Game system, game processing method, and game program

Abstract

To suppress consumption of a calculation resource for providing a game having an automatic mode.SOLUTION: There is provided a game system having one or a plurality of processors. The one or the plurality of processors execute a game part of a game without input from a user until the time elapsed from the start of a first automatic mode reaches the maximum execution time in the first automatic mode. The one or the plurality of processors determines a first processing cycle required for executing the game part for one cycle only in the first automatic mode on the basis of first play time spent for progressing the game part for one cycle only in a manual mode, and executes the game part for the maximum number of cycles determined on the basis of the maximum execution time and the first processing cycle in the first automatic mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The disclosure herein relates to a game system, a game processing method, and a game program. More specifically, the disclosure herein relates to a game system, a game processing method, and a game program that provide a game having an auto mode for executing a game part without user input. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent No. 7026311 describes a game having an auto mode in which a game part is executed without user input. In auto mode, the game part progresses without user input. Therefore, by executing a game part in auto mode, the user can obtain rewards such as experience points and game items at the end of the game part without input. In this way, auto mode is a convenient function that allows the user to efficiently obtain rewards. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7026311 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a game part is advanced in manual mode, calculations for advancing the game part (for example, calculations for pitting characters against each other and determining the winner) are not performed until the user provides input. In contrast, in auto mode, since no user input is required to advance the game part, calculations for advancing the game part are performed constantly. For this reason, if the auto mode were available without limit, a large amount of calculation resources would be required to advance the game part in auto mode. In order to avoid excessive consumption of calculation resources, it is desirable to appropriately restrict the user's use of auto mode.

[0005] In the game described in Patent Document 1, a game part is started by having the user consume game points. A game in which game points are consumed to start or continuously progress a game part is sometimes called a "stamina-based" game. In a stamina-based game, game points are restored to an upper limit value over time or by using a game item. Therefore, in a stamina-based game, a game part is not started until the user's game points have recovered to a value required to start a game part, so that even if an auto mode is adopted, consumption of computational resources for performing calculations to progress the game part is suppressed. In contrast, in a game in which consumption of game points is not a condition for starting or progressing a game part (a game that is not a stamina-based game), the suppression of consumption of computational resources due to game points does not occur, so it is more desirable to introduce a mechanism for restricting the use of the auto mode.

[0006] The object of the present disclosure is to provide a technical improvement that solves or alleviates at least some of the problems of the prior art described above. One of the more specific objects of the present disclosure is to provide an improvement in a game system, a game processing method, and a game program for providing a game having an auto mode. One of the more specific objects of the present disclosure is to reduce the consumption of computational resources for providing a game having an auto mode.

[0007] Objects of the present disclosure other than those mentioned above will become apparent by reference to the entire present specification. The invention disclosed in this specification may solve the problems understood from the description of the embodiment of the present disclosure, instead of or in addition to the above problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention relates to a game system including one or more processors. In one aspect, the one or more processors execute a game part of the game in a first auto mode without input from the user until an elapsed time since the start of the first auto mode reaches a maximum execution time. In one aspect, the one or more processors determine a first processing period required to execute one cycle of the game part in the first auto mode based on a first play time spent to progress one cycle of the game part in a manual mode, and execute the game part in the first auto mode for the maximum number of cycles determined based on the maximum execution time and the first processing period. Effect of the Invention

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention can reduce the consumption of computational resources to provide a game with an auto mode. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a game system according to one embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram for explaining a schematic diagram of a game part included in a game provided by the game system 1. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a diagram illustrating user management data stored in the game system of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram illustrating game content management data stored in the game system of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 2 is a diagram illustrating mode management data stored in the game system of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram illustrating status data stored in the game system of FIG. 1. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating transitions between game modes in a game provided by the game system 1. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a play screen displayed on a user device 10. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining mode switching using a switching button. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a setting screen for explaining individual setting of skills. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining a result screen. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining a status screen. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of a game part in a manual mode. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of a game part in the second auto mode. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of a game part in a first auto mode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Various embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings as appropriate. Note that components common to multiple drawings are given the same reference numerals throughout the multiple drawings. The embodiments of the present invention described below do not limit the invention according to the claims. Elements described in the following embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0012] A game system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 7. The game system 1 is an example of a system to which the invention disclosed in this specification can be applied. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the game system 1 according to one embodiment, Fig. 2 is a diagram that illustrates a game part included in a game provided by the game system 1, Figs. 3 to 6 are diagrams that illustrate information stored in the game system 1, and Fig. 7 is a diagram that illustrates transitions between game modes in a game provided by the game system 1.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the game system 1 includes a user device 10 and a server 20. The game system 1 may also include a storage 30. The user device 10, the server 20, and the storage 30 are communicatively connected to each other via a network 5. The network 5 may be a single network, or may be configured by connecting a plurality of networks. The network 5 is, for example, the Internet, a mobile communication network, or a combination thereof. As the network 5, any network that enables communication between electronic devices may be applied.

[0014] The user device 10 executes a command set included in the game application 15a to realize various game-related functions. The server 20 provides various game-related services to the user device 10. The user device 10 and the server 20 cooperate with each other as necessary to realize various game functions.

[0015] A game provided by the game system 1 includes a plurality of game parts, as shown in Fig. 2. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the game G1 provided by the game system 1 includes six game parts, namely, game parts GP1 to GP6. The number of game parts may be less than six or more than six.

[0016] A game part is a content that a user can play in a game. A game part is, for example, a quest, a mission, a mini-game, an event, or other content that constitutes a part of a game, or a combination of these. A game task that the user must clear may be set in the game part. When the task set in the game part is accomplished, a reward may be given to the user. Accomplishing the task set in the game part may be called clearing the game part. By clearing a game part, a reward corresponding to the cleared game part may be given to the user. When a game part is cleared, one cycle of the game part is completed. As described below, a game part may be repeatedly executed over multiple cycles, either automatically or according to a user's selection.

[0017] In one embodiment, the game part may be a battle game part. In the battle game part, a task may be set to fight and win against an enemy character. In the battle game part, the user, for example, fights against the enemy character using his / her own character. The enemy character may be a non-player character NPC or a character of another player. Winning or losing in the battle game part is determined according to a predetermined game logic. In the battle game part, the user can construct a deck including multiple game media (e.g., characters) and fight against the enemy character using the game media included in the deck. In the battle game part, the user's character fighting against the enemy character may be called a user character. Although not shown in the figure, information on the enemy character appearing in the battle game part may be stored in the server 20 for each battle game part. For example, in association with a game part ID that identifies the game part, an enemy character ID that identifies one or more enemy characters appearing in the game part, parameters indicating the capabilities (e.g., attack power, defense power, etc.) of each of the one or more enemy characters, and other information required for executing the battle game part can be stored.

[0018] The game parts may be single-play game parts or multi-play game parts. Single-play game parts are played by one user. Multi-play game parts are played by two or more users.

[0019] In one embodiment, the user can select any game part from among multiple game parts and progress through the selected game part. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the user may be able to select any game part from game parts GP1 to GP6. Some game parts may be set so that they cannot be selected by the user until other game parts are cleared. For example, game part GP3 ​​may be set so that it does not accept selection from the user until game part GP1 is cleared. The multiple game parts included in game G1 may have a structure that branches along a scenario.

[0020] At least some of the multiple game parts included in the game may be repeatedly executable by the user. For example, after the user clears game part GP1, the user can select game part GP1 again. The user can repeatedly play the same game part in order to repeatedly obtain the reward that can be acquired by clearing the game part. The reward given to the user for clearing a game part may be the same each time. When the same game part is cleared multiple times, a different reward may be given each time it is cleared.

[0021] The game may be a "stamina-based" game in which game points are consumed to start a game part, or a "non-stamina-based" game in which consumption of game points is not required to start or progress a game part. An example of a stamina-based game is described in Patent Document 1. In a stamina-based game, game points decrease when starting or progressing a game part, and are restored to an upper limit over time or by using a game item. In a stamina-based game, a user must wait until game points are restored or use a game item to start a game part. In a "non-stamina-based" game, a user is not restricted by the decrease in game points and can start a game part at any time if there are no other restrictions.

[0022] It may be boring for the user to play the same game part repeatedly. The game system 1 provides an auto mode that allows the user to complete the game part without input from the user. By using the auto mode, the user can obtain a reward that is given when the game part is completed without performing an input to operate the game on the user device 10. In this specification, a game mode that does not require user input to complete a game part is called an "auto mode", and a game mode that requires user input to progress or complete a game part is called a "manual mode". In other words, when a game part is shifted to the auto mode, the game part is completed without any user input thereafter. In the auto mode, user input may be permitted, and processing may be performed according to the user input. Even when user input is permitted in the auto mode, the user input is not required to complete the game part, so that the effort of the user input is reduced. Details of the auto mode will be described later.

[0023] Referring again to FIG. 1, the user device 10 and the server 20 will now be further described.

[0024] The user device 10 is a smartphone, a personal computer (PC), a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, an e-book reader, a wearable computer, a game console, a head-mounted display, or any other information processing device. The user device 10 is intended to be used by a user who plays a game. The user can input to the user device 10 and play the game through images and sounds output from the user device 10.

[0025] The user device 10 includes a processor 11 , a memory 12 , a user interface 13 , a communication interface 14 , and a storage 15 .

[0026] The processor 11 is an arithmetic device that loads an operating system and various other programs from the storage 15 or other storage into the memory 12 and executes instructions included in the loaded programs. The processor 11 is, for example, a CPU, an MPU, a DSP, a GPU, various other arithmetic devices, or a combination of these. The processor 11 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC, a PLD, an FPGA, or an MCU.

[0027] The memory 12 is used to store instructions executed by the processor 11 and various other data. The memory 12 is a main memory that can be accessed at high speed by the processor 11. The memory 12 is configured by, for example, a RAM such as a DRAM or an SRAM.

[0028] The user interface 13 includes an input interface that accepts user input, and an output interface that outputs various information under the control of the processor 21. The input interface is a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, a touch panel, or any other information input device capable of inputting user input. The output interface is, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, a display panel, or any other information output device capable of outputting the calculation results of the processor 11.

[0029] The communication interface 14 is implemented as hardware, firmware, or communication software such as a TCP / IP driver or a PPP driver, or a combination of these. The user device 10 can transmit and receive data to and from other information devices including the server 20 via the communication interface 14.

[0030] The storage 15 is an external storage device accessed by the processor 11. The storage 15 is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or any other storage device capable of storing data.

[0031] The server 20 includes a processor 21, a memory 22, a user interface 23, a communication interface 24, and a storage 25. The above explanations regarding the processor 11, the memory 22, the user interface 13, the communication interface 14, and the storage 15 also apply to the processor 21, the memory 22, the user interface 23, the communication interface 24, and the storage 25, so detailed explanations regarding the processor 21, the memory 22, the user interface 23, the communication interface 24, and the storage 25 will be omitted.

[0032] Next, the information stored in the storage 15 and the storage 25 will be described.

[0033] The storage 15 stores a game application 15a for providing various functions of the game. Instructions included in the game application 15a can be executed by the processor 11. Details of the functions realized by executing the game application 15a will be described later. The game application 15a may be downloaded to the user device 10, for example, from an application distribution platform (not shown).

[0034] The user device 10 can obtain data necessary for progressing the game part from the server 20 as necessary, and store the obtained data in the storage 15. Data used or referenced for progressing the game part may be stored in the storage 15 or in the storage 25.

[0035] The storage 25 stores user management data 25a, game media management data 25b, mode management data 25c, status data 25d, and other data necessary for providing the game. At least a portion of the user management data 25a, game media management data 25b, mode management data 25c, and status data 25d is referenced by the user device 10 as necessary. At least a portion of the user management data 25a, game media management data 25b, mode management data 25c, and status data 25d may be stored in the user device 10 as necessary.

