JP7707224B2 - Information processing method, program, and information processing system - Google Patents

Description

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

Patent Literature 1 discloses a game device that progresses through a game by moving a first character based on an instruction input from a player and moving a second character based on the content of the instruction input corrected by a correction unit, where the second character moves as a virtual character obtained by correcting the movement of the first character.

According to the game device disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is possible to select a second character as a cooperation partner or a competition partner in the same game as a first character that acts based on an instruction input from a player. In this case, the second character acts based on the contents of the instruction input from the player to the first character that are modified. Therefore, the second character does not simply reproduce the instruction input from the player to the first character, but can act in a way that the player himself does not expect, so that the player can enjoy cooperation play or competition play with the second character.

Patent No. 5346850

In Patent Document 1, which is configured to modify the contents of an instruction input from a player who operates a first character to cause a second character (virtual character), for example, in an action game (e.g., a dance game, a racing game, a fighting game, etc.) in which a character is moved according to an instruction input from a player, it is possible to execute a cooperative play or a battle play with a virtual character. However, Patent Document 1 does not provide a means for moving a character based on information about the character (e.g., the type of character, attributes, experience level, equipment possessed, etc.). Therefore, Patent Document 1 does not allow a virtual character to be moved based on that information, and therefore, for example, in a role-playing game in which a character is moved based on that information, it is not possible to execute a cooperative play or a battle play with a virtual character.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing method and the like that is capable of generating and operating an auxiliary character based on character information.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a computer-based information processing method is provided, which includes the steps of storing character information for a character operating within a game application at at least one point in time, selecting one piece of character information from the stored character information, and generating an auxiliary character based on the selected character information and operating it within the game application.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention can emerge from the following description and the accompanying drawings, given by way of example and non-exhaustively.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing method and the like that is capable of generating and operating an auxiliary character based on character information.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the server device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure relating to an owned character according to an embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure for storing character information in a character information storage unit; FIG. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the player terminal shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a basic operation of the system according to the present embodiment.

The present invention will be described below with reference to the preferred embodiments.
[Item 1]
storing character information at least at one time for a character operating within the game application;
selecting one piece of character information from the stored character information;
generating an auxiliary character based on the selected character information and causing the auxiliary character to operate within the game application;
A method for processing information by a computer, comprising:
[Item 2]
2. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the step of storing includes limiting the number of pieces of character information that can be stored to a specific number.
[Item 3]
3. The information processing method according to item 1 or 2, wherein the storing step includes storing only character information of the character that has been used a predetermined number of times or more within the game application.
[Item 4]
The selecting step includes selecting the one piece of character information from the stored character information in accordance with an input operation input to the player terminal.
4. The information processing method according to any one of claims 3 to 3.
[Item 5]
4. The information processing method according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the selecting step includes randomly selecting the one piece of character information by the computer from the stored character information.
[Item 6]
4. The information processing method according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the selecting step includes limiting the selectable character information depending on conditions occurring within the game application.
[Item 7]
Any of items 1 to 3, wherein the selecting step includes making it possible to select only character information of the character that has been used a predetermined number of times or more in the game application.
2. The information processing method according to claim 1.
[Item 8]
4. The information processing method according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the selecting step includes limiting the selectable character information according to an amount of time that has elapsed since the date and time when the character information was recorded.
[Item 9]
A program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method,
The information processing method includes:
storing character information at least at one time for one or more characters operating within the game application;
selecting one piece of character information from the stored character information;
generating an auxiliary character based on the selected character information and causing the auxiliary character to operate within the game application;
Including, the program.
[Item 10]
An information processing system having a control unit and a storage unit,
The control unit is
storing character information of one or more characters operating within the game application at at least one point in time in the storage unit;
selecting one piece of character information from the character information stored in the storage unit;
generating an auxiliary character based on the selected character information and operating the auxiliary character within the game application;
An information processing system configured to execute the

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

<Outline of this embodiment>
The game system in this embodiment relates to a mechanism that enables the server device 1 to generate and operate an auxiliary character based on information about the character in the game application (e.g., the character's type, attributes, experience level, equipment possessed, etc., described in detail below). Below, the configuration and basic operation example of the game system in this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration>
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, this game system provides various services related to games to players (hereinafter also referred to as "users") via a network 3 (e.g., the Internet, etc.), and has a server device 1 and a plurality of player terminals 2.

<Configuration of Server Device 1>
Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server device 1 shown in Fig. 1. The server device 1 is an information processing device used by a system administrator or the like when operating and managing various services, and may be, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing technology.

The server device 1 has a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an input unit 13, a display unit 14, and a communication unit 15. When the server device 1 receives various commands (requests) from the player terminal 2 via the communication unit 15, the control unit 11 executes processing according to a game program, and the processing results of the game program (e.g., game images, game sounds, etc.) are transmitted to the player terminal 2. Note that a part of the game program may be transmitted to the player terminal 2 and executed on the player terminal 2.

