Program, game control device, game system, and control method

Abstract

To realize a highly entertaining game with a new strategic property.SOLUTION: A placement area setting unit sets multiple placement areas in which game elements are placed. A cost setting unit sets a cost for each of the multiple placement areas. A game element placement unit places each of the multiple game elements in multiple placement areas, and changes the placement of the game elements depending on the turn. A game progression unit uses the cost set in the placement area as the cost for selecting a game element placed in the placement area, and progresses the turn on the basis of a selection operation for selecting at least one game element from the game elements placed in the placement area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 21

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a program, a game control device, a game system, and a control method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a game in which a cost is set for each of a plurality of cards, and a player selects a card from the plurality of cards within a predetermined cost range at each turn (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-142125 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned conventional games, the cost of the card itself is set according to the card's performance, rarity, etc. In other words, the game involves selecting cards within a predetermined cost range while taking into consideration cost and performance. In games where cards are selected within such a cost range, the available strategies are sometimes limited, and games with a higher level of strategy are desired.

[0005] Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to realize a highly entertaining game that has a strategic element that has not been seen before. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A program according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer that executes control of a game in which at least one game element is selected within a predetermined cost range each turn to function as: a placement area setting unit that sets multiple placement areas in which the game elements are placed; a cost setting unit that sets a cost for each of the multiple placement areas; a game element placement unit that places each of the multiple game elements in a multiple of the placement areas and changes the placement of the game elements depending on the turn; and a game progression unit that uses the cost set in the placement area as the cost for selecting the game element placed in that placement area and progresses the turn based on a selection operation that selects at least one game element from the game elements placed in the placement area.

[0007] A game control device according to another aspect of the present invention is a game control device that executes control of a game to select at least one game element within a predetermined cost range for each turn, and includes: a placement area setting unit that sets a plurality of placement areas in which the game elements are to be placed; a cost setting unit that sets a cost for each of the plurality of placement areas; a game element placement unit that places each of the plurality of game elements in a plurality of the placement areas and changes the placement of the game elements depending on the turn; and a game progression unit that uses the cost set in the placement area as the cost for selecting the game element placed in that placement area, and progresses the turn based on a selection operation that selects at least one game element from the game elements placed in the placement area.

[0008] A game system according to another aspect of the present invention includes a server and a terminal device capable of communicating with the server, and executes control of a game in which at least one game element is selected within a predetermined cost range for each turn, and includes: a placement area setting unit that sets a plurality of placement areas in which the game elements are placed; a cost setting unit that sets a cost for each of the plurality of placement areas; a game element placement unit that places each of the plurality of game elements in a plurality of the placement areas and changes the placement of the game elements depending on the turn; and a game progression unit that sets the cost set in the placement area as the cost for selecting the game element placed in that placement area, and progresses the turn based on a selection operation that selects at least one game element from the game elements placed in the placement area.

[0009] A control method according to another aspect of the present invention is a control method for controlling a computer that executes control of a game in which at least one game element is selected within a predetermined cost range for each turn, and includes: a placement area setting step for setting a plurality of placement areas in which the game elements are to be placed; a cost setting step for setting a cost for each of the plurality of placement areas; a game element placement step for placing each of the plurality of game elements in a plurality of the placement areas and changing the placement of the game elements depending on the turn; and a game progression step for setting the cost set in the placement area as the cost for selecting the game element placed in the placement area, and progressing the turn based on a selection operation for selecting at least one game element from the game elements placed in the placement area. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a game device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a main screen of a development mode. [Figure 3]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of progress of a turn when progress is forcibly stopped. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a selection of a practice menu. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a selection of a practice menu. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a selection of a practice menu. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a selection of a practice menu. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a selection of a practice menu. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a practice menu execution screen. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a growth report screen. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the layout of the practice menu is changed by a turn. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the layout of the practice menu is changed by a turn. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the layout of the practice menu is changed by a turn. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the layout of the practice menu is changed by a turn. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a practice menu table. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display area in which a practice menu is displayed. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display area in which a practice menu is displayed. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a dedicated icon table. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of fluctuations in the number of practice menus displayed. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting a placement area according to reputation. [Figure 21] FIG. 2 is a schematic functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the game system. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user information table. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of team data. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a main screen of a development mode. [Figure 25] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by the game device. [Figure 26] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by the game device. [Figure 27] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by the game device. [Figure 28] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by the game device. [Figure 29] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the cost set in the placement area is changed depending on the turn. [Figure 30] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the cost set in the placement area is changed depending on the turn. [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the cost set in the practice menu is changed depending on the turn. [Figure 32] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a main screen of a development mode. [Figure 33] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a game system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [1. Game Device Configuration] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a game device 10 (an example of a game control device). The game device 10 operated by a user is a computer used by the user to play a game. The game device 10 is, for example, a home game console (stationary or portable), a personal computer, a smartphone, a mobile phone terminal, a PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a multi-function television receiver (so-called smart TV), or an arcade (commercial) game machine installed in an amusement facility or the like.

[0012] The game device 10 mainly comprises a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an auxiliary storage device 14, a communication unit 15, an operation unit 16, an image processing unit 17, a sound processing unit 18, and a recording medium drive 19, all of which are interconnected via a bus line BUS including an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. Note that interface circuits are interposed between the bus line BUS and each component as necessary, but are not shown here. The game device 10 also comprises a display unit 20 and an audio output unit 21.

[0013] The CPU 11 interprets and executes commands of the game program, and controls the entire game device 10. The ROM 12 stores programs, data, etc. necessary for basic operational control of the game device 10. The RAM 13 stores various programs and data, and ensures a working area for the CPU 11.

[0014] The auxiliary storage device 14 is a storage device that stores game programs, various data, etc. As the auxiliary storage device 14, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, etc. can be used.

[0015] The communication unit 15 includes a communication interface (not shown) and has a communication control function for communicating data when a game is being played. The communication control function for data communication includes, for example, an Internet connection function, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) connection function, and a short-range wireless communication function using a predetermined frequency band (e.g., 2.4 GHz frequency band). The communication unit 15 transmits a connection signal for connecting the game device 10 to the network N based on a command from the CPU 11, and also receives information transmitted from a communication partner and supplies the information to the CPU 11.

[0016] The operation unit 16 is used by the user to input various operation commands to the game device 10. Examples of the operation unit 16 include a position input unit (a component of a touch panel) equipped with a touch interface, physical buttons, a controller, an analog stick, a keyboard, a pointing device, etc. The operation unit 16 may also be configured to accept voice input by identifying voice input from a voice input unit such as a microphone.

[0017] The image processing unit 17 drives the display unit 20 based on an image display command from the CPU 11 to display a game screen. Various known display devices, such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, can be used for the display unit 20. The display unit 20 can also be a touch panel that combines a display device, such as a liquid crystal display, with a position input unit equipped with a touch interface. When the display unit 20 is configured as a touch panel, the image processing unit 17 includes a touch input detection unit (not shown). When a pointer, such as a finger or pen, touches the screen, this touch input detection unit detects the coordinates of the contact position on the screen and supplies a coordinate signal to the CPU 11. This allows the CPU 11 to recognize the contact position on the screen of the display unit 20.

[0018] The display unit 20 does not need to be integrated with the game device 10, and may be, for example, a television monitor or the like that is externally connected to the game device 10. In this way, when the display unit 20 is an externally connected television monitor or the like, the display unit 20 is not included in the configuration of the game device 10.

[0019] The sound processing unit 18 generates an analog audio signal based on a sound generation instruction from the CPU 11 and outputs the signal to the audio output unit 21. The audio output unit 21 includes a speaker. It should be noted that the audio output unit 21 does not need to be integrated with the game device 10, and may be, for example, a speaker (including a television speaker), a headphone, or an earphone that is externally connected to the game device 10. In this way, when the audio output unit 21 is an externally connected speaker, the audio output unit 21 is not included in the configuration of the game device 10.

[0020] The recording medium drive 19 may be, for example, a DVD-ROM drive, a CD-ROM drive, a hard disk drive, an optical disk drive, a flexible disk drive, a silicon disk drive, a cassette medium reader, etc. In this case, the recording medium RM may be a DVD-ROM, a CD-ROM, a hard disk, an optical disk, a flexible disk, a semiconductor memory, etc. The recording medium drive 19 reads image data, audio data, and program data from the recording medium RM, and supplies the read data to the RAM 13, etc. via a decoder.

[0021] Depending on the game being executed, the game device 10 can play against a computer (also called a CPU game) or a communication game. In a communication game, for example, a user A operating one game device 10 and a user B operating another game device 10 can play a competitive game via a network. In the case of a communication game, for example, each game device 10 logs into a server, and the game devices 10 matched by the server communicate directly with each other via a P2P (Peer to Peer) connection or the like to play a competitive game. Alternatively, data exchange between the game devices 10 can be performed via the server. Either method may be used to play a communication game.

[0022] Communication between game devices can be achieved, for example, by using HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol), which runs on TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol), as the base protocol, and implementing the application protocol specified by this system at a higher level.

[0023] On the other hand, communication between game devices 10 connected by P2P or the like can be realized by, for example, UDP (User Datagram Protocol), a communication protocol on the transport layer of the OSI reference model that is mainly implemented on the IP protocol. The above-mentioned UDP is a communication method in which data is sent to the other terminal device without any data delivery confirmation or error correction, so it has the advantage of low data reliability but high data transfer speed. Of course, it is also possible to use existing protocols other than UDP for communication between game devices 10, or new protocols that will be newly defined in the future.