[0036] The user management data 25a will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The user management data 25a is a data set in which various data related to a user who plays a game provided by the game system 1 is structurally stored. The user management data 25a may include user account information, various parameters set for the user, owned game media information related to game media owned by the user, used game media information related to used game media used by the user in the game, and various other data related to the user.

[0037] The account information is, for example, a user ID for identifying a user. The account information may include a user name. In the game system 1, a user is uniquely identified by the user ID. The user name indicates the name of the user used in the game.

[0038] The parameters of a certain user may include the rank of the user, experience points, acquired points, and user parameters associated with the user that change as other users play the game. The rank of the user is a parameter indicating the user's proficiency with the game. The rank may increase as the user plays the game. The parameters stored in the user management data 25a are examples of user parameters used to determine a maximum execution time indicating an upper limit of the duration of a first auto mode M21 described later.

[0039] The owned game media information of a user is information about game media owned by the user in a game. The game media is electronic data used in a game. The game media may include, for example, characters, cards, items, points, in-service currency (or in-game currency), tokens (e.g., Non-Fungible Token (NFT)), tickets, characters, avatars, parameters, and other electronic data used in a game. The game media may be acquired, owned, used, managed, exchanged, synthesized, enhanced, sold, discarded, or donated by the user in the game. The game media may be used in a manner other than the above. The owned game media information may include a game media ID that identifies the game media owned by the user in the game. When the game media is acquired by the user, the game media ID that identifies the game media is stored as owned game media information in association with the user ID of the user. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the game media "owned" by the user refers to the game media associated with the user ID of the user. Furthermore, "granting" a game medium to a user means associating the game medium with the user ID of the user as a game medium "owned" by the user. "Discarding" a game medium owned by a user means dissociating the user ID from the game medium. "Consuming" a game medium owned by a user means generating an effect in the game in response to dissociation of the user ID from the owned game medium. "Selling" a game medium owned by a user means dissociating the user ID from the game medium and associating another game medium (e.g., virtual currency or an item) with the user ID as the owned game medium. "Transferring" a game medium owned by user A to user B means dissociating the user ID from the game medium and associating the game medium with user B's user ID. "Creating" a game medium means defining or determining at least a portion of the information related to the game medium.

[0040] The used game medium information is information indicating the game medium used by the user in the game part (e.g., the battle game part). The game medium used by the user in the battle game part is selected from among the owned game media. The game medium used by the user in the battle game part may be selected in response to a user operation selection or automatically from among the used game media. When the used game medium is selected to execute the battle game part, a deck may be constructed from the used game medium. In this case, the used game medium information may include a deck ID that identifies the deck including the game medium selected as the used game medium.

[0041] The user management data 25a may include various information related to the user other than the above. In the case where the game system 1 provides a game that uses stamina, the user management data 25a may include the user's stamina. Stamina is a parameter consumed when starting or progressing through a game part. The amount of stamina consumed may be set for each game part. Stamina recovers over time up to an upper limit. Stamina may be recovered by using an item.

[0042] The user management data 25a may include friend information. The friend information for a certain user indicates the user IDs of users who are friends with the certain user. For example, if user A is friends with users B and C, the friend information for user A includes the user IDs of users B and C. Users who are friends can play a game together.

[0043] A part of the data stored as the user management data 25a is updated as the game progresses. For example, the rank of a user increases as the user plays the game. A part of the data stored as the user management data 25a is not updated as the game progresses. For example, the user ID remains unchanged even as the game progresses.

[0044] The game media management data 25b will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The game media management data 25b is a data set in which various data related to game media used in games provided by the game system 1 is structurally stored. The game media management data 25b may include game media identification information of various game media, game media names, game media information indicating characteristics of the game media, and various other data related to the game media.

[0045] The game medium ID is an ID for identifying the game medium. The game medium name indicates the name of the game medium.

[0046] The game medium information includes various information indicating the characteristics of the game medium. The game medium information includes, for example, rarity, level, cost, life, attack power, defense power, and game function information. The rarity is information indicating the rarity (scarcity value) of the game medium. That is, the rarity associated with a certain game medium indicates the difficulty of acquiring the game medium. The level indicates the growth degree of the game medium. For example, the higher the value of the level, the higher the growth degree of the game medium. In this embodiment, the value of the level may increase according to the user's play of the game. The cost is a parameter used when determining the deck to be used in the battle game part. For example, a deck is set with an upper limit value for the total cost of the game media that can be included in the deck. The user can select the game media to be included in the deck so that the total cost does not exceed the upper limit value.

[0047] Life is a parameter used to determine whether the user wins or loses in the battle game part. In the battle game part, the user's character is attacked by an enemy character, and thus the user's life is reduced. Life may be restored to an upper limit or a lower limit by using a recovery item. When the lives of all characters included in the user's deck reach zero, the user may be determined to have been defeated in the battle game part.

[0048] The attack power of a game medium is a parameter that contributes to the amount of damage inflicted on an enemy character by an attack from the game medium. The larger the value of the attack power, the greater the amount of damage inflicted on an enemy character. The defense power of a game medium is a parameter that contributes to the amount of damage received by the game medium from an attack from an enemy character. The larger the value of the defense power, the greater the amount of damage received from an attack from an enemy character.

[0049] The game medium information may include game function information. The game function information associated with the game medium represents a game function for the game medium to generate a game effect in a game part. In the technical field of the present invention, a game function may also be called a skill or an ability. In some games, a "spell" used by a character may also be considered a game function. When a game function is used in a game part, a game effect associated with that game function is generated. Game effects generated by using a game function in a battle game part include an increase in attack power, an increase in defense power, recovery of life, and other effects that affect the outcome of a battle against an enemy character.

[0050] The game functions may include restricted game functions that are restricted to be used in a predetermined submode in the second auto mode (for example, a restricted mode in the second auto mode M22 described below), and non-restricted game functions that are not restricted to be used in the predetermined submode in the second auto mode. The restricted game functions may be game functions that are subject to restrictions or conditions on their use in the game. The restricted game functions may include game functions that are limited in the number of times they can be used (i.e., an upper limit is set on the number of times they can be used), game functions that require points or parameters to be consumed in order to be used, and game functions that belong to a predetermined classification (for example, recovery skills, buff skills, debuff skills, special moves, and classifications other than the above). The number of times that the restricted game functions can be used can be restored to the upper limit by the passage of time, the use of an item, or by other methods. The points or parameters consumed to use the restricted game functions can be restored to the upper limit by the passage of time, the use of an item, or by other methods.

[0051] In the following, to explain the game features, we will mainly refer to "skills", but the explanation of "skills" also applies to other game features (e.g., abilities).

[0052] The mode management data 25c will be described with reference to FIG. 5. A game part included in a game provided by the game system 1 can be played in any of a plurality of game modes. The mode management data 25c is a data set for managing which game part each user is playing in which of the plurality of game modes. Game modes set for the game parts of the game provided by the game system 1 can include a manual mode M11, a first auto mode M21, and a second auto mode M22. The mode management data 25c can include user account information, game part information related to the game part being played by the user, and mode information related to the current game mode of the game part. The game part information is a game part ID for identifying the game part. The mode information is a mode ID for identifying the game mode.

[0053] The game modes of the game parts included in the game provided by the game system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In one embodiment, the game modes set for the game parts of the game provided by the game system 1 include a manual mode M11 in which a user input is required to complete the game part, and an auto mode in which a user input is not required to complete the game part. The auto modes include a first auto mode M21 and a second auto mode M22.

[0054] Assuming that the user has selected to execute the fighting game part, the manual mode M11, the first automatic mode M21, and the second automatic mode M22 that are set for this fighting game part will be described.

[0055] At the start of the fighting game part, the game mode may be set to the manual mode M11. When the fighting game part is executed in the manual mode M11, the user inputs instructions to the user character via the user interface 13 of the user device 10. The instructions to the user character include performing an attack on an enemy character, using a skill, using an item, and other instructions. The user may input other instructions than instructions to a character other than the user character. When the fighting game part employs a turn system, the instructions from the user are input during the user's attack turn. The user character takes an action according to the input from the user. For example, the user character attacks the enemy character according to the input from the user instructing the user to attack the enemy character. In the enemy character's attack turn, the user character is attacked by the enemy character. The enemy character's life may be reduced by an attack from the user character, and the user character's life may be reduced by an attack from the enemy character. In the fighting game part, the winner is determined according to a predetermined game logic. For example, if the enemy character's life is reduced to zero, it is determined that the user has won, and conversely, if the user character's life is reduced to zero, it is determined that the user has lost. The processing in the battle game part in the manual mode is not limited to that specified in this specification. Various algorithms for executing the battle game part in the manual mode are publicly known. The game system 1 can employ publicly known game mechanics for processing the game part in the manual mode as long as it does not cause a contradiction.

[0056] The game part may be executed with one cycle being from the start to the end of one battle. The game part may be executed repeatedly with one cycle as a unit. In the battle game part, for example, one cycle is executed from the start of the battle to the determination of the outcome of the battle. In the manual mode M11, the battle game part may be executed repeatedly according to the user's selection. In the manual mode M11, the battle game part may be executed repeatedly even without a request from the user.

[0057] In this way, in the manual mode M11, even after the start of the battle game part, input from the user is required to progress the battle with the enemy character and to clear the battle game part. If there is no necessary input from the user in the battle game part set in the manual mode M11, the game part does not progress until there is a necessary input from the user. For example, in the attack turn of the user character, the game part does not progress until there is an instruction from the user, and remains in that attack turn until there is an input from the user. In the manual mode M11, when a modal is displayed, the game part may not progress until there is a response from the user to the modal.

[0058] In the first auto mode M21, after the start of the battle game part, a battle between a user character and an enemy character is executed regardless of an input from the user. The first auto mode M21 is executed continuously for a maximum execution time. That is, the maximum execution time is an upper limit of the time that the first auto mode M21 can be continued after transition to the first auto mode M21. In the first auto mode M21, the game part is executed over a plurality of cycles with one cycle as a unit. In the first auto mode M21, the outcome of the battle may be determined at the end of each cycle. In the first auto mode M21, a reward to be given to the user may be determined at the end of each cycle. In the first auto mode M21, the elapsed time after the start of the first auto mode M21 is counted, and when this elapsed time reaches the maximum execution time, the first auto mode M21 ends. In the first auto mode M21, a reward to be given to the user may be determined at the end of the first auto mode M21. If the first automatic mode M21 is terminated by a user instruction before the maximum execution time has elapsed, the reward to be given to the user may be determined based on the number of completed cycles completed up to the time of termination.

[0059] When the game part is executed in the first auto mode M21, an auto processing cycle may be set, which represents the time required to execute one cycle of the game part. When an auto processing cycle is set for the first auto mode M21, the quotient of the maximum execution time divided by the auto processing cycle is the maximum number of cycles that can be executed in the first auto mode M21 within the maximum execution time. In this specification, the upper limit of the number of cycles executed in the first auto mode M21 may be referred to as the maximum number of cycles. In the first auto mode M21, unless a pause instruction is given by the user, the game part can be repeatedly executed the maximum number of cycles. In the first auto mode M21, the determination of the win or loss in each cycle may be performed collectively for multiple cycles executed during the elapsed time after the start of the first auto mode M21 and the lapse of a predetermined time. For example, the determination of the win or loss in each cycle may be performed collectively at the end of the first auto mode M21. In order to reduce the calculation load, it may be determined that the user wins in all cycles in the first auto mode M21.