The control unit 11 transfers data between the various units and controls the entire server device 1. The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU.
The control unit 11 is configured to operate so as to realize the processes and functions performed by the server device 1 as described with reference to FIG. 6 and the like. The control unit 11 in this embodiment includes at least a game execution unit 111 and an operation information receiving unit 11
2. The processing result generating unit 113 and the character information processing unit 114 are provided.

The game execution unit 111 has a function of executing a process to progress the game according to a game program. The game to be played by the game system in this embodiment may be any type of game, for example, a battle game, a puzzle game, an action game, a baseball game,
It may be a soccer game, other sports game, quiz game, pinball game, card game, rhythm game, RPG, or the like.

The operation information receiving unit 112 receives operation information transmitted from the player terminal 2. The received operation information is used as instruction information for the game executing unit 111 to process the game program.

The processing result generation unit 113 has a function of executing a process of generating a processing result of the game program executed by the game execution unit 111. The generated processing result is transmitted by the processing result generation unit 113 to the player terminal 2 and output by the output unit 24 described below.

The character information processing unit 114 is configured to save (store) information of a character at a certain time point (hereinafter also referred to as "character information") used in a game application executed on the player terminal 2 in a character information storage unit 124 of the storage unit 12 described later. The character information processing unit 114 may store the character information of the character in the character information storage unit 124 at any timing during the execution of the game program by the game execution unit 111, or may store the character information in the character information storage unit 124 at the timing when a part of the character information is updated. The any timing may be, for example, a timing corresponding to the progress of the game program, or may be a timing when the user executes a save operation. The character information processing unit 114 further stores a save time, such as time information at the time when the character information is stored in the character information storage unit 124, in the character information storage unit 124 in a state associated with the character information. The character to be saved may be a specific character, and whether or not it is a target may be managed by character identification information. The number of times that saving is possible may be a predetermined number set in advance, or may be increased depending on the progress of the game program, the use of an item to increase the number of times, etc. Alternatively, the number of characters that can be saved may be set in advance, and the number of characters that can be saved may increase each time a save operation is performed, and saving is restricted when the number of characters reaches the set number, and the number of characters that can be saved may be decreased when an operation to release the saved state is performed. The number of characters that can be saved may be increased depending on the progress of the game program, the use of an item to increase the number of times, etc.

In addition to the character information of the character associated with the user ID of a certain user, the character information processing unit 114 also stores the user ID of one or more other users different from the certain user.
D is also stored in the character information storage unit 124 of the storage unit 12. In other words, the character information processing unit 114 stores character information in association with each of the user IDs of one or more users.

Furthermore, the character information processing unit 114 selects character information used to generate an auxiliary character from the character information stored in the character information storage unit 124 of the storage unit 12. The character information processing unit 114 is configured to, for example, select character information in response to a user input via the player terminal 2, automatically select character information at random, or automatically select character information in response to the status of the game program being executed by the game execution unit 111, or release (open) restrictions on strong character information with excellent various parameters to enable selection in response to a user input. Automatic selection of character information according to the game program status may be configured to automatically select strong character information with at least one of various parameter values superior to the other based on, for example, correspondence information between information on the game program status and the character availability conditions (for example, a reference game progress status, acquisition status of a specific item, the number of predetermined (specific) companion characters, the number of in-game tasks accomplished, the cumulative number of times/frequency of use of a predetermined (specific) character, etc.) based on the correspondence information between the information on the game program status and the character availability conditions (for example, a reference game progress status, acquisition status of a specific item, the number of predetermined companion characters, the number of in-game tasks (so-called missions, etc.) accomplished, the cumulative number of times/frequency of use of a predetermined (specific) character, etc.). The same may be configured for lifting restrictions to enable selection according to user input. The selection of character information by the character information processing unit 114 can be performed from character information of a character associated with a certain user's own user ID, and further, under certain conditions, character information associated with another user ID may be automatically selected.
It is also possible to select from the character information of the character associated with the character. The values of various parameters are excellent, for example, in terms of level, rarity, HP (current value/maximum value),
This refers to a high level of attack power (current value / maximum value), defense power (current value / maximum value), etc.

The storage unit 12 includes a non-volatile storage device that is a read-only storage area in which the system program is stored, and a volatile storage device that is a rewritable storage area used as a work area for the arithmetic processing by the control unit 11. The non-volatile storage device is, for example, a ROM (Re
The volatile storage device is realized by a RAM (Random Access Memory), a VR (Variable Only Memory), a flash memory, a hard disk, etc.
The storage unit 12 is realized by a video random access memory (AM) or the like. The storage unit 12 stores a program that causes the control unit 11 to execute the processing performed by the server device 1, which will be described with reference to Fig. 6 etc. The storage unit 12 in this embodiment has various storage units, such as at least a game information storage unit 121, a player information storage unit 122, a game medium information storage unit 123, a character information storage unit 124, and the like.

