Information processor, control program, and control method

Abstract

To provide a technique for increasing a user's expectation value toward winning of a lottery that is not held yet in a lottery in which the remainder of limited lottery objects is shared and managed by multiple users.SOLUTION: An information processor includes a determination part for determining an object from among multiple objects according to a user's lottery request and providing the user with a determined object, and an update part for reducing the number of objects remaining within a shared group when an object is determined from the shared group that is a group that is formed from one or multiple predetermined objects and is a group in which the remainder of objects within the group is shared and managed by multiple users, thus solving problems.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, a control program, and a control method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, communication devices with touch panel displays such as smartphones have become widespread, and each user has their own communication device. In this context, services that provide users with community-based services over the Internet, namely, social networking services (hereinafter referred to as "SNS"), have become well known. Online games (social games) are one type of SNS that are provided to users.

[0003] In online games, objects such as characters and items that appear in the game may be provided by lottery (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the lottery, a winning probability is generally set for each object, and when a user requests a lottery, an object to be provided to the user is selected based on the set winning probability. Objects with a low winning probability are often designed to be scarce, i.e., rare, and therefore to allow the player to progress through the game at an advantage. For this reason, users often aim to obtain rare cards in the game. Depending on the game, consecutive lotteries may be held to efficiently obtain rare objects with a low winning probability. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-247977 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, in online games, the probability of winning is generally set for each object. Since each user selects an object from a uniform population provided to each user, the results of the selections made by other users are not affected by the results of the selections made by each user.

[0006] The present invention provides a technique for increasing a user's expectation of winning an item that has not yet been drawn in a lottery in which a finite number of remaining items are shared and managed by multiple users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a determination unit that determines one of a plurality of targets in response to a lottery request from a user and provides the determined target to the user, and an update unit that, when one of the targets is determined from a shared group, which is a group formed from one or more predetermined targets among the plurality of targets and in which the remaining numbers of the targets in the group are shared and managed by multiple users, reduces the remaining number of the targets in the shared group. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, in a lottery in which a limited number of remaining lottery items are shared and managed by multiple users, it is possible to increase users' expectations of winning items that have not yet been drawn. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration of a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of the game system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a database managed by a server in this embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a lottery screen (before the lottery) in this embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a lottery screen (after lottery) in this embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a lottery screen (when a bonus is won) in this embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram of the entire game system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart of a shared box remaining number acquisition process (S5) in this embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart of a lottery process (S10) in Example 1 of the present embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart of a lottery process (S10) in Example 2 of the present embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a hardware environment of a computer that executes a program according to this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] 1 is a diagram showing an example of an information processing device in this embodiment. The information processing device 1 includes a determination unit 2 and an update unit 3. An example of the information processing device 1 is a server 15, which will be described later.

[0011] The determination unit 2 determines one of a plurality of targets in response to a lottery request from a user and provides the determined target to the user. Examples of the determination unit 2 include a lottery unit 34 and a providing unit 36, which will be described later.

[0012] When one of the multiple objects is determined from a shared group, which is a group formed from one or more predetermined objects and in which the remaining number of objects in the group is shared and managed by multiple users, the update unit 3 reduces the remaining number of objects in the shared group. An example of the update unit 3 is the box management unit 35, which will be described later. Here, the shared group is a shared box managed by the shared box management database 43, as will be described later.

[0013] By configuring it in this way, in a lottery where a finite number of remaining lottery items are shared and managed by multiple users, it is possible to increase users' expectations of winning items that have not yet been drawn.

[0014] The determination unit 2 may determine one of the targets from a shared group and a user-specific group that is managed independently for each of a plurality of users. A user-specific group is a user-specific box that is managed by a user-specific box management database 44, as will be described later. A shared group includes more lottery targets that are rarer than the lottery targets included in the user-specific group. Furthermore, the shared group and the user-specific group may be configured to have different configurations of lottery targets, as long as the shared group includes more rare lottery targets than the user-specific group. In other words, the shared group includes rarer game elements (characters and items) that the user wants more than the user-specific group.

[0015] By configuring it in this way, users can draw lots from the shared group and the user-specific group, so when the lottery is drawn from the shared group, the user's expectations for winning an item that has not yet been drawn can be increased.

[0016] The determination unit 2 may determine one of the targets from the shared group and the user group based on a first probability set for the shared group and a second probability set for the user group. Then, when one of the targets is determined from the shared group, the determination unit 2 may decrease the first probability and increase the second probability.

[0017] By configuring in this way, it is possible to reduce the chances of the remaining number of lottery items being reduced from the shared table.

[0018] The determination unit 2 may determine an object in the sharing group that is more rare as the remaining number of objects in the sharing group decreases.

[0019] By configuring it in this way, the fewer the remaining number of objects in the shared group, the higher the expectation of winning an object of higher rarity, which helps maintain motivation to continue participating in the lottery.

