JP7640859B2 - Game program and game system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a game program and a game system.

Conventionally, games are known that output lines spoken by a virtual speaker, such as a character appearing in the game, in accordance with the progress of the game played by the user (for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 3962079

If the lines spoken by a virtual speaker in the game, such as a character, are far removed from the lines spoken by an actual speaker in the real world, it will cause a sense of discomfort to the user.

The present invention aims to provide a game program and game system that can make the lines of a virtual speaker appearing in a game closer to those spoken by an actual speaker in the real world.

In order to solve the above problem, a game program according to one aspect of the present invention is a game program executed by a computer in a game system including an output unit, a storage unit in which a plurality of line data indicating lines to be output from the output unit is stored, and the plurality of line data are each set with a line excitement value, and the computer functions as a game progression means for progressing a game in which a virtual speaker appears, an excitement value changing means for changing a speaker excitement value indicating the degree of excitement of the virtual speaker, and a line determination means for determining a line to be output from the output unit as a line of the virtual speaker based on the speaker excitement value and the line excitement value, and when a line is output from the output unit, the excitement value changing means changes the speaker excitement value so that the speaker excitement value after the line is output approaches the line excitement value of the output line compared to the speaker excitement value before the line is output.

According to the game program, the lines of the virtual speaker to be output are determined based on the speaker excitement value and the line excitement value, so that lines appropriate to the virtual speaker's level of excitement can be output. Furthermore, when lines are output from the output unit, the speaker excitement value is closer to the line excitement value of the output line than it was before the lines were output. This reduces the sense of discomfort felt by the user when, for example, there is too large a difference in line excitement value between the lines output this time and the lines to be output next time. As a result, the lines of the virtual speaker appearing in the game can be made closer to those uttered by an actual speaker in the real world.

The game program may further cause the computer to function as a target value setting means for setting a target value for the virtual speaker's excitement level based on a game situation corresponding to the progress of the game that differs from the output of lines from the output unit, and the excitement value changing means may change the speaker excitement value so that the speaker excitement value approaches the target value over time. This makes it possible to change the virtual speaker's excitement level in response to changes in the game situation while preventing the virtual speaker's excitement level from fluctuating too much. As a result, the lines of the virtual speaker appearing in the game can be made to more closely resemble those uttered by an actual speaker in the real world.

The excitement value changing means may change the speaker excitement value based on a game situation according to the progress of the game that differs from the output of lines from the output unit.

The game situation according to the progress of the game, which is different from the output of lines from the output unit, may be at least one of the following (i) to (iv).
(i) In a game in which a character appears, the type of character selected by the user from among a plurality of characters before the start of play of the game
(ii) The amount of time that has elapsed since you began playing the game.
(iii) a type of virtual speaker selected from among a plurality of virtual speakers before play of the game begins;
(iv) game ranks set for a plurality of users in a competitive game in which the plurality of users can compete against each other
(v) the number of battles between a plurality of users in a battle game in which the plurality of users can battle each other;
(vi) A type of round indicating which of a plurality of rounds in a competitive game in which a winner is determined based on the results of the competitive game in which the round is played

The game program further causes the computer to function as a range setting means for setting a changeable range of the speaker excitement value, the excitement value changing means changing the speaker excitement value within the changeable range, and the range setting means may set the limit value of the changeable range at a second point in time after the first point in time during the progress of the game higher than the limit value of the changeable range at a first point in time. This increases the likelihood that the speaker excitement value at the end of the game will be higher than the speaker excitement value at the beginning of the game. For example, it is possible to create an exciting situation at the end of a match in a competitive game.

In another aspect of the present invention, a game program is a game program executed by a computer in a game system including an output unit, a storage unit storing a plurality of line data indicating lines to be output from the output unit, and a computer, wherein a line excitement value is set for each of the plurality of line data, and the computer functions as a game progression means for progressing a game in which a virtual speaker appears, a target value setting means for setting a target value for the excitement level of the virtual speaker based on a game situation according to the progress of the game, an excitement value changing means for changing a speaker excitement value indicating the excitement level of the virtual speaker so that the speaker excitement value approaches the target value over time, and a line determination means for determining lines to be output from the output unit as lines of the virtual speaker based on the speaker excitement value and the line excitement value.

According to the game program, the lines of the virtual speaker to be output are determined based on the speaker excitement value and the line excitement value, so that lines appropriate to the virtual speaker's level of excitement can be output. In addition, the speaker excitement value, which indicates the virtual speaker's level of excitement, approaches a target value set based on the game situation as time passes. This makes it possible to change the virtual speaker's level of excitement in response to changes in the game situation while preventing the virtual speaker's level of excitement from fluctuating too much. As a result, the lines of the virtual speaker appearing in the game can be made closer to those uttered by an actual speaker in the real world.

A game system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a program storage unit that stores any one of the game programs described above, and a computer that executes the program stored in the program storage unit.

The program storage unit that stores the game program is a readable/writable or readable storage device or storage medium that is built into or external to a device that includes the game system, and may be, for example, a hard disk, flash memory, optical disk, etc. The program stored in the program storage unit may be executed in a device to which the program storage unit is directly connected, or may be downloaded and executed in a device connected to the program storage unit via a network (e.g., the Internet).

The present invention provides a game program and game system that can make the lines of a virtual speaker appearing in a game closer to those spoken by an actual speaker in the real world.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a game system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an external view showing a controller of the game device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control unit of the game device. FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between lines and various pieces of information corresponding thereto. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of a dialogue output process. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of an excitement value changing process. 1 is a graph showing an example of changes in speaker excitement value over time.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a game system and a game program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Hardware configuration]
First, a configuration of a game system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a game device 2 constituting the game system 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the game system 1 includes a game device 2 and a server device 4, and the game device 2 includes a game device main body 20, and one or more controllers 31 (operation unit), a display 32 (display unit), and a speaker 33 (audio output unit) connected to the game device main body 20 by wire or wirelessly.

The game device main body 20 is equipped with a control unit 21, which is a computer that controls the operation of the game device main body 20. The control unit 21 includes, for example, a CPU. The control unit 21 is connected to a media I/F unit 22, a storage unit 23, a network I/F unit 24 (communication unit), a wireless communication control unit 25, a graphics processing unit 26, and an audio processing unit 27, each of which is connected via a bus 21a.

The media I/F unit 22 is an interface into which game media 34 for executing a game can be loaded. The game media 34 is, for example, a disk-type recording medium such as a DVD-ROM, and contains a game program 34a and game data 34b necessary for executing the game. This game data 34b includes various data necessary for executing the game.

The storage unit 23 is composed of, for example, an HDD, which is a large-capacity recording medium, a ROM, which is a semiconductor memory such as a mask ROM or PROM, and a RAM, which is a DRAM or SRAM. The storage unit 23 stores the game program 34a and game data 34b read from the game media 34, as well as save data, etc. Note that in this embodiment, not all game data 34b in the game media 34 is read when the game is started, but only game data that is required appropriately depending on the progress of the game (for example, at the change of game scene).

