Information processing program, information processing device, information processing method, and information processing system

Abstract

To provide a new information processing program for generating a three-dimensional virtual space including topography.SOLUTION: An information processing program for generating virtual topography causes a computer to function as: a topographical object assignment part 42 for assigning, as a selected topographical object, a topographical object automatically selected from a plurality of topographical object candidates to each of a plurality of regions divided in a plane direction in a three-dimensional virtual space; a height parameter determination part 43 for automatically determining height parameters indicating the position in the height direction in the three-dimensional virtual space for each of the plurality of selected topographical objects; and a topography generation part 45 for generating virtual topography including positions corresponding to the assigned regions and the selected topographical objects arranged at the position based on the height parameters.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing program, an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing system for generating a three-dimensional virtual space including a terrain. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, systems have been known that perform information processing for games and the like in a three-dimensional virtual space including a terrain. The three-dimensional virtual space is prepared in advance or is generated by an information processing system (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-071378 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a novel information processing program, information processing device, information processing method, and information processing system for generating a three-dimensional virtual space including a terrain. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The information processing program of configuration 1 is an information processing program for generating virtual terrain, and has a configuration that causes a computer to function as a terrain object assignment means for assigning a terrain object automatically selected from a plurality of terrain object candidates as a selected terrain object to each of a plurality of areas divided in a planar direction in a three-dimensional virtual space, a height parameter determination means for automatically determining a height parameter indicating a position in the height direction in the three-dimensional virtual space for each of the plurality of selected terrain objects, and a terrain generation means for generating the virtual terrain including the selected terrain objects arranged at a position corresponding to the assigned area and at a position based on the height parameter.

[0006] With this configuration, a terrain object to be placed at each position in the 3D virtual space is selected from multiple terrain object candidates prepared in advance, eliminating the need to generate a terrain object each time, thereby reducing the processing load. In addition, for the selected terrain object, not only the horizontal position in the 3D virtual space but also the vertical position is determined, making it possible to generate many combinations of virtual terrains.

[0007] The information processing program of configuration 2 further causes the computer to function as a region information allocation means for allocating region information selected from a plurality of region information to each of a plurality of regions partitioned in a planar direction of the three-dimensional virtual space in the information processing program of configuration 1.

[0008] With this configuration, the region information selected from the plurality of region information is assigned to each of the plurality of regions partitioned in the planar direction of the three-dimensional virtual space, so that different region information can be assigned to each region in the three-dimensional virtual space. The region information may be, for example, a sea area.

[0009] An information processing program having a third aspect is the information processing program having a second aspect, wherein the terrain object allocation means allocates, to each of the plurality of regions, the selected terrain object from a plurality of terrain object candidates corresponding to the region information allocated to that region.

[0010] With this configuration, a terrain object corresponding to the assigned area information is selected for each area. If the area information is a sea area, a terrain object corresponding to the assigned sea area is selected for each area.

[0011] An information processing program according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the information processing program according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the height parameter determination means determines the height parameter within a range of parameters previously associated with the selected land object.

[0012] With this configuration, the height of each land object can be determined within a predetermined range.

[0013] An information processing program according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the information processing program according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further causing the computer to function as an environmental object arranging means for arranging an environmental object corresponding to the selected terrain object in association with the selected terrain object.

[0014] This configuration generates a three-dimensional virtual space that includes not only terrain objects but also environmental objects.

[0015] An information processing program of configuration 6 is the information processing program of configuration 5, wherein the environmental object placement means places the environmental object based on at least one theme information automatically selected based on an environmental object selection condition from among a plurality of theme information associated with the selected terrain object.

[0016] This configuration allows environmental objects to be placed according to the theme associated with the selected terrain object.

[0017] An information processing program according to a seventh aspect is the information processing program according to the sixth aspect, wherein the environmental object selection condition includes a condition related to the position of the selected land object determined by the height parameter determination means.

[0018] This configuration allows the placement of environmental objects according to the height of the terrain object.

[0019] An information processing program of configuration 8 is an information processing program of any one of configurations 1 to 7, in which the three-dimensional virtual space is divided into a plurality of unit areas in the planar direction, and the terrain object has a size corresponding to one or more of the unit areas.

[0020] This configuration allows multiple terrain objects to be arranged without any gaps.

