Entertainment system and server

Abstract

To provide an entertainment system and the like capable of generating events at an appropriate frequency in a virtual space.SOLUTION: An entertainment system includes: an object arrangement unit that arranges multiple objects in a virtual space; an event processing unit that generates a predetermined event when the objects are in a given positional relationship with each other; a range setting unit that sets, in the object, a range within which the event is to be generated; and a range control unit that controls information regarding the range on the basis of information on the virtual space in which the object exist, information on other objects existing in the virtual space, and / or information on access between a terminal and a server.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an entertainment system and a server. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a technology is known in which an area is set in a lobby space at the current position of a player's character, and when another player's character enters that area, the area is set to allow the other player to participate in a matching room, and the size of the area is changed based on the number of players participating in the matching room (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7066354 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a case where an event occurs when the player's character and another character are in a predetermined positional relationship in the virtual space, if the number of characters in the virtual space is small, the frequency of events occurring will be low, making the game less exciting.On the other hand, if the number of characters in the virtual space is large, the frequency of events occurring will be high, making the player feel annoyed.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide an entertainment system etc. that is capable of generating events in a virtual space with an appropriate frequency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) The present invention relates to an entertainment system including a player's terminal and a server that controls a given virtual space, the entertainment system including an object placement unit that places a plurality of objects in the virtual space, an event processing unit that generates a predetermined event when the objects are in a given positional relationship with each other, a range setting unit that sets a range for the object in which the event is generated, and a range control unit that controls information about the range based on information about the virtual space in which the object exists, information about other objects existing in the virtual space, and / or information about access between the terminal and the server. The present invention also relates to a server including the above units.

[0007] According to the present invention, by controlling information regarding the range for generating an event based on information regarding the virtual space in which an object exists and information regarding other objects existing in the virtual space, and / or information regarding access between the terminal and the server, it becomes possible to generate events at an appropriate frequency.

[0008] (2) Furthermore, in the entertainment system and server of the present invention, the range control unit may change the size or shape of the range based on information about the other objects, the number of accesses by the player corresponding to the object, or information about the load in the game execution processing by the player corresponding to the object.

[0009] (3) In the entertainment system and server according to the present invention, The processing unit may control an event to be generated based on the relationship between the objects that have a given positional relationship.

[0010] (4) In addition, in the entertainment system and server of the present invention, the event processing unit may control the event to be generated based on whether other objects satisfy conditions set by a player corresponding to an object that has entered a given positional relationship.

[0011] (5) In the entertainment system and server according to the present invention, the event may be participation in a matching room.

[0012] (6) In the entertainment system and server according to the present invention, the event may be moving an object into a virtual space controlled by another server.

[0013] (7) In the entertainment system and server according to the present invention, the range setting unit may set the range for a player's object based on information about the object.

[0014] (8) In the entertainment system and server of the present invention, the range control unit may control information regarding the range based on information regarding the other objects and / or information regarding the access during a specified period of time.

[0015] (9) In the entertainment system and server according to the present invention, the range control unit may control information relating to the range based on information about each player. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entertainment system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block of the server according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of a terminal according to the embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing a virtual space. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing a virtual space. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing a virtual space. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing a virtual space. [Figure 8]4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the entertainment system of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] The present embodiment will be described below. Note that the present embodiment described below does not unduly limit the contents of the present invention described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the present embodiment are necessarily necessary configurations of the present invention.

[0018] 1. Configuration Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an entertainment system according to the present embodiment. In this embodiment, the entertainment system is configured with a plurality of terminals 10 and a plurality of servers 20. That is, as shown in Fig. 1, the entertainment system according to the present embodiment is configured such that the server 20 providing a service and the terminals 10 can be connected to a network.

[0019] The server 20 is an information processing device that provides online services in response to requests from the terminal 10. The server 20 can be configured from a group of servers (an authentication server, a matching server, a game (event) processing server, a communication server, a billing server, a database server, etc.).

