Storage medium, information processing system, information processing device, game processing method

Abstract

A storage medium, an information processing system, an information processing apparatus, and a game processing method are provided. In one example of the information processing system, a location of a plurality of locations set in a virtual space, which corresponds to a prescribed event that has occurred, is changed from a first state to a second state. The information processing system determines a region in which a total determination value obtained by totaling, by position, first determination values based on one or more locations of the plurality of locations that have changed to the second state is equal to or greater than a prescribed value, the first determination value being a value that is a first reference value at a position corresponding to the location and attenuates according to a distance from the position. A map image that shows site information of the virtual space is displayed, the map image showing site information of a portion corresponding to the region.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a storage medium for displaying map images of a game field, an information processing system, an information processing device, and a game processing method. Background Technology

[0002] Previously, there was a game program used to display map images of game areas in virtual space. For example, the game program would unlock the map image of the area corresponding to a location based on an event that occurs when a player character visits a specified location in the virtual space (i.e., an event in the game), and then display the map image of that area.

[0003] Previously, the area where a map image was released based on one of the aforementioned events was a fixed range corresponding to a location associated with that event (e.g., a location visited by a player character).

[0004] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a storage medium, an information processing system, an information processing device, and a game processing method that can make the shape of the released area in a map image corresponding to the occurrence or non-occurrence of each of multiple events, rather than a fixed shape. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following structures (1) to (7). (1)

[0007] One example of the present invention is a storage medium storing a game program that causes a computer of an information processing device to perform the following processes.

[0008] Game processing that controls the player character within a virtual space is executed based on user input.

[0009] The process of changing the location corresponding to the specified event among multiple locations set in the virtual space from a first state to a second state when a specified event occurs based on game processing;

[0010] The process involves determining a region where the sum of first determination values ​​from one or more locations that have changed to the second state is based on their locations and the sum of these values ​​is above a predetermined value. The first determination value is a value that is a first reference value at the location corresponding to the location and decays with distance from that location.

[0011] The processing of a map image that displays site information representing a virtual space, wherein the map image shows site information for a portion corresponding to a region.

[0012] Based on the structure of (1) above, the shape of the area showing site information in the map image can be made to correspond to whether each of the multiple events has occurred. (2)

[0014] In the structure described in (1) above, the map image may also be a two-dimensional representation of the site information. Alternatively, the first determination value may be a value that is attenuated based on the two-dimensional distance from the two-dimensional location corresponding to the site.

[0015] Based on the structure described in (2) above, regions can be set on a two-dimensional plane, thus enabling regions with high affinity to two-dimensional maps to be set with less processing load. (3)

[0017] In the structure of (2) above, it is also possible that the first reference value set for each of the multiple locations is set in size for each of the multiple locations.

[0018] Based on the structure of (3) above, the area that becomes the above-mentioned area can be set independently for each location in the event of the specified event. (4)

[0020] In the structure described in (3) above, the total determination value may also be the value obtained by subtracting the total of the second determination values ​​for one or more locations that have changed to the first state from the total of the first determination values ​​for one or more locations that have changed to the second state. Alternatively, the second determination value may be a second reference value that is the same as or different from the first reference value at the location corresponding to the location and decreases according to the distance from that location.

[0021] Based on the structure of (4) above, it is possible to reduce the possibility that other locations in the first state and their nearby locations will become the aforementioned area due to a certain location becoming the second state. (5)

[0023] In any of the structures in (1) to (4) above, the specified event may also be an event that occurs when the player character performs a specified operation input while the player character is located at the event location set in the virtual space corresponding to the location.

[0024] Based on the structure described in (5) above, a game can be provided that expands the range of the location information shown in the map image by allowing the player character to reach the location where the event occurs. (6)

[0026] In any of the structures in (1) to (5) above, the computer may also perform the following processing when a specified event occurs: generate two-dimensional mask data representing the extent of a region within the virtual space; and generate a map image showing the site information corresponding to the region by applying the mask data to an original map image containing site information.

[0027] Based on the structure described in (6) above, it is possible to easily generate a map image showing site information for a portion of the area described above. (7)

[0029] In the structure described in (6) above, the mask data can also be data representing multiple values ​​corresponding to the magnitude of the total determination value at each location within the virtual space. Alternatively, the computer can perform the following processing: based on map display instructions, it can generate a map image by applying the mask data to the original map image at a ratio corresponding to the multiple values ​​represented by the mask data for each pixel.

[0030] Based on the structure described in (7) above, it is possible to generate a map image that blurs the area near the boundary.

[0031] Furthermore, another example of the present invention may be an information processing apparatus or information processing system that performs the processes described in (1) to (7) above. Additionally, another example of the present invention may be a game processing method that performs the processes described in (1) to (7) above.

[0032] Based on the aforementioned storage medium, information processing system, information processing device, and game processing method, the shape of the released area in the map image can be changed according to whether or not multiple events have occurred.

[0033] These and other objects, features, aspects, and effects of the present invention will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1 This diagram shows an example of a configuration where a left controller and a right controller are installed on the main unit.

[0035] Figure 2 This diagram shows an example of the state after the left and right controllers have been removed from the main unit.

[0036] Figure 3 This is a six-view diagram showing an example of the main assembly.

[0037] Figure 4 This is a six-view diagram representing an example of the left controller.

[0038] Figure 5This is a six-view diagram representing an example of a right controller.

[0039] Figure 6 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the internal structure of the main device.

[0040] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the internal structure of the main unit, the left controller, and the right controller.

[0041] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an overview of a game example in this embodiment.

[0042] Figure 9 It is a diagram showing the relationship between the site's corresponding plane and the judgment value when a reference point is released.

[0043] Figure 10 It means in Figure 9 The image shown is an example of a map image displayed when the circular area becomes a release area.

[0044] Figure 11 It is a diagram showing the relationship between the corresponding plane of the site and the judgment value when two reference points are released.

[0045] Figure 12 It means in Figure 11 The image shown is an example of a map image displayed when the area shown becomes a released area.

[0046] Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a site-corresponding plane for a designated release area when two reference points have been released and one reference point has not been released.

[0047] Figure 14 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the map image generation method in this embodiment.

[0048] Figure 15 This is an example of a game image that includes a field image showing the player character.

[0049] Figure 16 This is an example of a game image showing a player character located near a reference point.

[0050] Figure 17 This is an example of a game image showing the field after the reference point has been released.

[0051] Figure 18 This is a diagram of the site as seen from above, assuming a reference point has been released.

[0052] Figure 19This is a diagram of the site as seen from above, with the two reference points having been released.

[0053] Figure 20 This is an example of a game image showing a field where light sources have been set up.

[0054] Figure 21 This is an example of a game image showing a scene where a light source prop is positioned within the illumination range obtained through a release event.

[0055] Figure 22 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for generating a site image that is written to a frame buffer.

[0056] Figure 23 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a storage area for various types of data used in information processing within the game system 1.

[0057] Figure 24 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the game processing flow executed by game system 1.

[0058] Figure 25 It means Figure 24 The following is a sub-flowchart of an example of the detailed process of player association control handling in step S8.

[0059] Figure 26 It means Figure 24 A sub-flowchart of an example of the detailed flow of other object control processing in step S9 shown.

[0060] Figure 27 It means Figure 24 The following is a sub-flowchart of an example of the detailed process of drawing the process in step S10.

[0061] Figure 28 This is a sub-flowchart illustrating an example of the detailed process of drawing in other implementations. Detailed Implementation

[0062] [1. The Structure of the Game System]

[0063] The following describes an example of a game system according to this embodiment. An example of the game system 1 in this embodiment includes a main unit (an information processing device, which functions as the main body of the game device in this embodiment) 2, a left controller 3, and a right controller 4. The left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are each detachable from the main unit 2. That is, the game system 1 can be used as a device in which the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are respectively mounted on the main unit 2, thus forming a single unit. Alternatively, the game system 1 can also be used independently using the main unit 2 and the left controller 3 and right controller 4 (see [reference]). Figure 2The hardware structure of the game system 1 of this embodiment will be described below, followed by the control of the game system 1 of this embodiment.

[0064] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates an example of a configuration where a left controller 3 and a right controller 4 are mounted on the main unit 2. (Example) Figure 1 As shown, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are respectively mounted on the main unit 2 and thus integrated. The main unit 2 is a device that performs various processes (e.g., game processing) in the game system 1. The main unit 2 includes a display 12. The left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are devices equipped with operation units for user input.

[0065] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates an example of the state after the left controller 3 and right controller 4 have been removed from the main unit 2. (See diagram for example.) Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 can be attached to and detached from the main unit 2. Furthermore, in the following text, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are sometimes collectively referred to as "controllers".

[0066] Figure 3 This is a six-view diagram showing an example of the main body device 2. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the main body device 2 has a generally plate-shaped housing 11. In this embodiment, the main surface of the housing 11 (in other words, the front side, i.e., the surface on which the display 12 is provided) is generally rectangular in shape.

[0067] Furthermore, the shape and size of the outer casing 11 are arbitrary. For example, the outer casing 11 can be a portable size. Alternatively, the main unit 2 can be a standalone device, or an integrated device with the left controller 3 and right controller 4 mounted on the main unit 2, which can also be a handheld device. Additionally, the main unit 2 or the integrated device can also be a movable device.

[0068] like Figure 3 As shown, the main unit 2 includes a display 12 disposed on the main surface of the housing 11. The display 12 is used to display images generated by the main unit 2. In this embodiment, the display 12 is assumed to be a liquid crystal display (LCD). However, the display 12 can be any type of display device.

[0069] Furthermore, the main device 2 includes a touch panel 13 on the display screen 12. In this embodiment, the touch panel 13 is a multi-touch input type (e.g., capacitive type). However, the touch panel 13 can be any type of touch panel; for example, it can also be a single-touch input type (e.g., resistive film type).

[0070] The main unit 2 has a speaker inside the housing 11 (i.e., Figure 6 The speaker 88 shown. Figure 3 As shown, speaker holes 11a and 11b are formed on the main surface of the housing 11. Moreover, the output sound of the speaker 88 is output from these speaker holes 11a and 11b respectively.

[0071] In addition, the main unit 2 has a left terminal 17 for wired communication between the main unit 2 and the left controller 3, and a right terminal 21 for wired communication between the main unit 2 and the right controller 4.

[0072] like Figure 3 As shown, the main unit 2 includes a slot 23. The slot 23 is located on the upper side of the housing 11. The slot 23 has a shape suitable for storing a specified type of storage medium. The specified type of storage medium is, for example, a storage medium (e.g., a dedicated memory card) used by the game system 1 and similar information processing devices. The specified type of storage medium is used to store data used in the main unit 2 (e.g., application save data) and / or programs executed in the main unit 2 (e.g., application programs). In addition, the main unit 2 includes a power button 28.

[0073] The main unit 2 includes a lower terminal 27. The lower terminal 27 is used for communication between the main unit 2 and the bracket. In this embodiment, the lower terminal 27 is a USB connector (more specifically, a concave-side connector). When the aforementioned integrated device or main unit 2 is mounted on the bracket, the game system 1 can display the image generated and output by the main unit 2 on a fixed monitor. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the bracket has the function of charging the mounted integrated device or main unit 2. Additionally, the bracket functions as a hub device (specifically, a USB hub).

[0074] Figure 4 This is a six-view diagram representing an example of the left controller 3. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the left controller 3 includes a housing 31. In this embodiment, the housing 31 has a longitudinal shape, that is, in the vertical direction (i.e., Figure 1 and Figure 4 The shape is elongated along the y-axis (as shown). The left controller 3 can be held longitudinally even when detached from the main body 2. The housing 31 is designed to be held in a shape and size that allows for single-handed, particularly left-handed, handling when held longitudinally. Furthermore, the left controller 3 can also be held laterally. When holding the left controller 3 laterally, it can also be held with both hands.

[0075] The left controller 3 has an analog stick 32. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the analog joystick 32 is provided on the main surface of the housing 31. The analog joystick 32 can be used as a direction input unit. The user can input the direction corresponding to the tilting direction (and the magnitude corresponding to the tilting angle) by tilting the analog joystick 32. In addition, the left controller 3 may also be equipped with a cross button or a sliding joystick that can perform sliding input to replace the analog joystick as the direction input unit. In addition, in this embodiment, the input of pressing the analog joystick 32 can be performed.

[0076] The left controller 3 is equipped with various operation buttons. On the main surface of the housing 31, the left controller 3 has four operation buttons 33-36 (specifically, a right-direction button 33, a down-direction button 34, an up-direction button 35, and a left-direction button 36). Furthermore, the left controller 3 has a recording button 37 and a negative button 47. On the upper left side of the housing 31, the left controller 3 has a first L button 38 and a ZL button 39. Additionally, on the side of the housing 31 on the side where it is mounted when installed on the main unit 2, the left controller 3 has a second L button 43 and a second R button 44. These operation buttons are used to give instructions corresponding to various programs (e.g., OS programs, application programs) executed by the main unit 2.

[0077] In addition, the left controller 3 has a terminal 42 for wired communication between the left controller 3 and the main unit 2.

[0078] Figure 5 This is a six-view diagram representing an example of the right controller 4. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the right controller 4 includes a housing 51. In this embodiment, the housing 51 is elongated, that is, elongated in the vertical direction. The right controller 4 can be held vertically even when detached from the main body device 2. The housing 51 is designed to be shaped and sized so that it can be held with one hand, especially the right hand, when held vertically. In addition, the right controller 4 can also be held horizontally. When holding the right controller 4 horizontally, it can also be held with both hands.

[0079] Like the left controller 3, the right controller 4 also has an analog joystick 52 as a direction input unit. In this embodiment, the analog joystick 52 has the same structure as the analog joystick 32 of the left controller 3. Alternatively, the right controller 4 may have a cross-shaped key or a sliding joystick capable of sliding input instead of an analog joystick. Also like the left controller 3, the right controller 4 has four operation buttons 53-56 (specifically, A button 53, B button 54, X button 55, and Y button 56) on the main surface of the housing 51. Furthermore, the right controller 4 has a + (positive) button 57 and a Home button 58. Additionally, the right controller 4 has a first R button 60 and a ZR button 61 on the upper right side of the housing 51. Also like the left controller 3, the right controller 4 has a second L button 65 and a second R button 66.

[0080] In addition, the right controller 4 has a terminal 64 for wired communication between the right controller 4 and the main unit 2.

[0081] Figure 6 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the internal structure of the main body device 2. The main body device 2, besides... Figure 3 In addition to the structure shown, it also has Figure 6 The constituent elements 81-85, 87, 88, 91, 97 and 98 shown. Some of these constituent elements 81-85, 87, 88, 91, 97 and 98 can also be mounted as electronic components on an electronic circuit board and housed within the housing 11.

[0082] The main unit 2 includes a processor 81. The processor 81 is an information processing unit that performs various information processing tasks within the main unit 2. For example, it can be composed solely of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or it can be a System-on-a-Chip (SoC) that includes multiple functions such as CPU functionality and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) functionality. The processor 81 performs various information processing tasks by executing information processing programs (e.g., game programs) stored in a storage unit (specifically, internal storage media such as flash memory 84, or external storage media installed in slot 23).