[0060] The process for progressing the game part in the first auto mode M21 may be performed in the user device 10. The user device 10 may perform a first progress process for progressing the first auto mode M21 while the game application 15a is running in the foreground. The first progress process for progressing the first auto mode M21 may be a process that is simpler than a second progress process for progressing the second auto mode M22 described later. For example, the user device 10 may not perform a battle process according to a battle logic in the first auto mode M21 (e.g., calculation of damage, calculation of life, and / or generation of a game animation representing the battle process), but may perform a process of calculating a number of completed cycles indicating how many cycles of the game part have been processed since the first auto mode M21 was started, and displaying the number of completed cycles on a display. In the first auto mode M21, a number of wins indicating the number of cycles in which it is determined that the user has won since the first auto mode M21 was started may be calculated. If it is determined that the user wins in all cycles, the number of wins is equal to the number of completed cycles. The processing in the first auto mode M21 may also include determining a reward to be given to the user when the first auto mode M21 ends. The number of completed cycles can be calculated by a simple calculation based on the elapsed time since the start of the first auto mode M21 and the auto processing period. The processing for determining the reward to be given to the user can also be executed with fewer computational resources than processing based on the battle logic.

[0061] While the game application 15a is being executed in the background on the user device 10, the process for calculating the number of completed cycles is not executed. However, when the game application 15a returns from the background to the foreground, the user device 10 can calculate the number of completed cycles based on the elapsed time from the start of the first auto mode M21 at the time of the return, and display a status screen including the calculated number of completed cycles on the display. Therefore, a user who sees the status screen displayed when the game application 15a returns to the foreground feels as if the first auto mode M21 has continued to proceed while the game application 15a is being executed in the background. Even when the game application 15a is terminated after the start of the first auto mode M21 on the user device 10 and then started again, the number of completed cycles at the time of the restart may be calculated, and a status screen including the calculated number of completed cycles may be displayed on the display. A user who sees this status screen feels as if the first auto mode M21 has continued to proceed while the game application 15a is not being started. In this way, in the first auto mode M21, a status screen including the latest status of processing in the first auto mode M21 is displayed immediately after game application 15a returns from the background to the foreground or immediately after game application 15a is terminated and then launched again. Therefore, from the perspective of a user playing a game part in the first auto mode M21, the first auto mode M21 allows the game part to be executed without interruption even while game application 15a is running in the background or while game application 15a is not launched.

[0062] For a user who is executing a game part in the first auto mode M21, status data 25d for managing the progress of the game part in the first auto mode M21 may be stored in the storage 25. The status data 25d will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The status data 25d is a data set in which various data for managing the status of the first auto mode M21 is structurally stored for each user who is executing a game part in the first auto mode M21. The status data 25d stores the maximum execution time of the first auto mode M21, the elapsed time since the start of the first auto mode M21, and the maximum number of cycles indicating the upper limit of the number of cycles that can be executed within the maximum execution time in the first auto mode M21, in association with the user's account information.

[0063] When a user executes a game part in the first auto mode M21, the maximum execution time is determined based on the user parameters of the user. The user parameters of the user may be specified by referring to the user management data 25a. The user parameters for determining the maximum execution time for a user may be, for example, the rank of the user stored in the user management data 25a. In one embodiment, the maximum execution time may be calculated so that the higher the rank, the longer the maximum execution time. The maximum time when a user executes a game part in the first auto mode M21 may be determined based on user parameters other than the rank of the user.

[0064] The process for executing the game part in the first auto mode M21 may be executed in the server 20. Therefore, when the game part is set in the first auto mode M21, the game part can be progressed in the server 20 even if the game application 15a is executed in the background of the user device 10. Also, when the game part is set in the first auto mode M21, the game part can be progressed even if the game application 15a is not running in the user device 10.

[0065] In the second auto mode M22, as in the first auto mode M21, after the start of a game part, a battle with an enemy character is executed regardless of an input from the user. When the game part is set in the second auto mode M22, the game part can be progressed only when the game application 15a is executed in the foreground on the user device 10. In other words, when the game part is set in the second auto mode M22, the process for progressing the game part is suspended while an application other than the game application 15a is executed in the foreground (while the game application 15a is executed in the background). The suspended game part may be resumed in response to the return of the game application 15a to the foreground. When the process of one cycle of the game part is completed in the second auto mode M22, the process of the next cycle of the game part may be automatically started. After the process of one cycle of the game part is completed in the second auto mode M22, the process of the next cycle of the game part may be started in response to an input from the user.

[0066] The second auto mode M22 is a game mode different from the first auto mode M21. As described above, in the first auto mode M21, the battle process (e.g., calculation of damage, calculation of life, and / or generation of game animation representing the battle process) according to the battle logic is not executed, and a more simplified process is executed. An example of the simplified process is to calculate the number of completed cycles based on the elapsed time since the start of the first auto mode M21 and display the calculated number of completed cycles. Thus, comparing the first auto mode M21 and the second auto mode M22, they are different in that the processing load for executing the first auto mode M21 is smaller than the processing load for executing the second auto mode M22. In one aspect, the second auto mode M22 can execute the game part only when the game application 15a is running in the foreground, and conversely, the execution of the game part is interrupted when the game application 15a is running in the background or when the game application 15a is terminated, which differs from the first auto mode M21 in that the execution of the game part is not interrupted even when the game application 15a is running in the background or is not running on the user device 10. Further differences between the first auto mode M21 and the second auto mode M22 will be described later.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 7, a game part may be started in a manual mode M11. When a first request R1 is made by the user during the execution of a game part, the game part may transition from the manual mode M11 to a first auto mode M21. Conversely, when a predetermined transition condition is satisfied, the game part may transition from the first auto mode M21 to the manual mode M11. When a second request R2 is made by the user during the execution of a game part, the game part may transition from the manual mode M11 to a second auto mode M22. When the first request R1 is made during play in the second auto mode M22, the game part may transition from the second auto mode M22 to the first auto mode M21. Conversely, when a predetermined transition condition is satisfied, the game part may transition from the first auto mode M21 to the second auto mode M22. Also, the game part may transition from the second auto mode M22 to the manual mode M11.

[0068] Next, the functions of the user device 10 and the server 20 will be described with additional reference to Figures 8 to 12. Figures 8 to 12 show screens or parts thereof that are displayed on the user device 10 according to the progress of the game part.

[0069] The processor 11 of the user device 10 executes an instruction set included in the game application 15a and other instruction sets, thereby functioning as a game progression unit 11a, a game part processing unit 11b, and a mode switching unit 11c.

[0070] The processor 21 of the server 20 functions as a game control unit 21a, a mode setting unit 21b, and an auto processing unit 21c by executing an instruction set included in a program stored in the storage 25 and, as necessary, other instruction sets. The game control unit 21a processes requests and notifications from the user device 10 based on a predetermined game logic, and also provides the user device 10 with various game data for executing the game, thereby controlling the progress of the game.

[0071] The game progression unit 11a cooperates with the server 20 to progress the game in response to an input from the user via the user interface 13 (e.g., a touch panel) of the user device 10. The operation input from the user is, for example, an input to specify a game part to be executed, an input to specify the movement of the user character in the virtual space, an input to instruct the use of an item, an input to change game settings, and various other inputs related to the progress of the game. The game progression unit 11a can generate a request related to the progress of the game based on, for example, an input from the user or a command from a game program being executed, and transmit the generated request to the server 20. In addition, the game progression unit 11a can receive various game data related to the progress of the game from the server 20, and progress the game based on the game data. The game progression unit 11a can display images or videos according to the progress of the game on the user interface 13 (e.g., a display).

[0072] The game progression unit 11a may obtain data necessary for the progression of the game from the various data stored in storage 25, and store the obtained data in storage 15. When necessary for game processing, the game progression unit 11a can read out data as appropriate from storage 15, and perform calculations using the read out data.

[0073] The game progression unit 11a is capable of, for example, displaying a GUI (Graphical User Interface) on the user interface 13 for allowing the user to select a game part, and detecting operations on this GUI.

[0074] The game progression unit 11a can identify game parts that can be executed by the user, and display the identified game parts on the user interface 13. The game progression unit 11a can identify the game parts selected by the user in response to the user's operation.

[0075] The game part processing unit 11b can start the game part specified by the game progression unit 11a. For example, when the user selects the game part GP1, the game part GP1 is started. In the following description, it is assumed that the game part GP1 is selected by the user.

[0076] The game part processing unit 11b transmits an execution request for the selected game part GP1 to the server 20. When the server 20 (for example, the game control unit 21a) receives the execution request from the user device 10, it can transmit data used to execute the battle game part GP1 to the user device 10. The game part processing unit 11b can store in the storage 15 the data required to execute the game part GP1 acquired from the server 20.

[0077] In the following description, it is assumed that the game part GP1 started by the game part processing unit 11b is a battle game part, in which a battle between a user character included in a deck and an enemy character takes place.

[0078] In the battle game part, a battle between a user character and an enemy character is executed, for example, in a turn-based manner. After the start of the game part GP1, the game part processing unit 11b alternately generates a first turn in which the user character acts and a second turn in which the enemy character acts. A first action point that increases with the passage of time may be set for each of the user characters or the deck, and the first section may start when the first action point reaches a predetermined value. Similarly, a second action point that increases with the passage of time may be set for the enemy character or a group of enemy characters, and the second section may start when the second action point reaches a predetermined value.

[0079] An example of processing in the battle game part will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 shows an example of a play screen 50 displayed on the user device 10 during execution of the battle game part. The play screen 50 is partitioned into a first area 50a and a second area 50b. A virtual space and various objects arranged in this virtual space are displayed in the first area 50a. In the illustrated example, the first area 50a includes objects representing user characters C11, C12, and C13, and an object representing an enemy character C31.

[0080] In the second area 50b, icon images C11a to C16a of characters included in the user's deck are displayed. The deck includes six user characters, and three user characters selected from the six user characters are displayed in the first area 50a. A battle is conducted between the three user characters included in the first area 50a and an enemy character. In response to an instruction from the user, a user character included in the deck but not participating in the battle (i.e., a character among the user characters displayed in the second area 50b that is not included in the first area 50a) can be replaced with a user character included in the first area 50a. The replacement of the user characters included in the first area 50a may be performed automatically, regardless of the user's selection, when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

[0081] In each of the first area 50a and the second area 50b, the life of each character may be displayed in association with an object or icon image of each character. In the illustrated embodiment, two types of life, a first life P1 and a second life P2, are set for each character. When each character is attacked, the first life P1 is decreased first. When the character is attacked after the first life P1 is decreased to zero, the second life P2 of the character is decreased. In other words, the second life P2 is not decreased until the first life P1 becomes zero. The illustrated first life P1 and second life P2 are examples of lives set for each character, and the lives used in the game system 1 are not limited to those illustrated.

[0082] The game part processing unit 11b can start a game part in the manual mode M11. When the game part is executed in the manual mode M11, an input of an instruction to the user character from the user is accepted in the first section. The instruction to the user character includes an attack on an enemy character, a skill, an item, and other instructions. For example, when the game part processing unit 11b detects an input to instruct the user character C11 to attack the enemy character C31 via the GUI, the game part processing unit 11b causes the user character C11 to attack the enemy character C31. Specifically, the damage received by the enemy character C31 is calculated based on parameters such as attack power set for the user character C11 and parameters such as defense power set for the enemy character C31. The game part processing unit 11b subtracts the calculated damage from the life of the enemy character C31. As a result, the life of the enemy character C31 is reduced by the attack from the user character C11. The game part processing unit 11b can cause the user characters C11 to C13 to use skills, use items, and perform other actions related to the battle in addition to attacking the enemy character C31, in response to input from the user. The game part processing unit 11b can cause each of the user characters C11 to C13 to perform an action based on the input from the user, or can cause only some of the user characters C11 to C13 to perform an action based on the input from the user, in the first section.

[0083] When the first section ends and the second section starts, the game part processing unit 11b causes the enemy character C31 to act in accordance with a battle logic defined for the battle game part. For example, the game part processing unit 11b causes the enemy character C31 to attack some or all of the user characters C11 to C13. Specifically, damage to be received by the user characters C11 to C13 is calculated based on parameters such as attack power set for the enemy character C31 and parameters such as defense power set for the user characters C11 to C13. The game part processing unit 11b subtracts the calculated damage from the lives of the user characters C11 to C13.