[0020] In this embodiment, a given virtual space is controlled (managed) by each of the multiple servers 20, and the multiple terminals 10 are connected to any one of the multiple servers 20. The server 20 manages information such as player account information and information media (avatars, characters, items, points, in-game currency, etc.) that can be used in the virtual space.

[0021] The terminal 10 is an information processing device such as a mobile terminal (smartphone, mobile phone, portable game machine, etc.), a personal computer (PC), a game device, etc., and is a device that can be connected to the server 20 via a network such as the Internet (WAN) or LAN. The communication line between the terminal 10 and the server 20 may be wired or wireless.

[0022] An example of a functional block of the server 20 of this embodiment is shown in Fig. 2. Note that the server of this embodiment may have a configuration in which some of the components (units) of Fig. 2 are omitted.

[0023] The storage unit 270 stores programs and various data for causing a computer to function as each unit of the processing unit 200, and also functions as a work area for the processing unit 200, and the function can be realized by a hard disk, RAM, etc. The storage unit 270 includes a storage unit 272 (for example, a database).

[0024] The storage unit 272 stores player information for each of the players of the multiple terminals 10 connected to the server 20 (multiple players participating in a virtual space managed by the server 20). For example, the storage unit 272 stores, as player information, a player name (player account), a password, destination information (IP address, etc.) of the terminal 10, etc., in association with player identification information (player ID, terminal ID of the terminal used by the player, etc.) for each of the multiple players. The storage unit 272 also stores, as player information, information for identifying other players who are friends with the player, and information for identifying other players who are in a blocked relationship with the player (blocked by the player). The storage unit 272 also stores, as player information, information on an information medium owned by the player in association with the player identification information.

[0025] The communication unit 296 performs various controls for communicating with the terminal 10 and other servers, and the functions thereof can be realized by hardware such as various processors or communication ASICs, or programs.

[0026] The processing unit 200 (processor) performs various processes such as player information management, login / logout processing, and communication control processing based on data, programs, etc. transmitted from the terminal 10 and received via the communication unit 296. The processing unit 200 performs various processes using the storage unit 270 as a work area. The functions of the processing unit 200 can be realized by hardware such as various processors (CPU, DSP, etc.) and ASIC (gate array, etc.), or by programs. The processing unit 200 includes an object placement unit 210, an event processing unit 212, a range setting unit 214, and a range control unit 216.

[0027] The object placement unit 210 places a plurality of objects in a virtual space (a virtual three-dimensional space or a virtual two-dimensional space, for example, a game space or a lobby space). The objects are objects such as a player character (avatar) corresponding to a player of a terminal 10 connected to the server, an NPC (non-player character), buildings, plants, etc. The object placement unit 210 transmits information (position, type, etc.) about the objects placed in the virtual space to the terminal 10 connected to the server 20, and updates the position of the player character in the virtual space based on information about an operation instructing the action of the player character (actions such as movement and chat conversation) received from the terminal 10 connected to the server 20. The object placement unit 210 updates the object list and processes actions taken by the player character against other player characters and NPCs. The object placement unit 210 also controls the actions of NPCs according to a given algorithm.

[0028] The event processing unit 212 generates a predetermined event when objects have a given positional relationship. The objects may be player characters, a player character and an NPC, or a player character and an object such as a building or a plant. The event may be a conversation or a battle between objects (player characters, player character and NPC), an object (player character, NPC) participating in a matching room for matching a battle game or the like, an object (player character, NPC) moving to an event space (a space managed by the server 20 separately from the virtual space) such as a live venue to participate in an event held by a player or an NPC, an object (player character) moving to a virtual space controlled by another server 20, or an advertisement being viewed by the player. When moving a player character into the virtual space of another server 20, the event processing unit 212 transmits information about the player character and information about the player corresponding to the player character to the other server 20, and also transmits information about the other server 20 to the player's terminal 10, after which the terminal 10 connects to the other server 20.

