JP7617488B2 - Information processing device, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

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

There is known an information processing device that provides a game in which a player can transfer items that he or she owns to other players (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2015-062705 A

On platforms that provide smartphone applications, various mechanisms are being considered to stimulate the transfer of items acquired by paying a fee (hereafter referred to as "paid items") in games. For example, mechanisms are being considered to stimulate the transfer of paid items between users by making it possible to acquire paid items at a lower price when purchasing them for the purpose of transfer compared to when the player uses the paid item themselves. In such cases, paid items are set at a lower price than when the player purchases them themselves, so allowing unlimited transfer between players could damage the game balance.

The present invention aims to provide an information processing device that can restrict the transfer of items between players and notify players of parties to whom items can be transferred.

An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a storage unit that stores relationships between players, an extraction unit that extracts from the storage unit a player who has a predetermined relationship with the transferor player as a transfer recipient player, a determination unit that determines whether or not the transferor player can transfer an item to the transfer recipient player based on the number of players to whom the transferor player has transferred an item and/or the number of players to whom the transferor player has transferred an item to the transfer recipient player within a predetermined period of time, and a presentation unit that presents the determination result determined by the determination unit to the transferor player.

The present invention provides an information processing device that can restrict the transfer of items between players and notify players of parties to whom items can be transferred.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a game server and a terminal. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block configuration of a game server. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a player management DB and an effect definition DB. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block configuration of a terminal. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure when a game server determines whether a paid item can be transferred. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a terminal screen. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a terminal screen. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a terminal screen.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In each drawing, parts with the same reference numerals have the same or similar configurations. In addition, this embodiment will be described on the premise that it is applied to a game in which paid items can be transferred between players (which may also be called users), but the present invention is not limited to this. This embodiment is not limited to paid items, and can also be applied to cases in which free items are transferred between players. In addition, this embodiment is not limited to games, and can be applied to various applications such as social networking services (SNS) in which items can be transferred between users.

<System Configuration>
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a game system 1 according to this embodiment. The game system 1 shown in Fig. 1 includes a game server 10 and one or more terminals 20. The game server 10 and the terminals 20 are communicatively connected to each other via a communication network N such as the Internet, an intranet, a wireless LAN, or mobile communication. The game server 10 and the terminals 20 may be referred to as information processing devices.

The game server 10 is a device that performs some of the functions required for the terminal 20 to provide a game, such as managing various information related to players and executing some of the game processing. The game server 10 may be composed of one or more physical servers, or may be composed of a virtual server that runs on a hypervisor, or may be composed of a cloud server.

The terminal 20 is a terminal that provides a game to a player, and the player can execute the game according to this embodiment by operating the terminal 20. The terminal 20 is, for example, a computer such as a mobile phone (including a smartphone), a tablet, a personal computer, an arcade game device, or a consumer game device.

＜Game Overview＞
Next, an overview of the game provided by the game system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. This game is a social-network game in which a player creates a deck with characters selected from a plurality of characters that the player owns, and uses the created deck to complete various quests.

Players can also register other players as friends. Registering a friend means that players build a predetermined relationship with each other in the game. In this game, one player sends a request to another player to register them as friends, and the other player who receives the request approves the request, and the players are registered as friends.

Players can also purchase paid items at shops (stores) within the game. Paid items include both paid items that require payment by credit card or other means when the player purchases the paid item, and items that can be purchased in exchange for a specified value that can be obtained by paying money and can be used in the game. The former paid items are, for example, paid items that can be obtained by paying 10 yen. The latter paid items are, for example, paid items that can be obtained by paying 20 values that can be exchanged for 10 yen per value.

In this game, paid items can be transferred (given as gifts) between players who are registered as friends. In order to encourage the transfer (gift) of paid items between players, the price of a paid item purchased for the purpose of transfer is set to be cheaper than the price of a paid item purchased for the player's own use.