[0084] When the user characters C11 to C13 or the enemy character C31 perform an action such as an attack, the game part processing unit 11b generates an animation corresponding to the action and causes the display of the user device 10 to display the generated animation.

[0085] The game part processing unit 11b judges whether the user wins or loses in the battle game part according to a predetermined game logic. For example, when the second life P2 of the enemy character C31 is reduced to zero, it is judged that the user has won. Conversely, when the second life P2 of each of the user characters C11 to C13 is reduced to zero, it is judged that the user has lost. In the case of a battle against multiple enemy characters, it may be judged that the user has won when the second life P2 of all of the multiple enemy characters is reduced to zero.

[0086] When it is determined that either the user or the enemy character wins in a game part, the game part processing unit 11b can end the first cycle of the processing of the game part. When the first cycle of the processing of the game part is ended, the game part processing unit 11b may subsequently start a second cycle of the same game part. In this way, the user can repeatedly play the same game part.

[0087] The game part processing unit 11b can grant a reward to the user when the processing of one cycle of the game part is completed. For example, the game part processing unit 11b can grant a reward to the user when it is determined that the user has won in the battle game part. The game part processing unit 11b may also grant a reward to the user when the user is defeated. The reward granted when the user is defeated may be less than the reward when the user wins. The reward granted to the user is, for example, an item, experience points (or other points for improving the ability of the user character), in-game currency, utility tokens, and electronic data that can be an incentive for the user other than these. The reward granted to the user may be determined for each game part. When a game part is executed over multiple cycles, the reward granted to the user may be different for each cycle. The process of granting a reward to the user may be a part of the process in the game part, or may be an additional process separate from the process of the game part. The reward granted to the user may be determined according to the time required to clear the game part. For example, the shorter the time required to clear the game part, the higher the value of the reward granted.

[0088] The game part processing unit 11b may grant different rewards when a game part is cleared in the manual mode M11 and when it is cleared in the auto mode (first auto mode M21 or second auto mode M22). According to an algorithm for determining the reward, the first reward and the second reward are determined so that, for example, the first reward granted when the game part is cleared in the manual mode M11 has a higher value than the second reward granted when the game part is cleared in the auto mode. In one example, the first reward and the second reward may be determined so that the rarity of the item granted as the first reward tends to be higher than the rarity of the item granted as the second reward. In another example, the experience value or points granted as the first reward may be greater than the experience value or points granted as the second reward.

[0089] 8, a first area 50a includes a switching button 51 for switching the game mode between a manual mode M11 and a second auto mode M22. When the mode switching unit 11c detects an operation on the switching button 51 via the GUI, it can switch the game part being played in the manual mode M11 to the second auto mode M22. In the manual mode M11, the text "AUTO OFF" is displayed within the switching button 51, indicating that the game part being played is set to the manual mode (in other words, the auto mode is off).

[0090] When the switching button 51 is selected by the user during the progress of the game part in the manual mode M11, the mode switching unit 11c switches the game part from the manual mode M11 to the second automatic mode M22. The mode switching unit 11c may transmit a mode switching notification to the server 20 to notify the mode switching. The mode switching notification transmitted from the user device 10 to the server 20 may include the user ID of the user playing the game part, a game part ID that identifies the game part being executed, and a mode ID that identifies the mode after switching. When the mode setting unit 21b of the server 20 receives the mode switching notification, it updates the mode management data 25c based on the data included in the mode switching notification. This allows the server 20 to manage in which game mode the game part is progressing for each user.

[0091] After switching to the second auto mode M22, the game part processing unit 11b progresses the battle with the enemy character without relying on input from the user. Specifically, in the second auto mode M22, the game part processing unit 11b can determine the actions of the user characters C11 to C13 and the enemy character C31 (for example, attacking the opponent, using a skill, using an item) in accordance with a predetermined battle logic without relying on input from the user. The game part processing unit 11b can calculate damage inflicted on each of the user characters C11 to C13 and the enemy character C31 based on the actions of the user characters C11 to C13 and the enemy character C31 performed without relying on input from the user, and can determine the outcome of the battle based on the same criteria as those for determining the outcome of the battle in the manual mode M11. In other words, in the second auto mode M22, damage inflicted on the user characters C11 to C13 and the enemy character C31 is calculated based on the actions of the user characters C11 to C13 and the enemy character C31 determined without input from the user, and the user is determined to have won if the second life P2 of the enemy character C31 has decreased to zero, and conversely, the user is determined to have been defeated if the second life P2 of each of the user characters C11 to C13 has decreased to zero.

[0092] In the second auto mode M22, as in the manual mode M11, when the user characters C11 to C13 or the enemy character C31 perform an action such as an attack, the game part processing unit 11b may generate an animation corresponding to the action and display the generated animation on the display of the user device 10.

[0093] In the second auto mode M22, the game part can be progressed without any input from the user, so that the user can obtain a reward that is granted when the game part is cleared without making any input after the start of the game part. In this way, in the second auto mode M22, the game part can be cleared without any input from the user, but input from the user may be accepted. When input from the user is accepted in the second auto mode M22, the actions of the user characters C11 to C13 may be determined according to the input.

[0094] In order to reflect the user's strategy or tactics in the behavior of the user character in the second auto mode M22, a sub-mode may be set in the second auto mode M22. For example, the second auto mode M22 may be set to either a limited mode that prohibits the use of a limited game function that satisfies a predetermined condition among a plurality of game functions, or an unlimited mode that allows the use of the limited game function. As described above, the limited game function may include a game function that has a limited number of times of use (i.e., an upper limit is set for the number of times of use), a game function that requires the consumption of points or parameters to be used, and a game function that belongs to a predetermined classification (e.g., recovery skills, buff skills, debuff skills, special moves, and classifications other than the above). The user may select either the limited mode or the unlimited mode when switching to the second auto mode M22. The limited mode and the unlimited mode may be switched after the start of the second auto mode M22. By selecting the limited mode, the user can progress through the game part in the second auto mode M22 while conserving, for example, skills that have a limited number of times of use. This allows the user to use the skills reserved in the second auto mode M22 in a battle when the user finishes processing the game part in the second auto mode M22 and returns to the manual mode M11. On the other hand, since skills generate effects that allow the user to advance the game advantageously, progressing the game part in the non-restricted mode can increase the possibility of winning the battle against the enemy character C31. Therefore, by selecting the non-restricted mode, rewards can be acquired more efficiently.

[0095] Further referring to FIG. 9, the switching from the manual mode M11 to the second auto mode M22 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, when the switching button 51 displaying "AUTO OFF" is selected by the user in the manual mode M11, the transition mode selection button 52 is expanded from the switching button 51. The transition mode selection button 52 is divided into a first region 52a associated with the restricted mode and a second region 52b associated with the non-restricted mode. After the user selects the switching button 51 to expand the transition mode selection button 52, the user can instruct the transition to the second auto mode M22 in the restricted mode by performing a touch operation on the first region 52a of the transition mode selection button 52. The user can also instruct the transition to the second auto mode M22 in the non-restricted mode by performing a touch operation on the second region 52b of the transition mode selection button 52.

[0096] When an instruction to switch to the second auto mode M22 in the limited mode is given, the game part processing unit 11b determines the actions of the user characters C11 to C13 under the constraint of not using skills with a limited number of uses. On the other hand, when an instruction to switch to the second auto mode M22 in the non-limited mode is given, the game part processing unit 11b determines the actions of the user characters C11 to C13 without excluding the use of skills with a limited number of uses.

[0097] When switching to the second auto mode M22, the text displayed inside the switching button 51 displayed on the play screen 50 changes to "AUTO ON" as shown in Fig. 9. Therefore, while the game part is progressing in the second auto mode M22, "AUTO ON" displayed on the switching button 51 indicates that the game part is being executed in auto mode.

[0098] When the switching button 51 is selected by the user while the game part is in progress in the second automatic mode M22, the mode switching section 11c switches the game part from the second automatic mode M22 to the manual mode M11.

[0099] Whether or not a skill with a limited number of uses in the second auto mode M22 can be used may be determined individually for each user character and / or for each skill. The first area 50a of the play screen 50 shown in FIG. 8 includes a setting button 53. When the game part processing unit 11b detects an operation on the setting button 53 via the GUI, it displays a setting screen for setting whether or not a skill can be used for each user character on the display of the user device 10. FIG. 10 is an example of a setting screen 60 for setting whether or not each of a plurality of skills (skill 1 to skill 3) that can be used by the user character C11 can be used.

[0100] The setting screen 60 includes display elements 61 to 63. The display element 61 is a display element for setting whether or not skill 1 can be used. In addition to "skill 1", the display element 61 includes the display "3 / 5". The denominator of "3 / 5" means that the upper limit of the number of times skill 1 can be used is 5 times, and the numerator means that skill 1 can be used 3 times (there are 3 remaining skills) at the time the setting screen is displayed. In this specification, the number of usable skills may be referred to as the number of remaining skills. The number of remaining skills can take an integer value between the upper limit of the number of times a skill can be used and zero. The display element 62 is a display element for setting whether or not skill 2 can be used. Since there is no limit to the number of times skill 2 can be used, the display element 62 does not include an indication regarding the number of times it can be used. The display element 63 is a display element for setting whether or not skill 3 can be used. The display elements 61 to 63 may include an explanation of the effect that occurs in the game when the corresponding skill 1 to skill 3 are used.

[0101] The display elements 61-63 include corresponding check boxes 61a-63a. When a check box is selected by the user, the skill corresponding to the selected check box is set to be available in the second auto mode M22. For example, when the check box 61a is selected by the user, skill 1 is set to be available in the second auto mode M22.

[0102] Figure 10 is a setting screen for setting whether or not skills can be used in the second auto mode M22 for the user character C11, but a similar setting screen can also be used to set whether or not skills can be used in the second auto mode M22 for other user characters.

[0103] In one embodiment, even if the second auto mode M22 is set to the non-restricted mode, the skills set to be unusable by the individual settings are not used in the second auto mode M22. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the check box 63a is not checked, so that the skill 3 of the user character C11 is set to be unusable. In this case, even if the second auto mode M22 is set to the non-restricted mode, the game part processing unit 11b determines the behavior of the user character C11 so that the user character C11 does not use the skill 3.

[0104] In one embodiment, even if the second auto mode M22 is set to the limited mode, the skill set to be usable by the individual setting may be used in the second auto mode M22. For example, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 10, the check box 61a is checked, so the skill 1 of the user character C11 is set to be usable. In this case, even if the second auto mode M22 is set to the limited mode, the game part processing unit 11b can cause the user character C11 to use the skill 1.

[0105] In this way, the individual setting of skills for each user character using the setting screen 60 may take precedence over the setting of the submode in the second auto mode M22 (setting of limited mode or non-limited mode). By giving priority to the individual setting, it becomes easier to reflect the user's strategy and tactics in the actions of the user character in the second auto mode M22.

[0106] In another embodiment, the setting of the submode in the second auto mode M22 takes precedence over the individual setting of the skills for each user character using the setting screen 60. In this case, after setting the submode to the limited mode or the non-limited mode, the usability of the skills can be set individually within the range permitted in the set submode. Therefore, by setting the submode to easily set the outline of the strategy or tactics in the second auto mode M22, and then setting the usability of the skills individually using the setting screen 60, the strategy or tactics in the second auto mode M22 can be reflected in more detail. For example, a user who wants to execute the second auto mode M22 with a simpler operation can execute the second auto mode M22 according to the setting of the submode. On the other hand, a user who wants to set the usability of the skills in more detail can specify the strategy or tactics during the battle in more detail by setting the submode and then setting the individual skills using the setting screen 60.

[0107] When the remaining skill number is smaller than the upper limit of the number of times the skill can be used, the remaining skill number may be restored to the upper limit over time. The remaining skill number may be restored to the upper limit of the number of times the skill can be used not only by the passage of time but also by the use of an item, the completion of a game part, and the occurrence of an event in the game other than these.

