Computer system and program

Abstract

To create new interest in a game that evaluates the timing of a player's operation input relative to a reference timing.SOLUTION: A server system 1100 includes: an object movement control unit 233 that controls the movement of an object using the timing at which the object reaches a given reference position as the reference timing; an operation input evaluation unit 237 that evaluates the player's operation input for the object; an index value change control unit 245 that changes the index value of the object on the basis of the evaluation result of the operation input evaluation unit 237; and a rearrangement control unit 249 that relocates the object to a given jump destination away from the reference position on the basis of the evaluation result or the index value, and resets the reference timing of the object. When the object is relocated by the rearrangement control unit 249, the object movement control unit 233 controls the movement of the object from the relocated position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a computer system and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, games in the genres known as music games, performance games, rhythm games, etc. are typical examples of games (also called timing games, etc.) that evaluate how accurately control inputs are made at given timings (target reference timings) that match the rhythm of the music being played. Because players can enjoy control inputs that match the rhythm with their own favorite music as background music, these games are popular not only in single-player mode, where one person plays alone, but also in multiplayer mode, where multiple players participate in cooperation or competition.

[0003] Various techniques have been proposed to enhance the enjoyment of such games. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for realizing various displays of indicators (indication marks) for indicating reference timings. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-88685 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a technology that creates new interest in games that evaluate the timing of a player's operation input relative to a reference timing, such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first invention for solving the above problems is a computer system for controlling the execution of a game that evaluates the timing of a player's operation input relative to a reference timing, the computer system comprising: object movement control means (e.g., object movement control unit 233 of FIG. 13) that controls the movement of the object using the reference timing as the timing when the object reaches a given reference position; evaluation means (e.g., second-type operation input evaluation unit 241 of FIG. 13) that evaluates the player's operation input with respect to the object; index value change control means (e.g., index value change control unit 245 of FIG. 13) that changes an index value related to the object based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means; and rearrangement control means (e.g., rearrangement control unit 249 of FIG. 13) that rearranges the object to a position away from the reference position and resets the reference timing for the object based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means or the index value changed by the index value change control means, and when the object is rearranged by the rearrangement control means, the object movement control means again controls the movement of the object from the rearranged position.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the present invention, an object is moved toward a reference position, and the object can be relocated to a position away from the reference position using a result of an operation input evaluation for the object, such as whether or not a player correctly inputs an operation at a reference timing at which the object reaches the reference position. Furthermore, an index value for the object can be changed according to the result of the operation input evaluation, and the object can be relocated to a position away from the reference position using the index value. The object can then be moved again from the relocation position toward the reference position.

[0008] A second invention is a computer system in the above invention, further comprising an index value responsive display control means (e.g., display body display control unit 247, display mode control unit 251 in Figure 13) that controls 1) the display mode of the object based on the index value, and / or 2) the display of an index value display body that shows the index value.

[0009] According to the second aspect, it is possible to change the display mode of an object using an index value associated with the object, and to display an index value indicator that indicates the index value.

[0010] A third invention is a computer system in the above invention, further comprising an extinction control means (for example, the extinction control unit 253 in Figure 13) that controls the object to be extinguished when the index value satisfies a given extinction condition.

[0011] According to the third invention, the object can be made to disappear in accordance with the index value.

[0012] A fourth invention is a computer system in which, in the above invention, the rearrangement control means rearranges the object and resets the reference timing each time an evaluation is made by the evaluation means while the disappearance condition is not satisfied.

[0013] According to the fourth invention, it is possible to repeatedly rearrange the objects and reset the reference timing while the disappearance condition is not satisfied.

[0014] A fifth invention is a computer system in the above invention, wherein the disappearance condition is a threshold condition of the index value, and the relocation control means determines the relocation position based on the index value.

[0015] According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the rearrangement position of the object can be determined based on the current index value of the object.

[0016] A sixth invention is a computer system in which, in the above invention, the game is a game in which indicators are displayed moving in a forward direction toward the reference position in a predetermined order, and the timing at which each indicator reaches the reference position is used as the reference timing, and the player's operation input is evaluated, and the object has a form different from the indicator, and the rearrangement control means determines the rearrangement position in a direction different from the forward direction.

[0017] According to the sixth invention, the rearrangement position of the object can be determined in a direction different from the direction of movement display of the indicator (the forward direction toward the reference position).

[0018] A seventh invention is a computer system in the above invention, wherein the object movement control means variably controls the movement direction and / or the movement speed of the object.

[0019] According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to move the object in a direction different from the direction of the movement display of the indicator, or to move the object at a moving speed different from that of the indicator.

[0020] An eighth invention is a computer system in the above invention, further comprising an annihilation control means for controlling the annihilation of the object when the index value satisfies a given annihilation condition, which is a threshold condition of the index value, and the rearrangement control means determines a rearrangement position and / or resets the reference timing based on the index value.

[0021] According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the rearrangement position of the object can be determined based on the current index value of the object, and the reference timing of the object can be reset based on the index value.

[0022] A ninth invention is a computer system in the above invention, wherein the rearrangement control means sets a rearrangement position to a display position of one of the indicators and rearranges the object by replacing the object with the indicator.

[0023] According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the indicator can be replaced with an object, and the object can be rearranged at the display position of the indicator.

[0024] A tenth aspect of the invention is a computer system further comprising a play parameter value change control means (for example, the play parameter value change control unit 243 of FIG. 13) that changes and controls a play parameter value based on a play situation, and the index value change control means changes the index value based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means and the play parameter value.

[0025] According to the tenth aspect, the index value of the object can be changed using the evaluation result of the player's operation input to the object and the play parameter value based on the player's playing situation.

[0026] An eleventh invention is a computer system in which, in the above invention, the game is a game in which indicators are displayed moving toward the reference position in a predetermined order, and an operation input by the player is evaluated using a timing at which each indicator reaches the reference position as the reference timing, the play parameter values ​​include a first play parameter value and a second play parameter value, the play parameter value change control means changes and controls the first play parameter value based on a result of evaluation of the operation input to the indicator, and changes and controls the second play parameter value based on the first play parameter value or a play situation, and the index value change control means changes the index value based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means and the second play parameter value.

[0027] According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the first play parameter value is changed based on the evaluation result of the operation input to the indicator, and the second play parameter value is changed based on the playing situation of the player, and the index value can be changed using the evaluation result of the operation input to the object and the second parameter value.

[0028] A twelfth aspect of the invention is a computer system in the above-mentioned invention, further comprising an extinction control means for controlling the object to disappear when the index value satisfies a given extinction condition, and the play parameter value change control means changes and controls the first play parameter value when the extinction control means controls the object to disappear.

[0029] According to the twelfth aspect, when an object is made to disappear, the first play parameter value can be changed.

[0030] A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is a computer system further comprising an item movement display control means (for example, the item movement control unit 235 in FIG. 13) for moving and displaying items that can be acquired by the player, and the play parameter value change control means variably controls the play parameter value based on the item acquired by the player.

[0031] According to the thirteenth aspect, the play parameter value can be changed in accordance with the item acquired by the player.

[0032] A fourteenth aspect of the invention is a computer system in which there are a plurality of types of objects, and the index value change control means changes the index value of the object by a degree of change according to the type of the object.

[0033] According to the fourteenth aspect, the index value of an object can be changed depending on the type of the object.

[0034] A fifteenth invention is a computer system in which, in the above invention, there are a plurality of types of the objects, and the rearrangement control means rearranges the objects with control content according to the types of the objects.

[0035] According to the fifteenth aspect, it is possible to perform control according to the type of object, and rearrange the object.

[0036] A sixteenth invention is a computer system in which, in the above invention, the game is a game in which the reference position is set for each player, and the rearrangement control means controls the rearrangement of the object so that it faces the reference position of a different player.

[0037] According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, an object that has been moved toward a reference position set for a certain player can be rearranged so that the object is moved toward a reference position set for a different player.

[0038] A seventeenth aspect of the invention is the computer system in the above aspect, further comprising evaluation result changing means for changing the evaluation result of said evaluation means based on said play parameter value.

[0039] According to the seventeenth aspect, the result of the operation input evaluation can be changed in accordance with the play parameter value.

[0040] An eighteenth invention is a computer system for controlling the execution of a game that evaluates the timing of a player's operation input relative to a reference timing, the computer system comprising: reference position movement control means that controls movement of a reference position, using the reference timing as the timing at which an object reaches a given reference position; evaluation means that evaluates the player's operation input to the object; and rearrangement control means that, based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means, rearranges the object to a position away from the reference position and resets the reference timing of the object.

[0041] According to the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, the reference position is moved, and the object can be relocated to a position away from the reference position and the reference timing can be reset using the results of an evaluation of the operation input for the object, such as whether or not the player has correctly input the operation at the reference timing, which is the timing at which the reference position reaches the object.

[0042] A nineteenth invention is a program for causing a computer system to perform execution control of a game that evaluates the timing of a player's operation input relative to a reference timing, the program causing the computer system to function as object movement control means that controls the movement of the object using the timing at which the object reaches a given reference position as the reference timing, evaluation means that evaluates the player's operation input with respect to the object, index value change control means that changes an index value for the object based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means, and rearrangement control means that rearranges the object to a position away from the reference position based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means or the index value changed by the index value change control means, and resets the reference timing for the object, and when the object has been rearranged by the rearrangement control means, the object movement control means again controls the movement of the object from the rearranged position.

[0043] According to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a program that provides the same effects as the first aspect of the present invention.

[0044] A twentieth invention is a program for causing a computer system to perform execution control of a game that evaluates the timing of a player's operation input relative to a reference timing, the program causing the computer system to function as reference position movement control means that controls movement of a reference position, using the reference timing as the timing at which an object reaches a given reference position, evaluation means that evaluates the player's operation input to the object, and rearrangement control means that rearranges the object to a position away from the reference position and resets the reference timing of the object based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means.