[0083] As an example of its built-in internal storage media, the main unit 2 includes flash memory 84 and DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) 85. Flash memory 84 and DRAM 85 are connected to processor 81. Flash memory 84 is primarily used to store various data (which may also be programs) stored in the main unit 2. DRAM 85 is used for temporarily storing various data used in information processing.

[0084] The main unit 2 has a slot interface (hereinafter referred to as "I / F") 91. Slot I / F 91 is connected to processor 81. Slot I / F 91 is connected to slot 23 and reads and writes data to a specified type of storage medium (e.g., a dedicated memory card) installed in slot 23 according to the instructions of processor 81.

[0085] The processor 81 performs the above-mentioned information processing by appropriately reading or writing data between the flash memory 84, the DRAM 85, and the aforementioned storage media.

[0086] The main unit 2 includes a network communication unit 82. The network communication unit 82 is connected to the processor 81. The network communication unit 82 communicates with external devices via a network (specifically, wirelessly). In this embodiment, as a first communication method, the network communication unit 82 communicates with external devices by connecting to a wireless LAN in accordance with the Wi-Fi standard. Furthermore, as a second communication method, the network communication unit 82 communicates wirelessly with other main units 2 of the same type using a prescribed communication method (e.g., proprietary protocol-based communication, infrared communication). Moreover, wireless communication based on the aforementioned second communication method enables wireless communication with other main units 2 configured within a closed local area network, achieving a so-called "local communication" function that allows direct communication between multiple main units 2 to send and receive data.

[0087] The main unit 2 includes a controller communication unit 83. The controller communication unit 83 is connected to the processor 81. The controller communication unit 83 wirelessly communicates with the left controller 3 and / or the right controller 4. The communication method between the main unit 2 and the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 is arbitrary. In this embodiment, the controller communication unit 83 communicates with the left controller 3 and with the right controller 4 in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

[0088] The processor 81 is connected to the left terminal 17, right terminal 21, and lower terminal 27 described above. When communicating with the left controller 3 via a wired connection, the processor 81 sends data to and receives operation data from the left controller 3 via the left terminal 17. Similarly, when communicating with the right controller 4 via a wired connection, the processor 81 sends data to and receives operation data from the right controller 4 via the right terminal 21. Furthermore, when communicating with the bracket, the processor 81 sends data to the bracket via the lower terminal 27. Thus, in this embodiment, the main unit 2 can perform both wired and wireless communication with the left controller 3 and the right controller 4, respectively. Additionally, when the left controller 3 and right controller 4 are mounted on the main unit 2 in an integrated device, or when the main unit 2 is mounted separately on the bracket, the main unit 2 can output data (e.g., image data, audio data) to a fixed monitor or similar device via the bracket.

[0089] Here, the main device 2 can communicate with multiple left controllers 3 simultaneously (in other words, in parallel). Additionally, the main device 2 can communicate with multiple right controllers 4 simultaneously (in other words, in parallel). Therefore, multiple users can simultaneously input to the main device 2 using separate sets of left controllers 3 and right controllers 4. For example, while a first user is inputting to the main device 2 using a first set of left controllers 3 and right controllers 4, a second user can be inputting to the main device 2 using a second set of left controllers 3 and right controllers 4.

[0090] Additionally, the display 12 is connected to the processor 81. The processor 81 displays images generated (e.g., by performing the information processing described above) and / or images acquired from external sources on the display 12.

[0091] The main unit 2 includes an encoding / decoding circuit 87 and speakers (specifically, a left speaker and a right speaker) 88. The encoding / decoding circuit 87 is connected to the speakers 88 and the sound input / output terminals 25, and is also connected to the processor 81. The encoding / decoding circuit 87 is a circuit that controls the input and output of sound data to the speakers 88 and the sound input / output terminals 25.

[0092] The main unit 2 includes a power control unit 97 and a battery 98. The power control unit 97 is connected to the battery 98 and the processor 81. Furthermore, although not shown in the diagram, the power control unit 97 is connected to various parts of the main unit 2 (specifically, the parts that receive power from the battery 98, the left terminal 17, and the right terminal 21). The power control unit 97 controls the power supply from the battery 98 to these parts based on instructions from the processor 81.

[0093] Additionally, the battery 98 is connected to the lower terminal 27. When an external charging device (e.g., a bracket) is connected to the lower terminal 27 and power is supplied to the main unit 2 via the lower terminal 27, the supplied power is charged into the battery 98.

[0094] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the internal structure of the main unit 2, the left controller 3, and the right controller 4. Further details regarding the internal structure related to the main unit 2 can be found in... Figure 6 As shown in the text, therefore in Figure 7 Omitted in .

[0095] The left controller 3 includes a communication control unit 101 for communicating with the main unit 2. For example... Figure 7 As shown, the communication control unit 101 is connected to various components, including terminal 42. In this embodiment, the communication control unit 101 can communicate with the main device 2 via both wired communication via terminal 42 and wireless communication without terminal 42. The communication control unit 101 controls the communication method between the left controller 3 and the main device 2. That is, when the left controller 3 is installed on the main device 2, the communication control unit 101 communicates with the main device 2 via terminal 42. Furthermore, when the left controller 3 is detached from the main device 2, the communication control unit 101 communicates wirelessly with the main device 2 (specifically, the controller communication unit 83). For example, wireless communication between the controller communication unit 83 and the communication control unit 101 follows the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

[0096] Additionally, the left controller 3 includes, for example, a memory 102 such as flash memory. The communication control unit 101 is configured as, for example, a microcomputer (also called a microprocessor), which performs various processes by executing firmware stored in the memory 102.

[0097] The left controller 3 has buttons 103 (specifically, buttons 33-39, 43, 44, and 47). Additionally, the left controller 3 has an analog joystick (in... Figure 7 The analog joystick 32 (referred to as "joystick" in the text) will repeatedly output information related to the operation performed on itself to the communication control unit 101 at appropriate times.

[0098] The communication control unit 101 acquires input-related information (specifically, operation-related information or sensor detection results) from each input unit (specifically, each button 103 and analog joystick 32). The communication control unit 101 then transmits operation data, including the acquired information (or information obtained after predetermined processing of the acquired information), to the main unit 2. Furthermore, the operation data is repeatedly transmitted at a predetermined interval. The interval at which input-related information is transmitted to the main unit 2 can be the same or different for each input unit.

[0099] By sending the aforementioned operation data to the main unit 2, the main unit 2 can obtain the input made to the left controller 3. That is, the main unit 2 can determine the operation of each button 103 and analog joystick 32 based on the operation data.

[0100] The left controller 3 includes a power supply unit 108. In this embodiment, the power supply unit 108 includes a battery and a power control circuit. Although not shown in the figure, the power control circuit is connected to the battery and to each part of the left controller 3 (specifically, each part that receives power from the battery).

[0101] like Figure 7 As shown, the right controller 4 includes a communication control unit 111 for communicating with the main device 2. Additionally, the right controller 4 includes a memory 112 connected to the communication control unit 111. The communication control unit 111 is connected to various components, including a terminal 64. The communication control unit 111 and the memory 112 have the same functions as the communication control unit 101 and the memory 102 of the left controller 3. Therefore, the communication control unit 111 can communicate with the main device 2 via both wired communication via the terminal 64 and wireless communication without the terminal 64 (specifically, communication conforming to the Bluetooth standard), controlling the communication method of the right controller 4 with the main device 2.

[0102] The right controller 4 has the same inputs as the left controller 3. Specifically, it has buttons 113 and analog joysticks 52. These inputs have the same functions as the inputs of the left controller 3 and perform the same actions.

[0103] The right controller 4 has a power supply unit 118. The power supply unit 118 has the same function as the power supply unit 108 of the left controller 3 and operates in the same way.

[0104] [2. Overview of processing in the game system]

[0105] Reference Figures 8-22Here is an outline of the processing performed in game system 1. In this embodiment, game system 1 performs the following game: a player character, operable by a player (i.e., the user of game system 1), moves within a game arena (hereinafter simply referred to as "arena"), which is a three-dimensional virtual space. In addition to displaying an image of the arena where the player character is positioned, game system 1 can also display a map image representing a map of the arena. In this embodiment, regarding the map image, besides switching from the arena image to the map image and displaying the map image upon player instruction, sometimes at least a portion of the map image is always displayed along with the arena image.

[0106] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an overview of a game example in this embodiment. Figure 8 The left column shows the site conditions, and the right column shows an example of the displayed map image. Here, in this embodiment, multiple reference points are set at the site (e.g., Figure 8 (Referencing reference point 202). A reference point is released when the player character 201 is located at or near the reference point and a specified action input is performed by the player (e.g., an action input to cause the player character to investigate the reference point). In other words, the player character 201 can release the reference point by reaching it and performing a specified action (e.g., investigating the reference point). Hereinafter, the game event in which a reference point is released will be referred to as a "release event". Furthermore, a reference point may also be, for example, a place that allows the player character 201 to teleport to another released reference point (so-called fast travel), or allows the player character 201 to recover, or allows the player character 201 to change their equipment, skills, or held items.

[0107] In this embodiment, the area is in a dark state before the reference location is released, with a few exceptions (e.g., the player character 201 or its surroundings, and the marked object 203 described later). Figure 8 State a) is shown. Furthermore, in Figure 8 In the accompanying diagram, for ease of understanding, the areas that become dark are indicated by diagonal lines; however, Game System 1 will display the darkened areas in a way that is invisible or difficult for the player to visually recognize (see below). Figure 15 (etc.). In Figure 8 In state a shown, the area is dark except for the area around the player character 201 and the marker object 203 representing the base location 202, making it difficult to explore the area.

[0108] Additionally, before the reference points are released, the map image is displayed in a manner that does not show site information. Figure 8State a) is shown. Site information refers to information related to the site, such as information about the terrain forming the site (specifically, the shape of the terrain), information about objects placed within the site, information about props positioned within the site, or information about characters present on the site. Figure 8 In state a, the map image is displayed with only marker 204 indicating the position and orientation of the player character 201 shown, without showing any other terrain information besides marker 204. Thus, the map image before the base point is released can be displayed without showing at least some terrain information, or other terrain information can be shown before release (e.g., Figure 8 (marked as 204).

[0109] On the other hand, when the reference location (in) Figure 8 In the example shown, when reference point 202 is released by player character 201, the area surrounding that reference point in the arena becomes a lit area instead of dark. Figure 8 As shown in state b). The illuminated area within the arena will be referred to below as the "illuminated area". Details will be described later. Game System 1 will display the illuminated area in a way that is visually recognizable to the player (see below). Figure 17 wait).

[0110] Additionally, when a reference point is released, the area surrounding that reference point in the map image is displayed in a manner that shows site information. Figure 8 State b) is shown. Figure 8 In the example shown, around the released reference point, in addition to the marker 204 related to the player character 201, lines indicating the shape of the terrain and marker 205 indicating the reference point are also shown.

[0111] As described above, when a release event occurs, the area surrounding the released reference point in the arena becomes visually displayed, and the arena information of the area surrounding the reference point is shown in the map image. This makes it easier for the player character 201 to explore the area around the released reference point. In this embodiment, the player's goal is to release reference points in the arena, thereby increasing the area that is easier to explore and advancing the game.

[0112] [2-1. Setting the map's release area]

[0113] Reference Figures 9-14 This is an example of a method for setting up an area (referred to as a "release area") that displays site information on a map image after a reference point is released. Figure 9This is a diagram showing the relationship between the site's corresponding plane and the decision value when a reference point has been released. Here, the site's corresponding plane refers to the two-dimensional plane corresponding to the three-dimensional site. The site's corresponding plane can be the plane obtained by projecting the three-dimensional site along the vertical direction. The two-dimensional position of the site's corresponding plane is the position represented by the site's horizontal two-dimensional coordinates (i.e., the two-dimensional coordinates obtained by deducting the height coordinates from the three-dimensional coordinates representing the site's position). Figure 9 The upper part shows the corresponding plane of the site, and the lower part shows a graph representing the changes in the judgment values ​​in the corresponding plane of the site. Specifically, the graph shows the straight line AB passing through the released reference point 211. Figure 9 The change in the judgment value on the straight line (represented by a dashed line).

[0114] The determination value is used to determine the release area in the plane corresponding to the playing field. In this embodiment, the game system 1 calculates the determination value for each position in the plane corresponding to the playing field in order to determine the release area. Furthermore, the determination value is calculated according to the position of each predetermined unit interval in the plane corresponding to the playing field (referred to as the "calculated target position"). Specifically, the determination is performed according to the position corresponding to each pixel in the map image.

[0115] In this embodiment, the judgment value at each calculated target location is calculated based on a reference value set for the reference location. That is, the game system 1 sets a reference value for the reference location and calculates the judgment value at each calculated target location based on the reference value. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reference value at each reference location is set according to each reference location, and the size of the reference value may also be different for each reference location. For example, the reference value at each reference location may be set in such a way that the entire field becomes a release area when all reference locations are released.

[0116] In this embodiment, the judgment value at a certain location calculated based on a reference point (i.e., the judgment value calculated based on a reference value set for a reference point) is calculated based on the distance from that reference point, and more specifically, it is calculated in a manner that decreases as the distance from the reference point increases (see reference). Figure 9 For example, in Figure 9 In the example shown, a reference value A1 is set at the released reference point 211. The determination value at each calculated target position on the line AB varies in a manner that uses reference point 211 as the reference value A1 and decays according to the distance from reference point 211 to that position. The determination value becomes 0 at positions where the distance is greater than a certain length. Furthermore, the specific calculation method for determining the determination value at each calculated target position based on the reference value is arbitrary.

[0117] In this embodiment, in such Figure 9 As shown, if only reference point 211 is released, game system 1 only considers the judgment value based on reference point 211 to set the release area. Specifically, game system 1 sets a threshold (defined by the judgment value based on reference point 211) in the plane corresponding to the field. Figure 9 The region defined by the position above the threshold (th) is set as the release region. As mentioned above, the determination value decays based on the distance from the reference point 211 to this position, therefore... Figure 9 In the example shown, the circular area 212 centered on the reference point 211 becomes the release area.

[0118] Figure 10 It means in Figure 9 The image shown is an example of a map image displayed when the circular area 212 becomes a release area. In the above-described case, as... Figure 10 As shown, a map image is created by plotting site information for pixels in the map image that correspond to positions in the corresponding plane of the site that have a threshold value. For example... Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the area of ​​the plotted site in the map image corresponds to circular region 212. Figure 10 In this embodiment, for the area corresponding to region 212, lines representing the shape of the terrain are displayed as site information. Furthermore, regarding the marker 205 indicating a reference point, it is set to be displayed based on whether the reference point is within the release area, rather than on whether the player character 201 arrives at the reference point. Additionally, in this embodiment, the map image sometimes... Figure 10 The entire screen displayed on monitor 12 as shown in the diagram, and sometimes as described later. Figure 15 As shown, a portion of the screen on display 12 is displayed superimposed on the field image representing the field.