The network I/F unit 24 is an interface that connects the game device 2 to a communication network NW such as the Internet or a LAN. The game device 2 can communicate with other game devices 2 and the server device 4 via the communication network NW. For example, when the game device 2 progresses a game while communicating with the outside, it transmits and receives data between the other game devices 2 and/or the server device 4 via the communication network NW.

The wireless communication control unit 25 is wirelessly connected to the controller 31 attached to the game device main body 20, and is capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from the controller 31. The controller 31 is an operation device that accepts operations by the user. When the controller 31 is operated by the user, operation information corresponding to the operation is sent from the controller 31 to the control unit 21 of the game device 2 via the wireless communication control unit 25. The control unit 21 progresses the game based on the operation information from the controller 31.

Figure 2 is an external view of the controller 31 shown in Figure 1. The controller 31 is roughly U-shaped, and the user operates it by holding the handles 201L, 201R on both wings with both hands. The controller 31 has multiple controls. For example, operation button groups 210, 220 and analog sticks 212, 222 are provided on the left and right upper surfaces of the controller 31, a right shoulder button 211 is provided on the right front surface of the controller 31, and a left shoulder button 221 is provided on the left front surface of the controller 31. The operation button group 210 and the analog stick 212 are operated by the thumb of the user's right hand, and the operation button group 220 and the analog stick 222 are operated by the thumb of the user's left hand. The right shoulder button 211 and the left shoulder button 221 are operated by the index finger of the user's right hand and the index finger of the left hand, respectively.

Furthermore, the controller 31 has a touchpad 230 between the operation button group 210 and the operation button group 220. The touchpad 230 has a horizontally long rectangular shape, and as is well known, when a user touches or brings a fingertip or the like close to the surface of the touchpad 230, position information (coordinates) of the contact or close point (input point) is output to the control unit 21 in FIG. 1. Furthermore, the touchpad 230 also functions as an operation button when the entirety is pressed down.

Returning to FIG. 1, the graphics processing unit 26 draws game images in a video format in accordance with instructions from the control unit 21. The game images drawn by the graphics processing unit 26 are displayed on the display 32 as a game screen. The display 32 is a display device (display unit) that displays the game images. The display 32 is, for example, a liquid crystal display.

The audio processing unit 27 plays and synthesizes digital game sounds according to instructions from the control unit 21. The audio processing unit 27 is also connected to an external speaker 33. The game sounds played and synthesized by the audio processing unit 27 are output to the outside from the speaker 33 as an audio output device. Note that in addition to or instead of the speaker 33, external headphones or the like may be connected to the audio processing unit 27.

The server device 4 is equipped with a server control unit 41, which is a computer that controls its operation. The server control unit 41 includes, for example, a CPU. A storage unit 42 and a network I/F unit 43 are each connected to the server control unit 41 via a bus 41a. Note that the server device 4 may also be equipped with an input device such as a keyboard and an output device such as a liquid crystal display, as necessary.

The storage unit 42 is composed of, for example, an HDD which is a large-capacity recording medium, a ROM which is a semiconductor memory such as a mask ROM or PROM, and a RAM which is a DRAM or SRAM. The network I/F unit 43 is an interface which connects the server device 4 to a communication network NW such as the Internet or a LAN. The server device 4 is capable of communicating with multiple game devices 2 via the communication network NW.

[Game Overview]
An overview of the game in this embodiment will be described. The game described in this embodiment is a battle game that allows users who access the server device 4 from the game device 2 via the communication network NW to battle each other. Specifically, this battle game is a battle-type fighting game in which one user operates a character selected from a plurality of characters, and fights one-on-one in a virtual space against a character operated by another user who is the opponent.

Figure 3 shows a battle screen D as an example of a game screen. Battle screen D includes an image of game space S captured by a virtual camera. In game space S, a player character (hereinafter, user character) PA operated by a user and a character (hereinafter, opponent character) PB that fights against the user character PA are placed. The virtual camera is placed within game space S, and moves and zooms within game space S according to the positions of the two characters PA, PB, for example, so that the captured image includes the two characters PA, PB.

The battle screen D includes various icons. For example, at the top of the battle screen D, two vitality gauges G1, G2 are arranged at a distance from each other in the left-right direction. The two vitality gauges G1, G2 indicate the vitality values of the two characters PA, PB, respectively. In addition, between the two vitality gauges G1, G2 in the battle screen D, a time display area G3 is arranged that indicates the remaining time of the round, which will be described later. In addition, at the bottom of the battle screen D, two skill gauges G4, G5 are arranged at a distance from each other in the left-right direction. The two skill gauges G4, G5 indicate the skill points consumed when a specific skill specific to the two characters PA, PB is activated.

In the game described in this embodiment, one battle includes up to three rounds (hereinafter also referred to as the "battle phase"). In other words, in this game, the first player to win two rounds wins the battle, a so-called two-round first-to-win system. A time limit is set for each round. In each round, the player whose vitality value reaches zero within the time limit, or the player with the least vitality value when the time limit reaches zero, becomes the loser of that round, and the other player becomes the winner of that round.

The game also features a virtual commentator (hereafter referred to as the virtual speaker) who provides commentary on the match. Specifically, the game audio output from speaker 33 during the game contains the lines (words) of the virtual commentator who provides commentary on the match. For example, immediately after a round starts, a line such as "Now, the match has begun" is output from speaker 33, or when a situation occurs in which character PB jumps as shown in FIG. 3, a line such as "He jumped!" is output from speaker 33. In addition, before the start of the first round, or more specifically, while the user is selecting the character to use in the match, predetermined lines are also output.

[Functional configuration]
4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit 21 of the game device 2. The control unit 21 of the game device 2 executes the game program 34a to function as a game space generating means 51, a character control means 52, a game progression means 53, a situation monitoring means 54, a candidate selecting means 55, a line determining means 56, a priority setting means 57, an excitement value changing means 58, a target value setting means 59, and a range setting means 60.

The game space generating means 51 generates a two-dimensional or three-dimensional virtual game space S. In the game space S, the above-mentioned user character PA and opponent character PB are placed.

The character control means 52 controls the behavior of the user character PA placed in the virtual space S within the game, based on the user's operation of the controller 31. For example, by operating the controller 31, the user can move the user character PA within the game space S or have the user character PA attack the opponent character PB.

Specifically, the movement of the user character PA is determined according to the user's operation on the controller 31. A predetermined movement of the user character PA is assigned to each of the controls of the controller 31 (more specifically, the operation on each control).

For example, the four buttons included in the operation button group 210 (see FIG. 2) are each assigned actions of the user character PA, such as "weak punch," "strong punch," "weak kick," and "strong kick." For example, the four buttons included in the operation button group 220 are each assigned actions of the user character PA, such as "move to the right of the screen," "move to the left of the screen," "jump," and "crouch."

In addition, in this game, the user character PA performs one or a series of predetermined actions (hereinafter referred to as "special actions") by performing multiple predetermined operation inputs to the controller 31 (for example, pressing multiple buttons from the operation button group 210, 220 simultaneously, pressing a series of buttons in a predetermined order within a predetermined time, or a combination thereof). When the special action is a series of actions, the special action includes multiple actions such as a punch and a kick. Each of the multiple actions included in the special action does not correspond to one operation input (one button press) to the controller 31, but a set of multiple actions included in the special action may correspond to a set of multiple operation inputs to the controller 31.

