Information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To appropriately perform a transition of a user interface involved in a movement of a predetermined display medium in a virtual space.SOLUTION: An information processing system includes: an input acquisition unit that obtains user input from a user associated with a predetermined display medium which is movable in a virtual space; a position control unit that controls a position of the predetermined display medium in a virtual space on the basis of the user input; and an output processing unit that outputs a user interface capable of generating the user input and switches the user interface from a first user interface to a second user interface when the predetermined display medium moves from a first position to a second position in the virtual space. The output processing unit changes a mode of switching from the first user interface to the second user interface, on the basis of a positional relationship between the first position and the second position in the virtual space.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] A technique is known in which, in order to capture an avatar (a specified display medium) moving within a virtual space within a virtual space image, virtual camera coordinates at which the avatar is included in a shooting range are calculated from the positional relationship of the avatar to be captured within the shooting range, and the virtual camera is moved to the calculated virtual camera coordinates. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-545 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the above-mentioned conventional techniques, it is difficult to realize transitions of the user interface accompanying the movement of an avatar within a virtual space with reduced or no sense of discomfort.

[0005] Therefore, in one aspect, an object of the present disclosure is to appropriately realize a transition of a user interface accompanying the movement of a predetermined display medium in a virtual space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In one aspect, an input acquisition unit that acquires a user input from a user associated with a predetermined display medium that is movable in a virtual space; a position control unit that controls a position of the predetermined display medium in the virtual space based on the user input; an output processing unit that outputs a user interface capable of generating the user input, and that switches the user interface from a first user interface to a second user interface when the predetermined display medium moves from a first position to a second position in the virtual space; The output processing unit changes a manner of switching from the first user interface to the second user interface based on a positional relationship between the first position and the second position in the virtual space. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect, the present disclosure makes it possible to appropriately realize a transition of a user interface accompanying the movement of a predetermined display medium in a virtual space. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of a virtual reality generation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a terminal image viewable through a head mounted display. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an operation input by a gesture. [Figure 4] 1 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a virtual space that can be generated by a virtual reality generation system. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic top view of the internal state of a specific space portion. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7A] 13 is an explanatory diagram of another line of sight direction related to the virtual camera. FIG. [Figure 7B] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of still another line of sight direction related to the virtual camera. [Figure 8] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an image for a terminal when an avatar is located at position P1 (X1) in FIG. 5. [Figure 9]FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an image for a terminal when an avatar is located at position P2 (X1) in FIG. 5. [Figure 10] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an image for a terminal when an avatar is located at position P3 (X1) in FIG. 5. [Figure 11] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an image for a terminal when an avatar is located at position P4 (X1) in FIG. 5. [Figure 12A] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a movement path of an avatar when moving at high speed from position P3 (X1) to position P4 (X1). [Figure 12B] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a change in the line of sight of an avatar when moving at high speed from position P3 (X1) to position P4 (X1). [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a terminal image at a point in time during high-speed movement from position P3 (X1) to position P4 (X1). [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an example of application in a space having multiple booths for briefing sessions. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is an example of a functional block diagram of a server device related to a UI transition event. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is an example of a functional block diagram of a terminal device related to a UI transition event. [Figure 17] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of data in a user database. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of data in an avatar database. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of data in a UI database. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a sharing mode between the server device and the terminal device. [Figure 20A] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a sharing mode between the server device and the terminal device. [Figure 21] FIG. 20B is a functional block diagram of a terminal device that may be realized instead of the terminal device shown in FIG. 20A. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing yet another example of the sharing mode between the server device and the terminal device. [Figure 22A]FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing yet another example of the sharing mode between the server device and the terminal device. [Diagram 23] 11 is a flowchart showing an outline of operations related to a UI transition event among the operations of the virtual reality generation system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 24] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a UI transition event process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An overview of a virtual reality generation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the virtual reality generation system 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a terminal image viewable through a head mounted display.

[0010] The virtual reality generation system 1 includes a server device 10 and one or more terminal devices 20. For simplicity, three terminal devices 20 are illustrated in Fig. 1, but the number of terminal devices 20 may be two or more.

[0011] The server device 10 is, for example, an information processing system such as a server managed by an operator that provides one or more virtual realities. The terminal device 20 is, for example, a device used by a user, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a PC (Personal Computer), a head-mounted display, or a game device. A plurality of terminal devices 20 can be connected to the server device 10 via the network 3, typically in a different manner for each user.

[0012] The terminal device 20 is capable of executing a virtual reality application according to this embodiment. The virtual reality application may be received by the terminal device 20 from the server device 10 or a predetermined application distribution server via the network 3, or may be stored in advance in a storage device provided in the terminal device 20 or a storage medium such as a memory card readable by the terminal device 20. The server device 10 and the terminal device 20 are communicatively connected via the network 3. For example, the server device 10 and the terminal device 20 cooperate to execute various processes related to virtual reality.

[0013] The terminal devices 20 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via the server device 10. In the following, "one terminal device 20 transmits information to another terminal device 20" means "one terminal device 20 transmits information to another terminal device 20 via the server device 10". Similarly, "one terminal device 20 receives information from another terminal device 20" means "one terminal device 20 receives information from another terminal device 20 via the server device 10". However, in a modified example, the terminal devices 20 may be connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other without going through the server device 10.

[0014] The network 3 may include a wireless communication network, the Internet, a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a wired network, or any combination of these.

[0015] In the following, the virtual reality generation system 1 realizes an example of an information processing system, but each element of a specific terminal device 20 (see the terminal communication unit 21 to the terminal control unit 25 in FIG. 1) may realize an example of an information processing system, or a plurality of terminal devices 20 may cooperate to realize an example of an information processing system. Also, the server device 10 may independently realize an example of an information processing system, or the server device 10 and one or more terminal devices 20 may cooperate to realize an example of an information processing system.

[0016] Here, an overview of the virtual reality according to the present embodiment will be described. The virtual reality according to the present embodiment is a virtual reality for any reality, such as education, travel, role-playing, simulation, entertainment such as games and concerts, and a virtual reality medium such as an avatar is used in conjunction with the execution of the virtual reality. For example, the virtual reality according to the present embodiment may be realized by a three-dimensional virtual space, various virtual reality media appearing in the virtual space, and various contents provided in the virtual space.

[0017] The virtual reality medium is electronic data used in virtual reality, and includes any medium, such as cards, items, points, in-service currency (or in-virtual reality currency), tokens (e.g., Non-Fungible Token (NFT)), tickets, characters, avatars, parameters, etc. The virtual reality medium may also be virtual reality-related information, such as level information, status information, parameter information (stamina value and attack power, etc.), or ability information (skills, abilities, spells, jobs, etc.). The virtual reality medium is electronic data that can be acquired, owned, used, managed, exchanged, synthesized, enhanced, sold, discarded, or donated by a user in virtual reality, but the manner of use of the virtual reality medium is not limited to those explicitly described in this specification.

[0018] In addition, an avatar is typically in the form of a character facing forward, and may have the form of a human, an animal, or the like. An avatar can have a variety of appearances (appearance when drawn) by being associated with various avatar items. In addition, in the following, due to the nature of avatars, a user and an avatar may be described as being the same. Therefore, for example, "an avatar does ____" may be synonymous with "a user does ____." In this specification, "A is associated with B" is a concept that includes not only a mode in which A is directly associated with B, but also a mode in which A is indirectly associated with B (for example, a mode in which A is directly associated with C and C is directly associated with B).

[0019] A user may wear a wearable device on his / her head or part of his / her face, and view the virtual space through the wearable device. The wearable device may be a head-mounted display or a glasses-type device. The glasses-type device may be so-called AR (Augmented Reality) glasses or MR (Mixed Reality) glasses. In either case, the wearable device may be separate from the terminal device 20, or may realize some or all of the functions of the terminal device 20. The terminal device 20 may be realized by a head-mounted display.

[0020] (Server device configuration) The configuration of the server device 10 will be specifically described. The server device 10 is composed of a server computer. The server device 10 may be realized by a plurality of server computers working together. For example, the server device 10 may be realized by a server computer that provides various contents, a server computer that realizes various authentication servers, and the like working together. The server device 10 may also include a Web server. In this case, some of the functions of the terminal device 20 described later may be realized by a browser processing an HTML document received from the Web server and various programs (Javascript) associated therewith.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the server device 10 includes a server communication unit 11, a server storage unit 12, and a server control unit 13.

[0022] The server communication unit 11 includes an interface that communicates with an external device wirelessly or wiredly and transmits and receives information. The server communication unit 11 may include, for example, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication module or a wired LAN communication module. The server communication unit 11 is capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the terminal device 20 via the network 3.

[0023] The server memory unit 12 is, for example, a storage device, and stores various information and programs necessary for various processes related to virtual reality.

[0024] The server control unit 13 may include a dedicated microprocessor or a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that realizes a specific function by reading a specific program, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. For example, the server control unit 13 cooperates with the terminal device 20 to execute a virtual reality application in response to a user input. The server control unit 13 (also the terminal control unit 25 below) may be configured as a circuit including one or more processors that operate according to a computer program (software), one or more dedicated hardware circuits that execute at least a part of various processes, or a combination of these.