[0020] When the remaining number of lottery targets in the shared group is equal to or less than a predetermined number and the determination unit 2 determines and provides one of the targets, the determination unit 2 may provide a benefit in addition to the determined target. Here, the benefit may be, for example, an object such as a character, item, or in-game currency that appears in the game, a predetermined effect for advantageously progressing through the game, predetermined music, a coupon, or the like.

[0021] By configuring it in this way, for example, if the lottery is drawn last, a bonus can be provided in addition to the object that was won, thereby further increasing the user's expectations.

[0022] The predetermined number or less means, for example, "1" or less, and a bonus may be provided in addition to the object drawn last in the shared group. As an example, by providing the user with a rare game element (item or character) as a bonus at the end, the user can be encouraged to actively draw for the last object to be drawn.

[0023] The determination unit 2 may vary the number of attempts to consecutively determine any one of the targets in response to a request from the user, depending on the number of remaining targets.

[0024] By configuring it in this way, it is possible to vary the number of consecutive draws that can be made depending on the number of remaining objects. Therefore, for example, if the last object drawn is to be offered a bonus in addition to the object that was won, and the number of remaining objects is five, it is possible to adjust the number of consecutive draws to four or less so that the bonus cannot be won in the subsequent attempts in the consecutive draw process.

[0025] When any target is determined from the user-specific group, the update unit 3 may decrease the remaining number of targets in the user-specific group. In this case, when there are no more targets remaining in the user-specific group, the determination unit 2 may reset the targets in the user-specific group to their initial state (perform a process to return the remaining number to the initial value), thereby increasing the first probability that a shared group will be drawn by lottery compared to before the reset.

[0026] With this configuration, the more a user participates in lotteries, the more lottery items they can acquire from the shared box, and therefore, the more rare the lottery items (game elements) they can obtain.

[0027] When a request is made by the user to determine any one of the targets multiple times in succession, the determination unit 2 may determine any one of the targets from the shared group at least once.

[0028] By configuring in this way, it is possible to increase motivation to select consecutive lotteries.

[0029] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the network configuration of a game system according to this embodiment. The game system 11 includes one or more user terminals 12, a server 15, and a communication network 16. The one or more user terminals 12 and the server 15 are connected to each other via the communication network 16 so that they can communicate with each other.

[0030] The user terminal 12 is a portable electronic terminal device with a communication function that can be connected to a communication network 16, such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, or mobile phone carried by a user. The user terminal 12 has an operation display unit 13, a microphone for inputting sound, a speaker for outputting sound, a camera, etc. The operation display unit 13 is a device that allows input operations to be made on a screen 14 and displays images on the screen 14, such as a touch panel display.

[0031] The user terminal 12 can download and install a predetermined application program from an application program download site on the Internet. This allows the user to operate the application program by performing input operations on the operation display unit 13 of the user terminal 12. In this embodiment, as an example, it is assumed that game application software (hereinafter referred to as "game application software") that can access a cloud server or the like via communication and play a game online is installed on the user terminal 12.

[0032] By starting up this game application software on the user terminal 12, the user can make the user terminal 12 access the server 15. When the user terminal 12 accesses the server 15, the user may be required to input, for example, a login user ID that has been registered in advance.

[0033] When the game application software installed on the user terminal 12 is started, a graphical user interface (GUI) screen, which will be described later, is displayed on the screen 14 of the user terminal 12. The GUI screen displays a screen for registering photos and videos of children and family members to the server 15 and for viewing the registered photos and videos.

[0034] The user can start the game application software installed on the user terminal 12 and operate the GUI screen to access the server 15. The user can also operate the GUI screen to upload photos and videos stored in the user terminal 12 to the server 15.

[0035] The server 15 is an information processing device that manages information related to game applications installed in the terminal device 12. For example, the server 15 manages information related to users who use the game applications (for example, gameplay details, status information of the playing character, point information, etc.) and manages information related to billing. The server 15 may be a server system made up of one or more physical information processing devices, or may be a virtual server system made up of one or more virtual server devices.

[0036] The server 15 may be a server system made up of one or more physical information processing devices, or may be a virtual server system made up of one or more virtual server devices.

[0037] 3 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the game system 11 in this embodiment. The functions of the user terminal 12 and the server 15 will be described below.

[0038] The user terminal 12 includes an operation display unit 13, a communication unit 21, a control unit 22, and a storage unit 23. The communication unit 21 is an interface that enables communication with devices connected to the communication network 16. Here, the communication unit 21 communicates with the server 15 via the communication network 16.

[0039] The operation display unit 13 is a touch panel display that can display and input data through a user's input operation. In this embodiment, a touch panel display is used as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the input unit and the display unit may be independent of each other.

[0040] The control unit 22 controls the overall operation of the user terminal 12. The control unit 22 controls the display state of the screen 14 based on user interface (UI) data of a game application program 24 stored in the storage unit 23.

[0041] The storage unit 23 stores installed game application programs 24, game element data 25, and various data. Here, data includes not only status information and character data but also graphical data. The game element data 25 includes background data used in the game, object data such as characters and items, and numerical data such as parameters.

[0042] The server 15 includes a communication unit 31, a control unit 32, and a storage unit 41. The communication unit 31 is an interface that enables communication with devices connected to the communication network 16. The communication unit 31 communicates with the user terminal 12 via the communication network 16.