[0024] Furthermore, for example, game devices 10 having a short-range wireless communication function using a predetermined frequency band (for example, 2.4 GHz frequency band) can also perform a competitive game or the like by directly communicating with each other among a plurality of game devices.

[0025] As described above, game device 10 can take various forms, such as a stationary game console, a portable game console, or a smartphone. However, the following description will be given taking as an example a case where game device 10 is a stationary game console having a game controller as operation unit 16. The game controller may be connected to game device 10 via a wired connection such as a cable, or may be connected to game device 10 wirelessly via infrared or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The operation state of the game controller is scanned at regular intervals (for example, 1 frame: every 1 / 60 seconds), and information indicating the scan results is transmitted from the game controller to game device 10. Note that in a game device 10 with an integrated screen or the like, if the screen is a touch panel, various operations may be performed by the user touching the screen with a finger, a stylus pen, or the like.

[0026] [2. Example of a game] An example of a game is described below. The game device 10 can run a variety of games. For example, a variety of games can be run regardless of game format or genre, such as sports (games based on baseball, soccer, or other sports), racing, fighting, and combat. Note that the game may be run by the game device 10 communicating data with a server or another game device 10, or may be run by the game device 10 alone. Below, as an example of a game run on the game device 10, a baseball game based on baseball will be described, mainly focusing on the training mode, and other games will also be mentioned as necessary.

[0027] [2-1. Overview of an example game] The baseball game according to this embodiment has a game mode called a training mode in which a baseball team (an example of a group) made up of a plurality of player characters (hereinafter simply referred to as "players") is trained on a team-by-team basis. In this training mode, practice, games, and various other events are carried out. Here, as an example, a user becomes the manager of a high school baseball team and basically develops multiple players on a team basis by instructing the players (baseball club members) belonging to the user's team on how to practice, etc. For example, in the role of manager, the user develops multiple players belonging to the team while aiming for the team to win the national championship (winning the national high school tournament) and for the players to enter professional baseball.

[0028] In this game, players progress through the game by selecting practice menus (an example of game elements) displayed on the game screen within a predetermined cost range each turn, thereby developing multiple players belonging to a team. Here, the cost is set not to the practice menu itself, but to the placement area in which the practice menu is placed. In other words, the cost required to select a practice menu is determined by the position in which the practice menu is placed. Furthermore, the placement of the practice menu relative to the placement area changes with each turn. Therefore, even for the same practice menu, the cost required for selection (cost consumed) differs depending on the timing (turn) of selection. This provides users with a new strategic game in which they must decide when to select a practice menu in which placement area. An example of this game will be described in more detail below.

[0029] [2-2. Initial settings before starting the game] Before starting this training mode, the user can set information such as the region, high school name, uniform design, school song, and cheering song. This information is basically set only the first time the training mode game is started, but the user may be allowed to change the settings after the game has started, if necessary. Each piece of set information is stored in association with user identification information.

[0030] The region is information about the region in the game where the user's high school is located. For example, the user can select any one of the 47 prefectures. Depending on the selected prefecture, the difficulty of the matches (for example, whether or not the opposing team is a strong school) or the number of matches in the prefectural tournaments (tournaments, etc.) held as appropriate in the game will differ. Selecting a region with a higher level of difficulty or a region with a higher number of matches has the advantage of allowing the team to grow, but also carries the risk of early defeats in matches, so the user must weigh these factors when selecting a region.

[0031] Furthermore, depending on the region selected by the user, the possibility that a player corresponding to a professional baseball player who actually exists or who actually existed in the real world (hereinafter referred to as a "reincarnated player") will join the user's team may be increased. For example, if the region selected by the user is the reincarnated player's hometown, the possibility that the reincarnated player will join the user's team may be increased compared to when another region is selected. In addition, the user may be allowed to select the decade in which to start (e.g., 1990), thereby increasing the likelihood that a reincarnated player corresponding to a professional baseball player who enrolled in a high school in the area selected by the user during that decade will join the user's team.

[0032] [2-3. Basic flow of the game] Basically, the game progresses by setting the target for training, training, and saving the training results. After training begins, at a predetermined timing in the virtual time within the game (hereinafter referred to as "in-game time") (for example, after the end of a specific event that occurs on September 6th in the game time), training of the team for that year is completed, and the team at that time can be saved in association with the user identification information. In other words, the user can register the team that has been trained for each year in the game time. Details of this will be described later.

[0033] In the following, when dates are mentioned, they will be in-game time unless there is an explanation that they are real-world time.

[0034] Similarly, at a predetermined timing for each in-game year (for example, after a specific event that occurs on March 7th) at least some of the third-year players on the team at that time can be individually associated with user identification information and saved. Details of this will be described later. First, the setting of the target to be raised will be explained.

[0035] [2-4. Setting up training targets] In the first year (at the start of the game), a predetermined number of players randomly selected from the mob characters become the training targets and belong to the user's team. Here, the mob characters may be characters automatically generated by the game device 10 (CPU 11) or a server that communicates with the game device 10, or may be characters created in advance by the game operator. In this way, when starting a game in the training mode, the user is given an initial team (multiple players that make up the team) to be trained.

[0036] The multiple players that make up the initial team may be predetermined and common to all users.

[0037] From the second year onwards, an entrance ceremony event occurs at a predetermined time each year (for example, April 8th), and a randomly selected (or generated) mob character joins the user's team as a new member (first-year player) to be trained. In addition, a mob character that the user has scouted in advance in a freshman scouting event may become a training target. If the scouting of a mob character is successful, that mob character will enroll in the user's school. Details of the freshman scouting event will be described later.

[0038] From the second year onwards, at the entrance ceremony event held every April, multiple mob characters may be presented as applicants for joining the club, and a predetermined number of mob characters may be selected by the user from among them to be added as new members to be trained. In this case, mob characters that have been successfully scouted may also be included in the multiple mob characters presented as applicants for joining the club.

[0039] Each player has basic fielder abilities, including trajectory, hitting, power, running ability, fielding ability, arm strength, and catching. Trajectory-related basic abilities are ranked from 1 to 4. The higher the number, the higher the ball's trajectory and the more likely it is to hit a home run. Other basic fielder abilities are displayed as an ability score and a corresponding ranking (e.g., S, A, B, C, D, E, F, G). For example, a score of 90 or above is S, 80-89 is A, 70-79 is B, 60-69 is C, 50-59 is D, 40-49 is E, 20-39 is F, and 19 or below is G. Higher hitting ability improves the chances of hitting the ball and scoring a hit. Higher power ability improves the chance of hitting a long ball. Higher running ability improves base running speed. Higher arm strength ability improves defensive throwing speed. The higher the "defensive ability" ability, the wider the defensive range. The higher the "catching" ability, the easier it is to catch the ball defensively and the less likely it is to make an error.

[0040] Additionally, each player being trained has parameters set for the pitcher's basic abilities, such as pitch speed, control, stamina, and curveballs. "Pitch speed" represents the speed of a straight pitch. A pitcher's basic abilities other than pitch speed are displayed as an ability value and an evaluation rank corresponding to the ability value (for example, eight levels: S, A, B, C, D, E, F, G). "Control" represents the quality of control when pitching. "Stamina" represents how resistant the pitcher is to fatigue. The higher the stamina ability, the less resistant the pitcher is to fatigue, and the less likely their abilities will decline in the latter half of a game. "Curveball" parameters include the character's pitches and the parameters for the amount of change in each pitch. In addition, each player may have a parameter called a special ability set.

[0041] Each player has a defensive aptitude parameter set for each defensive position. For example, there are five levels of defensive aptitude for each defensive position (e.g., main, sub ◎, sub ○, sub, no aptitude). A player's defensive aptitude changes depending on defensive training, etc. Each player is also assigned a pitching aptitude parameter. For example, pitching aptitude is set for each of the starting pitcher, reliever, and closer positions. A player's pitching aptitude changes depending on pitching practice, etc.

[0042] Each player is also assigned parameters such as reliability, scout rating, condition, and stamina. Reliability or scout rating increases or decreases based on game performance (e.g., batting average), predetermined events, etc. Reliability is affected by in-game tactics and the results of ongoing events. Scout rating affects a player's draft position, etc. Condition is determined by lottery from, for example, five levels, but fluctuates depending on the results of events and the use of predetermined items. Condition affects in-game tactics and the rate at which stamina is lost. Stamina increases or decreases based on the execution of predetermined events, items, and training menus. Stamina affects the amount of experience points gained through training, and if the stamina value falls below a certain level, the amount of experience points that can be earned decreases. It is also possible for a player's stamina value to be set so that the higher the stamina value, the more experience points can be earned. Note that there is an upper limit to stamina.

[0043] Each player also has a parameter called their grade (1st, 2nd, or 3rd year). A player's grade is generally 1st year when they enter high school, and they are added to the grade by one every time April 1st comes around.

[0044] In the first year (at the start of the game), the initial team assigned to the user includes players from each of the first, second, and third year grades.

[0045] [2-5. Saving the training results] After setting the training target, team training (training of players belonging to the user's team) is carried out. Details of training will be described later. After that, the training results can be saved at a predetermined timing. Saving of training results can be done in two ways: (1) saving the team, and (2) saving the player (saving the individual player belonging to the team). First, saving the team will be explained.