[0119] As described above, in this embodiment, the map image is a two-dimensional image representing the site information. Furthermore, the determination value is a value that decays based on the two-dimensional distance from the two-dimensional position corresponding to the reference point (i.e., the distance on the plane corresponding to the site). Based on this, release areas can be set on a two-dimensional plane, thus allowing for the setting of areas with high affinity to the two-dimensional map with minimal processing load. Additionally, based on the above, release areas can be set according to the distance from the reference point (e.g., by making a range within a certain distance from the reference point the release area). Furthermore, in other embodiments, the game system 1 can also calculate determination values ​​for each position in a three-dimensional site and set release areas on the three-dimensional site. In this case, the game system 1 determines the range corresponding to the release area in the two-dimensional map image based on the release area on the three-dimensional site, and generates a map image showing the site information within that range. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the map can also be three-dimensional, and release areas can be set in a three-dimensional map to generate and display a map image representing the three-dimensional map.

[0120] Furthermore, when multiple base locations are released, Game System 1 calculates a judgment value for each released base location separately, and then calculates the sum of these judgment values ​​for each target location (called the "total judgment value"). The release area is then set based on the total judgment value. Additionally, when only one base location is released (see...),... Figure 9 It can be said that the judgment value based on the benchmark value set for this benchmark location is the total judgment value.

[0121] Figure 11 This is a diagram showing the relationship between the site's corresponding plane and the decision value when two reference points have been released. Figure 11 In, also with Figure 9 Similarly, the upper side shows the corresponding plane of the site, and the lower side shows the straight line (in) that passes through the released reference point. Figure 11 In the middle, there is a curve showing the changes in the judgment value and the total judgment value along the straight line CD. Furthermore, Figure 11 The straight line CD shown passes through the two released reference points 211 and 213.

[0122] exist Figure 11In the scenario shown, game system 1 calculates a total judgment value for each of the aforementioned calculated target locations. The total judgment value is the sum of the judgment values ​​for each of the released reference points 211 and 213. That is, game system 1 calculates a judgment value based on reference point 211 and a judgment value based on reference point 213 for each calculated target location. The judgment value based on reference point 211 is calculated as a base value A1 at reference point 211, decaying according to the distance from reference point 211 to that location. The judgment value based on reference point 213 is calculated as a base value A2 at reference point 213, decaying according to the distance from reference point 213 to that location. Game system 1 calculates the total judgment value for each calculated target location by adding the judgment value based on reference point 211 to the judgment value based on reference point 213 for each calculated target location. Figure 11 In the curve diagram below, the mountain-shaped curve on the right, shown by a solid line, represents the change in the judgment value based on reference point 211; the mountain-shaped curve on the left, shown by a solid line, represents the change in the judgment value based on reference point 213; and the curve shown by a thick dashed line represents the change in the total judgment value.

[0123] Game System 1 designates the area on the corresponding plane of the arena, consisting of positions whose total judgment value is above the aforementioned threshold th, as the release area. Figure 11 In the example shown, region 216 is obtained by adding region 215, which connects the two circular regions, to the circular region 212 centered at reference point 211 and the circular region 214 centered at reference point 213. Figure 11 The area indicated by the diagonal line in the middle becomes the release area. That is, it is also possible to generate release areas when multiple reference points have been released using a two-dimensional metaball method.

[0124] Figure 12 It means in Figure 11 The image shown is an example of a map image displayed when area 216 becomes a release area. (See image for example.) Figure 12 As shown, a map image of the site information is drawn from the pixels of the map image whose total judgment value in the corresponding plane of the site exceeds a threshold. The area where the site information is drawn corresponds to circular region 216. Figure 12 In the middle, lines representing the shape of the terrain are displayed as site information. Additionally, in... Figure 12In the example shown, in addition to displaying marker 204 indicating the position and orientation of player character 201, markers 205 and 221 indicating the two reference points that player character 201 has reached are also displayed. Thus, in this embodiment, the release area is set using the aforementioned total determination value. Therefore, even if both reference point 211 and reference point 213 are released, there are sometimes areas that would not be release areas regardless of whether only reference point 211 or only reference point 213 is released (i.e., Figure 11 The area shown (215) is set as the release area.

[0125] As described above, in this embodiment, the reference value (i.e., the maximum value of the determination value) set for each of the multiple reference locations is set to a size for each reference location. Accordingly, it is possible to set, for each reference location, a size of an area based on that reference location as a release area if that reference location is released. For example, in... Figure 11 In the example shown, by changing the reference value A1 set for reference point 211 or the reference value A2 set for reference point 213, the size and shape of the release area when reference points 211 and 213 are released can be changed. For example, by changing the reference value A1 and / or the reference value A2 to a smaller value, the release area when reference points 211 and 213 are released can be made into two unconnected circular areas. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the reference values ​​set for each of the multiple reference points may be set to the same value. Alternatively, the calculation method for the determination value may be set such that although the reference values ​​for multiple reference points are the same, the degree of attenuation corresponding to distance differs from reference point to reference point, thereby making the range of the release area different for each reference point.

[0126] Furthermore, as described above, in this embodiment, the game system 1 determines a region as a release region, which is a region consisting of positions where the total determination value obtained by summing at least one determination value from at least one of the multiple reference locations that has become a released state is a predetermined value (i.e., the aforementioned threshold th). Based on the above, the shape and size of the release region can be varied to correspond to the release states of the multiple reference locations.

[0127] In the above embodiment, game system 1 calculates the total judgment value based on the benchmark value set for the released benchmark locations. However, it is also possible to calculate the total judgment value based not only on the benchmark value set for the released benchmark locations, but also on the benchmark value set for the unreleased benchmark locations. Hereinafter, refer to... Figure 13This example illustrates how to calculate the total judgment value based on a baseline value set for an unreleased baseline location.

[0128] Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a site plan corresponding to a designated release area when two reference points have been released and one reference point has not been released. Figure 13 In this context, it is assumed that three reference points 231-233 are configured on the site. Additionally, in... Figure 13 In this context, reference points 231 and 232 are set to have been released, while reference point 233, located between reference points 231 and 232, is not set to have been released.

[0129] exist Figure 13 In the example shown, reference values ​​are set for each released reference point 231 and 232 in the same manner as in the above embodiment. Here, in this modified example, a reference value different from the reference value in the case of the released reference point 233 is set for the unreleased reference point. The reference value set for the released reference points will be referred to as the "first reference value," and the reference value set for the unreleased reference points will be referred to as the "second reference value." That is, in Figure 13 In the case where reference point 233 is released, the first reference value is set in the same way as reference points 231 and 232.

[0130] exist Figure 13 In the example shown, it is also related to Figure 9 and Figure 11 Similarly, in the example shown, game system 1 calculates a decision value (referred to as the "first decision value") based on a first reference value for each calculated target position. Figure 13 In the example shown, a first determination value based on a first reference value set for reference location 231 and a first determination value based on a first reference value set for reference location 232 are calculated for each calculation target location. Furthermore, in Figure 13 In the example shown, a decision value based on a second reference value (referred to as the "second decision value") is calculated for each calculated target location. Figure 13 In the example shown, a second determination value is calculated for each target location based on a second reference value set for reference point 233. The second determination value is a value that is the second reference value at the reference point, decreases as the distance from the reference point increases, and becomes 0 at locations above a certain distance.

[0131] exist Figure 13 In the diagram, the circular dashed lines centered on reference points 231 and 232 are lines connecting positions where the first determination value based on the first reference value is a predetermined value. The dashed lines 234 and 235 within the aforementioned dashed lines are lines connecting positions where the first determination value is the aforementioned threshold value. Furthermore, in... Figure 13In the diagram, the dotted line of the circle centered on reference point 233 is the line connecting the positions where the second determination value based on the second reference value is the specified value.

[0132] exist Figure 13 In the example shown, game system 1 calculates the total judgment value based on both the first and second judgment values. Specifically, the total judgment value at the target location is obtained by subtracting the total of the second judgment values ​​at the target location from the total of the first judgment values ​​at that location. Figure 13 In the example shown, game system 1 calculates a total judgment value by subtracting a second judgment value based on a second reference value based on reference location 233 from the sum of a first judgment value based on a first reference value based on reference location 231 and a first judgment value based on a first reference value based on reference location 232. Furthermore, the above calculation method related to the total judgment value is equivalent to calculating the sum of the first and second judgment values ​​by setting the second reference value to a negative value (resulting in a negative second judgment value). The absolute values ​​of the first and second reference values ​​can be the same or different. Additionally, the calculation method for calculating the first judgment value based on the first reference value and the calculation method for calculating the second judgment value based on the second reference value can be the same or different.

[0133] exist Figure 13 In the example shown, since the total value of the first determination value is subtracted from the total value of the second determination value, the total determination value at the position affected by the second determination value (i.e., the position where the second determination value is positive) is less than the total determination value at that position if the second determination value is not considered (e.g., the case in the above embodiment). Therefore, in Figure 13 In the example shown, areas that would be considered part of the release region without considering the second decision value are not set as release regions. Figure 13 In the example shown, region 236, indicated by a diagonal line, becomes the release region, while region 237 (indicated by a solid line), which would be a release region without considering the second determination value, does not become a release region. Thus, in Figure 13 In the example shown, the location near the unreleased reference point is unlikely to become a release area because the absolute value of the second determination value becomes larger.

[0134] exist Figure 13 In the example shown, the total determination value is obtained by subtracting the total of ...

[0135] Here, if we assume that the total judgment value is calculated in a way that does not reflect the second judgment value based on the unreleased benchmark location, then for example in Figure 13 In the scenario shown, even the area near the unreleased reference point 233 becomes a release zone. As a result, the map is released to the vicinity of the unreleased reference point 233 (that is, the area displayed in the map image), which may fall within the aforementioned illumination range. In this case, there is a concern that the player's motivation to release the unreleased reference point 233 weakens, leading to a loss of gameplay enjoyment by expanding the exploration area through releasing reference points. Conversely, according to the variation described above, the unreleased reference point or its vicinity is unlikely to become a release zone, thus reducing the likelihood of a weakened motivation to release the unreleased reference point and improving gameplay.

[0136] In this embodiment, the game system 1 generates a map mask as data representing the release area. That is, the map mask is two-dimensional data representing the area in the field that becomes the release area. Furthermore, the game system 1 uses the map mask to generate a map image showing the field information of the release area.

[0137] Figure 14 This diagram illustrates an example of the map image generation method in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the game system 1 generates the map image to be displayed based on an original map image and a map mask. The original map image is the image used as the basis for generating the map image to be displayed, representing a map image containing site information. The original map image can be considered a map image with the entire site as a free area.

[0138] In this embodiment, the map mask data represents the map mask values ​​at various locations in two dimensions. The map mask value indicates the degree to which the original map image is reflected in order to generate a map image. For example, the map mask value is a value with a maximum value of 1 and a minimum value of 0. In this case, the map image is generated as follows: for pixels with a map mask value of 1, the original map image is directly reflected in the map image; for pixels with a map mask value of 0, the original map image is not reflected. In this embodiment, the map mask value is a multi-valued value within the range of 0 to 1. Details will be described later; by setting the map mask value to a multi-valued value, the map image near the boundaries of the released area can be displayed in a blurred manner. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the map mask value can also be a binary value such as 0 or 1.

[0139] The map mask value is set based on the aforementioned total determination value for each of the calculated object locations. Specifically, if the total determination value for a location is greater than a first value, the map mask value for that location is set to 1; if the total determination value for a location is less than a second value, the map mask value for that location is set to 0. Furthermore, the second value is a value less than the first value but greater than the aforementioned threshold th. Additionally, if the total determination value for a location is greater than the second value but less than the first value, the map mask value for that location is set to a value corresponding to the magnitude of the total determination value, falling within the range of greater than 0 and less than 1. Based on the above, the map mask value for locations within a predetermined distance from the reference point is set to 1; the map mask value for locations outside this range is set to a value that decreases according to the distance from the reference point; and the map mask value for locations with a total determination value less than the threshold th (i.e., locations outside the release area) is set to 0. Furthermore, in Figure 14 In the map mask shown, white represents the location with a map mask value of 1, black represents the location with a map mask value of 0, and gray represents the location with a map mask value of the middle value (i.e., a value greater than 0 and less than 1), with the larger the value, the closer it is to white.

[0140] In addition, as an example of a calculation method based on the total determination value, the map mask value Mp can also be calculated using the following formula.

[0141]

[0142] In the above formula, K, thresh, and Over are constants, with thresh being the threshold th mentioned above. Oi is a variable that is 1 if the i-th reference point (i is a natural number from 1 to n, where n represents the number of reference points) has been released, and 0 if the i-th reference point has not been released. Ci is a variable that is 0 if the i-th reference point has been released, and 1 if the i-th reference point has not been released. The constant ai is a constant representing the degree to which the first judgment value for the first reference value at the i-th reference point decays with distance. In the example above, the first reference value is 1. The constant bi is a constant representing the degree to which the second judgment value for the second reference value at the i-th reference point decays with distance. In the example above, the second reference value is 1. The variable l(i, p) is the length from the i-th reference point to position p (specifically, the calculated target position mentioned above) (specifically, the length on the plane corresponding to the site mentioned above). In the above formula, to avoid the situation where the sum of the first determination values ​​is too large and the effect of subtracting the sum of the second determination values ​​is negligible regardless of how close the point is to the unreleased reference location, a calculation is performed to replace the sum with the constant Over if the sum of the first determination values ​​is greater than Over. On the other hand, a calculation is performed to subtract the value obtained by squaring the sum of the second determination values ​​to prevent the influence of the sum of the second determination values ​​from becoming too large. Furthermore, if the result of the subtraction is negative, the value is set to 0.

[0143] In the above formula, all reference values ​​are set to 1, but the first and second reference values ​​can be set to values ​​independent of each reference location, as described above. For example, this can be achieved by replacing "Oi" in the above formula with "Oi "Ai" and delete the constant ai, replace "Ci" with "Ci". By removing the constant bi from the formula, the map mask value Mp can be calculated when the first and second reference values ​​are set for each reference location. Furthermore, variable Ai is the first reference value at the i-th reference location, and variable Bi is the second reference value at the i-th reference location. Alternatively, in other embodiments, "Oi" can be replaced with "Oi" while retaining the constants ai and bi in the above formula. Ai” and replace “Ci” with “Ci” The formula for “Bi”. Furthermore, if either the first or second reference value is set to a fixed value (=1), the map mask value Mp can be calculated using the formula obtained by performing the aforementioned substitution only on either “Oi” or “Ci”. Moreover, the formula for calculating the map mask value is not limited to the formula described above. In other embodiments, for example, any formula can be used that calculates the determination value at a certain location by decreasing the value based on the distance from the reference location to that location (e.g., the determination value is inversely proportional to the square of the distance).

