JP7617468B2 - Information processing device and game program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technology that promotes communication between players in a multiplayer game in which multiple players participate.

The use of smartphones not only as communication devices but also as game devices is becoming common. Network games that are popular on smartphones are played by accessing a platform built on a game server from the smartphone. Network games often focus on character development, cooperation and competition with other players, and the collection of cards and items.

Among network games, there are battle games in which players complete words by inserting letters into designated letter boxes, and inflict damage on an enemy character according to the completed word (see Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 5615989

The game in Patent Document 1 has a game system specialized for cases where a single player completes a word. If this game system is applied to a multiplayer game in which multiple players each select letters from a set of letters in hand and work together to complete a word, only the letters in hand are displayed on each player's screen, making it difficult for players to reach a consensus on the word they want to complete.

The present invention was completed based on the recognition of the above problem, and its main purpose is to provide a team-based game in which players belonging to the same team can easily agree on their goals.

An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a team organization unit that organizes a team including multiple players based on a player's request, a turn control unit that grants a turn to a player belonging to the team to select a character, a reception unit that accepts a character selection from the player who has been granted a turn, a setting unit that sets the selected character in a character frame area, an attack initiation unit that initiates an attack on a specified character when a specified character string is completed in the character frame area, and a disclosure unit that discloses characters held by a player to other players during a match.

The present invention makes it easier for players on the same team to agree on a common goal in team-based competitive games.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the game system. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the game system. FIG. 13 is a data structure diagram of a player data storage unit. FIG. 13 is a screen diagram of a first battle screen showing the state of a screen at hand of a player during a turn in a battle against an enemy character. FIG. 13 is a screen diagram of the second battle screen showing a selection operation of a letter character by a player during a turn. 11 is a data structure diagram of a character data storage unit. FIG. FIG. 4 is a data structure diagram of a word data storage unit. 13 is a data structure diagram of a damage data storage unit. FIG. FIG. 13 is a screen diagram of the third battle screen showing the state when a player whose turn is in progress opens the tab of a player whose turn is not in progress. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram of a process for checking text characters assigned to other players. FIG. 13 is a screen diagram of the fourth battle screen showing an operation performed by a player not in a turn to give advice to a player in a turn. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram of processing when an outside player performs an advice operation. FIG. 13 is a screen diagram of the fifth battle screen showing a state when a player during a turn receives advice from a player outside the turn. FIG. 13 is a screen view of the sixth battle screen showing the operation performed by a player not on his/her turn to appeal to other players about a move he/she plans to make. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram of processing when a player not in a turn performs an appeal operation to be selected. FIG. 13 is a screen diagram of the seventh battle screen showing an operation performed when an out-of-turn player changes a target. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram of a process when a player not in a turn performs a target change operation. FIG. 13 is a screen diagram of the eighth battle screen showing the display contents of the player's hand screen during a turn when the target has been changed.

In the network game of this embodiment (hereafter referred to as "Game L"), players form "teams" consisting of 2 to 4 players and fight enemy characters that attack one after another. In a battle against an enemy character, a player selects a character linked to a letter (hereafter referred to as a "letter character") and inserts it into a blank space in a letter frame set on the screen. Other players also take turns inserting letter characters. When players complete any word registered in the database, an attack on the enemy character is launched. To participate in Game L, players must register with the game server.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a game system 100.
In the game system 100, a plurality of game terminals 104a, 104b, 104c, ... 104n (hereinafter, when they are collectively referred to or when there is no particular distinction, they will be collectively referred to as "game terminals 104") are connected to a game server 102 via the Internet 106. In this embodiment, the game terminal 104 is assumed to be a smartphone. The game terminal 104 may be a portable game dedicated machine or a general-purpose computer such as a laptop PC. The game terminal 104 and the Internet 106 are connected wirelessly, but may also be connected by wire. A unique ID called a player ID is given to each game player in advance. The game server 102 provides a game to each game terminal 104.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the game system 100.
As described above, the game system 100 includes a game server 102 and a game terminal 104. Each component of the game terminal 104 and the game server 102 is realized by hardware including a computing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and various coprocessors, a storage device such as a memory or storage, and a wired or wireless communication line connecting them, and software stored in the storage device and supplying processing instructions to the computing unit. The computer program may be composed of a device driver, an operating system, various application programs located in higher layers thereof, and a library that provides common functions to these programs. Each block described below shows a functional block rather than a hardware-based configuration.

The game server 102 may be configured to include a web server, and the game terminal 104 may be configured to include a portable communication terminal and a web browser installed thereon.

(Game Server 102)
The game server 102 includes a communication unit 110 , a data processing unit 112 , and a data storage unit 114 .
The communication unit 110 is responsible for communication processing with the game terminal 104 via the Internet 106. The data storage unit 114 stores various data. The data processing unit 112 executes various processes based on the data acquired by the communication unit 110 and the data stored in the data storage unit 114. The data processing unit 112 also functions as an interface between the communication unit 110 and the data storage unit 114.

The data processing unit 112 includes a player management unit 144 and a game control unit 116 .
The player management unit 144 includes a player registration unit 146 and a team formation unit 148 .
The player registration unit 146 accepts player registration from the game terminal 104 via the communication unit 110. When player registration is requested, the player registration unit 146 assigns a player ID to the player and registers the player in the data storage unit 114. When a game module of game L is installed in the game terminal 104, player registration is automatically requested.

The team formation unit 148 forms a team consisting of multiple players according to the players' requests (details will be described later).

The game control unit 116 cooperates with the game control unit 156 of the game terminal 104 to control the progress of the game. The game control unit 116 determines the outcome of a battle with an enemy character based on parameters such as the character's HP and attributes.

