Program, information processing device, and game system

Abstract

To provide an electronic game for improving availability of desired game elements.SOLUTION: A first granted game element granted from a second type game element is determined on the basis of a first type game element designated by first designation information according to a first granting request for requesting granting of the second type game element including the first designation information for designating the first type game element that a player possesses, the first granted game element is managed as a player's possession state by relating the first granted game element to information for identifying a player, the second type game element is a game element that can be used for a match game of an electronic game while the first type game element is a game element that cannot be used for the match game, any of multiple classifications is set to the first type game element and the second type game element, and the first granted game element is determined from the second type game element to which a classification corresponding to the classification of the first type game element designated by the first designation information is set.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a program, an information processing device, and a game system, and more particularly to an electronic game having a function of adding game elements. [Background technology]

[0002] There is an electronic game that has a function of granting a player a game element of a different type by lottery in exchange for consuming a specific type of game element. In the electronic game of Patent Document 1, an item determined by lottery is granted to the player as a souvenir, on the condition that the player consumes a ticket. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-090018 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in electronic games such as those described in Patent Document 1, there are many options for items awarded by lottery, so players may not be able to obtain the items they were hoping for even after using tickets.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a program, an information processing device, and a game system that provide an electronic game with improved availability of desired game elements. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer that manages game elements owned by a player of an electronic game to execute the following steps: a receiving process for receiving a first granting request for granting a second type of game element, the first type including first designation information that designates a first type of game element owned by the player; a determination process for determining a first granting game element to be granted to the player from among the second type of game elements based on the first type of game element designated in the first designation information in response to receiving the first granting request; and a management process for managing the first granting game element as owned by the player by associating the first granting game element with information that identifies the player.The first type of game element is a game element that cannot be used in competitive play of the electronic game, while the second type of game element is a game element that can be used in competitive play.The first type of game element and the second type of game element are set to one of a plurality of classifications provided for each type, and the determination process determines the first granting game element from among the second type of game elements that have been classified according to the classification of the first type of game element designated in the first designation information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic game in which desired game elements are more readily available. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a game system according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a player terminal 100 according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a server 200 according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a shop screen displayed in a client application according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention. [Figure 5]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a result screen of a card lottery function displayed in a client application according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention; [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the effects of a card lottery function displayed in a client application according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a lottery function process executed in the player terminal 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a consumption process executed by the server 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Embodiment] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be combined in any desired manner. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used to designate identical or similar components, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0010] In the embodiment described below, the present invention is applied to a game system in which a server connected to player terminals (communication terminals or game devices) used by each player matches two players connected at the same time and provides a service (battle service) to realize a battle game in which both players participate. However, the present invention can be applied to a system realized by any device configuration capable of progressing an electronic game in which multiple players participate. In addition, in this specification, the term "player" refers to a user who logs in to use the battle service provided by the server 200 in this game system.

[0011] <Game System Configuration> 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a game system according to this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the game system is configured so that a server 200 and a plurality of player terminals 100 can be connected for communication via a network 300. In this embodiment, the server 200 matches two players of the connected player terminals 100 as players of a competitive game, establishes a communication session for transmitting and receiving various information related to the competitive game, and provides a competitive service that realizes a competitive game in which the two players participate.

[0012] Each player can log in to the battle service by launching a predetermined client application on the player terminal 100 used by that player. The client application allows the player to perform various settings and preparations for the battle game to be executed, set a player profile, and play (match, play) the battle game. As will be described in detail later, the battle game (electronic game) that can be played in the battle service of this embodiment is a trading card game (TCG) in which players progress by placing game elements such as cards on a predetermined game field. The player terminal 100 can also be any communication terminal equipped with a communication function, such as a PC or smartphone.

[0013] <Hardware configuration of the player terminal> Next, the hardware configuration of the player terminal 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the player terminal 100.

[0014] The control unit 101 is a processor such as a CPU, and performs various controls including operational control of each piece of hardware included in the player terminal 100. Specifically, the control unit 101 performs the relevant controls by, for example, reading out a necessary program stored in the storage device 102, expanding it into the memory 103, and executing it.

[0015] The storage device 102 is a device capable of permanently storing information, such as a non-volatile memory or HDD. The storage device 102 stores an operating system for operating the player terminal 100 and programs related to various applications, as well as parameter information required to realize various controls and various data used for display and communication functions related to the browser. The memory 103 is a storage device used for temporary data storage, such as a volatile memory. The memory 103 may be used not only as a development area for each program, but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data output during the operation of various hardware and various controls.

[0016] The GPU 104 is a drawing device that executes various drawing processes related to the generation of display screens for the player terminals 100. The GPU 104 also executes drawing processes for game screens during play of a competitive game. The GPU 104 includes a GPU memory (not shown), and develops various graphics data read from the storage device 102 and performs predetermined calculations to generate various images, including screens. Screens and images generated by the GPU 104 are presented to a player by being displayed on a display 110 provided in the player terminal 100, for example. The display 110 is a device for displaying information, such as a liquid crystal display, that is provided in the player terminal 100 or is detachably connected to the player terminal 100. The display 110 displays the screens generated by the GPU 104.

[0017] The operation I / F 105 is a user interface provided in the player terminal 100 and receives operation input. When the operation I / F 105 detects that an operation input has been made, it outputs a control signal corresponding to the operation input to the control unit 101. In one aspect, the operation I / F 105 includes, for example, operation members such as buttons provided on the exterior of the player terminal 100, various sensors, and the like. Furthermore, the display 110 provided in the player terminal 100 of this embodiment is configured to be able to detect touch input, and the operation I / F 105 includes a touch input detection sensor provided on the display 110.

[0018] The communication I / F 106 is a communication interface with an external device provided in the player terminal 100. Information communication between the communication I / F 106 and the external device may be performed via a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or via a LAN or the like. Information communication performed by the communication I / F 106 will be described as being performed wirelessly, but this does not exclude wired communication.

[0019] The speaker 120 is an audio output interface provided in the player terminal 100. The speaker 120 outputs various types of audio information including audio related to the client application.

[0020] <Server hardware configuration> 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server 200 according to this embodiment. In the following description, the hardware configuration that realizes the same functions as the player terminal 100 will be prefixed with the letter "server" to clearly distinguish it from the configuration of the player terminal 100.

[0021] The server control unit 201 is a processor such as a CPU, and performs control related to the realization of various functions, including operational control of each piece of hardware provided in the server 200, player management related to the battle service, a player matching function, and transmission and reception of information about the battle game being executed, as well as information sharing. Specifically, the server control unit 201 performs the relevant control by, for example, reading out necessary programs stored in the server storage device 202, expanding them into the server memory 203, and executing them.

