JP7557142B2 - Information processing device, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program.

Conventionally, games in which game media such as characters are developed and compete in in-game events have been known. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a game (horse racing game) in which a player breeds a stallion and a broodmare to generate (produce) a racehorse (newborn horse), which is a new game media, and then raises (trains) the racehorse and competes in races to determine ranking.

In horse racing games in which racehorses are produced and raised, such as in Patent Document 1, the racehorse's pedigree is reflected in its ability and has a large influence on the race outcome. For this reason, players breed horses with good pedigrees over multiple generations to produce the racehorse they desire. For example, highly capable racehorses that the player has produced themselves can be used as home-bred breeding horses (home-bred stallions or home-bred mares) after retirement to produce the next generation of racehorses.

JP 2012-245160 A

However, in conventional horse racing games such as that described in Patent Document 1, in order to maintain the game's appeal, the breeding stallions and broodmares (especially home-bred broodmares) used to produce racehorses often become unusable after the first use. Furthermore, even if the same breeding stallion and broodmare are bred, the parameters of the produced racehorse, such as the sex and ability, are not always constant.
Therefore, if the player produces a racehorse but does not obtain the desired parameters (for example, if a racehorse with low ability is born despite the mating of a highly anticipated breeding stallion and a broodmare, or if a broodmare already exists to be mated after the racehorse is retired and a female racehorse is born despite the desire to produce a male racehorse that can become a breeding stallion), the player may become dissatisfied. In particular, in the case of a homemade breeding horse that has been produced for multiple generations, it is necessary to start over from breeding a breeding horse to produce a racehorse, which is time-consuming, and this may further dissatisfy the player and reduce his motivation to produce racehorses. If the player's dissatisfaction accumulates, the frequency of playing the game may decrease.

The present invention aims to provide an information processing device, information processing method, and program that reduces the risks involved in generating new game media without compromising gameplay, increases players' motivation to generate new game media, and increases the frequency with which the game is played.

An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention has a reception unit that receives instructions from a player, a generation unit that consumes the first game medium and the second game medium to generate a third game medium based on a first instruction received from the player, and a cancellation unit that, when a new game medium cannot be generated based on the first game medium and the second game medium after the third game medium has been generated, returns at least one of the first game medium and the second game medium to a state before the generation of the third game medium based on a second instruction received from the player and cancels the generation of the third game medium.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the risks involved in generating new game media without compromising gameplay, thereby increasing players' motivation to generate new game media and increasing the frequency with which the game is played.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a system including an information processing device according to the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a racehorse information screen displayed during a game. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a production instruction screen displayed during the game. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an ability presentation screen displayed during the game. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a horse name input screen displayed during a game. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a cancellation instruction screen displayed during a game. 1 is a block diagram showing functions of an information processing device according to the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of player information stored in a storage unit. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of race horse information stored in a storage unit. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of race horse information stored in a storage unit. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an information processing flow according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an information processing flow according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An information processing device, an information processing method, and a program according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
The embodiment described below is merely an example given to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. In other words, the present invention may be modified or improved from the embodiment described below without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Naturally, the present invention also includes equivalents thereof.

The screen examples described in this specification and the drawings are merely examples, and the screen configuration and design, content of the displayed information, and GUI (Graphical User Interface), etc., can be freely designed according to the system design specifications and the player's preferences, and can be changed as appropriate.

[Games to which the present invention can be applied]
Before describing the information processing device, information processing method, and program of the present invention, a game to which the present invention is applied (hereinafter, referred to as the Game) will be described. The Game is an electronic game that can be played by a player operating a terminal (hereinafter, referred to as a user terminal 12) shown in Fig. 1, and is a game in which the player progresses by playing various "events" during the game using "game media."

To explain in detail how the game is played, when a player performs operations for playing the game on the user terminal 12, the user terminal 12 receives game data distributed from the game provider's server computer (hereinafter referred to as server 10). The user terminal 12 outputs video and audio corresponding to the received data, and the player progresses through the game by using the game media while checking the output video and audio. The user terminal 12 transmits data indicating the player's operations to the server 10, and the server 10 transmits data for game progress corresponding to the player's operations. This data transmission and reception between the server 10 and the user terminal 12 is repeated until the player finishes playing the game.

"Game media" refers to in-game resources that players of the game use to play "events" in the game. Specifically, game media include, for example, characters and avatars that move and display abilities in response to player operations in the in-game space (virtual space), as well as items that are consumed in response to player operations to gain an advantage in the game. Game media also include card-type media such as character cards and item cards that are used in the game by being incorporated into a deck, or that are collected in multiple cards and consumed in response to the content of an event when that event is played. In the game, the difficulty level (ease of progress), the way of progress, or the number of types of events that can be played change depending on the game media used by the player.

In this embodiment, as described below, racehorses will be used as an example of game media, but the present invention is also applicable to games that use game media other than racehorses. For example, game media may include living things such as people, animals, and plants, machines such as vehicles and robots, non-machine objects, fictional characters such as monsters, or other characters or items similar to these.

"Events" include, for example, occurrences such as accidents that occur during the course of a game, the creation (production) or development of game content, quests, stages and missions that are played for the purpose of clearing them, and in-game competitions in which objects participate. In-game competitions include races in which participants compete for finishing order, and matches or battles in which players compete to win or lose.

In this embodiment, a simulation game based on horse racing, in which the goal is to own an excellent racehorse and win major races or many races, will be described as an example of the game. Specifically, a player acquires a "racehorse," which is a representative example of game media, by "producing," "drawing," or purchasing, and then "raise" the racehorse to compete in various "races" and compete for ranking. A player can also own multiple racehorses at the same time and raise them in parallel. Furthermore, a racehorse that has been retired from racing (a racehorse whose training has ended) can be used as a home-grown breeding stallion or broodmare to produce the next generation of racehorses.

"Racehorses" are game media that players of the game use to play events in the game. There are two types of racehorses: active racehorses that can be trained and entered into races (hereinafter simply referred to as racehorses), and breeding racehorses (parent horses) that can be used to produce racehorses (hereinafter referred to as breeding stallions or broodmares). In the following, the term "racehorses, etc." is intended to include all racehorses, breeding stallions, and broodmares.
Furthermore, breeding stallions or broodmares are classified into home-grown breeding stallions or broodmares (hereinafter referred to as home-grown horses) that are used for breeding after the player retires the racehorse that they have raised, and breeding stallions or broodmares as card-type media that the player can obtain by lottery or the like (hereinafter referred to as stock certificates). Although stock certificates themselves cannot be used for breeding or events such as races as racehorses, they can be used for production, which will be described later, and new racehorses (newborn horses) can be produced by breeding with other stock certificates or home-grown horses. In addition, by using stock certificates as materials to synthesize stock certificates, the level of the stock certificates can be increased, improving the probability of producing a racehorse with high abilities, and the number of possible productions, which will be described later, can be restored.

As shown in FIG. 2, racehorses etc. have various information related to the progress of the game, such as information specific to the racehorse etc., such as its condition, nature, ability, attributes, characteristics and parameters (hereinafter referred to as "racehorse information"). The player refers to the racehorse information on the racehorse information screen G1 and then uses the racehorse etc. in the game, for example, by referring to the racehorse information, the player selects the racehorse etc. to be used and uses it in various events in the game.

"Racehorse information" refers to the game medium, i.e., multiple types of information (game medium information) relating to racehorses, etc. that is set in association with the racehorses, etc. Racehorse information includes information represented by characters, numerical values, rank or classification, symbols such as "o" and "x", graphs or indicators with scales, etc., colors, etc., facial expressions of the racehorses, etc., and other display forms (e.g., sound, etc.). Racehorse information also includes "invariant parameters" that are predetermined and do not change during the game, and "variable parameters" that change as appropriate depending on the progress of the game.