The special action differs depending on the type of user character PA. For example, the special action is an attack technique that is unique to the user character PA. The special action includes an attack technique that can be activated by consuming a predetermined amount of the technique gauge G4, G5. The multiple predetermined operation inputs to the controller 31 for invoking the special action differ depending on the type of user character PA.

The character control means 52 also controls the actions of the opponent character PB based on the operation information received from the game device 2 of the opponent user.

The game progression means 53 progresses the game. Specifically, for example, the game progression means 53 displays a character selection screen on the display 32 before the start of the first round. Also, for example, during a round, the game progression means 53 manages various parameters related to that round (such as the stamina values of each character PA, PB and the remaining time of the round), determines the start and end of the round, and updates the information in the battle screen D.

For example, when a battle begins, the game progression means 53 counts down the remaining time of the round and displays it on the battle screen D. The game progression means 53 also calculates the remaining vitality value of each character PA, PB based on the damage received by the characters PA, PB, and reflects the calculated vitality value in vitality gauges G1, G2 in the battle screen D. The game progression means 53 enables the activation of a specific technique unique to the characters PA, PB according to the technique points shown in the technique gauges G4, G5, and calculates the remaining technique points when a technique is activated and reflects them in the technique gauges G4, G5 in the battle screen D.

The situation monitoring means 54 monitors the game situation, which changes as the game progresses.

The game status includes, for example, various parameters of the characters PA and PB. Examples of the various parameters of the characters PA and PB include the values of the vitality gauges G1 and G2 (vital value) of the characters PA and PB, and the values of the skill gauges G4 and G5 (skill points). The game status also includes, for example, the elapsed time of a round or the remaining time of a round.

The game situation also includes the type of action that the opponent character PB has performed or is in the process of performing (type of attack, type of defense, jump, whether or not there is movement, direction of movement, speed of movement, posture, type of technique being performed or performed, etc.), the relative position of one character PA, PB to the other (distance between characters PA, PB, etc.), and the absolute positions of each character PA, PB (positions of characters PA, PB in game space S).The game situation also includes not only the instantaneous values of various parameters, but also changes in various parameters within a specified time range (for example, from the present time to a time going back a specified time).

The candidate selection means 55 selects one or more pieces of dialogue data to be output candidates from among the multiple pieces of dialogue data. Specifically, the multiple pieces of dialogue data are stored in the memory unit 23 in association with game situation data. The dialogue data is game audio data indicating game audio as dialogue spoken by a virtual play-by-play commentator. The game situation data is data indicating the game situation. The candidate selection means 55 selects, as output candidates, one or more pieces of dialogue data associated with game situation data indicating the game situation monitored by the situation monitoring means 54. For this reason, the game situation data associated with the dialogue data can also be called condition data indicating the conditions for the dialogue data to be selected as an output candidate.

Figure 5 shows an example of the relationship between lines (data) and the corresponding game situation (data). Note that Figure 5 also shows the rarity and line excitement value corresponding to the lines, but these will be described in detail later.

For example, the line data "There's not much time left!" shown in FIG. 5 is stored in association with game status data indicating that there are 10 seconds left in the round. In other words, this game status data includes data related to the remaining time of the round. Therefore, when there are 10 seconds left in the round, the candidate selection means 55 selects the line data "There's not much time left!" as an output candidate.

For example, the line data with the content "I held on just barely!" shown in FIG. 5 is stored in association with game status data indicating that the opponent character PB has activated a predetermined technique and that the vitality value of the user character PA after receiving the technique is between 1 and 5. That is, this game status data includes data related to the action of the opponent character PB and data related to the change in the vitality value of the user character PA. During a battle, when the opponent character PB has activated a predetermined technique and the vitality value of the user character PA after receiving the technique is between 1 and 5, the candidate selection means 55 selects the line data with the content "I held on just barely!" as an output candidate.

In this way, the type of characteristic data (parameters) indicating the corresponding game situation may differ for each line. That is, there are multiple types of data (parameters) that indicate the game situation, and therefore the candidate selection means 55 may select multiple output candidates for one game situation at a certain point during a match. For example, if the user character's vitality value falls to 1 or more and 5 or less after receiving a technique activated by the opponent character PB at the moment when there are 10 seconds remaining in the round during a match, the candidate selection means 55 selects both the line data with the content "There's not much time left!" and the line data with the content "I held on until the very end!" as output candidates.

This correspondence between line data and the game situation can be achieved, for example, by a game developer creating a dedicated line selection tool that allows the developer to select and save a set of lines (words) and the indicators used to decide which lines to select for a scene in a gameplay video.

Specifically, during the game development stage, a line selection tool is used to display on the display a pre-stored gameplay video (replay video) in which lines corresponding to the play-by-play commentary are not output. During playback of the gameplay video, the game developer operates the line selection tool to temporarily stop playback of the gameplay video at a point, such as when the developer wants lines for play-by-play commentary to be output.

Then, the game developer operates the line selection tool to select a line that he or she thinks is appropriate for the scene from among a number of predetermined commentary lines. Furthermore, after selecting a line, the game developer operates the line selection tool to select one or more indicators from a number of predetermined indicators that serve as the basis for the decision to select that line. For example, if the game developer looks at the vitality gauge on the battle screen and decides to select the line "Your vitality is decreasing," the vitality gauge is selected as the judgment indicator. For example, if the game developer looks at the movements of the opponent character PB and decides to select the lines "He flew!" or "He hit the opponent!", the character movement is selected as the judgment indicator.

Furthermore, after selecting a judgment indicator, the game developer operates the line selection tool to specify whether the line selection decision is based on the instantaneous value of the judgment indicator or on a change in the judgment indicator over a certain period of time. For example, if the game developer uses the remaining time in a match (round) of 10 seconds as the judgment indicator, he or she selects the remaining time as the judgment indicator and also specifies that it is the instantaneous value of the judgment indicator. Also, for example, if the game developer uses the decrease in the character's vitality value over a three-second period as the judgment indicator, he or she selects the character's vitality value as the judgment indicator and also specifies that it is a period of three seconds.

In this way, the line selection tool stores the lines for commentary (i.e., line data) in association with the parameter values specified as judgment indices (i.e., game situation data). By repeating this process, it is possible to associate lines with game situations.

Returning to FIG. 4, the line determination means 56 determines the line to be output from the speaker 33 from among one or more output candidates selected by the candidate selection means 55. The line determination means 56 determines the line to be output from the speaker 33 as the line of the virtual speaker based on (a) rarity, (b) frequency, and (c) speaker excitement value and line excitement value.

Specifically, the priority setting means 57 sets a priority for each selected output candidate based on (a) rarity, (b) frequency, and (c) speaker excitement value and line excitement value. Then, the line determination means 56 determines the line to be output from the speaker 33 from among one or more output candidates selected by the candidate selection means 55 based on the priority of each output candidate set by the priority setting means 57.

