JP7660933B2 - Program, method and server device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a program, a method, and a server device.

An online game in which players compete against each other or cooperate with each other (
In social games (hereinafter referred to as "social games"), in order to increase the interest of the game, it is important to provide a mechanism for stimulating interaction between players. For example, as a mechanism for stimulating interaction between players, a raid battle in which multiple players cooperate and battle against enemies encountered during the game is known (see Patent Document 1). As another mechanism for stimulating interaction between players, it is also possible to provide a mechanism in which players give each other points and players can obtain items in exchange for accumulated points.

JP 2011-255080 A

However, in games such as social games, in addition to the above-mentioned mechanism, there is a demand for a mechanism for further activating the interaction between players. For example, by providing a mechanism for activating the above-mentioned raid battle itself, there is room for further activating the interaction between players. In addition, when players give points to each other, by giving benefits that can be enjoyed in a battle not only to the player who received the points but also to the player who gave the points, the exchange of points between players is activated, and as a result, there is room for further activating the interaction between players.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide a technique for further stimulating interaction between game players.

The program of the present invention is characterized in that it causes a computer to function as a storage means for storing points provided to each player in a game in response to instructions from other players, and as a control means for controlling a game to be played in response to instructions from one player in a match between a group of characters of multiple players and an enemy character, so as to execute an event in accordance with the points provided to that player.

The method of the present invention is a method implemented in a server device having a storage means for storing points provided to each player in a game in response to instructions from other players, and a control means, characterized in that the control unit includes a step of controlling the execution of an event in response to instructions from one player in a match between a group of characters of multiple players and an enemy character, in accordance with the points provided to that player.

The server device according to the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a storage means for storing points provided to each player in a game in response to instructions from other players, and a control means for controlling the execution of an event in response to instructions from one player in a match between a group of characters of multiple players and an enemy character, in accordance with the points provided to that player.

Furthermore, the program of the present invention can be installed or loaded into a computer via various recording media such as optical disks such as CD-ROMs, magnetic disks, and semiconductor memories, or by downloading via a communication network.

In this specification, the term "unit" does not simply mean a physical component, but also includes cases where the function of the component is realized by software. Furthermore, the function of one component may be realized by two or more physical components, or the functions of two or more components may be realized by one physical component.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for further stimulating interaction between game players.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a game system according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a server device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating information stored in a server device in one embodiment. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a game flow in one embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in a server device in one embodiment. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an example of point awarding between players in one embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by a server device in an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on a terminal device in an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on a terminal device in an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on a terminal device in an embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to these.

The configuration of a game system according to one embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The game system 1 mainly includes information processing devices such as a server device 10 and a terminal device 20. The server device 10 and the multiple terminal devices 20 can communicate with each other via a network N. Although three terminal devices 20 are illustrated in Fig. 1, the number of terminal devices 20 that can communicate with the server device 10 is arbitrary.

The network N is a communication line for transmitting and receiving information between the server device 10 and the terminal device 20. For example, the network N may be the Internet, a LAN, a dedicated line, a packet communication network, a telephone line,
The communication line may be an in-house network, another communication line, or a combination of these, and may be either wired or wireless.

The server device 10 communicates with the terminal device 20 via the network N.
The server device 10 provides a game that can be played as a player by a user of the terminal device 20 by operating the terminal device 20. For example, the server device 10 provides a battle game in which a character in the game operated by a user of the terminal device 20 as a player (hereinafter also referred to as a player character) battles against characters operated by users of other terminal devices 20 as players (hereinafter also referred to as other player characters), or cooperates with the other player characters to battle against enemy characters while progressing through the game. Note that one player can operate multiple player characters. A group of multiple player characters that can be operated by one player in this way is called a deck.
[Configuration and Operation of Server Device]

An example of a schematic configuration of the server device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The server device 10 mainly includes a control unit 11, a communication unit 14, a storage unit 15, a display unit 16, and an operation unit 17. The control unit 11 mainly includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 12 and a memory 13.

The server device 10 can be configured using an information processing device such as a dedicated or general-purpose server computer, and functions as a means for implementing various functions, for example, by the CPU 12 executing a predetermined program stored in the memory 13 or the like.
It may be configured by a single device, or may be configured by multiple devices distributed over a network.

In the control unit 11, the CPU 12 loads a program stored in the storage unit 15 or the like into the memory 13 and executes it to control the operation of various components of the server device 10.
The control unit 11 controls the execution of various processes. The processes executed by the control unit 11 will be described in detail later.