The game information storage unit 121 stores information about the game. The game information is configured appropriately depending on the type of game. For example, in the case of a game including a quest game, the game information includes a stage name, enemy character information, consumed stamina information, etc., linked to a stage ID.

The player information storage unit 122 stores information about the player. The player information includes:
Linked to the player ID, the information may include the player's name, player level, current stamina information, upper limit stamina information, play stage information, payment method, various setting information, and other information relating to the player and the game play situation. Current stamina information is information indicating the numerical value of the player's stamina that can currently be consumed. Upper limit stamina information is information indicating the upper limit value at which stamina is restored after each predetermined time has elapsed, or in response to the use of an item or the use of a character's special ability. Play stage information is information relating to a stage that the player has played out of the multiple stages that have been set, and may include the number of times the stage has been played, clear information, and the like. The various setting information may include, for example, automatic progression setting information, and when the automatic progression setting information is on, the player may use the player terminal 2 to
You can proceed with the events described below without operating through the

The game medium information storage unit 123 stores game medium information such as characters and items owned by the player. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of information on owned characters in the game medium information storage unit 123. The owned character information can include various parameter values such as acquisition date and time, character name, nickname (particularly one set by the player), skin, equipment (weapons, armor, etc.), level, rarity, HP (current value/maximum value), attribute, skill, attack power (current value/maximum value), defense power (current value/maximum value), cumulative number of uses, and frequency of use, in association with the ID of each owned character. The acquisition date and time is information regarding the date and time when the character is granted to the player by the progress of the game or the execution of a lottery. The rarity is information regarding the probability of the character winning, for example, in a lottery game. The HP, attack power, and defense power can include the value of the "maximum value" when the character is raised to the maximum level, in addition to the "current value" which is the current value. The attribute is a classification indicating the strength of the character, such as fire attribute, water attribute, or wind attribute in a battle game, or a classification indicating the team or position to which the character belongs in a sports game, or other setting information related to the classification of the character. The skill is information such as a special skill that the character can use. The cumulative number of uses is information regarding the number of times the player has selected or used the character in the past. The frequency of use is information regarding the frequency of the player selecting or using the character in the past. The frequency of use may be calculated over the entire period since the player started the game, or over any period such as a recent predetermined period (e.g., several months, several weeks, or several days). In addition to the owned character, the game medium information may include information regarding the owned items. The owned item information may include information such as the number of owned items in association with the ID of the owned item. Note that the server device 1 only needs to store the game information, player information, and information contained in the game medium information in a predetermined structure as a storage unit, and does not necessarily need to store the information as each of the storage units 121 to 124 as described above.

The character information storage unit 124 stores the character information saved by the character information processing unit 114. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure for storing character information in the character information storage unit 124.

As shown in Fig. 4, the character information storage unit 124 stores one or more pieces of character information for each user ID of each user of the game program executed by the game execution unit 111. As with the example of the configuration of information on owned characters shown in Fig. 3, each piece of character information is stored in the character information storage unit 124 in association with a character ID assigned by the character information processing unit 114. The character information includes, in association with each character ID, a save time, a character name, a nickname (particularly one set by the player), etc.
, Skin, Equipment (weapons, armor, etc.), Level, Rarity, HP (current value/maximum value),
The values of various parameters such as attributes, skills, attack power (current value/maximum value), defense power (current value/maximum value), frequency of use, etc. are included.
The information is information about the time when the character was saved (stored) in the character information storage unit 124 by the user (e.g., the date, time, or the number of days elapsed from the present). The information includes the level, rarity, HP (current value/maximum value), attributes, skills, attack power (current value/maximum value), defense power (
The contents of various parameters such as the current value/maximum value, frequency of use, etc. are the same as those described above with reference to FIG.

Among the character information stored in the character information storage unit 124 in association with each character ID, the character name, nickname (particularly one set by the player), skin, equipment (weapons, armor, etc.), level, rarity, HP (current value/maximum value), attributes, skills,
At least some of the parameters such as attack power (current value/maximum value), defense power (current value/maximum value), and frequency of use can be stored in the character information storage unit 124 in such a manner that the values of those parameters stored in the game medium information storage unit 123 for the original character to be saved by the character information processing unit 114 are copied. Alternatively, the character information processing unit 114 may store reference information (e.g., only a character ID, etc.) for referencing those parameter values of the original character stored in the game medium information storage unit 123, rather than storing those parameter values themselves of the original character. Furthermore, the character information processing unit 114 may store the parameter values themselves for some of the multiple parameters of the original character, and store reference information for referencing the parameter values stored in the game medium information storage unit 123 for the other parameters. More specifically, for example, when used as an auxiliary character, the parameters may be read out so as to reflect the parameters as they were at the time of saving, or the attributes, skills, rarity, etc. may be read out so as to reflect the parameters as they were at the time of storing,
HP, attack power, defense power, etc. may be read out so as to reflect the necessary parameters to become the current parameters (or the inverse setting).

