Computer program product, information processing system, information processing device, and information processing method

Abstract

The invention provides a computer program product, an information processing system, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method. At least a portion of a scene object constituting a game scene in a virtual space is eliminated on the basis of an operation input by a user, and a cumulative value of the amount of decrease in the scene object caused by the elimination in the virtual space is calculated. Then, on the basis of the accumulated value, a disposition object different from the scene object is disposed in the vicinity of the position where the scene object is eliminated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a computer program product, an information processing system, an information processing device, and an information processing method for processing a game scenario in a virtual space. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been a game program for executing the following game: when a player character breaks a block in a virtual space according to a user's operation input, an item appears from inside the block (for example, “Super Mario Odyssey - Luncheon Kingdom showcase with Yoshiaki Koizumi (Nintendo Switch)”, [online], [retrieved on December 16, 2021], Internet (refer to URL: https: / / www.youtube.com / watch?v = 6UE7gj7wbug)).

[0003] However, in the game executed by the above game program, the user lacks the motivation to break and eliminate the game scenario, and there is room for improvement in the imparting of this motivation.

[0004] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a computer program product, an information processing system, an information processing device, and an information processing method that can increase the user's motivation to eliminate the game scenario. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention can adopt the following structure, for example.

[0006] One structural example of the computer program product of the present invention is executed in a computer of an information processing device. The computer program product causes the computer to function as a scene object elimination unit, an accumulated value calculation unit, and a configuration object management unit. The scene object elimination unit eliminates at least a part of the scene objects constituting the game scenario in the virtual space based on the user's operation input. The accumulated value calculation unit calculates an accumulated value of the reduction amount of the scene objects caused by the elimination in the virtual space. The configuration object management unit configures a configuration object different from the scene object near the position where the scene object is eliminated based on the accumulated value.

[0007] According to the above, by performing an operation input for eliminating the scene object, a new configuration object appears, so that the user's motivation to eliminate the scene object can be increased.

[0008] Alternatively, the above configuration object management unit may configure the configuration object so as to be embedded in the surface near the position where the scene object is eliminated.

[0009] Based on the above, it is possible to guide the user to the position of the configured object buried in the scene object, and thus it is possible to prompt further destruction of the scene object from this position.

[0010] Alternatively, the above scene object elimination unit may further eliminate the scene object in the part where the configured object is buried based on the operation input, thereby releasing the configured object from the state of being buried in the scene object or enabling the user to obtain the configured object.

[0011] Based on the above, in order to obtain the configured object, it is necessary to further eliminate the scene object, and thus it is possible to further prompt the elimination of the scene object.

[0012] Alternatively, when the cumulative value exceeds the reference value, the above configured object management unit configures the configured object.

[0013] Based on the above, it is possible to make the configured object appear at the intended frequency.

[0014] Alternatively, when the configured object is configured because the cumulative value exceeds the reference value, the above cumulative value calculation unit reduces the cumulative value.

[0015] Based on the above, it is possible to make the configured object appear repeatedly at the intended frequency.

[0016] Alternatively, the above cumulative value calculation unit calculates the cumulative value separately for each type of the configured objects configured, and when any configured object is configured because the cumulative value exceeds the reference value, reduces the cumulative value corresponding to the configured object.

[0017] Based on the above, it is possible to make the configured objects with variations appear.

[0018] Alternatively, the above cumulative value calculation unit sets different reference values for each type of the configured objects configured.

[0019] Based on the above, it is possible to make the configured object appear at a frequency corresponding to the type.

[0020] Alternatively, the above configured object management unit further forms a cavity in the scene object near the eliminated part of the scene object based on the cumulative value, and configures the configured object in the cavity.

[0021] Based on the above, a space that is open in the scene object is further generated and the configured object is configured in the space, so it is possible to arouse the user's interest and thus further prompt the elimination of the scene object.

[0022] Furthermore, the placement object management unit may not form the hole or place the placement object scheduled to be placed in the hole if there is insufficient space for forming the hole in the scene object based on the accumulated value.

[0023] According to the above, it is possible to prevent the formation of a hole that penetrates the scene object.

[0024] Furthermore, the cumulative value calculation unit may decrease the cumulative value when a hole is formed and the placement object is placed in the hole, and may maintain the cumulative value when there is insufficient space for forming the hole in the scene object.

[0025] According to the above, even if the placement object cannot be placed in the hole, the accumulated value is not initialized, and thus re-placement can be immediately attempted.

[0026] In addition, it may be that when a cavity is formed and a configuration object is configured in the cavity, the above-mentioned cumulative value calculation unit reduces the cumulative value to a specified value; when there is insufficient space for forming a cavity in the scene object, the above-mentioned cumulative value calculation unit reduces the cumulative value to the specified value or a value larger than the specified value.

[0027] According to the above, it is possible to prevent the situation where the placement object cannot be placed in the cavity from occurring continuously, and thus it is possible to reduce the processing load for placing the placement object.

[0028] Furthermore, the placement object management unit may determine whether to further generate a hole and place the placement object in the hole, or to place the placement object without generating a hole, based on the direction in which the scene object is removed.

[0029] According to the above, it is possible to make the placement objects appear in a direction suitable for elimination.

[0030] Furthermore, the scene object may have attribute information. The cumulative value calculation unit may also vary the amount of increase in the cumulative value according to the attribute information even when the amount of decrease is the same.

[0031] According to the above, it is possible to make the placement object appear based on the attribute information of the eliminated scene object.

[0032] Alternatively, the scene object removing unit may vary the amount of operation input required to remove at least a portion of the scene object based on the attribute information. Alternatively, the cumulative value calculating unit may increase the amount of cumulative value increase as the required amount increases, even when the amount of decrease remains the same.

[0033] According to the above, even when the required amount of operation input is large, the frequency of appearance of the configuration object does not decrease significantly, so that the elimination of the scene object can be further promoted.

[0034] Alternatively, the above scene object may have attribute information. Alternatively, the above configuration object management unit may determine whether to configure a configuration object based on the attribute information of the scene object near the position where the scene object is eliminated.

[0035] According to the above, it is possible to determine whether to perform the configuration based on whether the attribute of the scene object is suitable for configuring the configuration object.

[0036] Alternatively, the above configuration object management unit may configure a configuration object in the direction in which at least a part of the scene object is eliminated.

[0037] According to the above, it is possible to promote the continuous elimination of scene objects in the same direction.

[0038] Alternatively, when there is no scene object on the side opposite to the gravity direction of the virtual space at the position where at least a part of the scene object is eliminated, the above configuration object management unit may configure a configuration object at a position closer to the gravity direction side than the direction in which at least a part of the scene object is eliminated.

[0039] According to the above, the following situation can be prevented: since the scene object is eliminated on the ground, the scene object for causing the appearance of the configuration object is not in the desired configuration direction, so that the configuration object cannot be configured.

[0040] Alternatively, the above scene object may be composed of a mesh generated from voxel data including at least density data. Alternatively, the above scene object elimination unit may eliminate at least a part of the scene object by changing the density data.

[0041] According to the above, the configuration object appears based on the density data of the voxel data, so that it can bring a surprise to the user compared with the appearance based on a discrete quantity such as the number of broken bricks.

[0042] Alternatively, the reduction amount of the scene object formed by the above mesh may take a value smaller than the amount of one voxel corresponding to each voxel data.

[0043] According to the above, the configuration object appears based on the density data of the voxel data, so that it can bring a surprise to the user compared with the appearance based on a discrete quantity such as the number of broken bricks.

[0044] Alternatively, it may be that when at least a part of the scene object is eliminated, the above-mentioned scene object elimination unit arranges voxel objects corresponding to the reduction amount on the scene object in a state separated from the scene object. It may also be that the above-mentioned cumulative value calculation unit calculates the reduction amount of the scene object by excluding the amount of voxel objects arranged in a state separated from the scene object.

[0045] According to the above, even if a performance of separating a part of the scene object is performed, the separated part of the scene object is counted as the object to be eliminated. Therefore, in the case of performing such a performance, the arranged object can also appear.

[0046] Alternatively, it may be that the above-mentioned computer program product causes the computer to also function as a player character action control unit. The player character action control unit controls the actions of the player character in the virtual space based on the operation input. In this case, it may also be that the above-mentioned scene object elimination unit eliminates at least a part of the scene object according to the actions of the player character in the virtual space. It may also be that the above-mentioned cumulative value calculation unit calculates the cumulative value of the reduction amount of the scene object eliminated according to the actions of the player character.

[0047] According to the above, the scene object can be eliminated according to the operation input for causing the player character to perform actions.

[0048] Alternatively, it may be that the above-mentioned computer program product causes the computer to also function as an enemy character action control unit. The enemy character action control unit controls the actions of an enemy character different from the player character in the virtual space. In this case, it may also be that the above-mentioned scene object elimination unit eliminates at least a part of the scene object according to the actions of the enemy character in the virtual space. It may also be that the above-mentioned cumulative value calculation unit does not use the reduction amount of the scene object eliminated according to the actions of the enemy character in the calculation of the cumulative value.

[0049] According to the above, it is possible to prevent the elimination of the scene object caused by other characters from affecting the appearance frequency of the arranged object.

[0050] In addition, other structural examples of the computer program product of the present invention are executed in a computer of an information processing device. The computer program product causes the computer to function as a scene object elimination unit and a configuration object management unit. The scene object elimination unit eliminates at least a part of the scene objects constituting a game scene in a virtual space based on a user's operation input. The configuration object management unit embeds and configures a configuration object different from the scene object on the surface of the scene object near the position where the scene object is eliminated according to the elimination. The scene object elimination unit further eliminates the scene object in the part where the configuration object is embedded based on the operation input, thereby releasing the configuration object from the state of being embedded in the scene object or enabling the user to obtain the configuration object.

[0051] According to the above, by an operation input for eliminating a scene object, a configuration object appears, and by a further operation input for eliminating the scene object, it becomes possible to obtain the configuration object, thereby being able to improve the user's motivation for eliminating the scene object.

[0052] In addition, the present invention can also be implemented in the form of an information processing device, an information processing system, and an information processing method.

[0053] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the user's motivation for eliminating scene objects.

[0054] By comparing with the accompanying drawings, the above and other objects, features, aspects, and effects of the present invention will be further clarified from the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] Figure 1 FIG. is an example diagram showing a state in which a left controller 3 and a right controller 4 are mounted on a main body device 2.

[0056] Figure 2 FIG. is an example diagram showing a state in which the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are respectively removed from the main body device 2.

[0057] Figure 3 FIG. is a six-sided view showing an example of the main body device 2.

[0058] Figure 4 FIG. is a six-sided view showing an example of the left controller 3.

[0059] Figure 5 FIG. is a six-sided view showing an example of the right controller 4.

[0060] Figure 6 FIG. is a block diagram showing an example of the internal structure of the main body device 2.

[0061] Figure 7It is a block diagram showing an example of the internal structures of the main device 2, the left controller 3, and the right controller 4.

[0062] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing an example of a terrain object as a voxel object.

[0063] Figure 9 It is a diagram showing Figure 8 an example of the situation before a part of the terrain object shown is deleted.

[0064] Figure 10 It is a diagram showing Figure 8 an example of the situation after a part of the terrain object shown is deleted.

[0065] Figure 11 It is a diagram showing an example of the content of voxel data.

[0066] Figure 12 It is a diagram showing an example of property information representing the properties of a material.

[0067] Figure 13 It is a diagram showing an example of texture information representing the texture of a material.

[0068] Figure 14 It is a diagram showing an example of a method for generating a mesh.

[0069] Figure 15 It is a diagram showing an example of a game image including a terrain object.

[0070] Figure 16 It is a diagram showing an example of a game image in which a game space set with a terrain object TO and a player character PC is displayed on the display 12.

[0071] Figure 17 It is a diagram showing an example of a game image in which a situation where a player character PC has removed a part of a terrain object TO is displayed.

[0072] Figure 18 It is a diagram showing an example of the destruction range of voxels in a terrain object TO that are to be destroyed.

[0073] Figure 19 It is a diagram showing an example of a game image in which a new configuration object OBJ is displayed.

[0074] Figure 20 It is a diagram showing an example of a game image in which a new configuration object OBJ is displayed in a situation where a space is formed in which there is no terrain object TO on the side opposite to the gravity direction of the game space.