[0021] An information processing program of configuration 9 is an information processing program of configuration 8, in which the terrain object has a portion that protrudes from a corresponding one or more of the plurality of regions, and has a shape on a side of the protruding portion that can constitute a terrain surface, and the terrain generating means arranges the plurality of adjacent selected terrain objects so that the portions that protrude from the unit regions overlap each other.

[0022] This configuration allows the boundaries between adjacent selected terrain objects to have a natural shape.

[0023] The information processing program of configuration 10 is any of the information processing programs of configurations 1 to 9, in which the generation of the terrain is executed either when starting a game for the first time in offline play, when the three-dimensional virtual space is updated under specified conditions in offline play, or when creating a session in online play.

[0024] With this configuration, a three-dimensional virtual space is generated for each session, each game, and each time the predetermined conditions are updated.

[0025] An information processing program according to an eleventh aspect is the information processing program according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, wherein the land object allocation means further specifies a rotation angle in the planar direction for the selected land object.

[0026] This configuration improves the randomness of the generated three-dimensional virtual space.

[0027] An information processing program according to a twelfth aspect is the information processing program according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein the land object is a three-dimensional object.

[0028] This configuration makes it possible to generate three-dimensional terrain.

[0029] The information processing program of aspect 13 is any of the information processing programs of aspect 12, wherein the land object has a cave portion.

[0030] This configuration provides an enterable side hole in the three-dimensional virtual space.

[0031] An information processing program according to a fourteenth aspect is the information processing program according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, in which the land objects are classified into either a first type of land objects or a second type of land objects.

[0032] With this configuration, a terrain object can be selected from two types of terrain objects.

[0033] An information processing program according to claim 15, in which the computer functions as a game processing execution means for executing a game process using the virtual terrain generated by the terrain generation means in any one of the information processing programs according to claims 1 to 14.

[0034] This configuration makes it possible to play games that utilize the generated three-dimensional virtual space.

[0035] The information processing device of configuration 16 is an information processing device for generating a virtual terrain, and is configured to include a terrain object assignment means for assigning a terrain object automatically selected from a plurality of terrain object candidates as a selected terrain object to each of a plurality of areas divided in a planar direction in a three-dimensional virtual space, a height parameter determination means for automatically determining a height parameter indicating a position in the height direction in the three-dimensional virtual space for each of the plurality of selected terrain objects, and a terrain generation means for generating the virtual terrain including the selected terrain object placed at a position corresponding to the assigned area and at a position based on the height parameter.

[0036] With this configuration, a terrain object to be placed at each position in the 3D virtual space is selected from multiple terrain object candidates prepared in advance, eliminating the need to generate a terrain object each time, thereby reducing the processing load. In addition, for the selected terrain object, not only the horizontal position in the 3D virtual space but also the vertical position is determined, making it possible to generate many combinations of virtual terrains.

[0037] The information processing method of configuration 17 is an information processing method for generating a virtual terrain, and includes a terrain object allocation step of assigning a terrain object automatically selected from a plurality of terrain object candidates as a selected terrain object to each of a plurality of areas divided in a planar direction in a three-dimensional virtual space, a height parameter determination step of automatically determining a height parameter indicating a height position in the three-dimensional virtual space for each of the plurality of selected terrain objects, and a terrain generation step of generating the virtual terrain including the selected terrain object arranged at a position corresponding to the assigned area and at a position based on the height parameter.

[0038] With this configuration, a terrain object to be placed at each position in the 3D virtual space is selected from multiple terrain object candidates prepared in advance, eliminating the need to generate a terrain object each time, thereby reducing the processing load. In addition, for the selected terrain object, not only the horizontal position in the 3D virtual space but also the vertical position is determined, making it possible to generate many combinations of virtual terrains.

[0039] The information processing system of configuration 18 is an information processing system for generating a virtual terrain, and is configured to include a terrain object assignment means for assigning a terrain object automatically selected from a plurality of terrain object candidates as a selected terrain object to each of a plurality of areas divided in a planar direction in a three-dimensional virtual space, a height parameter determination means for automatically determining a height parameter indicating a position in the height direction in the three-dimensional virtual space for each of the plurality of selected terrain objects, and a terrain generation means for generating the virtual terrain including the selected terrain object placed at a position corresponding to the assigned area and at a position based on the height parameter.