[0043] The control unit 32 controls the overall operation of the server 15. At the same time, the control unit 32 performs control such as executing processing in response to a request from the user terminal 12 and returning the execution result to the user terminal 12. The control unit 32 executes the application program according to this embodiment, thereby functioning as a request acquisition unit 33, a lottery unit 34, a box management unit 35, and a provision unit 36.

[0044] The request acquisition unit 33 acquires a request from the user terminal 12. In this embodiment, examples of the request are a request to draw one of the lottery objects by lottery from a lottery box containing the lottery objects, and include a single lottery request that requests a single lottery and a continuous lottery request that requests a predetermined number of consecutive lottery draws (two or more times).

[0045] The lottery unit 34 determines one of the lottery objects as a winning object from the lottery boxes containing the lottery objects based on a request from the user terminal 12. Here, the lottery boxes include individual boxes and shared boxes. The individual boxes are a uniform population of objects that are lottery objects provided for each user, and are specifically managed in the user box management database 44. The shared boxes are a population of objects that are lottery objects shared by all users, and are specifically managed in the shared box management database 43. Hereinafter, the database will be referred to as "DB."

[0046] Furthermore, the lottery unit 34 not only determines one of the lottery objects from the lottery box as a prize object, but also reads out information specifying the object of the prize object from the prize management DB 45 based on a predetermined rule.

[0047] When any of the lottery objects is determined to be a winning object from the lottery box, the box management unit 35 removes the winning object from the lottery box. More specifically, when any of the lottery objects is determined to be a winning object from the shared box, the box management unit 35 removes the winning object from the shared box (shared box management DB 43), and when any of the lottery objects is determined to be a winning object from the individual box, the box management unit 35 removes the winning object from the individual box (user-specific box management DB 44). The box management unit 35 removes the winning object from the shared box (shared box management DB 43). Information about (the object removed from the lottery box) is added to the user management DB 42.

[0048] Furthermore, in response to an inquiry from the user terminal 12, the box management unit 35 acquires the total number of remaining objects in the shared box from the shared box management DB 43.

[0049] The providing unit 36 ​​responds to the user terminal 12 that made the inquiry with the total number of remaining objects in the shared box. In addition, the providing unit 36 ​​provides the lottery object selected as a winning result to the user terminal 12 via the communication unit 31. When the communication unit 31 receives lottery result information (lottery object selected as a winning result) from the providing unit 36, it transmits it to the user terminal 12. Then, the received lottery result information is displayed on the screen 14 of the user terminal 12.

[0050] The storage unit 41 stores the program according to this embodiment and data used for the program. The storage unit 41 also includes a user-owned object management DB 42, a shared box management DB 43, a user-specific box management DB 44, and a benefit management DB 45.

[0051] The user-owned object management DB 42 is a database that manages objects owned by users. The shared box management DB 43 is a database that manages the remaining number of objects that are eligible for lottery in the shared box that is shared by all users who play the game system 11. The user-specific box management DB 44 is a database that manages uniform objects that are eligible for lottery provided to each user. The bonus management DB 45 is a database that manages objects that are bonuses.

[0052] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a database managed by the server 15 in this embodiment. Below, each record in the user-owned object management DB 42 may be referred to as user-owned object information. Each record in the shared box management DB 43 may be referred to as shared box information. Each record in the user-specific box management DB 44 may be referred to as user-specific box information. Each record in the benefit management DB 45 may be referred to as benefit information. Note that the data structure of the database in Fig. 4 is a conceptual structural example for ease of explanation, and is not limited to this.

[0053] The user-owned object management DB 42 includes data items such as "User ID," "Object 1," "Object 2," etc. The item "User ID" stores information that identifies a user (user ID). The items "Object 1," "Object 2," etc. store information that identifies objects owned by the user (object ID).

[0054] The shared box management DB43 includes data items of "object ID", "rarity", "initial setting number", "number of wins", "remaining number", and "winning probability". In the item "object ID", information (object ID) for identifying an object is stored. In the item "rarity", rank information indicating the rarity of an object is stored. In this example, the rarity increases in the order of C < B < A < S. In the item "initial setting number", the number of that object initially set in the shared box is stored. In the item "number of wins", the number of times that object has won in the lottery is stored. In the item "remaining number", the remaining number of that object in the shared box, that is, the value obtained by subtracting the number of wins from the initial setting number, is stored. In the item "winning probability", when the shared box is selected with the first probability in the lottery, the winning probability of each object (lottery target) included in the shared box is stored. For example, in the example of FIG. 4(B), the shared box includes an object with object ID = A0001, an object with object ID = A0002, and an object with object ID = A0003. The remaining number of the object with object ID = A0001 is 8, the remaining number of the object with object ID = A0002 is 10, and the remaining number of the object with object ID = A0003 is 1. From this, the remaining number of objects in the shared box is 8 + 10 + 1 = 19. From this, the winning probability of the object with object ID = A0001 is (8 / 19) × 100 ≈ 42%. The winning probability of the object with object ID = A0002 is (10 / 19) × 100 ≈ 53%. The winning probability of the object with object ID = A0003 is (1 / 19) × 100 ≈ 5%.