[0025] (Terminal Device Configuration) The following describes the configuration of the terminal device 20. As shown in Fig. 1, the terminal device 20 includes a terminal communication unit 21, a terminal storage unit 22, a display unit 23, an input unit 24, and a terminal control unit 25.

[0026] The terminal communication unit 21 includes an interface for communicating with an external device wirelessly or wiredly and transmitting and receiving information. The terminal communication unit 21 may include a wireless communication module, a wireless LAN communication module, or a wired LAN communication module that supports mobile communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) (registered trademark), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), a fifth generation mobile communication system, and UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband). The terminal communication unit 21 is capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the server device 10 via the network 3.

[0027] The terminal storage unit 22 includes, for example, a primary storage device and a secondary storage device. For example, the terminal storage unit 22 may include a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, or the like. The terminal storage unit 22 stores various information and programs used in the virtual reality processing received from the server device 10. The information and programs used in the virtual reality processing may be acquired from an external device via the terminal communication unit 21. For example, a virtual reality application program may be acquired from a predetermined application distribution server. Hereinafter, the application program may also be simply referred to as an application.

[0028] The terminal storage unit 22 may also store data for rendering a virtual space, such as images of an indoor space such as a building, an outdoor space, etc. Note that multiple types of data for rendering a virtual space may be prepared for each virtual space and used separately.

[0029] Furthermore, the terminal storage unit 22 may store various images (texture images) for projection (texture mapping) onto various objects arranged in a three-dimensional virtual space.

[0030] For example, the device storage unit 22 stores avatar drawing information related to an avatar as a virtual reality medium associated with each user. The avatar in the virtual space is drawn based on the avatar drawing information related to the avatar.

[0031] The terminal storage unit 22 also stores drawing information related to various objects (virtual reality media) different from the avatar, such as various gift objects, buildings, walls, or NPCs (Non Player Characters). Various objects in the virtual space are drawn based on the drawing information. A gift object is an object corresponding to a gift from one user to another user, and is a part of an item. The gift object may be something worn by the avatar (clothes or accessories), decorations (fireworks or flowers, etc.), backgrounds (wallpapers), or the like, or a ticket or the like that can be used to spin a gacha (lottery). The term "gift" used in the present application means the same concept as the term "token". Therefore, the technology described in the present application can be understood by replacing the term "gift" with the term "token".

[0032] The display unit 23 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The display unit 23 is capable of displaying a variety of images. The display unit 23 is configured with, for example, a touch panel, and functions as an interface that detects a variety of user operations. Note that the display unit 23 may be in a form built into a head-mounted display, as described above.

[0033] The input unit 24 may include a physical key, or may further include any input interface including a pointing device such as a mouse. The input unit 24 may also be capable of accepting non-contact user input such as voice input, gesture input, and gaze input. For gesture input, a sensor (such as an image sensor, an acceleration sensor, or a distance sensor) for detecting various states of the user, a dedicated motion capture device integrating sensor technology and a camera, or a controller such as a joypad may be used. The camera for gaze detection may also be disposed in a head-mounted display. As described above, the various states of the user are, for example, the user's orientation, position, movement, or the like. In this case, the user's orientation, position, and movement are concepts that include not only the orientation, position, and movement of a part or the whole of the user's body such as the face or hands, but also the orientation, position, movement, or the like of the user's gaze.

[0034] The operation input by gesture may be used to change the viewpoint of the virtual camera. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the user changes the orientation of the terminal device 20 while holding the terminal device 20 in his / her hand, the viewpoint of the virtual camera may be changed according to the orientation. In this case, even when the user uses the terminal device 20 with a relatively small screen such as a smartphone, the width of the visual recognition area can be ensured in the same manner as when the user can view the surroundings through a head-mounted display.

[0035] The terminal control unit 25 includes one or more processors. The terminal control unit 25 controls the operation of the entire terminal device 20.

[0036] The terminal control unit 25 transmits and receives information via the terminal communication unit 21. For example, the terminal control unit 25 receives various information and programs used for various processes related to virtual reality from at least one of the server device 10 and another external server. The terminal control unit 25 stores the received information and programs in the terminal storage unit 22. For example, the terminal storage unit 22 may store a browser (Internet browser) for connecting to a Web server.

[0037] The terminal control unit 25 starts a virtual reality application in response to a user's operation. The terminal control unit 25 cooperates with the server device 10 to execute various processes related to virtual reality. For example, the terminal control unit 25 causes the display unit 23 to display an image of a virtual space. For example, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that detects a user operation may be displayed on the screen. The terminal control unit 25 can detect a user operation via the input unit 24. For example, the terminal control unit 25 can detect various operations by a user's gesture (operations corresponding to a tap operation, a long tap operation, a flick operation, a swipe operation, etc.). The terminal control unit 25 transmits operation information to the server device 10.

[0038] The terminal control unit 25 draws an avatar or the like together with the virtual space (image) and displays the terminal image on the display unit 23. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a stereoscopic image for a head mounted display may be generated by generating images G200 and G201 that are respectively viewed by the left and right eyes. In FIG. 2, images G200 and G201 that are respectively viewed by the left and right eyes are shown in a schematic manner. In the following, unless otherwise specified, an image of the virtual space refers to the entire image represented by images G200 and G201. In addition, the terminal control unit 25 realizes various movements of the avatar in the virtual space, for example, in response to various operations by the user.

[0039] The virtual space described below is a concept that includes not only a continuous three-dimensional space that is visible using a head-mounted display or the like and in which a user can move around freely (as in reality) through an avatar, but also a non-immersive space that is visible using a smartphone or the like as described above with reference to FIG. 3. The non-immersive space that is visible using a smartphone or the like may be a continuous three-dimensional space in which a user can move around freely through an avatar, or may be a two-dimensional discontinuous space. Hereinafter, when making a distinction, the continuous three-dimensional space in which a user can move around freely through an avatar is also referred to as the "metaverse space."

[0040] In addition, unless otherwise specified, the various objects and facilities (e.g., movie theaters, etc.) that appear in the following description are objects in the virtual space and are different from the real thing. In addition, the various events in the following description are events in the virtual space (e.g., movie screenings, etc.) and are different from real events.

[0041] In the following, an object corresponding to any virtual reality medium different from an avatar (for example, a building, a wall, a tree, or an NPC, etc.) and drawn in a virtual space is also referred to as a second object M3. In this embodiment, the second object M3 may include an object fixed in the virtual space, an object movable in the virtual space, etc. The second object M3 may also include an object that is always placed in the virtual space, or an object that is placed only when a predetermined placement condition is satisfied, etc.

[0042] In the following description, the avatar will be mainly described, but if the virtual space is a game space, the avatar can be interpreted as a game medium (for example, a game character) operated by the user.

[0043] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a virtual space that can be generated by the virtual reality generation system.

[0044] In the example shown in FIG. 4, the virtual space includes a plurality of space sections 70 and a free space section 71. In the free space section 71, the avatar can basically move freely. In this case, each space section 70 may be a local section called a world, and the entire virtual space may be a global space. A part or all of the plurality of space sections 70 may be a part of a virtual space constructed by one platformer, or may be a virtual space itself constructed by a plurality of different platformers. Each space section 70 may be a space section at least partially separated from the free space section 71 by a wall (an example of the second object M3) or a movement prohibition section (an example of the second object M3). For example, the space section 70 may have an entrance (e.g., a hole, a second object M3 such as a door) through which the avatar can enter and exit the free space section 71. In the space section 70, content may be provided to the avatar located in the space section 70.

[0045] The space section 70 may be a space section at least partially separated from the free space section 71 by a wall body or a movement prohibition part. For example, the space section 70 may have an entrance / exit (for example, a second object M3 such as a hole or a door) through which the avatar can enter and exit the free space section 71. Note that in FIG. 4, the space section 70 and the free space section 71 are drawn as two-dimensional planes, but the space section 70 and the free space section 71 may be set as three-dimensional spaces. For example, the space section 70 and the free space section 71 may be a space having walls and a ceiling in a range corresponding to the planar shape shown in FIG. 4 as a floor. In addition to the example shown in FIG. 4, the space section 70 and the free space section 71 may be a world imitating a space having a height such as a dome shape or a sphere, a structure such as a building, a specific place on the earth, or outer space where an avatar can fly around.

[0046] The plurality of spaces 70 may include spaces for providing content. Note that content (for example, various contents to be described later, such as those provided in the space 70) may be provided in the free space 71 as appropriate.

[0047] The types and number of contents (contents provided in virtual reality) provided in the space unit 70 are arbitrary. In the present embodiment, as an example, the contents provided in the space unit 70 include digital contents such as various types of video. The video may be real-time video or non-real-time video. The video may be video based on a real image or video based on CG (Computer Graphics). The video may be video for providing information. In this case, the video may be related to an information providing service in a specific genre (information providing service related to travel, housing, food, fashion, health, beauty, etc.), a broadcasting service by a specific user (for example, Youtube (registered trademark)), etc.

[0048] The content provided in the space section 70 may be various items (an example of a second object) that can be used in the virtual space. In this case, the space section 70 that provides the various items may be in the form of a sales outlet. Alternatively, the content provided in the space section 70 may be various games, or acquisition rights or tokens for items that can be obtained in reality. Some of the multiple space sections 70 may be space sections that do not provide content.