[0022] The server storage device 202 is a device capable of permanently storing information, such as a non-volatile memory or HDD. The server storage device 202 stores an operating system for operating the server 200 and programs related to matching, as well as parameter information required for implementing various controls and various data required for providing the matching function. The server storage device 202 also has a database function for managing information on each player registered as a player of the game system. The server memory 203 is a storage device used for temporary data storage, such as a volatile memory. The server memory 203 may be used not only as a development area for each program, but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data output during the operation of various hardware and various controls.

[0023] The server communication I / F 204 is a communication interface with an external device provided in the server 200. Information communication between the server communication I / F 204 and the external device may be performed via a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or via a LAN or the like. Information communication performed by the server communication I / F 204 may be performed either wired or wirelessly.

[0024] Overview of the match game Below, an overview of the competitive game that provides a play experience in the game system of this embodiment will be described.

[0025] <Service login> When the client application is executed on the player terminal 100, a game window related to service use is displayed on the display 110 of the player terminal 100. The player can perform a service login procedure by, for example, entering a player ID and password in the game window. This procedure causes a service login request to be transmitted from the player terminal 100 to the server 200 together with the input information. Upon receiving the service login request, the server control unit 201 checks the authenticity of the input information, for example, by referring to player information registered in association with the player ID, and if the authenticity is confirmed, manages the player as being in a logged-in state. Once the player is in a logged-in state, they can use various functions related to playing the competitive game and provided by the service via the game window.

[0026] In the game system of this embodiment, the battle service provided to a logged-in player is primarily composed of two parts: a first part that provides a playing experience of a battle game, and a second part that provides functions related to various preparations for playing the battle game. In other words, the first part is a part where play related to a battle game between players is played, and the second part is a part where play related to a battle game between players is not played. The parts of the battle service may be switched, for example, depending on the functions used by the player in the battle service. In the battle service of this embodiment, multiple functions as shown below are configured to be available, and the server 200 switches the part when the player uses the corresponding function, even if the player does not intentionally perform an operation related to switching the part. In the following embodiment, the battle service is set to the first part when a player makes a request to start playing a battle game, and the battle service is set to the second part when play related to the battle game executed in response to the play start request is completed. Note that such part switching does not need to be performed explicitly; the switching may be performed during processing executed on the server 200.

[0027] Below, we will first explain the various functions provided in Part 2.

[0028] Deck Building The features offered by the service include deck building functionality.

[0029] The competitive game is played on a predetermined field set by the game. Each player builds a "deck" by registering a set of game elements for the competitive game, and can play the competitive game using the deck they built.

[0030] To build a deck, a player must obtain game elements, for example, through a lottery function that can be used by paying a fee. In other words, the game elements that a player can include in a deck to be built are limited to, for example, game elements that the player has already obtained. Furthermore, the number of decks that a player can build is not limited to one, and a player may be able to build multiple decks that have at least some of the registered game elements different from one another.

[0031] Information about game elements that a player has acquired and decks that the player has constructed is managed by being associated with identification information (player ID) that uniquely identifies the player and registered in the server storage device 202. More specifically, the server storage device 202 also functions as a database (DB) that manages various information about each player as player information, and manages the player ID, information about game elements that the player has acquired, and information about decks that the player has constructed, in association with each other in the player information, which is one record in the DB.

[0032] For example, for game elements acquired by a player, an element ID that uniquely identifies the game element and the number of the element IDs are included in the player information, thereby making it possible to manage how many of the game elements the player owns. Also, for example, for a deck constructed by a player, identification information for the deck (deck ID) and the element IDs of the game elements included in the deck are included in the player information, thereby managing the information on the deck constructed by the player (deck information).

[0033] As described above, the competitive game that the competitive service of this embodiment provides a play experience in is a TCG, and the game elements that are given to players and can be registered in their decks and used are cards (virtual cards that can be owned in an electronic game). In the competitive game of this embodiment, the cards that players can use are classified into two types: leader cards and member cards, which have different roles in the competitive game, and a deck must include one leader card. In other words, a deck is constructed from one leader card and multiple (one or more) member cards. Each card has a cost that is determined, for example, according to the degree to which it provides an advantage in the competitive game, and the player must register a group of cards to be included in the deck so that the total cost of the deck reaches a specified value.

[0034] Here, the leader card and the member card are cards that have different roles in the battle game, and have the following differences, for example.

[0035] Leader cards have the aspect of restricting the member cards that can be included in a deck, and determine the direction of the deck (the strategic direction that should be taken to win a competitive game). In other words, including one leader card in a deck determines to some extent how a competitive game using that deck will unfold. On the other hand, member cards do not generally restrict the other cards that can be included in a deck.

[0036] The game is played in turns, and during each player's turn, the player places cards registered in the deck they are using on the field in order. Leader cards are placed on the field at the start of the game and remain on the field throughout the game. Member cards, on the other hand, are randomly added to a player's hand from the deck and are placed on the field at the player's discretion during each turn. In other words, leader cards and member cards differ in whether their placement on the field is mandatory or optional.

[0037] Here, in the competitive game, a specified value of life (a parameter indicating the number of attacks that can be made against the leader card) is set for each player's leader card at the start of the competitive game. In the competitive game of this embodiment, to ensure fairness between players, the life of each leader card is set to a fixed value of 8. The competitive game ends when the life of one of the players' leader cards reaches 0, or when one of the players' decks (hand, deck, and member cards on the field) reaches 0 cards. That is, a player can win against an opponent by reducing the life of the opponent's leader card to 0, or by first reducing the opponent's deck to 0 cards. A player is defeated by an opponent when the life of his or her own leader card reaches 0, or when his or her deck reaches 0 cards before the opponent.

[0038] Each card is assigned an effect that occurs when it is placed on the field in the competitive game, but a member card is assigned a single effect that does not change depending on the progression parameters of the competitive game. In contrast, a leader card differs from a member card in that it is assigned multiple effects that change depending on the progression parameters of the competitive game. Here, the progression parameter of the competitive game may be, for example, the life of the leader card, and it may be set so that halving the life can activate an effect that gives the player an advantage in the progression of the competitive game.

[0039] Therefore, when a player selects the "Build a New Deck" or "Edit an Existing Deck" menu related to the deck building function, the game enters a state in which one deck is being edited, and a list of cards managed as being available to the player is displayed in the game window. The player can select cards to be registered in the deck to be edited by performing an operation input to select a desired card from the list. Specifically, the identification information (card ID) of the card selected to be registered in the deck is added to the deck information of the deck to be edited. The deck information of the deck to be edited is temporarily stored, for example, in memory 103 of player terminal 100, and is updated each time a card to be registered is selected.

[0040] Here, when the "Build a New Deck" menu is selected, new deck information is generated and stored in memory 103 as deck information related to the deck to be edited. On the other hand, when the "Edit an Already Constructed Deck" menu is selected, deck information related to the corresponding deck is downloaded from server 200 to player terminal 100 and stored in memory 103 as deck information related to the deck to be edited.