[0040] With this configuration, a terrain object to be placed at each position in the 3D virtual space is selected from multiple terrain object candidates prepared in advance, eliminating the need to generate a terrain object each time, thereby reducing the processing load. In addition, for the selected terrain object, not only the horizontal position in the 3D virtual space but also the vertical position is determined, making it possible to generate many combinations of virtual terrains. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0041] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall image of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the game server according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3]FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the game device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a map for generating a virtual underwater space according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the game system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process for generating a virtual underwater space according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the area information storage unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of allocation of region information by the region information allocating unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the topographical object storage unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of topographical data according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the size of topographical data according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of selected land objects selected by specifying positions by the land object selecting section according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an environmental object stored in the environmental object storage unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a topographical object on which an environmental object is arranged according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15A] FIG. 15A is a diagram showing how height parameters of selected land objects are determined and combined in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15B] FIG. 15B is a diagram showing how height parameters of selected land objects are determined and combined in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15C]FIG. 15C is a diagram showing how height parameters of selected terrain objects are determined and combined in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0042] Hereinafter, an information processing program, an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing system according to the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below shows an example of a case where the present invention is implemented, and the present invention is not limited to the specific configuration described below. In implementing the present invention, a specific configuration according to the embodiment may be appropriately adopted.

[0043] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall image of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing system includes a server 1 and a plurality of information processing devices 2. In this embodiment, the information processing system 100 is applied as a game system, the server 1 is a game server, and the information processing device 2 is a game device. The information processing device as the game device 2 may be a device dedicated to games, or may be configured by a general-purpose information processing device such as a smartphone, a stationary or portable game device, a tablet terminal, a mobile phone, a personal computer, or a wearable terminal executing a game program. The game server 1 and the game device 2 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a network 3 such as the Internet. In the following embodiment, a person who uses the information processing system, that is, a person who plays a game, is called a user, and a character operated by a user in a game is called a player or a player character.

[0044] [Game server hardware configuration] 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a game server according to an embodiment of the present invention. The game server 1 includes at least a processor 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13. The processor 11 executes various programs for controlling the game server 1. The storage unit 12 stores various programs executed by the processor 11 and various data used. The communication unit 13 is connected to the network 3 by wired or wireless communication, and transmits and receives predetermined data to and from the game device 2 or other servers (not shown).

[0045] [Game device hardware configuration] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a game device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The game device 2 includes a display unit 21, a main body 22, and a controller 23. The display unit 21, the main body 22, and the controller 23 may be integrally configured, or may be connected to each other by wire or wirelessly.

[0046] The display unit 21 is a device in which a plurality of pixels are arranged two-dimensionally and performs display based on a video signal. The display unit 21 also has a function of performing audio output based on an audio signal. The display unit 21 may be a display panel and a speaker integrated with the main body 22, or may be a monitor device with a speaker (e.g., a television receiver) that is connected to the main body 22 by a wire and receives and displays a video signal from the main body 22.

[0047] The main body 22 includes a processor 221, an image / audio output unit 222, a storage unit 223, a wireless communication unit 224, and a controller communication unit 225. The storage unit 223 stores various programs executed by the processor 221 and various data used. The storage unit 223 may be, for example, an internal storage medium such as a flash memory or a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), or may be configured to use an external storage medium or the like that is inserted into a slot (not shown).

[0048] Processor 221 is an information processing unit that executes various types of information processing executed in main body 22, and may be composed of only a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or may be composed of a SoC (System-on-a-chip) including multiple functions such as a CPU function and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) function. Processor 221 executes various types of information processing by executing an information processing program (a game program in this embodiment) stored in storage unit 223.

[0049] The wireless communication unit 224 allows the game device 2 to perform wireless communication with other main bodies 22 or a predetermined server device. For example, internet communication or short-distance wireless communication is used as the wireless communication. The controller communication unit 225 allows the main body 22 to perform wired or wireless communication with the controller 23. The image and audio output unit 222 outputs the video signal and audio signal generated by the processor 221 to the display unit 5.

[0050] The controller 23 has a vertically long housing and can be held in a vertically long orientation. The housing has a shape and size that allows it to be held in one hand when held in a vertically long orientation.

[0051] The controller 23 includes at least one analog stick 232, which is an example of a direction input device. The analog stick 232 can be used as a direction input unit capable of inputting a direction. By tilting the analog stick 232, the user can input a direction according to the tilt direction (and input a magnitude according to the tilt angle). The controller 23 also includes a button unit 233 including various operation buttons. For example, the controller 23 may include a plurality of operation buttons on the main surface of the housing. The operation buttons are, for example, ABXY buttons, a plus button, a minus button, an L button, an R button, and the like.