The communication unit 14 is a communication interface for communicating with other information processing devices via the network N. The communication unit 14 transmits and receives, for example, game information or user operation information.

The storage unit 15 is configured with a storage device such as a hard disk. The storage unit 15 stores various programs and various information required for the execution of processes in the control unit 11.
Specific examples of the information stored in will be described later.

The display unit 16 is a display device that displays various information such as the results of processing by the control unit 11 .
The display unit 16 is configured using materials such as liquid crystal or organic electroluminescence (EL).

The operation unit 17 is a user interface for accepting operations on the server device 10. The operation unit 17 is composed of input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, operation keys, a touch panel, and a stylus.

Next, an example of information stored in the storage unit 15 of the server device 10 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The storage unit 15 mainly stores a game control program 111, a friend management program 112, a point management program 113, an event execution control program 114, and a database 120. These programs are, for example, loaded into the memory 13 and executed by the CPU 12 in the control unit 11, to realize various functions.

The game control program 111 is a program for carrying out processes for controlling the operation of the terminal device 20 by the game player and the progress of the game in accordance with a preset game flow.

With reference to FIG. 4, an example of a game flow of a competitive social game will be outlined as an example of a preset game flow in one embodiment. First, a player character starts a quest in response to an operation of the terminal device 20 by a player of the game (i.e., a user of the terminal device 20), and battles various enemy characters encountered during the quest. A quest is a task given to the player character during the game (e.g., defeating a preset type and number of characters in a competitive game). In the battle in this quest, the player character defeats an opponent character (hereinafter,
The player character can attack enemy characters (called enemy characters) and can also be attacked by enemy characters. In exchange for defeating enemy characters, the player character can obtain various items.

The battle also includes a raid battle in which a player character cooperates with other player characters to fight against an enemy character. A raid boss, which is an enemy in a raid battle, is usually difficult to defeat with one player character, and can be defeated by fighting in cooperation with one or more other player characters (hereinafter referred to as friends) who are registered in advance with the player. As an example of a method of cooperation, when a certain player character encounters a raid boss, the player character requests support from other player characters (friends), and attacks the raid boss asynchronously within a preset certain time together with the other player characters who respond to the request. Note that the normal scenario of a game is a quest, and when a raid boss is encountered, the scenario branches and a raid battle is performed. When an enemy character is defeated in a raid battle, all of the player characters who participated in the battle can obtain various items corresponding to the defeated enemy character.

Furthermore, the player character can execute various events that can only be executed in a raid battle according to the accumulated amount (charge amount) of points that the player character has received in advance from other players who are friends. As this event, for example, the player character can attack an enemy character in a raid battle with a power according to the charge amount of points. As another example of an event, the defensive power of the player character who executed the event and other player characters who are participating in the raid battle together with the player character in a cooperative relationship can be increased. There are various other possible events, and any event may be possible as long as multiple player characters who are fighting against the same enemy character in one raid battle can share benefits. Note that the player character can provide points to other player characters at a predetermined timing during the game. For example, by making it possible to perform the provision at any timing before the start of the raid battle, it is possible to build a relationship between players before the start of the raid battle.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 3, the friend management program 112 is a program that manages the registration of friends of each player. Specifically, the friend management program 112 includes, for example,
When a friend request for player character B is accepted from the terminal device 20 controlling player character A, the friend management program 112 transmits information about the friend request to the terminal device 20 controlling player character B. When the friend management program 112 subsequently receives an instruction to approve the friend request from the terminal device 20 controlling player character B, it registers the relationship between player character A and player character B as friends, and stores the registered friend information in the database 120. Furthermore, when the friend management program 112 receives an instruction to delete the friend registration from the terminal device 20, it updates the information stored in the database 120 to delete the friend registration.

FIG. 5A shows an example of information of friends registered for a player among the information stored in the database 120. In this example, the information of friends includes identification information (player ID) of the player who operates the player character and identification information (friends 1 to 4) of each of the multiple players registered as friends of the player. The number of friends that can be registered for one player can be set arbitrarily. For example, the number of friends that can be registered for the player may be set according to the player's level (a value that is added according to the enemy characters that have been defeated and the amount of game play, etc.). For example, the number of friends that can be registered may be increased as the player's level increases. The player's level increases as the game progresses according to a preset rule.