"Invariant parameters" are primarily information indicating the attributes of a racehorse or the like, and are unique fixed information set in association with that racehorse or the like, and are parameters that do not change after being determined at the time of the racehorse's production, that is, parameters that do not change even due to the results of training, race results, and the use of items, which will be described later. Specific examples of invariant parameters include, for example, gender (male or female), coat color, pattern (markings on the face or legs, etc.), bloodline or blood relationship (pedigree), and compatibility with other breeding stallions or broodmares (compatibility at the time of breeding). Invariant parameters also include parameters such as gender, which are important factors that affect the feasibility of production, as will be described later, depending on the combination. For example, in this embodiment, horses of the same gender cannot be bred, and a new racehorse (newborn horse) cannot be produced unless racehorses of different gender parameters, such as a male and a female, are combined as breeding horses.

"Variable parameters" are values or symbols that evaluate the abilities of racehorses, etc., related to the progress of the game, and vary to reflect the results of training, race results, and use of items, which will be described later. There is no particular limit to the number of types of variable parameters, but in this embodiment, multiple variable parameters are associated with one racehorse, etc. Specific examples of variable parameters include those related to the abilities or conditions of the racehorse, etc., that affect the outcome of a race, such as speed, stamina, power, temperament, distance suitability, track suitability, racecourse suitability, horse weight, and fatigue level. Variable parameters also include past race-related performance (race history), such as the number of past races, the number of race wins, and winning percentage. Some variable parameters have a limit value (upper limit value) set for each racehorse, etc., and when a limit value is set, the value of the variable parameter varies within the range up to the limit value.

For purposes such as improving game playability, racehorse information (particularly variable parameters) may include items that the player can view and hidden items that the player cannot view. Hiding means making the contents of information that has already been set invisible to the player, and specifically this corresponds to deleting the information to be hidden from the racehorse information screen G1, or displaying a hidden mark such as "?" in the field on the racehorse information screen G1 that corresponds to the information to be hidden.

In this embodiment, a racehorse is described as an example of a game medium, but in the case of a game medium other than a racehorse, information other than the above may correspond to the invariant parameters or variable parameters. For example, invariant parameters include information such as race, place of origin (birthplace), compatibility with other characters or enemy characters, and it may be possible to combine these game media to generate a new game medium (third game medium) unless the race or place of origin meets a predetermined condition (for example, if they are the same, different, or have a predetermined relationship). In addition, variable parameters include level, status, resistance to attacks from enemy characters, suitability for the event environment, favorability or popularity (reputation), areas or stages that are good or bad, or other information that affects the progress of the game (especially the play results of the event).

"Production" is a type of event that generates a racehorse (newborn horse). Specifically, it is an event that generates a racehorse (newborn horse) that corresponds to the "third game medium" of the present invention to be raised by mating breeding horses of different genders selected by the player, that is, a breeding stallion (male) corresponding to the "first game medium" of the present invention with a breeding mare (female) corresponding to the "second game medium" of the present invention, by spending a certain "value" possessed in the game. As described above, as breeding stallions and breeding mares, stock certificates obtained by lottery or the like can be used, and a racehorse that the player has raised himself can be used as a homemade breeding stallion or breeding mare after retiring from active competition, thereby allowing for successive generations. As will be described later, since this game is a communication play compatible game, it is also possible to borrow a breeding stallion or breeding mare owned by another player and use it to produce one's own racehorse.

In this embodiment, the abilities of the stallion and broodmare used in production tend to be passed on to the racehorse (newborn horse) produced. Therefore, if a racehorse is produced using a stallion or broodmare with high abilities, there is a high possibility that a racehorse with high abilities, i.e., an excellent offspring, will be born. However, even if the same stallion and broodmare are used for production, although the racehorse information associated with the stallion and broodmare used for production is reflected, racehorses with the same abilities are not always born regularly or uniformly, and there is variation in the abilities. In other words, even if the horses are bred under the same conditions and produced, the invariant and variable parameters of the produced racehorses will be different each time, and the player cannot know the gender and abilities of the racehorse that will be born until they are actually produced.

"Value" refers to the amount of value that can increase or decrease within a game, and specifically refers to "in-game currency" that can be used within the game, or "items" that give an advantage in the game the more you have.

"In-game currency" refers to something that has a monetary aspect within a game, such as medals or coins, and is included in the broad definition of items. In-game currency is, for example, exchanged for race horses or other items, or spent when playing certain events within the game (production, lottery, training, races, etc.). The amount of in-game currency possessed by a player can be increased, for example, when the player logs into the game and starts the game, or when the player wins a race, but it decreases when the player produces something, draws a lottery, trains (trains), or registers to participate in a race. The player can also increase the amount of in-game currency possessed by making a charge within the game. Note that a publicly known technology can be used for the charging process within the game, so a description thereof will be omitted.

"Items" are items used to gain an advantage in the game, and can be used by players in production, lotteries, training, races, and other scenes. Items include feed that restores a racehorse's fatigue or body weight, horse equipment that changes the appearance or abilities of a racehorse, riding request tickets to have a skilled jockey ride the horse in a race, lottery tickets to execute a special lottery, and talismans that increase the probability of producing a racehorse of the desired gender or a racehorse with excellent specific abilities. For example, using a specific item such as a talisman during production increases the probability of producing a racehorse of the desired gender or a racehorse with excellent specific abilities, depending on the type of item.

Here, the production will be described more specifically.
As shown in Fig. 3, a list of stallions owned by the player is displayed in the stallion list area 71 of the production instruction screen G2. A list of broodmares owned by the player is displayed in the broodmare list area 72 of the production instruction screen G2. The stallions and broodmares displayed here include both home-grown horses and stock certificates. In the stallion list area 71 and the broodmare list area 72, it is possible to display only home-grown horses or stock certificates, or to select (filter) or rearrange (sort) by setting certain conditions such as ability or pedigree.

The player selects the desired stallion and broodmare to be used for production from among the stallions and broodmares displayed in the stallion list area 71 and broodmare list area 72. The selected stallions and broodmares are extracted and displayed in the breeding area 73. For the stallions and broodmares displayed in the breeding area 73, racehorse information such as appearance, pedigree, various parameters, and production cost (amount of in-game currency required) is also displayed. In this embodiment, the above various information can be switched by specifying tab 74. In addition, when a stallion and a broodmare are selected, a compatibility icon 75 set based on the pedigree, etc. is displayed. Depending on the compatibility pattern, various types of racehorses will be born while referring to the abilities of both parents.

After the player has determined the stallion and broodmare to be used for production, they can issue a production command (corresponding to the "first command" of the present invention) by, for example, tapping the production button 76, thereby consuming the production limit for the selected stallion and broodmare, as well as in-game currency according to the production cost, and producing a racehorse (newborn horse).

For the racehorses produced, first, different patterns are displayed based on the ability values of the racehorses on the ability display screen G3 as shown in FIG. 4 (for example, for a racehorse with high ability, the horse is shown hopping energetically in the sun), i.e., suggestive display 77 (images, video, audio, etc.) that suggests the ability values. Then, the screen transitions to a horse name input screen G4 as shown in FIG. 5, where at least a part of the immutable parameters including gender information 78 regarding gender is disclosed to the player and the input of the horse name is accepted from the player. The player enters the desired horse name in the horse name input field 79 and taps the decision button 80, etc. to decide the name of the racehorse. If the player taps the automatic naming button 81, etc., the computer automatically selects candidates for the horse name, so the player can save the trouble of thinking of a horse name. In this embodiment, the ability presentation screen G3 is displayed before the horse name input screen G4, but either the ability presentation screen G3 or the horse name input screen G4 may be displayed first.

After the name of the racehorse is decided, the screen transitions to the racehorse information screen G1 as shown in FIG. 2, where all or part of the racehorse information is displayed, and the horse is registered as a racehorse (production completed). The racehorse information screen G1 is drawn on the display of the player's user terminal 12, either directly after the horse name input screen G4, or by the player performing a predetermined operation after production is completed. At this time, the racehorse information screen G1 does not display all of the racehorse information, and at least some of the variable parameters may be hidden. The player can check the detailed pedigree of the racehorse (for example, a pedigree chart for up to five generations) by tapping the pedigree display button 82, etc. In addition, the player can check the details of the breeding history and race results (blank at the time of production completion) that will be accumulated when the racehorse is bred and entered in a race in the future by tapping the race record display button 83, etc.