[0144] Game System 1 uses a map mask to composite the original map image with an image representing the unreleased state at a ratio corresponding to the map mask value of each pixel, thereby generating a map image. Specifically, Game System 1 generates the map image as follows: for pixels with a map mask value of 1, the original map image is directly reflected; for pixels with a map mask value of 0, the original map image is not reflected; for pixels with a map mask value of an intermediate value, the original map image is reflected at a ratio corresponding to the map mask value. The image representing the unreleased state can be monochrome or have a prescribed pattern, etc. Alternatively, the composited map image can be further composited with a grid or similar element for easy-to-understand coordinates. Therefore, areas near the boundaries of the released area of ​​the map image (specifically, locations with an intermediate map mask value) are displayed lightly (see reference). Figure 14 In addition, in Figure 14 In the image, the fainter parts are indicated by dashed lines.

[0145] As described above, in this embodiment, when a release event occurs, the game system 1 generates two-dimensional mask data (i.e., a map mask) representing the area within the field that becomes the release zone. Furthermore, the game system 1 generates a map image showing the field information corresponding to the release zone by applying the mask data to an original map image containing field information. Accordingly, a map image showing the portion of the release zone can be easily generated. In other embodiments, the specific method for generating the map image is arbitrary and not limited to the method using mask data.

[0146] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the mask data is data representing multiple values ​​corresponding to the magnitude of the total determination value at each location within the field. Additionally, the game system 1 generates a map image by combining the original map image with an image showing the unreleased state at a ratio corresponding to the multiple values ​​represented by the mask data, pixel by pixel. This allows the generation of a map image that blurs the area near the boundaries of the release area. Consequently, the released map appears natural.

[0147] [2-2. Setting the Irradiation Range]

[0148] Reference Figures 15-21 Here is an example of a method for setting the aforementioned illumination range on a playing field. In this embodiment, based on a predetermined illumination event occurring in the game, the area on the playing field corresponding to that illumination event becomes the illumination range. The aforementioned release event is one type of illumination event. In this embodiment, as illumination events, in addition to the aforementioned release event, character glowing events and item placement events may also occur. Furthermore, in addition to the illumination range set based on the occurrence of an illumination event, there may also be an illumination range pre-set on the playing field.

[0149] A character glowing event is an event in which the area around the player character becomes illuminated. In this embodiment, a character glowing event is an event in which the player character is wearing glowing clothing. A character glowing event could also be an event in which the player character is holding a glowing item or riding a glowing vehicle.

[0150] An item placement event is an event in which an item with a light source (called a "light source item") is placed on a terrain object such as the ground in the arena, thus creating an illumination range around the light source item.

[0151] Figure 15 This is an example of a game image that includes a field image showing the player character. Figure 15 In this embodiment, the character glowing event occurs when no other illumination events occur. The game system 1 causes the character glowing event based on the player's instruction (e.g., an operation input to equip the player character with glowing clothing). Figure 15 As shown, in the event of a character glowing event, the area around player character 201 (referred to as the "character influence range") is set as the illumination range. The character influence range is, for example, the range within a specified distance from the position of player character 201. Furthermore, in Figure 15 In the situation shown, the area outside the character's sphere of influence is not set as the illumination range, and therefore appears as darkness except for the marked object 203 (i.e., displayed in a way that is invisible or difficult to visually identify). Furthermore, objects such as the player character 201 itself and the marked object 203 that are displayed in a way that is visible even when they are outside the illumination range (objects outside the target, as described later) will be described later.

[0152] In this embodiment, the game system 1 sets ambient light in the arena and draws the illuminated area obtained through the character's influence range in a way that reflects the ambient light, thereby displaying the illuminated area in a visible manner. Ambient light is a light source with a predetermined brightness set regardless of the character's position in the arena. Details will be described later. In this embodiment, the game system 1 draws the area outside the illuminated area in a way that does not reflect the light source (e.g., ambient light, point light source), thereby displaying the area in a way that is invisible or difficult to visually recognize.

[0153] Furthermore, in this embodiment, while displaying a field image representing the playing area, the game system 1 also displays a map image 241 in a portion of the screen of the display 12 (here, the lower right area of ​​the screen). Figure 15 In the situation shown, no release event occurred, therefore a map image 241 is displayed that does not contain any field information other than markers indicating the position and orientation of the player character 201. Furthermore, in other embodiments, a map image may not be displayed when displaying the field image.

[0154] As described above, in this embodiment, one example of an illumination event is an event where the area around the player character becomes an illumination range based on the player's input (i.e., a character glowing event). In this case, the game system 1 sets the player character's position as a reference point and sets the illumination range based on the distance from this reference point, including a range up to a threshold. This allows the area around the player character to be continuously displayed visually, reducing concerns about difficulty in exploring the area due to the player character's surroundings being completely invisible. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the game system 1 may always set the area around the player character as an illumination range regardless of whether a character glowing event occurs. Additionally, in other embodiments, the game system 1 may prevent the character glowing event, which is an illumination event, from occurring.

[0155] Furthermore, in the above, the character glowing event is an event related to the player character. In addition to executing the character glowing event for the player character (or instead of executing it for the player character), game system 1 also executes character glowing events for other characters different from the player character (e.g., the player character's friend or enemy character), and sets an illumination range for those other characters as well. For example, it could also be that the illumination range is set based on the position of other characters based on their character glowing events where they change to a self-illuminating mode.

[0156] Figure 16 This is an example of a game image showing a player character located near a reference point. Figure 16 The situation shown is relative to Figure 15In the situation shown, the player character 201 has moved to the vicinity of the unreleased reference point 211. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the marked object 203 is displayed in a visible manner even when it is outside the illumination range, so the player can make the player character 201 move towards the reference point 211 outside the illumination range with the marked object 203 as the target.

[0157] In such Figure 16 When the player character 201 is near the reference point 211 (specifically, within a predetermined distance from the reference point 211), as shown, the player character 201 can release the reference point 211. That is, in the above situation, the game system 1 receives an input to release the reference point 211 and releases the reference point 211 based on the player's input. In this embodiment, the input is an input to execute a "survey" command (i.e., a command to cause the player character 201 to investigate the vicinity), specifically, an input to press the A button 53 on the right controller 4. In the above situation, to notify the player that the above input is possible, the game system 1 displays a command image 242 indicating that the command can be executed (see reference 242). Figure 16 Alternatively, a limited area, such as directly below the marked object 203, can be set as a pre-defined (i.e., set regardless of whether an irradiation event occurs) irradiation range, making it easy to perform the above-described operations after reaching the reference location 211.

[0158] When an operation input is made to release reference point 211, the game system 1 sets the area around reference point 211 as the illumination range. At this time, in this embodiment, the game system 1 displays an animation representing an event scene of the release event. For example, as the above-described event scene, an animation showing the area around reference point 211 gradually brightening is displayed.

[0159] Figure 17 This is an example diagram showing a game scene after the reference point has been released. (Example) Figure 17 As shown, in the event of a release event in which reference point 211 is released, the area surrounding reference point 211 is set as the illumination range, which is displayed in a visual manner. Furthermore, in Figure 17 In the image, the portion of the hill surrounding the reference point 211 in the field is included in the illumination range and thus displayed in a visible manner, while the portion on the other side of the hill is outside the illumination range and remains displayed in a non-visible manner. Additionally, in Figure 17In the situation shown, reference point 211 has been released, thereby releasing the map around reference point 211 (i.e., setting a release area containing reference point 211), so map image 241 contains site information within the release area.

[0160] Furthermore, the marker object 203, which is outside the illumination range but is still visible, is also displayed in a visible manner within the illumination range. Here, in this embodiment, the game system 1 sets a point light source at a predetermined location in the field, such as the location of the marker object 203, based on the occurrence of a release event. Details will be described later. In the drawing process, the game system 1 draws the portion of the terrain object included within the illumination range in a manner that also reflects the point light source. Therefore, the area around the marker object 203 is drawn in a manner that reflects both ambient light and the point light source, thus displaying a brighter image than the portion within the illumination range that is drawn only in a manner that reflects ambient light. That is, it is possible to exhibit brightness based on the point light source while ensuring visibility within the predetermined range. Furthermore, in Figure 17 In this design, the brighter areas within the illumination range that reflect the light from the point light source positioned at the marked object 203 are represented as white areas, while the less affected areas within the illumination range are represented as shadow areas. These point light sources allow players to easily identify when a release event has occurred.

[0161] The irradiation range, set based on the occurrence of a release event as an irradiation event, is determined by a reference location corresponding to that release event. (Refer to...) Figure 18 and Figure 19 This explains how to set the irradiation range based on the occurrence of a release event.

[0162] Figure 18 This is a diagram of the site as seen from above, assuming a reference point has been released. Figure 18 The situation shown is Figure 9 The state after reference point 211 is released. In this embodiment, game system 1 determines the state based on the release area (in the released reference point) of the released area. Figure 18 The area in the middle is region 212) and the location influence range corresponding to this reference point (in Figure 18The irradiation range is set using the location influence range 251. Furthermore, "location influence range corresponding to the reference point" refers to the range predetermined for each reference point. In this embodiment, the range within a predetermined distance from the reference point is set as the location influence range. Moreover, this predetermined distance is set for each reference point, and can be a value that varies for each reference point or is the same for all reference points. For example, the location influence range for each reference point can be set such that even if all reference points are released, a portion of the site remains outside the location influence range, or it can be set such that the entire site remains within the location influence range even if all reference points are released. In the former case, there are portions of the site that remain outside the irradiation range even if all reference points are released.

[0163] In this embodiment, the game system 1 defines the area within the influence range of the aforementioned location and within the aforementioned release area as the illumination range. Figure 18 In the example shown, the release area 212 is located inside the location influence range 251, therefore the area identical to the release area 212 becomes the irradiation range. Furthermore, in Figure 18 In this embodiment, the area outside the irradiation range is represented by a diagonal line. As described above, the location influence range is set for each reference location and is independent of the release area corresponding to that location influence range. Therefore, the location influence range can be set to be larger than the release area corresponding to that location influence range (i.e., the release area is included within the location influence range), smaller than the release area (i.e., the location influence range is included within the release area), or the same as the release area. Furthermore, "the release area corresponding to the reference location" refers to the release area set when only that reference location is irradiated.

[0164] Furthermore, the illumination range can be set in any way to include at least a portion of the release area. For example, in other embodiments, the game system 1 can also directly set the release area as the illumination range, or it can set the range inside at least one of the release area and the location influence range as the illumination range.

[0165] Figure 19 This is a diagram of the site as seen from above, with the two reference points having been released. Figure 19 The situation shown is Figure 11 The condition of reference points 211 and 213 after they were released.

[0166] In such Figure 19 If the two reference points 211 and 213 are released as shown, then... Figure 11 Set as shown Figure 19 The release area 216 is shown as a dashed line. Furthermore, as described above, the game system 1 sets the area within the influence range of the location corresponding to the released reference location and within the release area as the illumination range. Therefore, in Figure 19 In the example shown, the area inside at least one of the location influence range 251 corresponding to reference point 211 and the location influence range 252 corresponding to reference point 213, and inside the release area 216, is defined as the irradiation range. Furthermore, in Figure 19 In the diagram, the area outside the irradiation range is represented by a diagonal line.

[0167] exist Figure 19 In the example shown, the location influence range 251 is set to be larger than the release area in the case where only the reference location 211 is released (i.e., Figure 18 The area shown (212) is large, and the location influence range 252 is set to be larger than the release area when only reference point 213 is released. Therefore, when two reference points 211 and 213 are released, the area that would not be within the irradiation range when only one reference point 211 or 213 is released also becomes the irradiation range. For example, in Figure 19 In the example shown, the location influence range 251 and location influence range 252 are set to partially overlap. Therefore, when two reference points 211 and 213 are released, a continuous illumination range is set across reference points 211 and 213. Based on this, by releasing two reference points 211 and 213, the player can easily explore the area between these two reference points.

[0168] On the other hand, for two other reference points different from reference points 211 and 213, the area of ​​influence corresponding to that reference point can be set to be the same as or smaller than the release area when only that reference point is released. In this case, with Figure 19 The example shown is different. Even if the two reference points mentioned above are released, the irradiation range is not set in a continuous manner across the two reference points, but rather two discontinuous irradiation ranges are set.

[0169] As described above, in this embodiment, the location influence range is set independently of the release area, and the irradiation range is set based on the release area and the location influence range, thereby allowing for free setting of the size and shape of the irradiation range. For example, when two reference locations are released, the irradiation range can be set either continuously across the two reference locations or as two discontinuous irradiation ranges.

[0170] Furthermore, as will be described later, in this embodiment, for the illumination range set by the release event, the game system 1 uses the aforementioned ambient light to display the illumination range in a visible manner.

[0171] As described above, in this embodiment, one example of an illumination event is an event (i.e., a release event) that occurs when a player character performs a prescribed operation input while located at an event occurrence location (i.e., a reference location) set within the arena. In this case, the game system 1 sets the illumination range such that it includes a predetermined range encompassing the event occurrence location (specifically, the range of the release area or the location influence range based on the reference location). Accordingly, a game can be provided where the illumination range expands as the player character reaches the event occurrence location. The shape of the illumination range can be, as described above, based on the distance from the event occurrence location, or in other embodiments, a predetermined shape encompassing the event occurrence location.

[0172] In this embodiment, the illumination range is also set according to the prop configuration event. Figure 20 This is an example of a game image showing a field where light sources have been set up. Figure 20 The illustrated situation is where a light source prop 261 is positioned outside the illumination range of the arena. The light source prop 261 is an object that sets a light source (specifically, a point light source) at its location. In this embodiment, the player character 201 can place a specified light source prop on the arena. The player character 201 can place the light source prop on the ground, for example, by placing it under their feet, throwing it, or shooting it with an arrow. In this embodiment, the player character 201 can hold the light source prop as a tool and place it on the ground at the player's desired time. Alternatively, in other embodiments, props such as torches or candles can also be used as light source props.

[0173] When the light source prop 261 is placed on the ground in the arena, the game system 1 sets the area around the light source prop (referred to as the "prop's area of ​​effect") as the illumination range. The prop's area of ​​effect is, for example, the range within a specified distance from the position of the light source prop 261. Figure 20In the example shown, by placing a light source prop 261 outside the illumination range of the arena, the area affected by the prop at that location becomes the illumination range, and the arena within that range is displayed in a visible manner. Thus, in this embodiment, in addition to releasing a reference point, the player can also expand the visible range of the arena by placing a light source prop. For example, the player can ensure a field of view while moving through the arena by placing a light source prop in a dark area (i.e., an area outside the illumination range) towards an unreleased reference point.

[0174] In this embodiment, for the illumination range (i.e., the range of influence of the props) set by the prop configuration event, the game system 1 renders the game image by reflecting the point light source set at the position of the light source prop. That is, for the illumination range set by the prop configuration event, the rendering takes into account both the ambient light and the point light source. Furthermore, details of the game image rendering process will be described later.

[0175] Figure 21 This is an example of a game image showing a scene where a light source prop is positioned within the illumination range obtained through a release event. In this case, the area affected by the light source prop 261 is drawn in a way that reflects ambient light and point light sources, thus appearing brighter than the area outside the prop's influence range but within the illumination range obtained through the release event. Furthermore, in Figure 21 In this embodiment, the area within the illumination range but outside the influence range of the prop is represented as a shadow area, and the influence range of the prop is represented as a white area. Based on the above, according to this embodiment, the player can easily identify the light source prop 261.