[0041] Then, in response to an operation input related to the completion of construction, deck information related to the deck to be edited is uploaded from the player terminal 100 to the server 200, and is managed as part of the player information related to the player. At this time, if the deck is a new deck, a new deck ID is assigned to the player in the server 200, and the deck ID is associated with the uploaded deck information and added to the player's player information. Also, if the deck is an already constructed deck, a deck ID is already associated with the deck information related to the deck to be edited, and therefore, deck information of the player's player information that has the same deck ID as the uploaded deck information is updated based on the uploaded deck information.

[0042] In order to avoid DB storage area being occupied by deck information that does not have any cards registered being included in player information, the uploading of deck information for the deck to be edited is performed on the condition that one or more cards have been registered at the time the operation input for completion of deck construction is made. In other words, completion of deck construction does not necessarily require that the deck be in a state that can be used in a competitive game; for example, a player can save the deck information as completed construction even if one or more cards that are temporarily being considered for use have been registered.

[0043] <Card lottery> The various cards used to build such decks are provided to players through a card lottery function. That is, players can obtain cards by using the card lottery function in the battle service.

[0044] In the battle service of this embodiment, players can obtain virtual currency (hereinafter referred to as "in-service currency") that can be used in the battle service, for example, by playing a battle game, by achieving results in the battle game, by achieving conditions in the battle service, by being granted by the battle service administrator, etc. In-service currency can also be obtained by players paying real currency (so-called charging).

[0045] The card lottery function is basically configured to be available on the condition that a predetermined amount of in-service currency is paid. In other words, a player can obtain a predetermined number of cards by using the card lottery function by agreeing to pay a predetermined amount of the in-service currency they own. The card lottery function can also be used by using a game element related to a lottery ticket (a ticket to use the card lottery function) donated by another player, without consuming the in-service currency they own. A lottery ticket is a game element that can be donated to a designated player by, for example, the donating player spending a predetermined amount of in-service currency. When a player receives a lottery ticket as a gift from another player, the player can consume the lottery ticket in place of the in-service currency they own and obtain a predetermined number of cards, just as if they had paid in-service currency.

[0046] In the following explanation, it is assumed that, for example, 10 cards are available for one use of the card lottery function. That is, in the battle service of this embodiment, 10 cards are selected as cards to be granted (granted cards) by lottery processing using the card lottery function, and basically, the information of the 10 granted cards is associated with the player's player information, so that the player has obtained the granted cards (is in possession of the cards).

[0047] The card lottery function is configured to be accessible on a shop screen displayed in response to the selection of a menu item related to the card lottery by a client application executed on the player terminal 100 used by each player. The shop screen may be, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, and allows access to the card lottery function via a purchase button 401. The shop screen 400 is provided with two purchase buttons, 401a and 401b, which accept the player's consent to the consumption of a predetermined amount of in-service currency and the consumption of one lottery ticket, respectively, when using the card lottery function. That is, by operating the purchase button 401a or 401b, the player can consume the in-service currency or lottery ticket to obtain 10 cards. Note that the purchase buttons 401a and 401b are controlled to accept an operation input (e.g., whether or not they are displayed on the shop screen 400 is controlled) on the condition that the player possesses the corresponding consumption element (in-service currency or lottery ticket). Therefore, when displaying the shop screen 400, the control unit 101 acquires information on the consumable elements possessed by the player from the server 200 and controls the display.

[0048] When an operation input is made to the purchase button 401a or 401b, a request for the grant of a card by lottery is transmitted from the player terminal 100 to the server 200. The grant request includes consumption information that identifies the consumption element that the player has agreed to consume.

[0049] Upon receiving the grant request, the server control unit 201 consumes the elements specified by the consumption information among the consumption elements owned by the player (changes the corresponding information in the player information to a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined number), and executes a lottery process. The targets of the lottery process include leader cards and member cards, and 10 cards are determined as the lottery results from among the target cards through the lottery process. Here, the lottery process does not exclude the inclusion of duplicate cards in the lottery results. Once the server control unit 201 determines the 10 cards as the lottery results, it associates the information of the cards with the player information and manages them as the player's possession status.

[0050] The information on the lottery result determined by the server control unit 201 is also sent back to the player terminal 100, and the client application displays a result screen showing the cards that have newly become the player's possession through the use of the card lottery function. For example, as shown in Fig. 5(a), the result screen displays a list of the 10 cards included in the information on the lottery result, using images of the card appearances associated with each card.

[0051] (Card holding limit) Incidentally, in a mode in which player information relating to each player using the battle service is managed by the server storage device 202, it is not desirable to increase the amount of information for each individual player without limit. In other words, in order to allow a player to own an unlimited number of cards, it is necessary to increase the size of the server storage device 202 in order to store the player information, which may increase the introduction costs and running costs of the server 200.

[0052] Therefore, in the battle service of this embodiment, a possession limit is set for each card that can be granted to a player. More specifically, a possession limit is set for each card, and for each card, a player can possess up to the possession limit for that card. In other words, a card granted to a player by using the card lottery function is associated with player information and becomes a player's possession state only if the player's possession count of that card has not reached the possession limit. On the other hand, if the player's possession count has reached the possession limit, cards in excess of the possession limit are not possessed by the player but are treated as surplus cards.

[0053] Here, the maximum number of cards that can be held may be set for each type of card, with the same maximum number being set for cards of the same type. In one aspect, the type of card may be the rarity (rarity in a battle game or battle service) defined for that card. Hereinafter, in the battle service of this embodiment, cards that can be granted to players are described as being classified into one of five rarities, each with a different rarity. Rarity can be linked to the probability of winning a card in a lottery process related to the card lottery function, for example. The higher the rarity of a card, the lower the probability of winning in the lottery process. In other words, in the lottery process, cards with lower rarity are more likely to be won, and cards with higher rarity are less likely to be won. Therefore, the maximum number of cards that can be held is set to a higher value for cards with lower rarity than for cards with higher rarity. Hereinafter, in the description of rarity, high rarity may be referred to simply as "high rarity" and low rarity may be referred to simply as "low rarity."

[0054] Cards that are treated as surplus cards, i.e., cards that were granted to a player using the card lottery function but did not become the player's possession, are displayed in a different manner from the possessed cards on the result screen, clearly indicating to the player that they were not possessed. As shown in Figure 5(b), the result screen displays the possession limit number and the player's possession number for each granted card according to its rarity. In the example shown in the figure, the exterior image of the card is displayed in a grayed-out manner, for example, so that it is easy to tell which cards are surplus cards.

[0055] Here, it would be cruel to not allow surplus cards to be held by a player because the player's possession limit has been reached, even though the surplus cards have been awarded. For this reason, in the battle service of this embodiment, surplus cards are not held, but are instead converted into predetermined points (hereinafter referred to as WC points) and awarded to the player. The amount of WC points awarded is determined according to the number of cards awarded in excess of the possession limit, and in this embodiment, it is described that one (equal number) WC point is awarded for each surplus card.