However, allowing unlimited transfer of paid items between players could damage the game balance. Furthermore, introducing such a mechanism would raise concerns that users might commit fraud by receiving payment directly from a player who has acquired the paid item at low cost, and then transferring the paid item. For example, assume that a mechanism is introduced in which the price of item A is 100 yen when the player uses it himself, but is discounted to 50 yen when purchasing item A with the intention of transferring it. In such a case, there is a concern that users might appear who will transfer item A if a player transfers 70 yen, for example.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the transfer of paid items between players is restricted to cases where a specific condition is met. The specific condition may be any condition, but may be, for example, a condition that each player can only transfer paid items to a specific number of players (e.g., one player) in a specific period (e.g., every month). Also, a condition may be that each player can receive paid items transferred (as gifts) from a specific number of players (e.g., five players) or less in a specific period.

<Hardware Configuration>
2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the game server 10 and the terminal 20. The game server 10 and the terminal 20 each have a processor 11 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphical processing unit), a storage device 12 such as a memory, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and/or an SSD (Solid State Drive), a communication IF (Interface) 13 for wired or wireless communication, an input device 14 for accepting input operations, and an output device 15 for outputting information. The input device 14 is, for example, a keyboard, a touch panel, a mouse, and/or a microphone. The output device 15 is, for example, a display and/or a speaker.

<Function block configuration>
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of the game server 10. The game server 10 includes a memory unit 100, a terminal control unit 101, and a game control unit 102. The memory unit 100 can be realized using a storage device 12 provided in the game server 10. Furthermore, the terminal control unit 101 and the game control unit 102 can be realized by the processor 11 of the game server 10 executing a program stored in the storage device 12. Furthermore, the program can be stored in a storage medium. The storage medium storing the program is a non-transitory computer readable storage medium.
The non-transitory storage medium is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a storage medium such as a USB memory or a CD-ROM.

The memory unit 100 stores a player management DB 100a, an effect definition DB 100b, and game data 100c.

The player management DB 100a is a database that manages various information related to each player, such as information indicating the attributes of each player, information indicating the relationships between players, and information indicating the player to whom paid items can be transferred.

The effect definition DB 100b is a database that defines the effects that a paid item exerts when the player uses the paid item transferred from another player. Here, the effects that a paid item exerts include, for example, an effect that allows the player to receive an item, an effect that allows the player to receive a character, an effect that changes the player's status or attributes, an effect that changes the enemy's status or attributes, an effect that allows the player to challenge a new quest, and the like.

The game data 100c includes various data (game scenario, data related to quests, character data, etc.) necessary for the game server 10 to execute the game.

A of FIG. 4 shows an example of the player management DB 100a. "Player ID" is an ID that uniquely identifies a player in the game. "Nickname" is a name (name) set by the player in the game. "Rank" indicates the level of the player, and increases as the player gains experience points in the game. "Friend list" indicates the player ID of a player who has registered as a friend. "Transferee player" indicates the player ID of the player who transferred the paid item. "Transferred item" stores information indicating a paid item transferred from another player. The information stores an ID (item 1, item 2, item 3, etc.) that uniquely identifies the paid item, information indicating the date the paid item was issued (the date the paid item was purchased), the player ID of the transferor player, and a flag indicating whether the paid item has been received. For example, if the player has not received the paid item, "0" may be set, and if the player has received the paid item, "1" may be set.

B of FIG. 4 shows an example of the effect definition DB 100b. The "date" field stores the date. The "effect" field stores the effect that is exerted by the paid item when the paid item is used. The effect exerted may be selected from a number of "effects" that are predefined corresponding to the time when the paid item is issued.

In addition, the effect exerted when a paid item is used may be changed every predetermined period. For example, in the example of B in FIG. 4, it is defined that a paid item issued in May 2019 exerts one of effects A, B, and C, a paid item issued in June 2019 exerts one of effects B, C, and D, and a paid item issued in July 2019 exerts one of effects D, E, and F. In this case, if a paid item issued in May 2019 is used in July 2019, one of effects A, B, and C will be exerted.

The terminal control unit 101 generates the information necessary to execute the game and transmits it to the terminal 20, thereby controlling the processing to be executed by the terminal 20.