[0046] [2-5-1. Save your team] A farewell party event is held every year after the summer tournament. At the time of the farewell party event, which occurs on September 6th, the user's team at that time can be saved (registered) as the team whose training has been completed for that year. In this embodiment, the number of players that can be saved as a team is not limited, and all players on the team at the time when team training is completed (when the team is saved) can be saved as team members every year. Here, "all players on the team" refers to all first-, second-, and third-year players who belong to the team, regardless of whether they are on the bench or not. When saving a team, additional information such as the high school name, uniform, school emblem, and team policy set by the user may also be saved. The saved team is associated with user identification information and stored in a storage device (auxiliary storage device 14, server database, etc.).

[0047] Note that whether or not to save a team is an optional matter, and the user can also choose not to save the team.

[0048] The timing for saving a team is not limited to September 6th every year, but can be set to any timing. For example, the timing for saving a team may be set to the timing of a graduation ceremony event in March every year.

[0049] As a variation, the number of players that can be registered as members of a team to be saved may be limited. For example, the number of players that can be registered as members of a team may be 18 in total, including nine starting players and nine bench players. In this case, for example, when saving a team, the screen transitions to a registration team organization screen, where the user selects starting players and bench players from the multiple players on the team to organize the team, and saves the team.

[0050] [2-5-2. Saving Individual Players] A graduation ceremony event occurs every March. At the timing of the graduation ceremony event that occurs on March 7th, only the third-year players (graduating players) on the team at that time can be saved (registered) as individual players. In this embodiment, all third-year players on the team at the time when player development is completed each year (the time when individual players are saved) can be saved. The user may save all third-year players who are graduating, or may save only specific players arbitrarily selected from among them. The saved individual players are associated with user identification information and stored in a storage device (auxiliary storage device 14, server database, etc.).

[0051] Note that whether or not to save individual players is optional, and the user can choose not to save any players.

[0052] The timing for saving individual players whose training has been completed is not limited to the end of the graduation ceremony event in March each year, but can be set at any time. For example, the timing for registering individual players may be the timing of the draft conference event in October each year. In this case, only players who are in their third year at the time of saving the individual players will be saved.

[0053] As a variation, third-year players on a team who meet certain conditions for registration may be saved as individual players. The conditions for registration may be, for example, a certain ability score or higher, a certain scout evaluation or higher, or being a drafted player in a draft conference event.

[0054] An upper limit may be set on the number of teams or individual players that a user can save. If the number of teams or players that can be saved reaches the upper limit, a warning to that effect is displayed. In this case, the user must delete one or more of the registered teams or players to make room for new teams or players to be saved. However, there may be no upper limit on the number of teams or players that can be registered.

[0055] [2-5-3. Using a saved team or individual player in another mode] Teams or individual players saved as training results can be used in game modes other than the training mode. Specifically, saved teams can be used in a battle mode, etc. Battle modes include CPU battles and real-time battles. In CPU battles, the user selects a team to use in a battle from the saved teams and plays against an opposing team automatically controlled by the CPU. Real-time battles is a mode in which the user can play online against other users in remote locations via a network. In addition, saved individual players can be trained again as professional baseball players in a second training mode. Saved teams or individual players may also be made usable in game modes other than the battle mode and the second training mode.

[0056] [2-6. Continuing development through team rotation] As mentioned above, after the farewell party event on September 6th ends and the team is registered as a training result, the third-year players on that team can choose not to participate in practice, preventing their abilities from changing. Meanwhile, even after the team is saved, the first- and second-year players on that team will remain on the team and continue practicing. In other words, in training mode, saving a team does not mean the team is disbanded; rather, team development begins in preparation for the team's save on September 6th of next year. When the team is saved on September 6th of next year, the current first- and second-year students will become second- and third-year students, respectively, and the team will be composed of first-year players who will join after the entrance ceremony event.

[0057] Every year, third-year players graduate and new freshmen (first-year students) enroll and join the user's team, resulting in a change in team members. In this way, the training mode game of this embodiment does not have a unit of one game (for example, training of one character is completed in a specified number of turns), and when some of the characters in a team graduate, other characters enroll, and the training of the target of training (the team or individual characters included in the team) continues.

[0058] In the training mode game of this embodiment, a first-year player (Player A) included in a training-completed team saved in a certain year can join the training-completed team saved in the following year as a second-year player (having improved since the previous registration). Furthermore, Player A can join the training-completed team saved in the following year as a third-year player (having improved since the previous or previous registration).

[0059] [2-7. Implementation of training] FIG. 2 or FIG. 24 shows an example of the main screen G10 of the training mode for training a training target. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which virtual time in the game basically progresses by one week for each turn. On the main screen G10, the user selects a predetermined number of practice menus for one week (basically three practice menus in this embodiment) within a predetermined cost range for each turn. When the user performs an operation to select a predetermined number of practice menus, a turn progression process corresponding to the selected practice menus is executed, and the schedule progresses by one week. Note that, as will be described later, depending on the turn, the schedule may stop progressing less than one week. By gaining experience points through training, events, matches, etc., depending on the training menu selected, each player on the team will improve their parameters (such as basic abilities and special abilities). As will be explained later, the expendable cost will be recovered by a certain amount at the start of the next turn.

[0060] Current schedule information is displayed in the display area A11 in the upper left corner of the main screen G10, for example. The current schedule information displays today's date, day of the week, and weather symbol. Today's date is the start date of the turn, and the day on which the user selects the practice menu. The weather symbol indicates today's weather. Weather conditions include sunny, cloudy, rainy, and snowy, and the weather for each date is determined by probability. The probability of rain or snow varies depending on the region (the location of the user's high school team or the region where the team is traveling) and the season. On rainy or snowy days, practice efficiency for that day is lower than on days with other weather conditions.

[0061] Here, practice efficiency is one of the parameters associated with a player, and the lower the practice efficiency, the fewer experience points can be acquired through practice. The practice efficiency of each player may increase or decrease depending on the effects of events, etc., in addition to the weather. There may be an item that can prevent the decrease in practice efficiency on rainy or snowy days for a predetermined period of time (e.g., one month).

[0062] The background of the main screen G10 displays video or still images of team players (2D or 3D model characters) practicing on a baseball field. The baseball field is a 2D or 3D virtual game space. The weather in the image of the baseball field displayed in the background changes depending on the weather for the day.

[0063] Display area A12 below display area A11 displays upcoming schedules and weather information. In this game, there are events that occur on predetermined dates every year. For example, events that occur on predetermined dates include entrance ceremonies, training camps, games (regional tournaments, Koshien tournaments, etc.), the selection of schools to play at Koshien, sports festivals, cultural festivals, farewell parties, draft meetings, and graduation ceremonies. In display area A12, the name of the event is displayed in the column for the date on which the event is scheduled (see Figure 3).

[0064] Among the events that occur on predetermined dates, there are some that force the progress to stop on the day the event occurs, such as a game, an entrance ceremony, a training camp, a farewell party, a draft meeting, and a graduation ceremony.

[0065] As mentioned above, the schedule generally progresses one week at a time for each turn. However, if an event that forces a stop to progress is scheduled within one week of the start date of the turn in which the practice menu is selected, the schedule will stop on the date of the event. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a turn progression when the progress is forced to stop. Figure 3 shows an example in which a "graduation event" that forces a stop is scheduled for March 7th for a turn starting on March 5th. In this case, the turn starting on March 5th will only progress for three days, until March 7th. After the graduation event on March 7th ends, the next turn will begin on March 8th. The same applies if an event that forces a stop to progress other than the graduation event is scheduled. Note that, for example, the experience points that can be earned in a turn that only progresses for three days (i.e., progress less than one week) may be the same as in a normal turn (i.e., progress that lasts one week), or may be less than in a normal turn. As an example of a reduction, for a turn that only progresses over three days, the experience points that can be acquired in a normal turn may be reduced to 3 / 7 (= number of days progressed in that turn / number of days progressed in a normal turn).If the experience points that can be acquired in a turn that progresses over fewer days than a normal turn are reduced compared to a normal turn, the user must take this into consideration when selecting a practice menu.

[0066] Information about the current team's overall strength (total fighting power) is displayed in a display area A13, for example, at the top center of the main screen G10. The team's overall strength is the overall ability of the team calculated from the player abilities of all players included in the user's team. The team rank is determined according to the team's overall strength. The team rank is divided into multiple levels (for example, G to A, S) according to the numerical value of the team's overall strength. Note that the team's overall strength may be calculated not for all players on the team, but for example, for the starting members and players on the bench (i.e., excluding players not on the bench).

[0067] Furthermore, by performing a predetermined operation (for example, pressing a predetermined button on the game controller) while the main screen G10 is displayed, a data screen, help screen, backlog screen, growth report screen, etc. can be displayed.

[0068] On the data screen, you can check various data such as team information, player information for each player on the team, information on how players are used, and information on items they own. On the help screen, you can check an explanation of the game as a whole. On the backlog screen, you can check the results of past training sessions and events in text format. On the growth report screen (see Figure 10), you can check the growth report of players who have improved through training sessions in the previous turn. Details of the growth report will be explained later.