As mentioned above, each stallion and broodmare has a set number of times that they can be produced, and the number of times that they can be produced is consumed when they are produced (strictly speaking, when the production button 76 is tapped, i.e., when a production instruction is received). In other words, stallions and broodmares with a production number of 1 or more can be selected for production, and if the production number is 0, they cannot be selected for production. In the case of stock certificates, this production number can be restored or accumulated by synthesizing other stock certificates as materials. Therefore, in the case of stock certificates, the same stallion and broodmare may be used multiple times. In other words, in the case of stock certificates, the production number may be 2 or more, or it may become 0 and then become 1 again. On the other hand, in the case of homemade horses, the production number is 1, and the production number cannot be restored or accumulated like stock certificates. In other words, homemade horses can only be used once for production, and once they are used for production, they are considered to be consumed and are deleted from the stallion list area 71 and the broodmare list area 72.

In this embodiment, under specified conditions, the player can cancel the production of a racehorse during its production (the period from receiving a production instruction to its registration as a racehorse) or after its production (the period from the registration of the racehorse to the start of training or before the first race). Specifically, after a production instruction is given from the production instruction screen G2, if it is not possible to produce a racehorse again based on the stallion and broodmare used in the production, that is, if the number of possible production times for both or either the stallion and/or broodmare becomes 0, the player can cancel the production of a racehorse that has already been produced (including a racehorse in the process of being produced). Production can be canceled from the production cancellation instruction screen G5 as shown in FIG. 6. The production cancellation instruction screen G5 is a dialogue box displayed in a part of the ability presentation screen G3 (FIG. 4), the horse name input screen G4 (FIG. 5), or the racehorse information screen G1 (FIG. 2) (for example, the right edge of the screen, etc.), and the player can issue a production cancellation instruction (corresponding to the "second instruction" of the present invention) and cancel the production of the racehorse by tapping the cancel button 84 on the production cancellation instruction screen G5. When the production is canceled (strictly speaking, when the cancel button 84 is tapped, i.e., when the production cancellation instruction is accepted), the production of the racehorse is canceled, information about the produced racehorse is deleted, and the number of times that both or either of the stallions and broodmares can be produced is returned to the state before production. In other words, the number of times that both or either of the stallions and broodmares can be produced is restored.

Furthermore, when canceling production, the player can also instruct the same content (same mix) as the canceled production at once. In this case, the player can cancel production and reproduce the canceled production under the same conditions by issuing a reproduction instruction (corresponding to the "third instruction" of the present invention) by tapping the reproduction button 85, which means to redo the production, on the production cancellation instruction screen G5 as shown in FIG. 6. In this way, a reproduction instruction essentially includes the functions of both a production cancellation instruction and a production instruction.

It should be noted that production can be cancelled only when the breeding stallion or broodmare is a home-grown horse, and that production cannot be cancelled when the breeding stallion or broodmare is a stock certificate. In other words, in the case of a home-grown horse, production can be cancelled because it can only be used once for production. On the other hand, in the case of a stock certificate, the number of possible production times can be restored by combining it with other stock certificates, so production cannot be cancelled.

In addition, the timing at which production can be cancelled may be during or after the racehorse is produced, but it is preferable to cancel production after at least a part of the racehorse information is presented to the player. For example, production can be cancelled when each piece of racehorse information becomes known, and specifically, a production cancellation instruction is accepted at each of the following timings:
(a) During or after a suggestion presentation 77 is being performed on the ability presentation screen G3 (Figure 4) that indirectly discloses the ability value of a racehorse.
(b) After disclosing invariant parameters such as the gender information 78 among the racehorse information on the horse name input screen G4 (FIG. 5).
(c) After revealing more racehorse information including variable parameters via the racehorse information screen G1 (Figure 2).

In addition, when canceling production, a condition may be that a predetermined amount of in-game currency or a predetermined item is consumed. In this case, the amount of in-game currency or item consumed may be greater when a state in which it is not possible to produce a new racehorse based on either the stallion or the broodmare is not possible than when a state in which it is possible to produce a new racehorse based on either the stallion or the broodmare. For example, when both the stallion and the broodmare are homemade horses, the amount of in-game currency or item consumed may be greater than when both or one of the stallion and the broodmare are stock certificates. In addition, the amount of in-game currency or item consumed may be changed depending on the amount of information found about the produced racehorse. For example, when a large amount of racehorse information (particularly the number of variable parameters) is displayed, the amount of in-game currency or item consumed may be greater. Specifically, more in-game currency or items will be consumed if production is cancelled at the horse name input screen G4 (FIG. 5), which has been transitioned to and has even revealed the racehorse's gender (an unchanging parameter), than if production is cancelled at the ability presentation screen G3 (FIG. 4), which performs a suggestion presentation 77 that indirectly reveals the racehorse's ability values. Also, more in-game currency or items will be consumed if production is cancelled at the racehorse information screen G1 (FIG. 2), which has revealed even more racehorse information, than at the horse name input screen G4 (FIG. 5). In other words, the more screen transitions are made during production, the more parameters (amount of information) are revealed, and the more in-game currency or items will be consumed according to the number of revealed parameters.

A limit may also be placed on the number of times production can be cancelled. This limit may be set so that each player can only cancel production a specified number of times within a specified period (for example, up to three times per day), or a specified upper limit may be set for each stallion or broodmare (for example, up to three times per horse). The amount of in-game currency or items consumed may also be changed depending on the number of times production is cancelled; for example, the amount of in-game currency or items consumed may increase as the number of cancellations increases.

When cancelling breeding, only the breeding is cancelled, and nothing other than the breeding is affected, i.e. the training status of other racehorses and the race results. In this respect, it differs from the conventional method of returning to a known save point, i.e., after saving, resetting and then loading again.

A "lottery" is a type of event known as gacha, in which a player can acquire game media or items such as racehorses, stallions, or broodmares by spending a certain value possessed in the game. The lottery is held in response to a lottery application from the player while playing the game. In the lottery, multiple game media with different winning probabilities are prepared as candidates, and one or a predetermined number of game media are selected from the multiple candidate game media, and the player can acquire the selected game media as the lottery result.

"Raising" refers to changing the racehorse parameters, which are variable parameters, by operations such as consuming the value possessed in the game, and in this game, training is provided as a form of raising. In this embodiment, a training period is set for each racehorse, and the player can raise racehorses that have remaining training periods. The training period is the number of days set as in-game time, for example, N weeks in the game (N is any natural number). Here, in-game time is time that passes in this game and passes at a faster rate than real time. For example, when the player performs a certain operation (hereinafter referred to as a weekly operation) once, a week passes in the game, which is about a few minutes in real time. Note that a racehorse that has passed the training period will retire, but as described above, it can be used for production as a home-grown stallion or broodmare.

In this game, training can be performed once per weekly operation, i.e., once per week in-game time. Usually, the racehorse's parameters gradually increase as the number of weeks of training (hereinafter also referred to as the number of training weeks) increases. On the other hand, for example, an accident such as an injury may occur to a racehorse being trained in the game, in which case the racehorse's parameters may decrease or revert to their state before training. The number of times training can be performed in one weekly operation is not particularly limited, and training may be performed two or more times.

When training, the player specifies the racehorse to be trained and selects training conditions such as the training course and training intensity. The training course indicates the type of training, and the items that change depending on the training (specifically, the racehorse parameters) differ depending on the course. The training intensity is set to multiple levels, such as "strong," "medium," and "weak," and training is performed at the intensity specified by the player. The amount or degree of change of each racehorse parameter in one training session is determined by the training conditions and the amount of in-game currency consumed specified by the player when issuing a training instruction, but even with the same training conditions and the same amount of in-game currency consumed, the amount can change depending on the unique information of the racehorse, such as the racehorse's pedigree, the initial value or current location of each parameter, and the balance between parameters.

"Race" is the main event of this game, and in principle, is held every week in-game time based on the race calendar. When the player wants to enter a racehorse that has been trained (including racehorses in the process of training) in such a race, the player selects the racehorse that he/she owns to enter in the race (if he/she owns multiple racehorses), registers the racehorse to enter in the race he/she wishes to enter, and enters the registered racehorse in the race on the day the race is held in game time. The winning/losing result of the racehorse (finishing order) in the race is determined based on the racehorse parameters of each of the racehorses, including the racehorse, at the time of the race, the weather on the day of the race, the type of course (turf or dirt, etc.), and environmental conditions such as the condition of the track.