[0052] The controller 23 also includes an inertial sensor 234. Specifically, the controller 23 includes an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor as the inertial sensor 234. In this embodiment, the acceleration sensor detects the magnitude of acceleration along predetermined three axial directions. The angular velocity sensor detects angular velocities around predetermined three axes.

[0053] The controller 23 also includes a communication unit 231 for performing wired or wireless communication with the controller communication unit 234. The directional input contents to the analog stick 232, information indicating the pressed state of the button unit 233, and various detection results by the inertial sensor 234 are repeatedly output to the communication unit 231 at appropriate timing and transmitted to the main body 22.

[0054] [Game Overview] Next, the game processing executed in this embodiment will be described. First, an outline of the game assumed in this embodiment will be described. The game assumed in this embodiment is a game in which a player character explores a three-dimensional virtual space below the ocean surface (hereinafter, referred to as a "virtual underwater space"). In particular, in the game of this embodiment, the virtual underwater space to be explored is automatically and randomly generated each time the player plays the game.

[0055] This game may be one in which the player is awarded points for completing specific missions while exploring the virtual underwater space and players are ranked according to the points they earn, or it may be one in which no specific objective is set and the player simply explores a generated virtual underwater space and records a log of their exploration.

[0056] In this embodiment, a player can participate in a game by joining a session set by the game server 1. In a session, players of a plurality of game devices 2 connected online to the game server 1 can simultaneously explore the same virtual underwater space. In this case, the game server 1 generates a virtual underwater space for each session. Alternatively or in addition to this, a player may be able to play a game in which he or she explores alone the virtual underwater space generated for that player. In this case, the game device 2 may be offline, and the virtual underwater space may be generated on the game device 2 of that player.

[0057] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a map for generating a virtual terrain in an embodiment of the present invention. The virtual terrain is generated by arranging terrain objects and environmental objects on a map measuring 500m×500m in the horizontal direction. The map is divided into a plurality of unit areas measuring 100m×100m in the horizontal direction. To generate the virtual terrain, three-dimensional terrain objects are arranged over the entire map. Environmental objects consisting of plants, living things, and other objects are arranged on the terrain objects. In this manner, the virtual terrain is generated by arranging the terrain objects and environmental objects on the 500m×500m map.

[0058] [Game system configuration] 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Game system 100 includes an area information allocation unit 41, a terrain object allocation unit 42, a height parameter determination unit 43, an environmental object arrangement unit 44, a terrain generation unit 45, and a game processing execution unit 46. For the processing of each of these units, game system 100 also includes an area information storage unit 51, a terrain object storage unit 52, and an environmental object storage unit 53.

[0059] In this embodiment, it is assumed that a virtual terrain is generated in a session in which multiple people can participate, and the above configuration is implemented in the game server 2. Specifically, the area information allocation unit 41, the terrain object allocation unit 42, the height parameter determination unit 43, the environmental object arrangement unit 44, the terrain generation unit 45, and the game processing execution unit 46 are configured by the processor 11 of the game server 1 executing a game program as an information processing program of the embodiment of the present invention, and the area information storage unit 51, the terrain object storage unit 52, and the environmental object storage unit 53 are configured in the storage unit 12. Note that a game processing execution unit is also configured in each of the multiple game devices 2, and the multiple game processing execution units of the multiple game devices 2 and the game processing execution unit 46 of the game server 1 cooperate with each other to execute the game.

[0060] Note that a part or all of the configuration in FIG. 5 may be implemented in each game device 2. In this case, a virtual terrain for the session may be generated in the game device 2 of the user who creates the session, and this may be provided to the game server 1 and used by multiple users who participate in the session. Also, the configuration in FIG. 5 may be implemented in the game device 2 so that a user can play a game alone offline on the game device 2 without connecting the game device 2 to the game server 1. Furthermore, a part of the configuration in FIG. 5 may be provided in the game device 2, and another part may be provided in the game server 1.

[0061] [Generation of virtual underwater space] 6 is a flowchart of a process for generating a virtual underwater space according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this process, a virtual terrain consisting of terrain objects and environmental objects is generated. This generation process is executed when starting a game for the first time in offline play, when the 3D virtual space is updated under predetermined conditions in offline play, and when a session is created in online play.