[0108] Next, switching to the first auto mode M21 will be described with reference to Fig. 11. In one embodiment, switching to the first auto mode M21 is performed in response to completion of one cycle of processing of the game part in the manual mode M11 or the second auto mode M22.

[0109] 11 shows a result screen 70 that is displayed on the display of the user device 10 when one cycle of processing of a game part is completed in the manual mode M11 or the second auto mode M22. The result screen 70 includes a clear time display area 71, an end instruction button 72, a transition selection button 73 for selecting a transition to the first auto mode M21, and a replay button 74. The display of the result screen 70 and processing based on instructions via the result screen 70 are performed by, for example, the mode switching unit 11c.

[0110] The clear time display area 71 displays the play time required to clear the game part that was last cleared in the manual mode M11 or the second auto mode M22 immediately before the result screen 70 was displayed. In the illustrated example, "02:27" is displayed in the clear time display area 71. This display indicates that 2 minutes and 27 seconds were required from the start to the end (clearance) of the most recently cleared game part.

[0111] The end instruction button 72 is a button for ending the previously cleared game part. When the end instruction button 72 is selected, the previously cleared game part ends without proceeding to the next cycle.

[0112] The transition selection button 73 is a button for selecting a transition to the first auto mode M21. The transition selection button 73 is, for example, a radio button. When the user selects the transition selection button 73 via the GUI, the transition selection button 73 becomes selected, and the selected state is maintained until the transition selection button 73 is selected again.

[0113] The replay button 74 is a button for selecting to play the game part that was just cleared again. When the replay button 74 is selected while the transition selection button 73 is not in a selected state (when it is in a non-selected state), the mode switching unit 11c resumes the game part that was just cleared in the same mode as when it was cleared. For example, when the result screen 70 is displayed because the game part is cleared in the manual mode M11, the replay button 74 is selected while the transition selection button 73 is not in a selected state, so that the game part is resumed in the manual mode M11 (the next cycle of the game part is started in the manual mode M11). When the result screen 70 is displayed because the game part is cleared in the second auto mode M22, the replay button 74 is selected while the transition selection button 73 is not in a selected state, so that the game part is resumed in the second auto mode M22 (the next cycle of the game part is started in the second auto mode M22).

[0114] When the replay button 74 is selected while the transition selection button 73 is in a selected state, the mode switching unit 11c can switch the game part to the first auto mode M21. The mode switching unit 11c may transmit a mode switching notification to the server 20 to notify that the game part has been switched to the first auto mode M21. The mode switching notification may include a user ID of a user playing the game part, a game part ID that identifies the game part, and a mode ID that identifies the mode after switching. When the mode setting unit 21b of the server 20 receives the mode switching notification, it updates the mode management data 25c based on the data included in the mode switching notification. This allows the server 20 to manage in which mode the game part is progressing for each user.

[0115] The replay button 74 includes an indicator 74a that indicates the time that has elapsed since the result screen 70 was displayed. The time that has elapsed since the result screen 70 was displayed, indicated by this indicator 74a, reaches the upper limit of the indicator 74a (the right end in the illustrated example) in a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds). In this specification, the time from when the result screen 70 is displayed until the indicator 74a reaches the upper limit (i.e., the time from when the result screen 70 is displayed until the replay button 74 is automatically selected) may be referred to as the "replay waiting time." When the time that has elapsed since the result screen 70 was displayed reaches the upper limit of the indicator 74a (i.e., when the replay waiting time has elapsed since the result screen 70 was displayed), it is determined that the replay button 74 has been selected without any operation from the user.

[0116] When the server 20 receives a mode switching notification indicating that the game part has been switched to the first auto mode M21, the auto processing unit 21c executes the game part in the first auto mode M21. The game part in the first auto mode M21 is executed without input from the user. In the auto processing in the first auto mode M21, the game part identified by the game part ID included in the mode switching notification is repeatedly executed over multiple cycles. In the first auto mode M21, the repetition unit when the game part is repeatedly executed is called a "cycle." For example, when the game part is executed for 10 cycles, the game part is repeatedly executed 10 times.

[0117] In order to execute a game part in the first auto mode M21, the auto processing unit 21c calculates a maximum execution time that indicates an upper limit of the time for which the game part is continuously executed. The maximum execution time is determined based on a user parameter associated with a user ID included in the mode switching notification. For example, the maximum execution time is calculated based on at least one of the user parameters stored in the user management data 25a. The maximum execution time is determined based on, for example, the "rank" of the user parameters. The maximum execution time may be determined so that the higher the rank of the user is, the longer the maximum execution time is. A list that defines the correspondence between the rank and the maximum execution time may be created in advance, and the auto processing unit 21c may determine the maximum execution time by referring to the list. The maximum execution time may be determined based on user parameters other than the rank (for example, experience points, acquired points). The user parameters used to determine the maximum execution time are not limited to those specified in this specification. The maximum execution time is determined based on parameters related to the user's skill in the game and the play time spent playing the game. This allows a long maximum execution time to be set for users who are highly skilled in the game or who have a long play time. That is, a user with high game proficiency or a user with long play times can continuously use the first auto mode M21 for a long period of time. The maximum execution time is set to, for example, 8 hours for a user with the lowest rank. The maximum execution time increases as the user's rank increases. The maximum value of the maximum execution time that increases as the user's rank increases is, for example, 100 hours.

[0118] The auto processing unit 21c calculates an auto processing period required to execute one cycle of the game part in the first auto mode M21 based on the play time (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "clear time") spent to clear one cycle of the game part immediately before the transition to the first auto mode M21. The auto processing period may be calculated by adding a predetermined time to the clear time spent to clear one cycle of the game part immediately before the transition to the first auto mode M21. This added time may be, for example, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, or 30 seconds, but is not limited thereto. Assuming that the added time is 20 seconds, as shown in FIG. 11, when the clear time of the immediately preceding game part is 2 minutes 27 seconds, the auto processing period is calculated as 2 minutes 47 seconds by adding 20 seconds to 2 minutes 27 seconds. The added time added to the clear time to calculate the auto processing period may be regarded as a waiting time until the transition from the current cycle to the next cycle in the first auto mode M21. Therefore, in this specification, the time added to the clear time to calculate the auto processing period is sometimes called the "inter-cycle interval."

[0119] In one embodiment, the cycle interval is longer than the replay waiting time. For example, when the replay waiting time is 10 seconds, the cycle interval is longer than 10 seconds. By making the cycle interval longer than the replay waiting time, the interval between cycles can be made shorter in the second auto mode M22 than in the first auto mode M21, so that the game part can be repeatedly executed more times within a given time in the second auto mode M22 than in the first auto mode M21. This can induce a user who aims to acquire more rewards in the auto mode to the second auto mode M22. Since the second auto mode M22 can be executed when the game application 15a is executed in the foreground of the user device 10, the user's engagement with the game can be increased by increasing the play time in the second auto mode M22.

[0120] A different cycle interval may be used when a game part is cleared in the manual mode M11 immediately before transitioning to the first auto mode M21 and when it is cleared in the second auto mode M22. For example, the cycle interval used when a game part is cleared in the manual mode M11 immediately before transitioning to the first auto mode M21 can be made smaller than the cycle interval used when a game part is cleared in the second auto mode M22 immediately before transitioning to the first auto mode M21. This can induce the user to play in the manual mode M11 rather than the second auto mode M22. Increasing the play time in the manual mode M11 can increase the user's engagement with the game.

[0121] The auto processing unit 21c can calculate the maximum number of cycles indicating how many cycles the game part is repeatedly executed in the first auto mode M21 based on the maximum execution time and the auto processing cycle. The maximum number of cycles is calculated so that the smaller the auto processing cycle, the larger the maximum number of cycles. The auto processing unit 21c can set the maximum number of cycles to the quotient obtained by dividing the maximum execution time by the auto processing cycle. For example, if the maximum execution time set in the first auto mode M21 is 8 hours and the auto processing cycle is 2 minutes and 47 seconds, the maximum number of cycles is set to 172 cycles. If the maximum execution time is not divisible by the auto processing cycle, the remainder may be rounded down. The method of calculating the maximum number of cycles used in the first auto mode M21 is not limited to the above method.

[0122] In this way, if a game part is cleared in manual mode M11 immediately before transitioning to first auto mode M21, the auto processing cycle (first processing cycle) is determined based on the clear time in manual mode M11, and the maximum number of cycles is determined based on this first processing cycle and the maximum execution time. Also, if a game part is cleared in second auto mode M22 immediately before transitioning to first auto mode M21, the auto processing cycle (second processing cycle) is determined based on the clear time in second auto mode M22, and the maximum number of cycles is determined based on this second processing cycle and the maximum execution time.

[0123] In the first auto mode M21, unlike the second auto mode M22, the actions (attacks, etc.) of the user character and the enemy character may not be determined. In the first auto mode M21, one cycle of the game part may be progressed in a simpler manner than the winning / losing determination in the second auto mode M22. As described above, in the second auto mode M22, damages given to each of the user characters C11-C13 and the enemy character C31 are calculated based on the actions of the user characters C11-C13 and the enemy character C31 determined without input from the user, and the winning / losing determination can be performed based on the damages and based on the same criteria as the winning / losing determination in the manual mode M11. On the other hand, in the first auto mode M21, the winning / losing can be determined probabilistically based on parameters (e.g., attack power and defense power) indicating the abilities of each character set for each character, without calculating the actions of each character and the damage received by each character. In this way, in the first auto mode M21, the winning or losing of the battle game part can be progressed for one cycle by determining the winning or losing probabilistically based on the parameters indicating the abilities of each character set for each character without calculating the behavior of each character or the variation of the parameters (e.g., life) resulting from the behavior. Therefore, in the first auto mode M21, the winning or losing of the game part can be determined with a smaller calculation load than in the second auto mode M22. In the first auto mode M21, unlike the second auto mode M22, an animation showing the battle between the user character and the enemy character may not be generated. In the first auto mode M21, a process for progressing the game part may not be performed except that a process for determining the winning or losing is performed in an auto processing cycle. In other words, a process for progressing the game part may not be performed between the winning or losing determination process in a certain cycle and the determination process in the next cycle. In the first auto mode M21, a process for each auto processing cycle may be performed only when the game application 15a is executed in the foreground.For example, in the first auto mode M21, when the game application 15a is executed in the foreground, the number of completed cycles may be calculated based on the elapsed time since the start of the first auto mode M21 and the auto processing period, and it may be determined whether or not the number of completed cycles has reached the maximum number of cycles. In the first auto mode M21, the win / loss determination for each cycle may not be performed. Since the first auto mode M21 is a mode for the user to efficiently acquire rewards, it may be determined that the user always wins in each cycle. By determining that the user always wins in each cycle, the process for determining the win / loss becomes unnecessary, so that the processing failure in the first auto mode M21 can be reduced. In the first auto mode M21, the win / loss determination in each cycle may be performed collectively for a plurality of cycles executed during the elapsed time after the start of the first auto mode M21 and a predetermined time has elapsed. For example, the win / loss determination in each cycle may be performed collectively at the end of the first auto mode M21 (after the maximum execution time has elapsed).

[0124] As described above, in one embodiment, the auto processing unit 21c can perform the process for determining whether or not a game has won each time an auto processing cycle arrives after the start of the first auto mode M21. The auto processing unit 21c performs the win / loss determination a number of times equal to or less than the maximum number of cycles between the start and end of the first auto mode M21. In another embodiment, the auto processing unit 21c can perform the win / loss determination a number of times less than the maximum number of cycles at once. In yet another embodiment, the process for determining whether or not a game has won in the auto processing unit 21c can be omitted by defining that the user always wins in each cycle.