[0049] Each of the space sections 70 may be operated by a different entity, similar to a real-world store. In this case, the operator of each space section 70 may use the corresponding space section 70 by paying a store opening fee or the like to the operator of the virtual reality generation system 1.

[0050] The virtual space may be expandable as the number of space sections 70 increases. Alternatively, a plurality of virtual spaces may be set for each attribute of the content provided in the space section 70. In this case, the virtual spaces may be discontinuous or continuous with each other as "space sections."

[0051] 5 is a diagram showing a schematic top view of the internal state of a specific space section 70. Here, as an example, the specific space section 70 is a lobby space where a mission (or quest) in a specific game is to be participated in. The specific space section 70 may be, for example, the space section 70 associated with a star mark in FIG. 4. Note that, when the virtual space is a game space, as in the case of the specific space section 70, the avatar may be interpreted as the game medium (for example, a game character related to the player) operated by the user.

[0052] In FIG. 5, the positions of an avatar X1 of one user at different times are shown by circle marks P1(X1) to P4(X1), and the position of another avatar Z1 (receptionist avatar Z1) is shown by a circle mark. In FIG. 5, various second objects M3 are arranged in the space 70, and the second object M5(M3) is a reception facility. The second object M3 is a wall. The receptionist avatar Z1 functions as a character that accepts the play of a mission desired by the user among various missions. The receptionist avatar Z1 may operate automatically based on an algorithm such as AI (artificial intelligence), or may be operated by a staff user.

[0053] When the avatar moves within a particular space 70, the scenery within the space 70 as seen by the avatar changes accordingly. Such scenery and its changes are transmitted to the user as a terminal image, as described above.

[0054] 6 to 7B are explanatory diagrams of the line of sight of the virtual camera 60 for generating the terminal image. In addition, in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, the reference numeral 40 indicates a field object on which the avatar can walk. The terminal image related to one avatar is basically drawn from a first-person viewpoint corresponding to the line of sight (eye direction) of the one avatar. In this case, the line of sight of the avatar may be calculated in a local coordinate system (x1, y1, z1) as shown in FIG. 6, for example. The line of sight of the avatar related to the first-person viewpoint may be determined according to the orientation of the avatar. The orientation of the avatar may be the orientation of the avatar as a whole, or may be the orientation of a specific part of the avatar (for example, the orientation of the face, the orientation of the body), etc. In addition, the line of sight of the virtual camera 60 may be set in a manner to capture the front of the avatar from the front of the avatar, as shown in FIG. 7A. In addition, the line of sight of the virtual camera 60 may be set in a manner to capture the front of the avatar from behind the avatar, as shown in FIG. 7B. The line of sight directions of the various virtual cameras 60 may be switchable by the avatar (user) or may be automatically switchable depending on the movement of the avatar and the surrounding environment.

[0055] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a landscape (user terminal image G81 related to avatar X1) within the field of view of avatar X1 when avatar X1 is located at position P1 (X1) in FIG. 5. In FIG. 8, avatar X1 can see a bulletin board on the wall when located at position P1 (X1) in FIG. 5. Here, a bulletin board M4 (M3) also as second object M3 is installed on the wall as second object M3, and battle history information related to the game is posted on the bulletin board M4 (M3). In this case, avatar X1 can check the battle history information through the bulletin board M4 (M3) by moving to position P1 (X1) in FIG. 5 and facing the wall side. Note that, in FIG. 8, the user terminal image G81 related to avatar X1 is based on the first person viewpoint shown in FIG. 6, but may be drawn in other viewing directions.

[0056] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a landscape (a terminal image G82 for a user related to the avatar X1) within the field of view of the avatar X1 when the avatar X1 is located at the position P2 (X1) in Fig. 5. In Fig. 9, when the avatar X1 is located at the position P2 (X1) in Fig. 5, the avatar X1 can see the reception facility M5 (M3) (indicated by reference numeral 1100 in Fig. 9) in front of it. Note that in Fig. 9, the terminal image G82 for a user related to the avatar X1 is drawn in the line of sight R7B of the virtual camera 60 shown in Fig. 7B, but may be drawn in another line of sight direction.

[0057] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a terminal image G83 for a user related to the avatar X1 when the avatar X1 is located at the position P3 (X1) in FIG. 5. The position P3 (X1) is near the reception facility M5 (M3) or the receptionist avatar Z1 as shown in FIG. 5, and corresponds to an area in which an avatar who wishes to receive a customer should be located. When the avatar X1 is located in such an area, the line of sight of the virtual camera 60 may transition from the line of sight R7B of the virtual camera 60 shown in FIG. 7B to the line of sight R7A of the virtual camera 60 shown in FIG. 7A. As a result, the terminal image G83 includes a front view image G831 of the avatar X1 as shown in FIG. 10.

[0058] In Fig. 10, the terminal image G83 for the user associated with the avatar X1 is viewed in the viewing direction R7A of the virtual camera 60 shown in Fig. 7A, but the viewing direction may be such that the receptionist avatar Z1 is seen from the front. Fig. 10 (as well as Fig. 11 described later) includes button-type user interfaces SW10 to SW14, etc. below the terminal image G83.

[0059] In this embodiment, the reception facility M5 (M3) is associated with a user interface G832 for application to participate, and the terminal image G83 includes the user interface G832 for application to participate. Therefore, when the avatar X1 moves to the vicinity of the reception facility M5 (M3), the avatar X1 can apply to participate in the mission via the user interface G832 for application to participate. Note that the user interface G832 for application to participate may appear automatically when the avatar X1 moves to the vicinity of the reception facility M5 (M3), or may appear when the user operates the application to participate button SW10.

[0060] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a terminal image G84 for a user relating to the avatar X1 when the avatar X1 is located at the position P4(X1) in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the position P4(X1) is near the avatars Z2 and Z3 relating to the cheering squad, and corresponds to an area in which an avatar who has applied to participate and wants to recruit a cheering squad should be located. When the avatar X1 is located in such an area, the line of sight of the virtual camera 60 may transition from the line of sight R7B of the virtual camera 60 shown in FIG. 7B to the first-person perspective shown in FIG. 6. As a result, the terminal image G84 includes a front view image G841 of the avatar Z2 relating to the cheering squad, as shown in FIG. 11.

[0061] In this embodiment, a user interface G842 for setting the cheering squad is associated with the avatar Z2 related to the cheering squad or its position (or area), and the terminal image G84 includes the user interface G842 for setting the cheering squad. Therefore, when the avatar X1 moves close to the avatar Z2 related to the cheering squad, the avatar X1 can set the cheering squad via the user interface G842 for setting the cheering squad. Note that the user interface G842 for setting the cheering squad may appear automatically when the avatar X1 moves close to the avatar Z2 related to the cheering squad, or may appear when the user operates the cheering squad button SW12.

[0062] In this way, in the lobby space 70, avatar X1 can move to various positions including the above-mentioned position P1 (X1), position P3 (X1), position P4 (X1), etc., and perform various activities such as obtaining battle history information, applying for missions, setting up a cheering squad, etc.

[0063] In a virtual space, an avatar can move freely, such as in the lobby space 70 described above, but when the destination of the avatar is determined, it is useful to appropriately simplify the movement of the avatar to the destination in order to reduce the input load (and the associated processing load) on the user. Also, in a virtual space, it is useful to efficiently improve the operability of the avatar and the progress of the activity in order to increase the activity efficiency of the avatar.

[0064] On the other hand, if specifications are made to meet these demands in a normal way, it is likely to cause discomfort. For example, when an avatar at a certain point A wants to move to another point B to which a specific user interface is associated in order to perform an operation via the specific user interface, it is possible to simply teleport the avatar to point B. However, in this case, in the end, there is no significant difference from being able to perform an operation via the specific user interface at point A, and the user does not get the feeling of moving in a virtual space, which is likely to lead to discomfort.

[0065] Therefore, in this embodiment, as described below, by appropriately realizing the transition of the user interface accompanying the movement of the avatar within the virtual space, it is possible to reduce the input load (and the associated processing load) on the user and to increase the activity efficiency of the avatar.

[0066] Specifically, in this embodiment, first, high-speed movement or instantaneous movement (hereinafter, represented as "high-speed movement") of an avatar is enabled to a position (point) to which a specific user interface is associated. Then, during such high-speed movement, the specific user interface at the destination position is caused to slide in (appear) on the terminal image from a direction according to the direction of movement. Hereinafter, an event that causes the user interface of the destination to appear in this manner along with high-speed movement is also referred to as a "UI transition event."

[0067] Here, the manner in which the terminal image changes in association with a UI transition event will be described with reference to Figures 12A to 13. Here, preferred examples of the manner in which the terminal image changes in association with a UI transition event will be described in association with the activity of the avatar X1 in the lobby space 70 described in Figure 5 and the like. It should be noted that the manner in which the terminal image changes in association with a UI transition event described below can of course be similarly applied to the activity of the avatar outside the lobby space 70.

[0068] Fig. 12A is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a moving path (see R12) of the avatar X1 when moving at high speed from position P3 (X1) to position P4 (X1). Fig. 12B is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a change in the line of sight of the avatar X1 (line of sight of the virtual camera 60 related to the avatar X1) when moving at high speed from position P3 (X1) to position P4 (X1). Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of an example of a terminal image G84A at a point in time during the high speed movement from position P3 (X1) to position P4 (X1).

