Program and system

Abstract

To provide a program and system capable of making an event more amusing.SOLUTION: A computer (a server 200 and a user terminal 100) is caused to function as determination means that determines, before the start of an event that can progress advantageously for a player by activation of predetermined effects associated with objects, the number of predetermined effects to be activated during progression of the event.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there are games in which actions performed by characters or the like in events within the game are automatically executed, and the game can proceed without requiring user operation (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-038630 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the more a user plays the game, the more monotonous the automatically executed events become. Furthermore, the same monotonous event development occurs not only in automatically executed events but also in events where the skills available for use are uniform. For this reason, there is a risk that the user may become bored from the very start of the event.

[0005] The present invention provides a program and a system that can increase the interest of an event. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The program of the present disclosure causes a computer to function as a determination means that determines, before the start of an event in which the player can progress advantageously by activating a predetermined effect associated with an object, the number of predetermined effects to be activated during the progress of the event.

[0007] The system according to the present disclosure includes a determination means for determining, before the start of an event in which the player can progress advantageously by activating a predetermined effect associated with an object, the number of predetermined effects to be activated during the progress of the event. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the interest of an event. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the game system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a user terminal and a server. [Figure 3] 10 is an example of a game screen on which a plurality of events are displayed. [Figure 4] 10 is an example of a game screen in which a lottery is conducted to determine which skills will be activated before the start of an event. [Figure 5] This is an example of a skill associated with each object. [Figure 6] 10 is an example of a game screen during an event. [Figure 7] 10 is an example of a game screen in which an item lottery is performed in an item acquisition event. [Figure 8] This is an example of an item that can be acquired through an item acquisition event. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by each device included in the system based on a program. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] As an example of a system according to the present disclosure, a game system for providing a game to multiple users is exemplified. In the game system of this embodiment, an event in which skills associated with objects such as characters are activated is progressed. The event in which a skill is activated is, for example, a battle event. By activating a character's skill during the battle event, the user can progress through the battle event to an advantage. Furthermore, with regard to skills (also referred to as passive skills or auto skills) that are activated during the battle event without user operation in this embodiment, a lottery is held before the start of the battle event. This changes the activated skills, thereby changing the situation for each battle event (for example, not only for different types of battle events, but also for the same type of battle event). In this way, by determining the skills to be activated before the start of the event (for example, the number of skills to be activated) based on a lottery, changes in the event situation become more diverse than before, increasing the interest of the game. Furthermore, by making the user aware in advance that changes in the situation related to the battle event will occur, it is possible to prevent boredom from occurring from the start of the event.

[0011] A game system will be described below as an example of a system according to the present disclosure, with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included in the present invention. In the following description, the same elements in the drawings will be given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will not be repeated.

[0012] The game system is not limited to a specific genre, and may be a system for executing games of any genre as long as the game has the above-described configuration. For example, the game system may be a system for executing games based on sports such as tennis, table tennis, dodgeball, baseball, soccer, and hockey, puzzle games, quiz games, RPGs, adventure games, shooting games, simulation games, training games, action games, etc.

[0013] Furthermore, the game system is not limited to a specific play style, and may be a system for executing games of any play style. For example, it may be a single-player game played by a single user, a multiplayer game played by multiple users, or, within the multiplayer game, a competitive game in which multiple users compete against each other, or a cooperative game in which multiple users cooperate. In other words, the above-mentioned quests may include quests for single play and quests for multiplayer. Furthermore, there may be quests that can be played in both single play and multiplayer.

[0014] <Game System 1 Hardware Configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a game system 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the game system 1 includes a plurality of user terminals 100 and a server 200. Each user terminal 100 is connected to the server 200 via a network 2. The network 2 is made up of the Internet and various mobile communication systems constructed by wireless base stations (not shown). Examples of such mobile communication systems include so-called 3G and 4G mobile communication systems, LTE (Long Term Evolution), and wireless networks (e.g., Wi-Fi (registered trademark)) that can connect to the Internet via a predetermined access point.

[0015] The server 200 (computer, information processing device) may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer. The server 200 includes a processor 20, a memory 21, a storage 22, a communication IF 23, and an input / output IF 24. These components of the server 200 are electrically connected to each other via a communication bus.

[0016] The user terminal 100 (computer, information processing device) may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, feature phone, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or tablet computer. The user terminal 100 may be a device installed in a store or the like and operated by a user or in response to a user's request. The user terminal 100 may also be a gaming device suitable for playing games. As shown in the figure, the user terminal 100 includes a processor 10, a memory 11, a storage 12, a communication interface (IF) 13, an input / output IF 14, a touch screen 15 (display unit and input unit), a camera 17, and a distance measurement sensor 18. These components of the user terminal 100 are electrically connected to each other by a communication bus.

[0017] It is also possible for the user terminal 100 not to have the touch screen 15, and for the input / output IF 14 to include an input unit that is an information input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and a display unit that is a device that displays and outputs images.

[0018] 1, the user terminal 100 may be configured to be able to communicate with one or more controllers 1020. The controller 1020 establishes communication with the user terminal 100 in accordance with a communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The controller 1020 may have one or more buttons, etc., and transmits output values ​​based on user input operations on the buttons, etc., to the user terminal 100. The controller 1020 may also have various sensors, such as an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor, and transmits output values ​​of the various sensors to the user terminal 100.

[0019] Instead of or in addition to the user terminal 100 being provided with the camera 17 and the distance measurement sensor 18, the controller 1020 may have the camera 17 and the distance measurement sensor 18.

[0020] For example, at the start of a game, the user terminal 100 preferably prompts the user using the controller 1020 to input user identification information such as the user's name or login ID via the controller 1020. This enables the user terminal 100 to associate the controller 1020 with the user, and to identify which user the received output value belongs to based on the sender (controller 1020) of the output value.

[0021] For example, when a user terminal 100 communicates with multiple controllers 1020, each user may hold a controller 1020, thereby enabling a multiplayer game to be played on the single user terminal 100 without communicating with other devices such as the server 200 via the network 2. Alternatively, the user terminals 100 may connect to each other via a wireless standard such as a wireless local area network (LAN) standard (connecting to each other via a wireless standard without going through the server 200) to enable a multiplayer game to be played locally by the multiple user terminals 100. When the above-described multiplayer game is played locally by a single user terminal 100, the user terminal 100 may further include at least some of the various functions of the server 200, which will be described later. When the above-described multiplayer game is played locally by multiple user terminals 100, the multiple user terminals 100 may include the various functions of the server 200, which will be described later, in a distributed manner.

[0022] Even when the above-described multiplay is realized locally, the user terminal 100 may communicate with the server 200. For example, information indicating the results of a game, such as the score or win / loss, may be associated with user identification information and transmitted to the server 200.

[0023] The controller 1020 may also be configured to be detachable from the user terminal 100. In this case, a coupling unit for the controller 1020 may be provided on at least one surface of the housing of the user terminal 100. When the user terminal 100 and the controller 1020 are coupled to each other via the coupling unit by a wire, the user terminal 100 and the controller 1020 transmit and receive signals via the wire.

[0024] 1, the user terminal 100 may accept the attachment of a storage medium 1030 such as an external memory card via the input / output IF 14. This allows the user terminal 100 to read programs and data recorded on the storage medium 1030. The program recorded on the storage medium 1030 is, for example, a game program.

[0025] The user terminal 100 may store in the memory 11 of the user terminal 100 a program acquired by communicating with an external device such as the server 200, or may store in the memory 11 a program acquired by reading it from the storage medium 1030.

[0026] As described above, the user terminal 100 includes the communication IF 13, the input / output IF 14, the touch screen 15, the camera 17, and the distance measurement sensor 18 as examples of mechanisms for inputting information to the user terminal 100. Each of the above-described units as input mechanisms can be considered as an operation unit configured to accept input operations by the user.

[0027] For example, when the operation unit is configured with at least one of the camera 17 and the distance measurement sensor 18, the operation unit detects an object 1010 near the user terminal 100 and identifies an input operation from the detection result of the object. As an example, a user's hand, a marker of a predetermined shape, or the like is detected as the object 1010, and the input operation is identified based on the color, shape, movement, or type of the object 1010 obtained as the detection result. More specifically, when the user's hand is detected from an image captured by the camera 17, the user terminal 100 identifies and accepts a gesture (a series of movements of the user's hand) detected based on the captured image as the user's input operation. Note that the captured image may be a still image or a video.

[0028] Alternatively, if the operation unit is configured with the touch screen 15, the user terminal 100 identifies and accepts a user operation performed on the input unit 151 of the touch screen 15 as the user's input operation. Alternatively, if the operation unit is configured with the communication IF 13, the user terminal 100 identifies and accepts a signal (e.g., an output value) transmitted from the controller 1020 as the user's input operation. Alternatively, if the operation unit is configured with the input / output IF 14, the user terminal 100 identifies and accepts a signal output from an input device (not shown) connected to the input / output IF 14 that is different from the controller 1020 as the user's input operation.

[0029] <Hardware components of each device> The processor 10 controls the overall operation of the user terminal 100. The processor 20 controls the overall operation of the server 200. The processors 10 and 20 each include a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), and a graphics processing unit (GPU).

[0030] The processor 10 reads a program from the storage 12 (described later) and loads it in the memory 11 (described later). The processor 20 reads a program from the storage 22 (described later) and loads it in the memory 21 (described later). The processors 10 and 20 execute the loaded programs.

[0031] Memories 11 and 21 are main storage devices. Memories 11 and 21 are composed of storage devices such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). Memory 11 provides a working area for processor 10 by temporarily storing programs and various data that processor 10 reads from storage 12 (described later). Memory 11 also temporarily stores various data generated while processor 10 is operating according to a program. Memory 21 provides a working area for processor 20 by temporarily storing various programs and data that processor 20 reads from storage 22 (described later). Memory 21 also temporarily stores various data generated while processor 20 is operating according to a program.

[0032] In this embodiment, the program may be a game program for realizing a game by the user terminal 100. Alternatively, the program may be a game program for realizing the game through cooperation between the user terminal 100 and the server 200. Note that a game realized through cooperation between the user terminal 100 and the server 200 may be, for example, a game executed on a browser launched on the user terminal 100. Alternatively, the program may be a game program for realizing the game through cooperation between multiple user terminals 100. Furthermore, the various data include data related to the game, such as user information and game information, as well as instructions or notifications transmitted and received between the user terminal 100 and the server 200 or between multiple user terminals 100.

[0033] The storages 12 and 22 are auxiliary storage devices. The storages 12 and 22 are configured by storage devices such as flash memory or HDDs (Hard Disk Drives). The storages 12 and 22 store various data related to games.

[0034] The communication IF 13 controls transmission and reception of various data in the user terminal 100. The communication IF 23 controls transmission and reception of various data in the server 200. The communication IFs 13 and 23 control, for example, communication via a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), internet communication via a wired LAN, a wireless LAN, or a mobile phone network, and communication using short-range wireless communication, etc.