The game control unit 116 includes a turn control unit 128 , a reception unit 130 , a setting unit 132 , an attack initiation unit 134 , a disclosure unit 136 , a presentation reception unit 138 , a presentation unit 140 , and a target change unit 142 .
The turn control unit 128 grants execution rights (hereinafter referred to as "turns") to each player in turn. Each player possesses a plurality of character characters. The reception unit 130 accepts the selection of a character character by the player. The setting unit 132 accepts the insertion of the character character selected by the player into a character frame. The setting unit 132 also sets a character frame for each battle. The attack activation unit 134 activates an attack against an enemy character in conjunction with the formation of a character string in the character frame. The disclosure unit 136 discloses the character characters possessed by the player to other players.

In this embodiment, a player who is not given a turn (hereinafter referred to as the "non-turn player") can also select a character (details will be described later). The presentation receiving unit 138 accepts the selection of a character by the non-turn player and the insertion into a character frame. The presentation unit 140 presents the operation content of the non-turn player to the other players. Note that a player who is given a turn will be referred to as the "turn player" hereinafter.

When there are multiple enemy characters, the target change unit 142 changes the target enemy character at the player's request.

The data storage section 114 includes a game data storage section 118 , a player data storage section 120 , a character data storage section 122 , a word data storage section 124 , and a damage data storage section 126 .
The game data storage unit 118 stores a game program. The player data storage unit 120 stores various data related to the player (described later in relation to FIG. 3). The data related to the player includes information related to the player ID, the player name, and the characters owned. The character data storage unit 122 stores data related to the text characters (described later in relation to FIG. 6). The word data storage unit 124 stores data related to words that a player creates in cooperation with other players (described later in relation to FIG. 7). The damage data storage unit 126 stores data that defines the correlation between the length of a word and the damage inflicted on an enemy character (described later in relation to FIG. 8).

(Gaming terminal 104)
The game terminal 104 includes a user interface unit 158 , a communication unit 150 , a data processing unit 152 and a data storage unit 154 .
The user interface unit 158 accepts operations from the player via the touch panel, and is responsible for processing related to the user interface, such as image display and audio output. The communication unit 150 is responsible for communication processing with the game server 102 and other game terminals 104 via the Internet 106. The data storage unit 154 stores various data. The data processing unit 152 executes various processes based on data acquired by the user interface unit 158 and the communication unit 150 and data stored in the data storage unit 154. The data processing unit 152 also functions as an interface for the user interface unit 158, the communication unit 150, and the data storage unit 154.

The data processing unit 152 includes a game control unit 156 .
The game control unit 156 controls the progress of the game in cooperation with the game server 102. The game control unit 156 of the game terminal 104 may be formed as a software module downloaded from the game server 102 as a part of the functions of the game control unit 116.

The communication unit 150 acquires various game information from the game server 102, and the data processing unit 152 causes the user interface unit 158 to display a game screen. The user interface unit 158 also detects various inputs by the player, and the data processing unit 152 notifies the game server 102 of the input information via the communication unit 150. In response to this input information, the game control unit 116 of the game server 102 cooperates with the game control unit 156 of the game terminal 104 to control the progress of the game.

The data storage unit 154 includes a game data storage unit 160. The game data storage unit 160 stores a game program.

The user interface unit 158 includes an input unit 162 that accepts input from the player, and an output unit 164 that outputs various information such as images and sounds to the player. The input unit 162 mainly detects the player's touch operation on the screen as input.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the data structure of the player data storage unit 120. As shown in FIG.
A player who wants to play game L sends a command to register the player to the game server 102 via the input unit 162 of the game terminal 104. At this time, the player can specify a player name of up to four characters. Upon receiving the command to register the player from the communication unit 150, the player registration unit 146 assigns a player ID to the player who sent the command, and registers the player based on the command. Once registered, the contents cannot be changed.

A player can possess multiple character characters. There is no upper limit to the number of character characters that can be possessed. However, a player cannot possess the same character twice. When a player registers with game L, the player obtains 20 character characters. The type of character obtained at this time is determined randomly. The number of character characters possessed by a player increases when the player clears quests, which will be described later. In FIG. 3, player A possesses character characters with IDs "C001" and "C010". Each type of character character is assigned an ID and registered in the database in the character data storage unit 122. In FIG. 3, player C also possesses a character with ID "C010". From this, it can be seen that player A and player C possess the same character characters.

During the game, players take on various quests. A quest is a mission that is given to the player as the game progresses. Each time a player takes on a quest, they select 12 character characters from those they own.

Each time a battle with an enemy character occurs, the setting unit 132 randomly selects four character characters from the twelve selected by the player and places them as hand pieces. Details of the character characters will be described later.

Game L is a multiplayer game. Players form teams of 2 to 4 players (hereafter referred to as "ally teams") and battle against enemy characters, known as NPCs (Non Player Characters), one after another.

The player who has registered as a player in game L then sends a team formation instruction (hereinafter referred to as a "team formation instruction") to the game server 102 via the input unit 162 of the game terminal 104. The team formation unit 148, which receives the team formation instruction from the communication unit 150, extracts players who have a similar number of character characters from the multiple players who have accepted the team formation instruction, matches them, and forms a friendly team.

If the received team formation instruction is 1 or less, the team formation unit 148 does not form an ally team. In this case, the team formation unit 148 notifies the game terminal 104 of the player who sent the team formation instruction that an ally team cannot be formed.

Players can also send team formation instructions when restarting the game.

FIG. 4 is a screen diagram of a first battle screen 200 showing the state of the screen at hand of the player during a turn in a battle with an enemy character 204.
The battle in game L unfolds in stages. These stages are called "battle stages." There are multiple battle stages during a quest, and they serve as barriers to the friendly team. For each battle stage, the player cooperates with other players to create words and fight against attacking enemy characters 204. Game L includes multiple stories. "Quests" correspond to these stories. A quest includes multiple battle stages. The story unfolds each time a battle stage is cleared. When all battle stages included in a quest are cleared, the story is completed and the quest is cleared.