The input unit 13 allows the system administrator to input various data relating to the game service (for example, game information, etc.), and is realized by, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like.

The display unit 14 is for displaying an operation screen for a system administrator based on an instruction from the control unit 11, and is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD).
This is realized by a display such as a 3D Display.

The communication unit 15 is for communicating with the player terminal 2 via the network 3, and has a function as a receiving unit that receives various data, signals, and commands transmitted from the player terminal 2, and a function as a transmitting unit that transmits various data and signals to the player terminal 2 in response to commands from the control unit 11. The communication unit 15 communicates, for example, with HTTP (HyperText
Transfer Protocol), HTTPS, WebSocket, P2P (
The game device communicates with the player terminal 2 via a Peer To Peer protocol or the like.

<Player Terminal 2>
5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the player terminal 2 shown in FIG. 1. The player terminal 2 is an information processing device (e.g., a computer device such as a smartphone, a mobile phone terminal, a tablet terminal, etc.) that can be owned and used by a player. The player terminal 2 can output (e.g., game screen display, game sound output, etc.) the processing result of the game program transmitted from the server device 1 via a game application or a Web browser. The player terminal 2 has a control unit 21 that controls the entire player terminal 2, a storage unit 22 that stores various data and programs, an input unit 23 for the player to input operations, an output unit 24 that outputs a game screen, an operation screen, etc., and a communication unit 25 that communicates information with the server device 1.

The control unit 21 controls the overall operation of the player terminal 2 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 22, and is composed of a CPU, a GPU, etc. The control unit 22 in this embodiment is configured to operate so as to realize the processes and functions performed by the player terminal 2 as described with reference to Fig. 6 etc.

The storage unit 22 stores programs for executing various control processes and functions in the control unit 21, input data, and the like, and may be implemented in a RAM, ROM, flash memory, HDD, SSD, or the like.
, other storage, etc., or any combination thereof.
Furthermore, the storage unit 22 temporarily stores the contents of communication with the server device 1. The storage unit 22 in this embodiment stores a program that causes the control unit 22 to execute the processing performed by the player terminal 2, which will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and the like.

The control unit 21 of this embodiment includes at least an operation information receiving unit 211 and a game operation unit 212.
, and a processing result receiving unit 213. The storage unit 22 also includes at least a game operation information storage unit 221 and a layout information storage unit 222. The layout information storage unit 222 stores information regarding the layout of the configuration arranged on each screen of the game. Each functional unit of the control unit 21 executes the programs stored in the memory and the game operation information storage unit 221 by using the CPU, GP, etc.
This can be realized by U executing it.

The operation information receiving unit 211 receives operations related to the game performed by the player using the input unit 23. The operation information receiving unit 211 then transmits the received operation information to the game operation unit 212.
Or, it outputs it to the server device 1 .

The game operation unit 212 executes processes for operating a game application.
The game operation unit 212 starts and operates the game based on game software included in the game operation information stored in the game operation information storage unit 221 and the player's operation input from the input unit 23. The game operation unit 212 generates images for the game from image data included in the game operation information in accordance with the operation of the game, and performs control processing for outputting the generated images to the output unit 24. Similarly, the game operation unit 212 generates music and sounds for the game from music data and sound data included in the game operation information in accordance with the operation of the game, and performs control processing for outputting the generated music and sounds from the output unit 24. Note that, here, a configuration has been described in which a native application executes some of the functions of a Web application, i.e., the game operation unit 212 of the player terminal 2 executes some of the functions of the processing result generation unit 113 of the server device 1, but as will be described later, a configuration may be described in which the processing result generation unit 113 does not include the game operation unit 212 and the native application executes some of the functions of the Web application.
The game control unit 13 may be configured to generate all game images and sounds as a processing result, or the game operation unit 212 may be configured to generate all game images and sounds.

When the game operation unit 212 is included, predetermined parameters in the game operated by the game operation unit 212 are managed by the server device 1. For example, parameters such as stamina and in-game currency in the game are managed by the server device 1. Therefore, when a process occurs in the game that involves changes in these predetermined parameters, the game operation unit 212 updates the parameters managed by the server device 1 by communicating with the server device 1. The game operation unit 212 then receives the updated parameters from the server device 1 and continues the operation of the game based on the updated parameters.

If the server device 1 has a processing result generation unit 113 , the processing result receiving unit 213 operates to receive the processing result generated and transmitted by the processing result generation unit 113 and output it to the player via the output unit 24 .

The layout information storage unit 222 may be provided in the server device 1 instead of the player terminal 2, or may be provided in different hardware configurations (for example, the server device 1 and the player terminal 2).

<Basic operation example>
Next, an example of the basic operation of the game system in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

Figure 6 is a flow diagram that explains an example of the basic operation of the system in this embodiment.