[0069] Current cost information is displayed, for example, in the display area A14 in the upper right corner of the main screen G10. The display area A14 displays a cost gauge CG that indicates the current value of the remaining cost (current remaining cost), the upper limit (maximum) of the retainable cost, and the remaining cost that can be consumed in the current turn. In the cost gauge CG, the further the gauge end CGa (see Figure 4) extends to the right, the more remaining cost that can be consumed in the current turn. The right end of the cost gauge CG corresponds to the upper limit of the retainable cost. In the cost gauge CG in Figure 2 or Figure 4, the gauge end CGa is at the remaining cost "3" position, which indicates that the remaining cost that can be consumed in the current turn is "3".

[0070] In the display area A14 illustrated in FIG. 2, the current value of the remaining cost is "0" because two practice menus with a total consumed cost of 3 are selected in the current turn. In the display area A14 illustrated in FIG. 4, the selection of any practice menu has not been confirmed in the current turn, so the current value of the remaining cost is "3" (= the remaining cost available in the current turn as indicated by the cost gauge CG).

[0071] In each turn, the cost corresponding to the selected practice menu PM is consumed, and then at the start of the next turn, the remaining available cost is restored by a predetermined amount. As will be described later, the amount of cost restored each turn may vary depending on a predetermined game parameter (such as reputation).

[0072] 2 or 24, a list of practice menus PM that are presented as selectable for the current turn is displayed in a display area A20 at the bottom of the main screen G10, for example. Details of the display area A20 will be described below with reference to FIG. 4 etc.

[0073] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the display area A20 and the display area A14 in a state where the selection of any practice menu PM has not been confirmed for the current turn. In FIG. 4, images and the like displayed in the practice menu PM are omitted, and the practice menu PM is shown as a simplified version, and all illustrations other than the display area A20 and the display area A14 are omitted (the same applies to FIGS. 5 to 8).

[0074] The display area A20 is provided with a plurality of placement areas A21 in which the practice menus PM that are presented to be selectable for the current turn are placed. Fig. 4 shows an example in which seven placement areas A21-1 to A21-7 are provided in which seven practice menus PM can be placed. Fig. 4 also shows an example in which the seven placement areas A21-1 to A21-7 are arranged in a horizontal row. In the following description, when no particular distinction is made between the individual placement areas, they will simply be referred to as "placement area A21."

[0075] Below the multiple placement areas A21, for example, a cost display area A22 is provided, which indicates the cost set for each placement area A21. FIG. 4 shows an example in which four cost display areas A22-0 to A22-3 are provided, indicating that the costs set for the placement areas A21 range from "0" to "3." The cost display area A22-0 indicates that the costs set for the first and second placement areas A21-1 and A21-2 from the left are "0." The cost display area A22-1 indicates that the costs set for the third and fourth placement areas A21-3 and A21-4 from the left are "1." The cost display area A22-2 indicates that the costs set for the fifth and sixth placement areas A21-5 and A21-6 from the left are "2." The cost display area A22-3 indicates that the cost set in the seventh placement area A21-7 from the left (rightmost) is "3." In the following description, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the individual cost display areas, they will simply be referred to as "cost display area A22."

[0076] In this embodiment, the cost set in the placement area A21 is the required cost (consumption cost) for selecting the practice menu PM placed in that placement area A21. Therefore, the required cost for selecting the practice menu PM is determined by which placement area A21 the practice menu PM is placed in. In other words, even if the practice menu PM is the same, if the placement area A21 in which it is placed changes, the required cost for selecting that practice menu PM also changes.

[0077] Each practice menu PM has a predetermined effect. The higher the cost set for the placement area A21 in which the practice menu PM is placed, the greater the effect of that practice menu PM. In other words, even if the practice menu PM is the same, the cost required to select it will differ depending on the placement area A21 in which it is placed, and the degree of effect that results from that cost will also differ. As a variation, the effect of the practice menu PM may not change depending on the required cost.

[0078] A selection cursor CS for selecting a practice menu PM is displayed on any one of the practice menus PM arranged in the arrangement area A21 (displayed on the screen). FIG. 4 shows an example in which the selection cursor CS is over the "Special Training" practice menu PM. For example, the user operates the analog stick or directional buttons of the game controller to change the position of the selection cursor CS (the practice menu PM to be selected). The practice menu PM over which the selection cursor CS is over becomes the practice menu PM that is being provisionally selected (or selected if a confirmation operation is subsequently performed). As in the example of FIG. 4, to make the provisionally selected (or selected) state easier to understand, the provisionally selected (or selected) practice menu PM may be displaced higher than the other practice menus PM.

[0079] As illustrated in FIG. 2 or 24, information about the currently provisionally selected (or selected) practice menu PM is displayed in display area A15 above display area A20. This information includes text explaining the effects of executing the currently provisionally selected (or selected) practice menu PM and information about the cost consumed by selecting that practice menu PM. While checking the information displayed in display area A15, the user can switch between practice menus PM overlapping the selection cursor CS and consider which practice menu PM to select.

[0080] After provisionally selecting an arbitrary practice menu PM with the selection cursor CS, the selection of the practice menu PM is confirmed by performing an operation to confirm the selection (for example, an operation to press the confirm button on the game controller). If the display unit 20 is configured as a touch panel, the practice menu PM may be selected by the following operation: For example, by tapping one of the multiple practice menus PM displayed with a finger, the desired practice menu PM may be provisionally selected, and by tapping the provisionally selected practice menu PM again, the selection of that practice menu PM may be confirmed.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 24, a display area A30 for displaying the practice menu PM selected by the user is provided, for example, in the upper center of the main screen G10. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the user is required to select a predetermined number of practice menus to be executed within a predetermined cost range (within the aforementioned remaining cost range) in each turn. That is, basically, in order to progress through the turn, a predetermined required number of practice menus PM must be selected within the predetermined cost range. In this embodiment, three practice menus PM must be selected in each turn, and the display area A30 is provided with three selection frames P31 in which the selected practice menu PMs are displayed. Of the three selection frames P31, the leftmost selection frame P31 displays the first selected practice menu PM, the middle selection frame P31 displays the second selected practice menu PM, and the rightmost selection frame P31 displays the third selected practice menu PM. FIG. 2 shows an example in which two practice menu PMs, "Special Training" and "Schedule Review," are currently selected (are being selected). FIG. 24 shows an example in which the practice menu PM "Fastball Throwing" is currently selected.

[0082] During the user's selection of a practice menu PM, if there is a practice menu PM that cannot be selected due to the cost exceeding the current remaining cost and the practice menu PM provisionally selected or selected by the user, this fact may be notified. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, three practice menu PMs must be selected, and the practice menu "Special Training," which has a current remaining cost of "3," is provisionally selected. In this case, assuming that the selection of the practice menu "Special Training," which has a cost of 2, is confirmed, the practice menu "Practice Break," which has a cost of 3, and the practice menu "Defensive Cooperation," which has a cost of 2, become unselectable due to the cost exceeding the cost. Therefore, in this case, when the practice menu "Special Training" is provisionally selected, a notification is issued to the effect that the practice menu "Practice Break," which has a cost of 3, and the practice menu "Defensive Cooperation," which has a cost of 2, "cannot be selected due to the cost exceeding the cost." For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a notification object such as a label P23 that reads "Cost Over" is superimposed on the "Practice Break" placed in placement area A21-7 and the "Defensive Cooperation" placed in placement area A21-5. Furthermore, even if it is the same "Defensive Cooperation," if it is placed in the placement area A21-1 with a cost of "0," it is not subject to "Cost Over."

[0083] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the display area A20 and the display area A14 when the selection of the practice menu "Special Training" that was provisionally selected in FIG. 4 is confirmed. In the display area A20, the practice menu "Special Training" whose selection has been confirmed is, for example, grayed out (unselectable), and the text "1 Selected" indicating the selection order is superimposed. In addition, the practice menu PM that cannot be selected due to the cost exceeding (the one for which "Cost Over" was notified in FIG. 4) is, for example, grayed out, and the text "Cost Over" is superimposed. In addition, as the selection of the practice menu PM with a consumption cost of 2 is confirmed, the current value of the remaining cost is updated from "3" to "1" in the display area A14.

[0084] FIG. 6 shows an example of the display area A20 and the display area A14 when the selection of a second practice menu item PM is confirmed after the selection of FIG. 5. FIG. 6 shows an example in which "Schedule Review," located in the placement area A21-4 with a cost of "1," is selected as the second selected practice menu item PM. In this case, the practice menu item "Schedule Review," whose selection has been confirmed, is grayed out in the display area A20, and the words "2 Selected," indicating the order of selection, are superimposed. Furthermore, as the selection of the practice menu item PM with a consumption cost of 1 is confirmed, the current remaining cost is updated from "1" to "0" in the display area A14. Furthermore, practice menu items PM that cannot be selected due to cost overrun (those with a consumption cost of 1 or more) are grayed out, and the words "Cost Overrun" are superimposed. The state of the display area A20 and the display area A14 shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to the state of FIG. 2.

[0085] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the display area A20 and the display area A14 when the third practice menu PM is provisionally selected after Fig. 6. Fig. 7 shows an example in which "Throw a curveball" placed in the placement area A21-2 with a cost of "0" is set as the provisionally selected practice menu PM. In this embodiment, three practice menus PM are selected by the user each turn, but the leftmost practice menu PM among the unselected practice menus PM is automatically deleted (an example of removal). For example, in FIG. 7, if the selection of "Curveball Throwing" placed in placement area A21-2 is confirmed, the three practice menus PM to be selected are confirmed. In this case, the "Defensive Cooperation" placed in placement area A21-1, which is the leftmost practice menu PM among the unselected practice menus PM, is deleted. As a variation of the method for determining the practice menu PM to be deleted, the practice menu PM (or practice menus) with the lowest (or highest) cost among the practice menu PMs that were not selected may be selected as the practice menu PM to be deleted.