[0055] The per-user box management DB 44 includes data items of "user ID", "object ID", "rarity", "initial setting number", "winning number", "remaining number", and "winning probability". In the item "user ID", information (user ID) for identifying a user is stored. In the item "object ID", information (object ID) for identifying an object is stored. In the item "rarity", rank information indicating the rarity of an object is stored. In this example, the rarity increases in the order of C < B < A < S. In the item "initial setting number", the number of that object initially set in the shared box is stored. In the item "winning number", the number of times that object has won in the lottery is stored. In the item "remaining number", the remaining number of that object in the shared box, that is, the value obtained by subtracting the winning number from the initial setting number, is stored. In the item "winning probability", when the per-user box is selected with the second probability in the lottery, the winning probability of each object (lottery target) included in the per-user box is stored. For example, in the example of FIG. 4(C), the per-user box of the user with user ID = user001 includes the object with object ID = A0008, the object with object ID = A0009, and the object with object ID = A0010. The remaining number of the object with object ID = A0008 is 1, the remaining number of the object with object ID = A0009 is 11, and the remaining number of the object with object ID = A0010 is 10. From this, the remaining number of objects in the per-user box is 1 + 11 + 10 = 22. From this, the winning probability of the object with object ID = A0008 is (1 / 22) × 100 ≈ 5%. The winning probability of the object with object ID = A0009 is (11 / 22) × 100 = 50%. The winning probability of the object with object ID = A0010 is (10 / 22) × 100 ≈ 45%.

[0056] The benefit management DB 45 includes data items of "benefit ID" and "rarity." The item "benefit ID" stores information (object ID) that identifies an object set as a benefit. The item "rarity" stores rank information that indicates the rarity of an object set as a benefit.

[0057] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a lottery screen (before the lottery) in this embodiment. When the user starts the game application program 24 on the user terminal 12, a lottery screen 51 is displayed.

[0058] The lottery screen 51 includes a lottery box display field 52, a "single lottery" button 53, a "continuous lottery" button 54, and a field 55 for displaying the total number of remaining objects in the shared box. The lottery box display field 52 displays a picture of the lottery box. When the "single lottery" button 53 is tapped, a single lottery is conducted. When the "continuous lottery" button 54 is tapped, a predetermined number of consecutive lottery draws, two or more, are conducted. The field 55 for displaying the total number of remaining objects in the shared box displays the total number of remaining objects in the shared box.

[0059] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a lottery screen (after the lottery) in this embodiment. For example, when the "single lottery" button 53 is tapped in Fig. 5, a lottery is conducted, and after an effect in which the winning object is discharged from the lottery box 52 is produced, the screen changes to the state shown in Fig. 6.

[0060] The lottery screen 51 in Fig. 6 is information in which a winning object 61 is overlapped with the information in Fig. 5. The winning object 61 displays the image of the object and its rarity.

[0061] 7A and 7B are diagrams showing an example of a lottery screen (when a bonus is won) in this embodiment. Fig. 7A shows an example of a lottery screen before the last object is drawn. Fig. 7B shows an example of a lottery screen when the last object is drawn and the bonus is won.

[0062] For example, when a lottery is held using a shared box, it is assumed that the shared box contains only a finite number of objects. Therefore, for example, a user who draws the last remaining object may be given an additional object (e.g., a rare object) as a bonus.

[0063] For example, on lottery screen 51 in FIG. 7(A), "1" is displayed as the total number of objects remaining in the shared box. In this state, if "Single Lottery" button 53 is tapped, a lottery will be held. Then, as shown in FIG. 7(B), an effect is produced in which the last object 61 in the shared box is dispensed from lottery box 52, and further, an effect is produced in which an object 71 with a rarity of S is provided as a special object. At this time, the total number of objects remaining in the shared box is displayed as "0."

[0064] 8 is a sequence diagram of the entire game system in this embodiment. First, a user starts the game application program 24 installed on the user terminal 12. The user terminal 12 then makes a connection request to the server 15 (S1). The server 15 responds to the connection request by permitting the connection (S2), and the connection between the user terminal 12 and the server 15 is completed.

[0065] The user operates the operation display unit 13 to display the lottery screen 51 on the screen 14 (S3). The user terminal 12 inquires of the server 15 about the total number of objects remaining in the share box based on the game application program 24 (S4).

[0066] The server 15 performs a process of acquiring the remaining number of shared boxes in response to an inquiry from the user terminal 12 (S5). That is, in response to an inquiry from the user terminal 12, the server 15 acquires the total number of remaining objects in the shared boxes from the shared box management DB 43 shared by all users playing the game system 11. Details of the process of S5 will be described later.

[0067] The server 15 transmits the remaining number of all objects in the shared box acquired from the shared box management DB 43 as a result of the inquiry to the user terminal 12 that made the inquiry (S6).