(Step S1)
In step S<b>1 , the character information processing unit 114 of the server device 1 stores, in the character information storage unit 124 , character information at a certain point in time of a character used in a game application being executed on the player terminal 2 .

The character information processing unit 114 saves character information on characters used in a game application executed by a user on the player terminal 2 in the character information storage unit 124. Here, the characters used in a game application executed by a user on the player terminal 2 include characters owned by the user himself playing the game application on the player terminal 2, as well as characters owned by other users playing together in the game application. In addition to saving individual characters, information on a group of multiple characters set by a user may be saved together (i.e., saved by deck, squad, team, party, etc.). Note that the use of a dedicated item may be a condition for storing a character.

The character information saving operation by the character information processing unit 114 can be executed at the following times (timings), for example.
1) Any one or more points in time after the user begins to use the character within a game application running on the player terminal 2.
2) A point in time when a predetermined time has elapsed since the user started using the character in the game application being executed on the player terminal 2. For example, a point in time when a predetermined time (e.g., one hour) has elapsed since the user started using the character, or every time a predetermined time has elapsed since the user started using the character, etc.
Or multiple points in time.
3) The time when the user inputs an instruction for a recording operation via the input unit 23 of the player terminal 2.
4) The point in time when information about the character is updated within the game application being executed by the user on the player terminal 2. For example, at one or more points in time when the character's level, HP, frequency of use, etc., reaches a predetermined value or clears a predetermined value range.

The above-mentioned timings for saving character information are merely examples, and the timings for the character information processing unit 114 to save character information in the character information storage unit 124 are not limited to these. Furthermore, the aspect of the timing for saving character information is not limited to one of the above-mentioned examples, and may be any combination of them. For example, in addition to saving character information every time a predetermined time elapses as in 2) above, character information may be saved in accordance with a user operation as in 3) above. Furthermore, when a user gives up a character by discarding, selling, disbanding, or the like after saving character information, the save information for the character may be deleted from the character information storage unit 124, or conversely, it may not be deleted.

As described with reference to Fig. 4, the character information storage unit 124 stores one or more pieces of character information associated with the user ID for each of multiple users. The character information stored in the character information storage unit 124 may include character information for multiple different characters, or character information for the same character at multiple different points in time. Each piece of character information is assigned a unique character ID by the character information processing unit 114 as shown in Fig. 4. Each piece of character information includes "save date and time" information that indicates the date and time when the character information was stored in the character information storage unit 124.

The character information processing unit 114 can store the character information for all characters owned by each user (all characters associated with the user ID of each user as shown in FIG. 3) in the character information storage unit 124 .

The character information processing unit 114 may be configured to store only character information in which the values of some parameters included in the character information exceed a predetermined value in the character information storage unit 124. For example, only character information in which any of parameters such as the character level, rarity, and frequency of use is equal to or greater than a predetermined value is stored in the character information storage unit 124.
In this case, only the character information of characters whose level or rarity is higher than a predetermined value or characters that have been used many times by the user may be stored in the character information storage unit 124.

Furthermore, a limit may be placed on the number of pieces of character information that can be stored in association with each user ID. The limit on the number of pieces of character information can be set, for example, by setting the number of characters that each user can save (the so-called "character slots" or the number of party members in a role-playing game) to a predetermined number in the character information processing unit 114.

(Step S2)
In step S2, the character information processing unit 114 stores the character information in the character information storage unit 124.
The character information to be used in the game application being played by the user on the player terminal 2 is selected from the character information stored in the game application. The selected character information may be a group of character information saved collectively as described above. Note that the selection of a character may be made conditional on the use of a dedicated item.

As an example, the character information processing unit 114 of the server device 1 may, for a player terminal 2 that is logged in with a certain user ID and playing a game application,
The server device 1 presents one or more pieces of selectable character information to the user via the communication unit 15 of the server device 1. The character information is transmitted from the communication unit 25 of the player terminal 2 to the output unit 24 of the player terminal 2. A user operating the player terminal 2 performs an input operation to select character information from one or more pieces of character information displayed on the output unit 24 via the input unit 23 of the player terminal 2. This selection input is transmitted from the player terminal 2 to the server device 1, and the character information processing unit 114 executes a process of selecting character information to be used in the game application that the user is playing on the player terminal 2 based on the selection input.

Alternatively, the character information processing unit 114 may be configured to randomly select character information selectable by a user ID from the character information stored in the character information storage unit 124 .

The character information processing unit 114 may also be configured to select character information suitable for the situation of the game application being executed by the game execution unit 111 of the server device 1. A character suitable for the situation of the game application is, for example, a character having skills or attributes that are strong against fire when the scene being played in the game application is a fire stage, and, for example, a character having skills or attributes that compensate for the weaknesses of other characters in the case of a quest-type game application played by a party made up of multiple characters. The character information processing unit 114 selects character information that matches predetermined criteria in response to such various situations of the game application being executed by the game execution unit 111. The character information processing unit 11
Information regarding each of the criteria used by the character information processing unit 114 to select character information can be stored, for example, in the character information storage unit 124 of the storage unit 12 so that the information can be referenced when the character information processing unit 114 selects character information.