[0045] According to the twentieth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a program that has the same effect as the eighteenth aspect of the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0046] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a game system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the device configuration of a player terminal. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a game screen. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of time difference evaluation criteria by difficulty level. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of time difference evaluation criteria by difficulty level. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of time difference evaluation criteria by difficulty level. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an outline of effects depending on whether an operation input is successful or not. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the behavior of a monster object. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a reallocation control process. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a jump destination determination process. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of monster object data settings. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server system. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of game setting data. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of music data. [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of appearing object data. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of appearing item data. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of monster object data. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a user terminal. [Figure 20] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the server system. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a movement pattern of a monster object. [Figure 22]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a movement pattern of a monster object. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a game screen in a modified example. [Figure 24] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing display examples of a musical score display unit in a modified example. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a game screen in a modified example. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a user terminal according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0047] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and the forms to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, in the description of the drawings, the same parts are given the same reference numerals.

[0048] [Overall configuration] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a game system 1000 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the game system 1000 is a computer system including a server system 1100 and a player terminal 1500 owned by a player (user) 2 of the game according to this embodiment, which are connected via a network 9 so as to be able to communicate data with each other.

[0049] The network 9 refers to a communication path that allows data communication. That is, the network 9 includes a dedicated line (dedicated cable) for direct connection, a LAN (Local Area Network) using Ethernet (registered trademark), etc., as well as a communication network such as a telephone communication network, a cable network, or the Internet, and the communication method may be either wired or wireless.

[0050] The server system 1100 is a computer system including a main device 1101, a keyboard 1106, a touch panel 1108, and storage 1140. The main device 1101 incorporates a control board 1150 on which electronic components such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1151, various microprocessors such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), various IC memories 1152 such as a VRAM, RAM and ROM, and a communication device 1153 are mounted. Note that part or all of the control board 1150 may be realized by an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or an SoC (System on a Chip).

[0051] This server system 1100 performs computations based on predetermined programs and data by the CPU 1151 and the like, thereby realizing a user management function related to user registration of player 2 and a game management function that provides data necessary for playing the game on the player terminal 1500 and manages execution control of the game on the player terminal 1500. In other words, the game in this embodiment is realized as a kind of client-server online game. Player 2 accesses the server system 1100 with his / her own player terminal 1500, logs in using an issued account (player ID), and enjoys the game of this embodiment.

[0052] The server system 1100 also cooperates with an external electronic settlement server operated by an electronic settlement service provider or the like to carry out the purchase procedure (billing process) of game coins, which are in-game currency. During the billing process, the electronic settlement server responds to an inquiry from the server system 1100 and settles the purchase amount of the game coins with Player 2's credit card, prepaid card, or the like. The server system 1100 then grants Player 2 game coins equivalent to the purchase amount settled by the electronic settlement server.

[0053] 1, the server system 1100 may be configured to include multiple blade servers each assigned to one function, connected to each other via an internal bus for data communication. Alternatively, the server system 1100 may be configured to function as a whole as multiple independent servers installed in remote locations communicating data via the network 9.

[0054] The player terminal 1500 is a computer system that functions as a man-machine interface, and is connected to the network 9 via a mobile phone base station, a wireless communication base station, or the like, and can perform data communication with the server system 1100. This player terminal 1500 can take the form of, for example, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a portable game device, a home game device, a controller for a home game device, an arcade game device, a personal computer, a tablet computer, a wearable computer, or the like.

[0055] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the device configuration of a smartphone, which is an example of a player terminal 1500. As shown in Fig. 2, the player terminal 1500 includes a directional input key 1502, a home key 1504, a touch panel 1506 that functions as an image display device and a contact position input device, an internal battery 1509, a speaker 1510, a microphone 1512, a camera 1520, a control board 1550, and a memory card reader 1542 that can read and write data from and to a memory card 1540 that is a computer-readable storage medium. In addition, the player terminal 1500 is provided with a power button, a volume adjustment button, etc. (not shown).

[0056] The control board 1550 is equipped with various microprocessors such as a CPU 1551, a GPU, and a DSP; various IC memories 1552 such as a VRAM, a RAM, and a ROM; a wireless communication module 1553 for wireless communication with a mobile phone base station or a wireless communication base station connected to the network 9; and an interface circuit 1557. The interface circuit 1557 includes a circuit for receiving signals from the direction input keys 1502 and the home key 1504, a driver circuit for the touch panel 1506, an output amplifier circuit for outputting audio signals to the speaker 1510, an audio signal generation circuit for generating an audio signal collected by the microphone 1512, a circuit for inputting image data of an image captured by the camera 1520, and a signal input / output circuit for the memory card reader 1542. These elements equipped on the control board 1550 are electrically connected to each other via a bus circuit or the like, and are connected to enable reading and writing of data and sending and receiving of signals. Note that part or all of the control board 1550 may be configured using an ASIC, an FPGA, or an SoC.

[0057] In this control board 1550, an IC memory 1552 stores a game client program and various setting data required to execute this game client program. The game client program and the like are downloaded from the server system 1100 at appropriate times. Alternatively, the program may be read from a separately obtained storage medium such as a memory card 1540. The CPU 1551 and the like then execute the game client program to perform arithmetic processing, and control each section of the player terminal 1500 in response to operational inputs made to the touch panel 1506, directional input keys 1502, and home key 1504, thereby enabling Player 2 to play the game.

[0058] [detail] 1. About the Game The game of this embodiment is a game in which the timing of a player's operation input relative to a reference timing is evaluated. The following describes an example of a music game in which a virtual performance is performed along with a musical piece. The server system 1100 controls the display of a play score in synchronization with the playback of a musical piece selected as a play song, thereby enabling the user to perform the play song. During the game, a game screen including a display of the play score is displayed on the touch panel 1506, and the speaker 1510 outputs the sound of the play song and a performance corresponding to the operation input. While listening to the play song output from the speaker 1510, the user enjoys performing the play song by performing operation inputs corresponding to the notes appearing on the game screen of the touch panel 1506.

[0059] 3 and 4 are diagrams showing examples of a game screen. As shown in Fig. 3 and other figures, the game screen includes a music score display section 10 that crosses the screen from left to right, operation input icons 20, a time elapsed since the start of play display section 31, a song title display section 33 that displays the name of the song being played, a difficulty level display section 35, and a score display section 37.

[0060] The design of the music score display section 10 can be set as appropriate, but in this embodiment, it includes a band-shaped movement display area 11, a reference position 13 on the left edge, and an evaluation result display section 17. The elements that move and are displayed in the movement display area 11 include musical notes N, monster objects Oa that have a different form from the musical notes N, items I, and bar division lines B that indicate the divisions of bar units in the song being played.

[0061] The reference position 13 is provided at a position where each element of the musical note N, the monster object Oa, and the item I will eventually reach (the left end of the movement display area 11 in the score display unit 10 in FIG. 3 etc.), and indicates a reference position for indicating the timing of arrival as the reference timing (the timing of the target operation input). In this embodiment, only one reference position 13 is displayed on one score display unit 10, but it may be configured to be provided in multiple locations.

[0062] Each element, such as the note N, appears from the right end of the movement display area 11 in the score display unit 10 and moves smoothly along a straight line L toward the reference position 13 in synchronization with the audio playback of the song being played. More specifically, the note N and the item I among the elements are displayed moving at a predetermined speed toward the reference position 13 along the bar division line B. The speed of the note N varies depending on the song and is set in advance, for example, according to the difficulty level of the song. Therefore, the item I is displayed moving at the same speed as the note N set for the song being played. Meanwhile, the monster object Oa may be displayed moving at the same speed as the note N, etc., or at a faster or slower speed. In addition, the monster object Oa is displayed with an HP indicator M indicating the current value of its hit points (HP), which will be described later. The timing at which each element reaches the reference position 13 indicates to the player the standard timing for inputting an operation for the note N, etc.

[0063] The operation input icons 20 include an operation input icon 20a at the bottom right of the game screen and an operation input icon 20b at the bottom left. The operation input icon 20a corresponds to the musical note N, and the operation input icon 20b corresponds to the monster object Oa and the item I. Depending on which of the operation input icons 20a and 20b is touched, an operation input evaluation is made based on the timing of the touch operation.

[0064] The evaluation result display unit 17 displays, as needed, the results of the player's operation input evaluation in response to the presentation of the reference timing by the movement display of each element such as the musical note N. In this embodiment, each time the reference timing arrives, the operation input for the musical note N is evaluated on a four-level scale of "good," "passable," "bad," or "skip," and the operation input for the monster object Oa or the item I is evaluated on a two-level scale of "input successful" or "input failed." The evaluation result display unit 17 displays the results of the operation input evaluation. Hereinafter, the four-level operation input evaluation performed for the musical note N will be referred to as a "first-type operation input evaluation," and the two-level operation input evaluation performed for the monster object Oa and the item I will be referred to as a "second-type operation input evaluation."

[0065] The difficulty level display unit 35 displays the difficulty level of the song being played ("normal" in FIGS. 3 and 4). The difficulty level may be, for example, three levels, from lowest to highest: "easy," "normal," and "difficult." A configuration may be adopted in which play scores corresponding to each difficulty level are prepared for all songs, or a configuration may be adopted in which one play score is prepared for each song and a difficulty level is determined for each song according to the play score, etc. In this embodiment, for example, the latter is adopted. The number of difficulty levels may be two, four, or more.

[0066] The score display unit 37 displays the player's game score, which is updated as needed during the game, in the form of a bar-shaped meter. For example, if the game score at the end of the performance reaches a predetermined standard score, the game is cleared. Basically, evaluation points are added to the game score as needed based on the evaluation result of the operation input to the musical note N (the result of the first-type operation input evaluation), and the evaluation points increase depending on the playing situation. In this embodiment, the evaluation points are temporarily increased, or the game score is increased or decreased based on the evaluation result of the operation input to the monster object Oa or the item I (the result of the second-type operation input evaluation).

[0067] 2. Type 1 Operation Input Evaluation The server system 1100 performs a first type operation input evaluation every time a reference timing for the note N arrives. The first type operation input evaluation is performed by evaluating the time difference between the reference timing, which is the timing when the center of the note N overlaps with the center line of the reference position 13, and the timing of the touch operation on the operation input icon 20a (operation input timing). For example, the smaller the time difference between the reference timing and the operation input timing, the higher the evaluation.

