JP7587385B2 - Program, computer system and game system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a program for executing a game.

Conventionally, games in which a player enjoys moving and controlling an object such as a character are known. For example, a game is known in which the player moves through a maze-like passageway, collecting items and progressing by avoiding or fighting enemies encountered. There is also a game in which the player forms a passageway and fights enemy characters that invade (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2016-67819 A

The character's passageway may be set with a dead end that the player cannot proceed through. Also, the passageway may be blocked during the game, and become a dead end. In games where the player is running away from enemies, it is easy to get into a difficult situation near such a dead end. This is because the player cannot pass through the dead end, and if an enemy approaches from the other side, the player will be caught in between. In other cases, even if the path is not a dead end, the player may be surrounded by enemies in all possible directions. In either case, the player has no way to escape, and the game becomes a "stuck" state, so to speak. Or, there may be a direction that the player can pass through, but there is an area or pitfall that will steal vitality points ahead, so the player is at a disadvantage no matter which direction they go in, and they may find themselves in a difficult situation.

The present invention aims to provide a technology that can increase the interest of the game by allowing new game developments to occur when the player character finds himself in a difficult position regarding his movement.

The first invention for solving the above problem is a program for causing a computer system to execute movement control of a player character in a given game space based on a player's movement operation, and for causing the computer system to function as a judgment means (e.g., a predicament judgment unit 231 in FIG. 13) that judges whether or not a predicament condition set as a condition indicating that the player character has reached a predicament regarding movement is satisfied, and a rearrangement control means (e.g., a rearrangement control unit 233 in FIG. 13) that performs rearrangement control to rearrange the player character to a given rearrangement position when a given warp activation condition is satisfied, which includes at least a positive judgment by the judgment means.

According to the first invention, when at least a predicament condition indicating that the player character is in a predicament regarding movement is satisfied, the warp activation condition is satisfied, and the player character can be relocated to a given relocation position. In this way, even if the player character is in a predicament regarding movement, the player character can warp to another location that is the relocation position and proceed with the game from there, which can increase the interest of the game.

The second invention is a program according to the first invention, in which the predicament condition includes a deadlock in the direction of movement of the player character.

According to the second invention, when the player is stuck in the direction of movement, it can be determined that a predicament condition has been met.

The third invention is a program according to the second invention, in which the determination means determines whether a deadlock state is reached when all selectable directions for the player character's movement are blocked by enemy characters and/or a given dead end, and whether this satisfies the predicament condition.

According to the third invention, a blocked state in which the player character is surrounded by enemy characters or a dead end can be regarded as a deadlock state, and a predicament condition can be determined.

The fourth invention is a program according to any one of the first to third inventions for causing the computer system to function as a notification control means (e.g., the predicament notification control unit 235 in FIG. 13) that performs control to notify the user of a positive judgment made by the judgment means.

According to the fourth invention, the player can be notified that a distress condition has been met.

The fifth invention is a program according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, in which the rearrangement control means performs the rearrangement control when the warp activation condition is that the determination means makes a positive determination and a specified operational input is made.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, when a distress condition is met and the player performs a predetermined operational input, it is determined that the warp activation condition is met, and the player character's relocation control can be performed.

The sixth invention is a program according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, in which the rearrangement control means determines the rearrangement position according to the character status based on the status and/or movement speed of the player character.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the rearrangement position can be determined according to the character status of the player character.

The seventh invention is a program according to any one of the first to sixth inventions, in which the rearrangement control means determines, as the rearrangement position, a position where the positional status of at least one of an enemy character, an ally character, and a specified game object satisfies a given positional status condition.

According to the seventh invention, the rearrangement position can be determined based on the positioning of predetermined game objects such as enemy characters, ally characters, and items in the game space.

An eighth aspect of the present invention is a program according to any one of the first to seventh aspects of the present invention, in which the rearrangement control means determines, as the rearrangement position, a position where the character status based on the status and/or movement speed of the enemy character and/or friendly character satisfies a given character status condition.

According to the eighth invention, the relocation position can be determined based on the character status of enemy characters and friendly characters in the game space.

A ninth aspect of the present invention is a program according to any one of the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, in which a plurality of candidate rearrangement positions are preset in the game space, and the rearrangement control means determines the rearrangement position by selecting one of the candidate rearrangement positions.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, one of the predefined candidate relocation positions can be selected as the relocation position.

A tenth aspect of the present invention is a program according to any one of the first to ninth aspects of the present invention, in which the rearrangement control means determines, if there is a corresponding position previously associated with the position of the player character in the deadlock state, that corresponding position as the rearrangement position.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, a corresponding position is associated with a predetermined position in the game space, and if the player character becomes stuck at a predetermined position, it is possible to warp the character to the corresponding position and reposition it.

An eleventh aspect of the present invention is a program according to any one of the first to tenth aspects of the present invention, in which the rearrangement control means changes the character status based on the status and/or movement speed of the player character, and causes the character to appear at the rearrangement position.

According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, when the player character is made to appear at the rearrangement position, the character status can be changed.

The twelfth invention is a program according to any one of the first to eleventh inventions, in which constraint conditions are preset based on at least one of the number of times the rearrangement control is possible, the timing, the ability parameter values consumed, and the items consumed, and the rearrangement control means determines whether the warp activation conditions include the constraint conditions.

According to the twelfth invention, it is possible to limit the number of times or the timing of rearrangement control, or to perform rearrangement control in exchange for consuming ability parameter values or consuming items.

The thirteenth invention is a program according to any one of the first to twelfth inventions for causing the computer system to function as a rearrangement position display control means (e.g., the rearrangement position display control unit 237 in FIG. 13) that performs control to identifiably display the rearrangement position when a positive determination is made by the determination means.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the invention, when a distress condition is met, the rearrangement position can be identifiably displayed and presented to the player.

The fourteenth invention is a computer system that controls the movement of a player character in a given game space based on the player's movement operation, and includes a determination means for determining whether or not the player character satisfies a predicament condition set as a condition indicating that the player character has reached a predicament regarding movement, and a rearrangement control means for performing rearrangement control to make the player character appear at a given rearrangement position when a given warp activation condition is satisfied, the predicament condition including at least a positive determination by the determination means.

According to the fourteenth aspect, a computer system can be realized that has the same effect as the first aspect.

The fifteenth aspect of the invention is a game system (e.g., game system 1000 in FIG. 1) that includes a server system (e.g., server system 1100 in FIG. 1) that is the computer system of the fourteenth aspect of the invention, and an operation terminal (e.g., operation terminal 1500 in FIG. 1) on which a player plays a game.

According to the fifteenth aspect, a game system can be realized that has the same effect as the first aspect.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a game system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the device configuration of an operation terminal. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a game space. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example corresponding to a deadlock state. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example corresponding to a deadlock state. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example that does not fall into the deadlock state. A diagram showing an overview of the placement situation conditions and character situation conditions. 6A to 6C are diagrams for explaining acquisition of the placement status of enemy characters and items. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a notification that a predicament determination has been made positive. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of identification display of a rearrangement position. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing examples of the visual display of the warp movement of a player character; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server system. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of play data. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an operation terminal. 6 is a flowchart showing a process flow in the server system. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the deadlock state. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an operation terminal in Modification 2. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing modified examples of a state in which the player character is in a difficult position with respect to movement.

Below, an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below, and the forms to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the following embodiment. In addition, in the description of the drawings, the same parts are given the same reference numerals.

[Overall configuration]
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a game system 1000 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the game system 1000 includes a server system 1100, which is a computer system, and an operation terminal 1500 owned by a player (user) 2 of the game according to this embodiment, which are connected to each other via a network N so as to be able to communicate data with each other.

Network N refers to a communication path that allows data communication. In other words, network N includes a LAN (Local Area Network) such as a dedicated line (dedicated cable) for direct connection or Ethernet (registered trademark), as well as a telephone communication network, a cable network, the Internet, and other communication networks, and the communication method can be either wired or wireless.

The server system 1100 includes a main unit 1101, a keyboard 1106, a touch panel 1108, and storage 1140. The main unit 1101 includes a control board 1150 on which are mounted various electronic components such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1151, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc., various IC memories 1152 such as a VRAM, a RAM, and a ROM, and a communication device 1153. Note that a part or all of the control board 1150 may be realized by an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-programmable gate array), or a SoC (System on a Chip).

This server system 1100 realizes a user management function related to user registration and the like, and a game management function that provides data necessary for playing the game on the operation terminal 1500 and manages execution control of the game on the operation terminal 1500, by having the CPU 1151 etc. perform calculations based on predetermined programs and data. In other words, the game in this embodiment is realized as a kind of client-server type online game. Player 2 accesses the server system 1100 with his/her own operation terminal 1500, logs in using an issued account, and enjoys the game of this embodiment.

The server system 1100 is not limited to the standalone configuration shown in FIG. 1, but may be configured with multiple blade servers each assigned to a different function, connected to each other via an internal bus for data communication. Alternatively, multiple independent servers installed in separate locations may be configured to communicate data via a network N so that the whole system functions as the server system 1100.