Rarity is an index related to the likelihood of a game situation corresponding to an output candidate occurring, or the rarity of the line itself. As shown in FIG. 5, a rarity is set in advance for each piece of line data. That is, a rarity is associated with each piece of line data and stored in the storage unit 23. For example, the rarity is set for each line based on the number of times the game situation corresponding to that line has occurred from a large amount of past battle data.

The priority setting means 57 sets the priority of each output candidate so that the higher the rarity, the higher the priority, assuming that all other conditions other than rarity (above (b) and (c)) are the same.

The degree of having been output is an index related to the frequency with which the line corresponding to the output candidate has been output from the speaker 33 prior to the current time. In this embodiment, the priority setting means 57 determines the degree of having been output of the output candidate by comparing the game situation corresponding to the output candidate with the game situation corresponding to the line output from the speaker 33 within a predetermined period of time prior to the current time.

The predetermined time may be a variable value such as the time elapsed from a predetermined point in time (e.g., from the start of a round), or may be a predetermined fixed value such as 10 seconds. For example, if the predetermined time is the time elapsed from the start of a match (round), the priority setting means 57 determines the priority by comparing the game status corresponding to the output candidate with the game status corresponding to the lines output from the speaker 33 after the start of the match. Also, if the predetermined time is 10 seconds, the priority setting means 57 determines the priority by comparing the game status corresponding to the output candidate with the game status corresponding to the lines output from the speaker 33 in the past 10 seconds.

The priority setting means 57 sets the priority of each output candidate so that the higher the degree of appearance, the lower the priority, assuming that other conditions (above (a) and (c)) other than the degree of appearance are the same.

In addition, in this embodiment, the degree of previously-utteredness of an output candidate changes in a direction that increases the priority of the output candidate as time passes since the line corresponding to the output candidate was output from speaker 33 prior to the current time. For example, if the priority of a line depends only on the degree of previously-utteredness, the priority of the line becomes previously-uttered at the time the line is output and temporarily decreases, but then gradually or stepwise increases as time passes from the time of output.

The speaker excitement value is an index that indicates the degree of excitement of a virtual speaker (in this example, the commentator) in the progressing game situation. The line excitement value is an index that indicates the optimal value of the excitement level of the virtual speaker (in this example, the commentator) who speaks the line with that line excitement value. In other words, from the perspective of the virtual speaker's excitement level, among multiple lines, the line with a line excitement value that is closer to the current speaker excitement value is the more suitable it is to be output and is given priority.

The priority setting means 57 sets the priority of each output candidate so that, if other conditions (a) and (b) above) other than the speaker excitement value and the line excitement value are the same, the output candidate whose line excitement value is closer to the speaker excitement value immediately before the line is output has a higher priority.

The line excitement value is associated with each of the multiple line data and stored in the memory unit 23 (see Figure 5). In other words, a line excitement value is set for each of the multiple line data. The line excitement value is set to a value according to the content of the line. For example, the line excitement value is a value set by the game developer for each line based on empirical rules, such as a 5-point scale, to determine the degree of excitement of the virtual commentator who speaks the line.

The speaker excitement value is changed according to the progress of the game by an excitement value change process. The excitement value change process is executed by an excitement value change means 58, a target value setting means 59 and a range setting means 60. The excitement value change means 58 changes the speaker excitement value indicating the excitement level of the virtual speaker. The target value setting means 59 sets a target value for the excitement level of the virtual speaker, i.e., a target value for the speaker excitement value, based on the game situation according to the progress of the game. The range setting means 60 sets the range within which the speaker excitement value can be changed. The excitement value change process will be described in detail later.

[Dialogue output processing]
The line output process will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the line output process. The line output process is a process for determining and outputting the lines of a virtual live commentator. The line output process is executed by the situation monitoring means 54, the candidate selection means 55, the line determination means 56, and the priority setting means 57. The line output process is executed at a preset frame rate at least from the start of the match to the end of the match. For example, the line output process is executed at a preset frame rate from the start of the display of the character selection screen to the end of the display of the match result.

In the dialogue output process, the situation monitoring means 54 monitors the game situation that changes as the game progresses. The situation monitoring means 54 then determines whether or not there is game situation data corresponding to the monitored game situation (i.e., the current game situation) among the game situation data stored in the memory unit 23 (step S1). In other words, the situation monitoring means 54 determines whether or not the monitored game situation matches the game situation associated with each line.

If it is determined that there is no game situation data corresponding to the monitored game situation among the game situation data stored in the memory unit 23 (step S1: No), the dialogue output process ends.

If it is determined that game situation data corresponding to the monitored game situation is present among the game situation data stored in the memory unit 23 (step S1: Yes), the candidate selection means 55 selects one or more pieces of dialogue data associated with the game situation data indicating the monitored game situation as output candidates (step S2).

When one or more output candidates are selected, the priority setting means 57 calculates the priority of each output candidate based on the rarity of the output candidate, the frequency of the output candidate, the line excitement value of the output candidate, and the speaker excitement value of the output candidate (step S3).

The dialogue determination means 56 determines the dialogue to be output from the speaker 33 from among one or more output candidates selected by the candidate selection means 55, based on the priorities set by the priority setting means 57 (step S4). Specifically, the dialogue determination means 56 determines the output candidate with the highest priority from among the multiple selected output candidates, as the dialogue to be output from the speaker 33.

[Excitement value change process]
Next, the excitement value changing process will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flow chart showing the flow of the excitement value changing process.

The excitement value change process is executed at a preset frame rate while the dialogue output process is being executed. For example, the excitement value change process is executed in the pre-battle phase before the start of the first round, and in the battle phase after the start of the first round. The pre-battle phase is, for example, a phase in which a character selection screen is displayed on the display 32 by the game progression means 53. The excitement value change process is started when the character selection screen is displayed.

The excitement value change process is started when the character selection screen is displayed. In the excitement value change process, first, the speaker excitement value is set to an initial value (step T1). More specifically, multiple virtual speakers are set in this game. Different dialogue data may be stored in the memory unit 23 depending on the virtual speaker. The memory unit 23 stores various parameters set for each virtual speaker. The virtual speaker parameters include the initial value of the speaker excitement value.

In step T1, at the start of the pre-battle phase, one or more virtual speakers to be used in the battle are selected, for example at random, by the game progression means 53 from among the multiple virtual speakers. Then, in the pre-battle phase, the speaker excitement value is set to an initial value corresponding to the selected virtual speaker and maintained therein.

When each user has finished selecting a character, the game progression means 53 starts the first round (step T2). In other words, the game transitions from the pre-battle phase to the battle phase.

When a round starts, the range setting means 60 sets the changeable range R of the speaker excitement value (step T3). The excitement value changing means 58 changes the speaker excitement value within the changeable range R. In this embodiment, the range setting means 60 sets the changeable range R of the speaker excitement value to a range of 1.0≦R≦3.0 when the first round, which is the initial round, starts. The range setting means 60 also sets the changeable range R to a range of 1.0≦R≦3.0 when the second round starts. The range setting means 60 sets the changeable range R to a range of 2.0≦R≦5.0 when the third round, which is the final round, starts.