Figure 4 shows the display contents of the handheld screen 200 of player A, who is playing against an enemy character 204 called "Monster M." Player A is on an ally team with players B, C, and D. The names of the players on the ally team are displayed in tabs 208. Meanwhile, the name of the enemy character is displayed in an information window 212 located at the bottom of the screen.

In the first battle screen 200 shown in FIG. 4, a tab 208 for player A is open. The four letter characters 210 displayed in the tab correspond to the characters "o," "su," "u," and "sa," respectively. Player A can select one of these four letter characters 210. The tab 208 will be described later.

The setting unit 132 sets the character frames 206 for each battle. In the character frames 206, a word with the same number of characters as the number of character frames 206 is set according to the theme of the battle stage. The set word is provided with blank spaces for the number of players on the friendly team. Which character frames 206 are left blank is determined randomly by the game control unit 116.

In Figure 4, the two characters "ka" and "me" are set in a six-character box 206 located in the center of the screen. Four characters, the same as the number of players on the friendly team, are left blank. In the situation in Figure 4, a six-character theme word (hereafter referred to as the "theme word"), "wakame gohan" (seaweed rice), has actually been set. However, the theme word is not revealed to the players. A player who cooperates with other players and successfully inserts the four characters "wa," "go," "ha," and "n" into the blanks learns that the theme word set for this battle stage was "wakame gohan."

When each player on the friendly team fills in all the blanks in the character box 206 by selecting the letter characters 210 in order or simultaneously, the attack activation unit 134 normally calculates the damage to be inflicted on the enemy character according to the completed word. However, unlike normal words, a theme word is not calculated as damage to be inflicted on the enemy character 204 even if it is completed, and it acts as a one-hit kill technique. Only one theme word is set for each battle stage. When the friendly team completes the theme word set in the battle stage, all enemy characters 204 in the battle are wiped out. Searching for a theme word is one of the attractions of game L. A method for calculating the damage inflicted on the enemy character 204 by a normal word will be described later.

Each character 210 is assigned a corresponding character. The player selects a character 210 and inserts it into one of the blank spaces in the character box 206 to cooperate with other players to create a word.

FIG. 5 is a screen diagram of the second battle screen 220 showing the selection operation of the letter character 210 by the player during a turn.
During a turn, a player taps with a finger to select one of the four letter characters 210, and slides it to insert it into one of the blank spaces in the letter box 206. In the scene of Fig. 5, player A during his turn selects the letter character 210 corresponding to the letter "o" to complete the word "Okame" and inserts it into the leftmost blank space in the letter box 206.

When the input unit 162 of the game terminal 104 of the player during a turn detects a tap operation on the character character 210 and a slide operation of the tapped character character 210 into the character frame 206, it transmits the operation content to the game server 102 via the communication unit 150. When the setting unit 132 receives the operation content from the communication unit 110, it sets the tapped character character 210 into the inserted character frame 206 and transmits the processing result to each player's game terminal 104.

In the scene in FIG. 5, when player A completes the word "Okame," the display contents on the screens of the game terminals 104 of all players on the team are synchronized by the above process, and "Okame XXX" is displayed in the character box 206.

The turn control unit 128 gives a time limit to the player during his turn. During his turn, the player can check the time limit on the timer 202. The timer 202 shows the time limit as a gauge. As time passes, the gauge decreases. In the situation in FIG. 5, 1/3 of the time limit given to player A has passed. The timer 202 is only displayed on the battle screen 200 of the player during his turn.

When a player during a turn does not insert a character 210 into the character frame 206 within the time limit, the setting unit 132 randomly selects one of the character characters 210 placed on the player during the turn and automatically inserts it into a blank space in the character frame 206. When there are multiple blank spaces in the character frame 206, the insertion location of the character character 210 is determined randomly.

When a character 210 is inserted into any of the blank spaces in the character box 206, the turn control unit 128 grants a turn to the next player.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the data structure of the character data storage unit 122. As shown in FIG.
A character name, a corresponding character, a corresponding attribute, HP, and possessed skills are set for each character 210. All character characters 210 are registered in advance in a database in the character data storage unit 122, and no new characters will be added later.

The character characters 210 include character characters 210 that correspond one-to-one to individual characters such as "o", "su", "u", and "sa" that were assigned to the player A in FIG. 4, character characters 210 that can be changed to semi-voiced or voiced sounds such as "ha", "pa", and "ba", and line character characters 210 that include all vowels that can be combined such as the "a row" and "ka row". The line character characters 210 change to "a", "i", "u", "e", and "o" every time the player taps the line character character 210 in the selected state. The character characters 210 that can be changed to semi-voiced or voiced sounds also change with the same operation. The line character characters 210 can be changed to "ka", "ki", "ku", "ke", and "ko" for the "ka row", for example, so that they are easy to use in various situations. However, because of the wide range of application, the basic damage given to the enemy character 204 is set low. On the other hand, character characters 210 that correspond one-to-one to individual characters have a narrower range of application than changeable character characters 210, so the basic damage inflicted on enemy characters 204 is set higher.

The character 210 has attributes. The enemy character 204 also has attributes. The attributes act as variables for calculating the damage to be inflicted on the enemy character 204.

There are five types of attributes: "fire," "grass," "water," "light," and "darkness." Of these, the three attributes "fire," "grass," and "water" have a rock-paper-scissors relationship. In other words, the "fire" attribute is strong against the "grass" attribute and weak against the "water" attribute. The "grass" attribute is strong against the "water" attribute and weak against the "fire" attribute. The "water" attribute is strong against the "fire" attribute and weak against the "grass" attribute. Additionally, the "light" attribute and the "darkness" attribute have an opposing relationship.

If the word completed by the friendly team contains a character 210 with the "fire" attribute, the damage inflicted on the enemy character 204 with the "grass" attribute is doubled. On the other hand, even if the completed word contains a character 210 with the "fire" attribute, if the enemy character 204 has the "water" attribute, the damage inflicted is halved.