The point management program 113 is a program that manages points provided to and accumulated by each player in a game in response to instructions from other players. Note that points may be provided to and accumulated by each player (hereinafter the same). The point management program 113 manages the accumulated amount (charge amount) of points provided to each player.
The information is stored in the database 120. Note that a player can only give points to players who are friends. The amount of points that a player can give to a friend within a predetermined period of time and the amount of the provided points that can be accumulated are limited within a predetermined value. The value of this limit (upper limit) can be set according to, for example, the experience level of the player. Furthermore, the number of points that a player can give to one friend within a predetermined period of time is also limited to a predetermined amount.

An example of the provision of points between players managed by the point management program 113 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. As shown in the figure, for example, when a player is at level 10, it can be set so that 30 points can be provided to friends per day.
A player may be set to be able to provide one point to one friend per day. In this case, a certain player may be able to provide 30 points to friends per day, meaning that the player may be able to provide points to 30 friends per day.

5B shows an example of information on the amount of charge points stored in association with player information, among the information stored in the database 120. In this example, the player information includes identification information (player ID) of the player who operates the player character, information on the player's level (level), the amount of charge points held by the player (point charge amount), the upper limit of points that can be held (point charge upper limit), and the upper limit of the number of points that the player can give to friends within a given period (e.g., one day) (points given upper limit).
, including the upper limit of the number of other players who can be registered as friends (friend limit).
It is preferable that the maximum points granted be set lower than the maximum points granted to friends. By setting the maximum points granted in this way, a player can grant points to only a portion of his/her friends, but not all of them.
This means that points can only be awarded to a select few, which increases the value of the points.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 3, the event execution control program 114 is a program that controls the execution of an event according to the points accumulated for the character of a player in a battle (raid battle) between a group of characters of multiple players and an enemy character in response to an instruction from the player via the terminal device 20. Specifically, the event execution control program 114 controls the execution of an event according to the points accumulated for the character of the player by referring to the point information stored in the database 120 when an instruction is received from one of the players participating in the raid battle. In addition, the event may be restricted so that it can be executed when the accumulated amount of points is a predetermined value (for example, 5 points) or more. When the event is executed, all (or a part) of the accumulated points are lost. In addition, the event may be executed when the accumulated amount of points is a predetermined value or more, and the size of the event may change according to the amount of points added from the predetermined value. That is, the size of the event (parameters such as attack power) in the case of 5 points is smaller than the size of the event in the case of 6 points. By configuring in this way, it is possible to improve the motivation to collect points.

As an example of an event, as described above, the player's character can launch an attack against an enemy character in a raid battle with a power that corresponds to the amount of points charged.
That is, the more points charged, the more powerful the attack that can be made against the enemy character. As another example of an event, the defensive power or damage recovery of the character of the player who performed the event and the characters of other players who are participating in the raid battle in a cooperative relationship with the character of the player who performed the event can be increased. Various other types of events are possible, and any type may be used as long as the characters of multiple players who are fighting against the same enemy character in a single raid battle can share the benefits.

In this way, the event execution control program 114 controls the execution of events that can only be executed in raid battles, and therefore can motivate the player to play in raid battles. In other words, even if the player encounters a strong enemy that he or she cannot defeat alone,
The more frequently a player interacts with friends before the encounter (i.e., if a player has obtained many points from friends), the higher the probability of defeating the enemy character increases in proportion to the frequency of the interaction, which leads to increased motivation to challenge the raid battle and further ensures the player's desire to continue playing the game and to conquer it. In addition, by configuring the game in this way, players can play while keeping track of the points acquired by other players, and multiple players can pool their accumulated points to challenge the enemy character, providing all players with a method for obtaining good results (successful defeat) more efficiently.

Furthermore, because the results of the event are shared among all players participating in the raid, players are more motivated to provide points to their friends. As a result, exchanges between players are activated by providing points. In addition, by associating the frequency of such exchanges between players with the results and rewards that can be shared between players, it is possible to improve the sense of unity between players more than in the conventional specification of simply participating in a raid.

The database 120 stores information necessary for the above-mentioned processing executed in the server device 10,
The database 120 stores various information, such as the information generated by the process.
For example, the above-mentioned point information and friend information are stored.

Next, an example of a process flow related to an event executed in the server device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. Each process step included in the process flow described below is as follows:
As long as there is no inconsistency in the processing contents, the steps can be executed in any order or in parallel, and other steps can be added between each processing step. In addition, a step described as one step for convenience can be executed in multiple steps,
What is described as being divided into multiple steps for convenience can be understood as being one step.

First, in step S11, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the player has encountered a raid boss while playing a quest, and if it is determined that an encounter has occurred, processing of the raid battle begins, and the process proceeds to step S12.