[0068] In this embodiment, the server system 1100 evaluates the time difference between the reference timing and the operation input timing using a criterion (time difference evaluation criterion) related to the time difference. The time difference evaluation criterion is prepared for each of three difficulty levels, for example, "easy," "normal," and "difficult." The server system 1100 evaluates the time difference using a time difference evaluation criterion according to the difficulty of the song being played, and evaluates the time difference using one of four levels, "good," "passable," "poor," and "skip." FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams showing examples of time difference evaluation criteria for each difficulty level, with the "normal" time difference evaluation criterion shown in FIG. 5, the "easy" time difference evaluation criterion shown in FIG. 6, and the "difficult" time difference evaluation criterion shown in FIG. 7.

[0069] As shown in Figure 5, when the "normal" time difference evaluation standard is used, the time difference is evaluated as "good" if the absolute value of the time difference is less than the threshold ΔT1, as "passable" if it is a relatively long time difference, that is, greater than or equal to the threshold ΔT1 but less than the threshold ΔT2, and as "poor" if it is a long time difference, that is, greater than or equal to the threshold ΔT2 but less than the threshold ΔT3. If the time difference is greater than or equal to the threshold ΔT3, it is judged as "ignored (no operation input)." Here, ΔT1<ΔT2<ΔT3.

[0070] In contrast, as shown in Figure 6, when the "easy" time difference evaluation standard is used, the threshold value ΔT21 (ΔT3 ≥ ΔT21 > ΔT2) is applied to relax the time difference evaluation standard so that a relatively poor evaluation of "fail" is less likely to be given and a relatively good evaluation of "passable" is more likely to be given. In other words, the threshold value ΔT21 is set to a value that is the same as or close to the threshold value ΔT3, making it less likely that a "fail" judgment will be given.

[0071] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 7, when the "difficult" time difference evaluation criterion is used, the threshold value ΔT22, which is smaller than the threshold value ΔT2, and the threshold value ΔT12, which is smaller than the threshold value ΔT1, are applied, making the time difference evaluation criteria for "good" and "passable" stricter. Therefore, it becomes difficult to judge "good" or "passable," and it becomes easier to judge "fail."

[0072] 3. Type 2 Operation Input Evaluation The server system 1100 performs a second type operation input evaluation every time a reference timing for the monster object Oa and the item I arrives. The second type operation input evaluation is performed by evaluating the time difference between the reference timing, which is the timing when the center of the musical note N overlaps with the center line of the reference position 13, and the timing of the touch operation on the operation input icon 20b (operation input timing).

[0073] In this embodiment, a threshold value ΔT4 for the second type operation input evaluation is used to evaluate the time difference between the reference timing and the operation input timing in two stages: "input success" and "input failure." For example, the threshold value ΔT4 may be set to a value equal to or close to the threshold value ΔT21 in FIG. 6, making it easier to determine "input success." Conversely, the threshold value ΔT4 may be set to a value equal to or close to the threshold value ΔT12 in FIG. 7, making it harder to determine "input success." Alternatively, the threshold value ΔT4 may be set to a value approximately intermediate between the threshold value ΔT21 and the threshold value ΔT12. Note that the second type operation input evaluation is not limited to a two-stage evaluation, and may be configured to be evaluated in three or more stages.

[0074] 4. Reflection of evaluation results FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an outline of effects according to success or failure of operation inputs to the musical note N, the monster object Oa, and the item I (Ia, Ib).

[0075] First, for note N, if the player succeeds in inputting the operation (if the evaluation is "good" or "fair"), (1) evaluation points according to the evaluation result are added to the game score. The evaluation points may be set appropriately, for example, 3 points for the evaluation result of "good" and 1 point for the evaluation result of "fair".

[0076] Furthermore, when the player successfully performs an operation input for note N, (2) the combo number is updated. The combo number refers to the number of consecutive successful operation inputs without making a mistake (without being evaluated as "fail" or "skip"), that is, the number of consecutive operation inputs evaluated as "good" or "passable." For example, while the updated combo number exceeds a predetermined number, it is possible to increase the evaluation points according to the combo number.

[0077] If the player fails to input the operation for note N (if the evaluation result is "fail" or "skip"), (3) no points are added to the game score. This can be achieved by setting the evaluation points for the evaluation result of "fail" or "skip" to 0 points. Note that it is also possible to set the evaluation points for "fail" or "skip" as negative points. In that case, points will be deducted from the game score. In addition, if the operation input fails, (4) the combo number is reset to 0.

[0078] Next, for the monster object Oa, if the player succeeds in inputting the operation (if the input is evaluated as "successful"), (5) the hit points (HP) of the monster object Oa are decreased by a predetermined unit damage amount. As a result, if the hit points (HP) become "0", a predetermined bonus point is added to the game score. If the player fails to input the operation of the monster object Oa (if the input is evaluated as "failed"), (6) a predetermined failure point is deducted from the game score.

[0079] That is, if the player successfully inputs the operation of the monster object Oa, the hit points (HP) can be reduced, and if the hit points are finally reduced to "0," the game score is increased. On the other hand, if the operation input is unsuccessful, the game score is decreased. As described above, in the game of this embodiment, the monster object Oa interferes with the player's game play (the appearance of the monster object Oa causes a decrease in the game score). Furthermore, as will be described later, the monster object Oa is displayed moving in front of the musical notes N, and in some cases, it is displayed superimposed on the musical notes N (for example, see (d) of FIG. 9), which also interferes with game play by reducing the visibility of the musical score. However, if the player can successfully input the operation in accordance with the standard timing, the game score can be increased and a high score can be obtained.

[0080] Note that the monster object Oa may also be evaluated in stages, such as whether the operation input is "good" or "passable," in the same way as the musical note N. In this case, the amount of hit point (HP) reduction may be set to 100% of the unit damage amount for "good" and 50% of the unit damage amount for "passable."

[0081] Next, for item I (cookie Ia or power cookie Ib, described below), if the player succeeds in inputting the operation (if the input is evaluated as "successful"), the player acquires item I, as it satisfies the acquisition condition (7), and the evaluation points for note N, which is the target for points to be added, described below, are increased. If the player fails to input the operation for item I (if the input is evaluated as "failed"), the player fails to acquire item I, as it does not satisfy the acquisition condition (8).

[0082] That is, if the player succeeds in inputting operation for item I, the player can acquire that item I, and as a result, the player's evaluation points are temporarily increased, and if the player succeeds in inputting operation for note N, which is an eligible item for point addition, the points added to the game score increase. Therefore, by performing inputs in accordance with the standard timing, the game score can be increased and a high score can be obtained.

[0083] 5. Monster Objects 9 is a diagram illustrating the behavior of a monster object Oa that interferes with the player's gameplay, using the score display unit 10 as an example. Fig. 9(a) shows a scene in which the monster object Oa appears at the right end of the movement display area 11 in the score display unit 10, Fig. 9(b) shows a scene in which the monster object Oa reaches the reference position 13 at the left end, Fig. 9(c) shows a scene in which the display mode of the monster object Oa becomes "weakened" after reaching the reference position 13, and Fig. 9(d) and (e) show scenes in which the monster object Oa is rearranged.

[0084] In this embodiment, hit points (HP) are set for the monster object Oa, and are updated (changed) as needed. When the monster object Oa appears on the music score display unit 10, an HP indicator M indicating the current hit point (HP) value is displayed along with it. For example, in FIG. 9(a), an HP indicator M is displayed that indicates the value at the time of appearance, which is set as a default value, of "100."

[0085] More specifically, the monster object Oa is displayed in front of the musical note N at its appearance position on the right edge, and moves forward toward the reference position 13 (FIG. 9(a) → FIG. 9(b)). Here, an example is shown in which the monster object Oa moves at the same speed as other elements, such as the musical note N, that are displayed and moved on the score display unit 10. In this case, the elements including the monster object Oa will reach the reference position 13 in the order in which they appear on the right edge.

[0086] When the monster object Oa reaches the reference position 13, if the player successfully inputs control of the monster object Oa, damage can be inflicted on the monster object Oa. Basically, damage equal to a predetermined unit damage amount can be inflicted. The unit damage amount may be set appropriately, for example, to "30." (b) of FIG. 9 shows an example in which the control input of the monster object Oa is successful, and then the hit points (HP) are reduced by the unit damage amount "30" and changed to "70" (see (c) and (d) of FIG. 9).

[0087] However, in this embodiment, the unit damage amount increases depending on the player's playing status. For example, conditions for increasing damage based on the player's game score and playing status, such as "game score exceeding a predetermined value," "combo count exceeding a predetermined value," and "no mistakes from the start of play," are preset. The damage coefficient (>1) is set and updated as needed depending on the achievement status of these conditions. A no-mistake performance means that all note N operation inputs have been successful (all evaluated as "good" or "fair") since the start of play. For example, the game screen in FIG. 3 shows an example where the damage coefficient is "1," and a display indicating that the unit damage amount is 1x is displayed near the operation input icon 20b. On the other hand, the game screen in FIG. 4 shows an example where the damage coefficient is "1.3," and this display indicates that the unit damage amount is 1.3x. In the scene in FIG. 9(b), when the damage coefficient is "1.3" as shown in FIG. 4, the unit damage amount increases to "39" and the hit points (HP) are changed to "61." Furthermore, the operation input to the monster object Oa may be evaluated in stages as either "good" or "fair," with the damage coefficient being set higher for "good" than for "fair."

[0088] The monster object Oa that has reached the reference position 13 is then relocated to a jump destination (relocation position) away from the reference position 13 until a disappearance condition is met. The disappearance condition is a hit point (HP) threshold condition, and can be set, for example, as "the hit points (HP) reaching 0." When relocating the monster object Oa, a jump destination is determined in a direction different from the forward direction of the movement display on the score display unit 10 (for example, the reverse direction). The behavior of the monster object Oa when relocating it to the determined jump destination changes depending on whether or not the player has inflicted damage on the monster object Oa (whether or not the operation input was successful). To realize the relocation of the monster object Oa that involves this change, the server system 1100 executes a relocation control process.

[0089] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the rearrangement control process. In the rearrangement control process, when a monster object reaches a reference position and a reference timing arrives, the following process is performed with the monster object as the target object. That is, when the player successfully inputs an operation to the target object (step S1: YES), the server system 1100 changes the display mode of the target object from the previous "normal state" to a "weakened state" (step S3). For example, the display mode of the target object (monster object Oa) is changed from the "normal state" shown in FIG. 9(a) or 9(b) to the "weakened state" shown in FIG. 9(c), and the target object is kept outside the movement display area 11 until a predetermined weakening time has elapsed. The weakening time may be a fixed time, or may be adjusted so that it becomes longer (or shorter) as the hit point (HP) value of the monster object Oa decreases. Alternatively, the monster object Oa may be immediately rearranged without waiting for the weakening time.