Some character characters 210 also have skills such as "Double Damage," which doubles the damage dealt to an enemy character 204 when a word is completed using that character character 210.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the data structure of the word data storage unit 124. As shown in FIG.
Each word to be completed by the team is assigned an ID and registered in a database in the word data storage unit 124. The database in the word data storage unit 124 is updated periodically via the Internet 106.

Just like the letter characters 210, words also have attributes assigned to them. For example, the word "kitsune udon" has a "fire" attribute, and the word "okame" has a "light" attribute. When the friendly team completes a word with a "fire" attribute, the damage inflicted on the enemy character 204, which has a "grass" attribute, is doubled. Also, depending on the battle stage, if the completed word has a "fire" attribute, the damage inflicted on the enemy character 204 is increased.

On the other hand, even if the friendly team completes a word with the "fire" attribute, if the enemy character 204 has the "water" attribute, the damage inflicted is halved. Also, depending on the battle stage, if the completed word has the "fire" attribute, the damage inflicted on the enemy character 204 is reduced.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the data structure of the damage data storage unit 126. As shown in FIG.
For each number of characters in a word stored in the word data storage unit 124, a basic damage to be inflicted on the enemy character 204 is set. In game L, the basic damage to be inflicted on the enemy character 204 is the square of the number of characters in the completed word.

When all the blanks in the character box 206 are filled, the attack initiation unit 134 initiates an attack on the enemy character 204.

The damage inflicted on the enemy character 204 is calculated based on the damage set for each completed word. In addition, the damage inflicted on the enemy character 204 varies depending on the character 210 used, the completed word, the attributes of the enemy character 204, and the theme of the battle stage.

For example, the basic damage that the word "kitsune udon" with the "fire" attribute inflicts on an enemy character 204 with the "fire" attribute is 36, which is the square of the number of characters. In this case, if any of the character characters 210 corresponding to the characters "ki", "tsu", "ne", "u", "do", or "n" have the "water" attribute, or if there is a battle stage that strengthens the power of words with the "fire" attribute, the damage inflicted on the enemy character 204 increases. Also, if any of the character characters 210 corresponding to the characters "ki", "tsu", "ne", "u", "do", or "n" have the skill "double damage", the damage inflicted on the enemy character 204 becomes 72.

Furthermore, if the completed string contains multiple words, a combo attack is triggered. For example, the string "kitsune udon" contains the words "kitsune" and "udon," which have a base damage of 9, and the word "udo," which has a base damage of 4. Therefore, the base damage inflicted on the enemy character 204 is 36 + 9 + 9 + 4 = 58.

When the damage inflicted on the enemy character 204 exceeds the HP of the enemy character 204, the friendly team defeats the enemy character 204. When the enemy character 204 is defeated, the game control unit 116 completes the battle stage and notifies the game terminal 104 of each player of the processing result.

On the other hand, if the damage inflicted on the enemy character 204 falls below the HP of the enemy character 204, in other words, if the character string completed after one turn does not kill the enemy character 204, the game ends for the player. Alternatively, the player may be attacked by the enemy character 204.

In the process of clearing a quest, players will face multiple battle stages. Completing a battle stage progresses the quest, and your team will soon enter the next battle stage. The quest will be cleared when all battle stages in the quest have been conquered.

FIG. 9 is a screen diagram of the third battle screen 300 showing the state when a player whose turn is in progress opens the tab of a player whose turn is not in progress.
A player can check the selectable letter characters 210 of other players at any time during a match. Fig. 9 shows a handheld screen 300 of player A. Player A, who is currently taking his turn, taps and opens the tab 208 of player B, who will be given the next turn, and checks the four selectable letter characters 210. Through this operation, player A knows that the letter characters 210 corresponding to the letters "a", "ri", "o", and "u" are assigned to player B.

Game L is a game in which up to four players cooperate to create words. Therefore, by understanding the letter characters 210 placed on players other than the turn, a player whose turn it is is able to effectively select the letter characters 210 placed on the player whose turn it is.

In the scene of FIG. 9, player A, who is taking his turn, can recognize that player B can also choose to complete the word "Okame" by inserting "O" into the leftmost blank space of the character box 206. Since the word only needs to be completed by everyone, if there is another player on the team who has the same option, player A does not have to choose that option. On the other hand, only player A has the option to insert "Su" into the blank space to the right of "Me" to complete the word "Mesu". Thus, player A can conclude that inserting "Su" into the blank space to the right of "Me" is a rational choice. In this way, by understanding the character characters 210 placed by other players through the above operations, players who are taking their turn can more easily make rational choices that take the whole team into consideration.

On the other hand, players not yet in a turn can also know in advance the letter characters 210 dealt to other players. For example, if player C checks in advance the letter characters 210 dealt to player B, he or she can predict the move that player B will make. Furthermore, based on that prediction, the player can consider the selection of letter characters 210.

FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram of a process for checking the character characters 210 assigned to other players.
The series of operations of player A in the scene of FIG. 9 are realized by the following process. When the input unit 162 detects a tap (input) on the tab 208 of another player (S10), it transmits an instruction to the game server 102 via the communication unit 150 to disclose the four character characters 210 arranged on the player of the tab 208 where the tap was detected (hereinafter referred to as the "disclosure target player") (S12). When player A designates player B as the disclosure target player, a disclosure request designating player B is transmitted. The disclosure unit 136, which has received the disclosure instruction from the communication unit 110, checks the four character characters 210 arranged on the disclosure target player (S14), and notifies the player who transmitted the disclosure instruction of the disclosure result (S16).

The output unit 164, which has received the disclosure results from the communication unit 150, opens the tab 208 of the player to whom the disclosure is to be made and displays the disclosure results. In FIG. 9, the tab of player B, who is the player to whom the disclosure is to be made, is opened and four character characters 210 that player B can select are displayed.