The game control unit 102 provides the functions performed by the game server 10 among the various functions required to execute the game. The game control unit 102 includes an extraction unit 1021, a determination unit 1022, a presentation unit 1023, and a determination unit 1024.

The extraction unit 1021 has a function of extracting from the storage unit 100 players who have a predetermined relationship with the player transferring the paid item (hereinafter referred to as the "transferring player") as potential transferees of the paid item. Note that a player who is a potential transferee of the paid item or a player to whom the paid item has been transferred is referred to as the "transferee player."

The determination unit 1022 has a function of determining whether or not a paid item can be transferred from the transfer source player to the transfer destination player based on the number of players to whom the transfer source player has transferred a paid item and/or the number of players to whom the transfer destination player has transferred a paid item within a specified period of time.

The presentation unit 1023 has a function of presenting the determination result determined by the determination unit 1022 to the transfer source player. The presentation unit 1023 may present the determination result to the transfer source player, for example, by transmitting data to the terminal 20 for displaying the determination result on the screen of the terminal 20 of the transfer source player.

When a player uses a paid item transferred from another player, the determination unit 1024 has a function of determining the effect that will be exerted by the player's use of the paid item from among multiple effects that will be exerted when the paid item is used at the time the item is issued. For example, when a player uses a paid item, the determination unit 1024 may refer to the effect definition DB 100b to acquire multiple effects that correspond to the time the paid item was issued from the effect definition DB 100b, and determine at least one of the acquired effects as the effect that will be exerted by the player's use of the paid item.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the functional block configuration of the terminal 20. The terminal 20 includes a storage unit 200, a communication unit 201, a UI (User Interface) unit 202, and a game control unit 203. The storage unit 200 can be realized using the storage unit 12 provided in the terminal 20. The communication unit 201, the UI unit 202, and the game control unit 203 can be realized by the processor 11 of the terminal 20 executing a program stored in the storage unit 12. The program can be stored in a storage medium. The storage medium storing the program may be a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium. The non-transitory storage medium is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a storage medium such as a USB memory or a CD-ROM.

The storage unit 200 stores game data necessary for the game control unit 203 to execute the game. The game data includes character image data, game scenarios, etc.

The communication unit 201 has the function of performing various communications with the game server 10 using the communication IF 13.

The UI unit 202 has a function to receive various inputs from the player and to display various game screens on the display. The UI unit 202 also displays the game screens according to instructions from the game server 10.

The game control unit 203 provides various functions necessary to execute the game by cooperating with the game server 10. For example, the game control unit 203 provides a function to obtain various information (icon image data, text data, etc.) for drawing on the game screen from the game server 10.

Regarding the functional block configuration described above, all or some of the extraction unit 1021, judgment unit 1022, presentation unit 1023, and determination unit 1024 included in the game server 10 may be configured to be provided in the game control unit 203 of the terminal 20. Also, when the extraction unit 1021, judgment unit 1022, presentation unit 1023, and determination unit 1024 are configured to be provided in the terminal 20, the game control unit 203 may obtain information indicating the relationship between players from the game server 10 and temporarily store it in the memory unit 200.

<Processing Procedure>
Next, a process performed by the game server 10 and the terminal 20 when a paid item is transferred between players will be described.

(Transfer Restrictions)
First, in this game, when a paid item is transferred between players who have a friend relationship, the following transfer restrictions 1 to 4 are applied. In this embodiment, only some of the transfer restrictions 1 to 4 may be applied, but the following explanation will be given on the assumption that all of the transfer restrictions are applied.

Transfer Restriction 1: Players who can transfer paid items and players who can receive paid items are limited to players of a certain rank or higher.

Transfer Restriction 2: The number of players to whom a paid item can be transferred is limited to a specified number (first specified number) within a specified period of time. The specified number may be, for example, one person, but is not limited to this. For example, if the specified number is one person, a player can gift a paid item to one player within a specified period of time, but cannot gift it to two or more players.