The above-mentioned "character information selectable by a certain user ID" is stored in the character information storage unit 124 as shown in FIG. 4 in association with the user ID of a certain user (user A).
In addition to one or more pieces of character information stored in the character information storage unit 124, the character information storage unit 124 includes one or more pieces of character information that are permitted for use by the user ID of user A for part or all of one or more pieces of character information stored in the character information storage unit 124 in association with the user ID of another user (user B).

To explain with a more specific example, the former refers to one or more pieces of character information stored based on a character owned by user A himself, and the latter refers to one or more pieces of character information that user A is permitted to use among one or more pieces of character information stored based on a character owned by user B, a different person from user A. For example, when user A and user B are associated with each other as friends in user management by the server device 1, or when user A and user B are associated with each other based on history information of playing together in a battle or cooperative play within the same game application, user A can select character information from one or more pieces of character information of user B. The association information between these users is stored, for example, in the player information storage unit 1 of the storage unit 12.
22 and the character information processing unit 114 can refer to it. In this way, under user management by the server device 1, the user IDs of other users can be stored in the
The user can select one or more pieces of character information that are permitted to be used for his/her own user ID from among a part or all of one or more pieces of character information stored in the character information storage unit 124 in association with the user. Note that the character information of other users that can be selected is the character owned by the user (however, parameters such as rarity and skills may be different).
Alternatively, the selection may be limited to a certain period of use even if the user does not own the device.

Among the character information stored in the character information storage unit 124 by a certain user, character information that is permitted (or not permitted) to be used by other users can be designated by the user through an operation via the player terminal 2. For example, such designation can be performed by presenting a list of character information stored in the character information storage unit 124 in association with a certain user ID from the server device 1 to the output unit 24 of the player terminal 2 used by the user, and selecting character information that is permitted (or not permitted) to be used by other users from among the list through the input unit 2.
This can be done by specifying the character information by using the command 3. The character information designated as being permitted (or not permitted) for use by other users is stored in the character information storage unit 124 in an associated state with an identifier such as a flag indicating this.

(Step S3)
In step S3, the game execution unit 111 through the character information processing unit 114 generate an auxiliary character based on the character information selected in step S2.

Each character information includes parameter values such as the character's level, rarity, HP, attributes, and skills at the time of the save date and time, as shown in Fig. 4. The game execution unit 111 and the character information processing unit 114 of the control unit 11 generate a support character for that character by recreating the character at the time of the save date and time based on those parameter values. In other words, the generated support character has the same parameter values as the parameter values included in the character information on which it is based.

(Step S4)
In step S4, the game execution unit 111 or the character information processing unit 114 operates the auxiliary character generated in step S3 in the game application being executed. For example, in a quest-based game in which a party made up of a plurality of characters progresses through the game, the auxiliary character operates as one character in the party, and in a game of a genre called real-time strategy (hereinafter referred to as "RTS"), the auxiliary character operates as one character selected and placed by the player. Here, in an RTS game, the player's own character (also called a unit, etc.) to be dispatched against an enemy territory or base is generally appropriately placed, and the character attacks enemy soldiers, artillery batteries, fortresses, and other attack targets, thereby capturing the enemy territory or base one after another to acquire resources and expand the player's power, as a set goal. In an RTS game, after an operation to place a character is performed, the character attacks the nearest attack target from the position where it is placed, and when the attack on the attack target is completed, the character moves to the next nearest attack target and attacks, and this is automatically repeated until attacks on all attack targets in the enemy territory or base are completed.

Auxiliary characters can use their own character information (level, rarity, HP, attributes,
The auxiliary character operates within a game application based on the auxiliary character's character information (e.g., skill), for example, to fight an enemy character within the game application. Alternatively, the auxiliary character may operate as an opponent of the character currently being controlled by the user in a game in which characters battle each other based on their character information.

In this way, according to the game system of the present embodiment, an auxiliary character is generated based on character information selected by the user from one or more pieces of character information stored at a certain time for the user's own character, or from one or more pieces of character information stored at a certain time for the character owned by another user different from the user, which is permitted to be used, and the auxiliary character can be operated in the game application played by the user. Therefore, for example, in a case where the user is required to play together with other players online in the game application played by the user, when the participation of other players is not expected due to some circumstances, the user can select character information as described above from the character information selectable by the user, and have the character information participate in the game application in place of the other players as an auxiliary character, so that the game can proceed as if the user is playing together with the other players. This allows the user to continue playing even if he or she cannot find other players to play with.

Furthermore, by making it possible to select not only one or more pieces of character information stored at a certain point in time for a character owned by a user, but also one or more pieces of character information stored at a certain point in time for a character owned by another user that is permitted for use, the range of choices for selecting appropriate character information for forming a party or defeating an enemy within a game application can be expanded.