[0086] In this embodiment, the user is notified that the practice menu PM to be deleted will be deleted before the selection of the practice menu PM to be executed is confirmed. In a case where three practice menus PM must be selected in each turn, as in this embodiment, the game device 10 identifies the practice menu PM to be deleted when the third practice menu PM is provisionally selected, assuming that the selection of the provisionally selected practice menu PM is confirmed. Then, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the third practice menu PM is provisionally selected, a notification object such as a trash can icon P24, indicating that the practice menu PM is to be deleted, is superimposed on the practice menu PM to be deleted.

[0087] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of the display area A20 and the display area A14 when a third practice menu PM is provisionally selected after FIG. 6. FIG. 8 shows an example in which "Defensive Cooperation" arranged in the arrangement area A21-1 is set as the provisionally selected practice menu PM. In the example of FIG. 8, the practice menu PM to be deleted is "Curveball Throw" arranged in the arrangement area A21-1. Therefore, in this case, when "Defensive Cooperation" arranged in the arrangement area A21-1 is provisionally selected, a trash can icon P24 is superimposed on the practice menu "Curveball Throw" before the selection is confirmed, thereby notifying the user in advance that it will be deleted.

[0088] The selection of three practice menus PM is confirmed by the user's selection operation, and when the selected practice menus PM are set in all selection frames P31 provided in the display area A30 of Figure 2 or Figure 24, a turn progress process corresponding to the selected practice menu PM is executed.

[0089] As a variation, the turn progression process may not be automatically executed when three practice menus PM are selected, but may be executed when the user selects three practice menus PM and then performs a predetermined execution instruction operation. For example, an execution button may be displayed when three practice menus PM are selected, and the turn progression process may be executed by selecting the execution button. Alternatively, the turn progression process may be executed by pressing a confirm button with three practice menus PM selected.

[0090] As another variation, even when three practice menus PM are not selected, the turn progression process may be executed by the user performing a predetermined execution instruction operation. For example, if there are three selection frames P31 and up to three practice menus PM can be selected, the turn progression process may be executed by performing a predetermined execution instruction operation (for example, pressing the enter button) when one or two practice menus PM are selected.

[0091] In a normal turn, the number of practice menu PMs to be selected is three, but in a turn during the training camp period, five practice menu PMs must be selected. In this way, a period may be set in which the number of practice menu PMs to be selected per turn is greater than three. Also, a period may be set in which the number of practice menu PMs to be selected per turn is less than three. In other words, the number of practice menu PMs to be selected may change depending on the turn.

[0092] In a normal turn, there is no situation where the player is unable to select the number of practice menu PMs that should be selected due to the amount of cost recovered per turn. However, in a turn where the number of practice menu PMs to select increases compared to a normal turn, such as during a training camp, there may be a situation where the player is unable to select the number of practice menu PMs that should be selected.

[0093] If a situation arises in which the number of practice menu items PM that should be selected cannot be selected in relation to the remaining cost that can be consumed in the current turn, the game may proceed even if fewer selections are made than the number that should be selected. For example, if the game device 10 determines that a situation has arisen in which the number of practice menu items PM that should be selected cannot be selected in relation to the remaining cost that can be consumed in the current turn, the game device 10 calculates the number of practice menu items PM that can be selected with the remaining cost. The game device 10 then corrects the number of practice menu items PM that should be selected in the current turn to the calculated number of selectable practice menu items PM. In this case, a diagonal line or the like is drawn in a portion of the selection frame P31 that displays the selected practice menu item PM, which is provided in the display area A30 of FIG. 2 or FIG. 24, to indicate to the user that the number of practice menu items PM that should be selected has been corrected (reduced).

[0094] As a variation, only when a situation occurs in which the number of practice menus PM that should be selected (here, three) cannot be selected in relation to the remaining cost that can be consumed in the current turn, the turn progression process may be executed by the user performing a predetermined execution instruction operation even when three practice menus PM are not selected. For example, if there are three selection slots P31 and three practice menus PM should be selected, but only one or two practice menus PM (less than the number that should be selected) can be selected in relation to the remaining cost that can be consumed in the current turn, the turn progression process may be executed by performing a predetermined execution instruction operation (for example, pressing the enter button) with one or two practice menus PM selected.

[0095] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a practice menu execution screen G40. After the user has confirmed the selection of one of the three practice menus PM through a selection operation, the screen transitions to the practice menu execution screen G40, which displays a presentation of the practice being performed according to the practice menu PM and a notification of parameter changes for the players on the team.

[0096] The three practice menus PM selected for the current turn are displayed in a display area A41, for example, at the top center of the practice menu execution screen G40. The three practice menus PM are executed sequentially in the order in which they were selected. Of the practice menus PM displayed in the display area A41, the outer frame of the practice menu PM currently being executed is highlighted. In the example of FIG. 9, "Special Training" is the practice menu PM currently being executed.

[0097] For example, a display area A42 near the center of the practice menu execution screen G40 displays a practice presentation corresponding to the currently executed practice menu PM. Furthermore, display areas A43 and A44, located on either side of display area A42, display the names of players whose parameters have changed as a result of the currently executed practice menu PM, as well as information about the type of parameter that has changed and the extent of the change. For convenience, the players on the user's team are referred to as Player A, Player B, Player C, and so on.

[0098] The experience points gained through practice according to the practice menu PM are given to all players on the team. Of all players on the team, players whose accumulated experience points have reached a predetermined value and whose parameters (basic abilities, etc.) have improved, as well as information on those parameters, are displayed in the display areas A43 and A44 of the practice menu execution screen G40.

[0099] Furthermore, as will be described later, an event may occur when the practice menu PM is executed. When an event occurs, a presentation of the event is displayed on the practice menu execution screen G40. Furthermore, the player whose parameters have improved as a result of the event and information on the parameters are displayed on the practice menu execution screen G40.

[0100] Furthermore, by performing a predetermined log confirmation operation on the practice menu execution screen G40, a log that displays the execution results of each practice menu PM (including the execution results of events) in text format can be confirmed. The log displayed here is basically the same as the text information displayed in display areas A43 and A44, but may also contain more detailed information than the text information displayed in display areas A43 and A44.

[0101] After all three selected practice menus PM have been executed, a growth report screen G50, as shown in FIG. 10, is displayed. The growth report screen G50 displays a list of information about players who have grown (players whose parameters, such as ability values, have improved) as a result of the practice and event effects of this turn, and information about the degree of growth. Information about players who have grown includes their role on the team (regular, on the bench, or off the bench), player name, position, and grade. If there is more information than can be displayed on the growth report screen G50, the information can be viewed by scrolling the screen.

[0102] When the user closes the growth report screen G50 (or when the growth report screen G50 is automatically closed), the screen returns to the main screen G10 of the training mode (see FIGS. 2 and 24) and moves on to the next turn. As described above, the consumable cost is restored by a predetermined amount at the start of the next turn. Furthermore, the three practice menu PMs selected in a certain turn are consumed in the game execution of that turn and deleted from the placement area A21. Furthermore, as described above, the leftmost one of the practice menu PMs that was not selected is deleted. In this example, at the start of the next turn, four new practice menu PMs are selected and replenished in the placement area A21. In other words, the four practice menu PMs are basically swapped with each other at each turn. The practice menu PMs that were not selected in the previous turn (those that were not deleted) and the newly replenished practice menu PMs are rearranged in the placement area A21 according to a predetermined rule.

[0103] [2-7-1. Example of changing the layout of the practice menu] 11 and 12 are diagrams illustrating an example in which practice menu PMs are swapped and their placement is changed depending on the turn. FIG. 11 illustrates an example of how the placement of practice menu PMs changes when the game moves from the first turn to the second turn. FIG. 12 illustrates an example of how the placement of practice menu PMs changes when the game moves from the second turn to the third turn. In FIGS. 11 and 12, for convenience, the practice menu PMs placed in the placement area A21 (displayed on the screen) are distinguished by alphabets in the order in which they were selected: practice menu A, practice menu B, practice menu C, and so on. For convenience, the practice menus are all different (all with different alphabets), but multiple identical practice menus (practice menus with the same name (type)) may be placed in the same turn. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 8, two "Defensive Cooperation" practice menu PMs may be placed. Furthermore, a practice menu PM identical to the practice menu PM deleted in the previous turn (including the selected and consumed practice menu PM and the leftmost unselected practice menu PM) may be replenished and placed in the next turn.

[0104] The practice menu PM that is initially placed after the start of the training mode game (practice menus A to G placed in the first turn in FIG. 11) is randomly determined from predetermined candidates. From the second turn onwards, practice menus PM that are added (supplemented) midway (practice menus H to K placed in the second turn in FIG. 11, practice menus L to O placed in the third turn in FIG. 12, etc.) are also determined in the same way.