[0062] When the process starts, first, the region information allocation unit 41 allocates region information selected from the plurality of region information to each of the plurality of regions partitioned in the planar direction of the virtual underwater space (step S61). This allocation of region information is performed automatically and randomly without depending on instructions from the user. Next, the terrain object allocation unit 42 selects a terrain object from a plurality of terrain object candidates for each of the plurality of regions partitioned in the planar direction in the 3D virtual space, and allocates the selected terrain object as the selected terrain object (step S62). This allocation of terrain object is also performed automatically and randomly without depending on instructions from the user.

[0063] Then, the height parameter determination unit 43 automatically determines a height parameter indicating a height position in the virtual underwater space for each of the multiple selected terrain objects (step S63). This height parameter is also determined automatically and randomly without depending on an instruction from the user.

[0064] The environmental object placement unit 44 places an environmental object corresponding to the selected terrain object in association with the selected terrain object (step S64). This environmental object is also automatically and randomly selected and placed without user instructions. The terrain generation unit 45 generates a virtual terrain including the selected terrain object placed at a position corresponding to the assigned area and at a position based on the height parameters (step S65). The processing of each unit will be described in detail below.

[0065] 7 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the area information storage unit of the embodiment of the present invention. In the area information storage unit 51, a plurality of selectable sea area candidates are stored as area information. Each sea area is associated with and stored with information on whether it is a special terrain, its depth, and terrain objects that can be placed. In this embodiment, the following sea areas are stored: "coral reef", "open ocean", "rocky sea area", "freshwater area", "iceberg area", "ancient water area", and "underwater city".

[0066] The area information allocation unit 41 allocates to each unit area of ​​the map an ocean area selected by lottery from among the ocean areas stored in the area information storage unit 51. In this way, the ocean area for each 100m x 100m unit area within the 500m x 500m map is determined. At this time, by making the same type of ocean area continue for a certain amount of time, it is possible to prevent the ocean areas from becoming excessively patchy and the type of ocean area from frequently changing for each 100m x 100m unit area. Note that the ocean areas may be allocated so that a certain ocean area is surrounded by other ocean areas.

[0067] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of region information allocation by the region information allocation unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the example of Fig. 8, an underwater city, an open ocean, a rocky sea area, and a coral reef are allocated to 5 x 5 unit regions.

[0068] 9 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the terrain object storage unit in the embodiment of the present invention. The terrain object storage unit 52 stores terrain data of a terrain object in association with a terrain name, depth, and environmental object selection conditions. The environmental object selection conditions are theme information applicable to each terrain object, i.e., an object arrangement pattern. The environmental object selection conditions may include conditions related to the position of the selected terrain object determined by a height parameter determination unit 43 described later.

[0069] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of terrain data according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the size of terrain data according to an embodiment of the present invention. A terrain object is a three-dimensional (solid) object composed of polygon data. As an example, as shown in Fig. 11, each terrain object has a size corresponding to one or more unit areas of 100m x 100m. In other words, each terrain object has a size corresponding to an integer multiple of the minimum unit, with 100m x 100m being the minimum unit.

[0070] The terrain object has a terrain protuberance, a cave, a rocky area, etc. A cave may be formed in the terrain object. The cave may be located above the sea level or underwater depending on the height of the sea level, i.e., the height of the terrain object. If the cave is underwater, the player character can swim through the cave.

[0071] The multiple terrain objects may differ from each other not only in size in the horizontal direction but also in size in the depth direction (height). A certain degree of height may be provided to the terrain object itself, and a significantly deep portion (deep sea portion) may be created within the object. As described later, a height parameter is determined for a selected terrain object, and if an attempt is made to realize a deep sea by reducing this height parameter, it is possible that the boundary with an adjacent selected terrain object will no longer be continuous. However, by increasing the height of the terrain object itself and providing a deep sea portion, a deep sea portion can be realized while ensuring continuity with the adjacent selected terrain object.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 11, terrain objects are classified into normal terrains (first type) 401 and special terrains (second type) 402. The terrain object storage unit 52 stores terrain objects of various sizes, with the minimum unit being 100m x 100m, for each of the normal terrains and special terrains. Also, as shown in FIG. 10, each terrain object has a portion that protrudes from one or more unit areas. The terrain object has a shape that can form a terrain surface on the side of this protruding portion as well.