[0069] Here, as an example, when the cheering squad button SW12 is operated while the avatar X1 is located at the position P3 (X1), a UI transition event occurs for high-speed movement from the position P3 (X1) to the position P4 (X1). In this case, the avatar X1 does not need to move from the position P3 (X1) to the position P4 (X1), improving convenience. Also, since the processing during the movement by walking of the avatar X1 can be omitted, the processing load can be reduced.

[0070] When the avatar X1 reaches the position P4(X1) by moving from the position P3(X1) to the position P4(X1) at high speed, a terminal image G84 as shown in FIG. 11 is generated. That is, the terminal image of the avatar X1 is switched from the terminal image G83 (an example of an image for the first terminal) as shown in FIG. 10 to the terminal image G84 (an example of an image for the second terminal) as shown in FIG. 11. This allows the avatar X1 to set the cheering squad via the user interface G842 for setting the cheering squad. In this case, the avatar X1 can operate the user interface G842 for setting the cheering squad associated with the position P4(X1) without walking from the position P3(X1) to the position P4(X1). As a result, the operation load (and the processing load associated therewith) of the user can be reduced.

[0071] In this manner, in this embodiment, in conjunction with the high-speed movement of the avatar X1 from position P3 (X1) to position P4 (X1), the user interface of the terminal image changes in a manner related to the movement from position P3 (X1) to position P4 (X1). That is, the user interface of the terminal image is switched from a user interface (an example of a first user interface) associated with position P3 (X1) (an example of a first position) to a user interface (an example of a second user interface) associated with position P4 (X1) (an example of a second position). Specifically, the user interface of the terminal image is transitioned from the user interface G832 for participation application to the user interface G842 for cheering squad setting.

[0072] In this embodiment, when moving at high speed from position P3 (X1) to position P4 (X1), the line of sight of virtual camera 60 becomes a first-person viewpoint (hence, the same as the line of sight of the avatar), and is changed in a manner substantially similar to that when moving by walking from position P3 (X1) to position P4 (X1), as shown in Fig. 12B. Specifically, in Fig. 12B, the line of sight of virtual camera 60 is shown by arrows R13 (t2), R13 (t3), R13 (t4), R13 (t5), and R13 (t6) in association with specific positions on the moving path (see R12) of avatar X1 when moving at high speed from position P3 (X1) to position P4 (X1). For example, (t2) in R13(t2) represents the line of sight at the corresponding time t2 (position at the time t2), and the same is true for R13(t3), R13(t4), R13(t5), and R13(t6). In this case, it is assumed that the movement proceeds from time t2 to time t6. In this case, at the start time t2 of the high-speed movement, the avatar X1 changes from the line of sight R7A (see R12(t1) in FIG. 12A) shown in FIG. 7A at the time t1 immediately before that to the first-person viewpoint (FIG. 6) and faces forward. Then, the line of sight rotates (see R13(t3)) as the body rotates toward the position P4(X1). After that, it faces the direction of travel toward position P4 (X1) (see R13(t4), R13(t5)), and finally rotates to face the avatars Z2 and Z3 related to the cheering squad (see R13(t6)). Note that in a modified example, some or all of R13(t2), R13(t3), R13(t4), R13(t5), and R13(t6) may be realized by the line of sight direction R7B shown in FIG. 7B.

[0073] The image of the virtual space according to the position and line of sight of the virtual camera 60 that change in this way may be output as an intermediate image related to each intermediate position (a position related to a position after time t3 and before time t6 in FIG. 12B) to the terminal image during high-speed movement of the avatar X1 from the position P3 (X1) to the position P4 (X1). For example, in the example shown in FIG. 13, such an intermediate image display area G841A is shown typically. By outputting intermediate images at multiple time points during high-speed movement in the intermediate image display area G841A, the user can be given the sensation of high-speed movement. As a result, the sense of discomfort of the above-mentioned problem can be reduced. Note that, in the case of high-speed movement of the avatar X1 from the position P3 (X1) to the position P4 (X1), the scenery of the virtual space flows from the right to the left in association with the change in the line of sight direction of the virtual camera 60 described above, as shown by the arrow R141 in FIG. 13. Note that, although intermediate images at multiple time points during high-speed movement are output here, a prescribed one (one frame) image may be output as the intermediate image.

[0074] In this embodiment, the switching manner from the user interface associated with the position P3(X1) to the user interface associated with the position P4(X1) is changed based on the positional relationship between the positions P3(X1) and P4(X1). This can reduce the discomfort of the above-mentioned problem compared to a case where the interface is switched in a constant switching manner regardless of the positional relationship between the positions P3(X1) and P4(X1).

[0075] Specifically, in this embodiment, since position P4(X1) is located to the right of position P3(X1) with respect to the line of sight direction of virtual camera 60 in the virtual space at time t2, the user interface associated with position P4(X1) appears (e.g., slides in) from the right side of the terminal image (see arrow R143 in FIG. 13). Also, the user interface associated with position P3(X1) retreats (e.g., slides out) from the left side of the terminal image (see arrow R142 in FIG. 13).

[0076] As another example (not shown), when the battle history button SW14 is operated while the avatar X1 is located at the position P3 (X1), a UI transition event related to high-speed movement from the position P3 (X1) to the position P1 (X1) may occur. In this case, since the position P1 (X1) is located to the left of the position P3 (X1), a user interface (not shown) associated with the position P1 (X1) may appear (e.g., slide in) from the left side of the image for the terminal. Also, a user interface associated with the position P3 (X1) may retreat (e.g., slide out) from the right side of the image for the terminal.

[0077] In this manner, in this embodiment, the appearance (retraction) manner of the user interface changes in a manner consistent with the positional relationship between the two points involved in high-speed movement, thereby effectively reducing the sense of discomfort associated with the above-mentioned problem.

[0078] Furthermore, when avatar X1 moves at high speed from position P3 (X1) to position P1 (X1), the scenery in the virtual space flows from left to right in accordance with the change in the line of sight of virtual camera 60, in contrast to the case of avatar X1 moving at high speed from position P3 (X1) to position P4 (X1) described above.

[0079] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the user interface changes together with the scenery of the virtual space in a manner consistent with the positional relationship with the two points, so that the sense of discomfort caused by the above-mentioned problem can be more effectively reduced.

[0080] Note that while the above description concerns movement between two points within the lobby space 70 to which a user interface is associated, the present invention is also applicable to movement between similar two points within other space sections 70, movement between similar two points within the free space section 71, movement between a point within space section 70 and a point within the free space section 71, etc.

[0081] For example, in the space section 70 as shown in FIG. 14, a plurality of information session booths SP21 to SP23 are arranged. In this case, for example, an avatar can move to the space SP1 as shown by the arrow R21 to receive a tutorial, then move to the space SP2 in front of the gate (see the arrow R22), pass through the gate, and enter the space section 70 (see the arrow R23). Then, the avatar can receive various explanations by going around each booth SP21 to SP23 in the space section 70 (arrows R24 to R26). For example, in the case of a company information session, each booth SP21 to SP23 may be related to a different company. In this case, a user interface may be associated with each booth SP21 to SP23, and the above-mentioned UI transition event may be generated by selecting any one of the booths SP21 to SP23. For example, when an avatar is located in booth SP21, if the avatar inputs (predetermined input) a request to move to booth SP22, high-speed movement to booth SP22 may be realized. At this time, the appearance mode of the user interface associated with booth SP22 in the terminal image may be determined according to the positional relationship between booth SP21 and booth SP22. For example, when booth SP22 is located on the right side based on the front direction of the avatar at that time, the user interface associated with booth SP22 may appear from the right side in the terminal image. In response to this, the user interface associated with booth SP21 may be retreated to the left side in the terminal image.

[0082] Next, with reference to FIG. 15 onwards, configuration examples of the above-mentioned virtual reality generation system 1, which are related to UI transition events, will be described in order.

[0083] In the following, the server device 10 realizes an example of an information processing system, but as described later, each element of one terminal device 20 (see the terminal communication unit 21 to the terminal control unit 25 in FIG. 1) may realize an example of an information processing system, or a plurality of terminal devices 20 may cooperate to realize an example of an information processing system. Also, the server device 10 and one or more terminal devices 20 may cooperate to realize an example of an information processing system.

[0084] Fig. 15 is an example of a functional block diagram of the server device 10 related to the above-mentioned UI transition event. Fig. 16 is an example of a functional block diagram of the terminal device 20 related to the above-mentioned UI transition event. Fig. 17 is an explanatory diagram of data in the user database 130. Fig. 18 is an explanatory diagram of data in the avatar database 132. Fig. 19 is an explanatory diagram of data in the UI database 134. In Figs. 17 to 19, "***" indicates that some information is stored, "-" indicates that no information is stored, and "..." indicates a similar repetition.

[0085] Here, first, the functions of the server device 10 will be described, and then the functions of the terminal device 20 will be described.

[0086] (Server device functions) As shown in FIG. 15, the server device 10 includes a user database 130, an avatar database 132, a UI database 134, a user input acquisition unit 140, an image condition generation unit 144, an interface formation unit 148, an event generation unit 150, and a movement processing unit 152.