Transfer Restriction 3: The number of players who can receive a transfer of a paid item is limited to a specified number (second specified number) within a specified period of time. The specified number may be, for example, three or five, but is not limited to this. For example, if the specified number is three, a player can receive paid items from three other players within the specified period of time, but cannot receive paid items from four or more players.

Transfer Restriction 4: A paid item can be transferred to a player who has received a transfer of the paid item, regardless of whether or not the player falls under Transfer Restriction 2. However, if the player who has received the transfer of the paid item falls under Transfer Restriction 3 (i.e., if the player has already received transfers of paid items from a certain number of players), the paid item cannot be transferred.

In the above transfer restrictions 1 to 4, the specified period may be from the beginning to the end of the month. For example, if the current month is July 2019, the specified period may be from July 1 to July 31, 2019. However, the specified period is not limited to this, and may be a period divided into any units. When the specified period has elapsed, the determination unit 1022 may reset the number of players to whom the transfer source player has transferred the item and the number of players to whom the transfer destination player has transferred the item.

(Decision on transferability)
The game server 10 determines whether or not the paid item can be transferred to each transfer destination player in accordance with the transfer restrictions 1 to 4. Furthermore, the terminal 20 displays the determination result on a screen that accepts the selection of the transfer destination player.

Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure when the game server 10 determines whether or not a paid item can be transferred.

The extraction unit 1021 extracts players who have a friend relationship with the transfer source player by searching the "friend list" in the player management DB 100a (S100). Next, the extraction unit 1021 selects one player to be judged (hereinafter referred to as the "player to be judged") from among the extracted players (S101).

Then, the determination unit 1022 searches the "Rank" field in the player management DB 100a to determine whether the rank of the player being determined is equal to or higher than a predetermined rank (S102). In other words, it determines whether the player being determined falls under transfer restriction 1. If the rank is equal to or higher than the predetermined rank, the process proceeds to step S103, and if the rank is less than the predetermined rank, it determines that the paid item cannot be transferred (S107).

Then, the determination unit 1022 searches for players who have transferred paid items to the player to be determined, stored in "Transferred Items" in the player management DB 100a, to determine whether the player to be determined has been transferred paid items by a predetermined number of other players (second predetermined number) (S103). In other words, it determines whether the player to be determined falls under transfer restriction 3. If paid items have not been transferred from the predetermined number of other players, the process proceeds to step S104, and if so, it determines that the paid items are not transferable (S107).

Then, the determination unit 1022 determines whether the player to be determined has transferred a paid item to the transferor player by searching the "transferee player" in the player management DB 100a (S104). In other words, it determines whether the player to be determined falls under transfer restriction 4. If the player has not transferred, the process proceeds to step S105, and if the player has transferred, it determines that the paid item can be transferred (S106).

Then, the determination unit 1022 searches the "transferee player" in the player management DB 100a to determine whether the transferor player has already transferred the paid item to a predetermined number of other players (first predetermined number) (S105). In other words, it determines whether the transferor player falls under transfer restriction 2. If the paid item has not been transferred, it determines that the paid item can be transferred (S106), and if the paid item has been transferred, it determines that the paid item cannot be transferred (S107).

The determination unit 1022 repeats the processing procedure from step S102 to step S107 for all players who are friends with the transfer source player (S108).

Next, the presentation unit 1023 displays on the screen of the transfer source player's terminal 20 whether or not the paid item can be transferred to all players who are friends with the transfer source player (S109).

The processing procedure described above can also be expressed as follows. When the transferor player transfers a paid item to a predetermined number of players (first predetermined number), the determination unit 1022 may determine that the transferor player cannot transfer the item to any of the transferee players other than the predetermined player who transferred the paid item to the transferor player. The determination unit 1022 may also determine that the transferor player cannot transfer the item to any of the predetermined players to whom the paid item has been transferred from a predetermined number of players (second predetermined number). The determination unit 1022 may also determine that the transferor player cannot transfer the paid item to any of the players who have a predetermined relationship with the transferor player and who are below a predetermined rank.