[0073] The terrain object allocation unit 42 automatically selects multiple terrain objects as selected terrain objects by specifying positions in a planar direction of the three-dimensional virtual space from multiple terrain object candidates stored in the terrain object storage unit 52. At this time, the terrain object may be rotatable around the vertical axis in 90-degree increments, and in this case, the terrain object allocation unit 42 also specifies the rotation angle of the selected terrain object.

[0074] 12 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of selected terrain objects selected by specifying a position by the terrain object selecting unit in the embodiment of the present invention. As described above, since a sea area is assigned to each area by the area information assigning unit 41, the terrain object assigning unit 42 selects a terrain object to be assigned to each area from a plurality of placeable terrain object candidates (see FIG. 6) corresponding to the assigned sea area.

[0075] The terrain object allocation unit 42 may randomly select the terrain object to be allocated from normal terrain and special terrain, or may determine in advance by lottery whether to allocate normal terrain or special terrain for each area and select the terrain object according to the determination, or may determine based on the ratio or number of special terrains and select the terrain object according to the determination. Note that the special terrain is associated with a sea area (see FIG. 7). The sea area of ​​the area to which the special terrain is allocated will be overwritten with the sea area corresponding to the special terrain.

[0076] The height parameter determination unit 43 automatically determines a height parameter indicating a height position in the virtual underwater space for each of the multiple selected terrain objects assigned to the multiple regions by the terrain object assignment unit 42. This height parameter indicates the depth at which the terrain object is placed. As shown in FIG. 8, each terrain object is associated with a depth range at which the terrain object can be placed. The height parameter determination unit 43 determines the height parameter of the selected terrain object within the depth (height parameter) range previously associated with the selected terrain object. By setting the range of the height parameter to be smaller than the height of the terrain object itself, it is possible to ensure the continuity of adjacent selected terrain objects.

[0077] The environmental object arrangement unit 44 arranges an environmental object corresponding to each selected terrain object in association with the selected terrain object. In order to arrange the environmental objects, the environmental object arrangement unit 44 determines a theme for each selected terrain object by lottery, and arranges the environmental objects corresponding to the determined theme.

[0078] As shown in Fig. 8, each terrain object is associated with a plurality of selectable theme information as an environmental object selection condition. The environmental object arrangement unit 44 selects at least one theme information from the plurality of theme information associated with the selected terrain object based on the environmental object selection condition in Fig. 8, and selects and arranges an environmental object according to the selected theme information.

[0079] 13 is a diagram showing an example of an environmental object stored in the environmental object storage unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the environmental object storage unit 53, the environmental object is stored in association with a depth and a corresponding theme.

[0080] When the theme is determined, the environmental object placement unit 44 refers to the environmental object storage unit 53 and selects environmental objects corresponding to the theme. The types of environmental objects include living things, plants, and other objects (sunken ships, whale bones, buildings, etc.). After selecting the theme, the environmental object selection unit 44 selects environmental objects corresponding to the height of a terrain object based on the height (depth) of the terrain object.

[0081] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a terrain object on which an environmental object is placed according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 14, a plurality of environmental objects may be placed on the terrain object. For creatures, which are a type of environmental object, categories of locations, routes, and behaviors in which the creatures may be placed may be set, and the creatures to be placed may be determined by drawing lots based on information associated with the creatures.

[0082] The locations where creatures may be placed may be specified by the placement position, or may be specified by the movement range or movement route. Furthermore, the behavior category may be, for example, territorial (staying within a specific range), migratory, benthic, etc. Furthermore, creatures may be enabled or disabled according to specific conditions. For example, enablement and disablement may be controlled with reference to the conditions of a specific area or the entire virtual underwater space, or the progress of exploration or missions. Furthermore, depending on the terrain object, creatures may be set to be always placed without being drawn by lottery.

[0083] In addition, information associated with a living thing may include, for example, information on an appearance time period, information on an adaptation depth, and information on an adaptation theme. The appearance time period may be, for example, all day, morning, afternoon, night, etc., and a plurality of time periods may be set as the appearance time period. A specific depth range or adaptation theme may be specified for the adaptation depth and adaptation theme, or the adaptation depth and adaptation theme may be set to be applicable to all depths and themes without any particular restrictions.

[0084] Figures 15A, 15B, and 15C are diagrams showing how the height parameters of selected terrain objects are determined and combined in an embodiment of the present invention. In the examples of Figures 15A, 15B, and 15C, two terrain objects of size 100m x 100m are shown to be combined side by side. Figures 15B and 15C show examples in which the heights of the terrain objects are different from each other.