FIG. 11 is a screen diagram of the fourth battle screen 320 showing an operation performed by a player not taking a turn to give advice to a player taking a turn.
The player not in turn can open the tab 208 of the player whose turn it is, tap to select one of the four character characters 210 arranged for the player whose turn it is, and insert it into the character box 206. In Fig. 11, player B whose turn it is is opening the tab of player A whose turn it is, tapping to select the character character 210 corresponding to the character "o", and sliding it into the leftmost blank space of the character box 206. By this operation, player B who is not in turn can advise or appeal to player A who is in turn to select the character character 210 corresponding to "o".

FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram of the process when an advice operation is performed by a player not taking a turn.
The advice to player A by the above operation of player B in the scene of FIG. 11 is realized by the following process. When the input unit 162 of the game terminal 104a of the player not taking the turn detects a tap operation on any one of the four character characters 210 arranged on the player taking the turn and a slide operation of the tapped character character 210 into any character frame 206 (S20), the input unit 162 transmits the operation contents to the game server 102 via the communication unit 150 (S22). In the case of the above example, an operation of player B of the player not taking the turn selecting one of the character characters 210 arranged on player A of the player taking the turn and inserting it into any character frame is detected. When the suggestion receiving unit 138 receives the operation contents from the communication unit 110, the suggestion unit 140 transmits the operation contents to the game terminal 104b of the player taking the turn via the communication unit 110 (S24). The output unit 164, which has received the operation contents from the communication unit 150, displays the input contents when a predetermined time, for example, 1/3 of the time limit, has elapsed (S26) (S28). The advice of player B is not displayed to players other than player A. In the above example, when the time limit of player A, who is the player whose turn is in progress, is 2/3 remaining, the input contents of player B, who is the player whose turn is not in progress, are displayed on the screen of player A. With this control method, the player whose turn is in progress can first calmly consider his/her move without being bothered by the advice of other players, and if he/she is unable to decide on a move even after a predetermined time has elapsed, he/she can decide on a move before the time limit expires by referring to the advice from other players displayed on the screen. With this control method, a game characteristic is realized in which the player can receive suggestions from others while still making independent decisions as a rule. The operation contents are displayed until the time limit reaches 0.

FIG. 13 is a screen diagram of a fifth battle screen 340 showing a state when a player currently in a turn receives advice from a player currently not in a turn.
The output unit 164 of the game terminal 104b of the player whose turn is in progress displays the above-mentioned operation contents by the player whose turn is in progress transparently so that they can be distinguished from the display of the operation of the player whose turn is in progress selecting the letter character 210 and inserting it into the letter box 206. In Fig. 13, the operation contents performed by the player whose turn is in progress in Fig. 11 are displayed semi-transparently on the hand screen 340 of the player A whose turn is in progress.

The player not in turn can give the player in turn a hint by operating the character character 210 arranged on the player in turn. On the other hand, the player in turn can decide on a move while referring to suggestions from other players. However, the advice from other players is not actually displayed until a certain time limit, for example, 5 seconds, has elapsed. Therefore, the player in turn can calmly consider his move for 5 seconds without being bothered by the advice from other players. If the player is unable to decide on a move after 5 seconds has elapsed, the advice from other players is displayed on the screen. This allows the player to decide on a move while referring to the advice from other players before the time limit expires. Since the player not in turn is not a party to the game, he may be able to propose a more suitable move than the player in turn. The player in turn may reconsider his move after deciding on his own move, referring to the advice of other players. According to such a control method, the player can accept suggestions from others while still making independent decisions, which makes it easier to increase the sense of unity as a team while respecting individual decisions. Normally, the off-turn player would have no choice but to wait for the on-turn player's decision, but with the above control method, the off-turn player is granted the "right to give advice" to the on-turn player. This makes it easier for the off-turn player to be actively involved in game L.

Also, the player whose turn is in progress can easily obtain more options by receiving advice from a different perspective from the player whose turn is not in progress. For example, in the scene of FIG. 13, the only option in mind for player A, the player whose turn is in progress, is to insert a character corresponding to "o" into the character box 206 to the right of "me" to complete the word "kameo". In this case, player A can obtain the option of inserting the character 210 corresponding to "o" into the leftmost character box 206 to complete the word "okame" thanks to advice from player B, the player whose turn is not in progress. Considering the damage to the enemy character 204, it is better to complete the word "okame" than "kameo". This is because, in the scene of FIG. 13, all the character boxes 206 to the right of "me" are blank, so depending on the move of the player who is second, it is possible to complete words with many characters, such as "okame soba", "okame udon", and "okame inko". In this way, the player on the turn can get more options with advice from the player off the turn. As a result, it becomes easier for the team to choose the best move.

The above operations are effective when you want to achieve unity of will within your team. They are particularly effective when the player on your turn is a beginner or indecisive player, and the player off your turn is an advanced player or decisive player.

When two or more players not in the turn perform the above operations, each time the suggestion receiving unit 138 receives an advice operation, the operation content of the received player is overwritten and displayed on the game terminal 104b of the player in the turn. For example, in the situation of FIG. 13 where the input content of player B not in the turn is displayed on the hand screen 340 of player A in the turn, if player C newly performs an advice operation, the suggestion receiving unit 138 accepts the input content of player C. At this time, the suggestion unit 140 stops sending the input content of player B to the game terminal 104b of player A, and sends the input content of player C to the game terminal 104b of player A. Therefore, the input content of the player from whom the suggestion receiving unit 138 last accepted an advice operation is always displayed on the hand screen 340 of player A in the turn.