(Screen display example)
7 to 9 are diagrams showing examples of screens displayed on the screen of the terminal 20. The following description is based on the premise that player X is the transfer source player and transfers a paid item to another player (gives an item as a gift).

Screen P100 in FIG. 7 is an example of a screen that accepts the purchase of a paid item. When button A10 is pressed, screen P110 is displayed, showing the contents of the paid item. Furthermore, when button A11 is pressed on screen P110, screen P120 is displayed. When button A12 is pressed, the screen transitions to a screen for using the received paid item. When the paid item is used, an effect determined by the determination unit 1024 of the game server 10 (for example, the attributes of character X are strengthened) is carried out.

Screen P120 shows an example of a screen for transferring and receiving paid items. When tab T1 is pressed, a screen for accepting the selection of the transferee player is displayed, and when tab T2 is pressed, a list of players who have transferred paid items to the player is displayed. Screen P120 shows the state in which tab T2 has been pressed. The example of screen P120 shows that player X has received paid items transferred from player M and player N.

When button F1 is pressed, player X can receive the paid item transferred from player M. When button F2 is pressed, player X can receive the paid item transferred from player N. Note that in this game, even if player X does not receive the paid item, it is still considered that the paid item has been transferred from player M and player N to player X.

Screen P200 in FIG. 8 shows an example of a screen that accepts the selection of a transfer destination player. The screen that accepts the selection of a transfer destination player displays a list of players who are friends with player X, and displays the result of the determination as to whether or not a paid item can be transferred for each player. The method of displaying the determination result is arbitrary, but if a paid item can be transferred, it may be displayed in an active state, and if a paid item cannot be transferred, it may be displayed in an inactive state (grayed out). Furthermore, if the display of all players who are friends with player X cannot fit on one screen, a scroll bar SC is displayed. When the scroll bar SC is dragged, the selection buttons for the hidden players are scrolled.

For players who cannot transfer paid items, the reason why they cannot be transferred may be displayed. For example, the button F13 for selecting player C displays a message M1 indicating that the paid item cannot be received because the upper limit for receiving paid items has been reached (i.e., transfer limit 3 applies). Similarly, the button F14 for selecting player D displays a message M2 indicating that the paid item cannot be received because the player's rank has not reached a certain rank (i.e., transfer limit 1 applies).

The example of screen P210 shows a display example in a state where player X has transferred paid items to a specified number of players without having received any paid items from other players (i.e., this corresponds to transfer restriction 2). In this case, player X cannot transfer paid items to anyone, so buttons F11 to F14 for selecting players A to D are all displayed as grayed out. In addition, a message M3 is displayed indicating that player X has transferred paid items to a specified number of players, and that paid items cannot be transferred to anyone other than the player who transferred the paid item to player X. In addition, an icon B1 indicating that a paid item has been transferred is displayed for players to whom player X has transferred a paid item.

Screens P300, P310, and P320 shown in FIG. 9 are example screens when a paid item is transferred to player X by another player (i.e., transfer restriction 4 applies). When player X receives a paid item from another player, an area displaying a list of players who transferred the paid item to player X (area displaying "gift giver") is additionally displayed in the upper half of the screen that accepts the selection of the transferee player.

The example of screen P300 shows a display example in a state where player X has received paid items from players A and B, but has not yet transferred paid items to a specified number of players. In the example of screen P300, for players who are unable to transfer paid items, the reason why they cannot be transferred is displayed. For example, for player B, a message M11 is displayed indicating that player B cannot receive paid items because the upper limit for receiving paid items has been reached (i.e., because player B falls under transfer limit 3).

The example of screen P310 shows a display example of a case where, as a result of transferring a paid item from player X to player C on screen P300, player X has transferred paid items to a specified number of players (reaching transfer limit 2). As shown on screen P310, an icon B11 indicating that a paid item has been transferred is displayed on player C's selection button F11. Also, in the example of screen P310, player A's selection button F21 is active, so player X can transfer the paid item to player A.