[0085] The terrain generation unit 45 places the selected terrain objects, which are assigned to areas in the underwater virtual space and have determined height parameters, on the map. As described above, the terrain objects have a size corresponding to the size of one or more 100m x 100m unit areas, but as shown in Fig. 15A, they have some protruding parts. As described above, the protruding parts are also shaped to be the ground surface, that is, they are not flat. Adjacent terrain objects are combined so that the protruding parts overlap.

[0086] As a result, the ground surface shown by the thick lines in Figures 15B and 15C is formed, with the pitch of each land object being 100 m. As is clear from a comparison of Figures 15B and 15C, the ground surface at the boundary portions of the land objects has a different shape depending on the height of adjacent land objects.

[0087] The terrain generation unit 45 further places the environmental objects selected by the environmental object placement unit 44 in the virtual underwater space to complete the virtual terrain.

[0088] The game processing execution 46 executes game processing using the virtual terrain generated by the terrain generation unit 45. The game processing unit 46 executes game processing for each player based on an operation signal from the game device 2 for operating the player. At the start of the game, the game processing unit 46 sets the appearance point of the player in each terrain object.

[0089] A maximum of 99 players can participate in one session at the same time. The game processing unit 46 sets four appearance points for each unit area of ​​100 m x 100 m. As described above, the virtual underwater space includes 25 unit areas, so appearance points for 100 players are set. When a player joins a session, the game processing unit 46 draws lots to determine at which appearance point the player will appear. The game processing unit 46 draws lots so that the appearance points for multiple players do not overlap.

[0090] As described above, according to the game system 100 of this embodiment, the virtual terrain is generated randomly for each session or game, so that the player can play the game in a virtual underwater space having a different virtual terrain each time. Furthermore, since the terrain objects are not simply combined in a planar direction but the height of each terrain object is also determined, different virtual terrains are generated depending on the height of the terrain objects, as shown in Figures 14B and 14C.

[0091] As described above, the ocean areas, terrain objects, and environmental objects (creatures, etc.) in each region of the virtual underwater space are all automatically and randomly determined by the game system 100. Here, "automatically" means that selection, determination, etc. are made without instructions from the user. Also, "random" means that selection, determination, etc. are made at random or arbitrarily under certain conditions or constraints.

[0092] In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, area information is assigned to each area in the three-dimensional virtual space (step S61), a terrain object is assigned under the constraint of the assigned area information ("placeable terrain object" in Fig. 7) (step S62), a height parameter is determined under the constraint of the assigned terrain object ("depth" in Fig. 9) (step S63), and an environmental object is placed under the constraint of the terrain object and the height parameter (step S64). Thus, in the above embodiment, each element of the terrain to be generated is determined in stages, and the next stage is determined under the constraint of the elements determined in the previous stage.

[0093] In such a terrain generation process, the order in which each element (sea area, terrain object, height parameter, environmental object) is determined may be different from that in the above embodiment. For example, after the sea area is determined, the height parameter may be determined, and then the terrain object and environmental object may be determined. Also, the determination of the next stage may not be restricted by the determination of the previous stage. In this case, the processing order of the previous stage and the next stage may be arbitrary.

[0094] In the above embodiment, an example of the game system generating a virtual terrain in a virtual underwater space has been described, but instead, the virtual terrain may be generated in a three-dimensional virtual space on land. Also, in the above embodiment, an example of the information processing system of the present invention being applied to a game system has been described, but the information processing system may use the generated virtual terrain for information processing other than games. For example, the virtual terrain may be generated for vehicle driving training. [Explanation of symbols]

[0095] 1 Server (game server) 2. Information processing device (game device) 3. Network 11 Processors 12 Storage section 13. Communications Department 21 Display section 22 Main unit 23 Controller 41 Area information allocation unit 42 Terrain object selection section 43 Height parameter determination unit 44 Environment Object Placement Section 45 Terrain generation section 46 Game Processing Execution Unit 51 Area information storage unit 52 Terrain object storage section 53 Environment Object Storage Unit 100 Information processing system (game system) 221 Processor 222 Video and audio output section 223 Storage section 224 Wireless Communication Department 225 Controller communication unit 231 Communications Department 232 Analog Stick 233 Button section 234 Inertial Sensor 401 Normal Terrain 402 Special Terrain