[0105] As will be described later, practice menus PM are classified into multiple categories (types). The user may be able to set in advance which category of practice menu PM is likely to be placed. If the user sets a category that is likely to be placed, the selection probability of a practice menu PM of that category is weighted among the placement candidates so that the selection probability is higher than the selection probability of other practice menu PMs. For example, a team policy such as improving batting or defense may be set at a predetermined time each year (e.g., around the time of the entrance ceremony in April). For example, if the user sets a team policy of improving batting, the selection probability of a batting-related practice menu PM will be higher.

[0106] Here, it is assumed that the remaining cost available in the first turn is "3." Also, as shown in the upper part of Figure 11, it is assumed that three practice menus A, D, and F in placement areas A21-1, A21-4, and A21-6 are selected in the first turn. In this case, practice menu B, which is placed on the left side of the unselected practice menus PM, is deleted. Furthermore, the three selected practice menus A, D, and F are consumed when the game is executed. Therefore, practice menus A, B, D, and F that were placed in the first turn are deleted before the second turn.

[0107] As shown in the lower part of Figure 11, practice menus C·E·G that were not selected (deleted) in the first turn are slid to the left at the start of the second turn, moving from the left edge of placement area A21. That is, practice menus C·E·G are rearranged in this order to placement areas A21-1 to A21-3. Therefore, practice menus C·E·G that were not selected in the previous turn can be selected at a cost equal to or less than the cost of the previous turn.

[0108] Furthermore, since four practice menus PM are deleted in the first turn, four new practice menus H, I, J, and K are selected and added (replenished) in this order at the start of the second turn. The added practice menus H, I, J, and K are placed in placement areas A21-4 to A21-7 in the order they were selected. In this way, the more newly added the practice menu PM is (the newer the practice menu PM is), the higher the cost set in the placement area A21.

[0109] As described above, after the first turn is executed, in the second turn, the arrangement of the practice menus PM is rearranged so that practice menus C, E, G, H, I, J, and K are arranged in order of oldest (earliest selection order) from the left end of the placement area A21.

[0110] Here, it is assumed that the remaining available cost has been restored by "5" at the start of the second turn. Also, as shown in the upper part of Figure 12, it is assumed that three practice menus E, I, and K in placement areas A21-2, A21-5, and A21-7 are selected in the second turn. In this case, practice menu C, which is placed on the left side of the practice menus PM that were not selected, is deleted. Furthermore, the three selected practice menus E, I, and K are consumed when the game is executed. Therefore, practice menus C, E, I, and K that were placed in the second turn are deleted before the third turn.

[0111] As shown in the lower part of Figure 12, the practice menus G, H, and J that were not selected (deleted) in the second turn are slid to the left and relocated to placement areas A21-1 to A21-3 at the start of the third turn. Also, at the start of the second turn, four practice menus L, M, N, and O are newly selected and added (replenished) in this order. The added practice menus L, M, N, and O are placed in placement areas A21-4 to A21-7 in the order they were selected. Similarly, the placement of practice menu PMs is changed each turn, with practice menu PMs being consumed and deleted after the previous turn and added at the start of the next turn.

[0112] [2-7-2. Variations such as changing the layout] Note that the above-described rearrangement, deletion, and arrangement method of the practice menu PM illustrated in Figures 11 and 12 are merely examples, and other rearrangement, deletion, and arrangement methods may also be applied. Various variations of the rearrangement, deletion, and arrangement methods are described below. Note that the above-described rearrangement, deletion, and arrangement method of the practice menu PM illustrated in Figures 11 and 12 may be mixed with the variations of the rearrangement, deletion, and arrangement methods described below. As an example, the arrangement of the practice menu PM is basically changed using the above-described method illustrated in Figures 11 and 12, but the arrangement position of the practice menu PM may also be changed randomly during a predetermined period of turns due to the occurrence of an event, the use of an item, etc.

[0113] For example, the arrangement may be changed randomly every turn, including practice menu PMs that were not selected (deleted) in the previous turn and practice menu PMs that were added.

[0114] 11 and 12, the practice menu PM that was not selected in the previous turn slides to the left in the next turn, but it may instead slide to the right. Alternatively, the practice menu PMs may be rearranged in the next turn in chronological order from the right end of the arrangement area A21, including the practice menu PM that was not selected (deleted) in the previous turn and the added practice menu PM.

[0115] 13, practice menus PM that were not selected (deleted) in the previous turn may be placed alternately in the placement areas A21-1, A21-3, and A21-5 in the next turn. The added practice menus PM may then be placed in the placement areas A21-2, A21-4, A21-6, and A21-7 in the order in which they were selected, starting from the left end (or the right end).

[0116] Alternatively, for example, practice menus PM that were not selected (deleted) in the previous turn may be placed in the placement area A21 so that their cost is basically reduced by 1 in the next turn, and additional practice menus PM may be placed in the vacant spaces in the placement area A21. This configuration prevents the cost required to select a practice menu PM from suddenly decreasing by 2 in the next turn. As a specific example, assume that three practice menus A, D, and F are selected as shown in the upper part of FIG. 13, and practice menus A, B, D, and F are deleted before the next turn. In this case, in the next turn, practice menu C may be placed in the leftmost placement area A21-1 with a cost of 0, practice menu E in the leftmost placement area A21-3 with a cost of 1, and practice menu G in the leftmost placement area A21-5 with a cost of 2, and the added practice menus H, I, J, and K may be placed from the left (or right) in the order in which they were selected. This mode differs from the mode in which the placement position of the practice menu PM that has not been deleted in the current turn is predetermined in that the placement position of the practice menu PM in the next turn is determined by referring to the cost of the placement area A21 in which the practice menu PM that has not been deleted in the current turn is placed. The placement of the practice menu PM in the placement area A21 may be changed depending on the turn according to any other rules.

[0117] In addition, although the above example shows that the leftmost practice menu PM among the unselected practice menus is deleted in each turn, this is not limiting. For example, the second-to-the-left or rightmost practice menu PM among the unselected practice menus may be deleted. Also, there may be turns in which the unselected practice menus PM are not removed. For example, at least one of the unselected practice menus PM may be deleted every two or more turns. Also, for example, although at least one of the unselected practice menus PM is generally deleted every turn, it may be possible to prevent the practice menu PM from being deleted by satisfying a predetermined condition. Also, for example, a practice menu PM that has not been selected may not be deleted in any turn (the deletion function may be omitted).

[0118] Furthermore, for example, the number of practice menus PM deleted from among the non-selected practice menus PM may be two or more. Alternatively, all non-selected practice menus PM may be deleted. The number of non-selected practice menus PM deleted may be constant (fixed) or may vary. For example, as will be described later, the number of non-selected practice menus PM deleted each turn may increase as the number of practice menus PM placed in the placement area A21 (displayed on the game screen) increases.

[0119] The method of determining the practice menu PM to be deleted from among the unselected practice menu PMs may be fixed, or may vary depending on the game progress or predetermined conditions. For example, the practice menu PM to be deleted may be determined randomly from among the unselected practice menu PMs. Also, for example, there may be an item or practice menu PM that causes the second practice menu PM from the left end to be deleted from among the unselected practice menu PMs after a predetermined number of turns.

[0120] 7 or 8, a desirable configuration is one in which the practice menu PM (or its location) scheduled for deletion is notified using a trash can icon P24 or the like before the selection of the practice menu PM is finalized (at the provisional selection stage). In this configuration, regardless of the method used to determine the practice menu PM to be deleted (even if it is determined randomly, for example), by notifying the user so that the practice menu PM to be deleted can be specified in advance, the user can easily select the practice menu PM.

[0121] As a variation, the practice menu PM to be deleted is normally determined according to a predetermined rule (for example, the leftmost one of the practice menu PMs that was not selected is deleted), but in cases where the practice menu PM to be deleted is temporarily determined randomly, the following embodiment may be used. That is, the practice menu PM to be deleted is notified during normal turns, but the practice menu PM to be deleted may not be notified during turns in which the practice menu PM to be deleted is determined randomly. As in this example, the presence or absence of notification of the practice menu PM to be deleted may be changed during the progress of the game (there may be turns in which the practice menu PM to be deleted is notified and turns in which it is not announced).

[0122] Alternatively, the user may be allowed to arbitrarily select a practice menu PM to be deleted from among the practice menu PMs that were not selected. For example, there may be an item or practice menu PM that has the effect of allowing the user to arbitrarily select a practice menu PM to be deleted.

[0123] In the above description, the placement areas A21 in which the practice menus PM are arranged are arranged in a horizontal row, but this is not limiting. For example, the placement areas A21 may be arranged vertically or diagonally. The placement areas A21 may also be arranged in two or more rows, or in a ring shape (circular shape, etc.). Some of the placement areas A21 may be arranged away from other placement areas A21. The placement areas A21 may also be arranged in random positions rather than in an aligned order.

[0124] In the above, an example has been shown in which costs are set for each placement area A21 so that the costs increase from the leftmost placement area A21 (lowest cost value) to the right, but this is not limiting. For example, the rightmost placement area A21 may have the lowest cost value, and the costs may increase from the rightmost placement area A21 to the left. Also, the cost sizes set for each placement area A21 may be randomly arranged. The order of cost sizes may be changed as the game progresses or according to predetermined conditions. Also, for example, there may be an item or practice menu PM that has the effect of changing the order of cost sizes.