FIG. 14 is a screen diagram of a sixth battle screen 360 showing operations performed by a player not on his/her turn to appeal to other players about a move he/she plans to make.
The player not on the turn can appeal to the other players a move he or she plans to make (hereinafter, referred to as a "selected move") by tapping and selecting one of the character characters 210 with his or her own tab 208 open and inserting it into one of the blank spaces in the character frame 206. In Fig. 14, the player B not on the turn opens his or her own tab, selects the character 210 corresponding to the character "o" and slides it into the leftmost blank space in the character frame 206.

By the above operation, the player who is not on the turn can appeal to the player who has played first. In the scene in FIG. 14, the player who is not on the turn, player B, appeals that he wants to insert the character 210 corresponding to the character "o" into the leftmost character box 206 to complete the word "okame". By making this appeal, even if the selection plans of other players compete, it becomes easier to make the desired selection. In the scene in FIG. 14, player A, who is on the turn, can actually select the character 210 corresponding to the character "o" (see FIG. 11). However, due to the appeal of player B, it becomes easier to make other choices without sticking to the option of inserting the character 210 corresponding to the character "o" into the leftmost blank of the character box 206. For example, if player A inserts the character 210 corresponding to the character "o" into the blank to the right of "me" instead of the leftmost blank of the string, the word "kameo" is completed. Additionally, player A is assigned a character 210 that corresponds to the character "sa." Therefore, if player A inserts the character 210 that corresponds to the character "sa" into the blank space to the right of "me," and then either player C or player D inserts "n" into the blank space to the right, the word "kame-san" will be completed. In this way, the appeal of the player's planned selection by the player not on his/her turn makes it easier for the entire team to make the best move.

FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram of the processing when a player not in a turn performs an appeal operation to be selected.
The appeal to other players to be selected by the above operation of player B in the scene of FIG. 14 is realized by the following process. When the input unit 162 of the game terminal 104a of the player not in the turn detects a tap operation on the four character characters 210 arranged on the player and a slide operation of the tapped character character 210 into any character frame (S30), it transmits the input contents to the game server 102 via the communication unit 150 (S32). In the above example, an operation of player B, the player not in the turn, selecting one of the character characters 210 arranged on himself and inserting it into any character frame is detected. When the presentation receiving unit 138 receives the input contents from the communication unit 110, the presentation unit 140 transmits the input contents to the game terminals 104 of the players via the communication unit 110 (S34). When a predetermined time, for example, 1/3 of the time limit imposed on the player during the turn has elapsed (S36), the output unit 164 that has received the input contents from the communication unit 150 displays the input contents (S18). In the above example, when the time limit for the player A whose turn is in progress reaches 2/3, the input contents of the player B whose turn is not in progress are displayed on the screens of players A, C, and D. The operation contents are displayed until the time limit for the player whose turn is in progress reaches 0.

The output unit 164 of the game terminal 104 of the other players on the friendly team displays the above input contents by the player not taking a turn transparently after a predetermined time has elapsed, for example 1/3 of the time limit of the player taking a turn. The purpose of implementing this function is the same as the function in which advice from the player not taking a turn is displayed on the hand-held screen 340 of the player taking a turn. The display format in this case is also the same as the advice from the player not taking a turn. The predetermined time may be, for example, 5 seconds.

When two or more players not in the turn perform the above operation, the operation contents of the players accepted by the suggestion receiving unit 138 are successively overwritten and displayed on the game terminal 104b of the player in the turn, in the same way as when advice is given to the player in the turn. For example, when the operation contents of player B not in the turn are displayed on the other players' local screens 340, if player C newly performs the above operation, the suggestion receiving unit 138 accepts the operation contents of player C. At this time, the suggestion unit 140 stops sending the operation contents of player B to the other players' game terminals 104, and sends the operation contents of player C to the other players' game terminals 104. Therefore, the operation contents of the player who last accepted the operation by the suggestion receiving unit 138 are always displayed on the local screens of each player.

FIG. 16 is a screen diagram of the seventh battle screen 400 showing an operation performed when the player not in a turn changes the target.
When there are two or more enemy characters 204, the player can change the enemy character 204 to be attacked (hereinafter referred to as the "target") by tapping the enemy character 204 that the player wants to attack during a turn.

In game L, the player not in the turn can also change the target. Figure 16 shows the handheld screen 400 of player B, who is not in the turn, playing against enemy characters 204 called the "Okashi Brothers". In Figure 16, there are two enemy characters 204. Therefore, a target selection frame 214 is displayed on the screen. The enemy character 204 on the left side surrounded by the target selection frame 214 is the target in the situation in Figure 16. In this situation, when player B taps the enemy character 204 on the right side with his finger, the target changes to the enemy character 204 on the right side.

FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram of the process when a player not in a turn performs a target change operation.
The change of the target by the tap operation of player B in the scene of Fig. 16 is realized by the following process. When the input unit 162 detects a tap (input) on the enemy character 204 by the player not taking the turn (S40), it transmits an instruction to the game server 102 via the communication unit 150 to change the target to the tapped enemy character 204 (S42). When player B, the player not taking the turn, designates the enemy character 204 on the right side as the target, a target change instruction designating the enemy character 204 on the right side is transmitted. When the target change unit 142 receives the target change instruction from the communication unit 110, it changes the target to the tapped enemy character 204 (S44) and transmits the change result to the game terminal 104 of each player (S46).

FIG. 18 is a screen diagram of an eighth battle screen 420 showing the display contents of the screen in front of the player during a turn when the target has been changed.
When the target change result is synchronized by the target change unit 142, the target is also changed on the game terminal 104b of the player currently taking a turn. Fig. 18 shows the handheld screen 420 of player A, who is currently taking a turn. Since the target has been changed by a tap operation by player B, the target selection frame 214 surrounds the enemy character 204 on the right side.

The above operation is effective when you want to attack the enemy character 204 efficiently. In particular, it makes it easier to set the target appropriately when the player during the turn is a beginner and the player outside the turn is an advanced player.