The target value setting means 59 sets a target value for the virtual speaker's excitement level based on a game situation according to the progress of the game, which differs from the output of lines from the speaker 33 (step T4). In this example, the target value setting means 59 sets a target value for the virtual speaker's excitement level according to the stamina values of the two characters PA and PB and the number of rounds in progress. The target value setting means 59 sets the target value using the following formula (1).
Tv=X1×X2×Wn+Rd...(1)
however,
Tv is the target value of the virtual speaker's excitement level (speaker excitement value).
X1 is the degree of the lower of the physical strength values of the characters PA and PB.
X2 is the degree of closeness of the physical strength values of the characters PA and PB
Wn is the weight value preset for each round.
Rd is the lower limit of the range that can be changed.

The range for X1, which is the degree of lowness of the lower of the physical strength values of characters PA and PB, is 0.0≦X1≦1.0. The lower the lower of the physical strength values of the two characters PA and PB, the higher X1 is set (closer to 1.0). In other words, if all other conditions other than X1, such as X2, Wn, and Rd, are the same, the lower the lower of the physical strength values of characters PA and PB, the higher the target value will be.

The range of X2, which indicates the degree of similarity between the stamina values of characters PA and PB, is 0.0≦X2≦1.0. The smaller the difference between the stamina values of the two characters PA and PB, the higher X2 is set (closer to 1.0). In other words, if all other conditions other than X2, such as X1, Wn, and Rd, are the same, the smaller the difference between the stamina values of characters PA and PB, the higher the target value will be.

The weight value Wn is preset to a value of 2.0 for the first and second rounds, and a value of 3.0 for the third and final round.

In the first and second rounds, Rd is 1.0 because 1.0≦R≦3.0. In the third round, Rd is 2.0 because 2.0≦R≦5.0.

Note that the calculation formula (1) for the target value Tv is merely an example. The calculation formula for the target value may be an equation using other parameters.

The excitement value changing means 58 changes the speaker excitement value so that the speaker excitement value approaches the target value over time (step T5).

During the battle phase (each round), the excitement value changing means 58 determines whether or not the line determined by the line determining means 56 has been output (step T6). Then, if the line has been output from the speaker 33 (step T6: YES), the excitement value changing means 58 changes the speaker excitement value so that the speaker excitement value after the line has been output approaches the line excitement value of the output line compared to the speaker excitement value before the line has been output (step T7).

For example, the excitement value changing means 58 changes the speaker excitement value E2 immediately after the line is output in accordance with the following equation (2).
E2=E1+(Ew-E1)×C...(2)
however,
E2 is the speaker excitement value immediately after the line is output.
E1 is the speaker excitement value just before the line is output.
Ew is the line excitement value of the output line
C is a predetermined weighting coefficient, a positive number less than or equal to 1.0

If no lines are output (step T6: NO), step T7 is skipped. Steps T4 to T7 are repeated until the round ends (step T8: NO).

Here, an example of the change in speaker excitement value over time will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a graph showing an example of the change in speaker excitement value over time. The horizontal axis represents the elapsed time during the first round, and the vertical axis represents the speaker excitement value. Note that in FIG. 8, the speaker excitement value is shown by a solid line, and the target value for the speaker excitement value is shown by a dashed dotted line. Note that the overlap between the speaker excitement value and the target value is also shown by a solid line.

The target value of the speaker excitement value, indicated by the dashed line, is set based on the game situation according to the progress of the game, which differs from the dialogue output from the speaker 33. Specifically, according to the above formula (1), when the vitality values of the characters PA and PB change during the battle phase, the target value is changed in step T4 in FIG. 7.

In this example, at time t1, a line whose line excitement value is 2.0 (i.e., Ew=2.0) is output from speaker 33, at time t4, a line whose line excitement value is 4.0 (i.e., Ew=4.0) is output from speaker 33, and at time t5, a line whose line excitement value is 4.0 (i.e., Ew=4.0) is output from speaker 33.

For example, assume that at time t1, the speaker excitement value E1 immediately before the line is output is 1.0, and a line with a line excitement value of 2.0 is output from the speaker 33. In this case, the excitement value change means 58 calculates the speaker excitement value E2 immediately after the line is output according to the above formula (2). When the weighting coefficient C in formula (2) is 0.5, according to the above formula (2), the calculated speaker excitement value after the line is output is 1.5 (= 1.0 + (2.0 - 1.0) × 0.5). Therefore, at time t1, the speaker excitement value E2 immediately after the line is output is changed from the value 1.0, which is the speaker excitement value E1 immediately before the line is output, to the value 1.5.

While no lines are being output, for example between time t1 and time t4 when the next line is output, the excitement value changing means 58 changes the speaker excitement value so that the speaker excitement value approaches the target value as time passes (see step T5). More specifically, the excitement value changing means 58 changes the speaker excitement value so that the speaker excitement value follows the target value with a slight delay. For example, between time t3 and time t4, the target value decreases due to a change in the stamina values of characters PA and PB, but the speaker excitement value decreases with a slight delay.

For example, assume that at time t4, the speaker excitement value E1 immediately before the line is output is 1.5, and a line with a line excitement value of 4.0 is output from the speaker 33. In this case, the excitement value change means 58 calculates the speaker excitement value E2 immediately after the line is output according to the above formula (2). When the weighting coefficient C in formula (2) is 0.5, according to the above formula (2), the calculated speaker excitement value after the line is output is 2.75 (= 1.5 + (4.0 - 1.5) × 0.5). Therefore, at time t4, the speaker excitement value E2 immediately after the line is output is changed from the value 1.5, which is the speaker excitement value E1 immediately before the line is output, to the value 2.75.

For example, assume that at time t5, the speaker excitement value E1 immediately before the line is output is 2.5, and a line with a line excitement value of 4.0 is output from the speaker 33. In this case, the excitement value change means 58 calculates the speaker excitement value immediately after the line is output according to the above formula (2). When the weighting coefficient C in formula (2) is 0.5, according to the above formula (2), the calculated speaker excitement value after the line is output is 3.25 (= 2.5 + (4.0-2.5) x 0.5). However, since the upper limit value Ru of the changeable range R in the first round is 3.0, at time t5, the speaker excitement value E2 immediately after the line is output is changed from the value 2.5, which is the speaker excitement value E1 immediately before the line is output, to the value 3.0.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the excitement value changing means 58 instantaneously changes the speaker excitement value to the value calculated using the above formula (2) immediately after the line is output, but the excitement value changing means 58 may gradually change the speaker excitement value over time so that the speaker excitement value after the line is output approaches the line excitement value of the output line compared to the speaker excitement value before the line is output. In this case, the speaker excitement value may be changed in stages or continuously. In this case, for example, the excitement value changing means 58 may only perform a process of bringing the speaker excitement value closer to the line excitement value of the output line for a while after the line is output, and then switch to a process of bringing the speaker excitement value closer to the target value.