The operation terminal 1500 is a computer system that performs the functions of a man-machine interface, and is connected to the network N via a mobile phone base station or a wireless communication base station, etc., and can perform data communication with the server system 1100. This operation terminal 1500 can take the form of, for example, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a portable game device, a stationary home game device, a controller for a stationary home game device, an arcade game device, a personal computer, a tablet computer, a wearable computer, etc.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the device configuration of a smartphone, which is an example of the operation terminal 1500. As shown in Fig. 2, the operation terminal 1500 is equipped with a directional input key 1502, a home key 1504, a touch panel 1506 that functions as an image display device and a contact position input device, a built-in battery 1509, a speaker 1510, a microphone 1512, a control board 1550, and a memory card reader 1542 that can read and write data to a memory card 1540 that is a computer-readable storage medium. In addition, a power button, a volume control button, a vibrator that is a vibration generating device, etc., which are not shown, are provided.

The control board 1550 is equipped with various microprocessors such as a CPU 1551, a GPU, and a DSP, various IC memories 1552 such as a VRAM, a RAM, and a ROM, and a wireless communication module 1553 for wireless communication with a mobile phone base station or a wireless LAN base station connected to the network N. The control board 1550 is also equipped with a so-called I/F circuit (interface circuit) 1557, such as a circuit for receiving signals from the direction input key 1502 and the home key 1504, a driver circuit for the touch panel 1506, an output amplifier circuit for outputting a sound signal to the speaker 1510, an audio signal generation circuit for generating a signal of the sound collected by the microphone 1512, and a signal input/output circuit for the memory card reader 1542. Each of these elements mounted on the control board 1550 is electrically connected via a bus circuit or the like, and is connected so as to be able to read and write data and transmit and receive signals. Note that a part or all of the control board 1550 may be configured with an ASIC, an FPGA, or a SoC.

In this control board 1550, the IC memory 1552 stores a game client program and various setting data required to execute this game client program. The game client program and the like are downloaded from the server system 1100 at an appropriate time. The game client program and the like may also be read from a separately obtained storage medium such as a memory card 1540. The CPU 1551 and the like then execute the game client program to perform calculations, and control each part of the operation terminal 1500 in response to operational inputs made to the touch panel 1506, directional input keys 1502, and home key 1504, thereby enabling player 2 to play the game.

The game of this embodiment is a game in which the player operates a character to aim to clear the game, and the game is cleared when a predetermined achievement condition is met. The achievement condition can be set appropriately, for example, such as collecting all of the bait described below, reaching a predetermined number of baits, reaching a set goal point, reaching a predetermined number of defeated enemy characters, defeating a given enemy character, etc. Alternatively, the condition for clearing the game may be that the time limit has elapsed without the game being over.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a game space. In this embodiment, the game space is composed of multiple (three in Figure 3) floors F (F-1 to F-3), and the player character 12 can move between floors by passing through entrances D (D-1 to D-6) provided on each floor. Specifically, as shown by the dashed arrows connecting the floors in Figure 3, the entrance D-1 of the lower floor F-1 is connected to the entrance D-6 of the upper floor F-3, the entrance D-2 is connected to the entrance D-3 of the middle floor F-2, and the entrance D-4 of the middle floor F-2 is connected to the entrance D-5 of the upper floor F-3. Note that in this embodiment, only the player character 12 can pass through the entrance D, and it is a dead end for the enemy character 13. In other words, the enemy character 13 cannot move between floors F. However, the enemy character 13 may also be able to pass through the entrance D like the player character 12.

Each floor F has a maze-like layout, constituting a game stage with a different level of difficulty. In this embodiment, the difficulty level increases with increasing floor F. Specifically, the higher the floor F, the more complex the maze structure and the greater the number of enemy characters 13. It is also possible to adjust the difficulty level by changing the type of enemy characters for each floor F, such as making the enemy characters that appear stronger on higher floors F. For example, different types of enemy characters with different movement speeds are prepared, and enemy characters with faster movement speeds appear on higher floors F. Also, the movement speed of the enemy characters 13 is set to be faster on higher floors F. In addition, the number of bait 14 and power bait 15 (see FIG. 4), which are items placed at the start of the game, and the type and number of special items that appear during the game also differ for each floor F.

Figure 4 shows an example of a game screen when the player character 12 is on the lower floor F-1. As shown in Figure 4, the game screen includes a game image display section 10, a score display section 40, a remaining life display section 50, and a floor display section 60.

The game image display unit 10 displays an image (game image) of the game stage of floor F on which the player character 12 is currently located.

The score display unit 40 displays the player's game score, which is calculated as the game progresses. The game score is added when various items (game objects) such as bait 14 and power bait 15 are acquired. In this embodiment, a unit score is set for the bait 14, and each time the player character 12 acquires bait 14, that unit score is added to the game score. The game score is also added when the enemy character 13 is defeated. For example, when the enemy character 13 is defeated, a predetermined additional score is added to the game score. The player operates the player character 12 to collect bait 14 while defeating the enemy character 13, aiming to clear the game.

In this embodiment, the player inputs the movement direction as the operation of the player character 12. The operation of the player character 12 is performed by touching the game screen (touch panel 1506) and sliding the touched position (also called a flick operation, swipe operation, etc.). Specifically, the player inputs the movement direction by performing a slide operation in four directions, "up," "down," "left," and "right," along the vertical and horizontal directions shown in FIG. 4 of the game screen. However, the movement direction may also be input using the directional input key 1502.

The remaining number of player characters 12 (remaining lives) that the player can use in the current game (three in the example of FIG. 4) is displayed on the remaining life display section 50. For example, at the start of the game, a predetermined number of player characters 12 (e.g., four) are given to the player. In addition, new player characters 12 are given during the game when a predetermined condition is met, for example, when the game score reaches a predetermined value.

The floor display section 60 displays the floor F on which the player character 12 is currently located. In the example of FIG. 4, the lowest floor is hatched, indicating that the player character 12 is on the lower floor F-1.

The game of this embodiment will now be described in detail with reference to the display contents of the game image display unit 10 shown in Figure 4. First, the game stage is configured by placing a player character 12, an enemy character 13, and various items such as food 14 and power food 15 on a passage 11 that forms a maze. Figure 4 shows the initial placement of characters and items at the start of the game.

The passage 11 is wide enough for one character (player character 12 or enemy character 13) to pass through, but is configured so that characters cannot pass each other without touching each other.

The passage 11 includes a dead-end point Pe of the passage 11, which is shown surrounded by a dashed line. In addition, the end of the passage 11 that leads to the outside of the frame of the game image display unit 10, which is shown surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 4, is an entrance/exit D leading to another floor F (entrances D-1 and D-2 in FIG. 4), and the corresponding entrance/exit D of the destination floor F (D-6 and D-3; see FIG. 3) is set in advance. Therefore, when the player character 12 reaches the entrance/exit D, the display on the game image display unit 10 switches to the display of the destination floor F, and the player character 12 appears near the corresponding entrance/exit D of that floor F.

The enemy characters 13 are computer-controlled to move along the passages 11 from the nest 18 as a starting point and to pursue the player character 12. Note that in this embodiment, all enemy characters 13 are of the same type, but enemy characters with different appearances or movement characteristics (e.g., movement speed, pursuit movement patterns, etc.) may also be included.

The bait 14 and power bait 15 are arranged in a line along the passage 11. In this embodiment, the entire passage 11 is divided into equally spaced invisible squares in advance, and each square is set as a placement position for an item. Then, prior to the start of the game, the bait 14 and power bait 15 are placed in each placement position. Also, in this embodiment, special items appear in predetermined placement positions during the game.

Special items include, for example, items that add bonus points to the game score when acquired, and items that give the player character 12 a certain number of new lives. In addition, if the game is such that the player character has various ability parameter values set, including values that change as the game progresses, such as hit points (HP), magic points (MP), and stamina, items that strengthen or restore the parameter values can be included. In this embodiment, special items include obstacle items 16 (see FIG. 17) that place obstacles (e.g., walls, rocks, etc.) on the passage 11 to make it impassable, and treasure chest items that randomly select one of the various special items listed above and grant it to the player. Note that the special items may be purchased by paying a separate fee.

In this embodiment, in order to place these items, initial item placement data 521 (see FIG. 13) relating to the initial placement of items and an item appearance table 523 (see FIG. 13) relating to the control of the appearance of special items are prepared in advance.

The initial item placement data 521 is a data table that sets bait 14 or power bait 15 as the item type of the item to be placed for each placement position where the item is placed at the start of the game. The server system 1100 places bait 14 or power bait 15 on the passage 11 according to this initial item placement data 521 at the start of the game.

The item appearance table 523 is a data table that sets the type of special item and its appearance timing for each placement position where the special item is to appear during the game. The appearance timing specifies when the special item is to appear. For example, the appearance timing can be set to when a predetermined amount of time has passed since the start of the game, when a predetermined number of bait 14 has been acquired, when a predetermined number of enemy characters 13 have been defeated, etc. During the game, the server system 1100 monitors the arrival of the appearance timing by referring to this item appearance table 523. If a special item is due to appear, it is placed in that placement position to control the appearance of the special item.