[0125] The auto processing unit 21c can determine a reward to be given to the user after the first auto mode M21 ends (i.e., after the maximum execution time has elapsed). For example, the auto processing unit 21c can determine a reward to be given to the user based on the number of times it is determined that the user has won from the start to the end of the first auto mode M21. In this case, the more times it is determined that the user has won, the more reward may be given to the user. The auto processing unit 21c may determine a reward to be given to the user based on the maximum number of cycles in addition to or instead of the number of times it is determined that the user has won from the start to the end of the first auto mode M21. In the case where a reward is given even when the user loses, the reward to be given to the user may be determined based on the number of times it is determined that the user has won from the start to the end of the first auto mode M21 and the maximum number of cycles.

[0126] The auto processing unit 21c may determine a reward to be given to the user each time one cycle of processing of a game part is completed. The auto processing unit 21c may determine the reward to be given to the user in the same manner as in the manual mode M11. For example, when a competitive game part is executed in the first auto mode M21, the auto processing unit 21c can give a reward to the user when it is determined that the user has won. The auto processing unit 21c may also give a reward to the user when the user is defeated. Thus, the greater the maximum number of cycles in the first auto mode M21, the more opportunities there are for the user to be given a reward.

[0127] As described above, the reward given to the user in the first auto mode M21 is determined so that the greater the maximum number of cycles, the greater the reward. If the reward increases according to the number of wins of the user, the greater the maximum number of cycles, so the greater the likelihood that the user will win. In addition, if the reward is given regardless of whether the user wins or loses, or if it is determined that the user will win in any cycle, the reward increases according to the maximum number of cycles.

[0128] The reward given to the user in the first auto mode M21 may be determined based on the score, experience points, various points that can be obtained by clearing game parts other than the above, or a combination of these (hereinafter simply referred to as "obtained points") obtained in the game part cleared immediately before the transition to the first auto mode M21 in addition to or instead of the maximum number of cycles. A game part may be designed so that it is necessary to take a longer time to clear the game part in order to obtain many obtained points by clearing the game part. For example, assume a game part in which multiple enemy characters appear and which is designed so that the game part can be cleared by defeating a target character among the multiple enemy characters. In addition, in the game part, points can be obtained every time an enemy character is defeated, and it is assumed that the reward given to the user in the first auto mode M21 is calculated so that the shorter the time to clear the game part and the more points acquired in the game part, the greater the reward. In this case, in order to acquire a large amount of reward in the first auto mode M21, when playing the game part before switching to the first auto mode M21, the user can adopt a strategy of defeating the target character first in order to clear the game part in a short time, or can adopt a strategy of defeating other enemy characters before the target character in order to increase the points acquired in the game part. In this way, by determining the reward given to the user in the first auto mode M21 based on the points acquired in the game part cleared immediately before switching to the first auto mode M21, the strategies that the user can adopt in order to maximize the reward acquired in the first auto mode M21 are diversified, thereby improving the strategic nature of the game.

[0129] The process for executing the game part in the first auto mode M21 is executed by the server 20 (for example, by the auto processing unit 21c). Therefore, the execution of the game part in the first auto mode M21 is not interrupted even if the game application 15a is not executed in the foreground on the user device 10. In other words, even if the game application 15a is executed in the background on the user device 10, the execution of the game part in the first auto mode M21 is not interrupted. Therefore, the user can execute an application other than the game application 15a in the foreground on the user device 10 during the execution of the game part in the first auto mode M21.

[0130] Furthermore, even if the game application 15a is not running on the user device 10 or the user device 10 is turned off, the game part is executed without interruption in the first automatic mode M21.

[0131] The user can check the status of the first auto mode M21 even before the first auto mode M21 ends (i.e., before the maximum execution time has elapsed since the start of the first auto mode M21). For example, when the game application 15a is being executed in the foreground on the user device 10, the game part processing unit 11b can display a status screen indicating the processing status in the first auto mode M21 on the display of the user device 10. FIG. 12 shows an example of a status screen 80 displayed on the display of the user device 10.

[0132] The status screen 80 includes a text "First auto mode running" indicating that the first auto mode M21 is running, display elements 81 to 83, and an end button 84. The display element 81 indicates the time that has elapsed since the first auto mode M21 was started. The display element 82 displays the remaining time of the first auto mode M21. The remaining time of the first auto mode M21 is calculated by subtracting the time that has elapsed since the first auto mode M21 was started from the maximum execution time. The display element 83 displays the number of times that the user has been determined to have won from the start of the battle game part in the first auto mode M21 until the status screen 80 is displayed. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, if the auto processing period in the first auto mode M21 is 2 minutes 47 seconds as described above, one cycle of the game part is completed every 2 minutes 47 seconds from the start of the first auto mode M21. Therefore, 21 cycles of the game part are processed in 1 hour 7 seconds from the start of the first auto mode M21. The display element 83 shows that the user has won 15 times out of the 21 cycles of the competitive game part that have been completed since the start of the first auto mode M21. If it is determined that the user wins each cycle, the number of wins will be 21, which is the same as the number of completed cycles. In this case, the number of wins displayed on the display element 83 is 21. If it is determined that the user wins each cycle, the display element 83 may display the number of completed cycles ("21" in the above example) that indicates the number of cycles that have been completed since the start of the first auto mode M21.

[0133] The status screen 80 may be displayed on the user device 10 in response to the game application 15a, which has been executed in the background, returning to the foreground. In one embodiment, the number of wins or the number of completed cycles displayed on the status screen 80 may be calculated in real time while the first auto mode M21 is being executed. For example, the number of wins or the number of completed cycles may be incremented each time a time equivalent to an auto processing period has elapsed. In another embodiment, the number of wins or the number of completed cycles displayed on the status screen 80 may be calculated in response to the processing of the game application 15a moving from the background to the foreground. For example, while the processing of the game application 15a is being executed in the background, the number of wins or the number of completed cycles may not be calculated, and the number of completed cycles and / or the number of wins may be calculated in response to the processing of the game application 15a returning to the foreground based on the elapsed time from the start of the first auto mode M21 and the auto processing period at the time of returning to the foreground. By not calculating the number of wins or the number of completed cycles while the processing of the game application 15a is being executed in the background, it is possible to save computational resources. In the case where the number of wins or the number of completed cycles is not calculated while the processing of the game application 15a is being performed in the background, other processing related to the game mode (e.g., processing related to a battle such as calculation of the amount of damage, processing for determining the outcome of each cycle, processing for generating animation corresponding to the action of a character) may not be performed. In this way, when the processing of the game application 15a is being performed in the background, processing for progressing the game part is not performed, and processing related to the execution of the game part (e.g., calculation of the number of completed cycles, calculation of the number of wins, and / or calculation of the remaining time) is performed when the processing of the game application 15a returns to the foreground, so that even if the processing of the game part in the first auto mode M21 is started and the processing of the game application 15a is shifted to the background, the execution of the game part in the first auto mode M21 can be continued until the maximum execution time has elapsed.While the processing of the game application 15a has been shifted to the background, no processing related to the execution of the game part is performed. However, even if no processing related to the execution of the game part is performed while the processing of the game application 15a has been shifted to the background, processing such as calculation of the number of completed cycles is performed when the game application 15a returns to the foreground, so that the user does not have a problem playing the game part. More specifically, processing related to the execution of the game part (e.g., calculation of the number of completed cycles) is performed in response to the processing of the game application 15a returning to the foreground, and the calculation result is displayed on the status screen 80, so that the user can check the status of the game part in the first auto mode M21 when the game application 15a returns to the foreground. In this way, even if no processing related to the execution of the game part is performed while the processing of the game application 15a has been shifted to the background, by displaying the status screen 80 when returning to the foreground, the user can have the impression that the game part is continuing to progress even in the background.

[0134] The status screen 80 may be displayed on the user device 10 in response to the game application 15a being launched on the user device 10. In this case, the number of wins or the number of completed cycles displayed on the status screen 80 may be calculated in response to the game application 15a being launched. For example, while the game application 15a is not launched, the number of wins or the number of completed cycles may not be calculated, and the number of completed cycles and / or the number of wins may be calculated in response to the game application 15a being launched based on the elapsed time from the start of the first auto mode M21 at the time of launching the game application 15a and the auto processing period. By not calculating the number of wins or the number of completed cycles while the game application 15a is not launched, it is possible to save calculation resources. When the number of wins or the number of completed cycles is not calculated while the game application 15a is not launched, other processes related to the game mode may not be performed. In this way, when game application 15a is not running, processing for progressing the game part is not performed, but processing related to the execution of the game part (e.g., calculation of the number of completed cycles, calculation of the number of wins, calculation of the remaining time) is performed when game application 15a is started, so that even if game application 15a is ended in user device 10 after processing of the game part in first auto mode M21 has started, execution of the game part in first auto mode M21 can be continued until the maximum execution time has elapsed. Processing related to the execution of the game part (e.g., calculation of the number of completed cycles) is performed in response to game application 15a being started again after being ended, and the calculation result is displayed on status screen 80, so that the user can check the status of the game part in first auto mode M21 at the time of starting game application 15a.In this way, even if no processing related to the execution of the game part is performed while game application 15a is not running, by displaying status screen 80 when game application 15a is running, the user can be given the impression that the game part is continuing to progress even when game application 15a is not running.

[0135] The information used to calculate the number of completed cycles, i.e., the elapsed time from the start of the first auto mode M21 and the auto processing period, may be stored in the user device 10, the server 20, or both the user device 10 and the server 20.

[0136] Status screen 80 may be displayed on user device 10 as a notification from game application 15a running in the background. The user can determine whether to return game application 15a to the foreground based on the progress of first auto mode M21 displayed on status screen 80. For example, when status screen 80 indicates that the remaining time of first auto mode M21 is running short, game application 15a may be returned to the foreground.

[0137] The timing for displaying the status screen 80 is not limited to the above. For example, the display timing of the status screen 80 may be determined when the first auto mode M21 is executed, and the status screen 80 may be displayed in response to the arrival of the determined display timing. In one embodiment, the display timing of the status screen 80 may be the timing at which the game part is completed for a predetermined number of cycles after the first auto mode M21 is started. For example, if the display timing of the status screen 80 is the timing at which the processing of the game part is completed for 10 cycles after the first auto mode M21 is started, the status screen 80 is displayed at the time when the time obtained by multiplying the auto processing period by 10 has elapsed after the first auto mode M21 is started. In another embodiment, the display timing of the status screen 80 may be the timing at which the game part is completed for a number of cycles that corresponds to a predetermined ratio (for example, 1 / 2, 1 / 3, 1 / 5, etc.) of the maximum number of cycles. For example, the display timing of the status screen 80 may be the timing at which the processing of the game part is completed for 1 / 2 cycles of the maximum number of cycles. The timing of displaying the status screen 80 may be determined before or after the transition to the first auto mode M21.

[0138] When the end button 84 is selected on the status screen 80, the first auto mode M21 ends even before the maximum execution time has elapsed. When the end button 84 is selected, the game part being executed in the first auto mode M21 may be ended. When the end button 84 is selected, the elapsed time counted from the start of the first auto mode M21 is reset. Therefore, when the first auto mode M21 is started again, the elapsed time since the start of the first auto mode M21 is counted starting from the time when the first auto mode M21 was restarted.

[0139] Although not shown in the drawings, buttons for mode transition may be included in the status screen 80. For example, the status screen 80 may include at least one of a first transition button for transitioning to the manual mode and a second transition button for transitioning to the second auto mode M22.

[0140] Next, the flow of processing for progressing through a game part in the manual mode M11 will be described with reference to Fig. 13. In Fig. 13, it is assumed that the user has selected a battle game part.

[0141] During execution of a game, a plurality of game parts selectable by the user are displayed on the user device 10. The user selects one game part from the plurality of game parts displayed on the user device 10. When a game part is selected by the user, first, in step S11, the game part is started in manual mode M11.

[0142] Next, in step S12, a battle process is performed between the user's user character and the enemy character. If the game part being executed employs a turn system, attack turns occur alternately between the user character and the enemy character. Instructions from the user are input during the user's attack turn. The user character takes an action according to the input from the user. For example, the user character attacks the enemy character according to an input from the user instructing the user to attack the enemy character. During the enemy character's attack turn, the user character is attacked by the enemy character.