[0125] Furthermore, a predetermined effect (so-called buff) may be generated depending on the combination of specific practice menus PM placed in the placement area A21 or the arrangement of the combinations. For example, if practice menu A and practice menu B are placed in one of the placement areas A21 in a certain turn, the effect of the practice menu PM selected in that turn may be improved even if practice menu A or B is not selected. Also, for example, if practice menu A and practice menu B are placed next to each other, the effect of the practice menu PM selected in that turn may be improved even if practice menu A or B is not selected. Alternatively, a greater effect may be generated when practice menu A and practice menu B are placed next to each other in the placement area A21 than when they are placed far apart.

[0126] For example, in Figure 12, a buff will be generated (or a higher buff will be generated) when practice menu H and practice menu J are placed next to each other. In the second turn at the top of Figure 12, practice menu H and practice menu J are not placed next to each other. In this case, if practice menu H and practice menu J are not selected in the second turn and practice menu I is selected, in the next turn practice menu H and practice menu J will be placed next to each other and a buff will be generated. The arrangement of the combinations of the specific practice menus PM does not have to be adjacent to each other (continuous arrangement), but may be a predetermined arrangement such as every other combination. In the above configuration, it is necessary to select a practice menu PM taking into consideration the placement of the practice menu PM for the next turn, thereby realizing a highly strategic game.

[0127] The buff may be generated according to a combination of three or more practice menus PM or a sequence of combinations. Furthermore, the effect generated may differ depending on a specific combination of practice menus PM or a sequence of combinations. For example, the effect of a combination of practice menu A and practice menu B may be different from the effect of a combination of practice menu H and practice menu J.

[0128] The selected practice menu PM may not be consumed even if it is executed. For example, if the selected practice menu PM is not consumed and the unselected practice menu PM is not deleted, the types of practice menu PMs arranged in the arrangement area A21 are fixed. In this case, the arrangement of the fixed practice menu PMs may be changed with each turn. For example, the arrangement may be changed randomly with each turn, or may be changed according to a predetermined rule with each turn.

[0129] FIG. 14 shows an example in which the placement of practice menus PM is changed according to a predetermined rule each turn when the selectable practice menus PM are fixed. Here, it is assumed that practice menus A, D, and F were selected in the first turn. At the start of the second turn, practice menus B, C, E, and G that were not selected in the first turn are slid to the left and placed closer to the left edge of placement area A21. That is, practice menus B, C, E, and G are relocated to placement areas A21-1 to A21-4 in this order. Therefore, practice menus B, C, E, and G that were not selected in the previous turn can be selected at a cost equal to or less than the cost of the previous turn. Furthermore, menus A, D, and F selected in the first turn are slid to the right at the start of the second turn and placed in placement areas A21-5 to A21-7 in this order. This is just one example; for example, the practice menu PM selected in the previous turn may be placed on the left side and the practice menu PM not selected in the previous turn may be placed on the right side, as opposed to FIG. 14 .

[0130] In addition, when the selected practice menu PM is not consumed and the selectable practice menu PM is fixed, the selectable practice menu PM may be replaced (changed), for example, every predetermined period (for example, every 5 turns, every 10 turns, etc.). In this case, all practice menu PMs may be replaced, or only some of the practice menu PMs may be replaced (i.e., at least one practice menu PM may be replaced).

[0131] [2-7-3. Practice Menu] Here, we will explain the details of the practice menu PM. The practice menu PM is basically a command selection for giving instructions to a team (multiple players on the team) for practice, etc. There are several types of practice menu PM, and each type has different effects.

[0132] 15 shows an example of a practice menu table TBL101 stored in a storage device and managed by the game device 10. The practice menu table TBL101 includes fields such as "menu ID," "name," "image," "type," "practice type," and "effect." "Menu ID" is information that uniquely identifies each practice menu PM. "Name" is a name that distinguishes each practice menu PM. "Image" is image information for the practice menu PM. In this embodiment, the practice menu PM is displayed on the screen as an image in digital card format.

[0133] "Type" is information that roughly classifies the practice menu PM into two types. Practice menu PMs can be broadly classified into two types: practice type and event type. "Practice type" is information that classifies practice menu PMs into multiple types. "Practice type" includes types such as "batting," "defense," "base running," "arm strength," "pitch speed," "control," "curve ball," and "special ability," depending on the content of the practice associated with the practice menu PM. In other words, "system" (practice, event) is a major category, "practice system" (hitting, defense, etc.) is a medium category, and "name" (defensive coordination, curveball throwing, etc.) represents the type of minor category.

[0134] The "Effect" field stores information about the effect associated with the practice menu PM. There are multiple types of practice menu PMs with different names, such as "Defensive Cooperation" and "Curveball Throwing," that correspond to the type of experience points that can be acquired. For example, "Defensive Cooperation" is a command that instructs players on a team to practice mainly defensive cooperation, allowing each player on the team to acquire experience points for defensive ability. "Curveball Throwing" is a command that instructs players on a team to practice mainly curveball throwing, allowing each player (pitcher) on the team to acquire experience points for curveballs. "Long Throw" is a command that instructs players on a team to practice mainly long throwing, allowing each player on the team to acquire experience points for arm strength and pitch speed. In this way, executing a single practice menu PM can acquire multiple types of experience points.

[0135] In this embodiment, the effect of the practice menu PM increases as the required cost increases, but as described above, no cost is directly set for the practice menu PM itself. Even for the same practice menu PM, the cost indirectly associated with the practice menu PM varies depending on the cost set for the placement area A21 in which it is placed. The effect listed in the "Effect" field in FIG. 15 is the basic effect corresponding to a cost of 0. Effects for costs 1, 2, ... may be calculated from the basic effect corresponding to a cost of 0 based on a predetermined formula. Alternatively, effect fields may be provided that store the effects for costs 1, 2, ..., respectively.

[0136] Although "Defensive Cooperation" and "Knock" are both defensive training PMs, "Knock" is the training that allows you to gain more defensive experience points. In this way, even training PMs that can gain the same type of experience points can have different degrees of effectiveness.

[0137] For practice-related practice menu PMs, selecting multiple practice menu PMs of the same practice type in the same turn may generate a buff effect that improves the practice effect of the practice menu PMs of the same practice type compared to when multiple practice menu PMs are not selected. In this case, the more practice menu PMs of the same practice type are selected, the greater the improvement in the effect. For example, if a user selects the “Defensive Cooperation” and “Knock” practice menu PMs in a certain turn, the practice effect of both will be improved by a predetermined amount because both are defensive practice menu PMs. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display area A20 in which practice menu PMs are displayed. When a user provisionally selects a practice menu PM (or confirms the selection), an arrow icon P25 indicating an improvement in effect is displayed on practice menu PMs of the same type (same practice type) as the selected practice menu PM. FIG. 16 illustrates an example in which the arrow icon P25 is displayed on the “Defensive Cooperation” practice menu PM of the same defensive type after provisionally selecting the “Knock” practice menu PM. This makes it easier for the user to recognize that the practice menu PM will improve the practice effect, facilitating the user's selection of a practice menu PM.

[0138] There are several types of event-based practice menu PMs, such as "Schedule Review," "Player Scout," and "Practice Break," and each event has a different effect. For example, when a "Schedule Review" practice menu PM is executed, the practice menu PM is shuffled and replaced with another practice menu.

[0139] Furthermore, when the "Player Scout" practice menu PM is executed, a new student scouting event occurs, allowing the user to scout new club members for the next school year. When the new student scouting event occurs, the user is redirected to a scouting destination selection screen, where the user can select the prefecture where the scout candidates are located. Multiple scout candidates are then presented according to the prefecture selected by the user. By selecting one of the multiple scout candidates that the user wants to scout, the user can scout the player of the selected scout candidate (the mob character mentioned above). If the scouting is successful, the scouted player will enroll in the user's school at the entrance ceremony in the following April. Whether the scouting is successful or not depends on the reputation of the user's school, which will be described later, and the ability of the scouted player. The higher the reputation, the higher the success rate of the scouting. Furthermore, the higher the ability of the scouted player, the lower the success rate of the scouting.

[0140] The "Practice Break" practice menu PM has the effect of restoring a predetermined amount of stamina to all players on the user's team (or to some of the players on the team). The higher the required cost of the "Practice Break" practice menu PM placed in the placement area A21, the greater the amount of stamina it will restore.

[0141] Some event-related training menu PMs have set times and conditions for their appearance. For example, the "Player Scout" training menu PM only appears during the scouting period, which is from November to February. Also, you can only scout a maximum of 10 times during this scouting period. If you scout 10 times during the scouting period, the "Player Scout" training menu PM will no longer appear after that, even if the scouting period has not ended.

[0142] Additionally, some event-based training menu PMs have effects that do not change depending on the cost required to select them. For example, "Schedule Review" and "Player Scout" have the same effect regardless of the cost of the placement area A21 at which they are selected.

[0143] In addition, there are also practice menus X that exert special effects, such as when a corresponding practice menu Y is selected in the turn immediately after selecting a specific practice menu X (the next turn), the effect of the practice menu Y is increased. Note that the special effects may be exerted depending on the order of selection within the same turn.