[0029] Furthermore, the event processing unit 212 may control an event to be generated based on a relationship (for example, a friend relationship or a block relationship) between objects (player characters) that have a given positional relationship. Furthermore, the event processing unit 212 may control an event to be generated based on whether or not another object (another player character) satisfies a condition set by a player corresponding to an object (player character) that has a given positional relationship. Note that controlling an event to be generated may mean automatically determining the type of event to be generated, or may mean determining a plurality of candidates for an event to be generated and generating an event selected by the player from the plurality of candidate events.

[0030] The range setting unit 214 sets a range for generating an event in association with the object. When another object enters the range set for the object, the event processing unit 212 determines that the object and the other object have a given positional relationship. The range setting unit 214 may set a range for generating an event only for the player character among the objects, or may set a range for generating an event only for the NPC. Furthermore, the range setting unit 214 may set the range for the object based on information about the player's object (such as the type of player character).

[0031] The range control unit 216 controls information about the range set for the object (size and shape of the range) based on information about the virtual space in which the object exists and information about other objects existing in the virtual space (for example, the number of other objects, the operation status of the other objects, the amount of processing related to the other objects, the attributes of the other objects, and a combination thereof), and / or information about access between the terminal 10 and the server 20 (the number of connections of the terminal 10 to the server 20, the number of accesses). The information about the virtual space may be the size of an area of ​​the virtual space (the virtual space itself, or an area within a certain distance range from the object), or may be the type or state of the area of ​​the virtual space. For example, the range setting unit 214 may change the size or shape of the range set for the object based on information about the other objects, the number of accesses by the player corresponding to the object, or information about the load in the game execution processing by the player corresponding to the object. In addition, the range setting unit 214 may change the size or shape of the range set for the object based on information about the other objects, the number of accesses by the player corresponding to the object, or information about the load in the game execution processing by the player corresponding to the object. The range control unit 216 may control the information about the range based on information about other objects and / or information about the access during a predetermined period (a fixed period, a unit period). The range control unit 216 may also control the information about the range based on information about each player (for example, information about the history of each player's past communications, the number of friends of each player, information indicating each player's enthusiasm for events, etc.).

[0032] An example of a functional block of the terminal 10 of this embodiment is shown in Fig. 3. Note that the terminal of this embodiment may have a configuration in which some of the components (units) of Fig. 3 are omitted.

[0033] The input unit 150 is a device for inputting (detecting) input information from a player, and outputs the player's input information (operation information) to the processing unit 100. The functions of the input unit 150 can be realized by an input device such as a touch panel, a touch pad, a mouse, directional keys or buttons, or a keyboard.

[0034] The storage unit 170 stores programs and various data for causing the computer to function as each unit of the processing unit 100, and also functions as a work area for the processing unit 100, the function of which can be realized by a hard disk, RAM, or the like.

[0035] The display unit 190 outputs the image generated by the processing unit 100, and the function thereof can be realized by a display such as a touch panel, LCD, or HMD (head mounted display) that also functions as the input unit 150.

[0036] The sound output unit 192 outputs the sound generated by the processing unit 100, and the function thereof can be realized by a speaker, a headphone, or the like.

[0037] The communication unit 196 performs various controls for communicating with the server 20 and other terminals 10, and the functions thereof can be realized by hardware such as various processors or communication ASICs, programs, and the like.

[0038] Note that the programs and various data for causing a computer to function as each part of the processing unit 100, which are stored in an information storage medium or storage unit possessed by the server 20, may be received via a network, and the received programs and data may be stored in the storage unit 170. Such cases in which a terminal is caused to function by receiving programs and various data are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0039] The processing unit 100 (processor) performs processes such as display control processing, image generation processing, and sound generation processing based on input information (operation information) from the input unit 150, a program, and data received via the communication unit 196. The functions of the processing unit 100 can be realized by hardware such as various processors (CPU, DSP, etc.) and ASIC (gate array, etc.), and by programs. The processing unit 100 includes a display control unit 110, an image generation unit 120, and a sound generation unit 130.