The example of screen P320 shows a display example in which a paid item is transferred from player X to player A on screen P310. As shown in screen P320, an icon B12 indicating that a paid item has been transferred is displayed on player A's selection button F21.

<Modification>
In the embodiment described above, it has been assumed that the paid item is treated as having been transferred regardless of whether the player to whom the paid item has been transferred has received the transferred paid item, but this is not limiting. For example, the determination unit 1022 may determine that the paid item has been transferred when the player to whom the paid item has been transferred receives the transferred paid item.

In the embodiment described above, a list of players to whom an item can be transferred is displayed on the screen that accepts the selection of the transfer destination player, and the player can select a player to which the paid item is transferred from among the players actively displayed on the screen. That is, the determination unit 1022 of the game server 10 determines whether or not the paid item can be transferred for each player who is a friend of the transfer source player before the player selects the transfer destination player, but this is not limited to this. For example, after the player first specifies the player to which the paid item is to be transferred, the determination result of whether or not the paid item can be transferred to the selected player may be displayed on the screen of the terminal 20. That is, the determination unit 1022 of the game server 10 may determine whether or not the paid item can be transferred to a player specified by the player by executing the processing procedure of steps S102 to S107 shown in FIG. 6.

<Summary>
According to the embodiment described above, the game server 10 and the terminal 20 display a list of players to which an item can be transferred on the screen for accepting the selection of the transferee player. This makes it possible to notify the player of the recipient of the item when transferring an item with transfer restrictions.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the game server 10 and the terminal 20 apply transfer restrictions 1 to 4 to the transfer of paid items. This makes it possible to prevent unlimited transfer of paid items, and makes it possible to maintain game balance while revitalizing the game by limiting the transfer of paid items to 0.

The above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The flow charts, sequences, elements included in the embodiments, and their arrangements, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, etc., described in the embodiments are not limited to those exemplified, and may be modified as appropriate. In addition, configurations shown in different embodiments may be partially substituted or combined.

1...game system, 10...game server, 11...processor, 12...storage device, 13...communication IF, 14...input device, 15...output device, 20...terminal, 100...storage unit, 101...terminal control unit, 102...game control unit, 200...storage unit, 201...communication unit, 202...UI unit, 203...game control unit, 1021...extraction unit, 1022...determination unit, 1023...presentation unit, 1024...determination unit

Claims (4)

a processor, the processor comprising:
The item is transferred from the transfer source player to the designated transfer destination player,
determining that at least a part of options of effects to be exhibited are different between a case where the item is issued in a first period and a case where the item is issued in a second period;
exerting an effect selected from the options on the transferee player when using the item;
The price of the item when purchased for transfer purposes is set to be lower than the price when purchased by the player for his/her own use.
Information processing device. The processor transfers the item from the transfer source player to the designated transfer destination player,
A processor determines that at least a part of options of effects to be exhibited is different between a case where the item is issued in a first period and a case where the item is issued in a second period;
a processor causes the effect selected from the options to be exerted on the transferee player when the transferee player uses the item;
The processor sets the price of the item when purchased for transfer purposes to be lower than the price when purchased by the player for his/her own use.
Information processing methods. causing the processor to transfer the item from the transfer source player to the designated transfer destination player;
causing a processor to determine that at least a part of options of effects to be exerted are different between a case where the item is issued in a first period and a case where the item is issued in a second period;
causing a processor to exert an effect selected from the options on the transferee player when the transferee player uses the item;
causing the processor to set a price for the item when purchased for transfer purposes lower than a price for the item when purchased by a player for his/her own use;
A program that executes a process. A server and a terminal device are provided,
The server,
The item is transferred from the transfer source player operating the terminal device to the designated transfer destination player;
determining that at least a part of options of effects to be exhibited are different between a case where the item is issued in a first period and a case where the item is issued in a second period;
exerting an effect selected from the options on the transferee player when using the item;
The price of the item when purchased for transfer purposes is set to be lower than the price when purchased by the player for his/her own use.
system.

Images