[0090] Then, as shown in FIG. 10, once the weakening time has elapsed (step S5; YES), the server system 1100 determines whether the weakening continuation condition is satisfied. The weakening continuation condition is set, for example, as "the hit point (HP) value has decreased to a predetermined weakening threshold or less." The weakening threshold may be set appropriately, for example, to "10." When the hit points (HP) are low, the weakening continuation condition is satisfied. If the weakening continuation condition is not satisfied (step S7: NO), the server system 1100 returns the display mode of the target object to the "normal state" (step S9) and then proceeds to step S11. If the weakening continuation condition is satisfied (step S7: YES), the display mode of the target object remains in the "weakened state," and proceeds to step S11. In the processing from step S11 onward, a jump destination for the monster object Oa is determined and the monster object Oa is relocated.

[0091] On the other hand, if the player fails to input an operation to the target object (step S1: YES), the process proceeds to step S11 without performing the processes of steps S3 to S9. As a result of the process here, the target object is immediately relocated to the jump destination without remaining outside the movement display area 11 for the predetermined weakening time, as would be the case if the operation input was successful.

[0092] Then, in step S11, the server system 1100 executes a jump destination determination process to determine the jump destination of the target object. In this embodiment, the server system 1100 executes, as the jump destination determination process, a process for determining the jump destination so that the smaller the hit point (HP) value, the closer the jump destination is to the reference position 13, and the larger the hit point (HP) value, the farther the jump destination is from the reference position 13. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the jump destination determination process, and shows the movement display area 11 and the reference position 13 extracted from the game screen. Note that FIG. 11 omits illustration of the musical note N and the like that are displayed moving in the movement display area 11.

[0093] In the jump destination determination process of this embodiment, the distance along the line L from the reference position 13 to the jump destination is defined as the jump distance, and a conversion formula is used that outputs a jump distance corresponding to the value of the hit points (HP). Therefore, for example, the distance Da from the reference position 13 to the right end of the movement display area 11 is defined as the maximum distance, and the distance Db from the reference position 13 to an intermediate position in the movement display area 11 is defined as the minimum distance. A conversion formula is set in advance that outputs a distance corresponding to the value of the hit points (HP), with the jump distance when the hit points (HP) are at a specified value defined as the maximum distance Da and the jump distance when the hit points (HP) are 0 defined as the minimum distance Db.

[0094] Then, in the jump destination determination process, the server system 1100 calculates the jump distance corresponding to the current hit points (HP) of the target object using the conversion formula described above, and determines a position that is the jump distance away in the opposite direction from the reference position 13 as the rearrangement position of the jump destination. If the distance D11 shown in Fig. 11 is calculated as the jump distance, the position P11 is determined as the rearrangement position, and the target object is rearranged to that position P11.

[0095] Once the rearrangement position has been determined in the above manner, as shown in FIG. 10, the server system 1100 resets the reference timing of the target object based on the rearrangement position and the movement speed of the target object, and rearranges the target object to the rearrangement position (step S13).

[0096] For example, in FIG. 9(d), the hit points (HP) of the target object (monster object Oa) are "70," which is not reduced enough to satisfy the weakening continuation condition. Therefore, the monster object Oa is relocated to an intermediate position in the movement display area 11 in the "normal state" display mode. More specifically, since the hit points (HP) are smaller than the specified value "100," the relocation position is closer to the reference position 13 than the right end. Here, the monster object Oa is moved and displayed in front of the musical note, as described above. In this example, because the musical note N-1 is displayed near the relocation position, the monster object Oa overlaps with the musical note N-1, making it difficult to see.

[0097] On the other hand, in (e) of Figure 9, the hit points (HP) of the target object (monster object Oa) are "10", and since the weakening continuation condition is satisfied, the target object is displayed in a "weakened state" and is relocated to an intermediate position in the movement display area 11 that is even closer to the reference position 13 than (d) of Figure 9. In this example, if the player next succeeds in inputting an operation on the monster object Oa and the hit points (HP) become 0, the monster object Oa will disappear.

[0098] The maximum jump distance Da and minimum jump distance Db may be shorter or longer than those in the example of FIG. 11. The difficulty level increases as the jump distance decreases. This is because, depending on the hit points (HP) of the target object, the target object may be relocated to a position closer to reference position 13, shortening the time it takes to reach reference position 13 again (i.e., the time until the reference timing). If the maximum jump distance is set to distance D13 in FIG. 11, which is longer than distance Da, and the hit points (HP) are large, the target object will temporarily disappear from the game screen.

[0099] Furthermore, the jump distance is not limited to being calculated using the hit point (HP) value, but can also be determined depending on whether the player's operation input to the target object is successful. For example, if the operation input is successful, the jump distance may be increased (for example, set to the maximum distance Da in FIG. 11), and if the operation input is unsuccessful, the jump distance may be decreased (for example, set to the minimum distance Db in FIG. 11).

[0100] 6. Types of monster objects In this embodiment, there are multiple types of monster objects other than the monster object Oa exemplified in Fig. 9 etc., and the settings, for example, of the default value of hit points (HP), the movement type in the movement display area 11, the number of times rearrangement is possible, etc. are different. Therefore, the server system 1100 performs control according to the type of monster object when displaying the movement and rearrangement of the monster object in the movement display area 11, changing the hit points (HP), etc.

[0101] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the definition data (monster object data 590; see FIG. 18) for each type of monster object. As shown in FIG. 12, each type of monster object is distinguishable from the others by differences in decorations, color, etc. Each type of monster object is also set with a specified HP value, movement type, and number of times it can be rearranged.

[0102] The HP default value is the default hit point (HP) value set for a monster object when it appears. Basically, a monster object disappears when its hit point (HP) reaches 0, but depending on the type of monster object, some have a small default value that makes them disappear relatively easily, while others have a large default value that makes them take longer to disappear.

[0103] The movement type stores, for example, one of "constant speed movement type," "high speed movement type," and "low speed movement type."

[0104] The "constant speed movement type" is a setting indicating that the monster object of the corresponding type moves at the same speed as the musical note N. For example, the monster object Oa whose behavior is exemplified with reference to FIG. 9 etc. corresponds to this type. In this embodiment, the movement speed of the musical note N is determined for each song (see the musical note movement speed 547 in FIG. 15). Therefore, a monster object of the constant speed movement type is displayed moving at the same speed as the musical note movement speed of the song being played.

[0105] The "high-speed movement type" is a setting indicating that the monster object of the corresponding type moves at a speed faster than the musical note N. A monster object of this type (for example, monster object Oc in FIG. 12) is displayed moving at a speed faster than the musical note movement speed in accordance with the musical note movement speed of the played song.

[0106] The "slow moving type" is a setting indicating that the monster object of the corresponding type moves at a slower speed than the musical note N. A monster object of this type (for example, the monster object Ob in FIG. 12) is displayed moving at a speed slower than the musical note movement speed in accordance with the musical note movement speed of the played song.

[0107] It is also possible to provide other types of movement types. For example, a monster object of a "random speed movement type" may be provided, and one of "normal speed," "high speed," or "low speed" may be randomly selected and determined each time the monster object is rearranged.

[0108] Furthermore, the movement type may be prepared not only according to speed but also according to the type of movement trajectory, such as a "linear movement type" or a "serrated movement type."

[0109] The rearrangement count stores the limit on the number of rearrangements after reaching the reference position 13 (after the reference timing has arrived). For example, there are monster objects that do not have a set number of rearrangements (no limit on the number of rearrangements), such as monster object Oa, whose behavior is illustrated with reference to FIG. 9, etc. In such cases (e.g., monster object Oa), the monster object can be rearranged any number of times until its hit points (HP) reach "0" and the disappearance condition is met (or until the game ends). In contrast, monster objects that have a set number of rearrangements will disappear without being rearranged once the number of rearrangements reaches that number. For example, if the rearrangement count is set to "2 times," the monster object will disappear after reaching the reference position 13 for the third time. If its hit points (HP) are not "0" at that time, no points will be added to the game score due to its disappearance.

[0110] 7. Items There are two types of items I: Cookie Ia shown in Figure 3 and the like, and Power Cookie Ib shown in Figure 4 and the like, and the player can acquire them when a predetermined acquisition condition is met. The acquisition condition can be, for example, "the player has successfully performed an operation input (has been evaluated as "good" or "fair")."

[0111] When the player acquires cookie Ia, the server system 1100 controls to increase the evaluation points for the next note N. Specifically, for example, when cookie Ia reaches reference position 13 in FIG. 3, if the player is successful in the operation input, the next note N that reaches the reference position (note N-2 in FIG. 3) is the one to be added. When the player is successful in the operation input for note N-2, the evaluation points are increased by a predetermined number (for example, 3 points). In this case, 6 evaluation points are added to the game score for a "good" score, and 4 evaluation points are added to the game score for a "fair" score.

[0112] On the other hand, when a power cookie Ib is acquired, the server system 1100 controls to increase the evaluation points for note N that subsequently reaches reference position 13 within a predetermined time (the reference timing arrives within that predetermined time). Specifically, for example, when power cookie Ib reaches reference position 13 in Figure 4 and the player is successful in performing the operation input, note N that reaches reference position 13 within a predetermined time from that point (the corresponding note N after note N-3 in Figure 4) is the object of the increase in evaluation points. If the player is successful in performing the operation input for the corresponding note N, such as note N-3, the evaluation points are increased in the same manner as for cookie Ia.

[0113] [Function Configuration] 1. Server system Fig. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server system 1100. As shown in Fig. 13, the server system 1100 of this embodiment includes an operation input unit 100s, a server processing unit 200s, an image display unit 390s, a sound output unit 392s, a communication unit 394s, and a server storage unit 500s.

[0114] The operation input unit 100s is used to input various operations for system management, maintenance, etc., and can be realized by, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc. In FIG. 1, this corresponds to the keyboard 1106 and the touch panel 1108.