[0176] In addition, in such Figure 21 As shown, when a light source prop 261 is placed within the illumination range obtained through the release event, the game system 1 sets the prop's influence range obtained through the light source prop 261 as the illumination range, just as it would be if the light source prop 261 were placed outside the illumination range. However, if the entire prop's influence range is the area that has already been set as the illumination range, the illumination range in the field will not change in the result.

[0177] As explained for the three types of illumination events (i.e., character glowing events, release events, and item placement events), in this embodiment, at least one light source (specifically, ambient light) with a predetermined brightness is set within the field, regardless of the character's position within the field. Furthermore, during the rendering process, the game system 1 targets at least a portion of the terrain objects within the field (e.g., Figure 17The ground object shown is drawn, and the portion of the terrain object included in the illumination range is drawn in a way that reflects the light source. Accordingly, a certain level of brightness can be ensured for the illumination range, so that the illumination range can be displayed easily regardless of the shape of the terrain (e.g., it will not be dark due to the shadow of the terrain).

[0178] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in addition to the ambient light, point light sources are also provided. That is, the game system 1 provides point light sources within the arena based on the occurrence of predetermined events (specifically, release events and item placement events). Additionally, during the rendering process, the game system 1 renders at least a portion of the terrain objects within the illumination range in a manner that also reflects the point light sources. This allows players to easily recognize that the predetermined events have occurred and that the arena has become brighter due to the occurrence of these events.

[0179] Furthermore, the type of light source placed in the venue is arbitrary. In other embodiments, for example, light sources of shapes other than point light sources can be placed in the venue along with ambient light. Alternatively, point light sources can be omitted, and only ambient light can be placed in the venue.

[0180] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the aforementioned event is the event in which a specified prop (specifically, a light source prop) is placed on the field. At this time, the game system 1 sets the position of a reference point based on the location of the prop, and sets the illumination range based on the distance from this reference point, in a manner that includes a range below a threshold distance (i.e., the prop's influence range). Accordingly, the player can easily set the illumination range at the desired location by configuring the prop.

[0181] Furthermore, the term "an event in which a prescribed prop is placed on the field" is not limited to events that occur simply by the placement of a prescribed prop on the field, but also includes events that occur by the placement of a prescribed prop on the field under certain conditions. For example, an "event in which a prescribed prop is placed on the field" can also be an event conditioned by the prop being subjected to a certain impact. This condition could be either the prescribed prop being subjected to an impact upon falling onto the field, or an impact being applied to the prescribed prop by another object.

[0182] Furthermore, the event of setting a point light source is not limited to an item placement event, but can also be other types of events. For example, in other embodiments, the game system 1 can also set a point light source at the position of the player character 201 based on the occurrence of a character glowing event, and draw the character's influence range in a way that reflects the point light source, thereby displaying the illumination range in a visual manner.

[0183] As explained for the three types of illumination events (i.e., character glowing events, release events, and item placement events), in this embodiment, a reference point is set in the virtual space as the illumination range based on the occurrence of a predetermined event (specifically, an illumination event). Then, the illumination range is set based on the distance from the reference point, in a manner that includes a range below a threshold distance. Accordingly, the location corresponding to the event and its surroundings can be set as the illumination range based on the occurrence of the event.

[0184] Furthermore, regarding the aforementioned "the distance is the range below the threshold", in the case of a character glowing event, it refers to the range of influence of the character; in the case of a release event, it refers to the range of influence of the location or the release area; and in the case of an item configuration event, it refers to the range of influence of the item.

[0185] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the "reference point for the illumination range" refers to the position of the player character 201 during a character glowing event, the position of the reference location during a release event, and the position of the light source prop during an item placement event. However, the "reference point for the illumination range" does not need to be strictly these positions; it can be a position determined based on these positions. For example, the "reference point for the illumination range" can also be a position slightly offset from the position of the player character 201, the reference location, or the position of the light source prop.

[0186] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the illumination range set based on the occurrence of an illumination event can also be controlled to gradually expand from the time of occurrence. That is, the game system 1 can also expand the illumination range by increasing the threshold used to determine the illumination range over time after setting the aforementioned reference point based on the occurrence of an illumination event. Moreover, regarding the aforementioned threshold, in a character glowing event, it is a threshold for the distance set for the character's influence range; in a release event, it is a threshold for the distance set for the location's influence range; and in an item placement event, it is a threshold for the distance set for the item's influence range. Accordingly, when an illumination event occurs, it is possible to display a situation where the bright area in the field gradually expands. Furthermore, in the above, the illumination range is controlled to stop expanding after a predetermined time. Alternatively, the game system 1 may not need to gradually expand the illumination range for all illumination events, but rather control the gradual expansion of the illumination range for specific events within the illumination events (e.g., release events and item placement events).

[0187] As described above, in this embodiment, a specified object is displayed in a visible manner even when it is outside the illumination range. Hereinafter, such an object will be referred to as an "outside-target object." Specifically, in this embodiment, outside-target objects are specified types of characters and self-illuminating objects. Specified types of characters more specifically refer to player characters and enemy characters. Furthermore, a self-illuminating object is an object that is set in the drawing-related settings to be displayed by emitting its own light. For example, the marker object 203 described above is a self-illuminating object.

[0188] Details will be described later. When drawing game graphics, for objects outside the target area, even if the object is outside the illumination range, the game system 1 does not draw based on a drawing setting that does not reflect the aforementioned light source, but rather based on a drawing setting pre-set for the object outside the target area. In this embodiment, when a character of a specified type is outside the illumination range, the character is drawn in a visible manner with shadows. Therefore, characters of the specified type are displayed in a way that allows them to be distinguished from other objects outside the illumination range that are displayed as dark.

[0189] Furthermore, for self-illuminating objects, even when the object is outside the illumination range, rendering is performed based on the rendering settings such as the emission parameters set for that object. The result, for example... Figure 15 As shown in the marked object 203, the self-illuminating object is displayed in a way that allows it to be distinguished from other objects outside the illumination range that are displayed as dark.

[0190] As described above, in this embodiment, the illumination event is an event that occurs (i.e., a release event) when the player character performs a prescribed operation input while located at an event occurrence position set in association with a reference location within the arena. Furthermore, as... Figure 15 and Figure 16 As shown, self-illuminating marker objects are positioned on the field at locations corresponding to multiple reference points (e.g., above the reference points). Regardless of whether the marker object is within the illumination range, the game system 1 draws it in a manner that distinguishes it from other objects outside the illumination range. Accordingly, by setting the marker object as a target, the player character can easily move towards reference points outside the illumination range.

[0191] [2-3. Image Generation and Processing]

[0192] Next, an example of a method for generating game images that displays areas outside the illumination range of the arena as dark (i.e., displayed in a way that is invisible or difficult to visually recognize) will be described. In this embodiment, the game system 1 draws objects within the illumination range in a manner that reflects the light source set in the arena. On the other hand, for objects outside the illumination range (however, except for the aforementioned objects outside the target range), the pixels corresponding to the object are drawn in black instead of reflecting the light source. Accordingly, objects outside the illumination range can be made invisible, effectively motivating players to release reference points in order to explore the arena. A specific example of the game image generation method will be described below.

[0193] In this embodiment, the game system 1 renders game images using a method based on deferred rendering (also known as deferred shading or delayed shading). That is, the game system 1 performs rendering processing during one frame through the first to third stages described below.

[0194] In the first stage, game system 1 writes information used in rendering for each object (including character objects and terrain objects) within the virtual space into the G-buffer (geometry buffer). The G-buffer writes information such as the normal of the polygon corresponding to that pixel and the color information set for that polygon for each pixel, for example, for each pixel being drawn. In this embodiment, in addition to this information, the coordinates representing the position on the field corresponding to the pixel, and information indicating that the pixel is used to render objects outside the target, are also saved to the G-buffer. Furthermore, in the first stage, game system 1 writes the depth information of the position on the field into the depth buffer, pixel by pixel, for each position.

[0195] In the second stage, game system 1 writes lighting-related information into the lighting buffer based on the information written in the G-buffer and depth buffer, as well as the information of the light sources set in the field. For example, the lighting buffer may write information representing the brightness of the corresponding position on the field for each drawn pixel. Furthermore, in this embodiment, game system 1 performs lighting-related calculations in the second stage; however, in other embodiments, game system 1 may also perform lighting-related calculations in the third stage, described later, during the drawing to the frame buffer.

[0196] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in the second stage, the game system 1 generates dark mask data. The dark mask is data representing the degree to which the location corresponding to each drawn pixel on the field is drawn as dark (i.e., outside the illumination range) or as dark. In this embodiment, the dark mask represents a dark mask value per pixel, which indicates the degree to which a color representing darkness (as described above, black in this embodiment) is used. For example, the dark mask value is a value greater than 0 and less than 1. The dark mask value of a pixel drawn with a color representing darkness is set to 1, and the dark mask value of a pixel that does not reflect the color representing darkness is set to 0. Additionally, when the dark mask value is an intermediate value (i.e., a value greater than 0 and less than 1), the higher the degree to which the pixel reflects the color representing darkness, the larger the intermediate value becomes. In this embodiment, the dark mask value of pixels corresponding to locations outside the illumination range is set to 1, and the dark mask value of pixels corresponding to locations within the illumination range is set to a value less than 1. Therefore, the dark mask can be considered data representing the illumination range in the field. Details will be described later. This dark mask is generated based on the illumination range within the virtual space and the coordinate data representing the position on the field stored in the G buffer. Furthermore, pixels corresponding to the pixels used to draw the aforementioned objects outside the target area are set to values ​​that do not reflect darkness. In other embodiments, the dark mask value for pixels outside the illumination range may be set to a value greater than or equal to a predetermined value (a value greater than 0 and less than 1), while the dark mask value for pixels within the illumination range may be set to a value less than this predetermined value. In this embodiment, the dark mask value is set to a multi-valued value within the range of 0 to 1; however, in other embodiments, the dark mask value may be a binary value such as 0 or 1.

[0197] In the third stage, game system 1 writes the pixel values ​​of the field image, which reflects the effects of darkness and light generated by light sources, to the frame buffer based on the information written in the dark mask and the various buffers (i.e., the G buffer, the depth buffer, and the lighting buffer). That is, game system 1 writes the pixel values ​​obtained by overlaying the pixel values ​​reflecting the light sources in the virtual space, which are obtained based on the information from the G buffer and the lighting buffer, with black, to the frame buffer.

[0198] Figure 22 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for generating a site image that is written to a frame buffer. For example... Figure 22As shown, the pixel values ​​of each pixel in the field image are calculated based on the color information stored in the G buffer, the brightness information stored in the illumination buffer, and the dark mask value of the dark mask. First, by reflecting the brightness information stored in the illumination buffer, a field image reflecting the light produced by the light source can be obtained. That is, a field image representing the illuminated ambient light and the light produced by the point light source can be obtained. Furthermore, by using a dark mask, a field image representing the area outside the illumination range using darkness can be generated (see [reference]). Figure 22 Through the above, game system 1 can obtain a field image that represents the illuminated ambient light and the light generated by point light sources within the illumination range, and the area outside the illumination range as darkness.

[0199] about Figure 22 The dark mask shown uses black to represent positions with a dark mask value of 1, white to represent positions with a dark mask value of 0, and gray to represent intermediate dark mask values, with larger values ​​being closer to black. Regarding the illumination range based on character glow events and item placement events, the dark mask value is set as follows: pixels within a specified distance from the reference point of the illumination range have a dark mask value of 0; pixels at distances farther from the reference point have a dark mask value that gradually increases with distance from the reference point; and pixels outside the illumination range have a dark mask value of 1. Furthermore, the reference point of the illumination range refers to the position that serves as the reference for the illumination range. Specifically, for illumination ranges based on release events, it is the reference position; for illumination ranges based on character glow events, it is the position of the player character; and for illumination ranges based on item placement events, it is the position of the light source item.

[0200] For the illumination range based on the release event, game system 1 calculates two-dimensional range data for calculating the dark mask value, and generates a dark mask based on this two-dimensional range data and the horizontal plane component of the coordinate data representing the position on the field stored in the G buffer. The two-dimensional range data represents the degree value used to calculate the dark mask value for each two-dimensional position in the plane corresponding to the field. The two-dimensional range data can be considered as data representing the illumination range in the field. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the aforementioned two-dimensional range data related to the position on the two-dimensional plane is used as data representing the illumination range; however, in other embodiments, the data representing the illumination range can also be data representing the position of the three-dimensional field.

[0201] The aforementioned intensity value, similar to the dark mask value, represents the degree of darkness rendered during the rendering process. The intensity value varies, for example, as follows: it is maximum at a reference point within the illumination range, gradually decreases with distance from the reference point, and is 0 outside the illumination range. Therefore, the intensity value can be calculated based on the value that decays with distance from the reference point within the illumination range. In this embodiment, the illumination range based on the release event is set based on the release area determined by the aforementioned total determination value and the location influence range based on distance from the reference point. Therefore, the intensity value for the illumination range based on the release event can be calculated based on the aforementioned total determination value and the value that decays with distance from the reference point.

[0202] Next, game system 1 calculates the dark mask value for each pixel based on the intensity value at each location corresponding to each pixel. For example, the intensity value can be scaled to a range between 0 and 1, and the value obtained by subtracting the scaled value from 1 can be used as the dark mask value. By using the dark mask value calculated as described above, a dark mask reflecting the illumination range based on the release event can be generated. Furthermore, if the range of the release area and the location influence range are set to be the same, the map mask described above can also be used as two-dimensional range data.

[0203] As described above, in this embodiment, the game system 1 generates two-dimensional range data representing the illumination range in the field in a planar manner based on the occurrence of the release event, such that the range in the field corresponding to the location where the event occurred (i.e., the location of the reference point) becomes at least the illumination range, and generates a dark mask based on the two-dimensional range data.

[0204] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the game system 1 also generates a dark mask in the second stage of the rendering process described above, in a manner that reflects the illumination range based on the player character's position and the illumination range based on the point light source's position for the light source props. This generates a dark mask that reflects each illumination event (i.e., release event, character glowing event, and prop placement event).

[0205] Furthermore, the method for calculating the dark mask value is arbitrary and not limited to the method described above. For example, in other embodiments, the game system 1 may not generate the aforementioned two-dimensional range data, but instead directly generate the dark mask during the rendering process. That is, the game system 1 may also generate a dark mask reflecting the illumination range based on the release event in the second stage of the rendering process, based on the total determination value for each position on the field corresponding to the pixel and the value attenuated according to the distance from the reference point.