The above operation also enables cooperative play, in which the player not on his turn designates a target and the player on his turn concentrates on selecting the text character 210. This type of cooperative play makes it easier for the team on the team to choose the best move.

When two or more players perform the above operation, the target becomes the enemy character 204 specified by the player from whom the target change unit 142 last received a target change instruction. For example, when the target change unit 142 receives target change instructions from player B, player C, and player D in that order, the enemy character 204 last tapped by player D becomes the target.

The game system 100 has been described above based on the embodiment.
In this embodiment, a player can check the character characters 210 assigned to other players at any time during a match. This specification allows a player whose turn is in progress to select a character character 210 while keeping in mind the character characters 210 that other players may select. Also, a player whose turn is not in progress can know in advance the character characters 210 assigned to other players and effectively select a character character 210 when his or her turn comes around. As a result, it becomes easier to unify the intentions of the team.

In addition, in this embodiment, the player not taking the turn can advise the player taking the turn on the selection of character character 210 by selecting one of the four character characters 210 placed on the player taking the turn and inserting it into the character frame 206. This specification makes it easier for the player taking the turn, even if he or she is a beginner or indecisive player, to receive advice from the player not taking the turn and effectively select a character character 210. Also, by giving and receiving advice to each other, it becomes easier to unify the will of the friendly team.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the player not on his/her turn can appeal to the other players about his/her intended selection by selecting one of the character characters 210 placed on him/her and inserting it into the character frame 206. This specification allows the player not on his/her turn to give advice to the player on his/her turn and to restrain the other players. Also, the player on his/her turn can easily select a character character 210 effectively by knowing the move planned by the player who is playing second. As a result, it becomes easier to unify the intentions of the allied team.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and can be embodied by modifying the components without departing from the spirit of the invention. Various inventions may be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiments and modifications. In addition, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the above-described embodiments and modifications.

Although the game system 100 has been described as being composed of multiple game terminals 104 and one game server 102, some of the functions of the game terminals 104 may be realized by the game server 102, or some of the functions of the game server 102 may be assigned to the game terminal 104. In addition, a third device other than the game server 102 and game terminal 104 may be responsible for some of the functions.

The game system 100, which is a collection of the functions of the game terminal 104 and game server 102 described in FIG. 2, can also be understood as a single "information processing device" in the broader sense. How to allocate the multiple functions required to realize the present invention to one or more pieces of hardware can be determined in consideration of the processing capabilities of each piece of hardware, the specifications required for the game system 100, etc.

In this embodiment, when the player taps the tab 208 of the disclosed player, the player can see the four text characters 210 arranged on the disclosed player. However, the operation content for seeing the text characters 210 arranged on the disclosed player can be set arbitrarily by the designer. For example, the input unit 162 may send a disclosure instruction to the disclosure unit 136 when it detects a double tap on the tab 208 of the disclosed player. In this case, the input unit 162 does not send a disclosure instruction to the disclosure unit 136 until it detects a double tap on the tab 208 of the disclosed player, which makes it easier to prevent erroneous operations.

The display method of the four character characters 210 assigned to the disclosed target player can be set by the designer as desired. For example, icons representing each player may be displayed on the third battle screen 300 in place of tabs, and when a player taps the icon of a disclosed target player, the disclosure unit 136 may call up another window to display the character characters 210 assigned to the disclosed target player. In this case, the character characters 210 are arranged in a wide window, making it easier for the player to see the character characters 210 assigned to the disclosed target player. As a result, the player can easily grasp the character characters 210 assigned to other players even in the midst of a hectic battle.

In this embodiment, the non-turn player can advise the turn player on the selection of the character character 210 by opening the turn player's tab 208, selecting one of the four character characters 210 arranged for the turn player, and inserting it into the character frame 206. The method by which the non-turn player gives advice to the turn player can be set by the designer as desired within the range that the input unit can detect. For example, when the non-turn player opens the turn player's tab 208 and shouts a character corresponding to the character character 210 to be selected into the input microphone of the smartphone, which is the game terminal 104, the input unit 162 may detect the shouted content and transmit it to the suggestion receiving unit 138 via the communication unit 150. In this case, the operation is simplified, making it easier to give advice to the turn player more quickly.

In this embodiment, the output unit 164 transparently displays the operation content when the player not in the turn gives advice to the player in the turn or indicates to other players that he or she intends to make a selection. These operations may be displayed in a manner different from the display of the operation of the player in the turn selecting the letter character 210 and inserting it into the letter frame 206, and the specific display method may be set arbitrarily by the designer. For example, the output unit 164 may display advice from the player not in the turn to the player in the turn in different colors from the operation of the player in the turn selecting the letter character 210 and inserting it into the letter frame 206. In this case, depending on the player in the turn, it may be easier for the player in the turn to recognize the advice from the player not in the turn, and therefore easier for the player to make use of the advice.

In this embodiment, when two or more players outside the turn give advice to the player on the turn, each time the advice receiving unit 138 receives operation content, the advice is overwritten and displayed on the game terminal 104b of the player on the turn. However, when advice is given in duplicate by multiple players outside the turn, the advice may not be overwritten and all advice may be displayed in duplicate on the game terminal 104b of the player on the turn. In this case, the player on the turn can refer to multiple pieces of advice when selecting a character 210, making it easier for him or her to select a character 210.

In this embodiment, the player not in the turn can appeal to the other players that he or she intends to make a selection by selecting one of the character characters 210 with his or her own tab 208 open and inserting it into one of the blank spaces in the character frame 206. The method of operation by which the player not in the turn appeals to the other players that he or she intends to make a selection can be set by the designer as desired within the range that the input unit 162 can detect. For example, the player not in the turn can directly write the character associated with the character character 210 that the player not in the turn wishes to select into the character frame 206 that the player not in the turn wishes to insert with his or her finger or a stylus. In this case, the player not in the turn can operate more intuitively, making it easier to reliably express his or her intentions even in the midst of a hectic match.