[0040] The display control unit 110 performs control for displaying the player's player character and other objects (other players' player characters, NPCs, and objects such as buildings and plants) placed in the virtual space on the display unit 190 based on information related to the objects placed in the virtual space received from the server 20. The display control unit 110 also transmits information related to operations inputted by the input unit 150 for instructing the action of the player's player character to the server 20.

[0041] The image generation unit 120 performs drawing processing based on the results of various processes performed by the processing unit 100, thereby generating an image, and outputs it to the display unit 190. For example, the image generation unit 120 generates an image (a so-called three-dimensional image) seen from a virtual camera (a given viewpoint) in a virtual space. The display control unit 110 controls the position and orientation of the virtual camera in the virtual space so that the player's player character is included in the display image.

[0042] The sound generation unit 130 performs sound processing based on the results of various processes performed by the processing unit 100 , generates game sounds such as background music, sound effects, or voices, and outputs them to the sound output unit 192 .

[0043] The entertainment system of the present embodiment may be configured as a server system. The server system may be configured with one or more servers (authentication server, game (event) processing server, communication server, billing server, database server, etc.). In this case, the server system performs processing of each unit of the processing unit 100 based on operation input (data input to an input unit of a terminal) transmitted from one or more terminals (e.g., a smartphone, a mobile phone, a portable game machine, etc.) connected via a network, generates image generation data for generating an image, and transmits the generated image generation data to each terminal. Here, the image generation data is data for displaying an image generated by the method of the present embodiment on each terminal, and may be image data itself or various data (object data, game processing result data, etc.) used by each terminal to generate an image. In this way, the processing of the object placement unit 210, the event processing unit 212, the range setting unit 214, the range control unit 216, and the display control unit 110 may be configured to be executed all by the server, may be configured to be executed all by the terminal, or may be configured to be executed in a distributed manner between the server and the terminal.

[0044] 2. Method of the Present Invention Next, the method of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the entertainment system of this embodiment, the player can move the player character in the virtual space, interact with other players and NPCs, participate in events (such as virtual live shows and sports events) held in a given event space, and participate in matching rooms.

[0045] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen DS displayed on the display unit 190 of a terminal 10 (terminal 10 of player "a" participating in the virtual space VS) connected to the server 20 that manages the virtual space VS. The display screen DS displays objects (player characters, NPCs, etc.) arranged in the virtual space VS. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the display screen DS displays a player character PCa of player "a", a player character PCb of player "b", and an NPC. The player "a" can move the player character PCa in the virtual space VS by operating the input unit 150 of the terminal 10. Similarly, the player "b" can move the player character PCb in the virtual space VS by operating the input unit 150 of the terminal 10. In addition, the movement and actions of the NPCs are automatically controlled.

[0046] A range RA for generating an event is set for the player character and NPC. FIG. 4 illustrates only the range RA set for the player character PCa. The range RA is a circular area (an area within a certain distance range from the current position) that includes the current position of the player character PCa. The range RA may be set based on information about the player character PCa (e.g., type). For example, if the player character PCa appears to be a large character, the range RA may be made larger, or the position at which the range RA is set (the center position of the range RA) may be shifted from the current position of the player character PCa.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 5, when the player character PCb enters the range RA set for the player character PCa, it is determined that the player characters PCa and PCb have a given positional relationship, and a predetermined event occurs. For example, a conversation event occurs between the player characters PCa and PCb, and the player "a" and the player "b" have a conversation by chat input. In addition, when the player "a" creates a matching room ("participation in a matching room" is set as an event to be generated), the player "b" of the player character PCb who has entered the range RA can participate in the matching room and play a match game or the like between players matched in the matching room. In addition, when the player "a" holds an event such as a live performance ("participation in an event to be generated" is set as an event to be generated), the player character PCb who has entered the range RA moves to an event space such as a live performance venue, and the player "b" can participate in the event. In addition, when the player "a" sets an "advertising event" as an event to be generated, the player "b" of the player character PCb who has entered the range RA can view the advertisement. In addition, when the player character PCb enters the range RA, an event may be generated to move the player character PCb or the player character PCa to a virtual space managed by another server 20. Similarly, an event occurs when an NPC enters the range RA set for the player character PCa, or when the player character PCa enters the range set for the player character PCb or the range set for an NPC.