[0035] The input / output IF14 is an interface through which the user terminal 100 accepts data input and outputs data. The input / output IF14 may input and output data via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or the like. The input / output IF14 may include, for example, physical buttons, a camera, a microphone, or a speaker of the user terminal 100. The input / output IF24 of the server 200 is an interface through which the server 200 accepts data input and outputs data. The input / output IF24 may include, for example, an input unit which is an information input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and a display unit which is a device that displays and outputs images.

[0036] The touch screen 15 of the user terminal 100 is an electronic component that combines an input unit 151 and a display unit 152. The input unit 151 is, for example, a touch-sensitive device, and is configured, for example, by a touchpad. The display unit 152 is, for example, configured by a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, or the like.

[0037] The input unit 151 has a function of detecting the position where a user operation (mainly a physical contact operation such as a touch operation, a slide operation, a swipe operation, or a tap operation) is input on the input surface, and transmitting information indicating the position as an input signal. The input unit 151 may be provided with a touch sensing unit (not shown). The touch sensing unit may be of any type, such as a capacitive type or a resistive type.

[0038] Although not shown, the user terminal 100 may include one or more sensors for identifying the holding orientation of the user terminal 100. The sensor may be, for example, an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor. If the user terminal 100 includes a sensor, the processor 10 may identify the holding orientation of the user terminal 100 from the output of the sensor and perform processing according to the holding orientation. For example, when the user terminal 100 is held in portrait orientation, the processor 10 may select portrait screen display, in which a portrait-oriented image is displayed on the display unit 152. On the other hand, when the user terminal 100 is held in landscape orientation, the processor 10 may select landscape screen display, in which a landscape-oriented image is displayed on the display unit. In this way, the processor 10 may be able to switch between portrait screen display and landscape screen display depending on the holding orientation of the user terminal 100.

[0039] The camera 17 includes an image sensor and converts incident light from a lens into an electrical signal to generate a captured image.

[0040] Distance measurement sensor 18 is a sensor that measures the distance to a measurement object. Distance measurement sensor 18 includes, for example, a light source that emits pulse-converted light and a light-receiving element that receives the light. Distance measurement sensor 18 measures the distance to a measurement object based on the timing of light emission from the light source and the timing of light reception of reflected light that is generated when the light emitted from the light source hits the measurement object and is reflected. Distance measurement sensor 18 may also include a light source that emits directional light.

[0041] Here, an example will be further described in which the user terminal 100 receives, as a user input operation, a detection result of an object 1010 detected near the user terminal 100 using the camera 17 and the distance measurement sensor 18. The camera 17 and the distance measurement sensor 18 may be provided, for example, on the side of the housing of the user terminal 100. The distance measurement sensor 18 may be provided near the camera 17. For example, an infrared camera may be used as the camera 17. In this case, the camera 17 may be provided with a lighting device that irradiates infrared light, a filter that blocks visible light, and the like. This can further improve the accuracy of object detection based on images captured by the camera 17, regardless of whether the location is indoors or outdoors.

[0042] The processor 10 may perform, for example, one or more of the following processes (1) to (5) on the image captured by the camera 17. (1) The processor 10 performs image recognition processing on the image captured by the camera 17 to determine whether the captured image includes a user's hand. The processor 10 may use, for example, pattern matching as the analysis technology employed in the image recognition processing. (2) The processor 10 also detects a user gesture from the shape of the user's hand. For example, the processor 10 determines the number of fingers (number of outstretched fingers) of the user from the shape of the user's hand detected from the captured image. The processor 10 further determines the gesture made by the user from the determined number of fingers. For example, if the number of fingers is five, the processor 10 determines that the user has made a "paper" gesture. If the number of fingers is zero (no fingers detected), the processor 10 determines that the user has made a "rock" gesture. Furthermore, if the number of fingers is two, the processor 10 determines that the user has made a "scissors" gesture. (3) The processor 10 performs image recognition processing on the image captured by the camera 17 to detect whether the user's fingers are in a state where only the index finger is extended or whether the user's fingers are flicking. (4) The processor 10 detects the distance between the user terminal 100 and an object 1010 (such as the user's hand) near the user terminal 100 based on at least one of the image recognition results of the image captured by the camera 17 and the output value of the distance measurement sensor 18. For example, the processor 10 detects whether the user's hand is near the user terminal 100 (for example, a distance less than a predetermined value) or far away (for example, a distance equal to or greater than a predetermined value) based on the size of the shape of the user's hand identified from the image captured by the camera 17. Note that if the captured image is a video, the processor 10 may detect whether the user's hand is approaching or moving away from the user terminal 100. (5) If it is determined that the distance between the user terminal 100 and the user's hand is changing while the user's hand is detected based on the image recognition results of the image captured by the camera 17, the processor 10 recognizes that the user is waving their hand in the direction of the camera 17.When the distance measurement sensor 18, which has a stronger directivity than the imaging range of the camera 17, detects an object in some cases but not in others, the processor 10 recognizes that the user is waving their hand in a direction perpendicular to the imaging direction of the camera.

[0043] In this way, the processor 10 detects whether the user has clenched their hand (whether it is a "rock" gesture or another gesture (e.g., "paper")) by performing image recognition on the image captured by the camera 17. The processor 10 also detects the shape of the user's hand and how the user is moving the hand. The processor 10 also detects whether the user is moving their hand closer to or farther away from the user terminal 100. Such an operation can correspond to an operation using a pointing device such as a mouse or a touch panel. For example, the user terminal 100 moves a pointer on the touch screen 15 in accordance with the movement of the user's hand and detects the user's "rock" gesture. In this case, the user terminal 100 recognizes that the user is continuing a selection operation. The continuation of the selection operation corresponds, for example, to the mouse being clicked and kept pressed down, or to the touch panel being touched and kept in a touched state after a touch-down operation. Furthermore, when the user moves his / her hand further while the user's "rock" gesture has been detected, the user terminal 100 can recognize such a series of gestures as an operation corresponding to a swipe operation (or a drag operation). Furthermore, when the user terminal 100 detects a gesture of the user snapping his / her fingers based on the detection result of the user's hand from the image captured by the camera 17, the user terminal 100 may recognize the gesture as an operation corresponding to a mouse click or a tap operation on the touch panel.

[0044] <Functional configuration of game system 1> 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 200 and the user terminal 100 included in the game system 1. Each of the server 200 and the user terminal 100 may include a functional configuration (not shown) required to function as a general computer, and a functional configuration required to implement well-known functions in the game.

[0045] The user terminal 100 functions as an input device that accepts user input operations and as an output device that outputs game images and sounds. The user terminal 100 functions as a control unit 110 and a storage unit 120 through cooperation of the processor 10, memory 11, storage 12, communication IF 13, input / output IF 14, etc.

[0046] The server 200 has a function of communicating with each user terminal 100 and supporting the user terminal 100 in progressing through the game. For example, it sells valuable data, provides services, etc. If the game is a multiplayer game, the server 200 may have a function of communicating with each user terminal 100 participating in the game and mediating interactions between the user terminals 100. The server 200 functions as a control unit 210 and a storage unit 220 through cooperation of the processor 20, memory 21, storage 22, communication IF 23, input / output IF 24, etc.

[0047] The memory unit 120 and the memory unit 220 store a game program 131, game information 132, and user information 133. The game program 131 is a game program executed by the user terminal 100 and the server 200. The game information 132 is data referenced by the control unit 110 and the control unit 210 when executing the game program 131. The user information 133 is data related to the user's account. In the memory unit 220, the game information 132 and the user information 133 are stored for each user terminal 100.

[0048] The game information 132 is information common across accounts. The game information 132 may include, for example, information for defining various game spaces. A "game space" is a space in which objects of a playable character that can be controlled by a user are placed. The game information 132 may include various setting information regarding objects common across accounts, such as background objects such as trees, rocks, and buildings placed in the game space and the placement position, size, color, and shape of non-player character (NPC) objects. The game information 132 may include setting values ​​for various parameters of non-player characters. The game information 132 may include information related to quests. The game information 132 may include information regarding the probability of winning a lottery held in the game space. A quest is game content that progresses through a scenario composed of events with set achievement conditions. For example, a quest is provided to the user through one or more events. Achievement conditions may be set for each event. Note that an event may have a failure condition in addition to achievement conditions. In the following, a character object placed in the game space may be simply referred to as a "character."

[0049] The user information 133 is information managed for each game account. The user information 133 may include, for example, information about a controllable character (hereinafter also referred to as a playable character), information about skills for each event (also referred to as a skill table), information about owned assets, information indicating the progress of the game, information identifying the user of the user terminal 100 playing the game (including login information such as a user ID), information identifying other users playing the game cooperatively during multiplayer, and other information, as well as information about lottery results. The information about the playable character is associated with the playable character's attributes, various parameters such as stamina, attack power, and defense power, and skill-related data. The attributes include a job. Note that default settings for the playable character may be stored as game information 132. Examples of owned assets include in-game currency, various exchange tickets, character equipment, and other items.

[0050] (Functional configuration of server 200) The control unit 210 executes the game program 131 stored in the storage unit 220 to exercise overall control over the server 200. For example, the control unit 210 transmits various data, programs, and the like to the user terminal 100. The control unit 210 receives some or all of the game information or user information from the user terminal 100 and stores it in the storage unit 220. Furthermore, in response to a request from the user terminal 100, the control unit 210 transmits the game information or user information of the user stored in the storage unit 220. If the game is a multiplayer game, the control unit 210 may receive a request for multiplayer synchronization from the user terminal 100 and transmit data for synchronization to the user terminal 100.

[0051] The control unit 210 functions as a lottery execution unit 211 in accordance with the description of the game program 131. The control unit 210 can also function as other functional blocks (not shown) to support the progress of the game on the user terminal 100 in accordance with the nature of the game to be executed.

[0052] In response to a request from the user terminal 100, the lottery execution unit 211 executes a lottery to determine various items that can be used in the game, skills that will be activated in events during a quest, etc. The lottery execution unit 211 reflects the lottery result in the user information 133 of the requesting user stored in the storage unit 220, and transmits the result to the requesting user terminal 100.

[0053] In response to a request from the user terminal 100, the quest management unit 212 acquires data indicating a list of ongoing quests, i.e., quests that the user can play, and transmits this data to the user terminal 100. The quest management unit 212 also performs other processes related to the management of each quest.

[0054] (Functional configuration of user terminal 100) The control unit 110 executes the game program 131 stored in the storage unit 120 to exercise overall control over the user terminal 100. For example, the control unit 110 progresses the game in accordance with the game program 131 and user operations. Furthermore, while the game is progressing, the control unit 110 communicates with the server 200 as necessary to send and receive information.