Claims

1. An information processing program for generating a virtual terrain, comprising: a terrain object allocation means for automatically selecting a terrain object from among a plurality of terrain object candidates and allocating the selected terrain object to each of a plurality of regions divided in a planar direction in the three-dimensional virtual space; a height parameter determination means for automatically determining a height parameter indicating a position in a height direction in the three-dimensional virtual space for each of the plurality of selected land objects; a terrain generating means for generating the virtual terrain including the selected terrain object positioned at a position corresponding to an assigned area and at a position based on the height parameter; An information processing program that functions as a

2. 2. The information processing program according to claim 1, further causing the computer to function as a region information allocation means for allocating region information selected from a plurality of pieces of region information to each of a plurality of regions partitioned in a planar direction of the three-dimensional virtual space.

3. 3. The information processing program according to claim 2, wherein said terrain object allocating means allocates to each of said plurality of regions said selected terrain object from a plurality of terrain object candidates corresponding to said region information allocated to said region.

4. 2 . The information processing program according to claim 1 , wherein said height parameter determining means determines said height parameter within a range of parameters previously associated with said selected land object.

5. 2 . The information processing program according to claim 1 , further causing the computer to function as an environmental object arranging means for arranging an environmental object corresponding to the selected terrain object in association with the selected terrain object.

6. 6. The information processing program according to claim 5, wherein the environmental object arranging means arranges the environmental object based on at least one theme information automatically selected based on an environmental object selection condition from among a plurality of theme information associated with the selected landform object.

7. 7. An information processing program according to claim 6, wherein said environmental object selection condition includes a condition relating to a position of said selected land object determined by said height parameter determination means.

8. The information processing program according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the topographical objects has a shape corresponding to two or more of the plurality of regions.

9. the land object has a portion that protrudes from one or more corresponding areas among the plurality of areas, and has a shape that can constitute a land surface on a side surface of the protruding portion; 2 . The information processing program according to claim 1 , wherein said terrain generating means arranges said plurality of adjacent selected terrain objects such that portions thereof that extend outside said unit area overlap each other.

10. 2. The information processing program according to claim 1, wherein the generation of the terrain is performed either when the game is started for the first time in offline play, when the three-dimensional virtual space is updated under predetermined conditions in offline play, or when a session is created in online play.

11. 2 . The information processing program according to claim 1 , wherein said land object allocation means further specifies a rotation angle in said planar direction for said selected land object.

12. The information processing program according to claim 1 , wherein the topographical object is a solid object.

13. The information processing program according to claim 12 , wherein the landform object has a cave portion.

14. The information processing program according to claim 1 , wherein the terrain objects are classified into either a first type of terrain object or a second type of terrain object.

15. 15. The information processing program according to claim 1, which causes the computer to function as game processing execution means for executing game processing utilizing the virtual terrain generated by the terrain generation means.

16. An information processing device for generating a virtual terrain, a terrain object allocation means for automatically selecting a terrain object from among a plurality of terrain object candidates and allocating the selected terrain object to each of a plurality of regions divided in a planar direction in the three-dimensional virtual space; a height parameter determination means for automatically determining a height parameter indicating a position in a height direction in the three-dimensional virtual space for each of the plurality of selected land objects; a terrain generating means for generating the virtual terrain including the selected terrain object disposed at a position corresponding to an assigned area and at a position based on the height parameter; An information processing device comprising:

17. An information processing method for generating a virtual terrain, comprising: a terrain object allocation step of automatically selecting a terrain object from among a plurality of terrain object candidates as a selected terrain object for each of a plurality of regions divided in a planar direction in the three-dimensional virtual space; a height parameter determination step of automatically determining a height parameter indicating a position in a height direction in the three-dimensional virtual space for each of the plurality of selected land objects; a terrain generating step of generating the virtual terrain including the selected terrain objects positioned at positions corresponding to the assigned areas and at positions based on the height parameters; An information processing method comprising:

18. An information processing system for generating a virtual terrain, comprising: a terrain object allocation means for automatically selecting a terrain object from among a plurality of terrain object candidates and allocating the selected terrain object to each of a plurality of regions divided in a planar direction in the three-dimensional virtual space; a height parameter determination means for automatically determining a height parameter indicating a position in a height direction in the three-dimensional virtual space for each of the plurality of selected land objects; a terrain generating means for generating the virtual terrain including the selected terrain object disposed at a position corresponding to an assigned area and at a position based on the height parameter; An information processing system comprising:

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