[0075] Figure 21 This is a diagram showing an example of a game image that displays a situation where a cavity is further formed within a terrain object TO and a placement object OBJ is newly placed within the cavity.

[0076] Figure 22 This is a diagram showing an example of various data used in the information processing of the game system 1.

[0077] Figure 23 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of game processing executed by the game system 1.

[0078] Figure 24 This is a diagram showing Figure 23 a subroutine that is an example of the placement object setting process in step S8 in the flowchart shown. Detailed Embodiment

[0079] Next, a game system according to an example of the present embodiment will be described. An example of the game system 1 in the present embodiment includes a main device (an information processing device that functions as the main body of the game device in the present embodiment) 2, a left controller 3, and a right controller 4. The left controller 3 and the right controller 4 can be respectively attached to and detached from the main device 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 attached to the main device 2 to be integrated. In addition, the game system 1 can also independently use the main device 2, the left controller 3, and the right controller 4 (refer to Figure 2 ). In the following, the hardware structure of the game system 1 of the present embodiment will be described, and then the control of the game system 1 of the present embodiment will be described.

[0080] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are attached to the main device 2. As Figure 1 shown, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are respectively attached to the main device 2 to be integrated. The main device 2 is a device that executes various processes (for example, game processing) in the game system 1. The main device 2 is provided with a display 12. The left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are devices provided with operation units for the user to perform input.

[0081] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an example of a state after the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are respectively detached from the main device 2. As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 can be attached to and detached from the main device 2. In addition, in the following, sometimes as a collective name for the left controller 3 and the right controller 4, it is described as "controller".

[0082] Figure 3 This is a six-sided view showing an example of the main device 2. AsFigure 3 As shown, the main body device 2 includes a substantially plate-shaped housing 11. In the present embodiment, the main surface of the housing 11 (in other words, the front-side surface, i.e., the surface on which the display 12 is provided) is substantially rectangular in shape.

[0083] In addition, the shape and size of the housing 11 are arbitrary. As an example, the housing 11 can be of a size that can be carried. Alternatively, the main body device 2 alone or the integrated device with the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 mounted on the main body device 2 can be a portable device. Additionally, the main body device 2 or the integrated device can also be a hand-held device. Moreover, the main body device 2 or the integrated device can further be a movable device.

[0084] As Figure 3 shown, the main body device 2 includes a display 12 provided on the main surface of the housing 11. The display 12 is used to display the images generated by the main body device 2. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the display 12 is a liquid crystal display device (LCD). However, the display 12 can be any type of display device.

[0085] Furthermore, the main body device 2 has a touch panel 13 on the screen of the display 12. In the present embodiment, the touch panel 13 is of a type capable of multi-touch input (e.g., the capacitive method). However, the touch panel 13 can also be of any type, for example, it can be of a type capable of single-touch input (e.g., the resistive film method).

[0086] The main body device 2 includes a speaker (i.e., Figure 6 the shown speaker 88) inside the housing 11. As Figure 3 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.

[0087] In addition, the main body device 2 includes a left terminal 17 as a terminal for the main body device 2 to perform wired communication with the left controller 3, and a right terminal 21 for the main body device 2 to perform wired communication with the right controller 4.

[0088] As Figure 3 shown, the main body device 2 includes a slot 23. The slot 23 is provided on the upper side surface of the housing 11. The slot 23 has a shape capable of mounting a storage medium of a specified type. The storage medium of the specified type is, for example, a storage medium dedicated to the game system 1 and information processing devices of the same type (e.g., a dedicated memory card). The storage medium of the specified type is used, for example, to store the data used in the main body device 2 (e.g., save data of applications, etc.) and / or the programs executed in the main body device 2 (e.g., programs of applications, etc.). Additionally, the main body device 2 includes a power button 28.

[0089] The main body device 2 is provided with a lower terminal 27. The lower terminal 27 is a terminal for the main body device 2 to communicate with a cradle. In the present embodiment, the lower terminal 27 is a USB connector (more specifically, a female connector). When the above integrated device or the main body device 2 alone is placed on the cradle, the game system 1 can display the image generated and output by the main body device 2 on a fixed monitor. In addition, in the present embodiment, the cradle has a function of charging the above integrated device or the main body device 2 alone placed thereon. In addition, the cradle has a function of a hub device (specifically, a USB hub).

[0090] Figure 4 It is a six-sided view showing an example of the left controller 3. As Figure 4 shown, the left controller 3 is provided with a housing 31. In the present embodiment, the housing 31 has a vertically long shape, that is, a shape that is long in the vertical direction (i.e., the Figure 1 and Figure 4 shown y-axis direction). The left controller 3 can also be held longitudinally in a state separated from the main body device 2. The housing 31 is set to a shape and size that can be held with one hand, especially with the left hand, when held longitudinally. In addition, the left controller 3 can also be held horizontally. When the left controller 3 is held horizontally, it can also be held with both hands.

[0091] The left controller 3 is provided with an analog stick 32. As Figure 4 shown, the analog stick 32 is provided on the main surface of the housing 31. The analog stick 32 can be used as a direction input unit capable of inputting directions. The user can input a direction corresponding to the tilting direction (and input a magnitude corresponding to the tilting angle) by tilting the analog stick 32. In addition, the left controller 3 may be provided with a cross key or a sliding stick capable of performing sliding input, etc. instead of the analog stick as the direction input unit. In addition, in the present embodiment, an input of pressing the analog stick 32 can be performed.

[0092] The left controller 3 is provided with various operation buttons. The left controller 3 has 4 operation buttons 33 to 36 (specifically, a right direction button 33, a down direction button 34, an up direction button 35, and a left direction button 36) on the main surface of the housing 31. And, the left controller 3 is provided with a recording button 37 and a - (negative) button 47. The left controller 3 has a first L button 38 and a ZL button 39 at the upper left of the side surface of the housing 31. In addition, the left controller 3 has a second L button 43 and a second R button 44 on the side surface of the housing 31 on the side where it is mounted when mounted on the main body device 2. These operation buttons are used to give instructions corresponding to various programs (for example, an OS program, an application program) executed by the main body device 2.

[0093] In addition, the left controller 3 is provided with a terminal 42 for enabling the left controller 3 to communicate with the main body device 2 in a wired manner.

[0094] Figure 5 It is a six-sided view showing an example of the right controller 4. As Figure 5 shown, the right controller 4 includes a housing 51. In the present embodiment, the housing 51 has a vertically long shape, that is, a shape that is long in the vertical direction. The right controller 4 can be longitudinally gripped even in a state of being separated from the main body device 2. The housing 51 is designed to have a shape and size that can be gripped with one hand, particularly with the right hand, when longitudinally gripped. In addition, the right controller 4 can also be horizontally gripped. When the right controller 4 is horizontally gripped, it can also be gripped with both hands.

[0095] The right controller 4, similarly to the left controller 3, includes an analog joystick 52 as a direction input unit. In the present embodiment, the analog joystick 52 has the same structure as the analog joystick 32 of the left controller 3. In addition, the right controller 4 may include a cross key or a slide joystick capable of performing slide input instead of the analog joystick. In addition, the right controller 4, similarly to the left controller 3, has four operation buttons 53 to 56 (specifically, an A button 53, a B button 54, an X button 55, and a Y button 56) on the main surface of the housing 51. And the right controller 4 includes a + (positive) button 57 and a Home button 58. In addition, the right controller 4 has a first R button 60 and a ZR button 61 on the upper right side of the side surface of the housing 51. In addition, the right controller 4, similarly to the left controller 3, includes a second L button 65 and a second R button 66.

[0096] In addition, the right controller 4 is provided with a terminal 64 for enabling the right controller 4 to communicate with the main body device 2 in a wired manner.

[0097] Figure 6 It is a block diagram showing an example of the internal structure of the main body device 2. In addition to the Figure 3 structure shown, the main body device 2 also includes Figure 6 the respective components 81 to 91, 97, and 98 shown. Some of these components 81 to 91, 97, and 98 may also be mounted on an electronic circuit board as electronic components and housed in the housing 11.

[0098] The main device 2 includes a processor 81. The processor 81 is an information processing unit that executes various information processes performed in the main device 2. For example, it can be composed of only a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or can be composed of an SoC (System-on-a-chip) that includes multiple functions such as a CPU function and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) function. The processor 81 executes various information processes by executing an information processing program (for example, a game program) stored in a storage unit (specifically, an internal storage medium such as a flash memory 84, or an external storage medium installed in the slot 23, etc.).

[0099] As an example of an internal storage medium built into itself, the main device 2 includes a flash memory 84 and a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) 85. The flash memory 84 and the DRAM 85 are connected to the processor 81. The flash memory 84 is a memory mainly used to store various data (which can also be programs) saved in the main device 2. The DRAM 85 is a memory used to temporarily store various data used in information processing.

[0100] The main device 2 includes a slot interface (hereinafter simply referred to as "I / F".) 91. The slot I / F 91 is connected to the processor 81. The slot I / F 91 is connected to the slot 23, and reads and writes data of a specified type of storage medium (for example, a dedicated memory card) installed in the slot 23 according to an instruction from the processor 81.

[0101] The processor 81 appropriately reads or writes data among the flash memory 84, the DRAM 85, and the above-mentioned respective storage media to execute the above-mentioned information processes.

[0102] The main device 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 an external device via a network (specifically, wireless communication). In the present embodiment, the network communication unit 82 connects to a wireless LAN and communicates with an external device by a method conforming to the Wi-Fi standard as a first communication method. In addition, the network communication unit 82 performs wireless communication with other main devices 2 of the same type by a specified communication method (for example, communication based on a custom protocol, infrared communication) as a second communication method. Furthermore, the wireless communication based on the above-mentioned second communication method can perform wireless communication with other main devices 2 configured within a closed local area network, and realizes a function of so-called "local communication" capable of directly communicating and receiving data between multiple main devices 2.

[0103] The main body device 2 includes a controller communication unit 83. The controller communication unit 83 is connected to the processor 81. The controller communication unit 83 performs wireless communication with the left controller 3 and / or the right controller 4. The communication method between the main body device 2 and the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 is arbitrary. In the present embodiment, the controller communication unit 83 performs communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard between the left controller 3 and the right controller 4.

[0104] The processor 81 is connected to the above-mentioned left terminal 17, right terminal 21, and lower terminal 27. When the processor 81 performs wired communication with the left controller 3, it sends data to the left controller 3 via the left terminal 17 and receives operation data from the left controller 3 via the left terminal 17. In addition, when the processor 81 performs wired communication with the right controller 4, it sends data to the right controller 4 via the right terminal 21 and receives operation data from the right controller 4 via the right terminal 21. In addition, when the processor performs communication with the bracket, it sends data to the bracket via the lower terminal 27. Thus, in the present embodiment, the main body device 2 can perform both wired communication and wireless communication with the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 respectively. In addition, when the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are installed on the main body device 2 to form an integrated device or the main body device 2 alone is installed on the bracket, the main body device 2 can output data (for example, image data, sound data) to a fixed monitor or the like via the bracket.

[0105] Here, the main body device 2 can communicate with a plurality of left controllers 3 simultaneously (in other words, in parallel). In addition, the main body device 2 can communicate with a plurality of right controllers 4 simultaneously (in other words, in parallel). Therefore, a plurality of users can simultaneously input to the main body device 2 by using combinations of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 respectively. As an example, it can be that while a first user inputs to the main body device 2 by using a first combination of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4, a second user inputs to the main body device 2 by using a second combination of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4.

[0106] In addition, the display 12 is connected to the processor 81. The processor 81 displays an image generated (for example, by executing the above-mentioned information processing) and / or an image acquired from the outside on the display 12.

[0107] The main body device 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, the sound input / output terminal 25, and the processor 81. The encoding / decoding circuit 87 is a circuit that controls the input / output of sound data for the speakers 88 and the sound input / output terminal 25.

[0108] The main body device 2 includes a power control unit 97 and a storage battery 98. The power control unit 97 is connected to the storage battery 98 and the processor 81. Additionally, although not shown, the power control unit 97 is connected to each part of the main body device 2 (specifically, each part that receives power supply from the storage battery 98, the left terminal 17, and the right terminal 21). The power control unit 97 controls the power supply from the storage battery 98 to each of the above parts based on an instruction from the processor 81.

[0109] In addition, the storage 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 body device 2 via the lower terminal 27, the supplied power is charged into the storage battery 98.