Furthermore, when an auxiliary character is made to act as an opponent for the character currently being controlled by the user, the user's past character will be pitted against a current character that has grown since then, making it possible for the user to actually check the degree of growth of the user's current character through the content and results of the match.

[Example]
Various examples of this embodiment will now be described.

In the above-described example of the basic operation, in step S2 in which the character information processing unit 114 selects character information to be used in the game application being played by the user on the player terminal 2 from among the character information stored in the character information storage unit 124, any character information can be selected as long as it is character information selectable by the user ID of the user. In addition to such basic operations, the game system of this embodiment includes the following operations:
Alternatively, restrictions may be placed on the selectable character information.

Example 1
In this embodiment, the frequency of use of the original character of the character information stored in the character information storage unit 124 is a predetermined frequency of use (for example, 100 times of use or a total time of use of 1
The character information of the character can be stored in the character information storage unit 124 only if the character has been used for a certain number of hours (e.g., 00 hours) or more, or, if character information not meeting such a frequency of use is stored in the character information storage unit 124, character information not meeting a predetermined frequency of use cannot be selected.

In this embodiment, the character information processing unit 114 determines whether the character information of the character should be stored in the character information storage unit 124 or can be selected from the character information storage unit 124, based on the usage frequency information of the owned characters shown in FIG. 3, and if it determines that the character information of the character should be stored in the character information storage unit 124 or can be selected from the character information storage unit 124.

As a result, according to this embodiment, it is possible to motivate the user to use a certain character more often in order to use the character as an auxiliary character, and thus to play the game application more often.

Example 2
When multiple pieces of character information for a character at multiple times are stored in the character information storage unit 124, the greater the number of times or the longer the character has been used, the greater the values of at least some of the character's parameters (level, rarity, HP, skills, etc.), so the more recent the character information was recorded in chronological order, the higher the values of at least some of the parameters.
The more times or the longer a character is used, the higher its level, rarity, and HP.
Since the parameter values of the character, such as skills, become higher, the value of the character's strength, etc., also becomes higher. Therefore, the user may be motivated to select and use the most recently stored character information for a certain character.

According to an embodiment of this invention, a means is provided that allows selection of character information stored closer to the present time, depending on the number of times or duration of use of character information stored at a certain time.

In this embodiment, the character information stored in the character information storage unit 124 (see FIG. 4)
Based on the frequency of use information, which is related to the number of times the character information has been selected and used or the total usage time, included in the character information processing unit 114 is configured to determine whether or not a user of a certain user ID can select the character information. The information serving as the criterion for this determination is stored, for example, in the character information storage unit 124. If the frequency of use information satisfies the criterion for this determination, the character information processing unit 114 enables the user of the user ID to select newer character information of the character. As an example, if a criterion of "50 times of use" is set for a certain character, when character information at a certain point in time (e.g., a level value of 50) is used 50 times, the character information processing unit 114 enables the user of the user ID to select newer character information of the character (e.g., a level value of 60).

In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to motivate the user to use more of the currently selectable character information and thus to play the game application more in order to use character information with higher value, such as strength, as an auxiliary character.

Example 3
In the above-described example of the basic operation, it has been described that the character information processing unit 114 can be configured to select character information suitable for the status of the game application being executed by the game execution unit 111 of the server device 1. In the present embodiment, this is further expanded to provide a means for restricting the selection of character information according to the status of the game application, not only in the case of automatic selection by the character information processing unit 114, but also in the case of selection by the user via the player terminal 2.

According to this embodiment, for example, by specifying in advance the attributes of selectable or unselectable character information in the game information stored in the game information storage unit 121, it is possible to restrict or permit the selection of character information depending on the situation of the game application. For example, in the case of a quest game, a stage name,
Since enemy character information, consumed stamina information, etc. may be included in the game information, by including in advance in the game information the attributes of selectable or unselectable character information linked to a stage ID, it is possible to set restrictions on character information that can be selected in a stage related to that stage ID. More specifically, for example, for a wood stage, a restriction on the selection of character information can be set so that character information having a "fire" attribute can be selected or unselectable.

Furthermore, by changing the settings for the restrictions on the character information that can be selected for each stage ID,
For example, it is possible to set it so that as the game progresses (more specifically, as the quest progresses or the stage advances), character information that is used less frequently can be selected.

Example 4
In the above-described basic operation example, any character information stored in the character information storage unit 124 can be selected regardless of when it was recorded.
However, in this case, immediately after storing character information for a character owned by the user in the character information storage unit 124, it is possible to select that character information and operate the auxiliary character in the game. For example, it may become possible to use a copy of a strong character currently being used by the user as an auxiliary character in the game, which may result in a substantial decrease in the difficulty level of the game. This embodiment provides a means for preventing such a situation.