[0056] As will be explained in more detail later, WC points have a rarity set in the same way as cards, and the WC points awarded to a player for one surplus card will be set to the same rarity as that surplus card. Also, since WC points of the same rarity are not configured to be distinguishable, if there are multiple surplus cards of the same rarity, they will all have that rarity, and the player will be awarded the same number of WC points.

[0057] The conversion of surplus cards into WC points is performed automatically without requiring any operational input from the player. That is, although the group of cards awarded by using the card lottery function is displayed on the result screen, in the processing of the server control unit 201, once it is determined that the awarded cards exceed the maximum number of cards that can be held, the WC points are associated with the player information and are managed as if the player holds WC points.

[0058] When the surplus cards are converted into WC points, a display related to the conversion is displayed on the result screen. The display includes a series of displays in which the surplus cards are subjected to an impact and broken, as shown in Fig. 6(a), and then the surplus cards become unrecognizable, as shown in Fig. 6(b). As shown in the figure, if there are multiple surplus cards among the 10 cards resulting from the lottery, the displays showing these surplus cards being broken are displayed simultaneously.

[0059] In the example shown in FIG. 6, together with the effect display, a notification 601 is also displayed indicating that some of the newly granted cards (surplus cards) have exceeded the possession limit and that these cards will no longer be in the player's possession. In the example shown in the figure, the notification 601 is described as being displayed together with the effect display, but the notification 601 may also be displayed after the surplus cards are destroyed. Furthermore, following the effect display, a notification (not shown) may be displayed on the result screen indicating that WC points have become the player's possession instead of the surplus cards. The notification may, for example, indicate a breakdown of the WC points that have become in the player's possession.

[0060] Furthermore, for cards other than the surplus cards among the group of cards granted by using the card lottery function, an impact similar to that of a breaking effect may be applied, but an effect emphasizing that the cards will remain intact without breaking may be displayed. This effect may be displayed with a time lag to clearly distinguish the surplus cards from the other cards.

[0061] At least a part of the effect display related to these result screens may be controlled to be stopped from being displayed in response to an operation input related to skipping the effect on the player terminal 100.

[0062] <Using WC points> WC points, which are held by a player in place of surplus cards, can be accumulated and can be exchanged for other game elements once a predetermined number has been accumulated. In the battle service of this embodiment, WC points can be exchanged for wild cards on the condition that a predetermined number, such as 100 points, is consumed.

[0063] Here, wild cards are cards that can be consumed in the battle service when using the card generation function described below, and are different from cards that can be used to play the battle game (leader cards and member cards). In other words, wild cards are cards that cannot be included in a deck and used in the battle game. Hereinafter, to make it easier to distinguish between these cards, cards that can be used to play the battle game may be referred to as "game cards."

[0064] Like game cards and WC points, wild cards have a rarity, and the wild card granted to a player in exchange for WC points will have the same rarity as the WC points they were exchanged for. WC points are exchangeable for different rarities, and a certain number of WC points of the same rarity are required to obtain a wild card of a given rarity.

[0065] The exchange of WC points for wild cards may be performed in response to an operation input by the player instructing the exchange, or may be performed without an operation input instructing the exchange when the number of WC points exceeds a predetermined number at the time of the exchange. When an exchange is performed, the player information for the player is changed to a state in which the predetermined number of WC points is not held, and instead, a corresponding wild card is associated and held.

[0066] Card Creation In the battle service, a player can use the card generation function to generate and obtain a game card of a specific rarity. In this embodiment, a player can use the card generation function to obtain a game card of the same rarity as the wild card, provided that the player consumes the wild card.

[0067] The card generation function is executed, for example, in response to an operation input on a button (GUI) related to the granting of a card generated based on a wildcard on a generation screen provided for the function. Here, since the card generation function is a function that can be used on the condition that a wildcard is consumed, the button related to the grant request may be configured to be able to accept an operation input on the condition that the player has one or more wildcards.

[0068] When an operation input is made to the button related to the grant request, an operation input specifying a wild card to be consumed is further accepted, and a game card grant request including information specifying the wild card to be consumed is transmitted from the player terminal 100 to the server 200. Upon receiving the grant request, the server control unit 201 consumes the specified wild card associated with the player and grants the player a game card of the same rarity as the wild card. More specifically, the server control unit 201 updates the player information related to the player by disassociating the information of the specified wild card with the information of the game card to be granted and newly associating it with the information of the game card to be granted.

[0069] The game card to be awarded to the player by consuming the wild card may be selected by the server control unit 201, for example, by a lottery process, from among game cards that have the same rarity as the wild card, or may be selected by the player. In the latter case, information specifying the game card to be awarded is included in the award request.

[0070] As described above, in the battle service of this embodiment, players can obtain game cards by using two functions: a card lottery function and a card creation function. Both of these methods involve sending a request for a game card from the player terminal 100 to the server 200, but differ in whether or not the request includes information specifying a wild card.

[0071] Next, a game play function that provides a battle game related to a battle game, which is provided in the first part of the service, will be described.

[0072] <matching> Players can play a competitive game by using a deck constructed using the deck construction function. In the competitive game of this embodiment, two players compete against each other, so the players must transmit a matching request from the player terminal 100 to the server 200 before starting gameplay. Upon receiving the matching request, the server control unit 201 performs processing to match two players to compete against each other from among logged-in players who have simultaneously made matching requests.

[0073] Therefore, the client application is provided with a game play function, and is configured to receive a request from a player to start playing a competitive game when using this function. The player can input an operation related to the request to start playing by selecting one of the decks they have constructed as a battle deck for the (subsequent) competitive game. As will be described in detail later, the game system of this embodiment matches opponents with consideration given to the deck used by the player to enhance the entertainment value of the competitive game. Therefore, when an operation related to the request to start playing is input, the control unit 101 transmits a matching request including information about the battle deck to the server 200 via the communication I / F 106.

[0074] The matching request includes, for example, the player ID of the player and information indicating the battle deck used by that player. The information indicating the battle deck can be, for example, a deck ID, and the server control unit 201 can refer to the deck information related to the battle deck from the corresponding player information based on the player ID and deck ID, and can identify the cards registered in the battle deck.

[0075] As described above, how a battle game unfolds depends on the battle decks used by the players, particularly the leader cards included in the battle decks. The characteristics of each leader card are primarily determined by the effects that can be activated by the leader card, but to allow for a variety of play styles, advantageous / disadvantageous compatibility exists between characteristics. Therefore, if a player is repeatedly matched with other players using decks with which the player has disadvantageous compatibility, the player's interest in the battle game may decrease. Therefore, in the game system of this embodiment, information about the battle decks is included in the matching request and is referenced in the matching process, described below, performed by the server control unit 201.