[0068] When the user terminal 12 receives the inquiry result from the server 15, it reflects the total number of remaining objects in the share box in the remaining number display field 55 on the lottery screen 51 based on the inquiry result (S7).

[0069] The user taps the "single lottery" button 53 or the "continuous lottery" button 54 on the lottery screen 51 (S8). Then, the user terminal 12 sends a lottery request to the server 15. A request for a single lottery or a request for continuous lottery is transmitted (S9).

[0070] Then, the server 15 executes a lottery process based on the lottery request (S10). When the server 15 acquires a single lottery request, it executes a single lottery process. When the server 15 acquires a continuous lottery request, it executes a continuous lottery process. Details of the process of S10 will be described later.

[0071] After the lottery process, the server 15 transmits the total number of remaining objects in the shared box and information about the objects that have been won as a result of the lottery (including object information about the bonus if a bonus has also been won) to the user terminal 12 (S11).

[0072] The user terminal 12 receives the total number of remaining objects in the shared box and the lottery results from the server 15. The user terminal 12 then reflects the total number of remaining objects in the shared box in the remaining number display field 55 of the lottery screen 51 based on the total number of remaining objects in the shared box. Furthermore, the user terminal 12 displays an image of the winning object on the lottery screen 51 based on the received lottery results, and if a bonus has also been won, displays an image of the object associated with that bonus (S12). Specifically, for example, game element data 25 is stored in the memory unit 23 of the user terminal 12. The game element data 25 includes graphic data, parameter data, and the like related to the object selected by the lottery. However, the object data of the object selected by the lottery cannot be used or displayed by the user unless the object is selected by the lottery. When the user terminal 12 acquires the object ID of the object selected by the lottery, the user terminal 12 reads the graphic data, etc. corresponding to the object ID from the game element data 25 and displays it on the lottery screen 51. After the processing of S12, the process returns to S3.

[0073] The processes enclosed by dashed lines (S3 to S7) occur while the lottery screen 51 is displayed. That is, each user terminal 12 on which the lottery screen 51 is open periodically inquires of the server 15 about the total number of objects remaining in the share box. Periodically may be, for example, every n seconds (n is a real number greater than 0).

[0074] 9 is a flowchart of the process of acquiring the remaining number of shared boxes (S5) in this embodiment. The process of acquiring the remaining number of shared boxes (S5) is executed when the lottery screen 51 is displayed on the screen 14 of the user terminal 12 after transition from another screen, and is also executed periodically while the lottery screen 51 is displayed.

[0075] The server 15 (request acquisition unit 33) acquires an inquiry request about the total number of remaining objects in the shared box from a user terminal 12 on which the lottery screen 51 is displayed after transitioning from another screen to the screen 14, or from a user terminal 12 on which the lottery screen 51 is displayed (S21).

[0076] In response to the inquiry request, the server 15 (box management unit 35) obtains the total number of remaining objects in the shared box from the shared box management DB 43 (S22). In the case of Fig. 4(B), the remaining number of objects with object ID = A0001 is 8, the remaining number of objects with object ID = A0002 is 10, and the remaining number of objects with object ID = A0003 is 1. As a result, the total number of remaining objects in the shared box is 8 + 10 + 1 = 19.

[0077] The server 15 (box management unit 35) transmits the remaining number of all objects in the shared box acquired from the shared box management DB 43 as a result of the inquiry to the user terminal 12 that made the inquiry (S23).

[0078] When the user terminal 12 receives the inquiry result from the server 15, it reflects the total number of remaining objects in the share box in the remaining number display field 55 on the lottery screen 51 based on the inquiry result.

[0079] As a result, a user terminal 12 that has transitioned from another screen to screen 14 and has lottery screen 51 displayed thereon, or a user terminal 12 on which lottery screen 51 is displayed, can reflect the total number of objects remaining in the latest shared box at the time of inquiry in the remaining number display field 55 of lottery screen 51.

[0080] 10 is a flowchart of the lottery process (S10) in Example 1 of this embodiment. In Example 1, an example will be described in which a shared box is used as the lottery box. The control unit 32 reads the program according to this embodiment, and thereby functions as a request acquisition unit 33, a lottery unit 34, a box management unit 35, and a providing unit 36.

[0081] The request acquisition unit 33 acquires a lottery request (including a user ID) sent from the user terminal 12 (S31). The lottery unit 34 determines whether the lottery request is a single lottery request or a continuous lottery request (S32). If the lottery unit 34 determines that the lottery request is a single lottery request (NO in S32), it sets the parameter n (integer) to "1" (S33). If the lottery unit 34 determines that the lottery request is a continuous lottery request (YES in S32), it sets the parameter n (integer) to "X" (X: a predetermined integer) (S34).

[0082] The lottery unit 34 determines one of the objects from the shared box management DB 43 based on the lottery request (S35). The box management unit 35 adds the number of winning objects for the determined object from the shared box management DB 43, subtracts the remaining number, and updates the winning probability (S36). The box management unit 35 obtains the remaining number of objects in the shared box after the subtraction. At this time, the box management unit 35 adds the object ID of the determined object to the user-owned object management DB 42 based on the user ID.