When a racehorse owned by a player wins a race (takes first place) or finishes within a specified ranking, a specified amount of in-game currency or items of value is awarded to the player who trained the racehorse as a prize or secondary prize. The amount of in-game currency or type of item awarded is determined, for example, according to the type of race entered and the finishing position (achievement). In addition to the above value, the right to enter special races (limited races) that cannot normally be entered may also be awarded. In this embodiment, entering a race does not mean that the racehorse has been trained (parameters such as fatigue level change, but parameters such as stamina, speed, and power at least do not improve), but entering a race may also be included as a form of training.

In this game, a player grade (player rank) is set, and the higher the player rank, the more racehorses, etc. that can be owned. For example, the more stallions and broodmares that can be owned, the more options there are when producing. Also, the higher the player rank, the more times production can be canceled. Furthermore, the higher the player rank, the more training facilities are available, and the greater the amount of parameter increase through training. Furthermore, the higher the player rank, the more races that can be entered. This player rank can be changed, and the player can upgrade the player rank, for example, by paying for the game or by performing a specified operation (for example, an operation that consumes in-game currency within the game).

The game is also a communication play compatible game, and multiple players can play the game together through a communication network such as the Internet or a mobile communication line. For example, in the game, multiple players can compete with each other by entering their own racehorses in the same race in races held every week during in-game time, as well as in races where horses raised by players can compete against each other (online competitive races). However, the game is not limited to a communication play compatible game, and may also be a solo play game in which one player plays individually.

[Configuration of an information processing device and a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention]
Next, the configurations of the information processing device and user terminal 12 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The information processing device according to the first embodiment is configured by a computer for distributing game data, more precisely a server computer (hereinafter referred to as server 10). The server 10 is an example of a computer, and as shown in Fig. 1, is communicatively connected to the user terminal 12 via a network 14, and together with the user terminal 12, constitutes an information processing system S for games.

The server 10 may be composed of one computer, or may be composed of multiple computers distributed in parallel. The server 10 may also be a server computer for an ASP (Application Service Provider), SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). In this case, a series of steps in the information processing flow described below (excluding the input and display of information) are executed by the server computer, and the user terminal 12 only needs to input information to be handed over to the server computer and display information distributed from the server computer.

As shown in Fig. 1, the server 10 has a processor 21, memory 22, a communication interface 23, and a storage 24, and these devices are electrically connected via a bus 25. In addition, an operating system (OS) and a dedicated program for processing information related to the game are installed as software in the server 10. These programs correspond to the "programs" of the present invention. When the processor 21 operates in accordance with the above programs, the server 10 functions as an information processing device of the present invention and executes a series of processes related to the progress of the game.
The program of the present invention may be acquired by reading it from a computer-readable recording medium, or may be acquired (downloaded) via a network such as the Internet or an intranet.

The processor 21 may be configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), an MCU (Micro Controller Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc.

The memory 22 may be composed of semiconductor memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory).

The communication interface 23 may be, for example, a network interface card or a communication interface board. The standard of data communication by the communication interface 23 is not particularly limited, and examples include communication by a wireless LAN based on Wi-fi (registered trademark), communication by a 3G to 5G or later generation mobile communication system, or communication based on LTE (Long Term Evolution).

The storage 24 may be configured with a flash memory, a hard disc drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flexible disc (FD), a magneto-optical disc (MO disc), a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a secure digital card (SD card), or a universal serial bus memory (USB memory). The storage 24 may be built into the server 10, or may be attached to the server body in an external format. The storage 24 may also be configured with an external computer (e.g., a database server) that is communicatively connected to the server body. A distributed ledger technology such as a blockchain may be used as a technology for recording various data in order to avoid unauthorized data tampering.

The server 10 distributes information necessary for the progress of the game to each player, and also collects and stores information from each player. The information stored by the server 10 includes each player's identification information, information about each player's play history of the game, information (racehorse information) about racehorses (including breeding stallions and broodmares) acquired by each player, and the number of in-game currencies, items, etc. owned.

In addition, the server 10 executes various information processes related to the progress of the game, including the processes described below.
(a) A process for producing racehorses (breeding a stallion and a broodmare to produce a racehorse).
(b) The process of cancelling the production of a racehorse.
(c) A process of setting racehorse information (including racehorse parameters) relating to the racehorse.
(d) A process for changing racehorse parameters relating to a racehorse.
(e) A process of directly or indirectly displaying racehorse information (including racehorse parameters) relating to a racehorse on the user terminal 12 of a player who uses the racehorse.
(f) A process for setting whether or not to display racehorse information (including racehorse parameters) relating to the racehorses.
(g) Processing to change the amount of value of each player (such as in-game currency or number of items owned).
(h) Processing for generating or holding various other in-game events, including lotteries, training, races, etc.

The user terminal 12 is a client terminal operated by the player to play the game, and specifically comprises a personal computer, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a game console, a television set capable of inputting information, a wearable terminal, etc. Note that for convenience of illustration, only one user terminal 12 is shown in FIG. 1, but the number of user terminals 12 can be any number, and may be two or more.

The user terminal 12 receives data for game progression from the server 10, and displays images (video) indicated by the data on the display of the user terminal 12 or on a display device such as a TV connected to the user terminal 12, and outputs audio from a speaker or the like. That is, in this embodiment, the user terminal 12 functions as a display unit and an audio output unit. For example, when a player performs a predetermined operation while playing the game, a racehorse display screen is drawn on the user terminal 12, and racehorse information about the racehorse acquired by the player is displayed on the racehorse display screen.

The user terminal 12 also accepts the player's operations performed during the game and transmits information corresponding to the operation to the server 10. For example, when producing a racehorse in the game, the player performs a production instruction operation on the user terminal 12. The production instruction operation is an operation related to the production of a racehorse, and is an operation of selecting and specifying a breeding stallion and a breeding mare to be used in production. On the other hand, when canceling the production of a racehorse in the game, the player performs a production cancellation instruction operation on the user terminal 12. The production cancellation instruction operation is an operation performed to cancel the production of a racehorse when a specified condition is met. The player can also perform a reproduction instruction operation that simultaneously performs a production cancellation instruction operation and a production instruction operation that indicates the same content as the production canceled by the production cancellation instruction operation. In addition, the player performs a training instruction operation, which is an operation for raising a racehorse (an operation for inputting information required for raising and selecting from multiple items, etc.), and a registration instruction operation, which is an operation for entering a racehorse in a race (an operation for selecting a desired race).

[Functions of the information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention]
The configuration of the server 10, which is an information processing device according to this embodiment, will be described again from the functional aspect. As shown in Fig. 7, the server 10 has a reception unit 30, a distribution unit 40, a storage unit 50, and an information processing unit 60. Of these, the storage unit 50 is realized by the memory 22 or the storage 24, and the other functional units are realized by the cooperation of the hardware devices constituting the server 10 and the programs installed in the server 10.
Each functional unit will be described in detail below.

(Reception Department)
The reception unit 30 receives operations performed by the player on the user terminal 12 while playing the game, and more precisely, receives data indicating the content of the operations from the user terminal 12. For example, the reception unit 30 receives operations related to the game from the player, such as a production instruction operation, a production cancellation instruction operation, a reproduction instruction operation, a training instruction operation, and a registration instruction operation.

The production instruction operation is an operation for producing a racehorse as the third game medium, and corresponds to the "first instruction" of the present invention. The production instruction operation specifies the stallion (first game medium) and broodmare (second game medium) to be used for production. The reception unit 30 receives data indicating the above-mentioned specified content from the user terminal 12 as the content of the production instruction operation. When the reception unit 30 receives a production cancellation instruction operation described later, it may receive a reproduction instruction operation having the same content as the content of the production instruction operation canceled by the production cancellation instruction operation, that is, a production instruction for the same combination using the same stallion and broodmare, at the same time as (or strictly speaking consecutively from) receiving the production cancellation instruction operation. In this case, the reproduction instruction operation corresponds to the "third instruction" of the present invention.