[0087] Note that some or all of the functions of the server device 10 described below may be appropriately realized by the terminal device 20 (described later with reference to Figs. 20 to 22A). Also, the division from the user input acquisition unit 140 to the movement processing unit 152 is for convenience of explanation, and some functional units may realize the functions of other functional units. This also applies to the division of the user database 130, the avatar database 132, and the UI database 134. For example, some or all of the data in the user database 130 may be integrated with the data in the avatar database 132, or may be stored in a separate database.

[0088] The user input acquisition unit 140 to the movement processing unit 152 can be realized by the server control unit 13 of the server device 10 executing one or more programs in the server storage unit 12 of the server device 10. In addition, the user database 130, the avatar database 132, and the UI database 134 can be realized by the server storage unit 12 of the server device 10.

[0089] The user database 130 stores user information 600. In the example shown in FIG. 17, the user information 600 associates each user ID with a user name, an avatar ID, position / orientation information, and the like. The user name is a name registered by the user himself / herself and is arbitrary. The avatar ID is an ID for identifying the avatar. The position / orientation information includes position information and orientation information of the avatar. The position information of the avatar may be managed in a coordinate system associated with the virtual space. The orientation information may be information representing the orientation of the avatar. Note that the position / orientation information, and the like, are information that may dynamically change in response to an operation input from the user. In addition to the position / orientation information, information representing the movement of the avatar's limbs, and the like, and information representing a facial expression, and the like may be included.

[0090] The user information 600 may further include user information related to the game, such as rank, information on owned game media, information on game media in use, and friend information.

[0091] The rank is a parameter indicating the user's proficiency with the game. In this embodiment, the rank value may increase as the user plays the game. The higher the rank, the higher the user's proficiency with the game.

[0092] The information on the owned game media includes various information specific to the game media that the user owns in the game (owned game media). When a game medium is acquired by a user, the game medium is associated with the user as the owned game media. The information on the owned game media will be described in detail later.

[0093] The information on the game media to be used is information that indicates the game media to be used by the user in the battle game part. The game media is selected from among the owned game media. The game media may function as an avatar, which will be described later.

[0094] The friend information represents user IDs of users who are in a friend relationship. For example, if user A is in a friend relationship with users B and C, the friend information associated with user A includes the user IDs of users B and C. Note that a friend relationship is realized through a friend request or the like. In this way, the friend information includes the user IDs of other users who are unidirectionally or bidirectionally associated with the user. Note that users who are in a friend relationship may be able to communicate with each other, for example, by sending and receiving messages on the virtual reality generation system 1.

[0095] The content of the information about the user is not limited to the above. For example, the information about the user may further include information indicating a predetermined number of points held by the user in the game. The points are consumed by the user to play game parts. The amount of the points consumed may differ for each game part. The points may increase, for example, over time or in response to the use of a predetermined game medium.

[0096] The avatar database 132 stores avatar information 700 related to avatars. In the example shown in FIG. 18, the avatar information 700 associates a face, a hairstyle, clothes, and the like with each avatar ID. The information related to the appearance, such as the face, hairstyle, clothes, and the like, is a parameter that characterizes the avatar, and may be set in advance or may be set by each user. For example, the information related to the appearance, such as the face, hairstyle, clothes, and the like, related to the avatar may be assigned an ID for each type. In addition, for the face, a part ID is prepared for each type, such as the face shape, eyes, mouth, nose, and the like, and the information related to the face may be managed as a combination of IDs of each part constituting the face. In this case, the information related to the appearance, such as the face, hairstyle, clothes, and the like, can function as drawing information of the avatar. That is, it becomes possible to draw each avatar not only on the server device 10 but also on the terminal device 20 side based on each ID related to the appearance linked to each avatar ID.

[0097] In this manner, in this embodiment, basically, one user ID is associated with one user, and one user ID is associated with an avatar ID. Therefore, a state in which certain information is associated with one user, a state in which the information is associated with the one user ID, and a state in which the information is associated with the avatar ID associated with the one user ID are synonymous with each other. Note that one user ID may be associated with two or more avatar IDs.

[0098] The UI database 134 stores user interface information related to the user interface associated with the position information in the virtual space. For example, the user interfaces G832 and G842 described above with reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 may be associated with the second object M5 (M3) of the reception facility and the second object M6 (M3) related to the wall near the cheering squad shown in FIG. 5, respectively. Hereinafter, the user interface associated with the position information in the virtual space in this way is also referred to as a "specific user interface." The specific user interface may include a user interface associated with a specific avatar. For example, the above-mentioned user interface G842 may be associated with the avatars Z2 and Z3 related to the cheering squad. In this case, the user interface G842 is also indirectly associated with the position information of the avatars Z2 and Z3 related to the cheering squad.

[0099] For example, the user interface information 800 shown in FIG. 19 may include output conditions, interface position information, and drawing information for each user interface ID. The user interface ID is an ID that is automatically generated when each specific user interface is generated. The output condition represents an output condition of the user interface. The output condition of the user interface is arbitrary, but may be satisfied, for example, when an avatar is located within a predetermined area, or when an avatar is located within a predetermined area and a predetermined call input is made from the avatar. In this case, the predetermined area may be an area in the vicinity of a position based on the interface position information. For example, the interface position information is position information (position information in a virtual space) of the associated second object M3 or a specific avatar. For example, the interface position information related to the user interfaces G832 and G842 described above with reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 may correspond to the position information of the second object M5 (M3) of the reception facility shown in FIG. 5 and the position information of the second object M6 (M3) related to the wall near the cheering squad. Note that the position information related to an object whose object attribute is a moving object may be updated as appropriate. The rendering information may include information necessary to render each particular user interface.

[0100] The user input acquisition unit 140 acquires various inputs by each user inputted via the input unit 24 of the terminal device 20 .

[0101] The image condition generating unit 144 generates image generating conditions for a terminal image that is viewable by a user. Note that the terminal image may be viewable by the user via the display unit 23 of the terminal device 20, as described above.

[0102] The image condition generating unit 144 generates image generation conditions for the terminal image so that the terminal image is drawn based on the virtual space image. Here, the image generation conditions for the terminal image for one user (avatar) will be described. Therefore, another avatar refers to an avatar other than the avatar related to the one user.

[0103] The image condition generating unit 144 generates image generating conditions for drawing a terminal image based on the position information of one avatar (see the position / orientation information in FIG. 17). Note that the line of sight direction of the virtual camera may be one of the various line of sight directions described above with reference to FIGS. 6 to 7B.

[0104] Furthermore, the image condition generating unit 144 generates image generation conditions for drawing another avatar on the image for terminal. In this case, the image condition generating unit 144 may generate image generation conditions for drawing another avatar on the image for terminal according to position information of the other avatar (see position / orientation information in FIG. 17). For example, when the position information of the other avatar belongs to a space portion indicated by the image for terminal or is located within the field of view of the virtual camera 60, the image condition generating unit 144 may generate image generation conditions for drawing another avatar on the image for terminal.

[0105] When generating image generation conditions for drawing other avatars, image condition generating unit 144 may use avatar information 700 (see FIG. 18) associated with the corresponding avatar ID in avatar database 132. In addition, at this time, image generation conditions for expressing the orientation of other avatars may be generated based on position / orientation information of the corresponding avatar ID in user database 130.

[0106] Furthermore, the image condition generating unit 144 generates image generation conditions for drawing a specific item (e.g., a specific item related to a reward of a game) in the image for the terminal. In this case, the image condition generating unit 144 may generate image generation conditions for drawing a specific item in the image for the terminal according to position information of the specific item. For example, when the position information of the specific item belongs to a space portion shown in the image for the terminal or is located within the field of view of the virtual camera 60, the image condition generating unit 144 may generate image generation conditions for drawing a specific item in the image for the terminal.

[0107] In addition, the image condition generating unit 144 generates image generation conditions for drawing a terminal image related to a UI transition event. In this case, as described above with reference to FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B, etc., the image condition generating unit 144 cooperates with the interface forming unit 148 during a UI transition event to determine a specific user interface to be output, and generates image generation conditions for drawing the specific user interface to be output, such as an appearance direction. In addition, in cooperation with the movement processing unit 152 during a UI transition event, the image condition generating unit 144 determines position information of a destination, and generates image generation conditions for drawing a terminal image at the destination. Note that, if another avatar is present within the field of view of the virtual camera 60 at the destination, the image condition generating unit 144 may generate image generation conditions for drawing the other avatar on the terminal image, as described above.

[0108] In addition, when generating image generation conditions for drawing a terminal image related to a UI transition event, the image condition generation unit 144 may generate the image generation conditions so that the user interface is located on the right side of the terminal image and the virtual space image portion is on the left side of the terminal image, as shown in FIG. 13, etc.

[0109] The interface forming unit 148 executes, based on the data in the UI database 134, a determination as to whether or not a specific user interface needs to be output, a determination of the interface to be output, and the like.