[0115] The server processing unit 200s can be realized by electronic components such as a processor, which is an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU, GPU, ASIC, or FPGA, or an IC memory, and controls the input and output of data between the operation input unit 100s and each unit of the device, including the server storage unit 500s. The server processing unit 200s performs various arithmetic processing based on predetermined programs and data, operation input signals from the operation input unit 100s, data received from the player terminals 1500, etc., and controls the operation of the server system 1100. In FIG. 1, this corresponds to the control board 1150 and its CPU 1151.

[0116] The server processing unit 200s includes a user management unit 210, a billing processing unit 220, a game management unit 230, a timekeeping unit 280s, an image generation unit 290s, a sound generation unit 292s, and a communication control unit 294s.

[0117] The user management unit 210 performs processes related to player user registration and manages the data of each registered user linked to a player ID (account). For example, it can perform processes such as assigning a unique account to a registered user, registering and managing personal information for each account, and managing usage history such as login and logout history. Of course, it can also appropriately include management processes for other data linked to accounts.

[0118] The billing processing unit 220 performs billing processing in response to a player's operation to purchase game coins, and provides the player with game coins equivalent to the purchase amount.

[0119] The game management unit 230 performs various processes related to the management of game execution. Since the game of this embodiment is a client-server online game, the game management unit 230 controls the provision of data necessary for game play while communicating with the player terminals 1500.

[0120] For example, the game management unit 230 includes a presentation control unit 231, an object movement control unit 233, an item movement control unit 235, an operation input evaluation unit 237, a play parameter value change control unit 243, an index value change control unit 245, a display object display control unit 247, a rearrangement control unit 249, and a disappearance control unit 253.

[0121] The presentation control unit 231 displays a play score in synchronization with the playback of the played song and controls to present the reference timing to the player. In this embodiment, the presentation control unit 231 controls to move and display a note N as an indicator in the moving display area 11 of the score display unit 10, and to cause the note to overlap the reference position 13 at the reference timing.

[0122] The object movement control unit 233 controls the movement of the monster object on the play music score displayed by the presentation control unit 231. In this embodiment, the object movement control unit 233 refers to the appearance object data 570 of the played song (see FIG. 16 ) and makes the monster object appear in the movement display area 11 according to the settings of the object type 571, object movement speed 573, and initial reference timing 575. The object movement control unit 233 then controls the monster object to move together with the musical note N and the like and overlap with the reference position 13 at the initial reference timing. Furthermore, when the monster object is rearranged by the rearrangement control unit 249, the object movement control unit 233 again controls the movement of the monster object from the rearrangement position and controls the monster object to overlap with the reference position 13 at the reset reference timing.

[0123] The item movement control unit 235 controls the movement of items (cookie Ia in FIG. 3 and power cookie Ib in FIG. 4) on the play score displayed by the presentation control unit 231. In this embodiment, the item movement control unit 235 references the item appearance data 580 of the song being played, and makes the item appear in the movement display area 11 according to the settings of the item type 581 and reference timing 583. The item is then displayed moving together with the musical note N, etc., and controlled so that it overlaps with the reference position 13 at the reference timing.

[0124] The operation input evaluation unit 237 performs evaluation based on the time difference between the reference timing and the operation input timing, based on the operation input by the player. This operation input evaluation unit 237 includes a first type operation input evaluation unit 239 that performs a first type operation input evaluation, and a second type operation input evaluation unit 241 that performs a second type operation input evaluation.

[0125] Each time the reference timing for the note N arrives, the first-class operation input evaluation unit 239 uses a time difference evaluation standard according to the difficulty level of the played song to perform evaluation (first-class operation input evaluation) based on the time difference between the reference timing and the operation input timing for the operation input icon 20a. In this embodiment, the time difference is evaluated in four stages: "good," "acceptable," "poor," and "skip."

[0126] Each time a reference timing for a monster object or an item arrives, the second-type operation input evaluation unit 241 performs an evaluation (second-type operation input evaluation) based on the time difference between the reference timing and the operation input timing for the operation input icon 20b. In this embodiment, the time difference is evaluated in two stages: "input success" and "input failure."

[0127] The play parameter value change control unit 243 controls changes to the play parameter values ​​of a player playing a game based on the playing situation of the player.

[0128] In this embodiment, the play parameter value change control unit 243 controls the change of the game score as the first play parameter value. In this embodiment, the play parameter value change control unit 243 (1) adds evaluation points according to the result of the first-type operation input evaluation by the first-type operation input evaluation unit 239 (the evaluation result of the player's operation input for the note N) and updates the game score; (2) controls to increase the evaluation points according to the player's play situation (for example, the number of combos); (3) controls to increase the evaluation points for the note N to be added when the result of the second-type operation input evaluation for the item by the second-type operation input evaluation unit 241 (the evaluation result of the player's operation input for the item) is "input successful"; (4) adds predetermined bonus points when the disappearance control unit 253 controls the disappearance of the monster object and updates the game score; and (5) deducts failure points from the game score and updates the game score when the result of the second-type operation input evaluation for the monster object by the second-type operation input evaluation unit 241 (the evaluation result of the player's operation input for the monster object) is "input failed". In this embodiment, the bonus points (4) are added when the monster object disappears due to its hit points (HP) reaching 0. However, the bonus points may also be added at other times, such as when the hit points (HP) are halved.

[0129] The play parameter value change control unit 243 also controls the change of the unit damage amount as a second play parameter value. In this embodiment, the play parameter value change control unit 243 sets and updates a damage coefficient as needed depending on the achievement status of an increase condition based on the player's playing status, and multiplies the unit damage amount by the damage coefficient to appropriately increase the amount, thereby controlling the change of the unit damage amount.

[0130] When the result of the second type operation input evaluation for a monster object by the second type operation input evaluation unit 241 is "input successful," the index value change control unit 245 changes and controls the hit points (HP) as an index value for the monster object using the unit damage amount changed and controlled by the play parameter value change control unit 243.

[0131] The display object display control unit 247 controls the display of a monster object whose movement is controlled by the object movement control unit 233, accompanied by an HP display object as an index value display object showing hit points (HP).

[0132] The rearrangement control unit 249 is a functional unit that performs rearrangement control processing, and when a monster object reaches the reference position 13 (when the reference timing for the monster object arrives), it executes a jump destination determination process to determine the jump destination of the monster object and reset the reference timing. The rearrangement control unit 249 includes a display mode control unit 251. The display mode control unit 251 controls changing the display mode of the monster object to be rearranged from the initial "normal state" to a "weakened state."

[0133] The extinction control unit 253 performs control to extinguish a monster object that satisfies the extinction condition, for example, when the hit points (HP) reach "0." Furthermore, for monster objects of a type for which a number of times is set in the rearrangement count 599 (see FIG. 18), the extinction control unit 253 makes a determination by including the rearrangement count 599 condition in the extinction condition. If the monster object has already been rearranged the corresponding number of times, the monster object is extinguished regardless of the value of the hit points (HP).

[0134] The timekeeping unit 280s uses a system clock to keep track of the current date and time, the time limit, and the like.

[0135] The image generating unit 290s generates images relating to system management of the server system 1100 and outputs them to the image display unit 390s.

[0136] The sound generation unit 292s is realized by executing an IC or software that generates or decodes audio data, and generates or decodes audio data such as operation sounds and background music related to system management and video distribution of the server system 1100. Audio signals related to system management are output to the sound output unit 392s.

[0137] The communication control unit 294s performs communication connection and data processing for data communication with an external device (for example, the player terminal 1500) via the communication unit 394s, and realizes data exchange with the external device.

[0138] The image display unit 390s displays various screens for system management and the like based on the image signals input from the image generation unit 290s. For example, this can be realized by an image display device such as a flat panel display, a projector, or a head-mounted display. In FIG. 1, this corresponds to the touch panel 1108.

[0139] The sound output unit 392s outputs the audio signal input from the sound generation unit 292s. In Fig. 1, this corresponds to a speaker (not shown) provided in the main device 1101 or the touch panel 1108.

[0140] The communication unit 394s connects to the network 9 and realizes communication. For example, it can be realized by a wireless communication device, a modem, a TA (terminal adapter), a jack for a wired communication cable, a control circuit, etc. In FIG. 1, this corresponds to the communication device 1153.

[0141] The server storage unit 500s stores in advance or temporarily stores each time processing is performed programs for operating the server system 1100 and implementing various functions of the server system 1100, as well as data used during execution of these programs. For example, this can be implemented by an IC memory such as RAM or ROM, a magnetic disk such as a hard disk, or an optical disk such as a CD-ROM or DVD. In FIG. 1, this corresponds to the IC memory 1152 and storage 1140.

[0142] The server storage unit 500s also stores a server program 501, a distribution game client program 503, user management data 510, game setting data 520, and running game data 600. In addition, other necessary data such as timers, counters, various tables, thresholds, and flags are also stored as appropriate.

[0143] The server program 501 is a program for causing the server processing unit 200s to function as the user management unit 210, the billing processing unit 220, and the game management unit 230. Note that the server program 501 may also include programs for causing the server processing unit 200s to function as the image generation unit 290s, the sound generation unit 292s, and the communication control unit 294s, as appropriate.

[0144] The distribution game client program 503 is the original of the game client program 502 (see FIG. 19) downloaded to the player terminal 1500.

[0145] The user management data 510 is prepared for each player who has completed user registration, and stores various management data related to the game play of the corresponding player. For example, one piece of user management data 510 stores, in association with the player ID of the player, the player's player name, personal information such as the player's age, gender, and birthday, income and expenditure information of electronic payment media (e.g., game coins) linked to the player, information about the player's friends, and the player's play history such as the date and time of game play and play time.

[0146] The game setting data 520 stores various setting data necessary for executing the online game of this embodiment. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 14, the game setting data 520 includes a music list 521, music data 530, and monster object data 590. In addition, data on time difference evaluation criteria for each difficulty level is also stored.

[0147] Song list 521 stores a list of songs that can be selected by a player playing the game. Song data 530 stores data related to each song in song list 521. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15 , each piece of song data 530 includes a unique song title 531, a difficulty level 533 of the corresponding song, song audio data 535, song length 537, sheet music data 540, appearing object data 570, and appearing item data 580.

[0148] The music audio data 535 is music data for playing the corresponding music as a play music. The music length 537 stores the playback time of the music.