The player moves the player character 12 along the passage 11 while avoiding contact with the enemy character 13, passing by the locations where food 14, power food 15, and special items are placed, thereby collecting them. If the player character 12 accidentally comes into contact with an enemy character 13, the player character 12 is defeated by the enemy character 13 and disappears. On the other hand, when the player character 12 is defeated, if the player has any remaining lives, the number of remaining lives is reduced by one, and the player character 12 is placed again in the initial placement position. When the player runs out of remaining lives, the game is over for that player.

Here, the power bait 15 is an item that weakens the enemy character 13. In this embodiment, when the player character 12 obtains the power bait 15, the enemy character 13 changes from a "normal state" to a "weakened state" for a predetermined weakening time. When the weakening time has elapsed since the acquisition of the power bait 15, the enemy character 13 returns to its normal state. The normal state and the weakened state are distinguished from each other by changing the color, shape, pattern, etc., of the enemy character 13, or by adding a mark indicating each state.

Then, when the player character 12 comes into contact with the weakened enemy character 13, the enemy character 13 can be defeated. The defeated enemy character 13 returns to the nest 18 and waits for a certain period of time, after which it revives and resumes the pursuit action.

In summary, the player moves the player character 12 along the passage 11 by inputting the movement direction, collecting food 14 and the like while avoiding the enemy characters 13. In addition, if there are any special items already acquired that can be used, these can be used as appropriate. The player then aims to clear the game by having the player character 12 come into contact with the enemy character 13, which has been weakened by obtaining the power food 15, and defeating it.

[detail]
In this embodiment, the server system 1100 judges whether or not a distress condition is met (hereinafter referred to as "distress judgment") during the execution of the game described above (distress judgment process). Then, in accordance with the result of the distress judgment, it performs rearrangement control and warps the player character 12 (rearrangement control process). In addition, the server system 1100 performs control to notify a player of a distress judgment that has been affirmative (distress notification control process), control to identifiably display the rearrangement position of the player character 12 (rearrangement position display control process), and control to effectuate and display the warp movement of the player character 12 to the rearrangement position (warp effect control process).

1. Crisis Judgment Process In the crises judgment process, the server system 1100 judges whether or not a crises condition set as a condition indicating that the player character 12 has reached a crises state with respect to movement is satisfied, as a crises judgment. The crises condition is "the action of the player character 12 is restricted". As an example, in this embodiment, the crises condition is "the player character 12 is stuck in the moving direction". Specifically, the crises condition is judged to be "a case where all directions selectable as the moving direction of the player character 12 are blocked by enemy characters 13 and/or a given dead end" as a crises state, and whether or not the crises condition is satisfied is judged. FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing examples corresponding to the crises state. On the other hand, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example not corresponding to the crises state.

First, in the example of FIG. 5, the player character 12 cannot move to the "right" direction, where there is a wall, out of the three possible directions of movement: "up," "down," "left," and "right." Furthermore, enemy characters 13 exist in all other directions, creating a blocked state surrounded by the enemy characters 13. Next, in the example of FIG. 6, the player character 12 is at dead-end point Pe, so can only move to the "left," but there is an enemy character 13 to the left, creating a blocked state surrounded by the enemy character 13 and the dead end. Furthermore, in the blocked state shown in each example, there are enemy characters 13 in all directions the player character 12 can move in, so there is nothing the player can do, and it can be said that the player is stuck.

In contrast, in the example of Figure 7, there are enemy characters 13 in all directions that the player character 12 can move in: "up," "down," and "left." However, because there is a T-junction in front of the enemy character 13, the player character 12 can move "down." This does not constitute an impasse. Also, as will be explained in detail below, the enemy character 13 in the upper direction is more than five squares away from the placement position indicated by the arrow in Figure 7, so this also does not constitute an impasse.

Specifically, in the predicament determination process, first, the directions selectable as the moving direction from the current position of the player character 12 are identified. Then, for each of the identified moving directions, it is determined whether or not there is a dead end. For the determination, the squares, which are the arrangement units of the items described above, are used. That is, for example, if there is a dead end point Pe between the position of the player character 12 and a predetermined number of squares (for example, a maximum of five squares as shown by the arrow in Figures 5 to 7) in the moving direction, and there is no passage 11 leading in a different direction before that, or if there is an enemy character 13 up to the point where the number of squares is reached, and there is no passage 11 leading in a different direction before that, then it is determined that there is a dead end in that direction. Then, if it is determined that there is a dead end in all of the identified moving directions, then it is determined that there is a dead end and the predicament condition is satisfied, and the predicament determination is affirmative. It should be noted that the number of squares in the search range for determining whether or not there is a deadlock for each direction of movement from the position of the player character 12 is not limited to five, and may of course be four or less, or six or more.

In the relocation control process, the server system 1100 first determines whether a given warp activation condition is met, which condition includes at least a positive determination of the predicament determination. If the warp activation condition is met, the server system 1100 performs relocation control.

2-1. Warp Activation Conditions In this embodiment, the server system 1100 makes a determination by including in the warp activation conditions a constraint condition based on the number of times rearrangement control is possible (upper limit number of times) and the fact that a warp operation, which is a predetermined operational input, has been performed. Specifically, first, if the predicament determination is positive, it is determined whether or not the constraint condition is satisfied. For example, if the upper limit number is "three times," rearrangement control is limited to three times in one game, and even if the predicament determination is positive, it is determined that the constraint condition is not satisfied if rearrangement control has already been performed three times.

In addition, the constraint condition may be determined based on the time when rearrangement control is possible (activation time) rather than on the upper limit number of times. The activation time can be set as the time when rearrangement control is possible (activation time), for example, "until a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the game" or "while the enemy character 13 is in a normal state".

In addition, if a warp is set to consume a certain ability parameter value, the constraint condition may be determined based on the consumed ability parameter value. For example, in a game in which ability parameter values that change during the game are set, this can be achieved by setting the type of ability parameter value consumed in rearrangement control and the amount of that ability parameter value consumed in one rearrangement control. For example, a certain amount of stamina value may be consumed each time rearrangement control is performed.

It is also possible to determine constraints based on items to be consumed. For example, a warp activation item can be prepared as one of the special items that can be acquired during the game. Then, if the player uses the warp activation item when they reach an impasse, rearrangement control can be performed.

In addition, constraints can be set by combining all or part of the upper limit number of times, the timing of activation, the ability parameter values consumed, and the items consumed.

If the restriction conditions are met (= it is determined that there is no restriction), the player's warp operation is accepted. If a warp operation is performed, it is determined that the warp activation conditions are met. In this embodiment, the server system 1100 detects as a warp operation the input of any of the movement directions "up," "down," "left," or "right" input by the player after the predicament determination is judged to be positive (after the player is stuck).

It is also possible to assign a unique operation command for warp operations in advance, and detect the input of that operation command as a warp operation.

Also, as shown in FIG. 6, when any of the four sides of the player character 12 is a dead-end point Pe, an input in the direction of the dead-end point Pe ("right" in FIG. 6) may be detected as a warp operation. In this case, in the subsequent warp performance control process, the performance display of the movement through the normally inaccessible dead-end point Pe to the rearrangement position may be controlled as a warp movement.

2-2. Overview of rearrangement control In the rearrangement control that follows, the server system 1100 judges whether the player is currently in a favorable or unfavorable position. If the player is in a favorable position, the server system 1100 determines a position where the player is likely to turn to a disadvantageous position, and if the player is in a unfavorable position, the server system 1100 determines a position where the player is likely to turn to an advantageous position, as the rearrangement position. This increases the interest of the game because the situation can be reversed if the player character 12 warps when the game reaches a deadlock.

To this end, in this embodiment, when rearranging the player character 12, the rearrangement position is determined based on the positioning status conditions of the enemy characters 13 and items around the rearrangement position, and the character status conditions of the enemy characters 13 around the rearrangement position. These positioning status conditions and character status conditions are determined separately for when the player character 12 is in a favorable position and when it is at a disadvantage. Therefore, the rearrangement position is determined so as to satisfy the positioning status conditions and character status conditions according to the player's situation (whether it is favorable or at a disadvantage). Figure 8 is a diagram showing an overview of the positioning status conditions and character status conditions.

The placement status conditions for the rearrangement position where the player character 12 is rearranged when the player character 12 has the upper hand are, for example, that there are many enemy characters 13 around the rearrangement position and few items are placed in the vicinity. In addition, the character status conditions for the rearrangement position where the player character 12 is rearranged when the player character 12 has the upper hand are that the enemy characters 13 around the rearrangement position move at a high speed. Therefore, a position on the passage 11 that satisfies these conditions is determined as the rearrangement position.

The placement status conditions for the rearrangement position where the player character 12 is rearranged when at a disadvantage are, for example, that there are few enemy characters 13 around the rearrangement position and that there are many items placed in the vicinity. In addition, the character status conditions for the rearrangement position where the player character 12 is rearranged when at a disadvantage are that the movement speed of the enemy characters 13 around the rearrangement position is slow. Therefore, a position on the passage 11 that satisfies these conditions is determined as the rearrangement position.