In step S12, the control unit 11 judges whether or not the player can execute the event. In order to judge whether or not the event can be executed, the control unit 11, for example, refers to the charge amount of points stored in association with the player information stored in the database 120, and judges that the event can be executed if the charge amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, 5 points). If it is judged that the event cannot be executed (No in step S12), the process ends, and if it is judged that the event can be executed (Y in step S12), the process ends.
es), and the process proceeds to step S13.

In this way, because an event cannot be executed unless the amount of points charged is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, players come to recognize points as important. Therefore, players will feel good toward other players who have given them points, and may be tempted to give points to those players as well. As a result, interactions between players will be stimulated.

In step S13, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the player has instructed, via the terminal device 20, to execute an event.

If an instruction to execute an event is given (Yes in step S13), the control unit 11 executes an event according to the points (charge amount) accumulated for the player's character (step S14). After the event is executed, the process ends. If an instruction to execute an event is not given (No in step S13), the process proceeds to step S15.

In step S15, the control unit 11 determines whether the match has ended. If the match has not ended (No in step S15), the process proceeds to step S13. If the match has ended (Yes in step S15), the process ends. Details of the event are as described above.

As described above, according to this embodiment, events that can only be executed in raid battles are provided, which is expected to promote raid battle play and stimulate interaction between players in the game.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since an event cannot be executed unless the amount of charge of points is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (or, if the amount of charge of points is low, the effect of executing an event is low), it is believed that players will recognize points as important. Therefore, players will develop feelings for other players who have given them points, and may be willing to give points to those players as well. As a result, a relationship of trust (human relationship) can be built between players by exchanging points. If a human relationship is built, a player who notices a friend performing a raid battle may join the raid battle to cooperate with the friend, and execute an event, thereby activating interactions between players.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the results of the execution of the event are shared among all players participating in the raid battle. For example, an attack on a raid boss as an event is
This benefits all players participating in the raid battle. By sharing the results of the event execution among the players participating in the raid battle in this way, a sense of camaraderie is created among the players, and interaction between the players can be stimulated.

Furthermore, because the results of the event are shared among all players participating in the raid, players are more motivated to provide points to their friends, which in turn stimulates interaction between players through the provision of points.

[Configuration and operation of terminal device]
An example of a schematic configuration of the terminal device 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The terminal device 20 mainly includes a control unit 21, a communication unit 24, a storage unit 25, a display unit 26, and an operation unit 27.
The control unit 21 mainly comprises a CPU 22 and a memory 23 .

The terminal device 20 may be an information terminal such as a mobile phone (including a smartphone), a tablet terminal, or a personal computer.
The CPU 22 executes various programs stored in the memory 23 and the like, thereby functioning as a means for implementing various functions.

In the control unit 21, the CPU 22 loads a program stored in the storage unit 25 or the like into the memory 23 and executes it to control the operation of various components of the terminal device 20 and also controls the execution of various processes. Examples of the processes executed in the control unit 21 will be described later.

The communication unit 24 is a communication interface for communicating with other information processing devices via the network N. The communication unit 24 transmits and receives, for example, game information or user operation information.

The storage unit 25 is configured with a storage device such as a hard disk. The storage unit 25 stores various programs and various information required for the control unit 21 to execute processes.
For example, the game control program 251 is stored in the game control program 251.
is a program for carrying out processing to control the progress of the game in accordance with the operation of the terminal device 20 by the game player and a preset game flow.

The display unit 26 is a display device that displays various information such as the results of processing by the control unit 21 .
The display unit 26 is configured using materials such as liquid crystal or organic EL.

The operation unit 27 is a user interface for accepting operations on the terminal device 20. The operation unit 27 is composed of input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, operation keys, a touch panel, and a stylus.

Next, the operation of the terminal device 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 9 to FIG.
FIG. 9 shows an example of an operation screen displayed on the display unit 26 of the terminal device 20 when the player checks the amount of points charged and when giving points to a friend. In the example of FIG. 9, the upper row (91) displays the amount of points charged by the player, and the lower row (92) displays the point giving status to players who are friends of the player. As shown in the upper row, a total of 10 icons indicating the charge amount (93) are displayed, indicating that the upper limit of the charge amount of points is 10. Also, icons with inverted colors (
9) indicates the current charge amount, and in the example of FIG. 9, the charge amount is shown to be 6. One of the icons (931) indicating the charge amount may indicate one point from a friend, or may correspond to a predetermined number of points. The upper limit of the charge amount may be proportional to the number of friends of the player. In this example, the icon of the charge amount of points is displayed, but the way of displaying the charge amount is not limited to this form, and may be another display form such as a meter. In addition, although not shown in FIG. 9, an indication of whether or not the event can be executed may be added together with the display of the point charge amount. In other words, if the charge amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is displayed that the event is executed. In addition, parameters related to the event may be displayed together with the display of the point charge amount. For example, if an attack is performed as an event, a parameter of the attack power may be displayed.