[0076] However, constructing a battle deck that will allow for optimal game development requires consideration of the effects and costs set for each leader card and member card, which takes time. Furthermore, the matching process for providing a highly engaging battle game experience and matching a player who has made a matchmaking request with a suitable opponent can also take time depending on the time of day, etc. In other words, if a request to start playing a battle game were to be accepted only after a battle deck has been constructed, it could take a long time for a player who has logged in to the service to begin playing the battle game.

[0077] For this reason, the game system of this embodiment is configured to accept a request to start play using a deck as a battle deck, provided that at least a leader card is registered in the deck. In other words, a matching request is sent from the player terminal 100 to the server 200, provided that the deck selected as the battle deck contains at least one leader card.

[0078] Therefore, in the game window of the client application, the player can display and check the contents of the battle deck even after performing an operation input related to a play start request, and the battle deck can also be edited. Here, the deck to be edited is limited to the battle deck. Furthermore, as will be described in detail later, in response to a matching request, the server 200 executes a matching process based on the information of the leader card of the battle deck. Therefore, after a play start request is made, only the parts of the battle deck other than the leader card, i.e., the member cards, can be edited. Editing of the battle deck is controlled so that it is only possible for a period until the opponent matching is completed.

[0079] (Matching process) The following provides an overview of the matching process executed by the server 200 in relation to matching.

[0080] The competitive game provided by the game system of this embodiment is a TCG in which two players compete against each other. Therefore, when the server control unit 201 receives a matching request for one player from the player terminal 100, it executes a matching process to determine the other player (opponent) to compete against that player. The matching process is a process of matching logged-in players who have issued matching requests at the same time. To provide a highly interesting playing experience, the matching process of this embodiment sets multiple types of matching criteria and extracts players to be used as opponents based on those criteria. Each matching criterion specifies the conditions for players to be extracted as opponents, and the server control unit 201 extracts players that meet the conditions from among players who have received matching requests at the same time and selects one of those players as the opponent. A priority order is assigned to each of the multiple types of matching criteria, and the server control unit 201 basically extracts players who satisfy the conditions related to all of the matching criteria and selects one player from among them as the opponent. However, if there is no player who satisfies all the conditions, the server control unit 201 repeats the process of extracting players by excluding matching criteria with the lowest priority order.

[0081] Once the player matching is complete, the server control unit 201 establishes a communication session for transmitting and receiving various information related to the competitive game in which the two matched players will participate. Information about the communication session is transmitted to the player terminals 100 used by each of the two players, together with, for example, information about the matching result. Upon receiving the information about the communication session, the control unit 101 of the player terminal 100 starts processing for connecting to the communication session.

[0082] Gameplay When the player terminals 100 of the players competing in the communication session are connected, game play of the competitive game in which the two matched players are participating can begin. When the player terminals 100 of both players connect to the communication session, the client application running on each player terminal 100 starts processing related to playing the competitive game and displays a game screen.

[0083] Here, the competitive game is executed on the condition that the battle deck contains one leader card and one or more member cards, and when the processing related to playing the competitive game begins, the battle deck is controlled so that it cannot be edited to ensure fairness. Therefore, if the battle deck used by the player does not contain any member cards before the processing related to playing the competitive game begins, the control may be such that an operation input related to the selection of at least one member card is accepted, and the deck information is updated with the addition of a member card, and the processing related to playing the competitive game is executed.

[0084] In the process related to playing the competitive game executed in each player terminal 100, various pieces of information for game progress are constructed based on operation inputs made by the players in relation to the competitive game, and transmitted to the server 200. The server 200 manages various pieces of information for game progress for each communication session, and performs a process of transmitting (sharing) information received from a player terminal 100 to other player terminals 100 participating in the communication session. In the process related to playing the competitive game, when game progress information related to an opponent is received from the server 200, display control of the game screen is performed based on that information. In this way, the game system can provide a playing experience in which players in remote locations compete against each other via the server 200.

[0085] Lottery function processing The lottery function processing executed in relation to the use of the card lottery function in the player terminal 100 of this embodiment will be specifically described below using the flowchart in Fig. 7. The processing corresponding to this flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading out a corresponding processing program stored in, for example, the storage device 102, and expanding and executing it in the memory 103. Note that this lottery function processing will be described as being started, for example, when a client application is executed in the player terminal 100 and an operation input is made on the purchase button 401a or b on the shop screen. To facilitate understanding of the invention, the following description will be given assuming that the player owns the consumable element associated with the purchase button for which an operation input was made.

[0086] In S701, the control unit 101 transmits a request for providing a game card related to the card lottery function to the server 200 via the communication I / F .

[0087] In S702, the control unit 101 determines whether or not it has received information on the lottery result in response to the award request sent in S701. If the control unit 101 determines that it has received the information on the lottery result, it proceeds to S703, and if it determines that it has not received the information, it repeats the processing of this step.

[0088] In S703, the control unit 101 refers to the received lottery result information and determines whether or not the game cards newly granted to the player include any surplus cards. Here, the lottery result information related to the card lottery function and received from the server 200 includes, for each of the 10 game cards determined to be granted to the player by the lottery process, information indicating, for example, a card ID that uniquely identifies the game card, the number of game cards held by the player (after the cards are granted), and whether or not the game card is classified as a surplus card. That is, the control unit 101 makes the determination in this step based on whether or not information about game cards classified as surplus cards is included in the lottery result information. If the control unit 101 determines that any surplus cards are included in the game cards newly granted to the player, it proceeds to S704; if it determines that any surplus cards are not included, it proceeds to S707.

[0089] In S704, the control unit 101 displays a result screen including the appearance images of the newly granted game cards on the display 110. Here, the control unit 101 controls the newly granted game cards that are classified as surplus cards to be displayed in a different display mode, for example, by graying out the appearance images.

[0090] In S705, the control unit 101 displays an effect related to the conversion of WC points on the display 110. The effect includes breaking up the appearance image of the game card classified as a surplus card as described above, and then changing the appearance image of the game card to an unrecognizable state.

[0091] In S706, the control unit 101 completes the lottery function process by further displaying a notice regarding the treatment of the surplus cards on the display 110. As described above, the notice regarding the treatment of the surplus cards may include information that the number of game cards held in question has exceeded the upper limit, that the surplus cards will not be held by the player, that each surplus card has been converted into WC points of the same rarity and granted, and the number of WC points granted.

[0092] On the other hand, if it is determined in S703 that the game cards newly granted to the player do not include any surplus cards, the control unit 101 displays a result screen including the appearance images of the newly granted game cards on the display 110 in S707, and completes this lottery function processing. Since there are no surplus cards on the result screen, the appearance images of all of the newly granted game cards are controlled to be displayed in a normal manner.