In this embodiment, the character information processing unit 114 is configured to limit selectable character information depending on the amount of time that has elapsed since the date and time that the character information was stored in the character information storage unit 124 (the save date and time). The amount of time that has elapsed since the save date and time can be set to any period of time, such as several hours, several days, or several weeks. In this way, by configuring the character information that can be selected to be limited depending on the amount of time that has elapsed since the save date and time,
This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which a copy of a strong character currently being used by a user is immediately used as an auxiliary character in the game, and to prevent the difficulty level of the game from being substantially lowered in an originally unintended manner.

The above-mentioned embodiments and examples are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents. In addition, the features shown in the embodiments and examples can be applied to other embodiments and examples as long as they are not mutually inconsistent.

In addition, the effects described in this specification are merely descriptive or exemplary and are not limiting. In other words, the technology according to the present disclosure may achieve other effects that are apparent to a person skilled in the art from the description of this specification, in addition to or in place of the above effects.

1 Server device 2 Player terminal 3 Network

Claims (9)

storing a plurality of pieces of character information associated with a character operating in a game application executed by a first player at least at two points in time;
selecting one piece of character information from the plurality of pieces of character information stored in association with the first player in accordance with a situation of a game program;
generating an auxiliary character associated with the first player based on the selected character information and causing the auxiliary character to operate within the game application;
Including,
A computer-based information processing method, in which the information regarding the status of the game program includes at least any of the following information: a reference game progress status, a status of acquisition of specific items, a number of specified companion characters, a number of completed in-game tasks, and a cumulative number or frequency of use of a specified character . storing a plurality of pieces of character information associated with the first player at at least one point in time for each of a plurality of characters operating in a game application executed by a first player;
selecting one piece of character information from the plurality of pieces of character information stored in association with the first player in accordance with a situation of a game program;
generating an auxiliary character associated with the first player based on the selected character information and causing the auxiliary character to operate within the game application;
Including,
The information regarding the status of the game program includes at least any one of the following information: a reference game progress status, a status of acquisition of a specific item, a number of predetermined companion characters, a number of in-game tasks accomplished, and a cumulative number of times or frequency of use of a predetermined character;
A method for processing information using a computer. The information processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the selecting step selects one piece of character information based on information on a correspondence relationship between information on the status of the game program and a character's availability conditions. The information processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the selecting step includes limiting the selectable character information according to the amount of time that has elapsed since the date and time that the character information was recorded in association with the first player. The information processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the stored character information does not include the player's past operation history. A program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method,
The information processing method includes:
storing a plurality of pieces of character information associated with a character operating in a game application executed by a first player at least at two points in time;
selecting one piece of character information from the plurality of pieces of character information stored in association with the first player in accordance with a situation of a game program;
generating an auxiliary character associated with the first player based on the selected character information and causing the auxiliary character to operate within the game application;
Including,
The information regarding the status of the game program includes at least any of the following information: a reference game progress status, a status of acquisition of specific items, a number of specified companion characters, a number of in-game tasks completed, and a cumulative number of times or frequency of use of a specified character . A program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method,
The information processing method includes:
storing a plurality of pieces of character information associated with the first player at at least one point in time for each of a plurality of characters operating in a game application executed by a first player;
selecting one piece of character information from the plurality of pieces of character information stored in association with the first player in accordance with a situation of a game program;
generating an auxiliary character associated with the first player based on the selected character information and causing the auxiliary character to operate within the game application;
Including,
The information regarding the status of the game program includes at least any of the following information: a reference game progress status, a status of acquisition of specific items, a number of specified companion characters, a number of in-game tasks completed, and a cumulative number of times or frequency of use of a specified character . An information processing system having a control unit and a storage unit,
The control unit is
storing, in the storage unit, a plurality of pieces of character information associated with a character operating in a game application executed by a first player at at least two points in time;
selecting one piece of character information from the plurality of pieces of character information stored in the storage unit in association with the first player in accordance with a situation of a game program;
generating an auxiliary character associated with the first player based on the selected character information and operating the auxiliary character within the game application;
is configured to run
An information processing system in which the information regarding the status of the game program includes at least any of the following information: a reference game progress status, a status of acquisition of specific items, a number of specified companion characters, a number of in-game tasks completed, and a cumulative number of times or frequency of use of a specified character . An information processing system having a control unit and a storage unit,
The control unit is
storing in the storage unit a plurality of pieces of character information associated with the first player at at least one point in time for each of a plurality of characters operating in a game application executed by a first player;
selecting one piece of character information from the plurality of pieces of character information stored in the storage unit in association with the first player in accordance with a situation of a game program;
generating an auxiliary character associated with the first player based on the selected character information and operating the auxiliary character within the game application;
is configured to run
An information processing system in which the information regarding the status of the game program includes at least any of the following information: a reference game progress status, a status of acquisition of specific items, a number of specified companion characters, a number of in-game tasks completed, and a cumulative number of times or frequency of use of a specified character .

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