[0083] The box management unit 35 determines whether the total number of remaining objects in the shared box is equal to or less than a predetermined number from the shared box management DB 43 (S37). Here, the predetermined number may be any integer, for example, 0. If the total number of remaining objects in the shared box is greater than the predetermined number (NO in S37), the providing unit 36 ​​transmits the total number of remaining objects in the shared box acquired in S36 and object information about the object determined in S32 to the user terminal 12 (S38).

[0084] If the total number of remaining objects in the shared box is equal to or less than a predetermined number (YES in S37), the lottery unit 34 acquires an object ID registered as a benefit from the benefit management DB 45 (S39). At this time, the box management unit 35 adds the acquired object ID of the benefit to the user-owned object management DB 42 based on the user ID.

[0085] The providing unit 36 transmits to the user terminal 12 the remaining number of the total objects in the shared box acquired in S36, the object information about the object determined in S32, and the object information as a privilege (S40).

[0086] The processes of S35 to S40 are repeated n times. In S34, the lottery unit 34 may check the remaining number of the total objects in the shared box and vary the number of times of consecutive lotteries according to the remaining number.

[0087] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the lottery process (S10) in the second embodiment of the present embodiment. In the second embodiment, an example using a shared box and a user-specific box as lottery boxes will be described.

[0088] The request acquisition unit 33 acquires a lottery request (including a user ID) transmitted from the user terminal 12 (S51). The lottery unit 34 determines whether the lottery request is a single lottery request or a consecutive lottery request (S52). When the lottery unit 34 determines that the lottery request is a single lottery request (NO in S52), it sets "1" to the parameter n (an integer) (S53). When the lottery unit 34 determines that the lottery request is a consecutive lottery request (YES in S52), it sets "X" (X: a predetermined integer) to the parameter n (an integer) (S54).

[0089] The lottery unit 34 determines an object from either the shared box (shared box management DB 43) or the user-specific box (user-specific box management DB 44) based on the first probability and the second probability (S55). Here, the first probability is the probability that the shared box is selected from the shared box and the user-specific box, and is represented by the probability k (0 < k ≤ 1). The second probability is the probability that the user-specific box is selected from the shared box and the user-specific box, and is represented by the probability 1 - k.

[0090] The box management unit 35 determines whether the determined object is determined from the shared box (S56). If it is determined that the determined object is determined from the shared box (YES in S56), the box management unit 35 adds the number of winning entries for the determined object from the shared box management DB 43, subtracts the remaining number, and updates the winning probability (S57). The box management unit 35 obtains the remaining number of objects in the shared box after subtraction. At this time, the box management unit 35 adds the object ID of the determined object to the user-owned object management DB 42 based on the user ID.

[0091] At this time, the lottery unit 34 may adjust the first probability and the second probability (S58). For example, when an object is determined from a shared box, the lottery unit 34 may adjust the first probability to be lowered and the second probability to be higher.

[0092] The box management unit 35 determines whether the total number of remaining objects in the share box is equal to or less than a predetermined number from the share box management DB 43 (S59). Here, the predetermined number may be any integer, for example, 0. If the total number of remaining objects in the share box is greater than the predetermined number (NO in S59), the providing unit 36 ​​transmits the total number of remaining objects in the share box acquired in S57 and object information about the object determined in S55 to the user terminal 12 (S60).

[0093] If the total number of remaining objects in the shared box is equal to or less than a predetermined number (YES in S59), the lottery unit 34 acquires an object ID registered as a benefit from the benefit management DB 45 (S61). At this time, the box management unit 35 adds the acquired object ID of the benefit to the user-owned object management DB 42 based on the user ID.

[0094] The providing unit 36 ​​transmits the remaining number of the total number of objects in the shared box acquired in S57, the object information about the object determined in S32, and the object information as a bonus to the user terminal 12 (S62).

[0095] If it is determined that the determined object was determined from the per-user box (NO in S56), the box management unit 35 adds the number of wins of the determined object from the per-user box management DB 44 based on the user ID, subtracts the remaining number, and updates the win probability (S63). The box management unit 35 obtains the remaining number of the total number of objects in the per-user box after subtraction. At this time, the box management unit 35 adds the object ID of the determined object to the user-owned object management DB 42 based on the user ID.

[0096] The box management unit 35 determines whether the remaining number of the total number of objects in the per-user box is 0 or not from the per-user box management DB 44 (S64). If the remaining number of the total number of objects in the per-user box is not 0 (NO in S64), the providing unit 36 ​​transmits object information about the object determined in S55 to the user terminal 12 (S67).

[0097] If the remaining number of total objects in the per-user box is 0 (NO in S64), the box management unit 35 resets the number of objects in the per-user box managed by the per-user box management DB 44 to the initial state based on the user ID (S65). The box management unit 35 increases the first probability k compared to before the reset (S66).

[0098] The providing unit 36 ​​transmits object information about the object determined in S32 to the user terminal 12 (S67).