As shown in the lower row (92), a list (94) of the player's character's friends is displayed, and points can be given to a friend by tapping an icon (95) displayed next to each friend list. In addition, a status display (96) is displayed for each friend, showing whether points can be given (sent) or not (sent).
In addition, when the status display (96) indicates that points cannot be awarded, the icon is grayed out or hidden, making it impossible to instruct points to be awarded. The player can refer to this display and use the operation unit 27 of the terminal device 20 to
An instruction can be given to give points to friends who are able to give points.

10 shows a screen displayed on the display unit 26 of the terminal device 20 when a player performs an attack (hereinafter referred to as a Friend Bomb) as an event against a raid boss in a raid battle. When the amount of points accumulated for a player is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., 5 points), a predetermined display is displayed on the player's play screen indicating that a Friend Bomb can be performed during a raid battle. In this example, a "Friend Bomb" button for performing a Friend Bomb is displayed. The player can tap this button, etc.
By instructing the server device 10 to execute a friend bomb via the operation unit 27, a friend bomb of a power according to the accumulated points can be fired at the raid boss. When the instruction to fire is given, the friend bomb is fired at the raid boss as shown in Figure 11. That is, Figure 11 shows an example of a screen that displays the results of the execution of the event.

The IDs (or nicknames, etc.) of other players who have given points to the player may be displayed on the display unit 26. In this way, the player can visually understand which player is responsible for enabling the player to execute the event.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various other forms without departing from the scope of the present invention. The above-described embodiment is merely illustrative in all respects and should not be construed as being restrictive.

1 Game system, 10 Server device, 11, 21 Control unit, 12, 22 CPU,
13, 23 memory, 14, 24 communication unit, 15, 25 storage unit, 16, 26 display unit,
17, 27 Operation unit, 20 Terminal device

Claims (13)

A game control program for providing a game in which a player can cooperate with another player to play against another player,
One or more computers,
a first control means for accumulating in the player game elements provided to the player by the other players before the start of the match;
a second control means for causing a display to display a screen including information indicating an amount of game elements that have been granted to the player by the other players and accumulated in the player;
and a third control means capable of executing a predetermined event when the amount of game elements accumulated by the player is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The game control program according to claim 1, wherein the amount of game elements that can be given to the player by the other player within a predetermined period of time is within a first predetermined amount range set for the player. The game control program according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the amount of game elements that can be given to the player by the other player within a predetermined period of time is within a range of a second predetermined amount set for the other player. The game control program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the other player has a predetermined relationship with the player. The game control program according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the player can request support from the other players during the match. The game control program according to claim 5, wherein the other players can cooperate in the match in response to a request for support from the player. The second control means is
7. A game control program as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, which displays on a display a screen including information indicating the amount of game elements that can be granted to the player by the other players, information indicating the amount of game elements that have been granted to the player by the other players and accumulated in the player, and information indicating other players to which the player can grant game elements. The game control program includes:
The one or more computers,
8. The game control program according to claim 1, further comprising: a fourth control means for causing a display to display a screen on which information related to the predetermined event can be recognized. 9. The game control program according to claim 8, wherein the information relating to the predetermined event includes information as to whether the predetermined event is executable. The game control program according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the information about the specified event includes parameters about the specified event. The game control program includes:
The one or more computers,
11. The game control program according to claim 1, further comprising: a fifth control means for causing a display to display a screen on which information of other players who have given the game element to the player can be recognized. A game control system for providing a game in which a player can cooperate with another player to play against another player, comprising:
a first control means for accumulating in the player game elements provided to the player by the other players before the start of the match;
a second control means for causing a display to display a screen including information indicating an amount of game elements that have been granted to the player by the other players and accumulated in the player;
and a third control means capable of executing a predetermined event when the amount of game elements accumulated by the player is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. A game control method for providing a game in which a player can cooperate with another player to play a match, comprising:
On one or more computers,
accumulating in the player game elements provided to the player by the other players before the start of the match;
displaying on a display a screen including information indicating an amount of game elements that have been granted to the player by the other players and accumulated in the player;
a predetermined event can be executed when the amount of game elements accumulated by the player is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; and