The production cancellation instruction operation is an operation for canceling the production of a racehorse produced as the third game medium, and corresponds to the "second instruction" of the present invention. In the production cancellation instruction operation, the production instruction operation to be canceled is specified. The reception unit 30 receives data indicating the above-mentioned specified content from the user terminal 12 as the content of the production cancellation instruction operation.

After a racehorse is produced as the third game medium, the acceptance unit 30 determines whether or not the production cancellation instruction operation can be accepted based on any or all of the following conditions.
(a) If the number of times a stallion or broodmare can be produced has reached 0, i.e., if the stallion or broodmare is in a state where it is not possible to produce a new racehorse, the production cancellation instruction operation will be accepted. Therefore, if the number of times a stallion or broodmare can be produced has not reached 0, i.e., if the stallion or broodmare is in a state where it is again possible to produce a new racehorse, the production cancellation instruction operation will not be accepted.
(b) Racehorse information on a produced racehorse is presented to the player by the information presentation unit 41, which will be described later, and then the information can be accepted. At this time, the information can be accepted after information specific to the racehorse, such as the racehorse's gender, which is an invariant parameter, has been presented to the player, or the information can be accepted after racehorse parameters, such as the racehorse's ability value, which is a variable parameter, have been presented to the player.
(c) Production cancellation instruction operations can be accepted until a predetermined number of operations specified for the stallion or broodmare are received. For example, production cancellation instructions can be accepted up to three times for the same stallion.
(d) The production cancellation instruction operation can be accepted until the number of times the operation is accepted reaches a prescribed number within a given time period. For example, the operation can be accepted only once per day.

The training instruction operation is a specification operation for training a racehorse, or more precisely, training, and specifies the racehorse to be trained, the training course, the value to be spent on training, etc. The reception unit 30 receives data indicating the above specified contents from the user terminal 12 as the contents of the training instruction operation.

The registration instruction operation is an operation performed by the player to enter a racehorse that has been trained (including a racehorse currently being trained) in a race of the player's choice, and the player specifies the race that the player wants to enter, the date of the race, and the racehorse that the player wants to enter. The reception unit 30 receives data indicating the above specified contents from the user terminal 12 as the contents of the registration instruction operation.

(Distribution Department)
The distribution unit 40 distributes information necessary for the progress of the game to each player's user terminal 12, and as shown in FIG. 7, has an information presentation unit 41 and an event information distribution unit 42.

The information presentation unit 41 delivers racehorse information on racehorses, etc. to the user terminal 12 of each player. Racehorses, etc. here include breeding stallions as the first game medium, broodmares as the second game medium, and newly produced racehorses (newborn horses) as the third game medium. The racehorse information includes information specific to the racehorse, such as the racehorse's gender, which is an immutable parameter, and racehorse parameters, such as the racehorse's ability value, which is a variable parameter, as well as suggestive effects 77 (Figure 4) such as images, videos, or sounds that suggest the ability value, etc. of the racehorse, for newly produced racehorses as the third game medium.

The racehorse information (particularly racehorse parameters) presented by the information presentation unit 41 includes racehorse parameters that are set to be displayed and racehorse parameters that are set to not be displayed, and parameters that are set to not be displayed are not displayed on the user terminal 12 (for example, a non-display mark such as "?" is displayed). Note that racehorse parameters that are set to not be displayed may be switched to be displayed. In addition to the current value of the racehorse parameters, the limit value (specifically the upper limit value) of the parameter may be displayed.
In this way, the racehorse information presented by the information presentation unit 41 is not necessarily uniform, and the amount of information may vary. If the amount of information is large, the amount (number) of racehorse information (especially racehorse parameters) that is revealed will be large, which will be advantageous for the player. Note that the amount of information referred to here is not limited to the amount of information presented, but also includes the quality of the information. For example, if the presented racehorse information is information that directly relates to the player's judgment of the ability value of the racehorse, it will be of higher quality than information that indirectly suggests or suggests the ability value of the racehorse, and as a result, a larger amount of information will be revealed.

The event information distribution unit 42 distributes information (including data for the event production) related to various events such as production, lottery, training, and races to each player's user terminal 12. On the user terminal 12 side that receives the information distributed by the event information distribution unit 42, video and audio of the event production are output (displayed, played, etc.).

(Memory unit)
The storage unit 50 stores information necessary for the progress of the game, and as shown in FIG. 7, has a player information storage unit 51 and a racehorse information storage unit 52.

The player information storage unit 51 stores player information for each player of the game. As shown in FIG. 8, the player information is stored in association with each player's identification ID (or game account name), etc. Specifically, the player rank, information identifying the racehorse owned (stallion ID, broodmare ID, and active horse ID), the amount of in-game currency owned, and the type and number of items owned, etc. are stored as player information. Note that the player information may also include information other than the above, such as the total play time of the game (game play time), the number of logins (number of game plays), the amount charged, and information about other players registered by the player as friends (friend identification IDs, etc.).

The racehorse information storage unit 52 stores racehorse information for each racehorse (including active horses, breeding stallions, and broodmares) owned by each player. The racehorse information storage unit 52 stores the racehorse information shown in FIG. 9 or FIG. 10 for each racehorse, linked to the identification ID of the player who owns the racehorse.

For active racehorses, that is, racehorses that are in the process of being trained or have completed training but have not yet retired, the racehorse information stored includes, for example, the identification ID, name, sex (male/female), age, the current values (current values) and limit values (upper limit values) of variable parameters (specifically, ability values such as speed, stamina, and power), the current number of weeks of training, the number of weeks remaining until the training period is possible, and past race results (number of races entered, number of wins, and prize money won), as shown in FIG. 9. Note that the racehorse information may also include information other than the above, such as information about the pedigree, such as the parent horse's name or ID, and training history (specifically, the number of training sessions, the training conditions for each training session, and the amount of in-game currency consumed). In addition, the racehorse information may also include information that is not displayed on the user terminal 12, etc., so that the player cannot check it, as described above.

On the other hand, for a breeding stallion or broodmare, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the racehorse information includes the identification ID, name, sex (male or female), the current value (current value) and limit value (upper limit value) of racehorse parameters (specifically, ability values such as speed, stamina, and power), past race performance (number of races, number of wins, and winnings), the classification of home-made horses and stock certificates, and the number of times that can be produced. Note that the racehorse information may include information other than the above, such as information on the pedigree of the parent horse, such as the name or identification ID, and the ease of inheriting abilities (heritability). In addition, as in the case of active racehorses, the racehorse information may include information that is not displayed on the user terminal 12, etc., so that the player cannot confirm it, as described above.
In addition, in the case of homemade racehorses, i.e., racehorses that the player has trained and then retired for breeding, but are not stocks, the player's training record in the game is not reflected in the past race results and other items. Therefore, in the case of racehorses that actually existed, the historical results are preset, and in the case of racehorses that appeared in creative works such as manga or novels, the results in those creative works are preset. Also, the values related to training may be blank.

(Information Processing Section)
The information processing unit 60 executes information processing necessary for the progress of the game, and as shown in FIG. 7, has a generation unit 61, a cancellation unit 62, a parameter change unit 63, a race result determination unit 64, and a value assignment unit 65.

When the reception unit 30 receives a production instruction operation or a reproduction instruction operation from the player, the generation unit 61 breeds a breeding stallion, which is the first game medium, with a breeding mare, which is the second game medium, to generate (produce) a racehorse (newborn horse), which is the third game medium to be raised. Specifically, the generation unit 61 reads out the racehorse information of the breeding stallion and the breeding mare stored in the storage unit 50, and based on the racehorse information, the racehorse information associated with the racehorse (newborn horse), i.e., gender, coat color, and various abilities, is set based on a predetermined probability. For example, a new racehorse (newborn horse) having invariant parameters and variable parameters selected by a predetermined selection means from a plurality of possibilities within the range (within the range of invariant parameters and variable parameters that can be selected) set by the racehorse information of each of the breeding stallion and the breeding mare is produced. The racehorse information of the newly produced racehorse (newborn horse) is stored in the storage unit 50 in association with the player information of the player. In addition, for stallions and broodmares used in production, the racehorse information is updated by decrementing by one the number of possible production times included in the racehorse information stored in the memory unit 50 in association with the stallion or broodmare.