[0099] The loop process including S55 to S67 is repeated n times. However, if n(=X)≧2, the first probability for at least one loop process may be set to 1. That is, the lottery unit 34 may perform a lottery from the shared box at least once during consecutive lotteries.

[0100] Also, in S54, the lottery section 34 may check the total number of objects remaining in the share box, and vary the number of consecutive lottery draws that can be performed depending on the remaining number.

[0101] 12 is an example of a configuration block diagram of a hardware environment of a computer that executes a program in this embodiment. A computer 101 functions as a user terminal 12 and a server 15. The computer 101 is composed of a CPU 102, a ROM 103, a RAM 104, a storage device 105, an input I / F 106, an output I / F 107, a communication I / F 108, a reading device 109, and a bus 110.

[0102] Here, CPU refers to a central processing unit. ROM refers to a read-only memory. RAM refers to a random access memory. I / F refers to an interface. The bus 110 is connected to the CPU 102, ROM 103, RAM 104, storage device 105, input I / F 106, output I / F 107, communication I / F 108, and, if necessary, a reading device 109.

[0103] When the computer 101 is the server 15, the CPU 102 reads the program according to this embodiment from the storage device 105 and functions as a request acquisition unit 33, a lottery unit 34, a box management unit 35, and a provision unit 36. The ROM 103 is a read-only memory. The RAM 104 is a memory for temporary storage.

[0104] The storage device 105 is a device that stores large amounts of information. Various types of storage devices can be used as the storage device 105, such as a hard disk, a solid state drive (SSD), or a flash memory card. The storage device 105 stores a program according to an embodiment of the present invention and various types of data stored in the storage unit 41.

[0105] The input I / F 106 can be connected to input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, an electronic camera, a web camera, a microphone, a scanner, a sensor, a tablet, a touch panel display, an information reading device, etc. The output I / F 107 can be connected to output devices such as a display, a touch panel, a projector, a printer, a speaker, etc.

[0106] The communication I / F 108 is an interface such as a port for connecting to a communication network and communicating with other devices. The communication network may be the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a dedicated line, a wired line, a wireless line, etc. The reading device 109 is a device for reading portable recording media.

[0107] The program for realizing the processes described in the above embodiments may be stored in, for example, the storage device 105 from a program provider via a communication network and the communication I / F 108. The program for realizing the processes described in the above embodiments may also be stored in a commercially available portable storage medium. In this case, the portable storage medium may be set in the reading device 105, and the program may be read and executed by the CPU 102. Various types of storage media can be used as the portable storage medium, such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, an IC card, a USB memory device, or a semiconductor memory card. The program stored in such a storage medium is read by the reading device 109.

[0108] The program may be installed on a stand-alone computer, or may be installed by a cloud computer and provide only its functions to the user. In the present embodiment, an application program capable of communicating with the server 15 is installed on the user terminal 12 to control the game system 11 of the present embodiment, but this is not limiting. For example, a user may access the server 15 using a web browser installed on the user terminal 12 and use the system according to the present embodiment operated on the server 15 side.

[0109] According to this embodiment, in a lottery in which a finite number of remaining lottery items are shared and managed by multiple users, it is possible to increase users' expectations of winning items that have not yet been drawn.

[0110] Furthermore, when an object is selected from the shared box multiple times in a consecutive drawing, the drawing unit 34 may lower the second probability in subsequent drawings in the consecutive drawing, thereby making it possible to prevent multiple wins in the consecutive drawing.

[0111] The lottery unit 34 may increase the second probability for a user who has acquired more objects taken out of the share box, thereby ensuring equality among users.

[0112] Furthermore, the lottery unit 34 may determine an object in the share box with a higher rarity as the number of remaining objects in the share box decreases. In other words, the lottery unit 34 may select objects with a lower rarity as the number of remaining objects decreases, and may select objects with a higher rarity as the number of remaining objects decreases.

[0113] The benefit may be, for example, an object such as a character, item, or in-game currency that appears in the game, a predetermined effect for advantageously progressing through the game, predetermined music, a coupon, etc. The content of the benefit may be displayed on lottery screen 51 before the lottery. For example, the content of the benefit that the user who wins the last object in the shared box will receive may be displayed on lottery screen 51 before the lottery.

[0114] Furthermore, the contents of the objects managed in the per-user box and the objects managed in the shared box may be different. For example, the different objects may be of different types or different rarities (for example, the objects managed in the shared box may be rarer than the objects managed in the per-user box).

[0115] The lottery unit 34 may be configured to perform at least one lottery drawing from the shared box when consecutive lotteries are selected. In this case, the lottery screen 51 may be configured to display that at least one lottery drawing will be performed from the shared box when consecutive lotteries are selected. In this case, it can be expected that users will be more likely to select consecutive lotteries.

[0116] The lottery unit 34 may randomly select an object from the shared box (shared box management DB 43) or the user-specific box (user-specific box management DB 44), or may select an object based on a predetermined rule, for example. The predetermined rule may be, for example, selecting objects in ascending order of rarity, or selecting objects in descending order of rarity, etc.