[0143] While a game part is being executed in the manual mode M11, as shown in FIG. 8, the user device 10 displays a play screen 50 including a switching button 51 for switching the game mode to the second auto mode M22. When the switching button 51 is selected and the transition to the second auto mode M22 is confirmed, a transition process to the second auto mode M22 is performed in step S14. After the transition process to the second auto mode M22 is completed, the game part that was executed in the manual mode M11 before the switch is executed in the second auto mode M22. In the second auto mode M22, the battle process proceeds without any input from the user. A specific process flow in the second auto mode M22 will be described later with reference to FIG. 14.

[0144] A termination condition for terminating one cycle of the processing of the game part is set. The termination condition of one cycle of the battle game part is, for example, that the user is determined to have won or lost against the enemy character. As described above, the attack turn of the user character and the attack turn of the enemy character are alternated, and when the life of the enemy character becomes zero, the user is determined to have won, and when the life of the user character becomes zero, the user is determined to have lost. Until it is determined in step S15 that the termination condition of one cycle of the game part is satisfied, the battle processing of step S12 is repeated. When it is determined in step S15 that the termination condition is satisfied, a result screen 70 showing the play result of the completed one cycle is displayed on the user device 10 in step S16.

[0145] When the transition selection button 73 included in the result screen 70 is selected, and the replay button 74 is selected while the transition selection button 73 is selected, the game part being executed transitions from the manual mode M11 to the first auto mode M21 in step S18. A transition to the first auto mode M21 also occurs if the replay waiting time has elapsed while the transition selection button 73 is selected. A specific processing flow in the first auto mode M21 will be described later with reference to FIG. 15.

[0146] If the transition to the first auto mode M21 is not performed, and if it is detected in step S19 that the end instruction button 72 included in the result screen 70 has been selected, the ongoing game part is ended. After the game part is ended, the main screen of the game may be displayed, or another game part may be displayed.

[0147] If the replay button 74 is selected while the transition selection button 73 included in the result screen 70 is not selected, the process returns to step S12 and the next cycle of the match processing is started. This match processing is executed in the manual mode M11. If the replay waiting time has elapsed while the transition selection button 73 is not selected, the next cycle of the match processing is started in the manual mode M11.

[0148] In this manner, processing of the game part in the manual mode M11 continues until ending of the game part is selected in step S19. If a transition to the second auto mode M22 is selected in step S13 while a game part is being executed in the manual mode M11, the game part is executed thereafter in the second auto mode M22. Also, if a transition to the first auto mode M21 is selected in step S17 while a game part is being executed in the manual mode M11, the game part is executed thereafter in the first auto mode M21.

[0149] Next, the flow of processing for progressing the game part in the second auto mode M22 will be described with reference to Fig. 14. In Fig. 14, it is assumed that the user has selected the battle game part.

[0150] First, in step S21, execution of a game part in the second auto mode M22 is started. Processing of the game part in the second auto mode M22 may be started in response to selection of the switching button 51 during execution of a game part in the manual mode M11. Some of the game parts may be set to be executed in the second auto mode M22.

[0151] Next, in step S22, a battle process is performed between the user's user character and an enemy character. The battle process in step S22 proceeds according to a predetermined battle logic, without depending on an input from the user.

[0152] While a game part is being executed in the second auto mode M22, the user device 10 displays a play screen 50 including a switching button 51 for switching the game mode to the manual mode M11. In the second auto mode M22, the switching button 51 includes the display "AUTO ON." When the switching button 51 is selected and the transition to the manual mode M11 is confirmed, a transition process to the manual mode M11 is performed in step S24. After the transition process to the manual mode M11 is completed, the game part that was being executed in the second auto mode M22 before the switch is executed in the manual mode M11.

[0153] The battle process in step S22 continues until it is determined in step S25 that the end condition for one cycle of the game part is satisfied. If it is determined in step S25 that the end condition is satisfied, a result screen 70 showing the play result of the completed cycle is displayed on the user device 10 in step S26.

[0154] When the transition selection button 73 included in the result screen 70 is selected, and then the replay button 74 is selected while the transition selection button 73 is selected, in step S28, the game part being executed transitions from the second auto mode M22 to the first auto mode M21. A transition to the first auto mode M21 also occurs if the replay waiting time has elapsed while the transition selection button 73 is selected.

[0155] If a transition to the first auto mode M21 is not performed, and if it is detected in step S29 that the end instruction button 72 included in the result screen 70 has been selected, the ongoing game part is ended. After the game part is ended, the main screen of the game may be displayed, or another game part may be displayed.

[0156] If the replay button 74 is selected while the transition selection button 73 included in the result screen 70 is not selected, the process returns to step S22, and the next cycle of the match processing is started. This match processing is executed in the second auto mode M22. If the replay waiting time has elapsed while the transition selection button 73 is not selected, the next cycle of the match processing is started in the second auto mode M22.

[0157] In this manner, processing of the game part in the second auto mode M22 continues until ending of the game part is selected in step S29. If a transition to the manual mode M11 is selected in step S23 while a game part is being executed in the second auto mode M22, the game part is executed in the manual mode M11 thereafter. Also, if a transition to the first auto mode M21 is selected in step S27 while a game part is being executed in the second auto mode M22, the game part is executed in the first auto mode M21 thereafter.

[0158] Next, the flow of processing for progressing the game part in the first auto mode M21 will be described with reference to Fig. 15. In Fig. 15, it is assumed that the user has selected the battle game part.

[0159] First, in step S31, execution of the game part in the first auto mode M21 is started. Processing of the game part in the first auto mode M21 may be started in response to selection of transition to the first auto mode M21 on the result screen 70 that is displayed after one cycle of processing of the game part is completed in the manual mode M11 or the second auto mode M22.

[0160] Next, in step S32, a maximum execution time that is an upper limit of the time that the first auto mode M21 can be continued is calculated. The maximum execution time when a certain user plays a game part in the first auto mode M21 may be determined based on a user parameter of the user, for example, the rank.

[0161] Next, in step S33, an auto processing period that indicates the time required to process one cycle of the game part in the first auto mode M21 is calculated. The auto processing period is calculated by adding the interval between cycles (e.g., 20 seconds) to the clear time taken to clear one cycle of the game part immediately before switching to the first auto mode M21.

[0162] Next, in step S34, the maximum number of cycles is calculated, which indicates how many cycles of the game part can be executed from when the first auto mode M21 is started until the maximum execution time has elapsed. The maximum number of cycles is calculated based on the maximum execution time and the auto processing cycle. The maximum number of cycles can be determined as the quotient of the maximum execution time divided by the auto processing cycle. For example, if the maximum execution time is 8 hours and the auto processing cycle is 2 minutes 47 seconds, the maximum number of cycles is determined to be 172 cycles.

[0163] Next, in step S35, a battle process between the user character and the enemy character is executed without input from the user. For example, in step S35, a win or loss is determined probabilistically for each auto processing cycle based on parameters indicating the abilities of the user character in the battle (attack power, defense power, life, etc.) and parameters indicating the abilities of the enemy character (attack power, defense power, life, etc.). This determination of the win or loss ends one cycle of processing for the game part in the first auto mode M21. If the auto processing cycle is 2 minutes 47 seconds, one cycle of processing is performed every 2 minutes 47 seconds.

[0164] Next, in step S36, it is determined whether the cumulative number of cycles processed in step S35 since the start of the first auto mode M21 has reached the maximum number of cycles. In the above example, since 172 cycles is the maximum number of cycles, it is determined whether the cumulative number of cycles processed in step S35 has reached 172 cycles. If the cumulative number of processed cycles is smaller than the maximum number of cycles, the battle processing in cycle units in step S35 continues. If the cumulative number of processed cycles has reached the maximum number of cycles, it is next determined in step S37 whether the elapsed time since the start of the first auto mode M21 has reached the maximum execution time.

[0165] The above-mentioned processes of the first auto mode M21 from step S32 to step S37 may all be performed in the server 20 (for example, the auto processing unit 21c).

[0166] When the time elapsed since the start of the first auto mode M21 reaches the maximum execution time, in step S38, the first auto mode M21 is ended and a reward to be given to the user is determined. The process of determining the reward to be given to the user may be performed as a part of the first auto mode M21, or may be performed as a process separate from the first auto mode M21 after the end of the first auto mode M21. In one embodiment, the reward is determined based on, for example, the number of times the user is determined to have won from the start to the end of the first auto mode M21. In this case, the more times the user is determined to have won, the more reward may be given to the user. In another embodiment, the reward may be determined based on the number of times the user is determined to have won from the start to the end of the first auto mode M21 and the maximum number of cycles. The reward may be determined so that the greater the maximum number of cycles, the greater the reward. The reward determined in step S38 is given to the user. The reward to be given to the user may be determined based on a probability table. In one embodiment, the probability table may determine the probability of winning a game medium (e.g., a game item) that may be granted as a reward for each number of wins by the user or each number of cycles (number of completed cycles) executed in the first auto mode M21. In the probability table, the probability of winning may be set such that the more wins or cycles completed by the user, the more likely it is that the game medium will be won. In another embodiment, a single probability table may be determined, and a lottery process based on the probability table may be performed for each number of wins or completed cycles. For example, when the number of wins is 20, the lottery process based on the probability table is performed 20 times, and the game medium that is won in the 20 lottery processes is granted to the user as a reward.

[0167] When the first auto mode M21 is terminated, a termination notification may be displayed on the user device 10 to inform the user that the first auto mode M21 has been terminated. Since the first auto mode M21 is executed when the game application 15a is executed in the background or while the game application 15a is not launched, the game application 15a may not be executed in the foreground when the first auto mode M21 is terminated. By displaying the termination notification on the user device 10, the user can be notified in a timely manner that the first auto mode M21 has been terminated.

[0168] Next, in step S39, the game part ends. In this manner, the game part in the first auto mode M21 is processed.

[0169] Next, some of the effects achieved by the above-described embodiment will be described.

[0170] In one embodiment, in the first auto mode M21, the game parts are repeatedly executed within the maximum execution time without user input, so that the user can obtain the reward that is granted at the end of the game parts with little effort. Also, because the time that the first auto mode M21 can be continuously executed is limited to within the maximum execution time, it is possible to suppress consumption of computational resources for processing to execute the game parts in the first auto mode M21.

[0171] In one embodiment, as the maximum number of cycles increases, the user has more opportunities to obtain a reward. Although the execution time of the first auto mode M21 is limited within the maximum execution time, the user can shorten the auto processing period by completing the game part immediately before the transition to the first auto mode M21 in a short time, and as a result, the maximum number of cycles can be increased. Therefore, the user can increase the opportunities to obtain a reward by completing the game part immediately before the transition to the first auto mode M21 in a short time.

[0172] In one embodiment, a result screen 70 is displayed on the user device 10 in response to the end of a game part in the manual mode M11 or the second auto mode M22. The result screen 70 includes a clear time display area 71 that indicates a first play time spent to clear the game part that was cleared immediately before the result screen 70 was displayed, and a transition selection button 73 for selecting a transition to the first auto mode M21. This makes it possible to present the first play time that affects the efficiency of reward acquisition in the first auto mode M21 to the user when the user selects whether or not to transition to the first auto mode M21. If the first play time is long, the user can execute the game part again in the manual mode M11 or the second auto mode M22 so as to clear it in a shorter time.

[0173] In one embodiment, the second auto mode M22 is executed in the limited mode or the non-limited mode according to the user's selection. Therefore, the user can be involved in the progress of the game in the second auto mode M22 through the selection of the limited mode or the non-limited mode without inputting anything during the execution of the game part in the second auto mode M22. In this way, the game part executed in the second auto mode M22 can progress and be cleared without requiring any input from the user, but by accepting the selection of the limited mode or the non-limited mode from the user, it is possible to provide the user with a deeper playing experience while reducing the effort of the user's input.