When the reception unit 30 receives a production cancellation instruction operation or a reproduction instruction operation from the player, the cancellation unit 62 cancels the production of the racehorse (newborn horse) and deletes the racehorse information related to the produced racehorse from the storage unit 50. At the same time, the cancellation unit 62 returns the number of possible productions of the racehorse information associated with both or either of the breeding stallion and broodmare and stored in the storage unit 50 to the state before production. In other words, the cancellation unit 62 restores the number of possible productions of both or either of the breeding stallion and broodmare and updates the racehorse information.

The cancellation unit 62 also consumes a predetermined amount of in-game currency or a predetermined item when canceling the production of a racehorse (newborn horse) (more precisely, when resetting the number of possible productions of both or either of a stallion and/or broodmare to the state before production). Specifically, the cancellation unit 62 updates the player information by subtracting a predetermined amount of in-game currency or the number of items held from the player information associated with the player and stored in the storage unit 50.

When the reception unit 30 receives a training instruction operation from the player, the parameter modification unit 63 executes a process to modify the variable parameters of the racehorse to be trained stored in the racehorse information storage unit 52, specifically the ability values such as speed, stamina, and power, according to the content of the operation. At this time, the amount of change (increase) of each variable parameter changes according to the training course specified by the player in the training instruction operation and the amount of value consumed, etc. The parameter modification unit 63 may also modify the variable parameters as appropriate based on the race results.

The race result determination unit 64 determines the outcome of each race in the game, i.e., the finishing order of each racehorse, based on the racehorse information (particularly the variable parameters), and generates event presentation data according to the determined race results. The generated event presentation data is distributed by the event information distribution unit 42 to the player who entered the racehorse in the race.

The value granting unit 65 grants the value of in-game currency or items, etc., to the player who entered the racehorse as a prize or additional prize depending on the result of the race in which the racehorse entered. When value is granted, the amount of value of the in-game currency, etc., equivalent to the prize money, is added to the player information of each player stored in the player information storage unit 51.

The above describes the configuration of the server 10 and the user terminal 12. Generally, the server 10 and the user terminal 12 have various functions other than those described above, but here we will only describe the characteristic functions that provide the desired effect in the information processing system S of the present invention, and will not illustrate or describe other known functions, etc.

[Information processing flow according to one embodiment of the present invention]
Next, with reference to Figures 11 and 12, a flow relating to racehorse production (hereinafter referred to as racehorse production flow) among the information processing flows by the information processing system S configured as described above will be described. The racehorse production flow employs the information processing method of the present invention, in other words, each step in the racehorse production flow corresponds to a component of the information processing method of the present invention. In the following, in order to easily explain the racehorse production flow, a specific case will be given, and an explanation will be given using an example in which a player P uses a stallion X (first game medium) and a broodmare Y (second game medium) to produce a racehorse Z (third game medium).

To execute the racehorse breeding flow, Player P logs into the game and begins playing. In the game, Player P owns at least one breeding stallion and one breeding mare, and also has in-game currency or items or other valuables required for breeding.

The racehorse production flow proceeds, for example, along the flow shown in FIG.
11, first, the server 10 (more specifically, the reception unit 30), which is a computer, receives a production instruction (first instruction) from the user terminal 12 of the player P via the network 14 (S201). Specifically, the content specified by the production instruction operation, i.e., data specifying the breeding stallion X and broodmare Y to be used for production, is acquired.

Next, the server 10 (more specifically, the generation unit 61) reads from the storage unit 50 (storage 24) the racehorse information stored in the storage unit 50 (storage 24) in association with the stallion X and broodmare Y designated by the player P, and subtracts the number of possible breedings included in the racehorse information (S102). Specifically, the number of possible breedings of the stallion X and the broodmare Y is subtracted by 1 each (e.g., 1 → 0 or 2 → 1, etc.), and stored in the storage unit 50 (memory 22). The server 10 (more specifically, the generation unit 61) also sets the racehorse information associated with the racehorse Z (new horse) produced by mating the stallion X and the broodmare Y, i.e., invariant parameters such as gender and variable parameters such as various abilities (S103). Then, the server 10 (more specifically, the information presentation unit 41) presents to the player P all or a part of the racehorse information (e.g., including effects suggesting the ability of racehorse Z) for racehorse Z (new horse) born from the mating of stallion X and broodmare Y, i.e., racehorse Z for which the racehorse information has been set (S104). Specifically, the racehorse information for racehorse Z is distributed to the user terminal 12 of the player P via the network 14. At this point, the racehorse information set for racehorse Z is stored in the storage unit 50 on the memory 22, not in the storage 24.

Next, when the server 10 (more precisely, the reception unit 30) determines that player P satisfies the above-mentioned production cancellation conditions, for example, when the number of possible production times for stallion X or broodmare Y becomes 0, or when the number of times a production cancellation instruction has been received is within a predetermined number (S105: YES), and when a production cancellation instruction (second instruction) is received from player P's user terminal 12 via the network 14 (S106: YES), specifically, when data indicating the cancellation of the production of racehorse Z is acquired, the server 10 (more precisely, the cancellation unit 62) consumes a predetermined amount of in-game currency or a predetermined item (S107), deletes the racehorse information for racehorse Z stored in the memory unit 50 (memory 22) (S108), and resets the number of possible production times included in the racehorse information associated with stallion X and broodmare Y and stored in the memory unit 50 (memory 22) to the state before production (S109). Specifically, the player information stored in the memory unit 50 (storage 24) in association with player P is read, and the number of in-game currency or items held included in the player information is subtracted from the number of in-game currency or items held according to a predetermined amount required for production cancellation. In addition, the production of racehorse Z is cancelled by deleting the racehorse information of racehorse Z stored in the memory unit 50 (memory 22), and the number of possible productions included in the racehorse information stored in the memory unit 50 (memory 22) in association with stallion X and broodmare Y is incremented by 1 each (for example, 0 → 1, 1 → 2, etc.).

On the other hand, if the server 10 (more specifically, the reception unit 30) determines that the production cancellation conditions are not met (S105: NO), or if a production cancellation instruction has not been received (S106: NO), the production of racehorse Z is not canceled and the process proceeds to the next step.

After the above processing, the server 10 (more specifically, the generation unit 61 or the cancellation unit 62) updates the racehorse information of each of the stallion X, the broodmare Y, and the racehorse Z (only if racehorse information of racehorse Z exists) (S110), and ends the processing. Specifically, if racehorse Z is produced (if production is not canceled), the racehorse information stored in the memory unit 50 (memory 22) in association with racehorse Z is stored in the memory unit 50 (storage 24). In addition, the racehorse information stored in the memory unit 50 (memory 22) in association with the stallion X and the broodmare Y in a state in which the content has been changed, i.e., the number of times that can be produced has been subtracted, is read from the memory unit 50 (memory 22), and the read racehorse information related to the stallion X and the broodmare Y is stored in the memory unit 50 (storage 24). On the other hand, if the production of racehorse Z is cancelled, the racehorse information stored in the memory unit 50 (memory 22) in association with stallion X and broodmare Y with the possible production count unchanged is read from the memory unit 50 (memory 22), and the read racehorse information associated with stallion X and broodmare Y is stored in the memory unit 50 (storage 24).

In this embodiment, when canceling the production of racehorse Z, player P can also instruct reproduction with the same content (same breeding) as the canceled production. In this case, the production is canceled and reproduction is performed with the same conditions as the canceled production.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, first, the server 10 (more specifically, the reception unit 30), which is a computer, receives a production instruction (first instruction) from the user terminal 12 of the player P via the network 14 (S201).

Next, the server 10 (more specifically, the generation unit 61) reads out from the storage unit 50 (storage 24) the racehorse information stored in the storage unit 50 (storage 24) in association with the stud X and broodmare Y designated by the player P, and subtracts the number of possible breedings included in the racehorse information (S202). The server 10 (more specifically, the generation unit 61) also sets racehorse information associated with the racehorse Z (new horse) produced by mating the stud X and broodmare Y, i.e., invariant parameters such as gender and variable parameters such as various abilities (S203). The server 10 (more specifically, the information presentation unit 41) then presents to the player P all or part of the racehorse information (including, for example, a presentation suggesting the abilities of the racehorse Z) for the racehorse Z (new horse) born by mating the stud X and broodmare Y, i.e., the racehorse Z for which the racehorse information has been set (S204).