[0048] Here, in this embodiment, information (size and shape) about the range set for the object is controlled based on the size of the area of ​​the virtual space VS in which the object exists and information about other objects existing in the virtual space VS. For example, the number of other objects existing per unit area may be obtained based on the area of ​​the virtual space VS in which the player character PCa exists and the number of other objects (other player characters other than the player character PCa, NPCs, etc.) existing in the virtual space VS, and the size and shape of the range RA may be controlled (changed) so that the larger the obtained number is, the smaller the range RA set for the player character PCa becomes (the smaller the obtained number is, the larger the range RA becomes). Also, the number of other objects existing within a predetermined distance range from the player character PCa may be obtained, and the size and shape of the range RA may be changed so that the larger the obtained number is, the smaller the range RA set for the player character PCa becomes.

[0049] In the example shown in FIG. 6, the number of other objects present in the virtual space VS (or the area within a predetermined distance range from the player character PCa) is small, so the range RA set for the player character PCa is large. On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the number of other objects present in the virtual space VS (or the area within a predetermined distance range from the player character PCa) is large, so the range RA set for the player character PCa is small. In this way, it is possible to prevent the frequency of events from becoming too low due to the small number of other objects, or the frequency of events from becoming too high due to the large number of other objects (to cause events to occur at an appropriate frequency in the virtual space VS).

[0050] Also, instead of (or in addition to) the number of other objects present in the virtual space VS (or an area within a predetermined distance range from the player character PCa), the size and shape of the range RA may be changed based on information regarding access between the terminal 10 and the server 20 so that the larger the number of terminals 10 connected to the server 20 (the number of accesses by players corresponding to the objects) is, the smaller the range RA becomes. Also, based on the magnitude of processing (the processing load required to control the other objects) related to the other objects present in the virtual space VS (or an area within a predetermined distance range from the player character PCa), the size and shape of the range RA may be changed so that the higher the processing load is, the smaller the range RA becomes. Also, based on information regarding the load in the game execution processing by the player corresponding to the objects present in the virtual space VS (or an area within a predetermined distance range from the player character PCa), the size and shape of the range RA may be changed so that the higher the load is, the smaller the range RA becomes.

[0051] Also, the size of the range RA may be changed based on the type and state of the area of ​​the virtual space VS. For example, in a map with complex terrain, other objects are less likely to enter the range RA, so the range RA set for the object present in the map may be increased. Also, in a map with a high processing load, the occurrence of an event increases the load, so the range RA set for the object present in the map may be decreased. Also, in an area in the virtual space VS where it is difficult for an object to reach (mountains, rivers, etc.), events are less likely to occur, so the range RA set for the object present in the area may be increased.

[0052] Also, instead of changing the size of the range RA in real time according to the information of other objects (number, attributes, processing size, etc.) and access status, the size of the range RA may be changed according to the information of other objects and access status during a predetermined period. For example, when the number of other objects existing within a predetermined distance range from the player character PCa during a certain period is equal to or less than a predetermined number, the range RA set for the player character PCa may be increased.