[0055] The game information 132 includes various types of data referenced by the game program 131. The game information 132 includes data necessary for playing quests, such as information on objects to be placed in a virtual space in the game and information on effects associated with the objects (for example, information on skills set for game characters). The user information 133 includes information about users playing the game. The user information 133 includes, for example, information on characters that can be controlled by each user (hereinafter referred to as controllable characters), information on skills for each event (also referred to as a skill table), team affiliation information, information on owned assets, information indicating the progress of the game, information identifying the user of the user terminal 100 playing the game (including login information such as a user ID), information identifying other users playing the game cooperatively during multiplayer, and other information.

[0056] Note that data required to play a quest, such as data indicating the components of the quest, may be stored for each quest in the storage unit 220 of the server 200, or in the storage unit 120 of the user terminal. However, in this embodiment, at least a portion of the data required for a quest to be played is stored in the storage unit 220 of the server 200.

[0057] The control unit 110 functions as an operation reception unit 111, a display control unit 112, a user interface (hereinafter referred to as UI) control unit 113, an animation generation unit 114, a lottery unit 115, a determination unit 116, an object management unit 117, and a game progression unit 118, in accordance with the description of the game program 131. The control unit 110 can also function as other functional blocks (not shown) in order to progress the game, in accordance with the nature of the game to be executed.

[0058] The operation reception unit 111 detects and receives an input operation by the user to the input unit 151. The operation reception unit 111 determines what kind of input operation has been performed from the action the user has taken on the touch screen 15 and the console via the other input / output IF 14, and outputs the result to each element of the control unit 110.

[0059] For example, the operation reception unit 111 receives an input operation on the input unit 151, detects the coordinates of the input position of the input operation, and identifies the type of the input operation. The operation reception unit 111 identifies, for example, a touch operation, a slide operation, a swipe operation, a tap operation, etc. Furthermore, when a continuously detected input is interrupted, the operation reception unit 111 detects that the touch input from the touch screen 15 has been released.

[0060] The UI control unit 113 controls UI objects to be displayed on the display unit 152 in order to construct a UI. The UI objects are tools that allow the user to input necessary information for the progress of the game to the user terminal 100, or tools that allow the user to obtain information output during the progress of the game from the user terminal 100. The UI objects are not limited to these, but include, for example, icons, buttons, lists, menu screens, etc.

[0061] The animation generation unit 114 generates animations showing the motions of various objects based on the control modes of the various objects. For example, an animation showing a lottery being held may be generated.

[0062] The display control unit 112 outputs a game screen that reflects the results of the processing executed by each of the above-mentioned elements to the display unit 152 of the touch screen 15. The display control unit 112 may display a game screen that includes animation generated by the animation generation unit 114 on the display unit 152. The display control unit 112 may also draw the above-mentioned UI objects superimposed on the game screen.

[0063] Hereinafter, the operation receiving unit 111 detecting and receiving an input operation to the input unit 151 will also be simply referred to as "the input operation is received." Furthermore, the output of various game screens by other functional blocks to the display unit 152 via the display control unit 112 will also be simply referred to as "displaying."

[0064] The lottery unit 115 requests the server 200 to hold a lottery to determine playable characters available in the game, owned assets, game conditions (e.g., effects that affect the game situation, such as skills), and the like. The lottery unit 115 also obtains the lottery results from the server 200. For example, the lottery unit 115 requests the server 200 to hold a lottery when a predetermined condition is met as a quest progresses. Examples of the predetermined condition for a lottery request include when the user operates the user terminal 100 to start a predetermined event, or when it is determined that an operation for holding a lottery in the game has been received from the user. The request to the server 200 to hold a lottery may be executed in exchange for in-game currency held by the user or consumable items such as various exchange tickets (together with a process of subtracting currency or items, etc.). The lottery unit 115 may also request the server 200 to hold a lottery when a condition corresponding to a situation occurring during the game is met.

[0065] The determination unit 116 executes various determination processes necessary for the progress of the game. For example, the determination unit 116 determines whether or not the user has performed an operation to request the start of an event to be played, whether or not the user has performed an operation to request the execution of a lottery process, whether or not a consumable item is associated with the user, etc.

[0066] The object management unit 117 manages various objects such as playable characters, weapons, and other items that can be used by the user in the game. The object management unit 117, for example, stores information representing objects that can be used by the user in the storage unit 120, thereby granting the objects to the user. Note that information indicating objects that can be used by the user (objects owned by the user) is also managed on the server 200 side, for example, as user information 133, and is updated in response to being granted to or consumed by the user. The object management unit 117 can also identify information (for example, skills) associated with each of the various objects that can be used by the user stored as the user information 133, and update parameters.

[0067] The game progression unit 118 performs various processes related to the execution of the game. For example, the game progression unit 118 interprets the content of the user's instructions (requests) indicated by the coordinates of the input position of the input operation received by the operation reception unit 111 and the type of operation, and performs processing to progress the game based on this interpretation.

[0068] 2 are merely examples. The server 200 may have at least some of the functions of the user terminal 100. The user terminal 100 may have at least some of the functions of the server 200. Furthermore, devices other than the user terminal 100 and the server 200 may be components of the game system 1, and some of the processing in the game system 1 may be executed by these other devices. In other words, the computer that executes the game program in this embodiment may be any of the user terminal 100, the server 200, and other devices, or may be realized by a combination of these multiple devices.

[0069] <Game screen example and processing flow> 3 to 9, examples of screens and an execution flow of the activation skill determination process in a game based on the game system 1 will be described. Note that the process based on the following explanation is an example, and the invention according to this embodiment is not limited to a specific configuration.

[0070] In the game system 1 according to this embodiment, a quest selected by a user operation is progressed based on the game program 131. FIG. 3(A) shows an example of a quest selection screen displayed on the display unit 152 of the user terminal 100. In this embodiment, a quest refers to game content that progresses through multiple game events (hereinafter simply referred to as events) according to a predetermined story. In this example, an example will be described in which the quest story progresses in units of multiple episodes, and multiple events can progress for each episode. Events include, for example, battle events, discovery events, and other conversation events. A battle event is a game in which a player fights an NPC. A discovery event is a game in which a player can acquire (grant to the user) items that can be used in the game. For example, the user can acquire items by drawing lots using a roulette wheel, exploring the game field, or clearing a predetermined mini-game. Items acquired through a discovery event include items that can affect skills associated with a character that are activated in a battle event. A conversation event is, for example, a game in which a player engages in a multiple-choice conversation with an NPC. In addition, the quest in this embodiment will be described as progressing with a party consisting of a set of four characters (also referred to as all four) selected by the user from among a plurality of characters.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 3(A), selectable quests may include, in addition to a permanent main quest, non-permanent event quests that can be played for a limited time, etc. Each quest can be played in response to a request (instruction) from the user via the departure icon 11. Also, episodes within each quest may be progressed in response to a user instruction via an episode icon 12 displayed for each quest (for example, the screen shown in FIG. 3(B) described below is displayed).

[0072] Furthermore, the events provided to the user by the game system 1 are not limited to events within a quest that progresses according to a story, and events other than those within a quest may be playable. For example, they may include ranked battle events in which users battle other users and compete for rankings, and exploration events in which users explore dungeons, etc. For example, a request from the user to the ranked battle icon 13 or the dungeon exploration icon 14 will transition to a screen for various ranked battles or exploration events.

[0073] FIG. 3(B) is an example of a map of events progressing within a predetermined episode, displayed based on a request operation on the departure icon 11 in FIG. 3(A). For example, an episode within a quest has events set for each part, and can progress in order. In FIG. 3(B), the first part, a conversation event, and the second part, a discovery event, have been cleared. Therefore, for example, the user can transition to the battle event by operating the event icon 15 corresponding to the battle event in the third part. Note that various quests, various episodes within a quest, and various events within an episode that have already been cleared may be replayable. For example, a user may instruct the departure icon 11 of a quest that has already been cleared in FIG. 3(A) or the episode icon 12 of an episode that has already been cleared to replay a quest or episode that has already been cleared. Furthermore, a user may instruct the event icon 15 of an event that has already been cleared in FIG. 3(B) to replay an event that has already been cleared.

[0074] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a skill activation lottery screen that determines the skills to be activated in a battle event. In the battle event of this embodiment, skills associated with each character in the party can be activated. Furthermore, the number of skills that are determined to be activated in the battle event without user operation can be determined by lottery before the start of the battle event. Activating a skill can allow the battle event to proceed advantageously for the user. The skills whose number to be activated is determined by the skill activation lottery described with reference to FIG. 4 are skills that are determined to be constantly effective during the battle event without user operation (e.g., passive skills, auto skills, etc.), and are hereinafter also referred to as "first skills." In the battle event of this embodiment, actions are basically automatically executed according to the job assigned to the character. Jobs include, for example, physical attacker positions (swordsman, thief, etc.), magical attacker positions (magician, etc.), healer positions (cleric, etc.), etc. However, the battle event is not limited to being completely automatic; actions can also be executed by user operation, as described below with reference to FIG. 6.

[0075] (Regarding the selection of skills whose number is determined by lottery) The activation skill number lottery screen in Figure 4 is an example of a screen displayed when the quest management unit 212 determines that a transition request to a battle event has been made from the user terminal 100, based on a user operation on the event icon 15 of the battle event in Figure 3 (B) described above. The transition request to a battle event may be executed automatically, without a user operation. For example, when the achievement condition of a discovery event in the second part is met and the discovery event is cleared, a transition request to the next battle event in the third part may be transmitted from the user terminal 100 to the server 200.

[0076] In this embodiment, in response to a request to transition to a battle event, a lottery is held to determine the number of skills associated with an object to be activated in the battle event. In this embodiment, the object is a playable character, and an example will be described in which the number of skills to be activated associated with the playable character is drawn by lottery. Based on the result of the lottery for the number of skills to be activated, the number of skills determined by lottery is displayed in the skill number 21 by the display control unit 112, as illustrated in FIG. 4(A). The user can select skills to be activated up to the determined number of skills. On the activation skill number lottery screen in FIG. 4, skill selection buttons 22 (22a to 22d) associated with the character are displayed together with the icons of the party characters.

[0077] FIG. 5 shows an example of information related to a first skill among information associated with a data table related to characters that can be used in party formation in the game system 1. The character data table is stored as game information 132. The character data table associates information related to the characters, such as status parameters (not shown), such as attack power and defense power, and information related to skills. The skill information includes, for example, the skill name and information about the effect when activated. Skills associated with characters included in the party are identified based on the information related to the first skill illustrated in FIG. 5 associated with the data table, and a process is executed to display skill selection buttons 22 on the screen for determining the number of activated skills shown in FIG. 4. For example, if a party progressing through a quest is composed of character W, character X, character Y, and character Z, the object management unit 117 identifies skill A of character W, skill B of character Y, skill C of character X, and skill D of character Z, respectively. Furthermore, the effect of Skill A is to increase the critical hit rate of Character W by 20%, the effect of Skill B is to increase the attack evasion rate of all party characters by 20%, the effect of Skill C is to increase the normal damage of Character Y by 10%, and the effect of Skill D is to reduce the time it takes for Character Z to activate magic by 20%. The effect of each skill is displayed on the skill selection button 22 in FIG. 4.