In this embodiment, when two or more players not in their turn perform an operation to announce their intended selection, each time the presentation receiving unit 138 receives the operation content, the operation content is overwritten and displayed on the game terminals 104 of the other players. However, when multiple players not in their turn overlappingly announce selection operations, the operation content may not be overwritten and all of the operation content may be displayed overlappingly on the game terminals 104 of the other players. In this case, players can see the intentions of the other players at a glance, making it easier for them to cooperate.

In this embodiment, when the player not in a turn gives advice to the player whose turn is in progress or appeals to other players that he or she intends to make a selection, the output unit 164 displays the operation content when 1/3 of the time limit imposed on the player whose turn is in progress has elapsed. The specific time until the output unit displays these operations can be set arbitrarily by the designer. For example, the output unit 164 may start displaying advice from the player not in a turn when there are 3 seconds remaining in the time limit imposed on the player whose turn is in progress. In this case, the player whose turn is in progress will see the advice in a situation where he or she is feeling more impatient, and will therefore be more likely to accept the advice.

In this embodiment, when there are two or more enemy characters 204, the player whose turn is not in progress can change the target by tapping on the enemy character 204 that he or she wants to attack. However, the operation for changing the target can be set by the designer as desired, in addition to tapping on the enemy character 204. The input unit 162 may transmit an instruction to change the target when it detects a touch on the enemy character 204 for a predetermined period of time, for example, five seconds. In this case, the input unit 162 does not transmit a disclosure instruction to the disclosure unit 136 until it detects a touch on the enemy character 204 for five seconds, making it easier to prevent erroneous operations.

In this embodiment, the present invention has been described with reference to a team-based competitive game, but it can also be applied to other types of games, such as shooting games and rhythm games.

In this embodiment, the description focuses on a game for a smartphone. However, the game system 100 may be realized by a home game console, a personal computer, or the like. It may be an arcade game, or a game linked to an arcade game.

In this embodiment, a player who is given a turn may select one character in one turn. However, a player who is given a turn may be able to select two or more characters in one turn. For example, a player who is given a turn may be able to select a single character character corresponding to two or more characters in one turn. Also, a player who is given a turn may be able to select two or more character characters corresponding to one or more characters in one turn.

100 Game system, 102 Game server, 104 Game terminal, 106 Internet, 110 Communication unit, 112 Data processing unit, 114 Data storage unit, 116 Game control unit, 118 Game data storage unit, 120 Player data storage unit, 122 Character data storage unit, 124 Word data storage unit, 126 Damage data storage unit, 128 Turn control unit, 130 Reception unit, 132 Setting unit, 134 Attack activation unit, 136 Disclosure unit, 138 Presentation reception unit, 140 Presentation unit, 142 Target change unit, 144 Player management unit, 146 Player registration unit, 148 Team organization unit, 150 Communication unit, 152 Data processing unit, 154 Data storage unit, 156 Game control unit, 158 User interface unit, 160 Game data storage unit, 162 Input unit, 164 Output unit, 200 First battle screen, 202 Timer, 204 Enemy character, 206 Text frame, 208 Tab, 210 Text character, 212 Information window, 214 Target selection frame, 220 Second battle screen, 300 Third battle screen, 320 Fourth battle screen, 340 Fifth battle screen, 360 Sixth battle screen, 400 Seventh battle screen, 420 Eighth battle screen

Claims (4)

a processor, the processor comprising:
Controlling a game in which a plurality of users, including a first user, a second user , and a third user , cooperate to play using game media each owned by the user;
receiving an input including a designation of a game medium from the first user who has not been granted the execution right, among game media owned by the second user who has been granted the execution right of the game;
after displaying the input contents of the first user on the game screen of the second user, when an input including a designation of a game medium from the third user who has not been granted the execution right among the game media owned by the second user is received, displaying the input contents of the third user on the game screen in place of the input contents of the first user ;
controlling the progress of the game based on an operation received from the second user after the input content is displayed;
Information processing device. The processor controls a game in which a plurality of users, including a first user, a second user , and a third user , cooperate to play a game using game media owned by each of the users;
a processor receives an input including a designation of a game medium from the first user who has not been granted the execution right of the game, among game media owned by the second user who has been granted the execution right of the game;
when the processor receives an input including a designation of a game medium from the third user who has not been granted the execution right among game media owned by the second user after displaying the input content of the first user on the game screen of the second user, the processor displays the input content of the third user on the game screen in place of the input content of the first user ;
a processor controls the progress of the game based on an operation received from the second user after the input content is displayed;
Information processing methods. Controlling a game in which a plurality of users, including a first user, a second user , and a third user , cooperate to play using game media each owned by the user;
when a first user who has not been granted the execution right of the game makes an input including a designation of a game medium among game media owned by the second user who has been granted the execution right of the game, the input content of the first user is displayed on the game screen of the second user, and when a third user who has not been granted the execution right of the game makes an input including a designation of a game medium among game media owned by the second user, the input content of the third user is displayed on the game screen in place of the input content of the first user ;
controlling the progress of the game based on an operation received from the second user after the input content is displayed;
A program that causes a processor to execute a process. A server and a terminal are provided,
The server,
Controlling a game in which a plurality of users, including a first user, a second user , and a third user , cooperate to play using game media each owned by the user;
receiving an input including a designation of a game medium from a terminal of the first user who has not been granted the execution right, among game media owned by the second user who has been granted the execution right of the game;
after displaying the input contents of the first user on a game screen of the terminal of the second user, when an input including a designation of a game medium from the third user who has not been granted the execution right among the game media owned by the second user is received, displaying the input contents of the third user on the game screen in place of the input contents of the first user ;
controlling the progress of the game based on an operation received from the terminal of the second user after the input content is displayed;
system.

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