[0174] In one embodiment, in the second auto mode M22, the availability of skills may be set for each user character or for each skill based on an instruction from the user, providing a deeper play experience than the selection between the limited mode and the non-limited mode.

[0175] In one embodiment, in the first auto mode M21, the game part is executed even while the game application 15a is executed in the background on the user device 10. This allows the game part to be executed in the first auto mode M21 even while an application other than the game application 15a is running in the foreground on the user device 10. This allows the user to earn game rewards while using an application other than the game application 15a on the user device 10.

[0176] In one embodiment, in the first automatic mode M21, the game part is executed even while the game application 15a is not being executed on the user device 10. This allows the user to earn game rewards without using the computational resources of the user device 10.

[0177] In one embodiment, during execution of a game part in the first auto mode M21, a status screen showing the status of the first auto mode M21 can be displayed on the user device 10. This allows the progress of the game part in the first auto mode M21 to be confirmed without interrupting the processing of the game part in the first auto mode M21. The user can confirm the progress status of the first auto mode M21 (for example, the number of wins or the number of completed cycles calculated at the time the status screen 80 is displayed) and the remaining time on the status screen 80. For example, the user can determine whether to end the first auto mode M21 or continue to execute the first auto mode M21 until the maximum execution time based on the remaining time displayed on the status screen 80. In addition, the user can determine whether to return the game application 15a to the foreground based on the remaining time displayed on the status screen 80.

[0178] The game system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an example of a system to which the present invention can be applied, and the game system to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to that shown in FIG. 1. The game system 1 to which the present invention can be applied may not include some of the components shown in the figure. For example, the game system 1 may not include the storage 30. The game system 1 may include components that are not shown. Although only one user device 10 is shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of simplicity of explanation, the game system 1 may include any number of user devices 10 that is two or more. The game system 1 may include a cloud environment for distributing and processing the processing to be executed by the user device 10 or the server 20.

[0179] In the game system 1, there is no particular restriction on the storage location of data. For example, various data that can be stored in the storage 15 may be stored in a storage (e.g., the storage 30) that is physically separate from the storage 15 or in a database server. In this specification, data described as being stored in the storage 15 may be stored in a single storage or may be distributed and stored in multiple storages. In addition, in this specification and the claims, when the term "storage" is used simply, it may refer to either a single storage or a collection of multiple storages, as far as the context permits. The above description of data that can be stored in the storage 15 also applies to data stored in the storage 25 as far as possible.

[0180] The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, a part or all of the functions executed by the processor 11 and the processor 21 may be realized by a processor not specified in this specification, without departing from the spirit of the invention. In FIG. 1, the processor 11 is illustrated as a single component, but the processor 11 may be a collection of multiple physically separate processors. The same applies to the processor 21. In this specification, the programs described as being executed by the processor 11 and the processor 21 or the instructions included in the programs may be executed by a single processor, or may be executed in a distributed manner by multiple processors. In addition, the programs executed by the processor 11 and the processor 21 or the instructions included in the programs may be executed by one or more virtual processors.

[0181] The programs executed by the processor 11 and / or the processor 21 may be stored in various types of non-transitory computer readable media other than the illustrated storage. The non-transitory computer readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of the non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), CD-R, CD-R / W, and semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROM, Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), flash ROM, Random Access Memory (RAM)).

[0182] Although the processes and procedures described herein are described as being performed by a single device, software, component, or module, such processes or procedures may be performed by multiple devices, multiple software, multiple components, and / or multiple modules. Furthermore, although the data, tables, or databases described herein are described as being stored in a single memory, such data, tables, or databases may be stored in multiple memories in a single device or multiple memories distributed across multiple devices. Furthermore, the software and hardware elements described herein may be realized by integrating them into fewer components or breaking them down into more components.

[0183] In the processing procedures described in this specification, particularly in processing procedures described using flow charts or sequence diagrams, it is possible to omit some of the steps that make up the processing procedures, to add steps that are not explicitly stated as steps that make up the processing procedures, and / or to rearrange the order of the steps, and processing procedures in which such omissions, additions, or changes in order have been made are also included within the scope of the present invention as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the present invention.

[0184] The designations "first," "second," "third," and the like in this specification and claims are given to identify components and do not necessarily limit the number, order, or content. Furthermore, numbers for identifying components are used in different contexts, and a number used in one context does not necessarily indicate the same configuration in another context. Furthermore, a component identified by a certain number is not prevented from also having the function of a component identified by another number.

[0185] This specification also discloses the following technical matters. This specification also discloses the following techniques:

[0186] [Appendix 1] one or more processors; The one or more processors: in a first auto mode, executing a game part of the game without relying on input from a user; in a manual mode, progressing a game part of the game based on input from the user; determining a first processing period required to execute one cycle of the game part in the first auto mode based on a first play time spent to progress one cycle of the game part in the manual mode; In the first auto mode, the game part is executed one cycle at a time for each of the first processing cycles, thereby executing the game part a maximum number of cycles. Game system.

[0187] [Appendix 2] the one or more processors, in response to the end of the game part in the manual mode, cause a user device of the user to display a mode switching button for selecting between the first play time and a transition to the first auto mode; 2. The game system according to claim 1.

[0188] [Appendix 3] the one or more processors start the game part without requiring consumption of points that increase over time; 10. The game system according to claim 1 or 2.

[0189] [Appendix 4] the one or more processors execute the game part in the first auto mode while an application for the game is executed in the background; 2. The game system according to claim 1.

[0190] [Appendix 5] the one or more processors, during execution of the game part in the first auto mode, cause a user device of the user to display status information indicating a status of the first auto mode; 10. The game system according to claim 1 or 2.

[0191] [Appendix 6] the status information includes a transition button for transitioning to the first automatic mode, 6. A game system as described in appendix 5.

[0192] [Appendix 7] the one or more processors, during execution of the game part in the first auto mode, cause a user device of the user to display status information indicating a status of the first auto mode; the status information includes an elapsed time since the first auto mode was started and a number of completed cycles determined based on the first processing period. 2. The game system according to claim 1.

[0193] [Appendix 8] the one or more processors calculate the number of completed cycles in response to an application for the game being launched on a user device of the user; 8. The game system according to claim 7.

[0194] [Appendix 9] the one or more processors calculate the number of completed cycles in response to an application for the game being shifted from background to foreground in the first auto mode; 8. The game system according to claim 7.

[0195] [Appendix 10] When the first auto mode is terminated, the one or more processors cause a user device of the user to display a termination notification for notifying the user that the first auto mode has been terminated. 10. The game system according to claim 1 or 2.

[0196] [Appendix 11] the one or more processors, in a second automatic mode, progress the game part without input from the user only when an application for the game is running in the foreground; 10. The game system according to claim 1 or 2.

[0197] [Appendix 12] the one or more processors, in response to the end of the game part in the second auto mode, cause the user device of the user to display a second play time spent to progress the game part in the second auto mode for one cycle and a mode switching button for switching to the first auto mode; 12. The game system of claim 11.

[0198] [Appendix 13] the second auto mode includes a restricted mode in which a restricted game function among a plurality of game functions is not used and a non-restricted mode in which the restricted game function is available; the one or more processors progress the game part in either the limited mode or the non-limited mode in response to a selection made by the user; 12. The game system of claim 11.

[0199] [Appendix 14] In the game part, a character capable of using a plurality of game functions is used, and for each of the plurality of game functions, whether or not it can be used in the second automatic mode can be set. 12. The game system of claim 11.

[0200] [Appendix 15] 1. A game processing method for processing a game by one or more processors executing computer readable instructions, comprising: executing a game part of the game in a first automatic mode without input from a user; progressing the game part based on an input from the user in a manual mode; determining a first processing period required to execute one cycle of the game part in the first auto mode based on a first play time required to progress one cycle of the game part in the manual mode; executing the game part a maximum number of cycles by executing one cycle of the game part in each first processing period in the first auto mode; A game processing method comprising:

[0201] [Appendix 16] one or more processors, executing a game part of the game in a first auto mode without input from a user; progressing the game part based on an input from the user in a manual mode; determining a first processing period required to execute one cycle of the game part in the first auto mode based on a first play time required to progress one cycle of the game part in the manual mode; executing the game part a maximum number of cycles by executing one cycle of the game part in each first processing period in the first auto mode; A game program that executes the above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0202] 1. Game System 10 User Device 11 Processors 11a Game Progression Section 11b Game part processing section 11c Mode switching section 15. Storage 15a Game Applications 20 Servers 21 Processors 21a Game control unit 21b Mode setting section 21c Auto Processing Unit 25 Storage 25a User Management Data 25b Game media management data 25c Mode Management Data 25d Status Data

Claims

1. one or more processors; The one or more processors: In a first auto mode, a game part of the game is executed without input from a user; in a manual mode, progressing a game part of the game based on input from the user; determining a first processing period required for executing one cycle of the game part in the first automatic mode based on a first play time required for progressing one cycle of the game part in the manual mode; In the first auto mode, the game part is executed one cycle at a time for each of the first processing cycles, thereby executing the game part a maximum number of cycles. Game system.

2. the one or more processors, in response to the game part being ended in the manual mode, cause a user device of the user to display a mode switching button for selecting between the first play time and a transition to the first auto mode; The game system according to claim 1 .

3. the one or more processors start the game part without requiring consumption of points that increase over time; 3. The game system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the one or more processors execute the game part in the first auto mode even while an application for the game is executed in the background; The game system according to claim 1 .

5. the one or more processors, during execution of the game part in the first auto mode, cause a user device of the user to display status information indicating a status of the first auto mode; 3. The game system according to claim 1 or 2.

6. the status information includes a transition button for transitioning to the first automatic mode, The game system according to claim 5 .

7. the one or more processors, during execution of the game part in the first auto mode, cause a user device of the user to display status information indicating a status of the first auto mode; the status information includes an elapsed time since the first auto mode was started and a number of completed cycles determined based on the first processing period. The game system according to claim 1 .

8. the one or more processors calculate the number of completed cycles in response to an application for the game being launched on a user device of the user; The game system according to claim 7.

9. the one or more processors calculate the number of completed cycles in response to an application for the game being shifted from background to foreground in the first auto mode; The game system according to claim 7.

10. When the first auto mode is terminated, the one or more processors cause a user device of the user to display a termination notification for notifying the user that the first auto mode has been terminated.

3. The game system according to claim 1 or 2.

11. the one or more processors, in a second automatic mode, progress the game part without input from the user only when an application for the game is running in the foreground; 3. The game system according to claim 1 or 2.

12. the one or more processors, in response to the end of the game part in the second auto mode, cause the user device of the user to display a second play time spent to progress the game part in the second auto mode for one cycle and a mode switching button for switching to the first auto mode; The game system according to claim 11.

13. the second auto mode includes a restricted mode in which a restricted game function among a plurality of game functions is not used and a non-restricted mode in which the restricted game function is available; the one or more processors progress the game part in either the limited mode or the non-limited mode in response to a selection made by the user; The game system according to claim 11.

14. In the game part, a character capable of using a plurality of game functions is used, For each of the plurality of game functions, whether or not it can be used in the second auto mode can be set. The game system according to claim 11.

15. 1. A game processing method for processing a game by one or more processors executing computer readable instructions, comprising: executing a game part of the game in a first automatic mode without input from a user; progressing the game part based on an input from the user in a manual mode; determining a first processing period required to execute one cycle of the game part in the first automatic mode based on a first play time required to progress one cycle of the game part in the manual mode; executing the game part a maximum number of cycles by executing one cycle of the game part in each first processing period in the first auto mode; A game processing method comprising:

16. one or more processors, executing a game part of the game in a first automatic mode without input from a user; progressing the game part based on an input from the user in a manual mode; determining a first processing period required to execute one cycle of the game part in the first automatic mode based on a first play time required to progress one cycle of the game part in the manual mode; executing the game part a maximum number of cycles by executing one cycle of the game part in each first processing period in the first auto mode; A game program that executes the above.

Images