[0110] Figure 7 It is a block diagram showing an example of the internal structure of the main body device 2, the left controller 3, and the right controller 4. In addition, details of the internal structure related to the main body device 2 are shown in Figure 6 and thus are omitted in Figure 7 .

[0111] The left controller 3 includes a communication control unit 101 that communicates with the main body device 2. As Figure 7 shown, the communication control unit 101 is connected to each component including the terminal 42. In the present embodiment, the communication control unit 101 can communicate with the main body device 2 by both wired communication via the terminal 42 and wireless communication without passing through the terminal 42. The communication control unit 101 controls the communication method of the left controller 3 with respect to the main body device 2. That is, when the left controller 3 is installed on the main body device 2, the communication control unit 101 communicates with the main body device 2 via the terminal 42. Additionally, when the left controller 3 is detached from the main body device 2, wireless communication is performed between the communication control unit 101 and the main body device 2 (specifically, the controller communication unit 83). For example, the wireless communication between the controller communication unit 83 and the communication control unit 101 is performed in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

[0112] In addition, the left controller 3 includes a memory 102 such as a flash memory, for example. The communication control unit 101 is constituted by a microcomputer (also called a microprocessor), for example, and executes various processes by executing the firmware stored in the memory 102.

[0113] The left controller 3 includes each button 103 (specifically, buttons 33 to 39, 43, 44, and 47). In addition, the left controller 3 includes an analog joystick (in Figure 7described as "rocker") 32. Each button 103 and analog joystick 32 repeatedly output information related to the operations performed on themselves to the communication control unit 101 at appropriate times.

[0114] The communication control unit 101 acquires information related to input (specifically, information related to operations or detection results of sensors) from each input unit (specifically, each button 103 and analog joystick 32). The communication control unit 101 sends operation data including the acquired information (or information obtained by performing prescribed processing on the acquired information) to the main body device 2. In addition, the operation data is repeatedly sent at a rate of once every prescribed time. In addition, the interval for sending information related to input to the main body device 2 may be the same or different for each input unit.

[0115] By sending the above operation data to the main body device 2, the main body device 2 can learn about the input performed on the left controller 3. That is, the main body device 2 can determine the operations on each button 103 and analog joystick 32 based on the operation data.

[0116] The left controller 3 includes a power supply unit 108. In the present embodiment, the power supply unit 108 has a battery and a power control circuit. Although not shown, the power control circuit is connected to the battery and to each part of the left controller 3 (specifically, each part that receives power supply from the battery).

[0117] As Figure 7 shown, the right controller 4 includes a communication control unit 111 that communicates with the main body device 2. In addition, the right controller 4 includes a memory 112 connected to the communication control unit 111. The communication control unit 111 is connected to each component including the 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 body device 2 through both wired communication via the terminal 64 and wireless communication without passing through the terminal 64 (specifically, communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard), and the right controller 4 controls the communication method with the main body device 2.

[0118] The right controller 4 includes the same input units as those of the left controller 3. Specifically, it includes each button 113 and analog joystick 52. Regarding these input units, they have the same functions as the input units of the left controller 3 and operate in the same manner.

[0119] The right controller 4 includes a power supply unit 118. The power supply unit 118 has the same functions as the power supply unit 108 of the left controller 3 and operates in the same manner.

[0120] Next, referring toFigures 8 - 15 To outline the processing executed in the game system 1. In the present embodiment, the game system 1 generates a game image in which terrain objects and characters (e.g., player characters operated by players) are arranged in a game space that is a three-dimensional virtual space, and causes the display device to display the game image. Further, in the present embodiment, the display device for displaying the game image may be the above-described display 12 or a stationary monitor.

[0121] In the present embodiment, for several objects in the game space, their shapes are defined by voxel data. Here, a voxel refers to a rectangular parallelepiped (more specifically, a cube)-shaped region arranged in a grid pattern in the game space, and voxel data refers to data set for each voxel. Hereinafter, an object whose shape is defined by voxel data is referred to as a "voxel object". In the present embodiment, the game system 1 stores voxel data for each of a plurality of voxels set in the game space as data for generating voxel objects in the game space.

[0122] Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a terrain object as a voxel object. As Figure 8 shown, in the present embodiment, the shape of a terrain object representing terrain such as the ground is defined by voxel data (that is, it is a voxel object). Figure 8 Each cube shown represents a terrain object. Further, in Figure 8 , the portions that become the edges of the terrain object are shown by thick lines, but these thick lines are marked for the purpose of making the drawings easier to view, and in reality, it is not necessary to thickly display the edges of the terrain object.

[0123] In addition, Figure 8 the terrain object shown, for example, is generated according to the following rule: "When the parameter included in the voxel data set for a voxel is greater than a specified value, a cube is arranged at the position of the voxel, and when it is equal to or less than the specified value, nothing is arranged at the position of the voxel". Figure 8 The terrain object shown is shown for the purpose of exemplifying the relationship between voxels and voxel objects in an easy-to-understand manner. In the present embodiment, in reality, for example, as the terrain object shown in Figure 15 described later, according to a rule that forms a more complex shape than the length of one side of a voxel, (based on voxel data) a voxel object is generated. Further, the rule for determining the shape of a voxel object based on voxel data is arbitrary. In other embodiments, the game system 1 may generate a voxel object as shown in Figure 8 or a voxel object as shown in Figure 15 based on object data.

[0124] For a voxel object, its shape can be changed by changing the voxel data of each voxel. Figure 9 and Figure 10 is a diagram showing Figure 8 an example of the situation before and after a part of the terrain object shown is deleted. That is, when the slanted part in the terrain object shown in Figure 9 is damaged, the terrain object changes to the shape shown in Figure 10 At this time, the game system 1 rewrites the voxel data of the above-mentioned slanted part to indicate the absence of the terrain object, thereby being able to easily eliminate the terrain object. In addition, in the game system 1, when adding a terrain object, the voxel data of each voxel is also changed in the same way as when eliminating the terrain object, thereby being able to easily change the shape of the terrain object.

[0125] In this way, the game system 1 can freely change the shape of the voxel object by rewriting the voxel data. For example, when the terrain object in the game is damaged for some reason (e.g., the player character strikes the terrain object) and as a result the shape of the terrain object changes, the game system 1 can freely change the shape of the terrain object by changing the voxel data used in the generation of the terrain object without directly changing the data representing the external shape of the terrain object (i.e., the mesh described later).

[0126] Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the voxel data. Here, in the present embodiment, the game space can be divided into a plurality of voxels arranged in a grid pattern. The game system 1 stores each voxel in the game space in association with voxel data. The voxel data represents the presence or absence of a voxel object in the voxel corresponding to the voxel data.

[0127] As Figure 11 shown, the voxel data includes density data. The density data is data of density, which represents the degree to which an object is included in the region defined by each voxel. Details will be described later, but the position and shape of the surface of the voxel object (i.e., the mesh described later) are determined based on the above density. That is, in the present embodiment, the above density is also data used to create a mesh for defining the surface of the voxel object.

[0128] In this embodiment, the density can take integer values in the range from a lower limit value (e.g., 0) to an upper limit value (e.g., 255). In this embodiment, in the game system 1, when the value of the density set for a voxel is high, the proportion of the volume occupied by the voxel object in the voxel tends to be large, and when the value of the density is low, the proportion in the voxel is small. For example, when the density is 0, there is no object in the voxel, and when the density is 255, the entire voxel is an object. When the density is a value in between, the object can occupy a proportion corresponding to the value in the voxel. Moreover, the shape of the voxel grid, that is, the shape of the voxel object, is determined based on the density. However, the shape of the voxel object generated based on the above density does not need to be a volume that is strictly consistent with the proportion indicated by the density. For example, in the method of generating a voxel object such as Figure 8 and the method of generating a voxel object such as Figure 15 , even based on the same density, the volumes may sometimes be different.

[0129] In addition, in other embodiments, the density may also represent either the state in which the voxel object occupies the entire area within the voxel or the state in which the area within the voxel does not contain the voxel object. For example, the density data may also be data that can only take either 0 or 1.

[0130] As Figure 11 shown, the voxel data includes material data. The material data represents the material (in other words, substance) of the voxel object generated based on the voxel data. Here, in this embodiment, materials such as sand, rock, and soil are set in the voxel object, for example. That is, in this embodiment, multiple types of materials are prepared as the materials that can be set for the voxel object, and any of the multiple types of materials is set for the voxel object.

[0131] As Figure 11 shown, in this embodiment, the material data represents the identification information of the material (referred to as "material ID"). In addition, in this embodiment, the game system 1 stores material information representing the properties and textures of the materials prepared in the game for each material. In this embodiment, the material information associates the material ID, the properties of the material, and the appearance (specifically, the texture) of the material. Specifically, the material information is information that associates the material ID, the identification information of the properties of the material (referred to as "property ID"), and the identification information of the texture of the material (referred to as "texture ID") (refer to Figure 11 ).

[0132] Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of property information representing the properties of the material. As Figure 12As shown, the game system 1 stores property information obtained by associating the above-mentioned property ID with information representing the content of the property indicated by the property ID. The property of the material refers to the property that the voxel object with the material set has in the game. For example, it is Figure 12 information such as the weight and slipperiness shown. In addition, the specific content of the property is arbitrary. For example, as the property of the material, the following information can also be set.

[0133] · Temperature

[0134] · Perishability (for example, the number of times until the voxel object is destroyed when an impact is applied to the voxel object)

[0135] · Whether the voxel object adheres to other objects

[0136] · The amount of the player character's physical strength restored when the player character destroys the voxel object

[0137] · The amount of in-game currency obtained by the player character when the player character destroys the voxel object

[0138] In addition, the specific content of the property set for the material is arbitrary. In other embodiments, different information from the above can also be set as the information representing the property of the material.

[0139] Figure 13 is a diagram showing an example of texture information representing the texture of the material. As Figure 13 shown, the game system 1 stores texture information obtained by associating the above-mentioned texture ID with the texture indicated by the texture ID.

[0140] In addition, as data for specifying the appearance of the voxel object, in addition to the texture information, any information related to color and / or pattern can also be set. For example, as information related to the appearance of the voxel object, the pattern of cracks can also be set. By using such a pattern, the game system 1 can generate an image of a voxel object showing an appearance with cracks added.

[0141] As described above, in this embodiment, the material data specifies the property of the voxel object and the texture for the voxel object through the material ID. For example, when the material ID shown in the material data included in the voxel data is "002", the property indicated by the property ID "001" associated with the material ID in the material information is set as the property of the voxel object corresponding to the voxel data (refer to the Figure 11 shown arrow). In addition, in the above case, the texture indicated by the texture ID "002" associated with the material ID in the material information is applied to the voxel object corresponding to the voxel data (refer toFigure 11 the arrow shown).

[0142] As described above, in the present embodiment, the game system 1 manages the properties and textures of materials separately. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to easily set multiple types of materials having the same properties but different appearances (i.e., textures), and multiple types of materials having different properties but the same appearance.

[0143] In addition, the material data can be any data that can be used to determine the properties and / or textures of the material. For example, in other embodiments, the material data can also be data representing the above property ID and texture ID, and can also have a data structure that actually includes data representing the properties and textures of the material.

[0144] In addition, the material data is information related to the material, and can also represent other information different from the above properties and textures. For example, the material data can also include effect data representing the effects that occur when the effect occurrence conditions set for the voxel object are satisfied (for example, a part of the voxel object is damaged, or a character steps on the voxel object). In addition, the effect data can also be data representing an effect image (for example, an effect image showing the voxel object being damaged), or can also be data representing an effect sound (the sound of footsteps when a character walks on the voxel object).

[0145] As Figure 11 shown, the voxel data includes state data representing the state of the voxel object. The specific content of the state data is arbitrary. For example, the state data can be data representing whether the voxel object is wet, or can be data representing the amount of damage applied to the voxel object. The content of the state data can sometimes be updated in the game.

[0146] In the present embodiment, the surface of the voxel object is represented by a mesh. A mesh refers to a collection of multiple faces (specifically, polygons) arranged in the game space. In the present embodiment, the game system 1 generates a mesh of the voxel object based on the voxel data set for each voxel in the game space. Hereinafter, an example of generating a mesh based on the voxel data will be described.