Returning to FIG. 7, when the round is ended by the game progression means 53 (step T8: YES), the game progression means 53 determines whether or not to proceed to the next round (step T9). That is, the game progression means 53 determines whether or not one of the competing users has won two rounds first. If the game progression means 53 determines that one of the competing users has won two rounds first (step T9: NO), it ends the match.

If the game progression means 53 determines that one of the competing users has not won two rounds first (step T9: YES), the process returns to step T3. In step T3, as described above, the range setting means 60 sets the changeable range R according to the round. Note that in this embodiment, at the start of the next round, the speaker excitement value starts from the speaker excitement value at the end of the previous round, but the speaker excitement value may be reset to a predetermined value at the start of each round.

In summary, the game program 34a according to this embodiment is a game program executed by the control unit 21 in a game system 1 including a speaker 33 (output unit), a memory unit 23 storing a plurality of lines of dialogue data indicating lines to be output from the speaker 33, and a control unit 21 (computer), in which a line excitement value is set for each of the plurality of lines of dialogue data, and causes the control unit 21 to function as a game progression means 53 for progressing a game in which a virtual speaker appears, an excitement value change means 58 for changing a speaker excitement value indicating the degree of excitement of the virtual speaker, and a line determination means 56 for determining a line to be output from the speaker 33 as the line of the virtual speaker based on the speaker excitement value and the line excitement value, and when a line is output from the speaker 33, the excitement value change means 58 changes the speaker excitement value so that the speaker excitement value after the line is output approaches the line excitement value of the output line compared to the speaker excitement value before the line is output.

According to this game program 34a, the line determination means 56 determines the lines to be output from the speaker 33 as the lines of the virtual speaker based on the speaker excitement value and the line excitement value. More specifically, the line determination means 56 determines the lines to be output from the speaker 33 as the lines of the virtual speaker based on the line excitement value and the priority set based on the speaker excitement value. This makes it possible to output lines appropriate to the excitement level of the virtual speaker. In other words, it is possible to prevent lines corresponding to a line excitement value far removed from the speaker excitement value from being output.

In addition, in this embodiment, when a line is output from speaker 33, the speaker excitement value approaches the line excitement value of the output line compared to before the line was output. This reduces the sense of discomfort felt by the user, for example, when the difference in line excitement value between the line output this time and the line to be output next time is too large. As a result, the lines of a virtual speaker appearing in the game can be made closer to those spoken by an actual speaker in the real world.

In addition, in this embodiment, the target value setting means 59 sets a target value for the virtual speaker's excitement level based on the game situation according to the progress of the game, which differs from the output of lines from the speaker 33, and the excitement value changing means 58 changes the speaker excitement value so that the speaker excitement value approaches the target value over time. This makes it possible to change the virtual speaker's excitement level in response to changes in the game situation while suppressing drastic ups and downs in the virtual speaker's excitement level. As a result, the lines of the virtual speaker appearing in the game can be made closer to those uttered by an actual speaker in the real world.

In addition, in this embodiment, the range setting means 60 sets both the upper limit value Ru and the lower limit value Rd, which are the limit values of the changeable range R, higher at the start of the third round, which is the final round, compared to the first and second rounds. In this way, by raising the limit value of the changeable range R in the final round, the range setting means 60 can increase the possibility that the speaker excitement value in the third round will be higher than the speaker excitement values in the first and second rounds. This can create an exciting situation towards the end of a match in a competitive game, for example.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, the game program 34a does not have to be recorded on the game media 34, and may be downloaded to the game device 2 from an external source via a communication network NW, for example. For example, the game device 2 provided in the game system of the present invention may be a mobile information terminal such as a smartphone, and the operation unit and display unit may be a touch screen or the like. In addition, the display device that displays the game screen may be a head-mounted display or the like.

In the above embodiment, the lines determined by the line determination means 56 are output as game audio, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention is also applicable to outputting the lines determined by the line determination means 56 as text on a display device. That is, the "output unit" in the present invention may be a sound output device configured to be able to output lines as game audio, such as a speaker, headphones, or earphones, or may be a display device such as a display alone, a touch screen, or a head-mounted display. When the output unit is a display device, the line data is not game audio data indicating game audio as lines, but text data indicating text as lines. In addition, the present invention may output the lines determined by the line determination means 56 as both text and game audio.

In the above embodiment, the game system 1 includes a game device 2 and a server device 4, but the game system of the present invention may not include a server device 4. The present invention is applicable not only to online games but also to offline games. For example, the present invention is applicable to CPU battle games in which a user controls a user character to battle against an opponent character, a non-player character whose actions are controlled by the CPU. The present invention is also applicable not only to fighting games, but also to action games, role-playing games, shooting games, sports games, racing games, and the like.

The method of calculating the target value and the method of setting the limit value of the changeable range may be changed depending on the game scene. For example, in a game that includes battle scenes in which enemies are present around the character operated by the user, and non-battle scenes in which enemies are not present around the character operated by the user, the changeable range may be set so that the upper limit value of the changeable range in the battle scenes is higher than the upper limit value of the changeable range in the non-battle scenes.

The present invention is also applicable to the distribution of game play videos. In other words, the "output unit" in the present invention is not limited to one that outputs to a player playing the game, but may also be one that outputs to a viewer watching the distributed game play video. For example, dialogue may not be output from an output unit for a player playing the game (distributor), and dialogue may be output only from an output unit for a viewer watching the game play video. For example, some kind of compensation may be required to output dialogue only from an output unit for a viewer watching the game play video (to watch a video with live dialogue). For example, the compensation may be a fee, a subscription contract, or a monetary donation (so-called tipping) to the distributor.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the server control unit 41 of the server device 4 may function as some or all of the functional units 51 to 60 by executing a game program stored in the storage unit 42. In this case, the game program of the present invention is stored in the server device 4 or is stored in a distributed manner in the game device 2 and the server device 4, and the control unit 21 and server control unit 41 that execute such a game program correspond to the "computer" that executes the game program of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the control unit 21 of the game device 2 executes the game program 34a to function as a game space generating means 51, a character control means 52, a game progression means 53, a situation monitoring means 54, a candidate selection means 55, a line determination means 56, a priority setting means 57, an excitement value changing means 58, a target value setting means 59, and a range setting means 60, but some of these functional units 51 to 60 may not function. For example, the present invention is also applicable to games that do not generate a virtual space or games that do not control characters.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the target value setting means 59 sets a target value for the virtual speaker's excitement level based on a game situation according to the progress of the game that differs from the output of lines from the speaker 33, and the excitement value changing means 58 changes the speaker excitement value so that the speaker excitement value approaches the target value over time, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the control unit 21 of the game device 2 does not have to function as the target value setting means 59.

For example, the excitement value changing means may not change the speaker excitement value while a line is not being output from the output unit. In other words, the excitement value changing means may change the speaker excitement value only when a line is output from the output unit so that the speaker excitement value after the line is output approaches the line excitement value of the output line compared to the speaker excitement value before the line is output.

Instead of changing the speaker excitement value based on a target value, the excitement value changing means may change the speaker excitement value based on a game situation according to the progress of the game that differs from the output of lines from the output unit.