[0078] When the user selects a skill selection button 22 on the activation skill number lottery screen of FIG. 4 , the display mode, such as the color of the selected skill selection button 22, changes, as illustrated in FIG. 4(B). For example, a grayed-out skill selection button 22 may be configured so that the character icon glows and the color of the skill selection button 22 brightens in response to the user's selection. Furthermore, when the skill selection button 22 is selected, the skill number 21 displayed in the center is decremented each time the skill selection button 22 is selected and an activated skill is selected. In this embodiment, a party is formed with four characters, and as described with reference to FIG. 5 , each character is assigned one first skill. Therefore, the upper limit of the number of skills that can be determined by the activation skill number lottery is "4." Thus, in this embodiment, the upper limit of the number of skills that can be determined by the activation skill number lottery and selected as a skill to be activated by a user operation is also the number of characters organized in the party. In other words, the user can select characters to activate skills up to the number determined by the lottery for the number of skills to be activated. For example, if the number of skills determined is "3," the skill number 21 will display "3 people," and the user can select three characters to select three skills.

[0079] When the user has selected the skills to be activated up to the number of skills determined by lottery, the skill number 21 displays "0 players," and the battle start button 23, which was grayed out and unselectable in FIG. 4(A), becomes selectable. When the user selects the battle start button 23, it is determined that a request to start a battle event has been made, and the battle event begins. When the battle event begins, the screen transitions to the battle event screen shown in FIG. 6, which will be described later. Note that even after a skill (i.e., a character that will activate a skill) is selected by selecting a skill selection button 22, the skill selection button 22 may be deselected by selecting the button again. For example, when the skill number 21 displays "0 players," by deselecting one of the skill selection buttons 22, the display of the skill number 21 changes to "1 player," and the user becomes able to select the skill selection button 22 again.

[0080] (Regarding the effects based on the number of skills determined by the skill activation lottery) On the other hand, if the number of skills determined by the skill activation lottery is the upper limit of the number of skills that can be selected, the screen automatically transitions to the battle event screen of FIG. 6 without any user input. In other words, if the number of skills determined is "4," which is equal to the number of party members, the user does not need to select a skill, and the battle event begins without user input. Furthermore, if the number of skills is the upper limit of the number that can be selected, a cut-in effect is displayed and the battle event begins. Regarding the cut-in effect, for example, on the skill activation lottery screen of FIG. 4, the skill number 21 is first displayed as "4," and then the display of the skill number 21 is changed to "ALL" or the like. After a display that allows the user to recognize that all skills have been selected is displayed, a cut-in effect screen is displayed featuring all four party characters. This cut-in effect image is a special image that can be displayed only if the number of activated skills is the upper limit of the number that can be selected. In this embodiment, the lower limit of the number of skills determined by the skill activation lottery is 1, and it is assumed that the number is never set to 0.

[0081] (About the battle event screen) FIG. 6 is an example of a game screen during a battle event. For example, as described above, when the determination unit 116 determines that a battle event start request has been made based on the user selecting and operating the battle start button 23 in FIG. 4(B), the game progression unit 118 executes processing to transition the screen of the display unit of the user terminal 100 to the battle event screen in FIG. 6. Note that when transitioning from the activation skill number lottery screen in FIG. 4 to the battle event screen in FIG. 6, the battle may begin after an animation in which a party character appears (for example, a scene in which they enter battle, etc.) is played. FIG. 6(A) is an example of a screen at the start of the battle, and FIG. 6(B) is an example of a screen during the battle event after the battle event has started.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 6(A), the battle screen displays UI objects such as a character icon 31 for each party character, HP 32 representing each character's stamina (hit points), activated skills 33, a second skill button 34, a speed adjustment button 35, a viewpoint switching button 36, and a selected character circle 37. The battle screen also displays character objects C (C1 to C4) of playable characters (party characters) and NPC objects N that fight against the playable characters, and the battle progresses automatically. The selected character circle is displayed at the feet of the character object C selected by the user through a tap operation or the like. This allows the user to recognize that the character object C for which the selected character circle 37 is displayed is currently being selected.

[0083] The activated skills 33 displayed on the left side of the battle event screen displays the activated skills selected as skills to be activated by user operation or automatically, based on the number determined by the lottery for the number of activated skills described in FIG. 4. In FIG. 6(A), the activated skills 33 displays a display indicating that the three skills selected in FIG. 4(B) are activated. For example, the names of the skills are displayed along with icons of the characters that will activate each skill. The activated skills 33 display is displayed at the start of the battle event. For example, it slides in at the start of the battle event and then slides out one second later.

[0084] Furthermore, the skills associated with the characters in this embodiment include a first skill that is determined to always be effective (activated) during a battle event without a user operation, based on the number of skills being determined by the activation skill number lottery of FIG. 4, and a second skill that is different from the first skill and is activated based on an arbitrary operation by the user during the battle event. Note that the skills that can be activated during a battle event are not limited to this, and may include a skill different from the first skill that is determined to be activated at all times and the second skill that is activated based on an arbitrary operation by the user. For example, other skills that are activated when a predetermined activation condition is satisfied based on the progress of the battle event (for example, in response to an action of the character) may be included. In other words, since the present invention makes it possible to select a skill that can make the user aware that the situation during the event will change before the event starts, by combining it with a skill that is not always available to be activated during the battle event and that can make the user aware that the situation will change when activated (a skill that requires the user to perform an arbitrary operation, or a skill that is activated when an activation condition that may occur randomly during the event from the user's perspective is met), the timing at which the user can be made aware that the situation will change in the event will be more diverse, increasing interest. Furthermore, it is possible to further expand the opportunities for users to devise strategies for events and the content of the strategies they devise compared to the past.

[0085] The battle event screen of Fig. 6 displays a second skill button 34, which is a UI object for activating a second skill. When the determination unit 116 determines that the second skill button 34 has been selected by the user, the display mode, such as the color of the second skill button 34, changes, as shown in Fig. 6(B), and a process for producing a performance and effect due to the second skill being activated is executed by the animation generation unit 114, etc. The skill activated by the selection operation of the second skill button 34 may be, for example, as shown in Fig. 6(B), in which a selected character circle 37 is displayed and the second skill of the selected character object C is activated (Fig. 6(B) illustrates a case in which the second skill of character C1 is being activated), or the second skills of all party members may be activated.

[0086] The selected character circle 37 will be described in detail. By sliding a character object C (hereinafter also referred to as selected character C) that has been selected by a user operation and that displays the selected character circle 37 toward any NPC object N that is an enemy character, the selected character C can perform a target attack on the NPC object N that has been slid. In addition, by sliding the selected character C toward another ally character object C, the selected character C can exert a recovery effect (for example, an HP recovery effect) on the character object C that has been slid. In addition, since the battle event in this embodiment basically proceeds automatically, the angle of view of the animation during the battle can be changed automatically, but the selected character C can always be displayed on the screen and can be prevented from being framed out.

[0087] As described above, the battle event basically progresses automatically, but the playback speed can be changed by the user tapping the speed adjustment button 35, for example. In the example battle event screen of FIG. 6, the speed adjustment button 35 is displayed, indicating that playback at double speed is possible. Furthermore, the user can switch between a normal viewpoint and a dynamic viewpoint by tapping the viewpoint switching button 36, for example. For example, the normal viewpoint is a viewpoint whose angle of view can be changed by user operation (e.g., a slide operation on the display screen, a pinch-out / in operation, etc.). On the other hand, when the viewpoint is switched to a dynamic viewpoint, the angle of view cannot be changed by user operation, but a process of displaying a camerawork viewpoint image from an angle of view that provides a predetermined sense of realism is executed by the animation generation unit 114, etc. Note that the selected character C may be displayed on the screen at all times when the viewpoint is the normal viewpoint and not at all times when the viewpoint is switched to the dynamic viewpoint. Alternatively, the selected character C may be displayed on the screen regardless of whether the viewpoint is the normal viewpoint or the dynamic viewpoint.

[0088] (About the discovery event) FIG. 7 is an example of a display screen for a discovery event that allows a user to be granted (acquired) an item that can be used in the game, as described with reference to FIG. 3(B) and other figures. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the discovery event is a roulette. Items that can be granted to a user through a discovery event during a quest in this embodiment include items that have an effect that affects skills that can be activated in a battle event. Items that can be used in the game include not only items that affect skills, but also various items such as in-game currency that can be used in the game and weapon materials.

[0089] Figure 8 shows examples of items awarded to a user through the item roulette of Figure 7. Information that enables identification of various items that can be acquired through the item roulette of Figure 7 is stored in association with a data table as game information 132. The data table that enables identification of various items that can be acquired through the item roulette associates, for example, the names of various items with information about the effects when used. Furthermore, items acquired through discovery events are stored as owned assets in user information 133.

[0090] In the item roulette of Figure 7, three rotating circular roulettes stop in order by accepting an operation from the user on the stop button 41, and the user can obtain each item displayed in the square where the roulette stops on the winning line 42.

[0091] As illustrated in FIG. 8, items that can be acquired through discovery events and have an effect on skills that can be activated in battle events include, for example, items such as "Skill Number +1" and "Skill Number -1," which increase or decrease the number of first skills determined by the lottery for the number of activated skills described with reference to FIG. 4, and items such as "Skill Effect +" and "Skill Effect -," which strengthen or weaken the effect of first skills activated in battle events. For example, "Skill Number +1" allows one fixed slot to be set for the number of first skills determined by the lottery for the number of activated skills described with reference to FIG. 4. "Skill Number -1" decreases the number of skills determined by the lottery for the number of activated skills by one, with respect to the number of first skills determined by the lottery for the number of activated skills. Increasing or decreasing the effect of a skill refers to, for example, affecting the effect of a skill by updating various skill parameters, such as increasing or decreasing the value of a default parameter (degree) associated with a character's skill in a character data table stored as game information 132 from the default value. For example, in the case of skill A of character W shown in Fig. 5, the default for skill A is "20% increase in critical hit rate for character W," but by "Skill Effect +," it is possible to further increase the critical hit rate (to, for example, 40%), or by "Skill Effect -," it is possible to decrease the increase in critical hit rate to 10%. Note that effects that affect the skills to be activated are not limited to those granted to users as items, and rights such as the ability to vary the number of skills to be activated, which is determined by lottery, or to apply buffs to characters that strengthen the effects of skills in battle events, may also be granted to users by the item roulette in Fig. 7.