[0147] Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of a method for generating a mesh. In addition, in Figure 14 for the purpose of making the drawings easy to view and the description easy to understand, the voxels and the mesh are two-dimensionally represented, but in fact, a three-dimensional mesh is generated based on the voxels in the three-dimensional space.

[0148] As described above, in the present embodiment, the density set for the voxels is within the range of 0 to 255. Further, in the present embodiment, the voxels with a density equal to or higher than the reference value are regarded as being inside the object, and the voxels with a density lower than the reference value are regarded as being outside the object. It is not necessary to define only the voxels with a density of 0 as being outside the object (i.e., reference value = 1), and this reference value is set to 128, for example. In Figure 14 In the example shown, the density is set to 0 in voxel 201 and other voxels on the outside, the density of voxel 202 is set to 100 which is lower than the reference value, and the densities in voxels 203 and 204 are set to 150 and 200 which are higher than the reference value. In the present embodiment, the game system 1 generates vertices between the voxels with a density equal to or higher than the reference value and the voxels with a density less than the reference value. Specifically, for each region spanning eight (four in the drawing) adjacent voxels (the region surrounded by the dotted line in the drawing), a determination is made as to whether to generate vertices. That is, vertices are generated in a region that spans both voxels with a density equal to or higher than the reference value and voxels with a density less than the reference value. And when passing between the voxels with a density equal to or higher than the reference value and the voxels with a density less than the reference value at the boundary between adjacent vertices (the boundary of each of the above-mentioned regions containing vertices), these vertices are connected, thereby generating a polygon mesh.

[0149] The densities of adjacent voxels are compared for each of the X, Y, and Z axes, and the coordinates of the vertices are determined by interpolation based on the density difference. At this time, it is also possible to perform coordinate calculation based on normal information, but it may also be the case that normal information is pre-held for at least some of the voxels, and in the case where normal information is not held, the normal information may also be calculated based on the densities of adjacent voxels. Further, in Figure 14 Since the density of voxel 202 is lower than the reference value, voxel 202 is regarded as being outside the object in the determination of the presence or absence of vertices, but the density value of voxel 202 itself is used for the coordinate calculation of the generated vertices. Assuming that the reference value is set to a value lower than the density of voxel 202, as a result, in Figure 14 vertices are further increased at the upper right and upper left sides of voxel 202.

[0150] By generating a polygon mesh as described above, it is possible to generate a shape of a volume that to some extent reflects the density of each voxel. However, depending on the relationship with adjacent voxels, there are cases where voxels with a density of 0 contain a part of the region inside the object, or voxels with a density of 255 contain a part of the region outside the object. Further, in the present embodiment, the voxels with a density lower than the reference value are treated as being outside the object, and thus, compared with the case of treating them as being inside the object, the number of vertices is reduced, and accordingly the volume is also reduced. That is, it is not necessary to calculate the polygon mesh in such a way that it becomes a volume that strictly corresponds to the density value.

[0151] Figure 15 This is a diagram showing an example of a game image including terrain objects. In the present embodiment, by generating a mesh as described above, the voxel object can be set to have a concavo-convex shape that is more complex than the length of one side of the voxel.

[0152] In addition, the method of generating a mesh based on voxel data is arbitrary. For example, in other embodiments, a mesh may be generated in such a way that a cube is arranged for a voxel when the density of the voxel data is greater than a specified value (see Figure 8 ).

[0153] The game system 1 determines the appearance (i.e., color and / or pattern) of each face of the mesh generated as described above according to the material determined by the above voxel data. Specifically, the game system 1 determines the texture for drawing each face of the mesh based on the above voxel data, and maps the determined texture onto each face, thereby generating an image of the voxel object. In addition, the texture mapped onto each face of the mesh is determined based on the voxel data of the voxel (referred to as an object voxel) used to generate the face in the voxel where the voxel object exists. In addition, although it also depends on the method of generating the mesh, the object voxel is, for example, one or more voxels arranged around the face. That is, the texture mapped onto the face of the mesh is determined as a texture corresponding to the material set for one or more voxels arranged around the face.

[0154] In addition, in other embodiments, multiple types (e.g., two types) of material data may be included in one voxel data. At this time, the voxel data includes ratio data related to the multiple types of material data. The ratio data is data for determining the texture for the voxel object, and represents the ratio of the influence of each material (specifically, the texture corresponding to the material) shown by the multiple types of material data on the appearance (specifically, color and / or pattern) of the voxel object. In addition, when determining the texture mapped onto each face of the mesh, the texture is determined based on various data (specifically, density data, multiple types of material data, and ratio data) included in the voxel data of the object voxel. For example, when multiple types of materials are set for the object voxel corresponding to one face, either the texture corresponding to the material with the greatest influence degree (one type) may be used considering the above ratio, or the textures corresponding to the multiple types of materials may be used considering the above ratio.

[0155] In addition, in other embodiments, there may be both voxel objects using voxel data including one type of material data and voxel objects using voxel data including two types of material data.

[0156] Next, refer toFigures 16 - 21 This describes an example of playing a game in which a player character in a game space moves according to user operations on the game system 1. For example, in this embodiment, according to operations on each operation button and joystick of the left controller 3 and / or the right controller 4 in the integrated game system 1, or operations on the touch panel 13 of the main device 2, operations to move the entire game system 1, operations to change the posture, etc., the player character PC appearing in the game space displayed on the display 12 is made to move.

[0157] Figure 16 FIG. shows an example of a game image of a game space in which a terrain object TO and a player character PC are set and displayed on the display 12. The terrain object TO is an example of a scene object that constitutes a game scene in the game space. In this embodiment, the terrain object TO is composed of a voxel object generated based on the above voxel data and whose surface is represented by a mesh. For example, a voxel space of one specified voxel is set in the game space, and the terrain object TO is generated in the game space by specifying a plurality of voxels in this voxel space. Here, in order to specify a plurality of voxels, at least one voxel space is set in at least a part of the game space, and the length (resolution) of one side of the voxel, the vector (direction) of the xyz axes in the vector space in the global coordinates, the lengths of the voxel space in the x, y, and z directions, the position of the voxel space in the game space, etc. are specified for each voxel space. In addition, in Figure 16 it shows an example of drawing by using a mesh with an appearance such as Figure 14 described, but it can also be drawn by using a block-shaped mesh such as Figure 15 described. Figure 9 、 Figure 10 described.

[0158] In this embodiment, the player character PC can destroy the terrain object TO and eliminate (remove) at least a part of it by performing an action to destroy the terrain object TO. As an example, the player character PC can destroy the terrain object TO and remove a part of the terrain object TO by performing an action to beat a part of the terrain object TO.

[0159] Figure 17 FIG. shows an example of a game image showing a situation where the player character PC has removed a part of the terrain object TO. As an example, Figure 17 the shown game image shows the inside of the terrain object TO, where inside the terrain object TO, the player character PC digs forward while removing a part of the terrain object TO, and a longitudinal sectional view of the terrain object TO is used to show this digging forward situation.

[0160] When the player character PC performs an action of hitting a part of the terrain object TO, the terrain object TO within a specified range centered on the hit position is eliminated. For example, as Figure 17 shown in the upper figure above, when the player character PC performs an action of hitting the cave wall at the end of the cave formed within the terrain object TO, the terrain object TO deeper than the cave wall is damaged and eliminated, so the cave is dug in the depth direction. Specifically, as Figure 17 shown in the lower figure below, in the terrain object TO, a bell-shaped damage range is formed by the destruction action of the player character PC. In this bell-shaped damage range, the deepest part missing due to the destruction is in the shape of a semi-ellipsoid. Through this action, a space without the terrain object TO is expanded at the deepest part of the above cave. As a result, the amount of the terrain object TO existing in the game space also changes. Figure 17 An example showing that the terrain object TO has decreased by the reduction amount CV due to the above action is shown.

[0161] In this embodiment, the situation where the terrain object TO is damaged and eliminated is represented by changing the voxel data of each voxel constituting the terrain object TO. Figure 18 It is a figure showing an example of the damage range of the voxels to be damaged in the terrain object TO. In addition, Figure 18 the left figure in shows the front (the damaged surface) of the terrain object TO observed from the side of the player character PC that destroys the terrain object TO. In addition, Figure 18 the right figure in shows the right side of the terrain object TO shown in the left figure.

[0162] The damage range of the terrain object TO damaged by the destruction action of the player character PC is set based on the position, strength, ability of the player character PC to damage the terrain object TO, and the strength (material) possessed by the terrain object TO. For example, the damage range is set to the following range: within a specified distance from the reference position set in the game space based on the position where the destruction action performed by the player character PC occurs. In Figure 18In the example, in the terrain object TO, a bell-shaped destruction range with a hemispherical deepest part missing due to the destruction is formed centered on the position where the player character PC carried out the destruction action. In addition, the shape of the destruction range can also be other shapes. Besides being spherical, ellipsoidal, cubic, cylindrical, wedge-shaped, or a shape generated by 3D software, it can also be a shape with a part of these shapes missing, etc. Additionally, the position of the destruction range can be set centered on the position where the destruction action carried out by the player character PC occurs in the game space (for example, the position reached by the punching fist of the player character PC), or it can be set centered on the front at a specified distance from that position as observed from the player character PC.

[0163] Based on the above-mentioned destruction range, a signed distance field (SDF) is used to determine the voxels to be eliminated (including partial elimination). The SDF represents the distance from each voxel to the nearest destruction range surface. The destruction range surface is set to 0, the outside of the destruction range is regarded as a positive distance, and the inside of the destruction range is regarded as a negative distance. Moreover, the elimination process for each voxel is set according to the SDF in each voxel. For example, for the voxels to be eliminated, by rewriting the voxel data of the voxel to represent the non-existence of the terrain object, a part of the voxel is eliminated from the terrain object TO.

[0164] For example, in this embodiment, the elimination of at least a part of each voxel is controlled by changing the density included in the voxel data. For example, density is an index indicating the degree to which the voxel object occupies the volume within the area defined by the voxel. The value of the density can take an integer value in the range from a lower limit value (for example, 0) to an upper limit value (for example, 255). Moreover, it is set that when the value of the density set for the voxel is high, the above-mentioned degree within the voxel is large, and when the value of the density is low, the above-mentioned degree within the voxel is smaller. Additionally, for the voxels with the density set to the lower limit value (that is, 0), it is regarded that the voxel does not contain a voxel object, and for the voxels with the density set to the upper limit value (that is, 255), it is regarded that the entire voxel contains a voxel object. That is to say, the density becomes voxel data representing the existence of the terrain object by being set to a value greater than the lower limit value, and functions as voxel data representing the non-existence of the terrain object by being set to the lower limit value. However, the shape of the voxel grid generated based on the density does not need to have a volume strictly corresponding to the value of the density.

[0165] In this embodiment, the density of each voxel is rewritten based on the SDF of each voxel, thereby controlling the elimination of each voxel. Specifically, by at least rewriting the density of the voxel at a negative SDF distance to be low, at least a part of the voxels included in the destruction range is made into a state where there is no terrain object. As a first example, the density of the voxel at a negative SDF distance is rewritten to the lower limit value, thereby making the voxels included in the destruction range into a state where there is no terrain object; the density of the voxel at a positive SDF distance is maintained at its original value, thereby making the voxels outside the destruction range into a state where there is a terrain object. As a second example, for the density of the voxel at a negative SDF distance, the larger the magnitude of the absolute value of this distance, the lower the value it is rewritten to, and the density of the voxel whose absolute value magnitude is greater than a specified value is rewritten to the lower limit value, thereby making a part of the voxels included in the destruction range into a state where there is no terrain object; the density of the voxel at a positive SDF distance is maintained at its original value, thereby making the voxels outside the destruction range into a state where there is a terrain object. As a third example, the density of the voxel at a negative SDF distance is rewritten to the lower limit value, thereby making the voxels included in the destruction range into a state where there is no terrain object; for the density of the voxel at a positive SDF distance, the smaller the magnitude of the absolute value of this distance, the lower the value it is rewritten to, thereby making a part of the voxels outside the destruction range into a state where there is not a whole voxel object existing within the voxel either.

[0166] In addition, in the rewriting of the density in the above voxel data, the change amount of the density can also be adjusted according to the type and state of the material indicated by the material data included in the voxel data. For example, the change amount of the density can also be adjusted according to the properties of the material indicated by the above material data (e.g., fragility, temperature) (for example, the more easily the material is damaged, the larger the change amount of the density rewritten to be low).