[0149] The score data 540 is data for displaying a play score in synchronization with the playback of the song being played (for moving and displaying the notes N on the score display unit 10). The score data 540 stores the arrangement order and arrangement positions of the notes N, the arrangement positions of the bar separator lines B, etc.

[0150] Specifically, the score data 540 includes a score number 541 for identifying the score data 540, a BPM (Beats Per Minute) 543 representing the tempo that serves as the reference for the time length of one beat, a time signature 545, a note movement speed 547, and measure-specific note composition data 550.

[0151] The measure-specific note configuration data 550 is prepared for each measure 560 that constitutes the musical score. One measure-specific note configuration data 550 stores a measure number 551, a playback time range 553 indicating the range of playback time that the measure 560 corresponds to, and a note number 559 associated with a position 555.

[0152] Position 555 is the position of note N to be placed in measure 560 based on time signature 545, and determines the reference timing of the associated note N. In the example of Fig. 15, it indicates the position (grid: first quarter note grid 561, second quarter note grid 562, third quarter note grid 563, fourth quarter note grid 564, ..., fifteenth sixteenth note grid 565) when measure 560 is divided into quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes.

[0153] The note number 559 is an identification number that is uniquely assigned to the note N.

[0154] Appearing object data 570 is prepared for each monster object to be made to appear in the score display section 10 (movement display area 11) when the song is played as a play song. Specifically, one appearing object data 570 stores the type 571 of the monster object, object movement speed 573, and initial reference timing 575, as shown in FIG.

[0155] The object movement speed 573 stores the movement speed of the monster object in the movement display area 11. The object movement speed 573 is set, for example, based on the note movement speed 547 of the music piece in accordance with the setting of the movement type 597 of the monster object data 590 defined for the corresponding object type 571. That is, if the movement type 597 is a "constant speed movement type," the same speed as the note movement speed 547 of the music piece is set as the object movement speed 573. On the other hand, if the movement type 597 is a "high speed movement type," a speed faster than the note movement speed 547 of the music piece is set as the object movement speed 573. The degree of speed may be set as appropriate. Furthermore, if the movement type 597 is a "slow speed movement type," the object movement speed 573 is set to a speed slower than the note movement speed 547 of the music piece. The degree of slowness may be set as appropriate.

[0156] The initial reference timing 575 can be set, for example, based on the setting of the measure-by-measure note configuration data 550 of the music piece, so as not to overlap with the reference timing of any note N. Of course, a setting that overlaps with the reference timing of any note N may be allowed.

[0157] Appearing item data 580 is prepared for each item to be made to appear in moving display area 11 when the song is played as a play song. Specifically, one appearing item data 580 stores the type of item (cookie or power cookie in this embodiment) 581 and reference timing 583, as shown in FIG.

[0158] The reference timing 583 can be set so as not to overlap with the reference timing of any note N, for example, based on the setting of the measure-by-measure note configuration data 550 of the music piece.

[0159] Monster object data 590 is prepared for each type 591 of monster object, and stores definition data for each type, an example of which is shown in FIG. 12. Specifically, one piece of monster object data 590 includes display data 593 for a monster object of that object type 591, a specified HP value 595, a movement type 597, and a rearrangement count 599, as shown in FIG. 18. Display data 593 stores display data for displaying the monster object of that type 591 in each of the display modes of "normal state" and "weakened state."

[0160] The running game data 600 is prepared for each game currently being played and stores the player ID of the player playing that game and various data describing the progress of that game. For example, the running game data 600 stores the name of the song being played, the score number 541 of the score data (hereinafter referred to as "reference score data") 540 of the song being played, the time elapsed since the start of play (which corresponds to the playback time of the song being played in this embodiment), the player's game score, the current combo number, the latest damage coefficient, the current hit points (HP) of the monster object currently appearing, the reset reference timing for that monster object, and, if there is a note N to be added, the note number 559 of that note. The running game data 600 also includes first-type operation input evaluation result data 601.

[0161] The first type operation input evaluation result data 601 stores the results of the operation input evaluation for each note N (reference timing) that constitutes each measure 560 of the reference score data 540 in chronological order.

[0162] 2. Player terminal 19 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the player terminal 1500. As shown in FIG. 19, the player terminal 1500 includes an operation input unit 100, a device processing unit 200, an image display unit 390, a sound output unit 392, a communication unit 394, and a terminal storage unit 500.

[0163] The operation input unit 100 is used by the player to input various operations, and can be realized by, for example, button switches, a joystick, a touchpad, a trackball, an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, a CCD module, etc. In Fig. 2, this corresponds to the direction input keys 1502, the home key 1504, and the touch panel 1506.

[0164] The device processing unit 200 can be realized by electronic components such as a processor, which is an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU, GPU, ASIC, or FPGA, or an IC memory, and controls the input and output of data between the device and each unit, including the operation input unit 100 and the terminal storage unit 500. The device processing unit 200 performs various arithmetic processes based on predetermined programs and data, operation input signals from the operation input unit 100, data received from the server system 1100, and the like, and generally controls the operation of the player terminal 1500. In FIG. 2, this corresponds to the control board 1550 and its CPU 1551. The device processing unit 200 in this embodiment includes a player terminal arithmetic unit 270, a timing unit 280, an image generation unit 290, a sound generation unit 292, and a communication control unit 294.

[0165] The player terminal calculation unit 270 executes various calculation processes to make the player terminal 1500 function as a terminal for the player to play the game. For example, the player terminal calculation unit 270 includes an operation signal transmission control unit 271 and a screen display control unit 273.

[0166] The operation signal transmission control unit 271 performs processing for transmitting various data and request information to the server system 1100 in response to an operation input to the operation input unit 100 .

[0167] The screen display control unit 273 controls the display of various screens, such as game screens, based on various data received from the server system 1100. For example, if the online game of this embodiment is realized as a web game, it can be realized using web technology that actively controls screen display using a web browser-based HTML together with Java (registered trademark) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), or a plug-in such as Adobe (registered trademark) Flash. Of course, other methods may also be used. Furthermore, in the configuration of this embodiment, the game space image (e.g., 3DCG, etc.) that forms the basis of the game screen is generated by the server system 1100, but it is also possible to configure the game space image to be generated by the player terminal 1500. In this case, the screen display control unit 273 controls objects arranged in a virtual three-dimensional space for generating the 3DCG.

[0168] The image generation unit 290, in cooperation with the screen display control unit 273, generates an image signal for displaying one game screen per frame time (for example, 1 / 60 seconds) based on various data received from the server system 1100, and outputs the generated image signal to the image display unit 390. For example, this can be realized by a processor such as a GPU or a digital signal processor (DSP), a video signal IC, a program such as a video codec, an IC memory for drawing frames such as a frame buffer, etc.

[0169] The sound generation unit 292 is realized, for example, by a digital signal processor (DSP), a processor such as a voice synthesis IC, an audio codec for playing audio files, etc., and generates audio signals for game sound effects, background music, and various operation sounds, and outputs them to the sound output unit 392.

[0170] The communication control unit 294 performs communication connection and data processing for data communication with an external device (for example, the server system 1100) via the communication unit 394, thereby realizing data exchange with the external device.

[0171] The image display unit 390 displays various screens, such as a game screen, based on the image signal input from the image generation unit 290. For example, this can be realized by an image display device such as a flat panel display or a head-mounted display. In FIG. 2, this corresponds to the touch panel 1506.

[0172] The sound output unit 392 emits sound effects, background music, etc. related to the game based on the audio signal input from the sound generation unit 292. In FIG.

[0173] The communication unit 394 connects to the network 9 to realize communication. For example, it can be realized by a wireless communication device, a modem, a TA, a jack for a wired communication cable, a control circuit, etc. In FIG. 2, the wireless communication module 1553 corresponds to this.

[0174] The terminal storage unit 500 stores in advance or temporarily stores each time processing is performed programs for operating the player terminal 1500 and implementing the functions of the player terminal 1500, as well as data used during execution of these programs. For example, this can be realized by IC memory such as RAM or ROM, a magnetic disk such as a hard disk, or an optical disk such as a CD-ROM or DVD. In FIG. 2, this corresponds to the IC memory 1552 and the memory card 1540.

[0175] The terminal storage unit 500 also stores a game client program 502. The game client program 502 is a program that causes the terminal processing unit 200 to function as the player terminal calculation unit 270. This game client program 502 may be a dedicated client program that corresponds to the technical method for realizing the online game, or may be configured by a web browser program and a plug-in that realizes interactive image display, etc. In this embodiment, the game client program 502 is a copy of the distribution game client program 503 (see FIG. 13) provided by the server system 1100.

[0176] [Processing flow] Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing the flow of game processing. Fig. 20 shows the flow of game processing, focusing on one game play performed by one player. The processing described here is realized by the server processing unit 200s reading and executing the server program 501.

[0177] In the game processing, first, a selection operation of a song to be played by the player is accepted (step S101). Then, when the song to be played is selected by the player, playback of the song to be played begins, and the game starts (step S103). Specifically, the presentation control unit 231 starts a score display synchronized with the playback of the song to be played in accordance with the reference score data 540. As a result, the notes constituting each measure appear and move on the game screen (the moving display area 11 of the score display unit 10) in the order of the measure numbers 551. Furthermore, the object movement control unit 233 causes a monster object to appear in the moving display area 11 as needed in accordance with the appearing object data 570, and causes it to move and display on the play score. Then, the display object display control unit 247 causes a HP display object to be attached to the monster object. Furthermore, the item movement control unit 235 causes an item to appear in the moving display area 11 as needed in accordance with the appearing item data 580, and causes it to move and display on the play score. Furthermore, the first type operation input evaluation unit 239 starts a first type operation input evaluation for the musical note N, and the second type operation input evaluation unit 241 starts a second type operation input evaluation for the monster object and the item. Then, the play parameter value change control unit 243 starts control relating to adding points to the game score based on the result of the first type operation input evaluation, increasing the evaluation points based on the player's playing status, changing the unit damage amount, etc.

[0178] During the game, the arrival of a reference timing for the monster object is monitored. When the reference timing arrives (step S105: YES) and the player has successfully input an operation to the monster object (step S107: YES), the index value change control unit 245 subtracts the unit damage amount, which is constantly being changed and controlled by the play parameter value change control unit 243, from the hit points (HP) to update the hit points (HP) (step S109).