[0206] As described above, in this embodiment, during the rendering process, the game system 1 generates mask data (i.e., dark mask data) for at least a portion of terrain objects, where each pixel indicates whether the position corresponding to that pixel within the terrain object is within the illumination range. Furthermore, for pixels in the mask data that indicate the position of the terrain object is within the illumination range, rendering is performed to the frame buffer in a manner reflecting the light source. Additionally, for pixels in the mask data that indicate the position of the terrain object is not within the illumination range, rendering is performed to the frame buffer using a predetermined color. Accordingly, by using the mask data, it is possible to generate a field image in which areas outside the illumination range are represented in a way that is invisible or difficult to visually discern. The predetermined color is, for example, black. However, it is not limited to black; it can also be gray or other colors. Furthermore, it is not limited to a single color; it can also be drawn as an image with a predetermined pattern.

[0207] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the mask data described above is data representing the degree to which the specified color is drawn per pixel. During the rendering process, the game system 1 writes the pixel values, calculated in a manner reflecting the light source (i.e., pixel values ​​based on color information stored in the G buffer and brightness information stored in the illumination buffer), after synthesizing the specified color according to the aforementioned degree, to the frame buffer. Accordingly, the degree of darkness can be represented in multiple levels. For example, as described above, by setting the degree value in a manner that is maximum at a reference point within the illumination range and gradually decreases according to the distance from the reference point, and is 0 outside the illumination range, a scene image that makes the darkness gradually intensify at the boundary of the illumination range can be generated (see reference). Figure 22 ).

[0208] In this embodiment, the game system 1 generates two-dimensional range data, which represents a degree value indicating the degree of darkness rendered in the rendering process for each two-dimensional coordinate corresponding to the coordinate components other than the height direction of the field. The game system 1 calculates the degree value based on the above-mentioned total determination value and a value that is attenuated according to the two-dimensional distance from the reference point to the coordinate in each of the above coordinates, with the reference value being the two-dimensional position corresponding to the reference point. In the rendering process, for each pixel rendered to the frame buffer, a pixel value calculated in a manner reflecting the light source set in the field is written to the frame buffer after synthesizing a predetermined color (i.e., black) based on the degree value at the two-dimensional coordinate corresponding to the pixel represented by the above-mentioned two-dimensional range data (or, more specifically, based on the dark mask value based on the degree value) of the pixel value calculated in a manner reflecting the light source set in the field, and synthesizing the predetermined color. According to the above, the predetermined color can be reflected step by step in the image representing the field. Thus, for example, a field image can be generated in a manner that gradually darkens near the boundary of the illumination range, thereby generating a field image that looks more natural.

[0209] In this embodiment, the game system 1 does not draw the aforementioned external objects using black, which represents darkness, but instead draws them using a method set for each object. Specifically, in the first stage described above, the game system 1 writes mask-free data related to the external objects into the G buffer. The mask-free data represents the data of pixels corresponding to the position of the external objects. Mask-free data can be said to mean that the aforementioned dark mask is exempted from application for the pixels corresponding to the external objects. Furthermore, the game system 1 writes data representing the drawing method set for the external objects (e.g., self-illumination, with a specified shadow) into the G buffer.

[0210] Furthermore, in the third stage of the rendering process described above, game system 1 renders the pixels represented by the aforementioned mask-free image using a method set for objects outside the target, regardless of the dark mask value of the dark mask. Therefore, objects outside the target, even if outside the illumination range, will not be rendered as dark, but will be rendered using the set method. Alternatively, in the second stage described above, for the pixels represented by the aforementioned mask-free image, a value indicating that they are not dark can be written into the dark mask.

[0211] As described above, in this embodiment, during the first stage of the rendering process, the game system 1 writes data to the G-buffer and depth buffer for each pixel of the object outside the target area, and generates the aforementioned mask-free data. Then, in the third stage of the rendering process, the game system 1 renders the pixels represented by the mask-free data using a visual recognition method (e.g., a method that can distinguish the parts of the terrain object not included in the illumination range from the object outside the target area) that is capable of being distinguished. Accordingly, the game system 1 can display the object outside the target area in a visible manner even when the object outside the target area is outside the illumination range.

[0212] As described above, in this embodiment, game system 1 renders objects outside the illumination range as dark using a so-called deferred rendering rendering process. Specifically, in the first stage, game system 1 writes data to the G-buffer and depth buffer for at least a portion of the terrain objects within the field. In the second stage, game system 1 generates dark mask data for each pixel based on its corresponding position, the depth value stored in the depth buffer, and the illumination range. In the third stage, game system 1 renders data to the frame buffer based at least on the dark mask data and the data stored in the G-buffer. Based on the above, game system 1 can apply deferred rendering techniques to render objects outside the illumination range in a way that is invisible or difficult to visually recognize.

[0213] Furthermore, in other embodiments, the method for rendering objects outside the illumination range as dark is arbitrary and not limited to deferred rendering-based rendering. In other embodiments, rendering can also be performed based on forward rendering (also known as forward shading). That is, during rendering, the game system 1 can determine whether at least a portion of terrain objects (e.g., objects other than the aforementioned target objects) are included in the illumination range on a pixel-by-pixel basis. For pixels included in the illumination range, rendering is performed to the frame buffer in a manner that reflects the light source. For pixels not included in the illumination range, rendering is performed to the frame buffer using a predetermined color (e.g., black). Based on the above, the game system 1 can render objects outside the illumination range in a way that is invisible or difficult to visually recognize based on forward rendering.

[0214] [3. Specific examples of processing in game systems]

[0215] Next, refer to Figures 23-27 This will illustrate a specific example of information processing in game system 1.

[0216] Figure 23 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a storage area for various types of data used in information processing within the game system 1. Figure 23 The storage areas shown are located on storage media accessible to the main device 2 (e.g., flash memory 84, DRAM 85, and / or memory cards installed in slot 23, etc.). Figure 23 As shown, a game program area for storing the game program is provided in the aforementioned storage medium. The game program is used to perform game processing in this embodiment (specifically, Figure 24 (The game processing is shown). In addition, the aforementioned storage medium contains the G buffer, depth buffer, lighting buffer, and frame buffer.

[0217] Furthermore, the aforementioned storage medium includes a dark mask data area for storing the aforementioned dark mask data. Additionally, the aforementioned mask-free data is stored in a G buffer. Moreover, the aforementioned storage medium includes a processing data area for storing various data used in game processing. For example, the aforementioned map mask data is stored in the processing data area. Additionally, for example, object data (e.g., data indicating the object's position and orientation) related to various objects appearing in the game (e.g., player character, light source props) is stored in the processing data area.

[0218] Figure 24This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the game processing flow executed by game system 1. For example, during the execution of the aforementioned game program, game processing begins in response to a player's instruction to start the game. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the game processing includes the following processing modes: a field mode that displays a field image representing the field, a map display mode that displays the aforementioned map image across the entire display 12, and a menu display mode that displays a menu image. The processing mode at the start of the game is arbitrary; here, for example, it is set to field mode.

[0219] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the game is executed by the processor 81 of the main device 2 by executing the game program stored in the game system 1. Figure 24 The processing steps shown will be explained in detail. However, in other embodiments, some of the processing steps described above may also be performed by a processor other than processor 81 (e.g., a dedicated circuit). Furthermore, if the game system 1 is capable of communicating with other information processing devices (e.g., a server), Figure 24 Some of the steps shown can also be performed in other information processing devices. Additionally, Figure 24 The steps shown are just an example. As long as the same result can be obtained, the order of the steps can be changed, and other processes can be performed in addition to (or in place of) the processes of each step.

[0220] Additionally, processor 81 uses memory (e.g., DRAM 85) for execution. Figure 24 The processing steps shown are as follows: That is, the processor 81 stores the information (in other words, data) obtained through each processing step into the memory, and reads the information from the memory to use it in subsequent processing steps when the information needs to be used.

[0221] exist Figure 24 In step S1, processor 81 acquires the aforementioned operation data representing the player's instruction. Specifically, processor 81 acquires operation data received from each controller via controller communication unit 83 and / or terminals 17 and 21. Step S2 is then executed after step S1.

[0222] In step S2, the processor 81 determines whether an event scene, such as a release event, is being executed. As described above, in this embodiment, an animation representing the release event is started when a release event occurs (see step S26 described later). In step S2, the processor 81 determines whether the animation of the aforementioned event scene is being played. If the determination result in step S2 is affirmative, the processing in step S3 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S2 is negative, the processing in step S4 is executed.

[0223] In step S3, the processor 81 advances the executing event scene. That is, the processor 81 causes the display 12 to display an image of the animation of the aforementioned event scene. Furthermore, in each step S3, one frame of image is displayed, and the aforementioned animation is played by repeatedly executing the processing of step S3 during the execution of the event scene. Regarding the rendering processing during the event, sometimes the same processing as in the field mode that displays the field image is performed, but different rendering processing may be performed when different scenes need to be represented. The specific content of the different rendering processing is arbitrary, and details are omitted. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the image generated by the game system 1 is displayed on the display 12, but the image may also be displayed on other display devices (e.g., the aforementioned fixed monitor). After step S3, the processing of step S12, which will be described later, is executed.

[0224] In step S4, the processor 81 determines whether it is in a map display mode that displays a map image. Details will be described later. In this embodiment, the map display mode is started based on a map display instruction given by the player in a site mode that displays a site image (see step S22 described later). If the determination result in step S4 is affirmative, the processing in step S5 is executed. Conversely, if the determination result in step S4 is negative, the processing in step S6 is executed.

[0225] In step S5, the processor 81 causes the display 12 to display a map image. That is, the processor 81 generates a map image according to the method described in "[2-1. Setting the Map Release Area]", and causes the display 12 to display the generated map image. In step S5 (i.e., in map display mode), the site image is not displayed, but the map image is displayed over the entire area of ​​the display 12 (see [reference]). Figure 10 and Figure 12 Additionally, in map display mode, if the processor 81 receives an instruction to end the display of the map image, it switches the processing mode to site mode. In this case, the determination result in the next execution of step S4 above is negative, and the site image is displayed in step S11 described later. After step S5, the processing of step S12 described later is executed.

[0226] In step S6, the processor 81 determines whether it is in a menu display mode that displays a menu image. Details will be described later. In this embodiment, the menu display mode is initiated based on a menu display instruction given by the player in a venue mode that displays a venue image (see step S22 described later). If the determination result in step S6 is affirmative, the processing in step S7 is executed. Conversely, if the determination result in step S6 is negative, the processing in step S8 is executed.

[0227] In step S7, the processor 81 causes the display 12 to display a menu image. Here, in this embodiment, the processor 81, in menu display mode, at least accepts operation inputs for instructing changes to the player character's equipment in various operations. That is, the player can change the player character's equipment in the menu image, for example, equipping the player character with the aforementioned glowing clothing. Furthermore, although in Figure 24 The flowchart shown is omitted, but in menu display mode, the processor 81 accepts operation inputs for various instructions regarding the menu image (e.g., instructions to change the player character's equipment, instructions to use items, etc.), and appropriately changes and displays the content of the menu image based on these operation inputs. Additionally, in menu display mode, the processor 81 accepts instructions indicating the end of menu image display; if such instructions are given, the processing mode is switched to field mode. In this case, the determination result in the next executed step S6 is negative, and the field image is displayed in step S11 (described later). After step S7, the processing in step S12 (described later) is executed.

[0228] In step S8, processor 81 executes player-related control processing. In player-related control processing, various processes (e.g., control processes related to the player character) are performed based on the player's input. Details regarding player-related control processing will be provided later. Figure 25 The flowchart shown will be used for illustration. After step S8, the processing in step S9 is performed.

[0229] In step S9, processor 81 performs other object control processing. In this other object control processing, control is exercised over objects other than the player character (e.g., enemy characters, the aforementioned light source props, etc.). Details regarding this other object control processing will be provided later. Figure 26 The flowchart shown will be used for illustration. After step S9, the processing of step S10 is performed.

[0230] In step S10, processor 81 performs a drawing process for a field image representing the field. In this field image drawing process, as described above, a field image is generated that represents areas outside the illumination range as dark. Details of the drawing process will be provided later. Figure 27 The flowchart shown will be used for illustration. After step S10, the process of step S11 is performed.

[0231] In step S11, the processor 81 causes the display 12 to show the site image generated in step S10. Furthermore, as... Figure 15 As shown, in the site mode, the processor 81 can also generate a map image in addition to the site image, and display the map image overlaid on the site image. After step S11, the processing of step S12 is performed.

[0232] In step S12, the processor 81 determines whether to end the game. For example, if the player performs a specified operation input to end the game, the processor 81 determines that the game is over. If the determination result in step S12 is negative, the process of step S1 is executed again. Thereafter, the series of processes from S1 to S12 is repeated until the determination to end the game is made in step S12. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S12 is positive, the processor 81 terminates. Figure 24 The game processing shown.

[0233] Figure 25 It means Figure 24 The following is a sub-flowchart of an example of the detailed process of player association control processing in step S8. In player association control processing, firstly, in step S21, the processor 81 determines, based on the operation data obtained in step S1, whether the player has issued an instruction to switch the aforementioned processing mode. Specifically, the instruction to switch processing mode is an instruction to display a map image or an instruction to display a menu image. If the determination result in step S21 is affirmative, the processing in step S22 is executed. Conversely, if the determination result in step S21 is negative, the processing in step S23 is executed.

[0234] In step S22, the processor 81 switches the processing mode according to the instruction given in step S21. Specifically, if an instruction to display a map image is given, the processor 81 switches the processing mode to map display mode. In this case, if the determination result in the next execution of step S4 is affirmative, the process of displaying the map image is executed in step S5. Similarly, if an instruction to display a menu image is given, the processor 81 switches the processing mode to menu display mode. In this case, if the determination result in the next execution of step S6 is affirmative, the process of displaying the menu image is executed in step S7. After step S22, the processor 81 terminates the player association control processing.

[0235] In step S23, the processor 81 determines whether it is an operation acceptance period for accepting operation input for the player character. Here, in this embodiment, the operation period during which the player character performs a prescribed action based on the operation input for the player character (e.g., the action controlled in step S30 described later) is excluded from the operation acceptance period. If the determination result of step S23 is affirmative, the processing of step S24 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result of step S23 is negative, the processing of step S33 described later is executed.

[0236] In step S24, the processor 81 determines whether an operation input for releasing the reference location has been performed based on the operation data obtained in step S1. That is, the processor 81 determines whether an input for executing the "investigate" command has been performed while the player character is near the reference location. If the determination result in step S24 is affirmative, the process in step S25 is executed. Conversely, if the determination result in step S24 is negative, the process in step S29, described later, is executed.

[0237] In step S25, the processor 81 releases the reference point that has been input by the aforementioned operation. For example, the processor 81 updates the data stored in memory indicating the state of the reference point to indicate that it has been released. Additionally, the processor 81 sets a point light source at the location of the marker object representing the reference point. Therefore, in the drawing process described later, drawing is performed with lighting around the marker object. After step S25, the process of step S26 is executed.

[0238] In step S26, the processor 81 begins executing the event scene assuming a release event has occurred. Specifically, the processor 81 begins playing an animation showing the area around the released reference point gradually brightening. After step S26, until the animation finishes playing, if the determination result in step S2 is positive, execution of the event scene continues. After step S26, step S27 is executed.