The server system 1100 then relocates the player character 12 to the determined relocation position. The relocation may cause the character status of the player character 12 to change from before the relocation. In addition, the server system 1100 variably controls the warp time required to make the player character 12 appear at the relocation position.

2-3. Details of rearrangement control The specific procedure for rearrangement control is as follows: first, the player's situation is judged (situation judgment process). Next, the rearrangement position is decided (warp destination decision process), and the warp time is set (warp time setting process). In addition, settings related to the character situation at the time of rearrangement of the player character 12 (hereinafter also referred to as "rearrangement situation setting") are performed (rearrangement situation setting process). Thereafter, by waiting for the warp time to elapse, the warp time required for making the player character 12 appear at the rearrangement position is variably controlled. Then, when the warp time has elapsed, the character situation is changed according to the rearrangement situation setting, and the player character 12 is rearranged to the rearrangement position.

2-4. Situation Determination Process In the situation determination process, the player's situation is determined using the character situation based on the status of the player character 12. In this embodiment, the number of remaining lives (number of remaining lives) of the player character 12 is used as the character situation. For example, if the number of remaining lives is 0, the player is determined to be at a disadvantage, and if the number of remaining lives is 1 or more, the player is determined to be at a disadvantage.

In addition, whether or not the player character 12 is within the weakening period of the enemy character 13 due to the acquisition of the power food 15 may be used as a status to determine the situation. In other words, if the enemy character 13 is weakened and the player character 12 is in a status where he or she can defeat the enemy character 13, the player character 12 is determined to be in an advantageous position.

In addition, in the case of a game in which variable ability parameter values are set for the player character 12, the ability parameter values may be included in the status and used to determine the situation. For example, if the stamina value is above a certain threshold, the player is in an advantageous position, and if it is below the threshold, the player is in a disadvantageous position.

The character state also includes the form, such as shape and size, and the type. In addition, the current game score and the time elapsed since the start of the game may also be used for the judgment. Or, it may be used in combination with the various statuses exemplified.

In addition, as described below in Variation 1, when applied to a competitive game with other players, it is also possible to determine which player is dominant and which player is subordinate based on the relative relationship of the ability parameter values related to each player's player character. It can also be determined based on the size or difference of each player's game score.

In addition, the stages for judging the situation are not limited to two stages, favorable or unfavorable, but may be three or more stages.

2-5. Warp Destination Determination Process In the warp destination determination process, the server system 1100 determines the relocation position of the player character 12. In this embodiment, a plurality of relocation candidate positions are determined in advance, and the relocation position is determined by selecting one of them. For example, all dead-end points Pe in the game stage of each floor F and all entrances D in the game stage of each floor F, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 4, are determined as relocation candidate positions.

When selecting a candidate rearrangement position, first, the placement status of the enemy character 13 and items in the game space is obtained for each candidate rearrangement position. In this embodiment, for each candidate rearrangement position, the placement status of the enemy character 13 within a predetermined range based on the candidate rearrangement position and the placement status of the items within the predetermined range are obtained.

Figure 9 is a diagram for explaining how the placement status is acquired, and shows an example of the placement status acquired for one candidate rearrangement position, the dead-end point Pe. As shown in Figure 9, in this embodiment, the candidate rearrangement position (the dead-end point Pe-1 in Figure 9) is the center, and a range of a predetermined number of squares (for example, five squares) up, down, left and right from the candidate rearrangement position is set as a predetermined range A1. The number of enemy characters 13 (0 in Figure 9) and the number of various items (20 in Figure 9) within the range A1 are acquired as the respective placement statuses. Regarding the number of items, the number of bait 14, power bait 15, and special items may be counted separately.

Next, based on the player's situation as determined in the situation determination process, a ranking is performed to select candidate relocation positions that satisfy the placement situation conditions and character situation conditions shown in Figure 8.

Specifically, when the player is in an advantageous position, first, the rearrangement candidate positions are rearranged in descending order of the number of enemy characters 13 acquired as the enemy character 13 placement status. Then, the higher the ranking of each rearrangement candidate position, the greater the points are given to that rearrangement candidate position. Next, the rearrangement candidate positions are rearranged in descending order of the number of various items acquired as the item placement status. At this time, for rearrangement candidate positions that contain power bait 15 or special items, it is advisable to adjust the ranking to be lower the more the number of items. Then, the higher the ranking of each rearrangement candidate position, the greater the points are given to that rearrangement candidate position. This is to make it easier to turn to a disadvantage. Next, points related to the character situation condition are given to each rearrangement candidate position. In this embodiment, since the enemy characters 13 move faster on higher floors, higher points are assigned in descending order from the top floor F, and the assigned points are given to each rearrangement candidate position on that floor F. Then, the total value of the assigned points is calculated for each rearrangement candidate position, and is used as the candidate points for each rearrangement candidate position.

On the other hand, when the player is at a disadvantage, first, the rearrangement candidate positions are rearranged in descending order of the number of enemy characters 13 acquired as the enemy character 13 placement status. Then, the higher the ranking of each rearrangement candidate position, the greater the points are given to that rearrangement candidate position. Next, the rearrangement candidate positions are rearranged in descending order of the number of various items acquired as the item placement status. At that time, for rearrangement candidate positions that contain power bait 15 or special items, it is advisable to adjust the ranking to be higher the more the number of items. This is to make it easier to turn the game around. Then, the higher the ranking of each rearrangement candidate position, the greater the points are given to that rearrangement candidate position. Next, points related to the character situation conditions are given to each rearrangement candidate position. In this embodiment, since the enemy characters 13 move slower on the lower floors, higher points are assigned in descending order from the lowest floor F, and the assigned points are given to each rearrangement candidate position on that floor F. Then, the total value of the assigned points is calculated for each rearrangement candidate position, and is used as the candidate points for each rearrangement candidate position.

Once the candidate points for each rearrangement candidate position are found in this way according to the player's situation, the rearrangement candidate position with the highest candidate points is selected as the rearrangement position. If there are multiple applicable rearrangement candidate positions, one is selected at random.

Note that when there is not just one type of enemy character, but a mixture of different types of enemy characters with different movement speeds, or when the enemy character's movement speed can vary as in variant example 3 described below, the movement speed of the enemy character within a predetermined range may be obtained for each rearrangement candidate position in a manner similar to that for obtaining the placement situation. Then, when the player is in an advantageous position, high points may be awarded to rearrangement candidate positions that include many enemy characters with fast movement speeds, and when the player is in a disadvantageous position, high points may be awarded to rearrangement candidate positions that include many enemy characters with slow movement speeds to calculate the candidate points.

Here, a character status based on the movement speed is exemplified as the character status of the enemy character 13, but a character status based on the status of the enemy character 13 may also be used. In this case, a character status condition is set for the status. For example, a status condition is set such that "there are no weakened enemy characters 13 in the vicinity" if the player is in an advantageous position, and "there is a weakened enemy character 13 in the vicinity" if the player is in a disadvantageous position. Points are then awarded to each candidate rearrangement position depending on whether or not there is a weakened enemy character 13 within a specified range. In addition, both the status and the movement speed may be used to select a candidate rearrangement position. In this case, a character status condition is set by combining the status condition and the above-mentioned movement speed condition.

2-6. Regarding the warp time setting process In the warp time setting process, the warp time required for warping movement of the player character 12 to the rearrangement position is set. In this embodiment, different warp times are set in advance for cases where the player is judged to be in an advantageous position and cases where the player is judged to be in a disadvantageous position. For example, the warp time required for the advantageous position can be set short, and the warp time required for the disadvantageous position can be set long. Conversely, the warp time required for the advantageous position can be set long, and the warp time required for the disadvantageous position can be set short.

If the warp time is short, the player character 12 will appear from the rearrangement position immediately, so the change in the situation around the rearrangement position during that time is small. On the other hand, if the warp time is long, the situation around the rearrangement position may change significantly during the time it takes for the player character 12 to appear from the rearrangement position. For example, even if a rearrangement position is initially selected as a candidate rearrangement position that is likely to give the player an advantage, enemy characters 13 may gather around the rearrangement position as the warp time has passed, and the player may find himself in a difficult position again after the warp movement. Conversely, even if a rearrangement position is initially selected as a candidate rearrangement position that is likely to give the player an disadvantage, the enemy characters 13 may be farther away from the rearrangement position due to the long warp time, making it more difficult to give way than expected. When applied to a multiplayer game in which other players play together, as in the modified example 1 described below, the development may also change depending on the actions of the other players. This improves the interest of the game.

2-7. Rearrangement Status Setting Process In the rearrangement status setting process, a setting (rearrangement status setting) is performed to change the character status based on the status of the player character 12 at the time of rearrangement according to the player's situation determined in the situation determination process. For example, the number of remaining lives is used, and when the player is in the lead, the number of remaining lives is set to "-1", and when the player is in the lead, the number of remaining lives is set to "+1". Also, when the player character 12 is in the lead, the player character 12 may be set to a state in which it has virtually acquired the power bait 15 at the time of rearrangement (i.e., the enemy character 13 is weakened for a predetermined time). Alternatively, in the case of a game in which a variable ability parameter value is set for the player character 12, a setting may be included in which when the player is in the lead, the ability parameter value (e.g., vitality value) is consumed by a predetermined amount, and when the player is in the lead, the ability parameter value is restored by a predetermined amount. This allows the character status of the player character 12 to be changed before and after rearrangement according to the player's situation.