[0179] On the other hand, if the player fails to input an operation to the monster object (step S107: NO), the play parameter value change control unit 243 deducts failure points and updates the game score (step S111).

[0180] Next, the disappearance control unit 253 determines the disappearance condition. That is, if the hit points (HP) become "0" as a result of the update in step S109, or if the condition of the number of rearrangements 599 set for the type of monster object is satisfied (if the monster object has been rearranged the corresponding number of times), the disappearance control unit 253 determines that the disappearance condition is satisfied (step S113: YES), and disappears the monster object (step S115). At that time, if the hit points (HP) become "0", the play parameter value change control unit 243 updates the game score by adding bonus points.

[0181] If it is determined that the disappearance condition is not met (step S113: NO), the rearrangement control unit 249 performs the rearrangement control process described with reference to FIG. 10 to rearrange the monster object (step S117).

[0182] During the game, the arrival of a reference timing for an item is monitored. When the reference timing arrives (step S119: YES) and the player has successfully input an operation for the item (step S121: YES), the play parameter value change control unit 243 performs control to increase the evaluation points for the note N that is the target of point addition according to the item (step S123).

[0183] Then, until the playback of the played song is completed (step S125: NO), the process returns to step S105 and repeats the above process. Once the playback of the played song is completed (step S125: YES), the playing results are displayed (step S127).

[0184] As described above, according to this embodiment, a monster object that interferes with the player's game play can be made to appear on the game screen (movement display area 11 of the music score display unit 10) on which the musical note N indicating the reference timing is displayed moving toward the reference position 13, and can be moved and displayed together with the musical note N toward the reference position 13. Then, the hit points (HP) of the monster object are reduced according to the evaluation result of the operation input when the monster object reaches the reference position 13, and the monster object can be relocated to a jump destination in the opposite direction from the forward direction toward the reference position 13, and can be moved and displayed again from the relocated position toward the reference position. This allows the player to perform operation inputs on the musical note N while also skillfully performing operation inputs on the monster object, and enjoy the game while aiming for a high score.

[0185] The forms to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and constituent elements can be added, omitted, or modified as appropriate.

[0186] [Variation 1] For example, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the monster object is displayed on the music score display unit 10 and moves in a straight line along the line L shown in FIG. 3 etc., but the configuration is not limited to a straight line movement. FIGS. 21 and 22 are diagrams showing examples of movement patterns of the monster object in this modified example, and show the music score display unit 10 extracted from the game screen. Note that in FIG. 21 etc., illustrations of musical notes N etc. may be omitted. A plurality of movement patterns of the monster object as exemplified in FIG. 21 and FIG. 22 may be prepared, and the movement of the monster object may be controlled according to a movement pattern selected from these.

[0187] 21, the movement pattern can include a pattern in which the moving display area 11 moves in the forward direction toward the reference position 13 until halfway, then turns back in the opposite direction, and then changes direction of movement again to the forward direction to reach the reference position 13. Also, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 22, the movement pattern can include a pattern in which the moving display area 11 does not stay within the area, but moves outside or across the area to reach the reference position 13.

[0188] [Variation 2] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the monster object is rearranged regardless of whether the player's operation input to the monster object is successful or not, and is destroyed when its hit points (HP) reach "0." In contrast, the monster object may be rearranged only when the player's operation input is successful, and may be destroyed without being rearranged if the operation input is unsuccessful. Since the monster object is destroyed before its hit points (HP) reach "0," if the player fails to perform an operation input to the monster object even once, the player will miss a chance to earn bonus points.

[0189] [Variation 3] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which, when a monster object is rearranged, the jump destination is determined based on the hit points (HP) of the monster object. Specifically, the jump destination is determined by calculating the jump distance so that the jump distance is longer the larger the hit points (HP) value is (shorter the smaller the hit points (HP) value is). In contrast, the reference timing may be reset based on the hit points (HP) of the monster object. For example, the time until the reference timing may be determined so that the larger the hit points (HP) value is, the longer the jump distance is (shorter the smaller the hit points (HP) value is), and the reference timing may be reset from that time. In this case, the jump destination (rearrangement position or appearance timing) of the monster object may be determined based on the reference timing.

[0190] [Variation 4] Furthermore, the jump distance may be increased (the time until the reference timing may be increased) or decreased (the time until the reference timing may be decreased) depending on the type of monster object. For example, this can be achieved by setting the jump distance and the time until the reference timing for each type of monster object in the monster object data 590 (see FIG. 18). Types of monster objects can include monster objects that are relocated to positions close to the reference position 13 and monster objects that are relocated to positions far from the reference position 13.

[0191] [Variation 5] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the unit damage amount is changed and controlled as the second play parameter value. However, the unit damage amount may be configured to be set as a different value for each type of monster object. This can be achieved by setting a unit damage amount for each type in the monster object data 590. Types of monster objects can include monster objects whose hit points (HP) decrease easily (hit points (HP) decrease significantly when a control input is successful) and monster objects whose hit points (HP) decrease slowly (hit points (HP) decrease only slightly even when a control input is successful).

[0192] [Variation 6] Furthermore, when rearranging a monster object, the display position of any note N for which the reference timing has not yet arrived may be set as the jump destination, and the monster object may be rearranged by replacing that note N. For example, using the jump distance calculated in the manner of the above embodiment, the note N closest to the position whose distance from the reference position 13 is the jump distance may be set as the replacement target. In the example of FIG. 9, note N-1 is closest to the position whose distance from the reference position 13 is the jump distance (the position of monster object Oa in FIG. 9(d)). In this case, the display position of note N-1 may be determined as the jump destination, and note N-1 may be rearranged by replacing it with monster object Oa.

[0193] [Variation 7] In addition, in the above embodiment, the display modes of the monster object are exemplified as "normal state" and "weakened state," but the display mode may be changed by increasing or decreasing the size of the monster object as the hit points (HP) decrease.

[0194] [Variation 8] Furthermore, the evaluation points added to the game score according to the result of the first-type operation input evaluation may be increased or decreased according to the game score or the amount of unit damage. For example, when the player successfully inputs the operation of note N, if the game score at that time exceeds a predetermined value (is high), the evaluation points may be increased (for example, if the evaluation result is "good", the evaluation points may be increased from 3 points to 5 points, or if the evaluation result is "passable", the evaluation points may be increased from 1 point to 3 points), or conversely, if the game score is below a predetermined value (is low), the evaluation points may be decreased (for example, if the evaluation result is "good", the evaluation points may be decreased from 3 points to 1 point, or if the evaluation result is "passable", the evaluation points may be decreased from 1 point to 0 points).

[0195] In a similar manner, if the unit damage amount is increasing, the evaluation points may be increased, and if the unit damage amount is not increasing, the evaluation points may be decreased.

[0196] Furthermore, each time an operation input is made, a predetermined probability may be used to determine whether or not to control the increase or decrease of the evaluation points. If a decision is made to increase or decrease the evaluation points, the control of the increase of the evaluation points described above is performed.

[0197] [Variation 9] The result of the first type operation input evaluation may also be configured to be changed according to the game score or the amount of unit damage. In this case, the server system 1100, as the evaluation result changing means, performs control such as changing the evaluation result from "good" to "good" or from "poor" to "good" when the game score at that time exceeds a predetermined value (high) when the player has successfully performed the operation input of note N. Alternatively, a similar change control may be performed when the amount of unit damage is increasing. Alternatively, a similar change control may be performed when the game score is below a predetermined value (low) when the server system 1100 performs control such as changing the evaluation result from "good" to "poor" or from "poor" to "poor." Alternatively, a similar change control may be performed when the amount of unit damage is not increasing.

[0198] Furthermore, each time an operation input is made, a determination may be made using a predetermined probability as to whether or not to perform change control of the evaluation result. If it is determined that change control is to be performed, the change control of the evaluation result described above is performed.

[0199] [Variation 10] The evaluation results may be changed by variably controlling the evaluation method of the first type operation input evaluation unit 239 and the evaluation method of the second type operation input evaluation unit 241 based on the play parameter values ​​changed and controlled by the play parameter value change control unit 243. For example, the evaluation criteria may be relaxed so that the lower the game score, the more assisted (helpful) the game play is, for example, so that the evaluation results by the first type operation input evaluation unit 239 and the second type operation input evaluation unit 241 are more likely to be high. Conversely, the higher the game score, the stricter the evaluation criteria may be so that the first type operation input evaluation unit 239 and the second type operation input evaluation unit 241 are more strict (making it more difficult to obtain a high evaluation).

[0200] [Variation 11] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the monster objects have been described as objects that interfere with the player's game play, but it is also possible to have monster objects appear to assist the player. For example, this can be realized by a configuration in which bonus points are added to the game score when the player successfully inputs control to a monster object. In this case, the number of points added may increase according to the number of successful inputs to the same monster object (the more successful the number of times).

[0201] [Variation 12] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to cases where a player plays the game alone, but can also be applied to cases where a player competes against other players to get a high score, or where a player cooperates with other players to play the game and aim for a high score. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen when applied to a battle mode. As shown in FIG. 23, the game screen of this modification displays music score display sections 10a and 10b for each of the competing players (player a and player b in FIG. 23), and includes reference positions 13a and 13b for the corresponding players. FIG. 23(a) shows a scene in which a monster object Oa has reached the reference position 13a in the music score display section 10a (movement display area 11) of player a, and player a has successfully input an operation to the monster object Oa. In this modified example, if a player successfully inputs the operation of the monster object Oa as shown in (a) of Figure 23, the monster object Oa is repositioned in the music score display section 10b (movement display area 11) of the opponent player b as shown in (b) of Figure 23.

[0202] In this case, similarly to the above embodiment, when the hit points (HP) of the monster object Oa are low, a position close to the reference position 13b may be determined as the jump destination (rearrangement position), which makes it possible to interfere with the game play of the opponent player.

[0203] [Variation 13] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which notes, monster objects, etc. are moved toward a reference position, and the timing at which they reach the reference position (the timing at which the notes, etc. overlap with the reference position) is displayed as the reference timing. However, a configuration may be adopted in which the reference position is moved without moving the notes, etc. Figure 24 is a diagram showing a display example of the music score display unit 10 in this modified example.