[0093] Consumption Process Next, the wildcard consumption process executed in the server 200 of this embodiment in connection with the card generation function will be described in detail using the flowchart in Fig. 8. The process corresponding to this flowchart can be realized by the server control unit 201 reading out a corresponding processing program stored in, for example, the server storage device 202, and expanding and executing the program in the server memory 203. Note that this consumption process will be described as being started when, for example, a request for granting a game card in connection with the card generation function is received from the player terminal 100.

[0094] In S801, the server control unit 201 specifies the rarity of the wildcard to be consumed when granting the current game card (hereinafter referred to as the target rarity). Specifically, the server control unit 201 specifies the target rarity based on information specifying the rarity of the wildcard to be consumed, which is included in the received grant request.

[0095] In S802, the server control unit 201 consumes a wildcard of the target rarity from among the wildcards possessed by the player. At this time, the server control unit 201 updates the information on the number of possessed wildcards of the target rarity included in the player information related to the player to a value obtained by subtracting 1.

[0096] In S803, the server control unit 201 determines the game cards to be awarded to the player from among the game cards of the target rarity. The determination in this step can be made based on, for example, a lottery process as described above.

[0097] In S804, the server control unit 201 sets the game cards determined in S803 as owned by the player. Specifically, the server control unit 201 updates the information on the number of game cards owned, which is included in the player information related to the player, by adding 1 to the value.

[0098] In S805, the server control unit 201 returns to the player terminal 100, as a response to the received grant request, grant result information including the card ID of the game card determined in S803.

[0099] As described above, the game device of this embodiment can provide an electronic game with an improved playing experience, and the information processing device of this embodiment can provide an electronic game with improved availability of desired game elements.

[0100] [Variation 1] In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that an exchange for a wild card is separately accepted on the condition that a predetermined number of WC points, which are awarded by converting surplus cards, have been accumulated, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when there are surplus cards among the cards awarded in using the card lottery function, and converting the surplus cards into WC points would cause the player's WC points to exceed the exchangeable number, the conversion of WC points to a wild card may be configured so that, instead of notifying the player that WC points will be awarded instead on the result screen, the player is asked whether or not to exchange the WC points for a wild card.

[0101] At this time, when an operation input relating to an exchange instruction is accepted at the player terminal 100, the server control unit 201 receives information indicating this, executes processing to exchange the corresponding WC points for wild cards of the same rarity, and returns information relating to the exchange result to the player terminal 100. That is, the server control unit 201 changes the number of WC points held in the player information relating to the player to the value after the exchange, and also changes the number of held wild cards to an increased value. When the player terminal 100 receives the information relating to the exchange result, it may display, for example, a message indicating that the accumulated WC points have been exchanged for wild cards and that the wild cards are now newly held by the player.

[0102] In addition, when there are surplus cards, the exchange of WC points for wild cards may be executed without inquiring of the player as to whether or not the exchange is necessary.

[0103] We have explained above that when a player is given more game cards (surplus cards) than the maximum number they can own, they can be converted into WC points and then exchanged for wild cards. However, there may also be a configuration in which there is no concept of WC points and surplus cards can be directly converted into wild cards.

[0104] [Variation 2] In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, wild cards are granted to players on the condition that WC points are consumed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A wild card may be granted without payment of a price, provided that a predetermined condition is met, for example, when playing a competitive game or using a competitive service. In such a case, the granted wild card may be of a predetermined rarity, or may be of a rarity selected from among multiple rarities by a lottery process, for example.

[0105] [Variation 3] In the above-described embodiment, the game card granted to the player in the card generation function is described as having the same rarity as the consumed wild card, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, some wild cards may be provided such that the rarity of the game card granted by consumption can be selected from all rarities. When the player specifies consumption of the wild card, the wild card is controlled so that it can also accept a specification of the desired rarity to be granted. In this case, the server control unit 201 receives information specifying the rarity along with the grant request, and determines the game card to be granted from among game cards of the corresponding rarity.

[0106] [Variation 4] In the above-described embodiment, the card generation function has been described as allowing a player to specify the game card to be granted by selecting the rarity of the wild card to be consumed. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this, and the wild card may be able to specify whether the granted game card will be classified as a leader card or a member card. For example, when a wild card designated as a leader card is designated as the card to be consumed, the server control unit 201 selects one leader card from among leader cards of all rarities in response to the granting request, and determines it as the game card to be granted to the player.

[0107] [Variation 5] However, since TCGs progress by adding game cards drawn from a shuffled deck to one's hand, players may not always be able to draw the desired game card from the deck during gameplay. For this reason, some players build decks that include multiple game cards to increase the probability of drawing the desired game card.

[0108] In the above-described embodiment, the card generation function also mentions an aspect in which the player can specify the game cards to be granted, but in such an aspect, since the player can specify any game cards to be granted, the player may also be able to specify the number of game cards to be granted. In other words, with this configuration, the player can obtain the desired number of game cards, making it easier to build a suitable deck.

[0109] [Variation 6] In the above-mentioned modified example 5, it has been explained that there is no limit to the game cards that can be designated as the grant target in the card generation function, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this.

[0110] For example, some game cards may be excluded from the items to be awarded by the card generation function. In such an embodiment, when a game card excluded from the items to be awarded is designated, the control unit 101 may notify the player terminal 100 that the game card is not an item to be awarded, and may control the player terminal 100 not to transmit an award request to the server 200.

[0111] Furthermore, players may be ranked based on their match results in a competitive game, for example, so that players with similar playing skills are matched together. In such an embodiment, some game cards, such as game cards that are set to have a high degree of advantage in the progress of the competitive game, may be set as unusable in competitive games for players of lower ranks. Therefore, when using the card generation function, the player's rank may be determined, and if a game card that cannot be used in competitive games for the player's rank is specified, the control unit 101 may display a warning that the card cannot be used in competitive games at this time even if the player owns it, and may inquire as to whether or not to consume a wild card.

[0112] [Variation 7] In the above-described embodiment, when a surplus card is converted into WC points, an effect is displayed in which the external image of the surplus card breaks. However, it should be readily understood that the effect indicating that the surplus card will not become the player's possession as a result of using the card lottery function is not limited to this.

[0113] In the above embodiment, the number of WC points is converted to the same number as the number of remaining cards and awarded to the player, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a conversion rate other than 1 may be set between the remaining cards and the WC points, and the number of WC points awarded may be determined based on this conversion rate.

[0114] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment and variant examples, game cards, WC points, and wild cards are classified by rarity, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that other classifications may be used.

[0115] [Summary of the embodiment] The above-described embodiments disclose at least the following programs, information processing devices, and game systems.

[0116] (1) For electronic games, a computer that manages game elements owned by players is a receiving process for receiving a first request for granting a second type of game element, the first request including first designation information designating a first type of game element owned by the player; a determination process for determining a first game element to be granted to the player from among game elements of a second type based on the game element of the first type specified by the first specification information in response to receiving the first grant request; a management process for managing the first granted game element as an owned state of the player by associating the first granted game element with information identifying the player; A program for executing the first type of game element is a game element that cannot be used in a competitive game of the electronic game, while the second type of game element is a game element that can be used in the competitive game; The first type of game element and the second type of game element are each set to one of a plurality of classifications provided for each type, The determination process is a program that determines the first grant game element from among the second type of game elements that are classified according to the classification of the first type of game element specified by the first specification information.