[0110] The event generating unit 150 generates a UI transition event when an event generating condition related to a UI transition event is satisfied. As described above with reference to Figs. 12A to 13, etc., a UI transition event is an event that occurs with the movement of an avatar and is accompanied by the appearance of a new specific user interface. Therefore, the event generating condition related to a UI transition event may be satisfied, for example, when the following condition elements (1) and (2) are satisfied. Alternatively, the event generating condition related to a UI transition event may be satisfied when condition element (2) is satisfied. In this case, when condition element (2) is satisfied, high-speed movement related to condition element (1) may be automatically performed, thereby automatically satisfying condition element (1). Condition element (1): Rapid travel to another location occurs based on a given user input at one location. Condition element (2) - The other points must have a specific user interface associated with them. Hereinafter, one point related to such a UI transition event is also referred to as a “start point,” and the other point is also referred to as a “destination point.” Note that the start point may or may not be associated with a specific user interface.

[0111] The predetermined user input in the condition element (1) is arbitrary, and may be, for example, the operation of a specific button (the "Cheer Squad" button in the example described above with reference to Figures 10 to 13) of a specific user interface output at the starting point of movement, as described above with reference to Figures 10 to 13. However, the predetermined user input may be various other types, and may be realized through voice input or gesture input.

[0112] The movement processing unit 152 changes the position and orientation of each avatar based on various inputs from each user. The user's input for changing the position and orientation of the avatar may be various and may be different for each terminal device 20. The position information of an avatar related to a user may be changed by an operation input of a physical switch such as a specific key (e.g., the "WASD" key), or may be changed by an input indicating the movement of the user based on a motion capture technology. In addition, the position information of an avatar related to a user may be specified based on the position of the user in the real space. Hereinafter, a user input for changing the position information of an avatar is also referred to as a "movement operation input", and a user input for changing the orientation information of an avatar is also referred to as a "direction operation input".

[0113] The movement processing unit 152 changes the position information and orientation information of the avatar in the virtual space based on a movement operation input (an example of a first input) and a direction operation input from the user acquired by the user input acquisition unit 140. In the present embodiment, as an example, the position information and orientation information of the avatar in the virtual space are managed in a coordinate system associated with the virtual space. Note that the position information of the avatar in the virtual space basically corresponds to the drawing position of the avatar in the image generation conditions for the terminal image generated by the image condition generation unit 144, but does not always need to match. For example, under a specific situation, image generation conditions may be generated in which the drawing position of the avatar in the terminal image changes without changing the position information of the avatar. The same applies to the orientation information.

[0114] The movement processing unit 152 may freely (without limit) change the position information of the avatar in the virtual space based on the movement operation input from the user, but preferably may change the position information of the avatar under a predetermined constraint condition. The predetermined constraint condition is arbitrary, but may be set so that, for example, movement that clearly contradicts physical phenomena in the real space (for example, movement that penetrates the wall of a building) is prohibited.

[0115] In this embodiment, the movement processing unit 152 changes the position of the avatar to a destination point related to the UI transition event, regardless of the movement operation input, in response to the above-mentioned UI transition event. The movement route at this time is as described above with reference to FIG. 12A. The movement time may be changed according to the movement distance, but may be adapted to be shorter than the shortest movement time that can be realized by a normal movement operation input. Furthermore, the movement processing unit 152 may change the orientation of the avatar to an orientation according to the destination point related to the UI transition event, regardless of the direction operation input, in response to the above-mentioned UI transition event. In this case, the orientation according to the destination point may be an orientation in which the second object M3 or a specific avatar related to the position information associated with the specific user interface of the movement source point is viewed from the front.

[0116] (Terminal Device Functions) As shown in FIG. 16, the terminal device 20 includes an image generation condition receiving section 210, an image output section 212, a user input generating section 214, and a user input transmitting section 216.

[0117] The image generating condition receiving unit 210 receives image generating conditions for a terminal image generated by the image condition generating unit 144 of the server device 10 described above.

[0118] The image output unit 212 draws an image for a terminal based on the image generation conditions for the image for a terminal received by the image generation condition receiving unit 210, and outputs the drawn image for a terminal on the display unit 23. For example, the image output unit 212 may draw the image for a terminal by parsing the image generation conditions for the image for a terminal as a query parameter, storing the image generation conditions in a variable, inputting the image generation conditions as an argument to a method of a given API, selecting avatar information, and the like. Note that the server device 10 may generate image data (HTML document + image) based on the image generation conditions, and the terminal device 20 may draw a display screen including a captured image on the display unit 23 based on the image data (HTML document + image) received from the server device 10, without drawing an image directly from the image generation conditions themselves. The terminal device 20 may also realize high-speed update of the image for a terminal by implementing a virtual DOM (Document Object Model) function.

[0119] The user input generating unit 214 acquires various inputs from the user and generates a signal according to the various inputs. Specifically, the user input generating unit 214 generates a signal according to the various inputs input via the input unit 24 described above.

[0120] The user input transmitting unit 216 transmits the signal received by the user input generating unit 214 to the server device 10. In this case, the server device 10 receives such a signal and thereby acquires various inputs by the corresponding user.

[0121] However, the above-mentioned division of functions between the server device 10 and the terminal device 20 is merely an example, and as described above, various changes are possible. That is, some or all of the functions of the server device 10 may be realized by the terminal device 20 as appropriate.

[0122] For example, a sharing mode as shown in Fig. 20 and Fig. 20A may be realized. In this case, the server device 10A and the terminal device 20A of each user cooperate with each other to realize the same functions as those in the case where the server device 10 and the terminal device 20 cooperate with each other as described above. In the case of the sharing mode as shown in Fig. 20 and Fig. 20A, the functions of the image condition generating unit 144, the interface forming unit 148, the event generating unit 150, and the movement processing unit 152 can be performed by each browser in the terminal device 20A, as described below.

[0123] 20, server device 10A includes user database 130, avatar database 132, position information acquisition unit 166, position information transmission unit 167, and data update processing unit 168. Note that position information acquisition unit 166, position information transmission unit 167, and data update processing unit 168 can be realized by a server control unit (see server control unit 13 in FIG. 1) of server device 10A executing one or more programs in a server storage unit (see server storage unit 12 in FIG. 1) of server device 10A.

[0124] The position information acquisition unit 166 acquires the position / orientation information of each avatar by receiving it from each terminal device 20A. When the position information acquisition unit 166 acquires the position / orientation information of each avatar, it updates the stored data in the user database 130. In the user database 130, the position / orientation information for each avatar ID may be stored as shown in FIG.

[0125] The position information transmission unit 167 transmits the position / orientation information of the avatar in the user database 130 to the terminal device 20A that is the transmission target. The terminal device 20A that is the transmission target of the position / orientation information of one avatar includes the terminal device 20A of the user associated with the other avatar that includes the one avatar in its field of view. This allows the terminal device 20A associated with each user to obtain the position / orientation information of each avatar associated with the other users that are to be drawn in the terminal image. In this case, the position / orientation information of unnecessary avatars that are not to be drawn is not transmitted, and the communication load can be reduced.

[0126] The data update processing unit 168 transmits update data to the terminal device 20A of each user based on the data in the user database 130 and the avatar database 132. The timing of transmitting the update data may be set appropriately, and may include timing in response to a request from the terminal device 20A.

[0127] The terminal device 20A shown in FIG. 20A is suitable for a case where the virtual reality application is in the form of a Web application that can be used on a browser. The terminal device 20A includes an image output unit 212A, a user input generation unit 214A, and a user input transmission unit 216A. The image output unit 212A, the user input generation unit 214A, and the user input transmission unit 216A may be substantially similar to the image output unit 212, the user input generation unit 214, and the user input transmission unit 216 described above with reference to FIG. 16. The image output unit 212A draws an image for a terminal based on image generation conditions for an image for a terminal generated by an image condition generation unit 244A described later, and outputs the drawn image for a terminal on the display unit 23 described above.

[0128] Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 20A, the terminal device 20A includes a position information update unit 241A, an image condition generation unit 244A, an interface formation unit 248A, an event generation unit 250A, a movement processing unit 252A, and a terminal storage unit 22A.

[0129] In the following, the terminal device 20A related to one arbitrary user (hereinafter also referred to as "this user") will be described, but the terminal device 20A related to other users will be substantially the same. In addition, in the following, the avatar related to the present user will be referred to as the present avatar.

[0130] Each unit from the position information update unit 241A to the movement processing unit 252A can be realized by the terminal control unit (see the terminal control unit 25 in FIG. 1) of the terminal device 20A executing the virtual reality application according to this embodiment, which is a program in the terminal storage unit (see the terminal storage unit 22 in FIG. 1) of the terminal device 20A. In addition, temporary storage of various data required in the terminal device 20A can be realized by the RAM (Random Access Memory) 221A of the terminal storage unit 22A. Various data is deployed in the RAM 221A as a temporary storage function, and for example, various data is downloaded based on an HTML document created in the server device 10A, and the data is temporarily deployed in the RAM 221A and used for processing (drawing, etc.) in the browser. When the browser is closed, the data deployed in the RAM 221A is erased.

[0131] The RAM 221A may store only the data related to each of the other avatars located within the field of view of the avatar among the data in the user database 130 of the server device 10A described above (see FIG. 17), or may store other data as well. The data on the position / orientation information among the data in the RAM 221A is updated by the position information update unit 241A based on the position / orientation information transmitted from the server device 10A. The other data among the data in the RAM 221A may be updated based on the above-mentioned update data as appropriate through communication with the server device 10A (for example, when the virtual reality application according to this embodiment is started, etc.).