[0053] Also, the size of the range RA may be changed based on information about each player. For example, based on history information about the player's past communications, the more times the player has connected to the server 20 (or the longer the connection time, or the higher the connection frequency), the larger (or smaller) the range RA set for the player's player character may be. Also, the more other players who are friends with the player (the number of friends), the larger (or smaller) the range RA set for the player's player character may be. Also, the more events that have occurred for the player (events that have occurred when the player's character enters a range set for another object, or events that have occurred when another object enters a range set for the player's character), the larger (or smaller) the range RA set for the player's player character may be, assuming that the player is actively participating in events.

[0054] In addition, in this embodiment, an event to be generated may be controlled based on the relationship between objects that have a given positional relationship. For example, when the player character PCb enters the range RA set for the player character PCa, a conversation event, an event to participate in a matching room created by the player "a", or an event to participate in an event held by the player "a" may be generated only if the player "a" and the player "b" are in a friend relationship, and these events may not be generated if the player "a" and the player "b" are not in a friend relationship. Also, when the player "a" blocks the player "b" (the player "a" and the player "b" are in a blocking relationship), an event may be generated to move the player character PCb (or the player character PCa) that has entered the range RA set for the player character PCa to a virtual space managed by another server 20. Also, multiple candidates for an event to be generated may be determined and presented to the player according to the relationship between the objects that have a given positional relationship, and an event selected by the player from the multiple candidates may be generated.

[0055] Also, the event to be generated may be controlled based on whether or not other objects satisfy conditions set by a player corresponding to an object that has entered a given positional relationship. For example, player "a" may set an event to be generated for each condition of a character that has entered range RA (whether it is a character of a player with a friend relationship, a character of a player with a blocking relationship, a character of a specific player, an NPC, etc.), and an event corresponding to the condition satisfied by the character that has entered range RA may be generated. For example, if the character that has entered range RA is a character of a specific player, If the character is a friend of a particular player, an event to participate in an ongoing event may be generated, if the character is not a specific player but is a friend of a particular player, a conversation event may be generated, and if the character does not satisfy these conditions, no event may be generated. Also, multiple candidates for events to be generated may be determined according to the conditions satisfied by other objects and presented to the player, and an event selected by the player from the multiple candidates may be generated.

[0056] Also, a plurality of players may be allowed to hold the same event. For example, when a player "a" and a player "b" hold an event together, an event for participating in the event may occur and the object may move to the event space of the event, whether the object enters the range RAa set for the player character PCa or the range RAb set for the player character PCb. Also, the player who holds the event may be different from the player who sets the range for generating the event for participating in the event, and for example, when the object enters the range set for the player character PCb, an event for participating in the event held by the player "a" may occur and the object may move to the event space of the event.

[0057] In addition, a priority order may be set for the events to be generated, and for example, when the player character PCb enters the range RAa set for the player character PCa and at the same time the player character PCa enters the range RAb set for the player character PCb (when the range RAa and the range RAb are the same size), the event with the higher priority order among the events set for the range RAa and the events set for the range RAb may be generated. For example, when the priority order is set in the order of "participation in an event to be held", "participation in a matching room", "conversation event", and "advertising event", if the range RAa is set to "participation in an event to be held" and the range RAb is set to "conversation event", the event in which the player "b" participates in an event to be held by the player "a" is generated with priority given to "participation in an event to be held by the player "a", and if the range RAa is set to "conversation event" and the range RAb is set to "participation in a matching room", the event in which the player "a" participates in a matching room created by the player "b" is generated with priority given to "participation in a matching room". In addition, when player "a" and player "b" are in a block relationship, an event may be generated to move player character PCa or player character PCb to a virtual space managed by another server 20 in priority to the event set in range RAa or RAb, or no event may be generated.

[0058] 3. Processing Next, an example of the processing of the entertainment system (server 20) of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0059] First, the object placement unit 210 places a plurality of objects (objects such as player characters, NPCs, buildings, etc. corresponding to the players of the terminals 10 connected to the server 20) in the virtual space VS (step S10). Next, the range setting unit 214 sets a range RA for generating an event for the object based on the current position of the object (step S11).