2-8. Crisis Notification Control Process In the crisis notification control process, when it is determined that the warp activation condition is satisfied during the rearrangement control process, control is performed to notify the player that the crisis determination has been affirmative. For example, as shown in Fig. 10, the notification is performed by displaying a message M3 indicating that a deadlock has occurred at a predetermined position on the game screen (lower left in Fig. 10). This allows the player to understand that a deadlock has occurred and that warp movement is possible.

2-9. Rearrangement position display control process In the rearrangement position display control process, when the rearrangement position is determined in the rearrangement control process, the rearrangement position is displayed in an identifiable manner and presented to the player. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the current state of the periphery of the rearrangement position (for example, the predetermined range A1 in FIG. 9) is temporarily displayed on the floor display unit 60 at the bottom right of the game screen. Then, for example, a mark (star) is added to the rearrangement position to control the identifiable display of the rearrangement position. In addition, when the dead end point Pe or the entrance/exit D in the current floor F is set as the rearrangement position, the game image display unit 10 may be configured to change or blink the background color of the surroundings including the rearrangement position (for example, the dead end point Pe-1 in FIG. 11) to control the identifiable display of the rearrangement position. According to this, the player can grasp the arrangement of the enemy characters 13 and various items in the vicinity of the rearrangement position together with the rearrangement position before the rearrangement control. It should be noted that the floor display unit 60 may display a map of the entire floor (lower floor F-1 in FIG. 11) to which the rearrangement position belongs, and the rearrangement position may be marked for identification.

2-10. Warp Presentation Control Processing In the warp presentation control processing, control is performed to display the appearance of the warp movement of the player character 12 during the warp required time determined in the process of the rearrangement control processing. For example, Fig. 12 shows an example in which the player character 12 temporarily becomes huge in a semi-transparent color and floats above the game stage, and moves to the rearrangement position before the warp required time has elapsed, as the appearance of warp movement. Note that the content of the presentation display may be any type and may be set appropriately.

[Functional configuration]
1. Server System Fig. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a server system 1100. As shown in Fig. 13, the server system 1100 of this embodiment includes an operation input unit 100s, a server processing unit 200s, an image display unit 390s, a sound output unit 392s, a communication unit 394s, and a server storage unit 500s.

The operation input unit 100s is used to input various operations for system management, maintenance, etc., and can be realized by, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc. In FIG. 1, this corresponds to the keyboard 1106 and the touch panel 1108.

The server processing unit 200s can be realized by a processor, which is an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU, GPU, ASIC, FPGA, etc., or an electronic component such as an IC memory, and controls the input and output of data between each part of the device including the operation input unit 100s and the server storage unit 500s. It performs various arithmetic processing based on predetermined programs and data, operation input signals from the operation input unit 100s, data received from the operation terminal 1500, etc., and generally controls the operation of the server system 1100. In FIG. 1, this corresponds to the control board 1150 and its CPU 1151.

The server processing unit 200s includes a user management unit 210, a game management unit 230, a timing unit 280s, an image generation unit 290s, a sound generation unit 292s, and a communication control unit 294s.

The user management unit 210 performs processes related to user registration and manages the data of each registered user (player) linked to an account. For example, it can execute processes such as granting unique accounts to registered users, registration information management processes that register and manage personal information for each account, and usage history management processes that manage login and logout history, etc. Of course, it can also include management processes for other data linked to user accounts as appropriate.

The game management unit 230 performs various processes related to game execution management. Since the game of this embodiment is a client-server type online game, the game management unit 230 controls the provision of data necessary for game play while communicating with the operation terminal 1500. In providing the data, the following processes can be performed as processes related to game progress control and reflection of play results: 1) a process of placing items, etc. in the maze-like game stage of each floor F to set up a game space; 2) a process of placing a player character 12 in the game space and controlling the player character 12 in response to an input of a movement direction on the operation terminal 1500; 3) a process of placing and controlling a virtual camera in the game space; 4) a process of placing an enemy character 13 in the game space and controlling its movement; 5) a process related to contact judgment and acquisition judgment of the player character 12, enemy character 13, items, etc. and reflection thereof; 6) a process of game progress control based on the item acquisition result of the player character 12; 7) a process of generating an image (game image) of the game space seen from the virtual camera; and 8) a process of determining whether the game end condition has been met. Additionally, various data necessary for controlling gameplay can be stored in the server storage unit 500s.

This game management unit 230 includes a crisis determination unit 231, a rearrangement control unit 233, a crisis notification control unit 235, a rearrangement position display control unit 237, and a warp performance control unit 239.

The predicament determination unit 231 is a functional unit that performs predicament determination processing, and performs a predicament determination as to whether or not a predicament condition is met, which is a condition indicating that the player character 12 has reached a predicament related to movement.

The rearrangement control unit 233 is a functional unit that performs rearrangement control processing, and performs control to rearrange the player character 12 to the rearrangement position when the warp activation condition is satisfied. In this embodiment, when the predicament determination is positive, the limiting condition based on the upper limit number of rearrangement control is satisfied, and a warp operation is performed, the warp activation condition is deemed to be satisfied and rearrangement control is performed.

The distress notification control unit 235 is a functional unit that performs distress notification control processing, and when a distress determination is made, it controls the display of a message to that effect to notify the player (see FIG. 10).

The rearrangement position display control unit 237 is a functional unit that performs rearrangement position display control processing, and performs control to identifiably display the rearrangement position of the player character 12 determined during the rearrangement control processing, and presents it to the player (see Figure 11).

The warp performance control unit 239 is a functional unit that performs warp performance control processing, and controls the performance display of the warp movement of the player character 12 for the warp time determined during the rearrangement control processing (see Figure 12).

The timing unit 280s uses the system clock to measure the current date and time, time limit, etc.

The image generation unit 290s generates images related to system management of the server system 1100, and outputs them to the image display unit 390s.

The sound generation unit 292s is realized by executing an IC or software that generates or decodes audio data, and generates or decodes audio data such as operation sounds and background music related to the system management and video distribution of the server system 1100. Audio signals related to system management are output to the sound output unit 392s.

The communication control unit 294s establishes a communication connection and processes data for data communication with an external device (e.g., the operation terminal 1500) via the communication unit 394s, and realizes data exchange with the external device.

The image display unit 390s displays various screens for system management, etc., based on the image signal input from the image generation unit 290s. For example, this can be realized by an image display device such as a flat panel display, a projector, or a head-mounted display. In FIG. 1, this corresponds to the touch panel 1108.

The sound output unit 392s emits the audio signal input from the sound generation unit 292s. In FIG. 1, this corresponds to a speaker (not shown) provided in the main device 1101 or the touch panel 1108.

The communication unit 394s connects to the network N to realize communication. For example, this can be realized by a wireless communication device, a modem, a TA (terminal adapter), a jack for a wired communication cable, a control circuit, etc. In FIG. 1, this corresponds to the communication device 1153.

The server storage unit 500s stores in advance or temporarily stores each time processing is performed programs for operating the server system 1100 and implementing the various functions of the server system 1100, as well as data used during execution of these programs. For example, this can be implemented by IC memory such as RAM or ROM, magnetic disks such as hard disks, or optical disks such as CD-ROM or DVD. In FIG. 1, this corresponds to the IC memory 1152 and storage 1140.

The server storage unit 500s also stores a server program 501, a distribution game client program 503, user management data 510, game setting data 520, and play data 530. In addition, other necessary data such as timers, counters, various tables, thresholds, and flags are also stored as appropriate.

The server program 501 is a program for causing the server processing unit 200s to function as the user management unit 210 and the game management unit 230. In addition, this may also include programs for causing the server processing unit 200s to function as the image generation unit 290s, sound generation unit 292s, and communication control unit 294s, as appropriate.

The distribution game client program 503 is the original of the game client program 502 (see FIG. 15) that is downloaded to the operation terminal 1500.

User management data 510 is prepared for each player who has completed user registration, and stores various data for managing the game play of that player, including the player ID (account), play history, etc.

The game setting data 520 stores various setting data necessary to execute the game. It includes setting data related to the player character 12, such as model data of the player character 12 and motion data used to control its movements, setting data related to the enemy character 13, such as model data of the enemy character 13 and movement pattern data that defines its pursuit movement pattern, and setting data related to the game stage of each floor F, such as map data.

In addition, in this embodiment, the game setting data 520 includes initial item placement data 521 that sets the initial placement of items, an item appearance table 523 for special items, and a rearrangement candidate position list 525. The rearrangement candidate position list 525 stores a list of dead-end points Pe and entrances/exits D in the game stage that are to be used as rearrangement candidate positions.