[0204] In this modification, the server system 1100 controls the movement of the reference position 13c on the play score displayed on the score display unit 10 (more specifically, the strip-shaped play score display area 11c), with the leftmost position in (a) of Figure 24 as the home position of the reference position 13c. The play score is displayed in the play score display area 11c, for example, for a predetermined number of bars at a time, like turning over a page of a score. In the example of (a) of Figure 24, the first page of the play score shows an example of the display of the first three bars of the play song.

[0205] Once the game has started, the server system 1100 moves the reference position 13c together with the evaluation result display unit 17c along the line L toward the right end, as shown by the arrow in (a) of Figure 24. The timing at which the reference position 13c overlaps with the musical note N, the monster object Oa, or the like is indicated as the reference timing. For example, (b) of Figure 24 indicates that the reference timing for the first musical note N has arrived.

[0206] Then, as shown in (c) of Fig. 24, the server system 1100 moves the reference position 13c to the right edge, and then, as shown in (d) of Fig. 24, updates the display of the play score in the play score display area 11c to the play score of the next page, and returns the reference position 13c to the home position at the left edge. Thereafter, the server system 1100 moves the reference position 13c toward the right edge in the same manner as above. Although not shown, when the reference position 13c reaches the monster object Oa, the server system 1100 relocates the monster object Oa to a jump destination away from the reference position 13c, and resets the reference timing of the monster object Oa.

[0207] [Variation 14] In the above embodiment, a timing presentation form has been described in which a musical note N, a monster object, etc. are displayed moving on a single lane that is the musical score display unit 10, and the timing when the musical note N, etc. reaches the reference position 13 is displayed as the reference timing. In contrast to this, the timing presentation form may be a reference timing presentation form in which, as shown in Fig. 25, a plurality of lanes (three in the illustrated example) that are the musical score display unit are prepared, and the musical note N of the corresponding musical score is displayed moving to the reference position 55 on each of the lanes 51, 52, 53 according to musical scores prepared for the lanes 51, 52, 53.

[0208] Then, the movement display of the monster object is controlled in conjunction with the movement display of the musical note N on the lanes 51, 52, and 53. In the example of FIG.

[0209] [Variation 15] Furthermore, in the above embodiment and modified examples, the server system 1100 is described as the entity that processes game management, but the player terminal 1500 may be configured as the entity that processes game management, or the processing related to the game management may be distributed and executed between the server system 1100 and the player terminal 1500. For example, in the configuration of the above embodiment, if the player terminal is configured as the entity that processes game management, an example of the functional configuration of the player terminal 1500A is as shown in Fig. 26. Note that in Fig. 26, the same components as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0210] As shown in FIG. 26 , in the player terminal 1500A of this modification, the device processing unit 200 includes a game management unit 230, and the screen display control unit 273 is omitted. That is, the player terminal 1500A of this modification does not acquire data for displaying images such as game screens from the server system 1100, but serves as a computer system in which its own game management unit 230 performs processing related to game management, controls game execution, and generates images such as game screens. A game program 504 is stored in the device storage unit 500 of the player terminal 1500A, which, when executed by the player terminal 1500A, causes the device processing unit 200 to function as the player terminal calculation unit 270 and the game management unit 230. User management data 510 related to the player of the player terminal 1500A, ongoing game data 600 related to the game being played by the player, and game setting data 520 are also stored in the device storage unit 500.

[0211] The processing flow of the player terminal 1500A of this modified example is basically the same as the flowchart shown in FIG. 20, and each step can be interpreted as being executed by the game management unit 230 of the player terminal 1500A.

[0212] According to this modification, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained. Note that the player terminal 1500 may not assume all of the functions of the game management section 230, but may assume only some of them. [Explanation of symbols]

[0213] 1000...Game System 1100...Server system 100s...Operation input section 200s...Server processing section 210...User Management Department 220...Charging processing unit 230...Game Management Department 231... Presentation control unit 233...Object movement control unit 235...Item movement control unit 237...Operation input evaluation unit 239...Type 1 operation input evaluation unit 241...Type 2 operation input evaluation unit 243...play parameter value change control section 245...Index value change control unit 247...Display unit display control unit 249...Relocation control unit 251...Display mode control unit 253...Disappearance control unit 290s...Image generation section 292s…sound generation section 294s…Communication control unit 390s...Image display section 392s...Sound output section 394s…Communication Department 500s...Server storage section 501...Server program 503...Streaming game client program 510...User management data 520...Game setting data 521...Song list 530...Song data 531...Song title 533...Difficulty 535...Music audio data 540...Score data 541...music number 547…Note movement speed 550...Measure-by-measure note structure data 570...Appearing object data 571...Object type 573...Object movement speed 575...First standard timing 580...Appearance item data 581...Item type 583...Standard Timing 590...Monster object data 591...Object type 593...Display data 595...HP default value 597...Mobile type 599...Number of rearrangements 600...Current game data 601...Type 1 operation input evaluation result data 1500...User terminal 100...Operation input section 200...Terminal processing section 270...User terminal calculation unit 271...Operation signal transmission control unit 273...Screen display control unit 290...Image generation unit 292...Sound generation section 294...Communication control unit 390...Image display unit 392...Sound output unit 394…Communications Department 500...Device memory section 502...Game client program 9. Network 2...Player

Claims

1. A computer system for controlling execution of a game that evaluates a timing of a player's operation input relative to a reference timing, comprising: an object movement control means for controlling the movement of the object using a timing when the object reaches a given reference position as the reference timing; evaluation means for evaluating an operation input by the player with respect to the object; index value change control means for changing the index value of the object based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means; a rearrangement control means for rearranging the object to a position away from the reference position and resetting the reference timing of the object based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means or the index value changed by the index value change control means; Equipped with when the object is rearranged by the rearrangement control means, the object movement control means controls the movement of the object again from the rearranged position; Computer system.

2. an index value response display control means for controlling 1) the display mode of the object based on the index value, and / or 2) the display of an index value display body showing the index value; The computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

3. an extinction control means for extinguishing the object when the index value satisfies a given extinction condition; The computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

4. the rearrangement control means rearranges the object and resets the reference timing every time the evaluation means performs an evaluation while the disappearance condition is not satisfied.

4. The computer system of claim 3.

5. the extinction condition is a threshold condition for the index value, the relocation control means determines a relocation position based on the index value; 5. The computer system of claim 4.

6. the game is a game in which indicators are displayed moving in a forward direction toward the reference position in a predetermined order, and an operation input by the player is evaluated based on a reference timing at which each indicator reaches the reference position; the object has a different form from the indicator, the rearrangement control means determines a rearrangement position in a direction different from the forward direction; 10. The computer system of claim 1.

7. the object movement control means variably controls the movement direction and / or the movement speed of the object; 7. The computer system of claim 6.

8. an extinction control means for extinguishing the object when the index value satisfies a given extinction condition, which is a threshold condition for the index value; Further provided with the reallocation control means determines a reallocation position and / or resets the reference timing based on the index value.

10. The computer system of claim 1.

9. the rearrangement control means sets a rearrangement position to a display position of one of the indicators, and rearranges the object by replacing the object with the indicator; 7. The computer system of claim 6.

10. play parameter value change control means for changing and controlling play parameter values ​​based on play situations; Further provided with the index value change control means changes the index value based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means and the play parameter value.

10. The computer system of claim 1.

11. the game is a game in which indicators are displayed moving toward the reference position in a predetermined order, and an operation input by the player is evaluated based on a reference timing at which each indicator reaches the reference position; the play parameter values ​​include a first play parameter value and a second play parameter value; The play parameter value change control means changing and controlling the first play parameter value based on an evaluation result of the operation input to the indicator; changing and controlling the second play parameter value based on the first play parameter value or a play situation; and the index value change control means changes the index value based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means and the second play parameter value.

11. The computer system of claim 10.

12. an extinction control means for extinguishing the object when the index value satisfies a given extinction condition; Further provided with the play parameter value change control means changes and controls the first play parameter value when the disappearance control means controls the disappearance of the object.

12. The computer system of claim 11.

13. an item movement display control means for displaying a moving item that can be acquired by the player; Further provided with the play parameter value change control means variably controls the play parameter value based on the item acquired by the player; 11. The computer system of claim 10.

14. There are multiple types of objects, the index value change control means changes the index value of the object at a change level according to the type of the object; 10. The computer system of claim 1.

15. There are multiple types of objects, the rearrangement control means performs rearrangement with control content according to the type of the object.

10. The computer system of claim 1.

16. the game is a game in which the reference position is set for each player, the rearrangement control means performs control to rearrange the object so that the object faces the reference position of a different player; 10. The computer system of claim 1.

17. a play parameter value change control means for changing and controlling a play parameter value based on a play situation; evaluation result changing means for changing the evaluation result of the evaluation means based on the play parameter value; The computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

18. A computer system for controlling execution of a game that evaluates a timing of a player's operation input relative to a reference timing, comprising: a reference position movement control means for controlling the movement of the reference position by setting the timing at which the given reference position reaches the object as the reference timing; evaluation means for evaluating an operation input by the player with respect to the object; a rearrangement control means for rearranging the object to a position away from the reference position and resetting the reference timing of the object based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means; A computer system comprising:

19. A program for causing a computer system to perform execution control of a game that evaluates the timing of a player's operation input relative to a reference timing, the program comprising: an object movement control means for controlling the movement of the object using a timing when the object reaches a given reference position as the reference timing; evaluation means for evaluating an operation input by the player with respect to the object; index value change control means for changing the index value of the object based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means; a rearrangement control means for rearranging the object to a position away from the reference position and resetting the reference timing of the object based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means or the index value changed by the index value change control means; causing the computer system to function as when the object is rearranged by the rearrangement control means, the object movement control means controls the movement of the object again from the rearranged position; program.

20. A program for causing a computer system to perform execution control of a game that evaluates the timing of a player's operation input relative to a reference timing, the program comprising: a reference position movement control means for controlling the movement of the reference position by setting the timing at which the given reference position reaches the object as the reference timing; evaluation means for evaluating an operation input by the player with respect to the object; a relocation control means for relocating the object to a position away from the reference position and resetting the reference timing of the object based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means; A program for causing the computer system to function as a

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