[0167] In addition, in the rewriting of the density in the above voxel data, the amount of change in the density can also be adjusted according to the state data included in the voxel data. For example, the above state data is data representing the amount of damage inflicted on the terrain object TO by the player character PC. As an example, whether to decrease the density in the voxel data or increase the amount of damage can also be determined according to the relationship between the attack power of the player character PC and the defense power of the terrain object TO. Specifically, in the relationship between the hardness of the attacking side (for example, the hardness of the fist with which the player character PC punches the terrain object TO) and the hardness of the attacked side (the hardness of the material of the terrain object TO), when the hardness of the attacking side is stronger, the density in the above destruction range is rewritten; when the hardness of the attacked side is stronger, neither the density nor the amount of damage in the above destruction range is rewritten. Moreover, when the hardness of the attacking side is equal to the hardness of the attacked side, the amount of damage to the voxels within the above destruction range is increased, and when this amount of damage exceeds the allowable amount (the damage tolerance value of the material) of the voxels, the density of the voxels is rewritten. In addition, when the amount of damage to the voxels exceeds the allowable amount of the voxels, the density of the voxels can also be set to 0 to eliminate the voxels, and the amount of damage to the voxels can also function as voxel data indicating the absence of terrain.

[0168] Then, by newly generating a mesh on the surface of the terrain object TO (specifically, the surface newly exposed to the outside due to the destruction) after rewriting the density as described above, an update for display is performed. For example, based on the occurrence of an event in which the terrain object TO is damaged, the vertices of the mesh including the range of voxels whose voxel data has been rewritten at least due to this destruction are recalculated, thereby generating a new mesh. As an example, as Figure 14Generate each vertex of the grid as shown. In this way, after voxel elimination, a new grid is generated by an algorithm that recalculates the vertices of the grid based on the density of each voxel between the voxels without terrain and the voxels with terrain. Thus, the terrain object TO may be eliminated. Then, based on the voxel data, determine the texture for each face used to draw the grid, and map the determined texture onto each face, thereby generating an image of the damaged terrain object TO. In addition, the range for performing the above recalculation of the grid may also be set to include a chunk (a group of voxels that is a processing unit composed of a specified number of voxels) of voxels whose voxel data has been rewritten. For example, if 16×16×16 voxels are set as one chunk and the recalculation is performed for the chunk containing the voxels whose voxel data has been rewritten, the processing can be reduced compared to recalculating the grid for the entire game space. This range may also be set to the voxel space where the voxels with rewritten voxel data are configured, or may be set to the entire terrain object TO containing the voxels with rewritten voxel data. Additionally, if there is no problem with the processing burden, the grid may also be recalculated in the entire game space.

[0169] In this embodiment, based on the reduction amount CV of the terrain object TO, the placement object OBJ is placed in the game space. As an example, according to the volume of the terrain object TO reduced due to the above recalculation of the grid (a value indicating how much volume has been reduced in the game space due to the change in the grid, the total amount of volume change reduced by each voxel object), the reduction amount CV is calculated. As another example, the reduction amount CV may also be calculated by the total value of the reduction amounts of the densities of the voxels constituting the terrain object TO, or may be calculated by the total value of the number of voxels in which elimination or shape change has occurred among the voxels constituting the terrain object TO. In addition, the unit for eliminating the terrain object TO is a continuous amount that is less than the occupancy of one voxel. Therefore, when calculating the reduction amount CV using the volume of the terrain object TO reduced due to the recalculation of the grid and the reduction amounts of the densities of the voxels constituting the terrain object TO, the reduction amount CV is a value that is less than the amount of one voxel corresponding to each voxel data (for example, the volume and density of one voxel completely filled with the object within the voxel).

[0170] Moreover, when the cumulative value of the reduction amount CV reaches a threshold, a placement object OBJ corresponding to this threshold newly appears and is placed in the game space. For example, as Figure 19As shown in the figure above, when the cumulative value of the reduction amount CV of the terrain object TO reaches the threshold, a configuration object OBJ is newly configured near the position where the terrain object TO is eliminated. The configuration object OBJ is an object different from scene objects such as the terrain object TO, and in addition to virtual objects such as coins, recovery items, and collection items that become the acquisition and collection targets of the player character PC in the game, fossils, treasure chests, etc. obtained through excavation and exploration, it can also be non-player characters, etc. In addition, since the configuration object OBJ is configured near the position where the terrain object TO is eliminated, it will be configured in the direction in which a part of the terrain object TO observed from the player character PC is eliminated. Here, the direction in which a part of the terrain object TO is eliminated indicates the direction in which the surface position of the terrain object TO decreases the most before and after the terrain object TO is eliminated.

[0171] As an example, taking the above cumulative value reaching the threshold as an opportunity, the configuration object OBJ is newly buried and configured on the surface of the terrain object TO near the position where the terrain object TO is eliminated. The configuration object OBJ buried and configured on the surface of the terrain object TO can be in a state where a part of it protrudes from the surface, or in a state where it is completely buried inside the terrain object TO near the surface. As another example, the configuration object OBJ can also be configured in the space formed due to the elimination of the terrain object TO. In addition, multiple configuration objects OBJ can also be configured on the surface of the terrain object TO near the position where the terrain object TO is eliminated at one time. In this case, it can also be set that the higher the number of configuration objects OBJ configured at one time, the lower the occurrence probability.

[0172] As another example, it can also be that, based on the probability that increases according to the above cumulative value, the configuration object OBJ is newly buried and configured on the surface of the terrain object TO near the position where the terrain object TO is eliminated. In this case, the larger the above cumulative value, the higher the probability of configuring the configuration object OBJ.

[0173] In response to the player character PC coming into contact with the configuration object OBJ, etc., the player character PC can perform an acquisition action of the configuration object OBJ to enable the player character PC to acquire the configuration object OBJ. For example, as Figure 19As shown in the figure above, when the configuration object OBJ appears in a state of being buried in the surface of the terrain object TO, the player character PC can further eliminate the terrain object TO in which the configuration object OBJ is buried, and the configuration object OBJ can be released from the state of being buried in the terrain object TO. Here, "releasing from the buried state" means: releasing the buried state of the configuration object OBJ by making the configuration object OBJ buried in the terrain object TO fall onto the scene (for example, on the surface of the terrain object OBJ newly formed by the elimination by the player character PC). As an example, Figure 19 As shown in the figure below, the player character PC performs an action to destroy the terrain objects TO surrounding the configuration object TO, thereby eliminating the terrain object TO supporting the configuration object TO and releasing the buried state of the configuration object OBJ embedded in the terrain object TO. Furthermore, if the configuration object TO is released from its buried state in the terrain object TO, or if the player character PC performs an action to acquire the configuration object OBJ after its release, the configuration object OBJ is acquired by the player character PC. As another example, once a new configuration object OBJ appears in the game space and is deployed, the player character PC automatically acquires the configuration object OBJ.

[0174] As described above, in this embodiment, a portion of terrain object TO can be removed based on user input, and in response to this removal, placement object OBJ can be embedded and placed on the surface of terrain object TO near the location where the removal occurred. Furthermore, based on user input, the portion of terrain object TO where placement object OBJ was embedded can be further removed, thereby releasing the embedded placement object OBJ. Thus, in this embodiment, placement object OBJ appears through input to remove terrain object TO, and can be retrieved through further input to remove terrain object TO, thereby increasing the user's motivation to remove terrain object TO.

[0175] When a placement object OBJ is placed, the cumulative value counted for placing that placement object OBJ is initialized to a predetermined initial value (e.g., 0), and accumulation of the decrement CV begins again from that initial value. Then, when the cumulative value reaches the threshold again, a new placement object OBJ corresponding to the threshold is reappeared in the game space, similar to the appearance process described above. Thus, the player character PC can periodically acquire placement objects OBJ by continuously performing actions to eliminate terrain objects TO.

[0176] In addition, when the space formed by eliminating the terrain object TO is open to the outside, the placement object OBJ can also be placed at a position corresponding to the opening condition of the space. For example, as Figure 20 shown, when a space is formed where there is no terrain object TO on the side opposite to the gravity direction of the game space at the position where the terrain object TO is eliminated, the placement object OBJ can also be placed at a position on the side of the gravity direction of the game space relative to the direction in which the terrain object TO is eliminated. By making the placement object OBJ appear at a position corresponding to the opening condition of the formed space in this way, the placement object OBJ can appear at an appropriate position without a sense of incongruity.

[0177] In addition, multiple types of placement objects OBJ can also be prepared. In this case, it can also be that cumulative values are calculated separately for each type of placement object OBJ, and according to the cumulative values reaching the respective reference thresholds (thresholds set for each type of placement object OBJ), the placement objects OBJ of the type corresponding to the reached threshold are placed. The cumulative value counted corresponding to the type of the placed placement object OBJ can also be initialized to a prescribed initial value in the same way as above according to the placement of the placement object OBJ. In addition, when multiple types of placement objects OBJ are prepared, different thresholds can be set for each type of placement object OBJ, and the cumulative values can be counted separately for each type of placement object OBJ.

[0178] When cumulative values are calculated separately for each type of placement object OBJ, the amounts accumulated corresponding to the reduction amount CV can also be different. In addition, when the cumulative value is initialized to the initial value, it can also be initialized to different initial values for each type of placement object OBJ.

[0179] In addition, there can also be types of placement objects OBJ that do not appear depending on the direction in which the player character PC eliminates the terrain object TO. For example, regarding the type of placement object OBJ that falls after appearing, in order to prevent it from colliding with the player character PC due to the fall at the time of appearance, it can be controlled so as not to appear when the player character PC eliminates the terrain object TO in the upward direction.

[0180] It can also be that, in addition to the elimination of the terrain object TO by the destruction action of the player character PC, the placement object OBJ appears in a further formed space (for example, a cavity). For example, as Figure 21 shown, a cavity can also be further formed in the terrain object TO near the eliminated part of the terrain object TO, and the placement object OBJ appears and is placed in the cavity. As an example, in Figure 21In the example shown, due to the destruction action of the player character PC, the space obtained by eliminating the terrain object TO (the range indicated by the reduction amount CV) expands toward the deepest part of the cave. In front of this space, a space (void) is further formed outside the space generated by this elimination. Moreover, a placement object OBJ is newly placed within the void. In addition, the placement object OBJ placed within the void is also placed within the void formed near the eliminated part of the terrain object TO. Therefore, it will be placed in the direction in which a part of the terrain object TO is eliminated as observed from the player character PC.

[0181] Regarding the placement object OBJ placed within the above-mentioned void, a cumulative value is also calculated corresponding to the placement object OBJ (and void formation), and when this cumulative value reaches a threshold, the formation of the above-mentioned void and the placement of the placement object OBJ within the void are performed. Moreover, the cumulative value counted corresponding to the placement object OBJ placed within the above-mentioned void is also initialized to a prescribed initial value in the same manner as above according to the formation of the above-mentioned void and the placement of the placement object OBJ. In addition, when the above-mentioned void is formed inside the terrain object TO, a volume equivalent to the void is reduced from the terrain object TO. Regarding this reduction amount, it may not be accumulated into the cumulative value being counted, or it may be accumulated into each cumulative value.

[0182] In addition, the above-mentioned cavity can also be formed only when the player character PC performs an action of destroying the terrain object TO in the front, back, left, and right directions. For example, when the player character PC eliminates the terrain object TO in the downward direction (the gravity direction of the game space) or when the player character PC eliminates the terrain object TO in the upward direction (the anti-gravity direction of the game space), even if the cumulative value reaches the threshold corresponding to the configuration object OBJ arranged in the above-mentioned cavity due to this elimination, the above-mentioned cavity is not formed. In the case where the above-mentioned cavity is not formed because the elimination direction is the up and down direction, the cumulative value counted corresponding to the configuration object OBJ intended to be arranged in this cavity can either maintain its original value or be initialized to a specified initial value or a value larger than this initial value. In the former case, when the above-mentioned cavity is not formed due to the elimination direction, the above-mentioned cavity can also be instantaneously formed by changing the elimination direction, thereby improving the response of this formation process. In addition, in the latter case, even if the player character PC continues to perform a destruction action in the elimination direction where the above-mentioned cavity cannot be formed, it is not necessary to repeatedly determine whether the above-mentioned cavity can be formed, so the processing burden can be reduced. In addition, in the case where the above-mentioned cavity is not formed because the elimination direction is the up and down direction, other configuration objects OBJ that do not require the formation of the above-mentioned cavity can also be arranged. Therefore, as a result, the following processing is performed: according to the direction in which the terrain object TO is eliminated, it is determined whether to further generate the above-mentioned cavity and arrange the configuration object OBJ in this cavity, or not to further generate the above-mentioned cavity and arrange the configuration object OBJ.