Next, if the server 10 (more precisely, the reception unit 30) determines that the player P satisfies the above production cancellation conditions (S205: YES) and receives a reproduction instruction (third instruction) from the user terminal 12 of the player P via the network 14 (S206: YES), specifically, if data is obtained indicating that the production of racehorse Z is to be temporarily canceled and that production will be carried out again with the same breeding stallion X and broodmare Y, the server 10 (more precisely, the cancellation unit 62) will consume a predetermined amount of in-game currency or a predetermined item (S207) and temporarily delete the racehorse information of racehorse Z stored in the storage unit 50 (memory 22) (S208).

Next, the server 10 (more specifically, the generation unit 61) resets the racehorse information associated with racehorse Z (a newborn horse) produced by mating stallion X and broodmare Y (S209). The server 10 (more specifically, the information presentation unit 41) then presents to the player P all or part of the racehorse information (including, for example, a presentation suggesting the ability of racehorse Z) for racehorse Z whose racehorse information has been reset (S210).

On the other hand, if the server 10 (more specifically, the reception unit 30) determines that the production cancellation conditions are not met (S205: NO), or if a reproduction instruction has not been received (S206: NO), the production of racehorse Z is canceled and the process proceeds to the next step without reproduction.

After the above process, the server 10 (specifically, the generation unit 61 or the cancellation unit 62) updates the racehorse information for each of the stallion X, broodmare Y, and racehorse Z (only if racehorse information for racehorse Z exists) (S211), and ends the process. Specifically, the racehorse information stored in the memory unit 50 (memory 22) in association with the produced or reproduced racehorse Z is stored in the memory unit 50 (storage 24). In addition, the racehorse information stored in the memory unit 50 (memory 22) in association with the stallion X and broodmare Y with the content changed, i.e., with the number of possible production times subtracted, is read from the memory unit 50 (memory 22), and the read racehorse information related to the stallion X and broodmare Y is stored in the memory unit 50 (storage 24).

[Other embodiments]
Up to this point, specific examples have been given of the information processing device, information processing method, and program of the present invention, but the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and other embodiments may be considered.

In the above embodiment, the server computer for distributing game data (i.e., server 10) functions as the information processing device of the present invention, but this is not limited to this, and some of the functions of the server 10 may be provided in the user terminal 12. For example, the functions of the generation unit 61 or the cancellation unit 62 may be provided in the user terminal 12.

In addition, in this embodiment, the reception unit 30 determines whether to accept the production cancellation instruction operation based on the production cancellation conditions, but after the reception unit 30 accepts the production cancellation instruction operation, the cancellation unit 62 may determine whether to cancel production based on the production cancellation conditions.

In addition, in this embodiment, the player information and racehorse information are stored and held in a server computer (i.e., server 10) for distributing game data, but a separate database server (not shown) may be provided and the information may be stored all together in the database server, or the information may be stored on the user terminal 12.

In this embodiment, the player can enjoy all the functions free of charge in principle, but some functions may be limited and the player may use the limited functions by paying a specified fee. In addition, various conditions may be set to give an advantage to the player who pays the specified fee, such as increasing the number of race horses that can be owned, increasing the number of training sessions that can be performed in one weekly operation, obtaining specific stocks or items, and increasing the amount of change in parameters during training. The fee may be a pay-per-use system, or may be a one-time payment that has an effect on the player for a certain period of time (for example, one month or one year) (subscription).

[summary]
The main features of the information processing device, information processing method, and program according to the above-described embodiment are as follows.

[1] The information processing device according to this embodiment has a receiving unit that receives instructions from a player, a generating unit that consumes the first game medium and the second game medium to generate a third game medium based on a first instruction received from the player, and a cancellation unit that, when a state in which a new game medium cannot be generated based on the first game medium and the second game medium is reached after the third game medium has been generated, returns at least one of the first game medium and the second game medium to a state before the generation of the third game medium based on a second instruction received from the player, and cancels the generation of the third game medium.
According to the information processing device, in a situation where the first game medium and the second game medium are in a state where a new game medium cannot be generated, even if a third game medium newly generated by combining the first game medium and the second game medium does not have the desired capabilities, the player can easily redo the combination. This reduces the risk of generating a new third game medium without compromising the gameplay, thereby increasing the player's motivation to generate a third game medium and increasing the frequency of playing the game.

[2] In the above-mentioned information processing device, the reception unit receives a second instruction when, after the third game medium has been generated, a state in which a new game medium cannot be generated based on the first game medium and the second game medium is not possible, and does not accept the second instruction when a state in which a new game medium can be generated based on the first game medium and the second game medium is possible.
In this way, by dividing the conditions into those in which the second instruction is accepted and those in which it is not accepted, the playability of the game can be maintained in an optimal manner, which further increases the player's motivation to create a new game medium, the third game medium, and further increases the frequency with which the game is played.

[3] In the above-mentioned information processing device, when, after the third game medium has been generated, a state in which it is not possible to generate new game media based on each of the first game medium and the second game medium is present, the cancellation unit, based on the second instruction, returns the first game medium and the second game medium to a state prior to the generation of the third game medium and cancels the generation of the third game medium.
In this way, by returning the first game medium and the second game medium to the state before the generation of the third game medium only when it is not possible to generate a new game medium based on each of the first game medium and the second game medium, the game playability can be maintained in an optimal manner, which further increases the player's motivation to generate a new game medium, the third game medium, and further increases the frequency of playing the game.

[4] In the above-mentioned information processing device, the cancellation unit consumes a predetermined value when returning at least one of the first game medium or the second game medium to a state before the generation of the third game medium, and consumes a greater amount of value when a state in which a new game medium based on each of the first game medium and the second game medium cannot be generated is present than when a state in which a new game medium based on either the first game medium or the second game medium can be generated.
In this way, by varying the amount of value consumed depending on the conditions, the playability of the game can be maintained in an optimal manner, which further increases the player's desire to create a new game medium, the third game medium, and further increases the frequency with which the game is played.

[5] The above information processing device further has an information presentation unit that presents information regarding a third game medium to the player, and the reception unit makes it possible to accept a second instruction after presenting the information regarding the third game medium to the player.
In this way, by specifying the timing at which the second instruction can be accepted, the playability of the game can be maintained in an optimal manner, and the risk involved in generating a new game medium, that is, a third game medium, is further reduced, thereby further increasing the player's motivation to generate a third game medium and further increasing the frequency with which the game is played.

[6] In the above-mentioned information processing device, the third game medium can be consumed as the first game medium or the second game medium, and the reception unit makes it possible to accept a second instruction after presenting to the player via the information presentation unit information which is an invariant parameter of the third game medium and allows the player to identify whether the third game medium can be consumed as either the first game medium or the second game medium.
In this way, by setting the timing at which the second instruction can be accepted after the presentation of the invariant parameters regarding whether or not generation is possible, the playability of the game can be maintained in an optimal manner, and the risk involved in generating a new game medium, the third game medium, particularly with regard to the invariant parameters, is further reduced, thereby further increasing the player's desire to generate the third game medium and further increasing the frequency with which the game is played.

[7] In the above information processing device, the reception unit is capable of receiving a second instruction after the information presentation unit presents the variable parameter of the third game medium to the player.
In this way, by setting the timing at which the second instruction can be accepted after the presentation of the variable parameters, the playability of the game can be maintained in an optimal manner, and the risk involved in generating a new game medium, the third game medium, particularly with regard to the variable parameters, is further reduced, thereby further increasing the player's motivation to generate the third game medium and further increasing the frequency with which the game is played.

[8] In the above-mentioned information processing device, the cancellation unit consumes a predetermined value according to the amount of information regarding the third game medium presented by the information presentation unit when returning at least one of the first game medium and the second game medium to a state before the generation of the third game medium.
In this way, by varying the amount of value consumed depending on the amount of information discovered, the playability of the game can be maintained in an optimal manner, which further increases the player's desire to create a new game medium, the third game medium, and further increases the frequency with which the game is played.