Play data 530 is prepared for each player playing the game (i.e., for each operation terminal 1500 connected to the server system 1100). For example, as shown in FIG. 14, one play data 530 includes a game ID 531 assigned to each game play, player information 533 of the player playing the game, and play situation data 550.

The player information 533 stores the relevant player's account, player name, device ID of the operating terminal 1500 used, etc.

The play status data 550 stores various data describing the play status (progress) of the game by the relevant player. For example, it includes player character control data 551, enemy character control data 553, item placement data 555, and rearrangement control data 560. It also includes a game score 571 and the number of remaining player characters 12 (number of remaining lives) 573. In addition, it can store the number of each type of item, such as bait 14, acquired, whether the game has ended, etc., as appropriate.

The player character control data 551 stores various data describing the latest state of the player character 12 in the game space. For example, it stores the floor number of the current floor F, the current position on the game stage, posture, movement speed, etc.

The enemy character control data 553 is prepared for each enemy character 13, and stores various data describing the latest state of each enemy character in the game space. For example, one enemy character control data 553 stores an enemy character ID that identifies the enemy character 13, the floor number of the floor F on which the enemy character 13 is located, the current position, posture, movement speed, state (normal state or weakened state), etc.

The item placement data 555 stores various data describing the latest placement status of various items such as bait 14, power bait 15, special items, etc., for each placement position on the game stage of each floor F.

The rearrangement control data 560 is generated each time the rearrangement control unit 233 performs rearrangement control. For example, if the upper limit of rearrangement control is set to "three times," then a maximum of three pieces of rearrangement control data 560 will be generated during one game. Each piece of rearrangement control data 560 stores the rearrangement position 563, warp time 565, rearrangement status setting 567, and the like, which are set during the rearrangement control process, in association with an implementation number 561, which is assigned as a serial number from 1 to 3 in the order of implementation.

15 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a user terminal, that is, an operation terminal 1500. As shown in FIG. 15, the operation terminal 1500 includes an operation input unit 100, a device processing unit 200, an image display unit 390, a sound output unit 392, a communication unit 394, and a device storage unit 500.

The operation input unit 100 allows the player to input various operations, and can be realized by, for example, a button switch, a joystick, a touch pad, a trackball, an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, a CCD module, etc. In FIG. 2, this corresponds to the directional input keys 1502, the home key 1504, and the touch panel 1506.

The device processing unit 200 can be realized by a processor, which is an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU, GPU, ASIC, FPGA, or other electronic components such as an IC memory, and controls input and output of data between each part of the device including the operation input unit 100 and the terminal storage unit 500. It performs various arithmetic processing based on predetermined programs and data, operation input signals from the operation input unit 100, data received from the server system 1100, and the like, and generally controls the operation of the operation terminal 1500. In FIG. 2, this corresponds to the control board 1550 and its CPU 1551. In this embodiment, the device processing unit 200 includes an operation terminal arithmetic unit 270, a timer unit 280, an image generation unit 290, a sound generation unit 292, and a communication control unit 294.

The operation terminal calculation unit 270 executes various calculation processes to cause the operation terminal 1500 to function as a terminal for the player to play the game. For example, the operation terminal calculation unit 270 includes an operation signal transmission control unit 271 and a game screen display control unit 273.

The operation signal transmission control unit 271 performs processing to transmit various data and request information to the server system 1100 in response to operation input to the operation input unit 100.

The game screen display control unit 273 performs control for displaying the game screen based on various data received from the server system 1100. For example, if the online game of this embodiment is realized as a web game, it can be realized using web technology that actively controls the screen display using HTML together with Java (registered trademark) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) based on a web browser, and plug-ins such as Adobe (registered trademark) Flash. Of course, other methods may be used. In addition, in the configuration of this embodiment, the game space image (e.g., 3DCG, etc.) that is the base of the game screen is generated by the server system 1100, but it is also possible to configure the game space image to be generated by the operation terminal 1500. In that case, the game screen display control unit 273 controls objects arranged in a virtual three-dimensional space for generating the 3DCG.

The image generation unit 290 works in conjunction with the game screen display control unit 273 to generate an image signal for displaying one game screen per frame time (e.g., 1/60th of a second) based on various data received from the server system 1100, and outputs the generated image signal to the image display unit 390. For example, this can be realized by a processor such as a GPU or digital signal processor (DSP), a video signal IC, a program such as a video codec, an IC memory for drawing frames such as a frame buffer, etc.

The sound generation unit 292 is realized, for example, by a digital signal processor (DSP), a processor such as a voice synthesis IC, an audio codec for playing audio files, etc., and generates audio signals for game sound effects, background music, and various operation sounds, and outputs them to the sound output unit 392.

The communication control unit 294 establishes a communication connection and processes data for data communication with an external device (e.g., the server system 1100) via the communication unit 394, and realizes data exchange with the external device.

The image display unit 390 displays various screens, such as a game screen, based on the image signal input from the image generation unit 290. For example, this can be realized by an image display device such as a flat panel display, a projector, or a head-mounted display. In FIG. 2, this corresponds to the touch panel 1506.

The sound output unit 392 emits sound effects and background music related to the game based on the audio signal input from the sound generation unit 292. In FIG. 2, this corresponds to the speaker 1510.

The communication unit 394 connects to the network N to realize communication. For example, this can be realized by a wireless communication device, a modem, a TA, a jack for a wired communication cable, a control circuit, etc. In FIG. 2, this corresponds to the wireless communication module 1553.

In the terminal storage unit 500, programs for operating the operation terminal 1500 and realizing the functions of the operation terminal 1500, and data used during execution of these programs are stored in advance, or are temporarily stored each time processing is performed. For example, this can be realized by IC memory such as RAM or ROM, a magnetic disk such as a hard disk, or an optical disk such as a CD-ROM or DVD. In FIG. 2, this corresponds to the IC memory 1552 and the memory card 1540.

The terminal storage unit 500 also stores a game client program 502. The game client program 502 is a program for causing the terminal processing unit 200 to function as the operation terminal calculation unit 270. This game client program 502 may be a dedicated client program according to the technical method for realizing the online game, or may be configured with a web browser program and a plug-in for realizing interactive image display. In this embodiment, it is a copy of the distribution game client program 503 (see FIG. 13) provided by the server system 1100.

[Process flow]
16 is a flowchart for explaining the process flow in the server system 1100 of this embodiment, focusing on one game. The process described here is realized by the server processing unit 200s reading and executing the server program 501. It is assumed that a separate login procedure has been completed on the operation terminal 1500.

First, prior to the start of the game, the game management unit 230 sets up the game space (step S1). At that time, the game management unit 230 performs various processes necessary to start the game, such as placing bait 14 and power bait 15 at each placement position in the game space according to the item initial placement data 521.

Then, the game management unit 230 starts the game (step S3). At that time, the game management unit 230 starts various processes necessary for the progress of the game, such as a process for controlling the appearance of special items according to the item appearance table 523.

When the game is started, the predicament determination unit 231 performs a predicament determination process to determine whether or not a predicament condition indicating that the player character 12 has reached a predicament related to movement is met (step S5). If the predicament determination in step S5 is judged to be positive (step S7: YES), the rearrangement control unit 233 starts a rearrangement control process to first determine whether or not a constraint condition based on the upper limit number of times is met. If the constraint condition is met (step S9: YES) and the rearrangement control unit 233 detects a warp operation on the operation terminal 1500 (step S11: YES), it determines that the warp activation condition is met. In that case, the predicament notification control unit 235 performs a predicament notification control process to control a notification that the predicament determination has been judged to be positive (step S13).

Then, the rearrangement control unit 233 performs a situation determination process and determines whether the player is in a favorable or unfavorable position by referring to the play situation data 550 (step S15). The rearrangement control unit 233 then performs a warp destination determination process and determines the rearrangement position by selecting one of the rearrangement candidate positions from the rearrangement candidate position list 525 (step S17). In this embodiment, first, based on the play situation data 550, candidate points are calculated for each rearrangement candidate position in a procedure according to the player's situation determined in step S15. Then, the rearrangement candidate position with the highest candidate points is selected as the rearrangement position 563.

Once the rearrangement position has been determined, the rearrangement position display control unit 237 then performs rearrangement position display control processing, and performs control to identify and display the rearrangement position (step S19).

Then, the rearrangement control unit 233 performs a warp time setting process, and sets the warp time 565 according to the player's situation determined in step S15 (step S21). The rearrangement control unit 233 also performs a rearrangement situation setting process, and sets the character situation at the time of rearrangement of the player character 12 as a rearrangement situation setting 567 according to the player's situation determined in step S15 (step S23).

Then, until the warp time 565 set in step S21 has elapsed, the warp performance control unit 239 performs warp performance control processing and displays the appearance of the player character 12 warping to the relocation position (step S25).

Then, when the warp time 565 has elapsed, the rearrangement control unit 233 changes the character status in accordance with the rearrangement status setting 567 set in step S23 (step S27), and places the player character 12 at the rearrangement position (step S29).

Then, the process returns to step S5 (step S31: NO) and repeats the above process until the game is ended. Then, when the game is ended (step S31: YES), this process ends.