[0239] In step S27, the processor 81 sets the aforementioned release area based on the reference point released in step S26. That is, the processor 81 generates a map mask representing the set release area according to the method described in "[2-1. Setting the Release Area of ​​the Map]". Specifically, map mask data is stored in memory at the start of game processing, and the processor 81 updates this data to show the set release area. Through the processing in step S27, the area in the field containing the released reference point is set as the release area. After step S27, the processing in step S28 is executed.

[0240] In step S28, the processor 81 sets the aforementioned illumination range based on the reference location released in step S26. That is, the processor 81 generates the aforementioned two-dimensional range data representing the set illumination range according to the method described in "[2-2. Setting the Illumination Range]". Specifically, two-dimensional range data is stored in memory at the start of game processing, and the processor 81 updates this data to show the set illumination range. Through the processing in step S27, the area in the arena containing the released reference location is set as the illumination range. After step S28, the processor 81 ends the player-associated control processing. Furthermore, the processing in steps S25, S27, and S28 is not limited to this timing and can also be performed at a predetermined time in a subsequent event scene.

[0241] In step S29, the processor 81 determines whether an operation input for an action instruction to the player character has been made based on the operation data obtained in step S1. An action instruction is an instruction to cause the player character to perform actions such as attacking or jumping. If the determination result in step S29 is positive, the process in step S30 is executed. Conversely, if the determination result in step S29 is negative, the process in step S31, described later, is executed.

[0242] In step S30, processor 81 causes the player character to begin performing an action corresponding to the action instruction given in step S29. After the player character begins performing the action in step S30, the process in step S33 (described later) controls the player character to continue performing the action for a certain period of time. After step S30, processor 81 terminates the player-associated control process.

[0243] In step S31, the processor 81 determines whether an operation input for a movement instruction to the player character has been made based on the operation data obtained in step S1. A movement instruction is an instruction used to cause the player character to move on the field. If the determination result in step S31 is positive, the process in step S32 is executed. Conversely, if the determination result in step S31 is negative, the process in step S33 is executed.

[0244] In step S32, the processor 81 instructs the player character to move on the field according to the movement instruction given in step S29. After step S32, the processor 81 terminates the player-associated control processing.

[0245] In step S33, the processor 81 controls the player character to perform various actions, such as the progression of the action started in step S30, actions when no input is received, etc. Furthermore, in one iteration of step S33, the processor 81 controls the player character to progress through an amount of action corresponding to one frame. By repeatedly executing step S33 across multiple frames, the player character performs a series of actions corresponding to action instructions. Additionally, if the player has not instructed the player character to perform an action (e.g., the action started in step S30 has ended), in step S33, the processor 81 may either prevent the player character from performing any action or allow the player character to perform actions designed to make the player character's behavior appear natural (e.g., looking around or shaking the body). After step S33, the processor 81 terminates the player-associated control processing.

[0246] Figure 26 It means Figure 24 The following is a sub-flowchart illustrating an example of the detailed process for other object control handling in step S9. In other object control handling, firstly, in step S41, the processor 81 determines whether the handling of each object other than the player character, which is the control target, has been completed. That is, it determines whether the aforementioned objects have been specified in step S42, which will be described later. If the determination result of step S41 is negative, the handling in step S42 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result of step S41 is positive, the processor 81 terminates the other object control handling.

[0247] In step S42, the processor 81 designates one object from the objects that are control targets as the processing target for step S43, which will be described later. Furthermore, in step S42, the object designated is one that has not yet become a processing target in the current processing loop of steps S41-S45. After step S42, the processing of step S43 is executed.

[0248] In step S43, the processor 81 controls the action of the object specified in step S42. For example, if the object is an enemy character, the enemy character's actions are controlled according to an algorithm determined in the game program. Alternatively, if the object is a light source prop, the movement of the light source prop is controlled based on the actions of other characters, such as the player character (e.g., the player character throwing the light source prop). After step S43, the processing in step S44 is executed.

[0249] In step S44, the processor 81 determines whether an item placement event has occurred based on the processing result of step S43. For example, regarding light source items, if a light source item thrown by the player character is placed on the ground in the arena, the processor 81 determines that an item placement event has occurred. If the determination result of step S44 is positive, the processing of step S45 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result of step S44 is negative, the processing of step S41 is executed again.

[0250] In step S45, the processor 81 sets a point light source at the location of the light source prop that is a factor in the occurrence of the prop configuration event. Therefore, in the drawing process described later, drawing is performed in a manner that illuminates the area around the light source prop. After step S45, the processing of step S41 is executed again. Thereafter, the series of processes in steps S41 to S45 is repeatedly executed until the processing for all objects that are the control targets, as determined in step S41, has been completed.

[0251] Figure 27 It means Figure 24 The following is a sub-flowchart of an example of the detailed flow of the drawing process in step S10. In the drawing process, firstly, in step S51, the processor 81 determines whether the processing of the first stage described in "[2-3. Image Generation Processing]" has been completed. That is, it determines whether the writing to the G buffer for each object that is the drawing target (e.g., objects within the field of view of the virtual camera) has been completed. If the determination result of step S51 is affirmative, the processing of step S56, described later, is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result of step S51 is negative, the processing of step S52 is executed.

[0252] In step S52, the processor 81 designates one object from the objects that are drawn as the processing target for step S53, which will be described later. Furthermore, in step S52, the object designated is one that has not yet become a processing target in the current processing loop of steps S51 to S55. After step S52, the processing of step S53 is executed.

[0253] In step S53, the processor 81 determines whether the object specified in step S52 is an object outside the target as described above. If the determination result in step S53 is negative, the processing in step S54 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S53 is positive, the processing in step S55 is executed.

[0254] In step S54, processor 81 writes information related to the object specified in step S52 to the G buffer and the depth buffer. Specifically, for the pixels corresponding to the polygon of the object, processor 81 writes the position, normal, color, and other information of the polygon to the G buffer, and writes the depth information to the depth buffer. Furthermore, the processing in step S54 can be the same as in conventional deferred rendering. After step S54, the processing in step S51 is executed again.

[0255] On the other hand, in step S55, processor 81 writes information related to the object specified in step S52 to the G buffer and the depth buffer, and writes information indicating that the object is an external object to the target to the G buffer. That is, processor 81 writes the aforementioned mask-removal data related to the external object to the G buffer. After step S55, the processing of step S51 is executed again.

[0256] In step S56, the processor 81 determines whether the second stage of processing described in "[2-3. Image Generation Processing]" has been completed. That is, it determines whether the values ​​written to each pixel in the illumination buffer and the dark mask have been completed. If the determination result of step S56 is positive, the processing of step S60 described later is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result of step S56 is negative, the processing of step S57 is executed.

[0257] In step S57, the processor 81 designates one pixel from the pixels to be the processing target for step S58 (described later). Furthermore, in step S57, pixels that have not yet become processing targets in the current processing loop of steps S56-S59 are designated. After step S57, the processing of step S58 is executed.

[0258] In step S58, the processor 81 writes data to the illumination buffer for the pixel specified in step S57. That is, the processor 81 calculates brightness information at the pixel based on ambient light and the point light source set in step S45, and writes the calculated information to the illumination buffer. Furthermore, the processing in step S58 can be the same as in conventional deferred rendering. After step S58, the processing in step S59 is executed.

[0259] In step S59, the processor 81 generates a dark mask (i.e., sets a dark mask value) for the pixel specified in step S57. Specifically, the processor 81 calculates the dark mask value at that pixel according to the method described in "[2-3. Image Generation Processing]". Specifically, dark mask data is stored in memory at the start of game processing, and the processor 81 updates this data according to the newly set illumination range. For example, if an illumination range based on a release event is set through the processing of step S28, the processor 81 updates the dark mask based on the two-dimensional range data. In addition, if the player character is equipped with glowing clothing in the menu display mode of the menu display processing of step S7, the dark mask is updated so that the pixel corresponding to the position within the influence range of the player character's position becomes the illumination range. Furthermore, if a point light source is set through the processing of step S45, the dark mask is updated so that the pixel corresponding to the position within the influence range of the light source prop becomes the illumination range. After step S59, the processing of step S56 is executed again.

[0260] In step S60, the processor 81 determines whether the third stage of processing described in "[2-3. Image Generation Processing]" has been completed. That is, it determines whether the values ​​written to each pixel in the frame buffer have been completed. If the determination result of step S60 is positive, the processor 81 ends. Figure 27 The drawing process is shown. On the other hand, if the determination result of step S60 is negative, the process of step S61 is executed.

[0261] In step S61, the processor 81 designates one pixel from among the pixels to be the processing target for step S62, which will be described later. Furthermore, in step S61, pixels that have not yet become processing targets in the current processing loop of steps S60 to S62 are designated. After step S61, the processing of step S62 is executed.

[0262] In step S62, processor 81 calculates the pixel value of the pixel specified in step S61 and writes it to the frame buffer. That is, processor 81 calculates the pixel value at that pixel based on the information written in the dark mask and each buffer (i.e., the G buffer, the depth buffer, and the illumination buffer), according to the method described in "[2-3. Image Generation Processing]" above. Specifically, processor 81 calculates the pixel value reflecting the effect of light generated by the light source based on the information in the G buffer, the depth buffer, and the illumination buffer, and further calculates the pixel value reflecting darkness based on the calculated pixel value and the dark mask value in the dark mask. Thus, the pixel value reflecting the effect of darkness and light generated by the light source is written to the frame buffer. After step S62, the processing of step S60 is executed again.

[0263] Furthermore, as mentioned above, the drawing process in step S10 can also be performed using a forward rendering-based method. Figure 28 This is a sub-flowchart illustrating an example of the detailed process of rendering operations performed using a forward-based rendering method. Game System 1 can also execute this. Figure 28 The process shown is used to replace Figure 27 The process shown is the drawing process in step S10.

[0264] exist Figure 28 In the drawing process shown, firstly, in step S71, the processor 81 determines whether the drawing of each object (e.g., objects within the field of view of the virtual camera) that is the drawing target has been completed. If the determination result of step S71 is positive, the processor 81 ends. Figure 28 The drawing process is shown. On the other hand, if the determination result of step S71 is negative, the process of step S72 is executed.

[0265] In step S72, the processor 81 designates one object from the objects that are drawn as the processing targets for subsequent steps S73-S81. Furthermore, in step S72, objects that have not yet become processing targets in the current processing loop of steps S71-S81 are designated. After step S72, the processing of step S73 is executed.

[0266] In step S73, the processor 81 determines whether the object specified in step S72 is an object outside the target as described above. If the determination result in step S73 is affirmative, the processing in step S74 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S73 is negative, the processing in step S75 is executed.

[0267] In step S74, the processor 81 draws the object specified in step S52 (i.e., each pixel corresponding to the object) based on the drawing settings preset for that object. Thus, if the object is a self-illuminating object, it is drawn in a way that makes the object appear to be luminous; if the object is a character of the aforementioned type, it is drawn in a way that makes the object appear to be shadowed. After step S74, the processing described in step S71 is executed again.

[0268] In step S75, the processor 81 determines whether the drawing of each polygon of the object specified in step S72 has been completed. If the determination result in step S75 is positive, the drawing related to the object has been completed, and therefore the processing in step S71 is executed again. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S75 is negative, the processing in step S76 is executed.

[0269] In step S76, processor 81 designates one of the polygons of the object specified in step S72. Furthermore, in step S76, polygons that have not yet become processing targets in the current processing loop of steps S75-S81 are designated. After step S76, the processing in step S77 is executed.

[0270] In step S77, the processor 81 determines whether the drawing of each pixel corresponding to the polygon specified in step S76 has been completed. If the determination result in step S77 is positive, the drawing related to the polygon has been completed, and therefore the processing in step S75 above is executed again. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S77 is negative, the processing in step S78 is executed.

[0271] In step S78, processor 81 designates one of the pixels corresponding to the polygon designated in step S76. Furthermore, in step S78, pixels that have not yet become processing targets in the current processing loop of steps S77-S81 are designated. After step S78, the processing in step S79 is executed.

[0272] In step S79, the processor 81 determines whether the position corresponding to the pixel specified in step S78 (i.e., the position in the field) is within the illumination range. Furthermore, in the process of... Figure 28 In the implementation of the drawing process shown, processor 81 sets the illumination range based on the release event in step S28; sets the illumination range based on the player character's position when the player character is equipped with glowing clothing in the menu display process of step S7; and sets the illumination range based on the position of the light source prop when a point light source is set in the process of step S45. If the determination result of step S79 is affirmative, the process of step S80 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result of step S79 is negative, the process of step S81 is executed.

[0273] In step S80, the processor 81 draws the pixel specified in step S78 in a manner that reflects the light source (i.e., ambient light and / or point light source) set in the scene. Specifically, the processor 81 calculates the pixel value of the pixel based on information about the normal of the polygon corresponding to the pixel, information about the color set for the polygon corresponding to the pixel, and information about the light source set in the scene, and writes the pixel value of the pixel to the frame buffer. Thus, the pixel corresponding to the position within the illumination range is drawn in a manner that takes the light source into account. Furthermore, the processing in step S80 can be the same as the drawing processing based on conventional forward rendering. After step S80, the processing in step S77 is executed again.

[0274] On the other hand, in step S81, the processor 81 draws the pixels specified in step S78 using black. Thus, pixels corresponding to positions outside the illumination range are drawn using black. After step S81, the processing of step S77 is executed again.

[0275] Alternatively, it could be in Figure 28 In the drawing process shown, it is also related to Figure 27 The drawing process shown is also performed in the following manner: within the illumination range, the black gradually becomes darker as it approaches the boundary of the illumination range. For example, in step S80 above, processor 81 may also calculate the aforementioned dark mask value for the pixel specified in step S78, and combine the pixel value reflecting the effect of the light generated by the light source with black in a proportion corresponding to the dark mask value, thereby calculating the pixel value of that pixel.

[0276] [4. Effects and variations of this embodiment]

[0277] The game program in the above embodiments is a structure that causes the computer (e.g., processor 81) of the information processing device (e.g., game device 2) to perform the following processes.

[0278] The game processing (step S32) is performed based on the operation input to control the player character in the virtual space (in the above embodiment, the venue);

[0279] In the event that a specified event (e.g., a release event) occurs based on game processing, the location corresponding to the event among multiple locations (e.g., reference locations) set in the virtual space is changed from a first state (e.g., an unreleased state) to a second state (e.g., a released state). (Step S25)

[0280] The process of determining a region (in the above embodiment, a release region) whose total determination value obtained by summing the first determination values ​​of one or more locations that have changed to the second state based on their locations is above a predetermined value (step S27), wherein the first determination value is a value that is a first reference value at the location corresponding to the location and decays according to the distance from that location; and

[0281] Processing (step S5) to display a map image representing site information of a virtual space according to a map display instruction given through operation input, wherein the map image shows site information of the portion corresponding to the aforementioned area.

[0282] Based on the above structure, the area to be released in the map image (i.e., the range of the release area) can be changed according to whether or not multiple events have occurred. In addition, the total determination value at each location in the virtual space can be varied according to which of the above locations becomes the second state, so the release area can be varied according to the state at each location (i.e., according to the occurrence of events at each location).