[0183] Alternatively, when forming the above-mentioned cavity, if the space for forming the above-mentioned cavity in the terrain object TO is insufficient, the formation of this cavity is not performed, and the configuration of the configuration object OBJ intended to be arranged in this cavity is not performed either. For example, when there are few remaining terrain objects TO around the player character PC and it is impossible to form the above-mentioned cavity inside the terrain object TO, the formation of this cavity is not performed. Specifically, when it can be predicted that the cavity will be formed in a state of opening to the outside of the terrain object TO when a cavity is further formed in front of the deepest part of the cave, the formation of this cavity is not performed. In the case where the above-mentioned cavity is not formed due to insufficient space for forming the cavity, the cumulative value counted corresponding to the configuration object OBJ intended to be arranged in this cavity can either maintain its original value or be initialized to a specified initial value or a value larger than this initial value.

[0184] In addition, in the above description, as an example of an event for eliminating the terrain object TO, an example is used where a part of the terrain object TO is damaged and eliminated when the player character PC hits the terrain object TO with a damaging action of hitting the terrain object TO. However, the terrain object TO can also be eliminated due to other events. For example, it can also be an event where the player character PC damages the terrain object TO by hitting the terrain object TO with the whole body, other parts such as legs, or an event where the player character PC damages the terrain object TO by hitting the terrain object TO with a prop such as a weapon used. In addition, the terrain object TO can also be eliminated due to events such as: an event where the player character PC throws or kicks another object such as a rock and the other object hits the terrain object TO to cause damage, or an event where the player character PC fires or bombards and the projectile object launched by the firing or bombardment hits the terrain object TO to cause damage.

[0185] In addition, in the above description, an example is used where the terrain object TO is eliminated by a damaging action performed by the player character PC corresponding to the operation input of the user. However, the terrain object TO can also be eliminated based on an operation input different from the operation input for causing the player character PC to perform an action. For example, it is also possible to damage and eliminate the terrain object TO at the position indicated by the user with an indicator or the like, and cause the configuration object OBJ to appear based on the reduction amount of the eliminated terrain object TO. In this case, the player character PC can either appear in the game space or not. In addition, it can also be the case that when the player character PC appears in the game space, the terrain object TO at the position indicated by the user is eliminated regardless of the action of the player character PC.

[0186] In addition, the following effect performance can also be carried out: according to the damaging action of the player character PC damaging a part of the terrain object TO, a part of the terrain object TO is eliminated, and the fragments of the damaged terrain object TO scatter in the air in the game space and fall onto the surface of the terrain object TO. In this case, since the above fragments were once part of the terrain object TO, strictly speaking, an amount equivalent to the volume of the fragments is not eliminated from the game space, that is, it becomes the terrain object TO that has not decreased. However, it can also be set to calculate the reduction amount CV by eliminating an amount equivalent to the volume of the fragments from the game space. That is, in this embodiment, it is also possible to exclude the amount of the fragments configured in a state separated from the terrain object TO and calculate the reduction amount CV of the reduction from the game space. In this way, even if a performance of separating a part of the terrain object TO is carried out, the separated part of the terrain object TO is set to be eliminated for counting. Therefore, the configuration object OBJ can also appear when such a performance is carried out.

[0187] In addition, in the above description, an example in which the player character PC appears in the game space is used, but a character different from the player character PC can also appear. For example, other characters such as an enemy character whose actions in the game space are controlled by a processor can also appear, and it can also be configured such that a part of the terrain object TO can be eliminated due to the actions of the other characters. In this case, the reduction amount of the terrain object TO eliminated due to the actions of the other characters may not be used for the calculation of the above cumulative value. In addition, a part of the terrain object TO can also be eliminated (deformed) due to environmental changes in the game space such as vibrations caused by earthquakes, wavefronts, the application of crushing force due to the collision of wind and rain, deterioration due to exposure to external air, and decay, regardless of the actions of the player character PC and the other characters. It can also be that, in this case, the reduction amount of the terrain object TO eliminated due to the above environmental changes is not used for the calculation of the above cumulative value.

[0188] In addition, the above other characters can also appear in the game space according to the elimination of the terrain object TO in the same appearance manner as the configuration object OBJ. In this case, consider the following situation: when the player character PC eliminates the terrain object TO in the downward direction and another character appears in the downward direction, the player character PC collides with the other character and receives / causes damage. To prevent such damage, it can also be controlled such that the above other characters do not appear when the player character PC eliminates the terrain object TO in the downward direction.

[0189] In addition, different processing can also be performed according to the attribute information of the terrain object TO to be processed. As described above, depending on the nature of the material indicated by the attribute information of the voxel object, the reduction amount CV can sometimes be different for the same destruction action. In this embodiment, as a first example, the increase amount of the cumulative value can also be different according to the attribute information for the same reduction amount CV. For example, in the above first example, it can also be that when a voxel object that requires a large amount of operation input for elimination and is difficult to be destroyed (for example, a voxel object indicating a relatively hard property) is eliminated, the increase amount of the cumulative value is relatively large. As an example, the increase amount of the cumulative value can also be changed based on the hardness of the material of the voxel object. When a voxel object with a hardness that requires 3 destruction actions until destruction is destroyed, the increase amount is set to 3 times to calculate the cumulative value. Even if the voxel object with this hardness is destroyed once through a special action, the increase amount is also set to 3 times to calculate the cumulative value. In addition, in the above example, it can also be a voxel object that can only be destroyed through the above special action. In this case, in response to the voxel object being destroyed due to the special action, the increase amount of the cumulative value is set to be relatively large.

[0190] As a second example, the placement object OBJ can also be made not to appear based on the attribute information of the terrain object TO near the position to be eliminated. For example, when the attribute information of the terrain object TO near the position to be eliminated indicates the nature of the following materials, the placement object OBJ is not placed inside or on the surface of the voxel object having such a material, where the above materials are materials such as water, feathers, lava, etc. that cannot be used for placement, or materials that cause damage to the player character PC when contacted, so that the placement object OBJ cannot be taken out even if placed. In this case, the processing can be performed in such a way that the cumulative value does not increase even if the terrain object TO of the above material is eliminated, or the processing can be performed such that even if the cumulative value reaches the threshold for appearance due to the elimination of the terrain object TO, the placement object OBJ is not placed inside or on the surface of the voxel object having the above material. In the latter case, the cumulative value counted can either maintain its original value or be initialized to a specified initial value or a value larger than the initial value.

[0191] In addition, in the above description, as an example of the scene object partially eliminated from the game space, the terrain object TO is used, but it goes without saying that the same processing can be performed when a part of other scene objects composed of voxel objects is eliminated from the game space. For example, when a part of other scene objects composed of voxel objects such as buildings, trees, props, and objects placed in the game space is eliminated, the processing of making the placement object OBJ appear can be performed in the same way. It can also be that, regardless of which scene object is used, different processing is performed as described above based on the attribute information of the scene object to be processed.

[0192] Next, with reference to Figures 22 - 24 a specific example of the information processing in the game system 1 will be described.

[0193] Figure 22 is a diagram showing an example of various data used in the information processing of the game system 1. As Figure 22As shown, the game system 1 stores the game program Pa, voxel space data Da, voxel object data Db, grid data Dc, configuration object data Dd, reduction amount data De, cumulative value data Df, threshold data Dg, operation data Dh, player character data Di, destruction range data Dj, acquisition object data Dk, and the like. The game program Pa and the voxel space data Da are data that are pre-stored in the game system 1 before executing the game process. The game program Pa and the voxel space data Da are stored, for example, in a storage medium in the slot 23 of the main device 2. In addition, the voxel object data Db, grid data Dc, configuration object data Dd, reduction amount data De, cumulative value data Df, threshold data Dg, operation data Dh, player character data Di, destruction range data Dj, and acquisition object data Dk are data generated during the execution of the game process. The voxel object data Db, grid data Dc, configuration object data Dd, reduction amount data De, cumulative value data Df, threshold data Dg, operation data Dh, player character data Di, destruction range data Dj, and acquisition object data Dk are stored, for example, in the DRAM 85 of the main device 2.

[0194] The game program Pa is a game program for executing the game process in this embodiment (specifically, Figure 23 and Figure 24 the game process shown).

[0195] The voxel space data Da is data that defines the voxels set in the game space. Specifically, the voxel space data Da represents the length of one side of the voxel and the direction of each side of the voxel in the game space. In addition, in the case where voxels are set only in a part of the game space, the voxel space data Da may also include data representing the position and size of the space where the voxels are set (that is, data representing the range where voxels are set in the game space).

[0196] The voxel object data Db is data representing voxel objects arranged in the game space. Specifically, the voxel object data Db includes voxel data Db1 for each unit area within a part or all of the game space.

[0197] The grid data Dc is data representing the grid set for the voxel objects arranged in the game space. The grid data Dc includes, for example, data representing the positions of the respective vertices in the grid.

[0198] The configuration object data Dd is data representing the configuration objects arranged in the game space. Specifically, the configuration object data includes category data Dd1, shape and size data Dd2, position and orientation data Dd3, etc. The category data Dd1 is data representing the category of the configuration object. The shape and size data Dd2 is data representing the shape and size of the configuration object. The position and orientation data Dd3 is data representing the position and orientation of the configuration object arranged in the game space.

[0199] The reduction amount data De is data representing the reduction amount of the terrain object TO in the game space (a value representing the reduction of the amount existing in the game space).

[0200] The cumulative value data Df is data representing the value obtained by cumulatively reducing the terrain object TO corresponding to the configuration object and the newly formed cavity respectively.

[0201] The threshold data Dg is data representing the thresholds set respectively corresponding to the configuration objects that appear and the newly formed cavities.

[0202] The operation data Dh is data appropriately obtained from the left controller 3 and / or the right controller 4 and the main body device 2 respectively. As described above, the data obtained from the left controller 3 and / or the right controller 4 and the main body device 2 respectively includes information related to input (specifically, information related to operation) from each input unit (specifically, each button, analog stick, touch panel). In this embodiment, data is obtained from the left controller 3 and / or the right controller 4 and the main body device 2 respectively, and the obtained data is used to appropriately update the operation data Dh. In addition, regarding the update cycle of the operation data Dh, it can be updated every 1 frame, which is the cycle of the process executed in the game system 1 described later, or it can be updated for each cycle of obtaining the above data.

[0203] The player character data Di is data representing the configuration position and configuration orientation of the player character PC arranged in the game space, actions, states, etc. in the game space.

[0204] The destruction range data Dj is data representing the destruction range set when the terrain object TO is destroyed by the player character PC.

[0205] The acquired object data Dk is data representing the configuration objects acquired by the player character PC.

[0206] In addition, in addition to Figure 22 the data shown, as data stored in the game system 1 in advance before executing the game process, the game system 1 also stores data such as the above-mentioned property information and texture information.

[0207] [[ID=This is a flowchart showing an example of the game process executed by the game system 1. Additionally, ​ This shows ​ an example of the configuration object setting process in step S8 in the shown flowchart. In this embodiment, ​ and ​ the series of processes shown are performed by the processor 81 executing a game program. Additionally, ​ and ​ the timing at which the game process starts is arbitrary. As an example, it starts in response to an instruction for starting the game being given by the user during the execution of the above game program.

[0208] Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the processor 81 of the main device 2 performs the ​ and ​ processing of each step shown by executing the above game program stored in the game system 1. However, in other embodiments, part of the processing of each of the above steps may be performed by a processor other than the processor 81 (for example, a dedicated circuit, etc.). Additionally, when the game system 1 can communicate with other information processing devices (for example, a server), part of the processing of each of the ​ and ​ steps shown may also be performed in other information processing devices. That is, ​ and ​ the processing of each step shown may also be performed through the cooperation of multiple information processing devices including the main device 2. Additionally, ​ and ​ the processing of each step shown is merely a simple example. As long as the same result can be obtained, the processing order of each step may be swapped, and other processing may be performed in addition to (or instead of) the processing of each step.