[0060] Next, the range control unit 216 controls the size of the range RA set for the object based on the number of other objects that exist in an area within a predetermined distance range from the object in the virtual space VS (step S12). Here, the range control unit 216 may control the size of the range RA based on the processing load related to the other objects in addition to (or instead of) the number of the other objects, or may control the size of the range RA based on the number of accesses from the terminal 10.

[0061] Next, the object placement unit 210 controls the movement (movement, etc.) of the object (player character, NPC) based on operation information (information regarding operations that instruct the movement of the player character) from the terminal 10 and a given algorithm, and transmits the control result (the position of the object after movement, etc.) to the terminal 10 (step S13).

[0062] Next, the event processing unit 212 determines whether or not another object has entered the range RA set for the object (step S14), and if another object has entered the range RA (Y in step S14), it generates a predetermined event on the assumption that the objects have a given positional relationship, and transmits information required for the progress of the event to the terminal 10 of the player corresponding to the object and the terminal 10 of the player corresponding to the other object (step S15). Here, the event processing unit 212 may generate an event set in the range RA, or may control the event to be generated based on the relationship between the objects that have a given positional relationship, or whether or not the other object satisfies a condition set for the range RA of the object.

[0063] Next, the processing unit 200 judges whether or not to continue the processing (step S16), and if the processing is to be continued (Y in step S16), the processing proceeds to step S12.

[0064] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, a term cited as a broadly defined or synonymous term in the description in the specification or drawings can be replaced with a broadly defined or synonymous term in other descriptions in the specification or drawings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 10... terminal, 20... server, 100... processing unit, 110... display control unit, 120... image generation unit, 130... sound generation unit, 150... input unit, 170... storage unit, 190... display unit, 192... sound output unit, 196... communication unit, 200... processing unit, 210... object placement unit, 212... event processing unit, 214... range setting unit, 216... range control unit, 270... storage unit, 272... storage unit, 296... communication unit

Claims

1. An entertainment system including a player's terminal and a server that controls a given virtual space, an object placement unit that places a plurality of objects in the virtual space; an event processing unit that generates a predetermined event when objects are in a given positional relationship; a range setting unit that sets a range for generating an event to the object; An entertainment system comprising: a range control unit that controls information regarding the range based on information regarding the virtual space in which an object exists, information regarding other objects existing in the virtual space, and / or information regarding access between the terminal and the server.

2. In claim 1, The range control unit is An entertainment system characterized in that the size or shape of the range is changed based on information on the other objects, the number of accesses by the player corresponding to the object, or information on the load in the game execution processing by the player corresponding to the object.

3. In claim 1, The event processing unit includes: An entertainment system characterized in that an event to be generated is controlled based on a relationship between objects that are in a given positional relationship.

4. In claim 1, The event processing unit includes: An entertainment system characterized in that an event to be generated is controlled based on whether or not another object satisfies a condition set by a player corresponding to an object that has entered a given positional relationship.

5. In claim 1, The entertainment system, wherein the event is participation in a matching room.

6. In claim 1, An entertainment system, wherein the event is the movement of an object into a virtual space controlled by another server.

7. In claim 1, The range setting unit is An entertainment system comprising: a player and a game device configured to set the range for the object based on information of the object.

8. In claim 1, The range control unit is An entertainment system characterized in that information regarding the range is controlled based on information regarding the other objects and / or information regarding the access during a predetermined period of time.

9. In claim 1, The range control unit is An entertainment system that controls information about the range based on information about each player.

10. A server that is connected to a player's terminal via a network and controls a given virtual space, an object placement unit that places a plurality of objects in the virtual space; an event processing unit that generates a predetermined event when objects are in a given positional relationship; a range setting unit that sets a range for generating an event to the object; A server characterized by including a range control unit that controls information regarding the range based on information regarding the virtual space in which an object exists, information regarding other objects existing in the virtual space, and / or information regarding access between the terminal and the server.

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