[0117] This aspect has been described above based on embodiments and modifications. However, the above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of this aspect and are not intended to limit this aspect. This aspect may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and equivalents thereof are included in this aspect. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it may be deleted as appropriate.

[0118] In addition to the above embodiment, the following is further noted. (Appendix 1) a determination unit that determines one of a plurality of targets in response to a lottery request from a user and provides the determined target to the user; an update unit that, when any of the targets is determined from a shared group, the shared group being a group formed of one or more predetermined targets among the plurality of targets, and the remaining number of the targets in the group being shared and managed by a plurality of users, reduces the remaining number of the targets in the shared group; An information processing device comprising: By configuring it in this way, in a lottery where a finite number of remaining lottery items are shared and managed by multiple users, it is possible to increase users' expectations of winning items that have not yet been drawn. (Appendix 2) The determination unit determines one of the targets from the shared group and a user group managed independently for each of the plurality of users. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1. By configuring it in this way, users can draw lots from the shared group and the user-specific group, so when the lottery is drawn from the shared group, the user's expectations for winning an item that has not yet been drawn can be increased. (Appendix 3) The determination unit determines one of the targets from the shared group and the user-specific group based on a first probability set for the shared group and a second probability set for the user-specific group, and when one of the targets is determined from the shared group, decreases the first probability and increases the second probability. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2. By configuring in this way, it is possible to reduce the chances of the remaining number of lottery items being reduced from the shared table. (Appendix 4) The determination unit determines the object with a higher rarity within the sharing group as the remaining number of the object within the sharing group decreases. An information processing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 3. By configuring it in this way, the fewer the remaining number of objects in the shared group, the higher the expectation of winning an object of higher rarity, which helps maintain motivation to continue participating in the lottery. (Appendix 5) When the remaining number is equal to or less than a predetermined number and any one of the objects is determined and provided, the determination unit provides a special benefit in addition to the determined object. 5. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. By configuring it in this way, for example, if the lottery is drawn last, a bonus can be provided in addition to the object that was won, thereby further increasing the user's expectations. (Appendix 6) The determination unit varies the number of attempts to consecutively determine any one of the targets in response to a request from the user, depending on the remaining number of targets. 6. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to vary the number of consecutive draws that can be made depending on the number of remaining objects. Therefore, for example, if the last object drawn is to be offered a bonus in addition to the object that was won, and the number of remaining objects is five, it is possible to adjust the number of consecutive draws to four or less so that the bonus cannot be won in the subsequent attempts in the consecutive draw process. (Appendix 7) When any of the targets is determined from the user group, the update unit decreases the remaining number of the targets in the user group; When the remaining number of the targets in the user-specific group is exhausted, the determination unit resets the targets in the user-specific group to an initial state and increases the first probability compared to before the reset. 6. The information processing device according to claims 2 to 5. With this configuration, the more a user participates in lotteries, the more lottery items they can acquire from the shared box, and therefore, the more rare the lottery items (game elements) they can obtain. (Appendix 8) When the user requests that the determination of any one of the targets be performed multiple times in succession, the determination unit determines any one of the targets from the sharing group at least once. 6. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. By configuring in this way, it is possible to increase motivation to select consecutive lotteries. (Appendix 9) On the computer, a determination process of determining one of a plurality of targets in response to a lottery request from a user and providing the determined target to the user; When one of the plurality of objects is determined from a shared group, which is a group formed from one or more predetermined objects among the plurality of objects and in which the remaining number of the objects in the group is shared and managed by a plurality of users, an update process of decreasing the remaining number of the objects in the shared group; A control program that executes the above. By configuring it in this way, in a lottery where a finite number of remaining lottery items are shared and managed by multiple users, it is possible to increase users' expectations of winning items that have not yet been drawn. (Appendix 10) The computer a determination process of determining one of a plurality of targets in response to a lottery request from a user and providing the determined target to the user; When one of the plurality of objects is determined from a shared group, which is a group formed from one or more predetermined objects among the plurality of objects and in which the remaining number of the objects in the group is shared and managed by a plurality of users, an update process of decreasing the remaining number of the objects in the shared group; An information processing method that performs the above. By configuring it in this way, in a lottery where a finite number of remaining lottery items are shared and managed by multiple users, it is possible to increase users' expectations of winning items that have not yet been drawn. [Explanation of symbols]

[0119] 1. Information processing equipment 2 Decision Section 3 Update section 11 Game System 12 User terminal 15 servers 16. Communication Networks 31 Communications Department 32 Control section 33 Request acquisition part 34 Lottery Section 35 Box Management Department 36 Providing Department 41 Storage section 42 User-owned object management DB 43 Shared Box Management DB 44 User-specific box management DB 45 Benefit management DB

Claims

[Claim 1] a determination unit that determines one of a plurality of targets in response to a lottery request from a user and provides the determined target to the user; an update unit that, when one of the plurality of objects is determined from a shared group, the shared group being a group formed from one or more predetermined objects among the plurality of objects, and the remaining number of the objects in the group being shared and managed by a plurality of users, reduces the remaining number of the objects in the shared group; An information processing device comprising:

Images