[0092] In this embodiment, an item that affects the first skill acquired in a discovery event is automatically used when the event transitions to a battle event after the discovery event. For example, an item that affects the first skill acquired in the discovery event of the second part of FIG. 3(B) is used when the number of skills to be activated is determined when a transition request is made to the battle event of the third part, or when the effect of the skill is activated during the battle event in which the transition request is made. In other words, it cannot be carried over for use in a battle event in a later part.

[0093] (Activation skill determination process flow) FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of the activation skill determination process for determining the first skill to be activated in a battle event executed in the server 200. The control unit 210 performs the activation skill determination process, for example, when the control unit 210 receives a request to execute a lottery for the number of activation skills when transitioning to a battle event in the user terminal 100. Furthermore, in the following description, among the series of processing steps described using the flowchart, at least some of the steps described as being executed by the server 200 may be executed by the user terminal 100. Furthermore, at least some of the steps described as being executed by the user terminal 100 may be executed by the server 200.

[0094] The activation skill determination process described in FIG. 9 is executed by the lottery unit 115 transmitting a request to the server 200 to draw a lottery for the number of activation skills (lottery for the number of activation skills) in response to an operation to transition to a battle event in the user terminal 100. For example, in the user terminal 100, a quest progresses and a selection operation from the user is received on the event icon 15 corresponding to the battle event of the third part displayed in FIG. 3(B). Based on this determination by the determination unit 116 that an operation to transition to a battle event has been performed by the user, a lottery execution request is transmitted from the user terminal 100 to the server 200. Furthermore, the information transmitted by the lottery execution request includes information (e.g., a user ID) that identifies the user operating the user terminal 100 that transmitted the lottery execution request.

[0095] In step S101, the lottery execution unit 211 executes a lottery for the number of skills to be activated based on a lottery execution request received from the user terminal 100. Once the number of skills is determined by the lottery for the number of skills to be activated in step S101, in step S102, a process is executed to associate the number of skills determined by the lottery with the battle event number associated with the user ID and store them. For example, the quest management unit 212 generates a battle event number for each battle event for which a transition request has been received from the user terminal 100, and executes a process to store the battle event number together with the determined number of skills in association with the user ID in a data table stored as user information 133 in the storage unit 220.

[0096] In step S103, processing is executed to display the number of skills determined by lottery on the display unit of the user terminal 100. For example, by sending information specifying the number of skills determined by lottery from the server 200 to the user terminal 100, the display control unit 112 of the user terminal 100 will display the number of skills determined in the skill number 21 on the activation skill number lottery screen illustrated in Figure 4(A).

[0097] In step S104, it is determined whether the user possesses a skill number variation item. For example, as described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, when a skill number variation item is stored in association with user information 133 as a possessed asset due to an item with a "skill number +1" or "skill number -1" being granted by a discovery event during a quest, the control unit 210 determines that the user possesses the skill number variation item. If it is determined in step S104 that the user possesses the skill number variation item, in step S105, the number of skills stored in association with user information 133 in step S102 is updated and stored to reflect the effect of the skill number variation item, the number of skills reflecting the effect of the skill number variation item is determined, and processing is performed to display the determined number of skills on the display unit of user terminal 100.

[0098] For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, assume that the number of activated skills is determined to be "3" by the skill activation lottery in step S101, and the information regarding the assets owned by each user in the user information 133 includes the item "skill number + 1." In this case, the control unit 210 executes a process of increasing the determined skill number associated with the battle event No. associated with the user ID by "1" to "4" in the data table stored in the user information 133. Based on the user information 133 updated with the skill number variation item, the server 200 transmits information to the user terminal 100 for displaying "4" in the skill number 21 in FIG. 4, etc. Based on the information received from the server 200, the display control unit 112 executes processes such as creating an effect reflecting the effect of the skill number variation item and updating the skill number 21. Note that when the skill number becomes "4," since this is the same as the number of party members, a process is executed to display the skill number 21 on the user terminal 100 in a manner that changes it to "ALL." On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 4(A), if the user possesses an item with a "skill number -1," the control unit 210 executes a process of subtracting 1 from the determined skill number. For example, the skill number associated with the battle event No. stored in the user information 133 is updated from "3" to "2," and information for displaying "2" in the skill number 21 is transmitted to the user terminal 100. As an effect that reflects the effect of the skill-changing item, for example, in step S101, when the skill number is determined to be "3," the skill number 21 on the activation skill number lottery screen is displayed as "3 people," and then, because the user possesses the skill number-variable item "skill number +1," "+1" is displayed along with a message such as "Item activated!", and then the display of the skill number 21 is updated to "ALL."

[0099] In this embodiment, at least one first skill is activated in a battle event. Therefore, for example, even if the number of activated skills is determined to be "1" in step S101 of Fig. 9, and it is determined in step S104 that an activated skill number variation item is possessed, and the activated skill number variation item is "skill number -1" as exemplified in Fig. 7, Fig. 8, etc., which has the effect of reducing the skill number, the skill number will not become "0," and at least one first skill will be activated in the battle event. Furthermore, since the upper limit for the number of first skills that can be activated in a battle event is "4," for example, if "4" is determined as the number of activated skills in step S101 of Figure 9, and it is determined in step S104 that an activated skill number variation item is possessed, and even if the activated skill number variation item is the "skill number + 1" example shown in Figures 7 and 8, which has the effect of increasing the number of skills, the number of skills will not become "5," and the number of activated skills will remain at "4." Furthermore, even if there is no actual variation in the number of skills determined by the activated skill number lottery in step S101, the skill number variation item will be consumed, and will not be carried over to the next battle event transition timing.

[0100] If it is determined in step S104 that the user does not possess a skill number variation item, or after the process of reflecting the effect of the skill number variation item is executed in step S105, it is determined in step S106 whether the number of skills determined in step S101 or step S105 is the same as the number of party members. If it is determined in step S106 that the number of skills determined in step S101 or step S105 (hereinafter collectively referred to as the "determined number of skills") is the same as the number of party members, then in step S107, the skills of all party characters are set as the skills to be activated in the battle event. For example, if a quest progresses with a party composed of four characters, each associated with one first skill, the upper limit of the number of skills that can be determined by the activation skill determination process (determined by lottery for the number of activated skills in step S101 and by reflecting the effect of the skill number variation item in step S105) is "4," the same as the number of party members. For example, suppose the number of skills determined by the lottery execution unit 211 in step S101, or the number of skills determined in step S105 by reflecting the effects of skill-changing items on the number of skills determined in step S101, is "4," the same as the number of party members. In this case, even without requiring the user to select the skills to be activated, the quest management unit 212 sets and stores, in step S107, the skills to be activated, which are skills A, B, C, and D corresponding to the party characters W, X, Y, and Z, respectively, as shown in FIG. 5, for the battle event number associated with the user ID in the data table stored as user information 133. As a result, when the battle event starts, the set skills A, B, C, and D are always activated in the battle event.

[0101] In step S107, the skills to be activated in the battle event are set. In step S108, processing is performed to display a cut-in effect on the display unit of the user terminal 100. In this embodiment, if the number of skills to be activated is determined to be "4," which is the same as the number of party characters, a special feeling can be created by the cut-in effect. For example, when the number of skills for the battle event associated with the user information 133 is "4," the quest management unit 212 transmits information for displaying a cut-in effect image to the user terminal 100. Note that, when the user terminal 100 receives information on the determined number of skills to be activated in step S103 or step S105, and the determination unit 116 of the user terminal 100 determines that the determined number of skills is the same as the number of party characters, the animation generation unit 114 of the user terminal 100 may perform image display processing for the cut-in effect based on the display data stored in the game information 132.

[0102] After the cut-in effect display process is executed in step S108, a process for starting the battle event is executed in step S109, and the activated skill determination process is terminated. For example, information for automatically progressing the battle event in the user terminal 100 is transmitted to the user terminal 100 by the quest management unit 212. As a result, for example, the battle event screen shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 100. In addition, the user terminal 100 displays the battle event screen and four skills, skill A, skill B, skill C, and skill D, as activated skills 33.

[0103] Returning to step S106, if it is not determined that the determined number of skills is the same as the number of party members, then in step S110, it is determined whether or not skills to be activated have been selected up to the determined number of skills. That is, it is determined whether or not the type of skill to be activated has been specified based on user operation. The determination process of step S110 is repeated until it is determined that skills to be activated have been selected by user operation up to the determined number of skills. For example, as illustrated in the activated skill number lottery screen of FIG. 4(A), if the determined number of skills is "3," which is less than the number of party members (e.g., four), the determination of step S110 is executed until it is determined that the skill selection buttons 22 (22a to 22d) have been selected by user operation a number equal to the determined number of skills, "3."

[0104] When it is determined in step S110 that skills to be activated up to the determined number of skills have been selected, it is determined in step S111 whether or not a battle event start operation has been performed. The determination in step S111 is repeated until it is determined that a battle event start operation has been performed. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4(B), when skill selection buttons 22a (skill A), 22b (skill B), and 22d (skill D) are selected by a user operation as skills to be activated, the skill number 21 displays the remaining skill number as "0 players," and the battle start button 23 becomes ready to accept a selection operation by a user operation. For example, when the quest management unit 212 determines that the number of selected skills to be activated received from the user terminal 100 has reached the determined number of skills, the display unit of the user terminal 100 makes it ready to accept an operation from the user on the battle start button 23. Note that even after it is determined in step S110 that skills to be activated have been selected up to the number of skills determined, and thus operation from the user on the battle start button 23 can be accepted, if, for example, the user performs an operation to cancel a selected skill, causing the number of selected skills to be activated to fall short of the determined number of skills, processing may be performed to return to a state in which operation from the user on the battle start button 23 cannot be accepted again. A skill selected by a user operation may be canceled and returned to an unselected display state, such as the skill selection button 22a in FIG. 4(A), by again selecting the skill selection button 22 that is in a selected display state, such as the skill selection button 22a in FIG. 4(B).

[0105] If it is determined in step S111 that a battle event start operation has been performed, then in step S112 the selected skill is set as the skill to be activated, and processing to start the battle event is executed in step S109, and the activation skill determination processing ends. For example, if the quest management unit 212 determines that a battle event start operation request has been made due to a user operation on the battle start button 23 on the display screen of FIG. 4(B), the skill for which the user selected the skill selection button 22 by the user is set as the skill to be activated and stored in the battle event number of the user stored in the user information 133. As a result, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 4(B), when the battle start button 23 is operated with the skill selection buttons 22a (skill A), 22b (skill B), and 22d (skill D) selected, skill A, skill B, and skill D in FIG. 5 are set as the skills to be activated, and the skills are always activated in the battle event. In addition, on the battle event screen displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 100 shown in Figure 6 (A), a process is executed to display four skills, Skill A, Skill B, Skill C, and Skill D, as activated skills 33.

[0106] <Modification> Modifications of the above-described embodiment are listed below.