[0117] (2) The program described in (1) in which the management process associates the first granted game element with information identifying the player, on the condition that the association of the first type of game element specified by the first designation information with information identifying the player is released.

[0118] (3) A program described in (1) or (2), in which the determination process determines the first grant game element from among the second type of game elements that are classified in the same way as the first type of game element specified by the first specification information.

[0119] (4) The program described in (3) in which the determination process determines the first grant game element from among the second type of game elements of all classifications, on the condition that the first type of game element of a predetermined classification is specified by the first designation information.

[0120] (5) The second type of game element includes a first game element and a second game element that have different roles in the competitive game; The determination process includes: When the first type of game element of the predetermined classification is designated by the first designation information, the first grant game element is determined from the first game elements of all classifications; A program described in (4), wherein when the first type of game element of a classification other than the specified classification is specified by the first specification information, the first grant game element is determined from the second game elements of a classification corresponding to the classification of the first type of game element.

[0121] (6) The first grant request further includes second designation information that designates the second type of game element; The program according to (1) or (2), wherein the determination process determines the first game element to be given based on the second designation information in response to receiving the first giving request.

[0122] (7) The second designation information further includes information on the number of the second type of game element to be awarded designated by the second designation information; The program described in (6), wherein the management process manages the first granted game elements of the granted number as the player's possession status by associating the first granted game elements of the granted number with information identifying the player.

[0123] (8) A program described in any one of (1) to (7), wherein the receiving process receives the first grant request on the condition that the first type of game element is owned by the player.

[0124] (9) The receiving process further includes receiving a second grant request for requesting grant of the second type of game element, the second grant request not including the first designation information; the determination process determines a second game element to be granted to the player from among the second type of game elements in response to receiving the second grant request; The management process includes: When the number of the second grant game elements held by the player has not reached the upper limit, the second grant game elements are associated with information identifying the player, thereby managing the second grant game elements as the player's possession status; A program described in any one of (1) to (8), in which, when the number of the second granted game elements owned by a player reaches the maximum number that can be owned, the first type of game element is associated with information identifying the player instead of the second granted game element, and the first type of game element is managed as the player's ownership status.

[0125] (10) The second grant request requests the granting of a predetermined number of the second type of game elements, the determination process determines the predetermined number of the second game elements to be awarded in response to receiving the second award request; The program described in (9) in which the management process associates a corresponding number of the first type of game elements with information identifying the player in place of the surplus game elements based on the number of surplus game elements that would be held by the player if the predetermined number of the second granted game elements were held by the player and would exceed the upper limit number of held elements.

[0126] (11) The program according to (10), wherein the management process associates the same number of game elements of the first type as the surplus game elements with the information identifying the player in place of the surplus game elements.

[0127] (12) A program described in any one of (9) to (11), wherein the management process associates the first type of game element with information identifying the player instead of the second type of game element when the number of the second type of game element held reaches the upper limit of the number held, without requiring any operational input from the player.

[0128] (13) The program described in any one of (9) to (12) further causes the computer to execute an output process that outputs information indicating that the player has acquired the first type of game element instead of the second granted game element.

[0129] (14) The program according to any one of (9) to (13), wherein the receiving process receives the second grant request on the condition that a price has been paid.

[0130] (15) The determination process further determines a third game element to be granted to the player from among the first type of game elements, on the condition that a predetermined condition is satisfied in the electronic game; The program described in any one of (1) to (14), wherein the management process manages the third granted game element as owned by the player by associating the third granted game element with information identifying the player without requiring payment of a price.

[0131] (16) An information processing device for managing game elements owned by a player of an electronic game, comprising: a receiving means for receiving a request for granting a second type of game element, the request including designation information for designating a first type of game element held by the player; a determination means for determining a second-type game element to be granted to the player based on the first-type game element specified by the specification information in response to receiving the grant request; a management means for managing the granted game element as a possession state of the player by associating the granted game element with information identifying the player; Equipped with the first type of game element is a game element that cannot be used in a competitive game of the electronic game, while the second type of game element is a game element that can be used in the competitive game; The first type of game element and the second type of game element are each set to one of a plurality of classifications provided for each type, The determination means is an information processing device that determines the added game element from among the second type of game elements that have been classified according to the classification of the first type of game element specified by the specification information.

[0132] (17) A game system including a communication terminal that executes an electronic game having a function of providing game elements, and an information processing device that manages game elements owned by a player for the electronic game, The communication terminal a transmitting means for transmitting, in response to an operation input for selecting a first type of game element owned by the player, to the information processing device a request for providing a second type of game element, the request including first designation information for designating the selected first type of game element; an acquisition means for acquiring, from the information processing device, information on the game element that has newly become owned by the player in response to the grant request; a display control means for displaying on a display device the game elements newly owned by the player; Equipped with The information processing device includes: a receiving means for receiving the grant request from the communication terminal; a determination means for determining a second-type game element to be granted to the player based on the first-type game element specified by the first specification information in response to receiving the grant request; a management means for managing the granted game element as a possession state of the player by associating the granted game element with information identifying the player; an output means for outputting information about the added game element as information about the game element newly owned by the player; Equipped with the first type of game element is a game element that cannot be used in a competitive game of the electronic game, while the second type of game element is a game element that can be used in the competitive game; The first type of game element and the second type of game element are each set to one of a plurality of classifications provided for each type, The determination means determines the game element to be added from among the second type of game elements that are classified according to the classification of the first type of game element specified by the first specification information.

[0133] (18) The transmitting means, in response to an operation input for selecting the second type of game element, transmits second designation information that designates the selected second type of game element, further included in the granting request; the second type of game element includes a game element excluded from the grant target based on the first type of game element; When the selected second type of game element is a game element excluded from the grant target, The transmission means does not transmit the grant request, The game system according to (17), wherein the display control means causes the display device to display that the selected second type of game element is not eligible for award.

[0134] (19) The information for identifying the player is associated with rank information indicating the rank of the player, which changes as the electronic game is played; In the competitive game, the second type of game element that can be used is determined according to the rank of the player, The display control means, when the selected second type of game element is a game element that cannot be used in the competitive game for the player's rank, displays on the display device that even if the selected second type of game element is possessed, it cannot be used in the competitive game at this time. (18) A game system as described in the above.