As described above, in this embodiment, the deadlock is set when all directions selectable as the movement direction of the player character 12 are blocked by enemy characters 13 and/or dead ends. Then, during the game, a deadlock is set as a predicament condition, and when the predicament determination is positive, the restriction conditions are satisfied, and a warp operation is performed, the work activation conditions are satisfied, and the relocation control of the player character 12 can be performed. Therefore, even if the player character reaches a predicament regarding movement, the player character can warp to another location that is the relocation position and proceed with the game from there, which can improve the interest of the game. In addition, in the relocation control, it is determined whether the player is currently in a favorable or disadvantageous position, and if the player is in a favorable position, a relocation position that is likely to turn to a disadvantageous position is selected from the relocation candidate positions, and the player character 12 can be relocated. According to this, the player's situation can be reversed after the relocation, which can further improve the interest of the game.

The forms to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and components can be added, omitted, or modified as appropriate.

[Modification 1]
For example, in the above embodiment, a single-player game in which one player plays the game is illustrated, but the present invention can be applied to a multiplayer game in which multiple players participate and cooperate or compete with each other. In the former case, each player operates their own player character and cooperates to achieve the conditions for clearing the game.

In that case, the placement status conditions of the ally characters may be set and used to determine the relocation position. Also, character status conditions based on the status and movement speed of the ally characters may be set and used to determine the relocation position. Alternatively, the placement status conditions of the ally characters may be combined with the placement status conditions of the enemy characters and items described above, or the character status conditions of the ally characters may be combined with the character status conditions of the enemy characters described above.

For example, the placement status condition for ally characters can be set as "few ally characters in the vicinity" when the player is in an advantageous position, and "many ally characters in the vicinity" when the player is in a disadvantageous position. In that case, the placement status of the ally characters is obtained by counting the number of ally characters within a predetermined range for each rearrangement candidate position in the same manner as described with reference to FIG. 9. Then, based on the obtained placement status, points according to the player's situation are reflected in the candidate points.

In addition, character status conditions for ally characters can be set as "the average vitality value of allied characters in the vicinity is below a certain threshold value" or "the movement speed of allied characters in the vicinity is slow" when the player is in an advantageous position, and "the average vitality value of allied characters in the vicinity is above a certain threshold value" or "the movement speed of allied characters in the vicinity is fast" when the player is in a disadvantageous position. In this case as well, the character status of allied characters within a certain range is obtained for each candidate rearrangement position. Then, based on the obtained character status, points according to the player's situation are reflected in the candidate points.

On the other hand, when players compete against each other, the opponent player's player character is treated as an enemy character, and their positioning and character status are acquired in the same manner as in the above embodiment. Then, based on the acquired positioning and character status, points according to the player's situation are reflected in the candidate points.

When playing against another player, as shown in FIG. 17, a situation may occur in which the player's player character 12a is caught between a dead end point Pe and an obstacle item 16 placed by the opponent player's player character 12b, resulting in a blocked state. In this modified example, such a situation may be considered as one of the deadlock states, and a predicament condition may be determined.

[Modification 2]
Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the server system 1100 is described as the entity that processes game management, but the operation terminal 1500 may be the entity that processes game management, or the processing related to the game management may be distributed and executed between the server system 1100 and the operation terminal 1500. For example, in the configuration of the above embodiment, when the operation terminal is the entity that processes game management, an example of the functional configuration of the operation terminal 1500A is as shown in Fig. 18. Note that in Fig. 18, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same components as in the above embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 18, in the operation terminal 1500A of this modification, the terminal processing unit 200 has a game management unit 230, and the game screen display control unit 273 is omitted. That is, the operation terminal 1500A of this modification does not acquire data for displaying an image of the game screen from the server system 1100, but rather the game management unit 230 executes processing related to game management to control the progress of the game and generate an image of the game screen. The terminal storage unit 500 of this operation terminal 1500A stores a game program 504 for causing the terminal processing unit 200 to function as the operation terminal calculation unit 270 and the game management unit 230, and stores user management data 510 related to the player of the operation terminal 1500A, play data 530 related to the game play, and game setting data 520.

The processing flow of the operation terminal 1500A in this modified example is basically the same as the flowchart shown in FIG. 16, and each step can be interpreted as being executed by the game management unit 230 of the operation terminal 1500A.

This modified example provides the same effects as the above embodiment. Note that the operation terminal 1500 may be configured to perform only some of the functions of the game management unit 230 rather than performing all of them.

When applied to a multiplayer game in which multiple players participate, as in the above-mentioned variant example 1, multiple operation terminals 1500 can be connected in a peer-to-peer manner. In that case, one of the operation terminals 1500 is made to take on the functions of the server system 1100 of the above-mentioned embodiment. Alternatively, the functions of the game management unit 230 may be shared among multiple operation terminals 1500. A computer system is formed by connecting multiple operation terminals 1500. Meanwhile, the server system 1100 mainly handles user registration, management of the information, and matching, and provides the information in response to a request from the operation terminal 1500A.

[Modification 3]
In the above embodiment, the moving speed of the player character 12 is fixed, but a configuration in which it is variably controlled is also possible. For example, when the power fodder 15 is obtained, the moving speed of the player character 12 may be increased during the subsequent weakening time. Alternatively, an item that increases or decreases the moving speed may be prepared as a special item, and the moving speed of the player character 12 may be changed for a predetermined effective time in exchange for consuming the item.

And, as mentioned above, if the movement speed of the player character 12 can change during the game, the movement speed can also be used as the character status of the player character 12. For example, in the situation determination process, the situation can be determined from the movement speed of the player character 12. If the movement speed is fast, it can be determined that the player character 12 is in an advantageous position. Alternatively, the situation can be determined in combination with the status related to the player character 12 described above.

In addition, in the rearrangement situation setting process, the movement speed of the player character 12 at the time of rearrangement may be set as the rearrangement situation setting. For example, the movement speed may be set to slow if the player is in an advantageous position, and to fast if the player is in a disadvantageous position. Alternatively, by including the movement speed setting in the rearrangement situation setting, a setting can be made to change both the status and the movement speed of the player character 12 at the time of rearrangement. Then, when the player character 12 is rearranged, the movement speed of the player character 12 is changed according to the rearrangement situation setting. Note that the movement speed once changed may be maintained as it is until the next time the movement speed is changed, or may be restored to the original movement speed after a predetermined effective time has elapsed.

[Modification 4]
In the above embodiment, the predicament condition is determined to be a deadlock state in the movement direction of the player character 12, when the player character 12 is surrounded by enemy characters 13 and/or a dead end. In other words, the predicament condition is determined to be satisfied when all the movement directions selectable by the player character 12 are not passable. In contrast, it is also possible to configure the predicament condition to be satisfied when some or all of the selectable movement directions are passable but cause a disadvantageous effect on the player character 12 when moving forward. For example, in the example of FIG. 19, the player character 12 is at a crossroads intersection, and there are enemy characters 13 in each of the directions "up", "down" and "left". On the other hand, a damage floor 17 is placed on the right side, which is set to reduce the vitality value of the player character 12 when the player character 12 passes through the damage floor 17. In this case, the predicament condition may be determined to be satisfied.

[Modification 5]
In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which a rearrangement candidate position that satisfies the positional condition of the enemy character 13 and items and the character status condition of the enemy character 13 is selected as the rearrangement position from among a plurality of predetermined rearrangement candidate positions. In contrast, a configuration may be adopted in which, when an impasse occurs, control is performed to display each rearrangement candidate position as a choice on the game screen, and a selection operation for any one of them is accepted. Then, a configuration may be adopted in which the rearrangement candidate position selected by the player is determined as the rearrangement position.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the dead-end point Pe or the entrance/exit D in the game stage are set as candidate positions for rearrangement, and the rearrangement position is determined by selecting one of them, but any position on the passage 11 may be set as a candidate position for rearrangement.

As shown in FIG. 6, when determining that a deadlock state caused by the player character 12 being sandwiched between a dead-end point Pe and an enemy character 13 is a predicament condition, a corresponding position of the warp destination may be set in advance for each dead-end point Pe in the game stage. Then, the corresponding position may be determined as the rearrangement position. The corresponding position may be another dead-end point Pe or an entrance/exit D on the same floor F, or may be set as any position on the passage 11, such as the initial position of the player character 12. Alternatively, the corresponding position may be set on another floor F.

In the above embodiment, the end of the passage 11 leading to the outside of the frame of the game image display unit 10 is described as an entrance/exit D for travelling to and from another floor F, but it may be configured to be a dead end normally. Then, the player character 12 may be allowed to pass through the entrance/exit D only when the player character 12 is stuck near the dead end entrance/exit D and the predicament determination is affirmative. Then, as in the above embodiment, it may be made to appear near the corresponding entrance/exit D of the destination floor F. In other words, the corresponding position of the dead end entrance/exit D is set as the entrance/exit D of the other floor F.