[0107] (1) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which the object associated with the skill, the number of which is determined by the skill activation determination process in a battle event, is a character. However, this is not limited to this. The skill activation determination process can determine the number of skills to be activated by the lottery in step S101 of FIG. 9 and by reflecting the effects of items in step S105. The skill may be associated with an item object other than the character object. Examples of item objects include weapons and armor equipped by characters. For example, the number of weapons that activate a skill may be determined, or the number of characters that activate a skill of a weapon object may be determined. Alternatively, the number of weapons that activate a skill may be determined from among the weapon objects equipped by characters in a party (e.g., one character may be equipped with multiple weapons), regardless of the number of characters.

[0108] (2) In the above-described embodiment, the skill set as the skill to be activated by user operation or automatically based on the number of skills to be activated determined by lottery for the number of activated skills in step S101 of the activation skill determination process or by increasing or decreasing the number of skills determined by lottery for the number of activated skills in step S105 was described as the first skill that will always be activated in the subsequent battle event. Furthermore, the timing of the effect of the first skill set as the skill to be activated may be any timing as long as it is already determined at the start of the battle event that it will be activated and that it will affect the situation of each battle event. Therefore, the timing is not limited to (a) a constant activation from the start of the battle event to the end of the battle event, but may also be, for example, (b) from the start of the battle event until a predetermined condition is met, (c) after the start of the battle event, from the fulfillment of a predetermined condition until the end, or (d) after the start of the battle event, from the fulfillment of a first predetermined condition until the fulfillment of a second predetermined condition, etc.

[0109] The predetermined condition may be, for example, a time period (e.g., one minute). Alternatively, the predetermined condition may be determined to be satisfied when a predetermined scene (e.g., the appearance of a boss character) that is sure to occur during the progression of an event is reached. For example, in the case of (b), for one minute from the start of the battle event in FIG. 6(A), the number is determined by the activation skill determination process, and the first skill that can be selected by the user remains activated (the skill's effect is occurring). After that, once one minute has elapsed from the start, the skill's activation state is stopped, and the skill's effect is no longer applied to the battle event. In the case of (d), the first skill may be activated after a first predetermined condition is satisfied (e.g., 30 seconds after the start of the battle event), and the activation state may continue until a second predetermined condition is satisfied (e.g., one minute after). Note that the timing pattern for the effect of the first skill may be set to be different for each battle event (e.g., depending on the battle event scene, type, game progress, etc.).

[0110] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the first skill determined to be activated by the activation skill determination process is a skill determined to always have an effect regardless of user operation during a battle event. However, instead of or in addition to this, the first skill determined to be activated by the activation skill determination process may be a skill whose activation status is determined by lottery before the start of a battle event, and when it becomes activatable, it may be a skill that is activated by user operation during the battle event. For example, a process is performed to determine the number of skills to be set in an activatable state (activation standby state) for each playable character that are activated by user operation during a battle event before the start of the battle event (corresponding to step S101 or step S105 in FIG. 9), and the skills are set in an activatable state automatically or based on a user selection operation up to the determined number (corresponding to step S107 or step S112 in FIG. 9), so that it is determined in advance before the start of the battle event that they can affect the situation of the battle event. In other words, if the activation of a skill is not determined in advance before the start of a battle event by the activation skill determination process, the skill cannot be activated during the battle event. This allows the user to recognize in advance that changes in the situation related to the battle event will occur before the battle event begins, thereby allowing for diversity in the changes in the situation for each battle event.

[0111] (4) In the above-described embodiment, if it is determined in step S104 of FIG. 9 that the user possesses a skill number variation item acquired through a discovery event other than the battle event described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the number of skills determined by the lottery for the number of activated skills in step S101 can be increased or decreased in step S105. The increase or decrease in the number of skills determined by the lottery for the number of activated skills in step S101 may be caused not only by an item acquired through a discovery event, but also by a game other than the battle event. For example, in the event during a quest described with reference to FIG. 3, the user may be granted an item that varies the number of skills or a right to exert an effect depending on the conversation selected in a conversation event that proceeds before the battle event. Alternatively, the skill number variation item may be acquired depending on the progress of a game, such as a ranked battle or dungeon exploration, as illustrated in FIG. 3(A), separate from the progress of the quest.

[0112] (5) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which an item that changes the effect of a skill could also be acquired in the discovery event, etc., described with reference to Figures 7 and 8, etc. The item that can change the effect of a skill may be an item that can increase or decrease the effect of a specific skill. For example, instead of or in addition to this, an item that can change the effect of a defensive skill or an item that can change the effect of a recovery skill may be acquired as a specific skill. As a result, for example, if a user possesses an item that increases the effect of a recovery skill, if the number of skills to be activated is determined to be two in the activation skill determination process, this will motivate the user to select a recovery skill from the limited number of selectable skills. In this way, even when the number of skills that can be activated is limited depending on the results of a lottery, etc., the priority selection of skills can be prevented from becoming monotonous, and the interest in selecting skills to activate is increased.

[0113] (6) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which it was possible to acquire items, etc., that can change the number of first skills determined by the lottery for the number of activated skills in step S101, which is executed when a battle event transition request is made, or that can change the effect of the first skills, with reference to steps S104 and S105, etc., in Figures 7, 8, and 9. However, in the game of the present invention, as long as the number of skills that will definitely be activated in the battle event is selected by lottery before the start of the battle event, instead of or in addition to this, the number of first skills, items, etc. that can change the effect of the first skills may not be granted to the user, and either the items that change the number of first skills or the items that change the effect of the first skills may be obtainable through a game event, etc., different from the battle event.

[0114] (7) In the above-described embodiment, in the example screen of the discovery event illustrated in FIG. 7, even if the items, rights, etc. in the squares that stop on the winning line 42 are different from one another, each of the items in the squares may be awarded. However, instead of or in addition to this, when the squares containing the same item are aligned on the winning line 42, the items in the squares may be acquired. That is, in a discovery event, one or more items may always be awarded, or an item may not be awarded unless a certain condition is met (for example, when all items in the roulette squares are aligned, when an item is discovered through a search, or when another mini-game is completed). Also, for example, all items may be acquired even if all items in the squares are not aligned, but when all items in the squares are aligned, a bonus benefit such as additional items may be awarded to the user. Furthermore, a quest may include both a discovery event that always awards an item and an event that does not award an item unless a certain condition is met.

[0115] In addition, the items that change the number of skills or the effects of skills, which were described as items that can be obtained through discovery events, etc., may be granted only as items or rights that have advantageous effects for the user (for example, items that increase the number of skills, items that increase skill effects, etc.), and items that have negative effects (for example, items that reduce the number of skills, items that reduce skill effects, etc.) may not be included in the items that can be obtained through discovery events, etc.

[0116] (8) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which a user can arbitrarily select skills to be activated in a battle event up to the determined number of skills through user operation, with reference to step S110 in Figures 4 and 9, etc. However, instead of or in addition to this, a process may be executed in which skills to be activated are randomly selected up to the determined number of skills without user operation. Furthermore, whether the skills are automatically selected or can be arbitrarily selected by the user may be set by a user operation in advance. For example, as illustrated in Figure 4(A), if the determined number of skills is "3" as indicated by the skill number 21, three skills to be activated may be automatically selected without user operation. Furthermore, the battle event may be started after skill selection, even if the battle start button 23 is not selected and operated by the user.

[0117] Furthermore, the number of skills that can be selected by user operation from the number of determined skills may be partially limited. For example, a predetermined number of automatic selection slots may be provided, and the number of skills that can be selected by user operation from the number of determined skills minus the number of automatic selection slots may be limited. For example, if one automatic selection slot is provided and the number of determined skills is three, the number of skills that can be selected arbitrarily by the user may be two.

[0118] Furthermore, the user may be able to set in advance which skills are to be preferentially selected by automatic selection, regardless of user operation. For example, when progressing through a quest with a party of four characters as illustrated in FIG. 4, the order of characters whose skills are to be preferentially selected may be set, or a predetermined number of characters (e.g., one character) whose skills are to be preferentially selected may be set in advance. This allows a battle event to start automatically when the game progresses by autoplay or the like, improving user convenience. Even if automatic selection is performed, the skill selected by automatic selection may be changeable by user operation. For example, if the user does not operate the battle start button 23, the skill determined by automatic selection may be set as the skill to be activated and the battle event may not start. This control may be such that the battle event starts only after the user is satisfied with the skill determined by automatic selection. Alternatively, the game may proceed basically by autoplay, but if a cancel operation is not performed within a predetermined time (e.g., five seconds after automatic selection) the skill selected by automatic selection is set as the skill to be activated and the battle event may start.

[0119] (9) The number and effects of first skills that can be activated in the battle events described in the above-described embodiments may be set to vary according to parameters (hereinafter also referred to as user parameters) that are updated based on the user's gameplay. For example, user parameters include the user's level (e.g., the level that increases as the quest progresses) and the ranking position in the ranked battles with other users described with reference to FIG. 3(A). For example, the number of skills determined by the lottery for the number of activated skills in step S101 of FIG. 9 may be set to be higher for beginner users than for advanced users, depending on the user parameters. Furthermore, items that can be acquired through discovery events, etc., may be set to be higher for beginner users than for advanced users, such that they are more likely to acquire items that increase the number of skills or items that increase the effects of skills. This may bridge the gap between beginners (e.g., users with low levels or rankings) and advanced users (e.g., users with high levels or rankings), making it easier for beginners to progress through the game in an advantageous manner, thereby contributing to an improvement in game continuation rates.

[0120] Furthermore, the skill level (parameters associated with the skill) may be set not necessarily to be advantageous for beginners, but may be set so that the more advanced the user (the higher the parameters), the higher the skill level. For example, the effect of a skill selected by a user operation described with reference to step S110 in FIG. 4(B) and FIG. 9 may be set to be more powerful for more advanced users. For example, when a skill is activated in a battle event or when a skill is selected by a user operation, a correction value may be added to the default parameters of the skill effect according to the level. Furthermore, when a skill is activated in a battle event or when a skill is selected by a user operation, a display may be displayed on the display unit to indicate to the user that the skill has become more powerful due to the correction according to the level.