[0135] [Other embodiments] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0136] 100: Player terminal, 101: Control unit, 102: Storage device, 103: Memory, 104: GPU, 105: Operation I / F, 106: Communication I / F, 110: Display, 120: Speaker, 200: Server, 201: Server control unit, 202: Server storage device, 203: Server memory, 204: Server communication I / F, 300: Network

Claims

1. A computer that manages game elements owned by players of electronic games, a receiving process for receiving a first request for granting a second type of game element, the request including first designation information designating a first type of game element held by the player; a determination process for determining a first game element to be awarded to the player from among game elements of a second type, based on the game element of the first type designated by the first designation information, in response to receiving the first award request; a management process for managing the first granted game element as a possession state of the player by associating the first granted game element with information identifying the player; A program for executing the first type of game element is a game element that cannot be used in a competitive game of the electronic game, while the second type of game element is a game element that can be used in the competitive game; The first type of game element and the second type of game element are each set to one of a plurality of classifications provided for each type, The determination process is a program that determines the first grant game element from among the second type of game elements that are classified according to the classification of the first type of game element specified by the first specification information.

2. The program described in claim 1, wherein the management process associates the first granted game element with information identifying the player, on the condition that the association of the first type of game element specified by the first designation information with information identifying the player is released.

3. The program according to claim 1, wherein the determination process determines the first granting game element from among the second type of game elements that are set to the same classification as the first type of game element specified by the first specification information.

4. The program described in claim 3, wherein the determination process determines the first grant game element from among the second type of game elements of all classifications, on the condition that the first type of game element of a predetermined classification is specified by the first designation information.

5. the second type of game elements include first game elements and second game elements that have different roles in the competitive game; The determination process includes: When the first type of game element of the predetermined classification is designated by the first designation information, the first grant game element is determined from the first game elements of all classifications; When the first type of game element of a classification other than the predetermined classification is designated by the first designation information, the first grant game element is determined from the second game elements of a classification corresponding to the classification of the first type of game element. The program according to claim 4.

6. the first grant request further includes second designation information that designates the second type of game element; The determination process determines the first game element to be given based on the second designation information in response to receiving the first game element to be given. The program according to claim 1.

7. the second designation information further includes information on the number of the second type of game element to be awarded designated by the second designation information; The management process associates the first granted game elements of the granted number with information identifying the player, and manages the first granted game elements of the granted number as a possession state of the player. The program according to claim 6.

8. The program according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving process receives the first grant request on the condition that the first type of game element is in a state of being owned by the player.

9. the receiving process further includes receiving a second grant request for requesting grant of the second type of game element, the second grant request not including the first designation information; the determination process determines a second game element to be granted to the player from among the second type of game elements in response to receiving the second grant request; The management process includes: When the number of the second granted game elements held by a player has not reached the upper limit of the number of the second granted game elements, the second granted game elements are associated with information identifying the player, and the second granted game elements are managed as the player's possession status; When the number of the second granted game elements held by a player reaches an upper limit, the first type of game element is associated with information identifying the player in place of the second granted game element, thereby managing the first type of game element as the player's possession status. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. the second grant request is a request for granting a predetermined number of the second type of game elements, the determination process determines the predetermined number of the second game elements to be awarded in response to receiving the second award request; The management process associates a corresponding number of the first type of game elements with information identifying the player in place of the surplus game elements, based on the number of surplus game elements that will be held by the player when the predetermined number of the second granted game elements are held by the player and exceed the upper limit number of held game elements. The program according to claim 9.

11. The program according to claim 10 , wherein the management process associates the same number of the first type of game elements as the surplus game elements with the information identifying the player, in place of the surplus game elements.

12. The program according to claim 9, wherein the management process associates the first type of game element with information identifying the player instead of the second type of game element when the number of the second type of game element held by the player has reached an upper limit of the number held by the player, without requiring any operational input from the player.

13. The program according to claim 9, further causing the computer to execute an output process that outputs information indicating that the first type of game element becomes owned by the player instead of the second type of granted game element.

14. The program according to claim 9 , wherein the receiving process receives the second grant request on the condition that a price has been paid.

15. the determination process further determines a third game element to be awarded to the player from among the first type of game elements, on the condition that a predetermined condition is satisfied in the electronic game; The management process associates the third added game element with information identifying the player without requiring payment of a price, thereby managing the third added game element as a possession state of the player. The program according to claim 1.

16. An information processing device that manages game elements owned by a player of an electronic game, a receiving means for receiving a request for granting a second type of game element, the request including designation information for designating a first type of game element held by the player; a determination means for determining a second-type game element to be granted to the player based on the first-type game element specified by the specification information in response to receiving the grant request; a management means for managing the granted game element as a possession state of the player by associating the granted game element with information identifying the player; Equipped with the first type of game element is a game element that cannot be used in a competitive game of the electronic game, while the second type of game element is a game element that can be used in the competitive game; The first type of game element and the second type of game element are each set to one of a plurality of classifications provided for each type, The determination means is an information processing device that determines the added game element from among the second type of game elements that have been classified according to the classification of the first type of game element specified by the specification information.

17. A game system including a communication terminal that executes an electronic game having a function of providing game elements, and an information processing device that manages game elements owned by a player for the electronic game, The communication terminal a transmitting means for transmitting, in response to an operation input for selecting a first type of game element owned by the player, to the information processing device a request for providing a second type of game element, the request including first designation information for designating the selected first type of game element; an acquisition means for acquiring, from the information processing device, information on the game element that has newly become owned by the player in response to the grant request; a display control means for displaying on a display device the game elements newly owned by the player; Equipped with The information processing device includes: a receiving means for receiving the grant request from the communication terminal; a determination means for determining a game element to be awarded to the player from among game elements of a second type based on the game element of the first type specified by the first specification information in response to receiving the award request; a management means for managing the granted game element as a possession state of the player by associating the granted game element with information identifying the player; an output means for outputting information about the added game element as information about the game element newly owned by the player; Equipped with the first type of game element is a game element that cannot be used in a competitive game of the electronic game, while the second type of game element is a game element that can be used in the competitive game; The first type of game element and the second type of game element are each set to one of a plurality of classifications provided for each type, The determination means determines the game element to be added from among the second type of game elements that are classified according to the classification of the first type of game element specified by the first specification information.

18. the transmitting means, in response to an operation input for selecting the second type of game element, transmits second designation information that designates the selected second type of game element, further included in the grant request; the second type of game element includes a game element excluded from the grant target based on the first type of game element, When the selected second type of game element is a game element excluded from the grant target, The transmission means does not transmit the grant request, The display control means displays on the display device a message indicating that the selected second type of game element is not an object to be awarded.

18. The gaming system of claim 17.

19. the information for identifying the player is associated with rank information indicating the rank of the player, which changes as the electronic game is played; In the battle game, the second type of game element that can be used is determined according to the rank of the player, When the selected second type of game element is a game element that cannot be used in the battle game of the player's rank, the display control means displays on the display device that the selected second type of game element cannot be used in the battle game at the present time even if the selected second type of game element is possessed.

20. The gaming system of claim 18.

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