[9] In the above information processing device, the receiving unit simultaneously receives the second instruction and a third instruction having the same content as the first instruction canceled by the second instruction.
In this way, by simultaneously accepting cancellation of generation and regeneration, the playability of the game can be maintained in an optimal manner, convenience for the player is increased, and the risk involved in generating a new game medium, that is, a third game medium, is further reduced, thereby further increasing the player's motivation to generate a third game medium and further increasing the frequency with which the game is played.

[10] In the above information processing device, the cancellation unit consumes a predetermined value according to the number of times the second instruction is received when returning at least one of the first game medium and the second game medium to a state before the generation of the third game medium.
In this way, by varying the amount of value consumed depending on the conditions, the playability of the game can be maintained in an optimal manner, which further increases the player's desire to create a new game medium, the third game medium, and further increases the frequency with which the game is played.

[11] In the above information processing device, the reception unit can accept the second instruction until the number of times the second instruction has been received reaches a predetermined number of times defined for the first game medium or the second game medium.
In this way, by setting the conditions for allowing the second instruction to be accepted, the game playability can be maintained in an optimal manner, which further increases the player's desire to create a new game medium, that is, a third game medium, and further increases the frequency with which the game is played.

[12] In the above information processing device, the receiving unit may continue to receive the second instruction until the number of times the second instruction is received within a predetermined time period reaches a prescribed predetermined number of times.
In this way, by setting the conditions for allowing the second instruction to be accepted, the game playability can be maintained in an optimal manner, which further increases the player's desire to create a new game medium, that is, a third game medium, and further increases the frequency with which the game is played.

[13] Furthermore, according to the information processing method of the present invention, a computer receives instructions from a player, and based on a first instruction received from the player, the computer consumes the first game medium and the second game medium to generate a third game medium, and if, after generating the third game medium, the computer is in a state in which it is unable to generate new game media based on the first game medium and the second game medium, based on a second instruction received from the player, the computer restores at least one of the first game medium and the second game medium to a state prior to the generation of the third game medium and cancels the generation of the third game medium.
According to the above information processing method, in a situation where the first game medium and the second game medium are in a state where a new game medium cannot be generated, even if a third game medium newly generated by combining the first game medium and the second game medium does not have the desired capabilities, the player can redo the combination without having to go through the trouble of doing so. This reduces the risk involved in generating a new third game medium without compromising the gameplay, thereby increasing the player's motivation to generate a third game medium and increasing the frequency of playing the game.

[14] Furthermore, according to the program of the present invention, a computer is caused to accept instructions from a player, and based on a first instruction accepted from the player, a third game medium is generated by consuming a first game medium and a second game medium, and if after the third game medium has been generated, a state in which a new game medium cannot be generated based on the first game medium and the second game medium is restored to a state before the generation of the third game medium and the generation of the third game medium is canceled, based on a second instruction accepted from the player.
According to the above program, in a situation where the first game medium and the second game medium are in a state where a new game medium cannot be generated, even if a third game medium newly generated by combining the first game medium and the second game medium does not have the desired capabilities, the player can easily redo the combination. This reduces the risk of generating a new third game medium without compromising the gameplay, thereby increasing the player's motivation to generate a third game medium and increasing the frequency of playing the game.

10 Server 12 User terminal 14 Network 21 Processor 22 Memory 23 Communication interface 24 Storage 25 Bus 30 Reception unit 40 Distribution unit 41 Information presentation unit 42 Event information distribution unit 50 Memory unit 51 Player information storage unit 52 Racehorse information storage unit 60 Information processing unit 61 Generation unit 62 Cancellation unit 63 Parameter change unit 64 Race result determination unit 65 Value assignment unit 71 Stallion list area 72 Breeding mare list area 73 Breeding area 74 Tab 75 Compatibility icon 76 Production button 77 Suggested performance 78 Gender information 79 Horse name input field 80 Confirmation button 81 Automatic naming button 82 Pedigree display button 83 Track record display button 84 Cancel button 85 Reproduction button G1 Racehorse information screen G2 Production instruction screen G3 Ability performance screen G4 Horse name input screen G5 Production cancellation instruction screen S Information processing system

Claims (4)

a processor, the processor comprising:
when a first parameter of a first game medium associated with the player as a game medium owned by the player and a second parameter of a second game medium associated with the player as a game medium owned by the player are equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a first instruction can be accepted from the player, when either the first parameter of the first game medium or the second parameter of the second game medium is less than a predetermined value;
based on the first instruction received from a player, decreasing a first parameter of the first game medium and a second parameter of the second game medium while associating the first game medium and the second game medium as game media owned by the player , and presenting to the player information on a third game medium having parameters generated in association with the player and randomly selected from a predetermined parameter range ;
after presenting information about the third game medium to the player, on the condition that a predetermined game medium is consumed or the number of times of the second instruction is within a predetermined upper limit, based on the second instruction received from the player, while keeping the first game medium and the second game medium associated with each other as game media owned by the player, at least one of a first parameter of the first game medium and a second parameter of the second game medium is returned to a state before the decrease, and a state is established in which the third game medium is not associated with the player.
Information processing device. the processor is operable to accept a first instruction from the player when a first parameter of a first game medium associated with the player as a game medium owned by the player and a second parameter of a second game medium associated with the player as a game medium owned by the player are each equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and to accept a second instruction from the player when either the first parameter of the first game medium or the second parameter of the second game medium is less than a predetermined value;
a processor, based on the first instruction received from a player, reduces a first parameter of the first game medium and a second parameter of the second game medium while associating the first game medium and the second game medium as game media owned by the player , and presents to the player information on a third game medium having parameters generated in association with the player and randomly selected from a predetermined parameter range ;
a processor, after presenting information about the third game medium to the player, based on the second instruction received from the player, on the condition that a predetermined game medium is consumed or the number of times of the second instruction is within a predetermined upper limit, resetting at least one of a first parameter of the first game medium and a second parameter of the second game medium to a state before the decrease while keeping the first game medium and the second game medium associated with each other as game media owned by the player , and setting a state in which the third game medium is not associated with the player;
Information processing methods. The processor:
when a first parameter of a first game medium associated with the player as a game medium owned by the player and a second parameter of a second game medium associated with the player as a game medium owned by the player are equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a first instruction is made acceptable from the player, and when either the first parameter of the first game medium or the second parameter of the second game medium is less than a predetermined value, a second instruction is made acceptable from the player;
based on the first instruction received from a player, decreasing a first parameter of the first game medium and a second parameter of the second game medium while associating the first game medium and the second game medium as game media owned by the player , and presenting to the player information on a third game medium having parameters generated in association with the player and randomly selected from a predetermined parameter range ;
after presenting information about the third game medium to the player, on the condition that a predetermined game medium is consumed or the number of times of the second instruction is within a predetermined upper limit, based on the second instruction received from the player, at least one of a first parameter of the first game medium and a second parameter of the second game medium is returned to a state before the decrease while keeping the first game medium and the second game medium associated with each other as game media owned by the player, and causing the third game medium to be disassociated from the player;
A program that executes a process. A server device and a client device are provided,
The server device includes:
when a first parameter of a first game medium associated with a player as a game medium owned by the player and a second parameter of a second game medium associated with the player as a game medium owned by the player are each equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a first instruction is accepted from the player at the client device, and when either the first parameter of the first game medium or the second parameter of the second game medium is less than a predetermined value, a second instruction is accepted from the player at the client device;
based on the first instruction received from a player at the client device, reducing a first parameter of the first game medium and a second parameter of the second game medium while associating the first game medium and the second game medium as game media owned by the player , and presenting to the player at the client device information on a third game medium having parameters generated in association with the player and randomly selected from a predetermined parameter range ;
after presenting information about the third game medium to the player on the client device, on the condition that a predetermined game medium is consumed or the number of times of the second instruction is within a predetermined upper limit, based on the second instruction accepted from the player on the client device, while keeping the first game medium and the second game medium associated with each other as game media owned by the player, at least one of a first parameter of the first game medium and a second parameter of the second game medium is returned to a state before the decrease, and a state is established in which the third game medium is not associated with the player.
Information processing system.

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