[0121] (10) In the above-described embodiment, the number of skills determined by the activation skill determination process, including the skill number determined by the activation skill number lottery in step S101 of FIG. 9 and the skill number after reflecting the effects of the skill number variation item in step S105, was described as having a minimum value of "1" and a maximum value of the upper limit of the number of first skills that can be activated in a battle event (e.g., "4," the same number as the number of party members). However, instead of or in addition to this, while the above-described embodiment described an example in which "0" was never determined, "0" may be determined. For example, even if "1" is determined as the number of activated skills in step S101 of FIG. 9, and it is determined in step S104 that an activation skill number variation item is possessed, and the activation skill number variation item is the "skill number -1" example shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, which has the effect of reducing the skill number, the skill number does not become "0," and at least one first skill is activated in the battle event. However, this is not limiting, and the determined skill number may also be "0." For example, if the skill number determined in step S101 of FIG. 9 is "1," and if it is determined in step S104 that an activated skill number variation item is possessed, and the activated skill number variation item is "skill number - 1" as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, etc., which reduces the skill number, the skill number may be "0," and the first skill to be activated may not be set. Alternatively, if the skill number determined in step S101 is "0," and it is determined in step S104 that an activated skill number variation item is possessed, and the activated skill number variation item is "skill number + 1" as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, etc., which increases the skill number, the skill number may be "1." The lower limit of the skill number determined in step S101 is "1," but it may be reduced to "0" depending on the possessed items.

[0122] Furthermore, the number of skills determined by the lottery for the number of activated skills in step S101 may be set to a value that takes into consideration that the number of skills after reflecting the effects of the skill number variation items in step S105 has a minimum value of "1" and a maximum value of the upper limit of the number of first skills that can be activated in a battle event (for example, "4," the same number as the number of party members). For example, taking into consideration the possibility that the skill number variation item "skill number -1" will be applied, the minimum value determined by the lottery for the number of activated skills in step S101 may be set to "2," and taking into consideration the possibility that the skill number variation item "skill number +1" will be applied, the maximum value determined by the lottery for the number of activated skills in step S101 may be set to "3." Furthermore, the value that takes into consideration the effects of the skill number variation items may be set to only the minimum value or the maximum value, or a value that takes into consideration both the minimum value and the maximum value may be set.

[0123] (11) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which an item granted to a user through a discovery event or the like is consumed at the timing of the next battle event. That is, when a skill count increase item is granted, the skill count determined in step S101 of FIG. 9 reaches the upper limit of the number of skills that can be determined (e.g., 4, the same as the number of party members), and even if the skill count increase item is used, the effect of the item is not actually reflected. However, instead of or in addition to this, an item may be consumed at a timing of the user's choosing. For example, an item may be consumed when it is desirable to increase the number of skills depending on the content of the battle event, or when the effect of a skill is to be improved. Alternatively, if an item is consumed without causing a change in the actual number of skills, the item may be carried over so that it can be used for the number of skills determined by a skill activation number lottery performed when the game transitions to the next battle event. Furthermore, the number of times an item can be carried over may be limited, such as once.

[0124] (12) In the above-described embodiment, one first skill is associated with each character, and the upper limit of the number of skills that can be determined by the skill activation determination process is the same as the number of party characters. However, this is not limited to this, and two or more skills may be associated with each character. Thus, for example, even if the upper limit of the number of first skills that can be activated in a battle event is set to "4," the same number as the party characters, and the determined number of skills is "4," the same number as the party characters, the first skill to be activated may be selectable by a user operation. For example, three skills may be associated with character X, and which of the skills of character X to activate may be selectable by a user operation. Furthermore, only one first skill may be selected for activation per character, or two or more first skills may be selectable for activation per character. Alternatively, the upper limit of the number of first skills that can be activated in a battle event may be set to be greater than the number of party characters. In other words, the upper limit of the number of first skills determined by the skill activation determination process may be greater than the number of party characters. For example, the number of party characters that can be organized is four, but the number of skills that can be activated in a battle event may be eight.

[0125] (13) In the above-described embodiment, as explained with reference to steps S106 and S108 of FIG. 9, an example was described in which a cut-in effect is displayed when the number of first skills to be activated in a battle event is determined to be the same as the upper limit of the number of activatable (i.e., selectable) skills (for example, the number of party characters if one first skill can be activated per party character). However, this is not limited to this. Even if the number of skills determined to be activated is less than the upper limit, a cut-in effect may be displayed and processing to start a battle event may be executed. For example, an effect may be displayed in which a character corresponding to a skill selected based on the determination of the number of skills appears. For example, suppose the number of skills determined by the lottery for the number of activated skills in step S101 or by reflecting the effect of the skill number variation item in step S105 is "3," as shown in FIG. 4(A). Thereafter, after a skill is selected by user operation, when the battle start button 23 is selected (step S111), a process to start a battle event may be executed along with a cut-in effect in which the character corresponding to the skill selected as the skill to be activated (for example, in FIG. 4(B), characters W, X, and Z) appears, as illustrated in FIG. 4(B). Furthermore, regardless of the skill set as the skill to be activated or the character corresponding to the skill, a different cut-in effect image may be displayed depending on the number of skills determined. Note that even if the number of skills determined is the same as the upper limit of the number of skills that can be activated, the cut-in effect may not be executed.

[0126] (14) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which the activated skill 33, which is a display suggesting a skill to be activated, is displayed in a predetermined area of ​​the screen (e.g., the center left side of the screen) on the battle event screen described with reference to FIG. 6, sliding in at the start of the battle event and then sliding out after one second has passed. However, the display of the activated skill 33 is not limited to only at the start of the battle event. Alternatively, or in addition, the activated skill 33 may be displayed for a predetermined time (e.g., 10 seconds, 1 minute, etc.) longer than the display time only at the start of the battle event until the start of the battle event has elapsed. Alternatively, the activated skill 33 may be continuously displayed during the battle event.

[0127] The display of the activated skill 33 may be turned on / off by user operation. For example, a UI may be provided that allows the on / off display to be turned on / off by user operation, either in advance or during a battle event. The size, display format, position, etc. of the displayed activated skill 33 may also be changeable by user operation. For example, a UI may be provided that allows changes and adjustments to be made in advance or during a battle event.

[0128] (15) In the above-described embodiment, the process for determining the number of first skills to be activated in a battle event, as exemplified by steps S101 and S105 of FIG. 9, is executed when the server 200 receives a transition request operation from the user terminal 100 to the battle event. However, instead of or in addition to this, the process may be determined before the battle event starts (before the process for starting the battle event in step S109 is executed). For example, the process may be executed during an event other than the battle event for which the first skills are to be determined (e.g., during a conversation event or a discovery event, or at the end of a battle event that was held (e.g., the previous event) before the battle event for which the first skills are to be determined). Alternatively, the number of first skills in battle events during a predetermined period (e.g., the current day) may be determined when the user logs in, regardless of the progress of the game event. Furthermore, the lottery for the number of activated skills in step S101 and the process of step S105, which may affect the number of skills determined by the lottery, may be executed at different times. For example, the lottery for the number of skills to be activated in step S101 may be executed before the user requests a transition to a battle event (for example, at an event other than the battle event or at the time of login, etc.), and after the request to transition to the battle event is made, processing may be executed in step S105 to reflect the effect of the skill number variation item.

[0129] Furthermore, the process of determining the number of first skills by lottery or the like may be executed, determined, and stored at a predetermined timing different from the timing of the lottery effect by displaying an activation skill number lottery screen, such as that shown in FIG. 4, on the display unit of the user terminal 100, or the timing of the display of the effect reflecting the effect of the skill-changing item. The process of displaying the effect of the activation skill number lottery screen may be executed based on the number of skills determined at a predetermined timing and stored in a data table as user information 133 or the like. The number of skills stored in advance may be the number determined by lottery alone, the number determined by lottery and the number after the effect of the item is reflected, or only the number after the effect of the item is reflected on the number determined by lottery. If only the number determined by lottery is stored, the number of skills stored may be displayed on the user terminal 100 in step S103, and the stored number of skills may be updated in step S105 to reflect the effect of the skill number-variable item, and a process of displaying the effect may be performed. Also, if only the number determined by lottery after the effects of the items have been reflected is stored, the display of the number determined by lottery in step S103 may not be executed, and after a request to transition to a battle event is made, the result after the effects of step S105 have been reflected may be reflected on the activation skill number lottery screen.

[0130] (16) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which, in step S102 of FIG. 9, the skill number determined by the skill activation lottery in step S101 is associated with and stored for each battle event associated with a user ID (e.g., a battle event number is generated for each battle event for which a transition request has been made by the user, and for each battle event number). However, the skill number is not limited to being associated with each individual battle event associated with each user. Alternatively, or in addition, the battle event skill number associated with each user ID data table may be updated each time a transition request to a battle event is made by user operation. Alternatively, the skill number determined by the skill activation lottery may not be a different value for each user, but may be a skill number common to all users. For example, a lottery for the skill number common to all users may be performed for each battle event of the same type (e.g., the battle event in the third part of FIG. 3(B)), and the skill number may be stored in advance. For example, a lottery for the number of skills to be activated common to all users is held every predetermined period of time (e.g., 12 hours, 24 hours, etc.), and when a transition request operation to a battle event is received from each user, the number of skills associated with the battle event that is the subject of the transition request operation, which has been stored in advance as game information 132, may be displayed on an activation skill number lottery screen, such as that shown in Figure 4, after an effect is displayed to execute the lottery.

[0131] (17) In the above-described embodiment, the lottery for determining the number of skills to be executed before the start of a battle event was an example of a lottery for determining the number of first skills to be activated, which are determined to be effective (activated) during the battle event without user operation, as described in step S101 of FIG. 9 . However, instead of or in addition to this, the number of first skills to be activated may be determined in advance, and the first skills to be activated may be determined by lottery from among multiple skills. For example, suppose that each party character is associated with one or more first skills (e.g., two or more for each character or depending on the type of character), and the total number of all skills that the party characters can activate is eight. Furthermore, suppose that the number of first skills that can be activated in one battle event is predetermined to be four, with one first skill being activated per character (or, alternatively, the upper limit for the total number of skills that can be activated within a party may be set to four, without imposing a limit on the number of skills that can be activated per character). At this time, when it is determined that the user has performed an operation to request a transition to a battle event, the lottery execution unit 211 may execute a lottery to determine which of a plurality of skills associated with the character will be activated. This makes it possible to bring about changes in the situation for each battle event, increasing the user's interest in the game.

[0132] (18) In the above-described embodiment, a lottery was conducted to determine the number of skills to be activated as a lottery to determine in advance the effects on a battle event executed before the battle event begins. However, instead of or in addition to this, other effects that can be advantageous to the user in progressing through the game and that are guaranteed to occur during the battle event may be drawn by lottery. For example, a process to weaken enemy characters in a battle event may be executable as a skill associated with the user playing the game. For example, a user skill that can have effects such as reducing the defensive power or offensive power of an enemy character may be determined by lottery as a process to change parameters associated with an NPC that is an enemy character.

[0133] (19) In the above-described embodiment, a battle event was used as an example of an event in which the number of skills to be activated and the skills to be activated are determined before the event begins through the skill activation determination process. The event in which the number of skills to be activated and other information are determined through the skill activation determination process of the present invention is not limited to a battle event, and may be applied to skills to be activated in other events. For example, in various game events such as conversation events, discovery events, and other puzzle games, quiz games, shooting games, and simulation games, the number of effects that affect the situation within the event may be selected by lottery before the event begins. For example, effects that affect the increase or decrease in game difficulty, the increase or decrease in hit rate, or the increase or decrease in the rate of rare event occurrence during the event may be selected by lottery before the event begins.