In this case, the game situation according to the progress of the game, which is different from the output of lines from the output unit, may be the type of character selected by the user from among a plurality of characters before play of the game in which the character appears is started. In other words, the excitement value changing means may change the speaker excitement value depending on which character is selected by the user or the computer.

In addition, the game status according to the progress of the game, which is different from the output of lines from the output unit, may be the time that has elapsed since play of the game began. That is, the excitement value changing means may change the speaker excitement value according to how much time has elapsed since play of the game began. For example, in a competitive game with a time limit, the excitement value changing means may change the speaker excitement value according to the time remaining until the time limit is reached. For example, the excitement value changing means may gradually increase the speaker excitement value as time elapses from the start of the competition.

In addition, the game status according to the progress of the game, which differs from the output of lines from the output unit, may be the type of virtual speaker selected from among multiple virtual speakers before play of the game begins. In this case, the degree of change in the speaker excitement value may differ for each virtual speaker, such as a virtual speaker whose speaker excitement value is likely to increase and a virtual speaker whose speaker excitement value is unlikely to change. In this case, the user may be able to freely select a virtual speaker, or a virtual speaker may be selected by the computer regardless of the user's selection.

In addition, the game status according to the progress of the game, which is different from the output of lines from the output unit, may be a game rank set for multiple users in a competitive game in which multiple users can compete against each other. For example, the excitement value change means may be a game rank set for multiple users in a competitive game in which multiple users can compete against each other, and in this case, the speaker excitement value may be increased when the game ranks of the users match. Also, for example, the excitement value change means may increase the speaker excitement value when a matching process for determining an opponent is executed and the user is matched with an opponent of a specific game rank.

The game status according to the progress of the game, which is different from the output of lines from the output unit, may be the number of matches played by multiple users in a competitive game in which multiple users can compete against each other. For example, the excitement value change means may increase the speaker excitement value when it is determined that a user will compete against another user with whom the user has competed in the past.

The game status according to the progress of the game, which is different from the output of lines from the output unit, may be a type of round indicating which of multiple rounds in a competitive game in which a winner is determined from the results of the multiple rounds. For example, the excitement value changing means may increase the speaker excitement value of the final round or the final round compared to the speaker excitement value of the preliminary round or the first round.

Game situations that correspond to the progress of the game and are different from the dialogue output from the output unit are not limited to the examples given above.

Also, in the above embodiment, when a line is output from the speaker 33, the excitement value changing means 58 changes the speaker excitement value so that the speaker excitement value after the line is output approaches the line excitement value of the output line compared to the speaker excitement value before the line is output, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, when a line is output from the speaker 33, the excitement value changing means 58 changes the speaker excitement value so that the speaker excitement value after the line is output approaches the line excitement value of the output line compared to the speaker excitement value before the line is output, but the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, the game program according to the present invention may be a game program executed by a computer in a game system including an output unit, a storage unit in which a plurality of pieces of dialogue data indicating dialogue to be output from the output unit are stored, and the game program causes the computer to function as a game progression means for progressing a game in which a virtual speaker appears, a target value setting means for setting a target value of the excitement level of the virtual speaker based on a game situation according to the progress of the game, an excitement value changing means for changing a speaker excitement value indicating the excitement level of the virtual speaker so that the speaker excitement value approaches the target value over time, and a dialogue determination means for determining a line to be output from the output unit as a line of the virtual speaker based on the speaker excitement value and the dialogue excitement value. In other words, regardless of whether a line is output from the output unit or not, the excitement value changing means may change the speaker excitement value so that the speaker excitement value approaches the target value over time. Even in this case, the lines of the virtual speaker to be output are determined based on the speaker excitement value and the line excitement value, so that lines appropriate to the virtual speaker's level of excitement can be output. In addition, the speaker excitement value, which indicates the virtual speaker's level of excitement, approaches a target value set based on the game situation over time. This makes it possible to change the virtual speaker's level of excitement in response to changes in the game situation while preventing the virtual speaker's level of excitement from fluctuating too much. As a result, the lines of the virtual speaker appearing in the game can be made closer to those uttered by an actual speaker in the real world.

Furthermore, although the above formula (1) is given as an example of a formula for calculating the target value of the speaker excitement value, the method for calculating the target value is not limited to this. For example, the target value may be calculated based on another parameter, such as the remaining time of the round. Furthermore, although the above formula (2) is given as an example of a formula for calculating the speaker excitement value immediately after a line is output, the method for calculating the speaker excitement value immediately after a line is output is not limited to this.

In the above embodiment, the range setting means 60 increases the limit value of the changeable range R at the start of the third round, which is the final round, but the method of setting the changeable range is not limited to this. However, as in the above embodiment, it is desirable for the range setting means to increase the limit value of the changeable range at a second point in time after the first point in time, compared to the limit value of the changeable range at a first point in time during the progress of the game. This is because it is possible to increase the possibility that the speaker excitement value at the end of the game will be higher than the speaker excitement value at the beginning of the game. For example, it is possible to create an exciting situation at the end of a match in a competitive game. Note that both the first and second points in time may be, for example, points in time during a match, or points in time in a phase such as a round.

For example, when one match is divided into multiple phases, the range setting means may set a higher limit value of the changeable range for a second phase that follows the first phase, compared to the limit value of the changeable range set for the first phase. Also, for example, the range setting means may increase the limit value of the changeable range as time passes from a predetermined point in time during the game (for example, the start of the first round). The limit value is one or both of the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the changeable range. In other words, the range setting means may increase only one of the upper limit value and the lower limit value, which are the limit values of the changeable range. Here, a phase may be, for example, a round in a fighting game, a quarter in a basketball game, or a game stage or quest in an action game.

In addition, one or both of the dialogue data and the game situation data do not have to be stored in the memory unit 23 of the game device 2, and may be stored in another storage device, such as the memory unit 42 of the server device 4.

The game situations monitored by the situation monitoring means 54 described in the above embodiment are merely examples. The game situations monitored by the situation monitoring means 54 may be only a part of those described in the above embodiment. Furthermore, the game situations monitored by the situation monitoring means 54 may include game situations other than those described in the above embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the priority setting means 57 sets the priority of each output candidate so that, if other conditions other than the speaker excitement value and the line excitement value (above (a) and (b)) are the same, the output candidate whose line excitement value is closer to the speaker excitement value immediately before the line is output has a higher priority, but the method of using the speaker excitement value and the line excitement value in setting the output candidates is not limited to this.

For example, the priority setting means 57 may set the priority of the output candidates so that output candidates associated with a line excitement value greater than the speaker excitement value immediately before the line is output are more likely to be prioritized than output candidates associated with a line excitement value less than the speaker excitement value immediately before the line is output. This makes it more likely that lines with line excitement values greater than the speaker excitement value will be prioritized. Each time a line with a line excitement value greater than the speaker excitement value is output, the speaker excitement value increases, so that as the game progresses, lines with greater line excitement values are more likely to be output.