[0132] The RAM 221A may store only the data related to each of the other avatars located within the field of view of the avatar among the data in the avatar database 132 of the server device 10 described above (see FIG. 18), or may store other data as well. The data in the RAM 221A may be updated based on the above-mentioned update data via communication with the server device 10A when a virtual reality application (e.g., a Web application) is started, etc.

[0133] As described above, the position information update unit 241A updates the position / orientation information data among the data in the RAM 221A based on the data received from the server device 10A. Furthermore, the position information update unit 241A may update the position / orientation information data related to the present user among the data in the RAM 221A based on a movement operation input or a direction operation input from the present user.

[0134] The image condition generating unit 244A realizes the same function as the image condition generating unit 144 of the above-mentioned server device 10. The image condition generating unit 244A may transmit the generated image generating conditions to the server device 10A. In this case, the image generating conditions can also be stored on the server device 10A side.

[0135] The interface forming section 248A realizes the same functions as the interface forming section 148 of the above-mentioned server device 10. However, the interface forming section 148 performs processing related to the terminal image for this user.

[0136] The event generating section 250A realizes the same function as the event generating section 150 of the server device 10 described above.

[0137] The movement processing unit 252A realizes the same functions as the movement processing unit 152 of the above-mentioned server device 10. In this case, the movement processing unit 252A may realize the same functions as the movement processing unit 152 based on various inputs from the user (signals corresponding to various inputs generated by the user input generating unit 214A).

[0138] Fig. 21 is a functional block diagram of a terminal device 20B that may be realized instead of the terminal device 20A shown in Fig. 20A. The configuration according to Fig. 21 is suitable for a case where a virtual reality application is in the form of a native application different from a Web application that can be used on a browser. Note that the native application is downloaded to the terminal device 20B in advance and used.

[0139] In the example shown in Fig. 21, the terminal device 20B includes an image output unit 212B, a user input generation unit 214B, and a user input transmission unit 216B. The image output unit 212B, the user input generation unit 214B, and the user input transmission unit 216B may be substantially similar to the image output unit 212, the user input generation unit 214, and the user input transmission unit 216 described above with reference to Fig. 16. Note that the image output unit 212B draws an image for a terminal based on image generation conditions for an image for a terminal generated by an image condition generation unit 244B described later, and outputs the drawn image for a terminal on the display unit 23 described above.

[0140] Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 21, the terminal device 20B includes a user database 230B, an avatar database 232B, a UI database 234B, a position information update unit 241B, an image condition generation unit 244B, a movement processing unit 252B, an interface formation unit 248B, and an event generation unit 250B.

[0141] Although the terminal device 20B relating to this user will be described below, the terminal devices 20B relating to other users are substantially the same.

[0142] Each unit from the location information update unit 241B to the event generation unit 250B can be realized by a terminal control unit (see terminal control unit 25 in FIG. 1) of the terminal device 20B executing a virtual reality application according to this embodiment, which is a program in a terminal storage unit (see terminal storage unit 22 in FIG. 1) of the terminal device 20B. Also, the user database 230B, the avatar database 232B, and the UI database 234B can be realized by the terminal storage unit (see terminal storage unit 22 in FIG. 1) of the terminal device 20B.

[0143] The user database 230B may store only data related to other avatars located within the field of view of the avatar among the data in the user database 130 of the server device 10 described above (see FIG. 17), or may further store other data. The data on the position / orientation information in the user database 230B is updated by the position information update unit 241B based on the position / orientation information transmitted from the server device 10A. Note that the other data in the user database 230B may be updated based on the above-mentioned update data as appropriate through communication with the server device 10A (for example, when the virtual reality application according to this embodiment is started, etc.).

[0144] The avatar database 232B may store only the data related to each of the other avatars located within the field of view of the avatar among the data in the avatar database 132 of the server device 10 described above (see FIG. 18), or may store other data in addition. The data in the avatar database 232B may be updated based on the above-mentioned update data through communication with the server device 10A as needed.

[0145] The UI database 234B realizes the same function as the UI database 134 of the server device 10 described above.

[0146] As described above, the position information update unit 241B updates the position / orientation information data among the data in the user database 230B based on the data received from the server device 10A. Furthermore, the position information update unit 241B may update the position / orientation information data related to the present user among the data in the user database 230B based on a movement operation input or a direction operation input from the present user.

[0147] The image condition generating unit 244B realizes the same function as the image condition generating unit 144 of the above-mentioned server device 10. The image condition generating unit 244B may transmit the generated image generating conditions to the server device 10A. In this case, the image generating conditions can also be stored on the server device 10A side.

[0148] The interface forming section 248B realizes the same functions as the interface forming section 148 of the above-mentioned server device 10. However, the interface forming section 148 performs processing related to the terminal image for this user.

[0149] The event generating section 250B realizes the same function as the event generating section 150 of the server device 10 described above.

[0150] The movement processing unit 252B realizes the same function as the movement processing unit 152 of the server device 10 described above.

[0151] Also, a sharing mode as shown in Fig. 22 and Fig. 22A may be realized. In this case, the server device 10C and the terminal device 20C of each user cooperate with each other to realize the same function as that in the case where the server device 10 and the terminal device 20 cooperate with each other.

[0152] The server device 10C shown in FIG. 22 differs from the server device 10 shown in FIG. 15 in that a terminal image drawing unit 164 and a terminal image data transmission unit 165 are added.

[0153] The terminal image drawing unit 164 draws the terminal image based on the image generation conditions for the terminal image received by the image condition generating unit 144. For example, the image output unit 212 may draw the terminal image by parsing the image generation conditions for the terminal image as query parameters, storing them in variables, inputting them as arguments to a given API method, selecting avatar information, and so on.

[0154] The terminal image data transmission unit 165 transmits image data for the terminal image drawn by the terminal image drawing unit 164 to the corresponding terminal device 20C.

[0155] Terminal device 20C shown in FIG. 22A differs from terminal device 20 shown in FIG. 16 in that image generation condition receiving section 210 and image output section 212 are replaced with image data receiving section 211 and image output section 212C, respectively.

[0156] The image data receiving unit 211 receives image data for a terminal image transmitted by the terminal image data transmitting unit 165 .

[0157] The image output unit 212C outputs the data of the image for the terminal received by the image data receiving unit 211 onto the display unit 23 described above.

[0158] Next, some examples of the operation of the virtual reality generation system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0159] Fig. 23 is a flow chart showing an outline of the operation related to the above-mentioned UI transition event among the operations of the virtual reality generation system 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 23 relates to a process for one avatar (hereinafter also referred to as a "target avatar"), but the same process may be executed in parallel for other avatars.

[0160] In step S2300, the server device 10 judges whether or not the target avatar is located in the position information associated with one specific user interface (indicated as "specific UI" in FIG. 23 and FIG. 24 described later). If the judgment result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S2302, otherwise the process of the current processing cycle ends.

[0161] In step S2302, the server device 10 generates an image generating condition for drawing a terminal image including a specific user interface.

[0162] In step S2304, the server device 10 judges whether or not a predetermined input has been input by the user. The predetermined input may be an input that triggers high-speed movement to a position (or area) to which another specific user interface is associated. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 10, the predetermined input is an input by operating the cheering squad button SW12. If the judgment result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S2306, otherwise the process for the current processing cycle ends.

[0163] In step S2306, the server device 10 executes UI transition event processing with the current position of the target avatar as the starting point and with the position (or area) associated with the other specific user interface related to the predetermined input in step S2304 as the destination point. An example of the UI transition event processing will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0164] FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a UI transition event process.

[0165] In step S2400, the server device 10 determines the appearance direction (slide-in direction) of the specific user interface associated with the destination point, and determines the retreat direction (slide-out direction) of the specific user interface associated with the source point, based on the positional relationship between the source point and the move-from point related to the current UI transition event. Note that the appearance direction of the specific user interface associated with the destination point and the retreat direction of the specific user interface associated with the source point are in a relationship in which when one is determined, the other is determined accordingly. For example, when the appearance direction of the specific user interface associated with the destination point appears from the left side, the retreat direction of the specific user interface associated with the source point is retreat to the right side.

[0166] Here, when the source point of the UI transition event is located on the right side of the destination point based on the front direction of the target avatar at the start time of the UI transition event, the appearance direction of the specific user interface associated with the destination point is determined to be from the right side. In this case, the retreat direction of the specific user interface associated with the source point is determined to be retreated to the left side.

[0167] In step S2402, the server device 10 generates an image generation condition for a user interface portion of the terminal image related to the current UI transition event, based on the appearance direction and retreat direction of the specific user interface determined in step S2400.

[0168] In step S2403, the server device 10 calculates a movement route from the origin point to the destination point, and also calculates the line of sight of the target avatar (ie, the line of sight of the virtual camera 60) at each position on the movement route.

[0169] In step S2404, the server device 10 extracts other avatars and the second object M3 that may be located in the vicinity of the movement route, based on the movement route calculated in step S2403.