[0134] (20) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which each step of the activation skill determination process described with reference to FIG. 9 is executed by the server 200. However, among the steps described as being executed by the server 200 using the flowchart described with reference to FIG. 9, at least some of the steps may be executed by the user terminal 100 based on information on the ongoing event based on the game information 132 received from the server 200, information on each user's playable character based on the user information 133 received from the server 200, and information on owned assets (e.g., owned items). For example, all steps may be executed by the control unit 110 of the user terminal 100. For example, when the determination unit 116 determines that the user has performed an operation to request a transition to a battle event, the lottery unit 115 of the user terminal 100 executes the lottery for the number of activation skills in step S101, and associates the number of skills determined in step S101 with the battle event number for which the transition request operation has been performed, and stores the result as user information 133 (corresponding to step S102). In addition, information identifying the user (e.g., user ID, etc.) and information identifying the battle event stored in user terminal 100 and the number of skills determined by lottery (e.g., information associating the battle event number with the skill number) may be transmitted to server 200 and stored as user information 133 in server 200. Furthermore, the determination of whether or not a skill variation item is possessed in step S104 may be made based on information stored as user information 133 in storage unit 120 of the user terminal, or may be made based on information regarding owned items associated with user information 133 for each user received upon executing an inquiry to server 200. Furthermore, along with the process of reflecting the effect of the skill variation item in step S105, server 200 may transmit information for reflecting (updating) the information regarding owned items for each user in user information 133 stored in server 200. Furthermore, even offline, the activation skill number lottery process of FIG. 9 may be executed based on game information 132 received in advance.

[0135] [Software implementation example] The control blocks of the control unit 210 (particularly, the lottery execution unit 211 and the quest management unit 212) and the control blocks of the control unit 110 (particularly, the lottery unit 115, the judgment unit 116, the object management unit 117, and the game progression unit 118) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed on an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0136] In the latter case, an information processing device equipped with control unit 210 or 110, or both, includes a CPU that executes instructions for a program, which is software that realizes each function; a ROM (Read Only Memory) or storage device (these are referred to as "recording media") on which the program and various data are recorded so as to be readable by a computer (or CPU); and a RAM (Random Access Memory) on which the program is deployed. The object of the present invention is achieved when the computer (or CPU) reads and executes the program from the recording media. The recording media may be "non-transitory tangible media," such as tapes, disks, cards, semiconductor memories, programmable logic circuits, etc. The program may also be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium capable of transmitting the program (such as a communication network or broadcast waves). Note that one aspect of the present invention may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0137] The above-described information processing device may be realized by any one of the devices (server 200 or user terminal 100) that constitutes system 1, or may be realized by a combination of multiple devices (server 200 and user terminal 100).

[0138] In the present invention, the control of game progress and operation by one user has been described, but the operation of the terminals of users other than the user himself / herself may be linked and reflected in the control of the game being executed on the user's own terminal. Also, the mode may be changed by the operation on the terminals of multiple users. In this case, the operation on which terminal is associated with the operation of which game. The number of times may be set in advance or may be preset.

[0139] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0140] [Note] Some of the features of the present invention are summarized below.

[0141] For example, a decision can be made before the event begins to change the conditions of the event.

[0142] (Supplementary Note 1): A computer (e.g., a user terminal 100, a server 200, etc.) The program functions as a determination means for determining the number of predetermined effects to be activated during the progress of an event before the start of the event in which the player can progress advantageously by activating predetermined effects associated with the object.

[0143] This allows, for example, the number of predetermined effects to be brought about in the event situation to be determined before the event starts, thereby bringing about changes in the event situation and increasing interest.

[0144] (Supplementary Note 2): In the program described in (1) above, the event progresses using multiple objects, Each of the plurality of objects is associated with a predetermined effect that can be determined by the determining means.

[0145] This allows, for example, a predetermined effect to be activated depending on the object, making the change in the event situation more interesting.

[0146] (Supplementary Note 3): In the program described in (1) above, the predetermined effect is provided in a plurality of types, The computer The function is to function as a means for specifying the type of predetermined effect to be activated based on a user operation, with the number of predetermined effects determined by the determining means as an upper limit.

[0147] This allows the user to, for example, consider the type of predetermined effect to select and devise a strategy for the progression of the event.

[0148] (Supplementary Note 4): The program according to (1) above, wherein the computer: The device functions as a means for executing a performance according to the number of predetermined effects determined by the determining means.

[0149] As a result, for example, the performance is executed according to the number of predetermined effects, so the user will have more expectations regarding the number of predetermined effects that has been determined, and the user's interest will be enhanced.

[0150] (Supplementary Note 5): In the program described in (1) above, the determining means is capable of determining the number of predetermined effects with a predetermined number as an upper limit number, The computer When the number of predetermined effects determined by the determining means is less than the predetermined number, an event is started by a user operation, and when the number is the predetermined number, the determining means functions as a means for starting an event without requiring a user operation.

[0151] This allows, for example, an event to be started without requiring user operation, depending on the number of predetermined effects that are determined.

[0152] (Supplementary Note 6): The program according to (1) above, wherein the computer: At the start of an event or during the progress of the event, the number is determined by the determination means, and the predetermined effect that has been activated as a result of the determination means is functioned as a means for suggesting that the effect is being activated.

[0153] This allows the user to easily recognize that a predetermined effect has been activated, for example.

[0154] (Supplementary Note 7): The program according to (1) above, wherein the computer: The means functions as a means for increasing or decreasing the number of predetermined effects to be activated during the progress of the event from the number of predetermined effects determined by the determining means, depending on whether a predetermined condition is established.

[0155] This makes it possible to increase or decrease the number of predetermined effects from the number of effects determined by the determining means, for example, thereby making it possible to bring about further changes in the progress of the event.

[0156] (Supplementary Note 8): The program according to (1) above, The computer The determining means functions as a means for increasing or decreasing the degree of a predetermined effect to be activated during the progress of an event from a default degree when the predetermined condition is established.

[0157] This allows, for example, the degree of a predetermined effect to be increased or decreased from the default degree, thereby making it possible to further change the progress of an event.

[0158] (Supplementary Note 9): In the program described in (1) above, the predetermined effect is provided in a plurality of types, The computer The function is to function as a means for determining the type of predetermined effect to be activated without relying on a user operation, with the number of predetermined effects determined by the determining means as an upper limit.

[0159] This allows the type of predetermined effect to be determined without any user operation, for example, which increases convenience and anticipation.

[0160] (Supplementary Note 10): The program according to (1) above, There are multiple types of predetermined effects, The computer The function is to function as a means for setting in advance, by a user operation, the types of predetermined effects to be preferentially activated, with the number of predetermined effects determined by the determining means as an upper limit.

[0161] This increases convenience, for example, because it is possible to set in advance the type of predetermined effect that is to be preferentially activated.

[0162] (Appendix 11): In the program described in (1) above, the determination means determines the number of predetermined effects to be activated during the progress of the event in a manner corresponding to parameters that are updated as the user progresses the event.

[0163] This means that, for example, the number of predetermined effects will depend on a parameter that is updated as the user progresses through the event, making it possible to further change the progress of the event depending on that parameter.

[0164] (Supplementary Note 12): The program according to (1) above, wherein the computer: The determining means functions as a means for increasing or decreasing the degree of a predetermined effect to be activated during the progress of an event from a default degree in a manner according to parameters updated as the user progresses the event.

[0165] This means that, for example, the degree of a specified effect will depend on a parameter that is updated as the user progresses through the event, making it possible to further change the progress of the event depending on that parameter.

[0166] (Supplementary Note 13): The program according to (1) above, wherein the computer: The device functions as a means for activating a specific effect different from the predetermined effect that has been activated as a result of the number being determined by the determination means, when the activation condition for the specific effect is met during the progress of the event.

[0167] This allows, for example, the determination means to determine, before the start of the event, the number of predetermined effects that are different from the specific effect that is activated when the activation condition is met while the event is in progress.

[0168] The solution constituted by the above program may be appropriately applied to the fields of devices, systems, methods, and media.

[0169] (Appendix 14): A system comprising a determination means for determining, before the start of an event in which the player can progress advantageously by activating a predetermined effect associated with an object, the number of predetermined effects to be activated during the progress of the event.

[0170] This allows, for example, the number of predetermined effects to be brought about in the event situation to be determined before the event starts, thereby bringing about changes in the event situation and increasing interest. [Explanation of symbols]

[0171] 1 Game system, 2 Network, 10, 20 Processor, 11, 21 Memory, 12, 22 Storage, 13, 23 Communication IF (operation unit), 14, 24 Input / output IF (operation unit), 15 Touch screen (display unit, operation unit), 17 Camera (operation unit), 18 Distance measurement sensor (operation unit), 100 User terminal (information processing device), 110, 210 Control unit, 111 Operation reception unit, 112 Display control unit, 113 UI control unit, 114 Animation generation unit, 115 Lottery unit, 116 Determination unit, 117 Object management unit, 118 Game progress unit, 120, 220 Memory unit, 131 Game program, 132 Game information, 133 User information, 151 Input unit (operation unit), 152 Display unit, 200 Server, 211 Lottery execution unit, 212 Quest management unit, 1010 Object, 1020 controller (operation unit), 1030 storage medium

Claims

1. Computer, The program functions as a determination means for determining the number of predetermined effects to be activated during the progress of an event before the start of the event in which the player can progress advantageously by activating predetermined effects associated with the object.

2. The event progresses using multiple objects, 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of objects is associated with a predetermined effect that can be determined by the determining means.

3. There are multiple types of predetermined effects, The computer 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the program functions as a means for specifying the type of predetermined effect to be activated based on a user operation, with the number of predetermined effects determined by the determining means being an upper limit.

4. The computer 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the program functions as a means for executing a performance in accordance with the number of predetermined effects determined by the determining means.

5. the determining means is capable of determining the number of predetermined effects with a predetermined number as an upper limit; The computer 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the program functions as a means for starting an event by user operation when the number of predetermined effects determined by the determination means is less than the predetermined number, and for starting an event without user operation when the number is the predetermined number.

6. The computer 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the program functions as a means for indicating that a predetermined effect that has been activated as a result of the number being determined by the determination means is being activated at the start or during the event.

7. The computer 2. The program according to claim 1, which functions as a means for increasing or decreasing the number of predetermined effects to be activated during the progress of an event from the number of predetermined effects determined by said determination means, depending on whether a predetermined condition is met.

8. A system comprising a determination means for determining, before the start of an event in which the player can progress advantageously by activating a predetermined effect associated with an object, the number of predetermined effects to be activated during the progress of the event.

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