[0209] Additionally, the processor 81 uses a memory (for example, DRAM 85) to perform the ​ and ​ processing of each step shown. That is, the processor 81 stores the information (in other words, data) obtained through each processing step in the memory, and when using this information in subsequent processing steps, reads out this information from the memory and utilizes this information.

[0210] In ​In this case, the processor 81 sets the voxel object in the initial state in the game space (step S1), and advances the process to the next step. Specifically, the processor 81 acquires voxel data representing the configuration of the voxel object in the initial state, and stores (in other words, writes) part or all of the acquired voxel data as voxel object data Db into (i.e., writes to) the DRAM 85. In addition, the voxel data representing the configuration of the voxel object in the initial state is stored, for example, in a storage medium in the slot 23 of the main device 2.

[0211] In addition, the voxel data written as the voxel object data into the DRAM 85 can be voxel data of a partial range used in the generation of the game image among the voxel data of the entire range of the game space. For example, the processor 81 can also generate an image of the object using only the voxel data related to a partial range (e.g., a range within a specified distance from the position of the virtual camera) in the game space. At this time, the voxel object data Db can also include the voxel data within this range. Additionally, in the case of writing the voxel data related to a partial range in the game space, the same process as the above step S1 is executed at an appropriate timing (e.g., when the position of the virtual camera has moved more than a specified distance) during the series of processes of steps S4 to S12 described later.

[0212] Next, the processor 81 generates a mesh for the voxel object (step S2), advances the process to the next step, and starts the game, repeatedly executing the processes of steps S3 to S12 during the game. The mesh is generated by the above method. Here, the processor 81 generates the mesh based on the voxel object data stored in the DRAM 85. Through the process of step S2, voxel objects such as the terrain object TO are constructed in the game space.

[0213] Next, the processor 81 acquires data corresponding to the user operation from the left controller 3, the right controller 4, and / or the main device 2 and updates the operation data Dh (step S3), and advances the process to the next step.

[0214] Next, the processor 81 controls the actions of the player character PC appearing in the game space (step S4), and advances the process to the next step. For example, the processor 81 controls the actions of the player character PC based on the operation data acquired in the above step S3 and updates the player character data Di. Additionally, in the case of configuring a character other than the player character PC, the processor 81 controls the actions of the character based on an algorithm specified in the game program.

[0215] Next, the processor 81 determines whether an elimination condition for eliminating at least a part of the voxel object is satisfied (step S5). For example, when the player character PC strikes the terrain object TO, the processor 81 sets the position where the strike occurred and the surrounding range as the destruction range to update the destruction range data Dj, destroys the terrain object TO (voxel object) existing in the destruction range, and eliminates the destroyed part. As an example, in order to represent that the destruction range is destroyed, the density value shown in the voxel data of at least a part of the voxels in the destruction range is set to 0 to eliminate the terrain object TO in the destruction range. Therefore, when the voxels of the voxel object are included in the destruction range of the strike by the player character PC, the processor 81 makes an affirmative determination in step S5 above. Moreover, when the above elimination condition is satisfied, the processor 81 advances the process to step S6. On the other hand, when the above elimination condition is not satisfied, the processor 81 advances the process to step S9.

[0216] In step S6, the processor 81 updates the voxel data related to the voxel object for which the elimination condition is satisfied and advances the process to the next step. For example, the processor 81 changes the density of the voxels of the part struck by the player character PC and the voxels of the surrounding part, and updates the voxel data Db corresponding to each voxel to eliminate at least a part of the voxel object for which the elimination condition is satisfied. In addition, the processor 81 eliminates the terrain object TO in the voxels around the eliminated destruction range (for example, the range affected by the strike) by reducing the density of the voxels around it (however, set to 0 or more). Specifically, the processor 81 updates the voxel object data Db stored in the DRAM 85 for the voxel data of the eliminated range and its surrounding voxels to change the density data. In addition, the processor 81 may update the density data to a value that makes the density lower than the above reference value. For example, the processor 81 may set the density to 0 for the voxels of the part (destruction range) struck by the player character PC, and reduce the density by a specified value for the voxels of the surrounding part.

[0217] Next, the processor 81 updates the mesh for the voxel object whose voxel data has been changed in the above step S6 (step S7) and advances the process to the next step. That is, the processor 81 generates a mesh of the voxel object for which the elimination condition is satisfied based on the voxel object data Db updated in step S6. Thereby, the mesh of the terrain object TO can be dynamically changed in the game. In addition, the processor 81 updates the mesh data Dc stored in the DRAM 85 to represent the content of the newly generated mesh.

[0218] Next, the processor 81 performs a configuration object setting process (step S8), and advances the process to step S9. Hereinafter, with reference to ​ the configuration object setting process performed in step S8 above will be described.

[0219] In ​ the processor 81 calculates the reduction amount of the terrain object TO that has changed due to the update of the voxel data in step S6 and / or the update of the grid in step S7 (step S81), and advances the process to the next step. As an example, the processor 81 calculates the reduction amount (e.g., ​ the reduction amount CV exemplified in

[0220] based on the volume of the terrain object TO reduced due to the update of the grid in step S7 (the total amount of volume changes reduced by each voxel object), and updates the reduction amount data De.

[0221] Next, the processor 81 calculates the cumulative value (step S82), and advances the process to the next step. For example, the processor 81 accumulates the reduction amounts calculated in step S81 into the cumulative values respectively set corresponding to the configuration object OBJ and the newly formed cavity, and updates the cumulative value data Df using the accumulated values. Further, as described above, in the process in step S82, the increase amount of the cumulative value may also vary according to the attribute information set for the voxel to be eliminated for the same reduction amount CV.

[0222] Next, the processor 81 refers to the cumulative value data Df and the threshold data Dg to determine whether the cumulative value managed corresponding to the cavity has reached the threshold (cavity threshold) for newly forming the cavity (step S83). Moreover, when the cumulative value has not reached the cavity threshold, the processor 81 advances the process to step S84. On the other hand, when the cumulative value has reached the cavity threshold, the processor 81 advances the process to step S87.

[0223] In step S85, the processor 81 configures the configuration object OBJ whose accumulated value has reached the configuration threshold, and advances the process to the next step. For example, the processor 81 configures the configuration object OBJ whose accumulated value has reached the configuration threshold in a prescribed posture to appear near the position where the terrain object TO has been eliminated, and updates the configuration object data Dd. As an example, the processor 81 buries and configures the configuration object OBJ on the surface of the terrain object TO that has been exposed due to the elimination of the terrain object TO.

[0224] Next, the processor 81 changes the accumulated value determined to have reached the configuration threshold in the above step S84 to the initial value, and updates the accumulated value data Df (step S86), and advances the process to step S91.

[0225] On the other hand, when it is determined in the above step S83 that the accumulated value managed corresponding to the hole has reached the hole threshold, the processor 81 determines whether a hole can be formed (step S87). For example, when there is insufficient space in the terrain object TO for forming the above hole, or when the player character PC has eliminated the terrain object TO in the vertical direction, the processor 81 makes a negative determination in the above step S86. Moreover, when a hole can be formed, the processor 81 advances the process to step S88. On the other hand, when a hole cannot be formed, the processor 81 advances the process to the above step S84.

[0226] In step S88, the processor 81 further forms a hole in the terrain object TO, and advances the process to the next step. For example, the processor 81 updates the voxel data related to the voxel object belonging to the space in order to newly form a prescribed space in front of the position eliminated by the player character PC, and updates the mesh for the voxel object whose voxel data has been changed, and updates the voxel object data Db and the mesh data Dc. In addition, regarding the update of the voxel data and the mesh, it is the same as the processing in the above steps S6 and S7 for the voxels that have satisfied the elimination condition, and thus the detailed description is omitted here.

[0227] Next, the processor 81 configures the configuration object OBJ prepared for being configured in the hole in the hole formed in the above step S88 (step S89), and advances the process to the next step. For example, the processor 81 configures the configuration object OBJ in a prescribed posture on the bottom surface near the center of the newly formed hole, and updates the configuration object data Dd.

[0228] Next, the processor 81 changes the accumulated value determined to have reached the hole threshold in the above step S87 to the initial value, and updates the accumulated value data Df (step S90), and advances the process to step S91.

[0229] In step S91, the processor 81 performs a support determination process and advances the process to the next step. For example, for the disposed object OBJ embedded in the terrain object TO, the processor 81 determines the support state of the disposed object OBJ embedded in the terrain object TO based on the ratio (coverage rate) by which it is covered by the terrain object TO, the positional relationship between the center of gravity position of the disposed object OBJ and the exposed portion, and the like.

[0230] Next, the processor 81 determines whether the disposed object OBJ is embedded in the terrain object TO and supported by the terrain object based on the support determination process in the above step S91 (step S92). Moreover, when the disposed object OBJ is not supported by the terrain object TO, the processor 81 advances the process to step S93. On the other hand, when the disposed object OBJ is embedded in the terrain object and supported by the terrain object, the processor 81 ends the process of this subroutine.

[0231] In step S93, the processor 81 performs a process of releasing the fixation of the disposed object OBJ determined to be unsupported and ends the process of this subroutine. For example, the processor 81 releases the state in which the disposed object OBJ is embedded in and fixed to the terrain object TO, causes the disposed object OBJ to act in a manner of falling from the disposed position based on the physical laws set for the game space, and updates the disposed object data Dd. In addition, when the disposed object OBJ with the released fixation is automatically acquired by the player character PC, it is also possible to perform a process related to the acquisition and remove the disposed object OBJ from the game space without performing the performance of the above falling action in the above step S93.

[0232] Return to ​ In step S9, the processor 81 determines whether the player character PC has acquired the disposed object OBJ. For example, when the player character PC satisfies the conditions for acquiring the disposed object OBJ (such as the player character PC coming into contact with the disposed object OBJ), the processor 81 makes an affirmative determination in the above step S9. Moreover, when the player character PC has acquired the disposed object OBJ, the processor 81 advances the process to step S10. On the other hand, when the player character PC has not acquired the disposed object OBJ, the processor 81 advances the process to step S11.

[0233] In step S10, the processor 81 performs a configuration object acquisition process and advances the process to step S11. For example, the processor 81 sets that the player character PC owns a configuration object OBJ that meets the acquisition conditions, and updates the acquisition object data Dk. In addition, the processor 81 removes from the game space the configuration object OBJ that has become owned by the player character PC, and updates the configuration object data Dd.

[0234] In step S11, the processor 81 generates a game image representing the game space, causes the display device to display the game image, and advances the process to the next step. Specifically, the processor 81 generates a game image representing the game space including voxel objects (terrain objects TO), configuration objects OBJ, and other objects (e.g., player character PC, other characters) based on the voxel space data Da, voxel object data Db, mesh data Dc, configuration object data Dd, player character data Di, etc. In addition, the voxel object data Db and the mesh data Dc are used to generate an image of the voxel object according to the above method. In addition, an image of the configuration object OBJ is generated based on the configuration object data Dd. In addition, the player character data Di is used to generate an image of the player character PC. Then, the processor 81 causes the display device to display the generated game image. In addition, in the game, the process of step S11 is repeatedly executed at a rate of once every predetermined time (e.g., the time of one frame).

[0235] Next, the processor 81 determines whether to end the game (step S12). In the above step S12, as conditions for ending the game process, for example, there are conditions for ending the game process being met, the user performing an operation for ending the game process, etc. In the case where the game process is not ended, the processor 81 returns to the above step S3 and repeatedly performs the process. In the case where the game process is ended, the processor 81 ends the process based on this flowchart. After that, the series of processes from step S3 to step S12 are repeatedly executed until it is determined in step S12 that the process is ended.

[0236] In this way, in this embodiment, since the player character PC performs an action of eliminating the terrain object TO and a new placement object OBJ appears, the motivation of the user for eliminating the scene object can be increased. Additionally, when the placement object OBJ appears randomly, considering that the chance of encountering this appearance may be biased and the placement object OBJ does not appear even if the elimination action is continuously performed, which may cause dissatisfaction to the user. However, in this embodiment, rather than relying on the probability that may be biased, the placement object OBJ appears when the elimination volume (cumulative value of the reduction amount) reaches the threshold, so such bias can be prevented. Also, when the placement object OBJ is pre-placed, it is necessary to always manage the data corresponding to all the placement objects OBJ arranged in the game space, so the processing burden is relatively high. However, in this embodiment, the placement object OBJ appears according to the amount of the terrain object TO eliminated, so the processing burden of managing the data corresponding to the placement object OBJ can be reduced.