[0170] In step S2406, the server device 10 judges whether or not a predetermined object exists among the other avatars and the second object M3 extracted in step S2404. The predetermined object is any object, but is preferably another avatar or the second object M3 that is useful for the target avatar to recognize. For example, the predetermined object may be an avatar in a friend relationship, an avatar that is an enemy in the game (e.g., an avatar that can attack the target avatar), a second object M3 that is useful to obtain in the game, etc. If the judgment result is "YES", proceed to step S2408, and otherwise proceed to step S2410.

[0171] In step S2408, the server device 10 determines generation conditions for intermediate images so that a predetermined object is drawn at one or more positions on the movement path based on the movement path and the line of sight direction of the avatar calculated in step S2403. That is, the server device 10 generates image generation conditions for an intermediate image portion of the terminal image related to the current UI transition event in a manner in which a predetermined object is drawn.

[0172] In step S2410, the server device 10 determines the generation conditions of intermediate images at one or more positions on the movement path based on the movement path and the line of sight direction of the avatar calculated in step S2403. That is, the server device 10 generates the image generation conditions of the intermediate image portion of the terminal image related to the current UI transition event in a normal mode. In this case, the generation conditions of the intermediate image may be the generation conditions of an animation image prepared in advance.

[0173] In step S2412, the server device 10 generates an image generating condition for drawing a terminal image (a portion other than the user interface portion) when the target avatar arrives at the destination point.

[0174] In this way, according to the example shown in Fig. 24, the image generation conditions for the terminal image can be generated in such a manner that the appearance direction and retreat direction of the specific user interface change according to the positional relationship between the origin point and the destination point. Also, since the image generation conditions for drawing the intermediate image are generated, the virtual space image during high-speed movement can be generated in such a manner that it is linked to the movement of the specific user interface. As a result, the discomfort of the above-mentioned problem can be further effectively reduced.

[0175] 24, a predetermined object that may come within the field of view of the target avatar while the target avatar is moving from the current origin point to the destination point can be made visible (visible to the target avatar) through the intermediate image. However, in a modified example, the intermediate image may be determined regardless of the presence or absence of the predetermined object, and in yet another modified example, the intermediate image may be omitted.

[0176] 23 and 24, the origin point corresponds to a position associated with a specific user interface, but is not limited thereto. That is, the present invention is applicable even when the image for a terminal at the origin point does not include a specific user interface. In this case, too, the appearance mode of the specific user interface associated with the destination point can be determined based on the positional relationship between the origin point and the destination point. Also, one or more intermediate images between the origin point and the image for a terminal related to the destination point can be determined in the same manner.

[0177] Although each embodiment has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims. In addition, it is also possible to combine all or a plurality of the components of the above-described embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0178] 1 Virtual reality generation system 3. Network 10, 10A, 10C Server equipment 11 Server Communication Section 12 Server memory section 13 Server control unit 20, 20A, 20B, 20C Terminal equipment 21 Terminal communication unit 22, 22A Terminal memory section 23 Display section 24 Input section 25 Terminal control unit 60 Virtual Camera 70 Space section 71 Free space section 130 User Database 132 Avatar Database 134 UI Database 140 User input acquisition unit (an example of an input acquisition unit) 144 Image condition generation unit (an example of a drawing processing unit) 148 Interface forming unit (an example of an output processing unit) 150 Event Generation Section 152 Movement processing unit (an example of a position control unit) 164 Terminal image drawing section 165 Terminal image data transmission unit 166 Location information acquisition unit 167 Location information transmission unit 168 Data update processing section 210 Image generation condition receiving unit 211 Image data receiving unit 212, 212A, 212B, 212C Image output unit 214, 214A, 214B User input generation unit (an example of an input acquisition unit) 216, 216A, 216B User input transmission section 230B User Database 232B Avatar Database 234B UI Database 241A, 241B Location information update section 244A, 244B Image condition generating unit (an example of a drawing processing unit) 248A, 248B Interface forming unit (an example of an output processing unit) 250A, 250B Event Generation Unit 252A, 252B Movement processing unit (an example of a position control unit)

Claims

1. An input acquisition unit that acquires user input from a user, A position control unit that controls the position in the virtual space of a predetermined display medium associated with the user based on the user input, An output processing unit that switches the user interface from a first user interface to a second user interface when the predetermined display medium moves from a first position to a second position in the virtual space Comprising, The output processing unit changes the switching mode from the first user interface to the second user interface based on the positional relationship between the first position and the second position in the virtual space, The first user interface includes a movement instruction object for instructing movement to the second position, The position control unit controls the position of the predetermined display medium in the virtual space from the first position to the second position based on user input to the movement instruction object, an information processing system.

2. The position control unit performs control to rapidly move or teleport the predetermined display medium from the first position to the second position based on the user input, The information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that.

3. The output processing unit realizes the switching from the first user interface to the second user interface by a transition so as to be consistent with the positional relationship between the first position and the second position in the virtual space with reference to the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera at the time corresponding to the first position in the virtual space, The information processing system according to claim 2, characterized in that.

4. The output processing unit changes the mode of the transition by associating the appearance direction of the second user interface from the side of the second position and the retreat direction of the first user interface to the side of the first position with each other, The information processing system according to claim 3.

5. The output processing unit causes the second user interface to appear from the right side of the display screen or the field of view of the virtual camera when the second position in the virtual space is located on the right side of the first position with reference to the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera, and causes the second user interface to appear from the left side of the display screen or the field of view of the virtual camera when the second position in the virtual space is located on the left side of the first position. The information processing system according to claim 4.

6. The output processing unit causes the first user interface to retreat to the left side of the display screen or the field of view of the virtual camera when the second position in the virtual space is located on the right side of the first position with reference to the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera, and causes the first user interface to retreat to the right side of the display screen or the field of view of the virtual camera when the second position in the virtual space is located on the left side of the first position. The information processing system according to claim 4.

7. When the predetermined display medium moves from the first position to the second position in the virtual space, the information processing system further includes a rendering processing unit that switches a virtual space image representing the state of the virtual space within the field of view of the virtual camera from a first virtual space image associated with the first position to a second virtual space image associated with the second position. The rendering processing unit realizes the switching from the first virtual space image to the second virtual space image by a transition so as to be consistent with the positional relationship between the first position and the second position in the virtual space with reference to the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera. The information processing system according to claim 3, characterized in that.

8. The output processing unit associates and changes the mode of the transition with the appearance direction of the second virtual space image from the side of the second position and the retreat direction of the first virtual space image to the side of the first position. The information processing system according to claim 7, characterized in that.

9. The rendering processing unit causes the second virtual space image to appear from the right side of the field of view of the virtual camera when the second position in the virtual space is located on the right side of the first position with reference to the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera, and causes the second virtual space image to appear from the left side of the field of view of the virtual camera when the second position in the virtual space is located on the left side of the first position. The information processing system according to claim 8.

10. When the second position in the virtual space is located on the right side of the first position with reference to the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera, the drawing processing unit retreats the first virtual space image to the left side of the field of view of the virtual camera; when the second position in the virtual space is located on the left side of the first position, the drawing processing unit retreats the first virtual space image to the right side of the field of view of the virtual camera. The information processing system according to claim 8.

11. When switching from the first virtual space image to the second virtual space image by transition, the drawing processing unit draws an intermediate image between the first virtual space image and the second virtual space image. The intermediate image includes images of one or more objects arranged between the first position and the second position. The information processing system according to claim 8.

12. The intermediate image includes a virtual space image representing the state of the virtual space within the field of view of the virtual camera during the change when the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera is changed from the front direction of the predetermined display medium at the first position to the front direction of the predetermined display medium at the second position. The information processing system according to claim 11.

13. The intermediate image includes a virtual space image representing the state of the virtual space within the field of view of the virtual camera at the intermediate position when the predetermined display medium moves while changing its position from the first position to the second position via one or more intermediate positions. The information processing system according to claim 11.

14. The position control unit automatically realizes the movement of the predetermined display medium from the first position to the second position based on a predetermined input that can be input via the first user interface or another user interface output together with the first user interface. The information processing system according to claim 1.

15. An input acquisition process for acquiring user input from a user, A position control process for controlling the position of a predetermined display medium associated with the user in a virtual space based on the user input, An output process for switching the user interface from the first user interface associated with the first position to the second user interface associated with the second position when the predetermined display medium moves from the first position to the second position in the virtual space, causing a computer to execute. The output process changes a switching mode from the first user interface to the second user interface based on a positional relationship between the first position and the second position in the virtual space. The first user interface includes a movement instruction object for instructing movement to the second position. The position control process is a program that controls the position of the predetermined display medium in the virtual space from the first position to the second position based on a user input to the movement instruction object. **Claim 16**: An input acquisition step of acquiring a user input from a user, a position control step of controlling the position of a predetermined display medium associated with the user in a virtual space based on the user input, and an output process step of switching a user interface from a first user interface associated with the first position to a second user interface associated with the second position when the predetermined display medium moves from the first position to the second position in the virtual space. In the output process step, a switching mode from the first user interface to the second user interface is changed based on a positional relationship between the first position and the second position in the virtual space. The first user interface includes a movement instruction object for instructing movement to the second position. In the position control step, an information processing method executed by a computer that controls the position of the predetermined display medium in the virtual space from the first position to the second position based on a user input to the movement instruction object.

Images