In addition, for example, the priority setting means 57 may set the priority of the output candidates so that output candidates associated with a line excitement value that is greater than the speaker excitement value immediately before the line is output and in which the difference between the speaker excitement value immediately before the line is output is within a predetermined range are more likely to be given priority over other output candidates.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a priority calculated based on rarity, frequency, speaker excitement value, and line excitement value was set for each output candidate, but the method of setting the priority is not limited to this. For example, the method of calculating, determining, or acquiring each parameter of rarity, frequency, speaker excitement value, and line excitement value is not limited to those described in the above embodiment.

For example, the rarity may be calculated for each line using a predetermined calculation formula based on information indicating the game situation associated with each line. For example, the rarity may be set for each line by a game developer who judges the likelihood of the game situation corresponding to that line occurring based on experience, for example, on a five-point scale.

The degree of previously-displayedness does not have to change in a direction that increases the priority as time passes. For example, the degree of previously-displayedness may be a value that is not dependent on the time that has elapsed since the line for which the degree of previously-displayedness was set was output. Also, for example, instead of increasing the time that has elapsed since the line for which the degree of previously-displayedness was set was output, the degree of previously-displayedness may change in a direction that increases the priority of the line as the number of times another line is output after the line for which the degree of previously-displayedness was set increases.

For example, the priority of the output candidates may be calculated based on (a) rarity and/or (b) frequency. The priority of the output candidates may be calculated based only on (c) line excitement value and speaker excitement value.

The candidate selection means 55 does not necessarily need to select multiple output candidates, and may select only one output candidate depending on the game situation. In the dialogue output process of the above embodiment, if only one piece of dialogue data is selected as an output candidate in step S2, step S3 may be omitted. In this case, in step S4, the dialogue determination means 56 may determine that the one piece of dialogue data selected as an output candidate is the dialogue to be output.

In the above embodiment, the line determination means 56 determines the lines of a virtual commentator who provides commentary on the match, but the lines determined by the line determination means 56 are not limited to this. For example, the line determination means 56 may determine the lines of a virtual speaker other than the virtual commentator, such as a character placed in a virtual space.

In the above embodiment, the line determination means 56 determined the line to be output from the speaker 33 based on the priority of each output candidate set by the priority setting means 57, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the priority of the output candidate does not need to be calculated. For example, the line determination means may determine the line directly from the line excitement value and the speaker excitement value.

In the above embodiment, the virtual speaker to be used in the battle was randomly selected from among the multiple virtual speakers at the start of the pre-battle phase, but the game progression means 53 may select the virtual speaker to be used in the battle from among the multiple virtual speakers in response to the user's operation on the operation unit. In the above embodiment, the excitement value change means 58 changed the speaker excitement value so that the speaker excitement value follows the target value with a slight delay, but the speed at which the speaker excitement value follows the target value, i.e., the fluctuation value per unit time of the speaker excitement value, may be different for each virtual speaker. Also, the virtual speaker to be used in the battle does not have to be selected from among the multiple virtual speakers, and a predetermined virtual speaker may be used in the battle.

In addition, in the pre-battle phase, instead of the speaker excitement value being set to an initial value according to the selected virtual speaker, it may be a predetermined fixed value, or may be set based on another formula or rule. For example, if a game rank that is an index of gaming skill is set for each user, the speaker excitement value in the pre-battle phase may be set to be higher the greater the rank difference between the competing users. Alternatively, for example, the speaker excitement value may be set randomly for each day or each battle.

The way in which lines are output may also be adjusted depending on the speaker excitement value. For example, if the speaker excitement value is lower than the line excitement value, the volume of the voice of the output line may be adjusted to be smaller than a reference volume, and if the speaker excitement value is higher than the line excitement value, the volume of the voice of the output line may be adjusted to be larger than the reference volume.

Even when these other embodiments are adopted, the effects of the present invention are achieved. In addition, this embodiment can be combined with other embodiments, and other embodiments can be combined with each other as appropriate.

1: Game system
2: Game device
4: Server device
21: Control section
23: Memory section
31: Controller
32: Display
33: Speaker
41: Server control unit
42: Memory section
51: Game space generation means
52: Character control means
53: Game progression method
54: Situation monitoring means
55: Candidate selection method
56: Means of determining lines
57: Priority setting method
58: Means of changing excitement value
59: Target value setting means
60: Range setting method

Claims (7)

A game system including an output unit, a storage unit storing a plurality of pieces of dialogue data indicating dialogue to be output from the output unit, and a computer, comprising: a game program executed by the computer, the game program comprising:
A line excitement value is set for each of the plurality of line data,
The computer,
A game progression means for progressing a game in which a virtual speaker appears;
An excitement value changing means for changing a speaker excitement value indicating an excitement level of the virtual speaker;
a speech determination means for determining a speech to be output from the output unit as a speech of the virtual speaker based on the speaker excitement value and the speech excitement value;
A game program in which, when a line is output from the output unit and the speaker excitement value before the line is output is different from the line excitement value of the output line , the excitement value changing means changes the speaker excitement value so that the speaker excitement value after the line is output is closer to the line excitement value of the output line compared to the speaker excitement value before the line is output. and causing the computer to further function as a target value setting means for setting a target value of an excitement level of the virtual speaker based on a game situation according to the progress of the game, which is different from the output of lines from the output unit;
2. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the excitement value changing means changes the speaker excitement value so that the speaker excitement value approaches the target value as time passes. The game program according to claim 1, wherein the excitement value changing means changes the speaker excitement value based on a game situation according to the progress of the game that differs from the output of lines from the output unit. 4. The game program according to claim 3, wherein the game status according to the progress of the game, which is different from the output of lines from the output unit, is at least one of the following (i) to (vi).
(i) In a game in which a character appears, the type of character selected by the user from among a plurality of characters before the start of play of the game
(ii) The amount of time that has elapsed since you began playing the game.
(iii) a type of virtual speaker selected from among a plurality of virtual speakers before play of the game begins;
(iv) The game rank assigned to the user
(v) the number of battles between a plurality of users in a battle game in which the plurality of users can battle each other;
(vi) A type of round indicating which of a plurality of rounds in a competitive game in which a winner is determined based on the results of the competitive game in which the round is played The computer is further caused to function as a range setting means for setting a changeable range of the speaker excitement value,
The excitement value changing means changes the speaker excitement value within the changeable range,
A game program according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the range setting means sets the limit value of the changeable range at a second point in time after the first point in time during the progress of the game higher than the limit value of the changeable range at the first point in time. A game system including an output unit, a storage unit storing a plurality of pieces of dialogue data indicating dialogue to be output from the output unit, and a computer, comprising: a game program executed by the computer, the game program comprising:
A line excitement value is set for each of the plurality of line data,
The computer,
A game progression means for progressing a game in which a virtual speaker appears;
a target value setting means for setting a target value of an excitement level of the virtual speaker based on a game situation according to the progress of the game;
an excitement value changing means for changing a speaker excitement value indicating a degree of excitement of the virtual speaker so that the speaker excitement value approaches the target value over time;
a line determination means for determining a line to be output from the output unit as a line of the virtual speaker based on the speaker excitement value and the line excitement value. A program storage unit that stores the game program according to any one of claims 1 to 6;
A game system comprising: a computer that executes the program stored in the program storage unit.

Images