, 721, and 821 have a rectangular character image area 902 that displays an image of the character, and a frame area 904 that is the remaining area surrounding the area 902 and is a frame-shaped area. As can be seen from a comparison of FIGS. 15(A) and (B), in this example, the appearance of the frame area 904 (color, pattern, combination thereof, etc.) changes according to the character's rank. Also, in this example, the character rank is configured as five ranks, and the appearance of the frame area 904 corresponding to each of these five ranks is different from each other.

Note that the change in character display illustrated in FIG. 15 is merely an example, and in other examples of this embodiment, the character display may change in other ways. For example, the image of the character itself in the character image area 902, a part of the image (e.g., an icon, etc.), and/or the background, etc. may change.

For example, in the image display area 721 of the character details screen 70 and the image display area 821 of the character details (mission) screen 80, the character's image is displayed together with the character points, and by giving these areas 721, 821, etc. an appearance that matches the worldview of the game (e.g., wood grain, wrinkles, metallic luster, etc.), a more attractive presentation may be possible. In addition, when the character list screen 50, etc. is displayed for the first time after ranking up, a predetermined animation presentation may be performed.

Returning to the flow diagram of FIG. 14, the server 10 then updates the total character points (step S140). Specifically, the number of points corresponding to the completed missions described above is added to the total character points.

Then, the server 10 determines whether or not a point reward has been awarded (step S150), and if a reward has been awarded (YES in step S150), it awards the point reward to the player (step S160). Specifically, when the total character points reach the total character point range of the next point reward, the corresponding reward is awarded to the player. When a reward is awarded, in this example, the individual display area 641 of the corresponding reward becomes selectable on the point reward list screen 60, and the player can acquire the reward by selecting that area 641.

In this example, in addition to the reward based on the total character points, the player may also be given a reward based on the completion of a mission (e.g., a reward corresponding to the completed mission).

In the above example, character points are updated according to the completion of a mission, but a first point updated according to the completion of a mission associated with a costume-specific character and a second point updated according to the completion of a mission directly associated with the character may be managed as separate points. In this case, the display of the character may be configured to change from a first perspective according to the value of the first point (for example, the image of the character itself changes), while changing from a second perspective according to the value of the second point (for example, the image of the character's background changes).

In the above example, the character points of the character are updated in response to the completion of a mission associated with a costume-specific character associated with the character, but a costume-specific character is one example of content in this embodiment, and in other examples of this embodiment, for example, other variations of the character or items are applied as content. For example, in these other examples, the character points of the character are updated in response to the completion of a mission associated with an item set for the character (for example, an equipped weapon item and armor item, etc.), and the display of the character is changed in response to the value of the character points.

The game providing server 10 according to the present embodiment described above updates the values of character parameters (e.g., character points) based on the progress of completing tasks associated with content owned by the player and associated with the character (e.g., a character with a different costume), and displays the character based on the values of the character parameters, allowing the player to enjoy the changes in the display of the character as a result of completing tasks associated with the owned content. In other words, the game providing server 10 can provide the player with fun using the owned content.

In other embodiments of the present invention, some or all of the functions of the game progress control unit 111 in the above-described embodiments may be realized by cooperation between the game providing server 10 and the player terminal 30, or may be realized by the player terminal 30.

The processes and procedures described in this specification may be realized by software, hardware, or any combination thereof, other than those explicitly described. For example, the processes and procedures described in this specification may be realized by implementing logic equivalent to the processes and procedures in a medium such as an integrated circuit, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or magnetic disk. In addition, the processes and procedures described in this specification may be implemented as a computer program equivalent to the processes and procedures, and executed by various computers.

Although the processes and procedures described herein are described as being performed by a single device, software, component, or module, such processes or procedures may be performed by multiple devices, multiple software, multiple components, and/or multiple modules. Also, the software and hardware elements described herein may be realized by integrating them into fewer components or breaking them down into more components.

In this specification, even if a component of the invention is described as either singular or plural, or described without being limited to either singular or plural, the component may be either singular or plural unless the context requires otherwise.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Game providing server 11 Computer processor 111 Game progress control unit 15 Storage 151 Player information table 152 Character information table 153 Content information table 154 Task information table 155 Character management table for each player 156 Content management table for each player 157 Task management table for each player 30 Player terminal 40 Game program 50 Character list screen 60 Point reward list screen 70 Character details screen 80 Character details (mission) screen 561 Individual display area 721, 821 Image display area 902 Character image area 904 Frame area

Claims (10)

A device for providing a game, comprising:
A process for managing the progress of each of the multiple tasks;
a process of granting a first reward to a player when a value of a second parameter, which is a total value of values of first parameters associated with each of a plurality of characters, reaches a predetermined value;
a process of granting the player a second reward corresponding to a specific task included in the plurality of tasks in response to the player's achievement of the specific task;
the plurality of tasks are a plurality of contents each associated with one of the plurality of characters, and include a first type of task associated with each of the plurality of contents owned by the player;
Device. and further performing a process of displaying at least a portion of the plurality of tasks in such a manner that completed tasks are identifiable.
2. The apparatus of claim 1. The plurality of tasks includes a second type of task directly associated with any one of the plurality of characters.
2. The apparatus of claim 1. The first type of task is not enabled as an initial state,
The second type of task is enabled as an initial state.
4. The apparatus of claim 3. further executing a process of outputting a predetermined screen displaying information about a specific character included in the plurality of characters;
the predetermined screen displays a plurality of specific contents associated with the specific character in such a manner that whether or not the player owns the specific contents can be identified.
2. The apparatus of claim 1. the predetermined screen displays an image, a level, and an attribute of each of the plurality of specific contents, and displays information regarding a specific content selected from the plurality of specific contents;
6. The apparatus of claim 5. and further executing a process of setting a value of the first parameter associated with a specific character included in the plurality of characters based on a plurality of specific contents associated with the specific character among the plurality of contents.
2. The apparatus of claim 1. The process of setting the value of the first parameter includes setting the value of the first parameter associated with the specific character based on the achievement status of a task associated with each of the plurality of specific contents.
8. The apparatus of claim 7. A program for providing a game, comprising:
A process for managing the progress of each of the multiple tasks;
a process of granting a first reward to a player when a value of a second parameter, which is a total value of values of first parameters associated with each of a plurality of characters, reaches a predetermined value;
a process of granting the player a second reward corresponding to a specific task included in the plurality of tasks in response to the player's achievement of the specific task;
the plurality of tasks are a plurality of contents each associated with one of the plurality of characters, and include a first type of task associated with each of the plurality of contents owned by the player;
program. An apparatus for providing a game in which a player uses a costume-differentiated character owned by the player as a player character to play against an enemy character, comprising:
A process for managing the progress of each of the multiple tasks;
a process of granting a first reward to the player when a value of a second parameter, which is a total value of values of first parameters associated with each of a plurality of characters not used in the battle, reaches a predetermined value;
a process of granting the player a second reward corresponding to a specific task included in the plurality of tasks in response to the player's achievement of the specific task;
the plurality of tasks are a plurality of costume-differentiated characters each associated with one of the plurality of characters, and include a first type of task associated with each of the plurality of costume-differentiated characters possessed by the player;
Device.

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