[Modification 6]
In the above embodiment, a predicament determination is performed by regarding a dead end point set in advance in a maze-like passage as a dead end in the game space, but a dead end also includes a place where a passage is blocked during the game and it is impossible to pass through. In addition, one game in which multiple players participate is a game (also called a battle royale game, etc.) in which player characters operated by each player are placed in a common game stage and fight until only one player remains in a predetermined battle area in the game stage that gradually shrinks over time. If the player character 12 goes outside the battle area, his or her vitality value is lost, which has a disadvantageous effect on the player character 12. When applied to such a game, a predicament determination may be performed by regarding the boundary separating the inside and outside of the battle area as a dead end.

[Modification 7]
In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which a game stage was set using map data prepared in advance, but a configuration in which a game map is generated based on a map of the real world is also possible. For example, a map selection operation by the player may be accepted prior to the start of the game. Alternatively, the player's current location may be acquired, and a map of a predetermined range based on the acquired current location may be selected. Then, road information may be extracted from the selected map, and a game map may be generated in which each road is the above-mentioned passage 11.

[Other Modifications]
In addition, the input of the movement direction is not limited to the input indicating a two-dimensional direction as illustrated, but may include an input indicating a three-dimensional direction, for example, in a case where the game world is an underground labyrinth in which passages can branch out up, down, left, right, front, back, and so on.

1000: Game system 1100: Server system 100s: Operation input unit 200s: Server processing unit 210: User management unit 230: Game management unit 231: Crisis determination unit 233: Rearrangement control unit 235: Crisis notification control unit 237: Rearrangement position display control unit 239: Warp performance control unit 290s: Image generation unit 292s: Sound generation unit 294s: Communication control unit 390s: Image display unit 392s: Sound output unit 394s: Communication unit 500s: Server storage unit 501: Server program 503: Distribution game client program 510: User management data 520: Game setting data 521: Item initial arrangement data 523: Item appearance table 525: Rearrangement candidate position list 530: Play data 531: Game ID
533: Player information 550: Play situation data 551: Player character control data 553: Enemy character control data 555: Item placement data 560: Rearrangement control data 563: Rearrangement position 565: Warp time required 567: Rearrangement time setting 571: Game score 573: Remaining number of player characters 1500, 1500A: Operation terminal 100: Operation input unit 200: Terminal processing unit 270: Operation terminal calculation unit 271: Operation signal transmission control unit 273: Game screen display control unit 290: Image generation unit 292: Sound generation unit 294: Communication control unit 390: Image display unit 392: Sound output unit 394: Communication unit 500: Terminal memory unit 502: Game client program 504: Game program N: Network 2: Player 10: Game image display unit 40: Score display unit 50: remaining life display section 60: floor display section 12: player character 13: enemy character 11: passage Pe: dead end point D: entrance/exit

Claims (20)

A program for causing a computer system to execute movement control of a player character in a given game space based on a movement operation of the player, comprising:
a determination means for determining whether or not a predicament condition set as a condition indicating that the player character has reached a predicament regarding movement is satisfied;
a rearrangement control means for determining a rearrangement position of the player character so as to satisfy a placement situation condition according to the player's situation during game play when a given warp activation condition including at least a positive determination by the determination means is satisfied, and performing rearrangement control for rearranging the player character to the rearrangement position;
A program for causing the computer system to function as the A program for causing a computer system to execute movement control of a player character in a given game space based on a movement operation of the player, comprising:
a determination means for determining whether or not a predicament condition set as a condition indicating that the player character has reached a predicament regarding movement is satisfied;
a rearrangement control means for determining a rearrangement position of the player character in accordance with a character state based on a status and/or a moving speed of the player character when a given warp activation condition including at least a positive determination by the determination means is satisfied, and performing rearrangement control for rearranging the player character to the rearrangement position ;
A program for causing the computer system to function as the A program for causing a computer system to execute movement control of a player character in a given game space based on a movement operation of the player, comprising:
a determination means for determining whether or not a predicament condition set as a condition indicating that the player character has reached a predicament regarding movement is satisfied;
a rearrangement control means for determining, when a given warp activation condition including at least a positive determination by said determination means is satisfied, a position where a character situation based on a status and/or a moving speed of an enemy character and/or an ally character satisfies a given character situation condition as a rearrangement position of said player character, and performing rearrangement control for rearranging said player character to said rearrangement position;
A program for causing the computer system to function as the A program for causing a computer system to execute movement control of a player character in a given game space based on a movement operation of the player, comprising:
a determination means for determining whether or not a predicament condition set as a condition indicating that the player character has reached a predicament regarding movement is satisfied;
a rearrangement control means for performing rearrangement control for rearranging the player character to a given rearrangement position when a given warp activation condition including at least a positive determination by the determination means is satisfied;
and causing the computer system to function as
A constraint condition is set for determining whether the reallocation control is possible; and
the relocation control means determines the warp activation conditions including the constraint conditions;
program. The constraint condition is a condition based on at least one of the number of times the rearrangement control is possible, a time, a consumed ability parameter value, and a consumed item.
The program according to claim 4. A program for causing a computer system to execute movement control of a player character in a given game space based on a movement operation of the player, comprising:
a determination means for determining whether or not a predicament condition set as a condition indicating that the player character has reached a predicament regarding movement is satisfied;
a rearrangement control means for performing rearrangement control for rearranging the player character to a given rearrangement position when a given warp activation condition including at least a positive determination by the determination means is satisfied;
a rearrangement position display control means for controlling a display of the rearrangement position in an identifiable manner when the determination is affirmative by the determination means;
A program for causing the computer system to function as the The predicament condition includes a state of impasse regarding the direction of movement of the player character.
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . the determination means determines whether a state in which all selectable directions as moving directions of the player character are blocked by enemy characters and/or a given dead end is the deadlock state and satisfies the predicament condition;
The program according to claim 7 . a notification control means for controlling, when a positive determination is made by the determination means, to notify the user of the positive determination;
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , for causing the computer system to function as a the rearrangement control means performs the rearrangement control when the warp activation condition is that the determination means has made a positive decision and a predetermined operational input has been made.
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 9 . the rearrangement control means determines, as the rearrangement position, a position where a positional situation of at least one of an enemy character, a friendly character, and a predetermined game object satisfies a given positional situation condition;
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 10 . A plurality of rearrangement candidate positions are set in advance in the game space,
the relocation control means determines the relocation position by selecting one of the relocation candidate positions;
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 11 . the rearrangement control means, when a corresponding position that is previously associated with the position of the player character in the impasse state, determines the corresponding position as a rearrangement position;
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 12 . the rearrangement control means changes a character state based on a status and/or a moving speed of the player character, and makes the character appear at the rearrangement position;
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 13 . A computer system that controls the movement of a player character in a given game space based on a movement operation of the player, comprising:
a determination means for determining whether or not a predicament condition set as a condition indicating that the player character has reached a predicament regarding movement is satisfied;
a rearrangement control means for determining a rearrangement position of the player character so as to satisfy a placement situation condition according to the player's situation during game play when a given warp activation condition including at least a positive determination by the determination means is satisfied, and performing rearrangement control to make the player character appear at the rearrangement position;
A computer system comprising: A computer system that controls the movement of a player character in a given game space based on a movement operation of the player, comprising:
a determination means for determining whether or not a predicament condition set as a condition indicating that the player character has reached a predicament regarding movement is satisfied;
a rearrangement control means for performing rearrangement control to determine a rearrangement position of the player character in accordance with a character state based on a status and/or a moving speed of the player character when a given warp activation condition including at least a positive determination by the determination means is satisfied, and to cause the player character to appear at the rearrangement position ;
A computer system comprising: A computer system that controls the movement of a player character in a given game space based on a movement operation of the player, comprising:
a determination means for determining whether or not a predicament condition set as a condition indicating that the player character has reached a predicament regarding movement is satisfied;
a rearrangement control means for performing rearrangement control to determine, when a given warp activation condition including at least a positive determination by said determination means is satisfied, a position where a character situation based on a status and/or a moving speed of an enemy character and/or an ally character satisfies a given character situation condition as a rearrangement position of said player character , and to cause said player character to appear at said rearrangement position ;
A computer system comprising: A computer system that controls the movement of a player character in a given game space based on a movement operation of the player, comprising:
a determination means for determining whether or not a predicament condition set as a condition indicating that the player character has reached a predicament regarding movement is satisfied;
a rearrangement control means for performing rearrangement control to make the player character appear at a given rearrangement position when a given warp activation condition including at least a positive determination by the determination means is satisfied;
Equipped with
A constraint condition is set for determining whether the reallocation control is possible; and
the relocation control means determines the warp activation conditions including the constraint conditions;
A computer system. A computer system that controls the movement of a player character in a given game space based on a movement operation of the player, comprising:
a determination means for determining whether or not a predicament condition set as a condition indicating that the player character has reached a predicament regarding movement is satisfied;
a rearrangement control means for performing rearrangement control to make the player character appear at a given rearrangement position when a given warp activation condition including at least a positive determination by the determination means is satisfied;
a rearrangement position display control means for controlling the rearrangement position to be identifiable when a positive determination is made by the determination means;
A computer system comprising: A server system which is a computer system according to any one of claims 15 to 19 ;
an operation terminal on which a player plays a game;
A game system comprising:

Images