[0283] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, processing for determining the release area is performed when an event occurs (see [reference]). Figure 25 Step S27), but the timing of this process is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the process for determining the release area may be performed each time a map image is generated, or it may be performed at the next time a map image is generated after the event has occurred.

[0284] In the above embodiments, the event specified above is an event that occurs when a player character performs a specified operation input while located at the event location corresponding to the physical location within the virtual space; specifically, it is a release event. Here, "an event that occurs when a player character performs a specified operation input while located at the event location" is not limited to a release event; it can be other events as well. For example, the event specified above could be an event where the player character arrives at the event location in the virtual space (in this example, the operation input that moves the player character to the event location is equivalent to the specified operation), or an event where the player character uses a specific item at the event location in the virtual space (in this example, the operation input that uses the item is equivalent to the specified operation). Furthermore, in other embodiments, the event specified above is not limited to an event that occurs when a player character performs a specified operation input while located at the event location; it can be other types of events (e.g., events not conditional on a specified operation input).

[0285] Furthermore, the game program in the above embodiments can also be described as a structure that causes the computer (e.g., processor 81) of the information processing device (e.g., game device 2) to perform the following processes.

[0286] The process of setting a target area (e.g., illumination area) within the virtual space in the event that a specified event (e.g., illumination event) occurs based on game processing (steps S28 and S59); and

[0287] In the rendering process of the virtual space, for at least a part of the terrain objects in the virtual space, the part of the at least a part of the terrain objects included in the target range is drawn in a way that reflects the light source set in the virtual space, and the part of the at least a part of the terrain objects not included in the target range is drawn with a specified color (step S62).

[0288] Based on the above structure, areas with low visibility and areas with guaranteed visibility in the virtual space can be dynamically changed according to the occurrence of events. This allows for games where the visibility of certain parts of the playing area is increased by triggering events. Furthermore, according to the above structure, areas within the target range can be drawn in a way that reflects the light source, making those areas easily visually identifiable; conversely, areas outside the target range can be drawn with a specified color, making those areas invisible or difficult to visually identify. Thus, based on the above structure, the visibility of areas within the game playing area can be easily adjusted.

[0289] The process of setting the target range can be either a process of setting the range in a three-dimensional virtual space (e.g., setting the influence range of the character and the influence range of the item in the virtual space), or a process of setting the range in a two-dimensional plane corresponding to the virtual space (e.g., generating two-dimensional range data in the plane corresponding to the venue). Furthermore, regarding the target range, conceptually it refers to a range in the virtual space, but the data representing the target range is not limited to data related to the position in the virtual space. It can also be data related to the position on the two-dimensional plane corresponding to the virtual space (e.g., the two-dimensional range data mentioned above), or data related to the position on the pixel plane corresponding to the virtual space (e.g., data of the dark mask).

[0290] The phrase "at least a portion of the terrain objects" is intended to indicate that it is not necessary to change the drawing method for all terrain objects based on the target extent. For example, a portion of the terrain objects can also be set as objects outside the target extent as described above.

[0291] In the above embodiment, the game system 1 draws objects that are not included in the target area in black, but it can also draw them in other colors. Even when drawing in other colors, the part can be made invisible or difficult to visually identify, thus achieving the same effect as the above embodiment. For example, for areas in the game's story setting that are invisible or difficult to visually identify due to fog, the game system 1 can draw them in white or gray. In addition, the "prescribed color" mentioned above is a color set independently of the color set for the object corresponding to the pixel to be drawn, and does not need to be a single color. It is also possible to draw multiple pixels corresponding to the part not included in the target area to form a pattern using multiple prescribed colors.

[0292] In other embodiments, the game system 1 may also employ a structure that renders objects not included in the target area with reduced brightness. For example, the game system 1 may render the object with reduced brightness compared to the pixel under the condition of a set light source. Specifically, during the rendering process, the game system 1 may write the pixel value corresponding to the object not included in the target area, after reducing its brightness relative to the pixel value reflecting the effect of light generated by the light source, to the frame buffer. Furthermore, the specific method of reducing brightness is arbitrary; it may be to reduce the original brightness (i.e., the brightness considering the effect of light generated by the light source) by a predetermined ratio, to reduce the original brightness by a predetermined amount, or to reduce the brightness below a predetermined reference level. According to the above structure, the same effect as the above embodiment can also be obtained.

[0293] Furthermore, the game program in the above embodiments can also be described as a structure that causes the computer (e.g., processor 81) of the information processing device (e.g., game device 2) to perform the following processes.

[0294] The game processing of controlling the player character in the virtual space is performed based on the operation input (step S32);

[0295] In the event that a specified event (e.g., a release event) occurs based on game processing, the location corresponding to the event among multiple locations (e.g., reference locations) set in the virtual space is changed from a first state (e.g., an unreleased state) to a second state (e.g., a released state). (Step S25)

[0296] Processing (step S27) to identify an area (in the above embodiment, a release area) that contains at least a plurality of locations that have changed to the second state;

[0297] A rendering process (step S62) is performed, in which the portions of at least a portion of terrain objects within the virtual space that are not included in the target area (e.g., the illumination range) are rendered using a specified color, wherein the target area includes at least a portion of the aforementioned region; and

[0298] Processing (step S5) to display a map image representing site information of a virtual space according to a map display instruction given through operation input, wherein the map image shows site information of the portion corresponding to the release area.

[0299] Based on the above structure, the range of guaranteed visibility in the virtual space (i.e., the aforementioned target range) can be changed according to changes in areas on the map image where site information is not shown. That is, for newly released areas on the map image where site information is shown, the virtual space can be displayed in a way that ensures visibility. Furthermore, based on the above structure, the range of guaranteed visibility in the virtual space expands as events occur, and the area on the map image showing site information also expands, thus providing a game that fully utilizes gameplay by gradually expanding the exploration range through the occurrence of events.

[0300] Furthermore, in other embodiments, during the rendering process described above, the game system 1 may render portions not included in the target area in a darker manner compared to portions included in the target area, instead of using a predetermined color. Specifically, during the rendering process, the game system 1 may write pixel values ​​that reflect the influence of light generated by the light source, after reducing their brightness using a predetermined method, to the frame buffer. The predetermined method may be, for example, reducing the original brightness by a predetermined ratio (or reducing it by a predetermined value), or changing the brightness to a brightness below a predetermined baseline.

[0301] In the above embodiment, the game system 1 sets the target range as (a) a range consisting of positions whose total judgment value is a predetermined value or higher, obtained by summing at least one judgment value from at least one of multiple locations that have changed to the second state, and (b) a range whose two-dimensional distance from the two-dimensional position corresponding to the location is less than a threshold (i.e., a range within the release area and within the location's influence range). Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the range where visibility is guaranteed in the virtual space from becoming too large, thus reducing the possibility of loss of gameplay, such as expanding the exploration range by causing events.

[0302] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, when data (including programs) is used to perform processing in an information processing device, a portion of the data required for that processing may be sent from another information processing device different from that particular information processing device. In this case, the information processing device may also use data received from the other information processing device and its own stored data to perform the aforementioned processing.

[0303] Furthermore, in other embodiments, the information processing system may not possess any of the structures described in the above embodiments, nor may it execute any of the processes performed in the above embodiments. For example, in order to achieve a specific effect as described in the above embodiments, the information processing system may only need to possess the structure for achieving that effect and execute the processing for achieving that effect; it may not need to possess other structures or execute other processes.

[0304] The above-described embodiments aim to make the shape of the area to be released in the map image correspond to the shape of whether or not each of the multiple events has occurred, and can be used, for example, as a game system or game program.

Claims

1. A storage medium storing a game program, The game program causes the computer of the information processing device to perform the following processing: Game processing that controls the player character within a virtual space is executed based on user input. If a specified event occurs based on the game processing, the location corresponding to the specified event among a plurality of locations set in the virtual space is changed from a first state to a second state; The region is determined by summing the first determination values ​​of one or more locations that have changed to the second state among the plurality of locations, based on their locations, and the sum of these values ​​is above a predetermined value. The first determination value is a value that serves as a first reference value at a location corresponding to the said location and decays with distance from that location; and Display a map image representing site information of the virtual space, wherein the map image shows site information for the portion corresponding to the area.

2. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein, The map image is a two-dimensional image representing the site information. The first determination value is a value that is attenuated based on the two-dimensional distance from the two-dimensional position corresponding to the location.

3. The storage medium according to claim 2, wherein, The first reference value, set for each of the plurality of locations, is set to a size for each of the plurality of locations.

4. The storage medium according to claim 3, wherein, The total determination value is obtained by subtracting the total of the second determination values ​​for the locations that have changed to the first state from the total of the first determination values ​​for the locations that have changed to the second state. The second determination value is a second reference value that is the same as or different from the first reference value at the location corresponding to the location, and is attenuated according to the distance from the location.

5. The storage medium according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The specified event is an event that occurs when the player character performs a specified operation input while located in the virtual space at an event location corresponding to the specified location.

6. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein, The game program causes the computer to perform the following actions in the event specified above: Generate two-dimensional mask data representing the extent of the region within the virtual space; and By applying the mask data to an original map image containing the site information, a map image showing the site information corresponding to the area is generated.

7. The storage medium according to claim 6, wherein, The mask data is a set of multiple values ​​representing the total value at each location within the virtual space. The game program causes the computer to perform the following processing: generating the map image by applying the mask data to the original map image at a ratio corresponding to the value of the multiple values ​​represented by the mask data, based on the map display instructions.

8. An information processing system comprising at least one information processing device having a processor, wherein, At least one processor of at least any one of the information processing devices performs the following processing: Game processing that controls the player character within a virtual space is executed based on user input. If a specified event occurs based on the game processing, the location corresponding to the specified event among a plurality of locations set in the virtual space is changed from a first state to a second state; A region is identified where the sum of first determination values ​​based on one or more locations that have changed to the second state is at or above a predetermined value, wherein the first determination value is a value that is a first reference value at the location corresponding to the location and decreases with distance from that location; and Display a map image representing site information of the virtual space, wherein the map image shows site information for the portion corresponding to the area.

9. The information processing system according to claim 8, wherein, The map image is a two-dimensional image representing the site information. The first determination value is a value that is attenuated based on the two-dimensional distance from the two-dimensional position corresponding to the location.

10. The information processing system according to claim 9, wherein, The first reference value, set for each of the plurality of locations, is set to a size for each of the plurality of locations.

11. The information processing system according to claim 10, wherein, The total determination value is obtained by subtracting the total of the second determination values ​​for the locations that have changed to the first state from the total of the first determination values ​​for the locations that have changed to the second state. The second determination value is a second reference value that is the same as or different from the first reference value at the location corresponding to the location, and is attenuated according to the distance from the location.

12. The information processing system according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein, The specified event is an event that occurs when the player character performs a specified operation input while located in the virtual space at an event location corresponding to the specified location.

13. The information processing system according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein, The processor of at least one of the information processing devices performs the following processing upon the occurrence of the specified event: Generate two-dimensional mask data representing the extent of the region within the virtual space; and By applying the mask data to an original map image containing the site information, a map image showing the site information corresponding to the area is generated.

14. The information processing system according to claim 13, wherein, The mask data is a set of multiple values ​​representing the total value at each location within the virtual space. The processor of at least one of the information processing devices performs the following processing: generating the map image by applying the mask data to the original map image at a ratio corresponding to the value of the multiple values ​​represented by the mask data, according to the map display indication.

15. An information processing apparatus, comprising a processor, wherein, The processor performs the following processing: Game processing that controls the player character within a virtual space is executed based on user input. If a specified event occurs based on the game processing, the location corresponding to the specified event among a plurality of locations set in the virtual space is changed from a first state to a second state; A region is identified where the sum of first determination values ​​based on one or more locations that have changed to the second state is at or above a predetermined value, wherein the first determination value is a value that is a first reference value at the location corresponding to the location and decreases with distance from that location; and Display a map image representing site information of the virtual space, wherein the map image shows site information for the portion corresponding to the area.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The map image is a two-dimensional image representing the site information. The first determination value is a value that is attenuated based on the two-dimensional distance from the two-dimensional position corresponding to the location.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein, The first reference value, set for each of the plurality of locations, is set to a size for each of the plurality of locations.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein, The total determination value is obtained by subtracting the total of the second determination values ​​for the locations that have changed to the first state from the total of the first determination values ​​for the locations that have changed to the second state. The second determination value is a second reference value that is the same as or different from the first reference value at the location corresponding to the location, and is attenuated according to the distance from the location.

19. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein, The specified event is an event that occurs when the player character performs a specified operation input while located in the virtual space at an event location corresponding to the specified location.

20. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein, The processor performs the following processing upon the occurrence of the specified event: Generate two-dimensional mask data representing the extent of the region within the virtual space; and By applying the mask data to an original map image containing the site information, a map image showing the site information corresponding to the area is generated.

21. The information processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein, The mask data is a set of multiple values ​​representing the total value at each location within the virtual space. The processor performs the following processing: according to the map display instructions, it generates the map image by applying the mask data to the original map image at a ratio corresponding to the value of the multiple values ​​represented by the mask data for each pixel.

22. A game processing method, which is a game processing method executed by an information processing system, wherein, The information processing system performs the following processing: Game processing that controls the player character within a virtual space is executed based on user input. If a specified event occurs based on the game processing, the location corresponding to the specified event among a plurality of locations set in the virtual space is changed from a first state to a second state; A region is identified where the sum of first determination values ​​based on one or more locations that have changed to the second state is at or above a predetermined value, wherein the first determination value is a value that is a first reference value at the location corresponding to the location and decreases with distance from that location; and Display a map image representing site information of the virtual space, wherein the map image shows site information for the portion corresponding to the area.

23. The game processing method according to claim 22, wherein, The map image is a two-dimensional image representing the site information. The first determination value is a value that is attenuated based on the two-dimensional distance from the two-dimensional position corresponding to the location.

24. The game processing method according to claim 23, wherein, The first reference value, set for each of the plurality of locations, is set to a size for each of the plurality of locations.

25. The game processing method according to claim 24, wherein, The total determination value is obtained by subtracting the total of the second determination values ​​for the locations that have changed to the first state from the total of the first determination values ​​for the locations that have changed to the second state. The second determination value is a second reference value that is the same as or different from the first reference value at the location corresponding to the location, and is attenuated according to the distance from the location.

26. The game processing method according to any one of claims 22 to 25, wherein, The specified event is an event that occurs when the player character performs a specified operation input while located in the virtual space at an event location corresponding to the specified location.

27. The game processing method according to any one of claims 22 to 25, wherein, The information processing system performs the following processing when the specified event occurs: Generate two-dimensional mask data representing the extent of the region within the virtual space; and By applying the mask data to an original map image containing the site information, a map image showing the site information corresponding to the area is generated.

28. The game processing method according to claim 27, wherein, The mask data is a set of multiple values ​​representing the total value at each location within the virtual space. The information processing system performs the following processing: according to the map display instructions, it generates the map image by applying the mask data to the original map image at a ratio corresponding to the value of the multiple values ​​represented by the mask data for each pixel.

Images