[0237] Moreover, in this embodiment, even if the game producer does not manually pre-place the placement object OBJ and the void in the so-called scene object (terrain object TO), the player character PC can make the placement object OBJ and the void appear only by gradually carrying out the elimination of the scene object, so the production cost can be reduced. Additionally, whenever the user plays the game, the places where the placement object OBJ and the void appear will change, so the variety of the user's gameplay can be promoted.

[0238] Furthermore, in the above description, an example is used where the voxel data based on the setting of voxels in the three-dimensional space is used to generate a three-dimensional mesh to define the scene object (terrain object TO). However, the scene object can also be defined based on the voxel data set for two-dimensional voxels. Even for the scene object defined by using two-dimensional voxels in such a two-dimensional game world, the same effect can be obtained by using, as the reduction amount, the area etc. of the scene object reduced due to the elimination of the scene object caused by the action of the player character PC in this game world.

[0239] In addition, the scene object for which the placement object OBJ newly appears based on the eliminated reduction amount may not be a voxel object. When at least a part of the scene object set in other data forms such as polygons is eliminated, the same effect can also be obtained by using the reduction amount of the scene object reduced due to the elimination of the scene object caused by the action of the player character PC in this game world.

[0240] In addition, the game system 1 can also be any device, such as a mobile game device, any mobile electronic device (PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), mobile phone, personal computer, camera, tablet computer, etc.). In this case, the input device for performing the operation of making the player object PO move may not be the left controller 3, the right controller 4, or the touch panel 13, but may also be other controllers, a mouse, a touch pad, a touch panel, a trackball, a keyboard, a cross key, a slide pad, etc.

[0241] In addition, in the above description, an example in which information processing is performed separately in the game system 1 is used, but at least a part of the above processing steps may be performed in other devices. For example, when the game system 1 is configured to be able to communicate with other devices (for example, another server, another image display device, another game device, another mobile terminal), the above processing steps may also be executed in cooperation with the other devices. By performing at least a part of the above processing steps in other devices in this way, the same processing as the above processing can be performed. In addition, the above information processing can be executed through the cooperation between one processor or multiple processors included in an information processing system composed of at least one information processing device. In addition, in the above embodiment, the information processing can be performed by the processor 81 of the game system 1 executing a prescribed program, but a part or all of the above processing may also be performed by a dedicated circuit provided in the game system 1.

[0242] Here, according to the above modification examples, the present invention can also be implemented by a system method of so-called cloud computing, a system method of a distributed wide area network and a local area network. For example, in the system method of a distributed local area network, the above processing can also be executed in cooperation between a stationary information processing device (stationary game device) and a mobile information processing device (mobile game device). In addition, in these system methods, there is no particular limitation on which device performs the above processing, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented regardless of how the processing is allocated.

[0243] In addition, the processing order, setting values, conditions for determination, etc. used in the above information processing are merely simple examples, and it goes without saying that the present embodiment can also be implemented with other orders, values, and conditions.

[0244] In addition, the above program is supplied to the game system 1 not only via an external storage medium such as an external memory, but also via a wired or wireless communication line. In addition, the above program may be pre-recorded in a non-volatile storage device inside the device. Further, as the information storage medium storing the above program, in addition to the non-volatile memory, it may also be a CD-ROM, a DVD, or an optical disk-like storage medium similar to them, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, etc. In addition, as the information storage medium storing the above program, it may also be a volatile memory storing the above program. Such a storage medium can be called a computer-readable recording medium. For example, by causing a computer or the like to read and execute the programs of these recording media, various functions described above can be provided by the computer or the like.

[0245] As described above in detail, the present invention has been described, but the foregoing description is merely illustrative of the present invention in all respects and is not intended to limit its scope. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, it should be understood that those skilled in the art can implement an equivalent scope based on the description of the present invention and common general knowledge according to the description of the specific embodiments of the present invention. In addition, unless otherwise specified, the terms used in this specification should be understood to be used in the meaning commonly used in the art. Therefore, unless otherwise defined, all the specific terms and technical terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. In case of contradiction, this specification (including definitions) shall prevail.

[0246] As described above, the present invention can be utilized as a computer program product, an information processing system, an information processing device, an information processing method, etc. that can enhance the user's motivation to eliminate the scene object.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a program executed on a computer of an information processing device, wherein the program causes the computer to function as: a scene object eliminating unit for eliminating at least a portion of scene objects constituting a game scene in a virtual space based on an operation input by a user; a cumulative value calculation unit that calculates a cumulative value of a reduction amount of the scene object in the virtual space caused by the elimination; as well as A placement object management unit is configured to place a placement object different from the scene object near a position where the scene object is removed based on the accumulated value.

2. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein The placement object management unit places the placement object so as to embed the placement object in a surface near the position to be removed of the scene object.

3. The computer program product according to claim 2, wherein The scene object removing unit further removes the portion of the scene object in which the placement object is buried based on the operation input, thereby releasing the placement object from a state of being buried in the scene object or allowing the user to obtain the placement object.

4. The computer program product according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The placement object management unit places the placement object when the cumulative value exceeds a reference value.

5. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein: When the placement object is placed because the cumulative value exceeds a reference value, the cumulative value calculation unit decreases the cumulative value.

6. The computer program product according to claim 5, wherein: The cumulative value calculation unit calculates the cumulative value for each type of the placed placement object, and when any of the placement objects is placed because the cumulative value exceeds the reference value, decrements the cumulative value corresponding to the placement object.

7. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein: The cumulative value calculation unit sets the reference value differently for each type of the arranged arrangement object.

8. The computer program product according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The placement object management unit further forms a hole in the scene object located near the eliminated portion of the scene object based on the accumulated value, and places the placement object in the hole.

9. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein: The placement object management unit does not form the hole or place the placement object scheduled to be placed in the hole if there is insufficient space for forming the hole in the scene object based on the accumulated value.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein: When the cavity is formed and the configuration object is disposed within the cavity, the cumulative value calculation unit decreases the cumulative value. When there is insufficient space within the scene object for forming the cavity, the cumulative value calculation unit maintains the cumulative value.

11. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein When the cavity is formed and the configuration object is disposed within the cavity, the cumulative value calculation unit decreases the cumulative value to a specified value. When there is insufficient space within the scene object for forming the cavity, the cumulative value calculation unit decreases the cumulative value to the specified value or a value greater than the specified value.

12. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein The configuration object management unit determines whether to further generate the cavity and dispose the configuration object within the cavity or to dispose the configuration object without further generating the cavity, based on the direction in which the scene object has been eliminated.

13. The computer program product according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein The scene object has attribute information, Even when the amount of decrease is the same, the cumulative value calculation unit causes the amount of increase of the cumulative value to vary according to the attribute information.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein The scene object elimination unit makes the required amount of the operation input for eliminating at least a part of the scene object different according to the attribute information, Even when the amount of decrease is the same, the cumulative value calculation unit causes the amount of increase of the cumulative value to increase as the required amount increases.

15. The computer program product according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein The scene object has attribute information, The configuration object management unit determines whether to dispose the configuration object based on the attribute information of the scene object near the position where the scene object is eliminated.

16. The computer program product according to claim 2, wherein The configuration object management unit disposes the configuration object in the direction in which at least a part of the scene object has been eliminated.

17. The computer program product according to claim 16, wherein When there is no scene object on the side opposite to the direction of gravity of the virtual space at the position where at least a part of the scene object has been eliminated, the configuration object management unit disposes the configuration object at a position closer to the direction of gravity than the direction in which at least a part of the scene object has been eliminated.

18. The computer program product according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein The scene object is composed of a mesh generated from voxel data including at least density data, The scene object elimination unit eliminates at least a part of the scene object by changing the density data.

19. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein The reduction amount of the scene object formed by the grid can take a value less than the amount of one voxel corresponding to each voxel data.

20. The computer program product according to claim 18 or 19, wherein When at least a part of the scene object is eliminated, the scene object elimination unit arranges voxel objects corresponding to the reduction amount in a state separated from the scene object on the scene object. The cumulative value calculation unit calculates the reduction amount of the scene object by excluding the amount of the voxel objects arranged in a state separated from the scene object.

21. The computer program product according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein The program causes the computer to also function as a player character action control unit, and the player character action control unit controls the action of the player character in the virtual space based on the operation input. The scene object elimination unit eliminates at least a part of the scene object according to the action of the player character in the virtual space. The cumulative value calculation unit calculates the cumulative value of the reduction amount of the scene object eliminated according to the action of the player character.

22. The computer program product according to claim 21, wherein The program causes the computer to also function as an enemy character action control unit, and the enemy character action control unit controls the action of an enemy character different from the player character in the virtual space. The scene object elimination unit eliminates at least a part of the scene object according to the action of the enemy character in the virtual space. The cumulative value calculation unit does not use the reduction amount of the scene object eliminated according to the action of the enemy character in the calculation of the cumulative value.

23. A computer program product including a program executed in a computer of an information processing device, the program causing the computer to function as the following units: A scene object elimination unit that eliminates at least a part of a scene object constituting a game scene in a virtual space based on a user's operation input; and A configuration object management unit that, according to the elimination, embeds and arranges a configuration object different from the scene object on the surface of the scene object near the position where the scene object is eliminated. Among them, The scene object elimination unit further eliminates the part of the scene object in which the configuration object is embedded based on the operation input, thereby releasing the configuration object from the state of being embedded in the scene object or enabling the user to obtain the configuration object.

24. An information processing device, comprising: A scene object elimination unit that eliminates at least a part of a scene object constituting a game scene in a virtual space based on a user's operation input; A cumulative value calculation unit that calculates the cumulative value of the reduction amount of the scene object in the virtual space caused by the elimination; and Configure an object management unit to configure, near the position where the scene object is eliminated, an object to be configured different from the scene object based on the cumulative value.

25. An information processing apparatus includes: A scene object elimination unit that eliminates at least a part of a scene object constituting a game scene in a virtual space based on a user operation input; and An object to be configured management unit that, based on the elimination, configures, on the surface of the scene object near the position where the scene object is eliminated, an object to be configured different from the scene object, Among them, The scene object elimination unit further eliminates the scene object in which the object to be configured is embedded based on the operation input, thereby releasing the object to be configured from the state of being embedded in the scene object or enabling the user to obtain the object to be configured.

26. An information processing system includes: A scene object elimination unit that eliminates at least a part of a scene object constituting a game scene in a virtual space based on a user operation input; A cumulative value calculation unit that calculates a cumulative value of the reduction amount of the scene object caused by the elimination in the virtual space; and An object to be configured management unit that, based on the cumulative value, configures, near the position where the scene object is eliminated, an object to be configured different from the scene object.

27. An information processing system includes: A scene object elimination unit that eliminates at least a part of a scene object constituting a game scene in a virtual space based on a user operation input; and An object to be configured management unit that, based on the elimination, configures, on the surface of the scene object near the position where the scene object is eliminated, an object to be configured different from the scene object, The scene object elimination unit further eliminates the scene object in which the object to be configured is embedded based on the operation input, thereby releasing the object to be configured from the state of being embedded in the scene object or enabling the user to obtain the object to be configured.

28. An information processing method includes the following steps: A scene object elimination step of eliminating at least a part of a scene object constituting a game scene in a virtual space based on a user operation input; A cumulative value calculation step of calculating a cumulative value of the reduction amount of the scene object caused by the elimination in the virtual space; And An object to be configured management step of configuring, near the position where the scene object is eliminated, an object to be configured different from the scene object based on the cumulative value.

29. An information processing method includes the following steps: A scene object elimination step of eliminating at least a part of a scene object constituting a game scene in a virtual space based on a user operation input; And An object to be configured management step of configuring, on the surface of the scene object near the position where the scene object is eliminated, an object to be configured different from the scene object based on the elimination. Among them, in the step of eliminating the scene object, based on the operation input, the scene object of the part in which the configuration object is embedded is further eliminated, thereby releasing the configuration object from the state of being embedded in the scene object or enabling the user to obtain the configuration object.

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