[0144] [2-7-4. Dedicated icon for generating events] As illustrated in FIG. 17, a dedicated icon P26 (an event generating object) may be set in a practice menu PM arranged in the arrangement area A21. When a practice menu PM with a dedicated icon P26 set therein is selected, an event occurs according to the type of dedicated icon P26. That is, when a practice menu PM with a dedicated icon P26 set therein is selected, an event effect according to the type of dedicated icon P26 occurs in addition to the practice or event effect according to the practice menu PM. Whether or not a dedicated icon P26 is set in a practice menu PM is determined randomly. For example, each time a practice menu PM to be arranged in the arrangement area A21 is selected, a lottery to set a dedicated icon P26 is held based on a predetermined probability, and if the lottery is won, the dedicated icon P26 is set in the practice menu PM. Furthermore, the type of dedicated icon P26 to be set may also be determined randomly.

[0145] 18 is a diagram showing an example of a dedicated icon table TBL102 stored in a storage device and managed by the game device 10. The dedicated icon table TBL102 includes fields such as "icon ID," "name," "image," and "event information." In this embodiment, there are four types of dedicated icons P26: "Good Things," "Bad Things," "Increased Practice Effect," and "Stamina Recovery." "Icon ID" is information that uniquely identifies each dedicated icon P26. "Name" is a name that distinguishes each dedicated icon P26. "Image" is image information of the dedicated icon P26. "Event Information" is information about events that occur depending on the type, and includes information about the effects of the event, etc.

[0146] Note that a plurality of types of events may be associated with each of the dedicated icons "Good Things," "Bad Things," and "Stamina Recovery" other than "Practice Effectiveness Improved." When a practice menu PM with the dedicated icon "Good Things," "Bad Things," or "Stamina Recovery" set is selected, an event may be randomly selected from the plurality of associated events. Note that the timing at which the randomly occurring event is selected from the plurality of events associated with the dedicated icon "Good Things" or the like may be any of the following: when the practice menu PM with the dedicated icon "Good Things" or the like set is selected by the user, when the practice menu PM is executed, or when the dedicated icon "Good Things" or the like is set in the practice menu PM.

[0147] When a special icon "Good" is set for a practice menu PM, an event that has an advantageous effect in the game occurs. For example, an event occurs in which the parameters (ability, stamina, condition, etc.) of some or all of the players on the team being trained improve. Here, an advantageous event related to the type of practice menu PM may occur, or an advantageous event unrelated to the type of practice menu PM may occur. For example, when a special icon "Good" is set for the defensive practice menus "Defensive Cooperation" and "Knock," an event that improves the experience points of defensive ability may occur, or an event that improves the experience points of hitting or other skills unrelated to defense may occur.

[0148] When a special icon "bad thing" is set for a practice menu PM, an event occurs that causes a disadvantage in the game. For example, an event occurs in which the parameters (ability, stamina, condition, etc.) of some or all of the players on the training team decrease. Here, an adverse event related to the type of practice menu PM may occur, or an adverse event unrelated to the type of practice menu PM may occur.

[0149] When the dedicated icon "Increase Training Effect" is set for a training menu PM, an event related to the type of training menu PM occurs. In other words, an event that improves the effectiveness of training according to the type of training menu PM occurs. For example, when the dedicated icon "Increase Training Effect" is set for defensive training menus such as "Defensive Cooperation" and "Knock," an event that improves defensive experience points occurs.

[0150] When the special icon "Stamina Recovery" is set in the training menu PM, an event will occur in which the stamina parameters of some or all of the players on the team being trained will be restored. The dedicated icons P26 for "Good Things," "Bad Things," or "Stamina Recovery" can be set to all types of practice menu PM, including practice-related and event-related practice menus. On the other hand, the dedicated icon P26 for "Practice Effect Improved" can only be set to practice-related practice menu PMs.

[0151] Note that selecting a practice menu PM with the dedicated icon P26 set is not a necessary condition for an event to occur; even when a practice menu PM without the dedicated icon P26 is selected, an event will occur with a predetermined probability. Events that may occur with probability when a practice menu PM without the dedicated icon P26 is selected include events that result in advantageous effects in the game and events that result in disadvantageous effects. The content of the event that may occur with the probability may be selected (for example, randomly) from multiple types of events associated with each of the dedicated icons P26 described above, or may be selected (for example, randomly) from a group of events prepared separately from the above.

[0152] The effect of the dedicated icon P26 set in the practice menu PM does not change depending on the cost required to select that practice menu PM. As a variation, the effect of the dedicated icon P26 set in the practice menu PM may be made stronger as the cost required to select that practice menu PM increases.

[0153] When a practice menu PM with a dedicated icon P26 set is selected, an event corresponding to the type of dedicated icon P26 may always occur, or may occur depending on a probability. Furthermore, depending on the type of dedicated icon P26, some dedicated icons P26 will always cause an event corresponding to that type to occur, while others may cause an event corresponding to that type to occur based on a certain probability (although it may not occur in some cases). For example, the dedicated icon "bad thing" will cause an unfavorable event to occur with a predetermined probability (for example, 60%), but may not occur in some cases. On the other hand, the dedicated icons P26 of "good thing," "increased training effect," or "stamina recovery," which cause advantageous effects, will always cause an advantageous event corresponding to that type to occur.

[0154] There may be an item that changes the dedicated icon P26 set in the practice menu PM. For example, there may be an item that changes the dedicated icon P26 for "bad things" to a type other than "bad things." There may also be an item that allows all the dedicated icons P26 set in the practice menu PM for the current turn to be re-selected by re-drawing.

[0155] In this mode, the basic strategy is to play in a way that deletes the practice menu PM with the "bad" icon. However, if the aforementioned configuration of "selecting multiple items of the same practice type in the same turn generates a buff effect" is adopted, a possible strategy is to prioritize the buff effect and deliberately select the practice menu PM with the "bad" icon. For example, in the situation shown in Figure 17, the leftmost "Defensive Cooperation" practice menu PM has the "bad" icon set, but a "Knock" practice menu PM, which is also a defensive type, is also placed. In this example, the user must consider whether to select both "Knock" and "Defensive Cooperation" to generate the buff effect, or to delete the "Defensive Cooperation" with the "bad" icon set without selecting it. This mode enhances the game's playability.

[0156] [2-7-5. Number of practice menus displayed and cost limit] In the game of this embodiment, if the user's team wins a match, the "reputation" of the user's school increases, and if the team loses a match, the "reputation" decreases. There are six levels of reputation, from weak, average, mid-level, strong, prestigious, and super prestigious. As the reputation changes, the number of practice menu PMs displayed (the number of practice menu PMs placed in the placement area A21), the upper limit (maximum value) of the cost that can be held, or the cost recovery amount per turn changes.

[0157] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of changes in the number of displayed practice menus PM, etc. As shown in FIG. 19, the number of displayed practice menus PM increases as the reputation increases, varying within a range of 7 to 12. The upper limit of the cost that can be held also increases as the reputation increases, varying within a range of 10 to 15. The cost recovery amount per turn also increases as the reputation increases, varying within a range of 5 to 10. Note that the numerical values ​​shown in FIG. 19 are merely examples, and are not limited to these, and any numerical values ​​can be set.

[0158] The number of practice menus PM displayed, the upper limit of the cost that can be held, or the cost recovery amount per turn may also be changed depending on game parameters other than "reputation" (for example, the overall strength of the team, the team rank, etc.) Furthermore, the number of practice menus PM displayed, the upper limit of the cost that can be held, or the cost recovery amount per turn may also be changed depending on the progress of the game, such as the occurrence of a predetermined event or a predetermined period of time.

[0159] Furthermore, the number of placement areas A21 also changes in accordance with the change in the number of displayed practice menus PM. Fig. 20 is a diagram showing an example of setting of placement areas A21 in accordance with reputation. When the number of practice menu PMs displayed increases, a placement area A21 with a cost equal to or greater than the largest cost set in the placement area A21 before the increase is added to the right. For example, if the reputation increases from "weak" to "fair," a placement area A21-8 with a cost of 3 is added to the right of placement area A21-7. If it further increases to "mid-ranked," a placement area A21-9 with a cost of 4 is added to the far right. If it further increases to "strong," a placement area A21-10 with a cost of 4 is added to the far right. If it further increases to "prestigious," a placement area A21-11 with a cost of 5 is added to the far right. If it further increases to "prestigious," a placement area A21-12 with a cost of 5 is added to the far right.

[0160] As shown in FIG. 20, a maximum of two costs of the same type is set. However, this is not limited to this, and the upper limit of the number of costs of the same type may be "1," any number of "three or more," or no upper limit may be set. For example, as a variation, when the reputation increases from "weak" to "fair," a placement area A21 set to a cost of 0, a cost of 1, or a cost of 2 may be added.

[0161] Furthermore, when the number of practice menus PM to be displayed decreases, they are deleted from the rightmost arrangement area A21, which has the highest cost.

[0162] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 20, as the number of displayed practice menus PM increases, additional placement areas A21 with higher costs are provided. This is a preferable aspect that makes it possible to further increase the effectiveness of the practice menus PM in accordance with the growth (increase in reputation) of the user's team.

[0163] In a turn in which the number of displayed practice menu PMs (the number of placement areas A21) increases, the increased number of practice menu PMs are replenished. In addition, in a turn in which the number of displayed practice menu PMs decreases, all practice menu PMs are reselected and replaced with those from the previous turn. As a variation, in a turn in which the number of displayed practice menu PMs decreases, for example, the leftmost or rightmost practice menu PM may be deleted, or the practice menu PM to be deleted may be determined randomly.

[0164] As the number of practice menus PM displayed increases, it may not be possible to display all of the practice menus PM in the display area A20 of the main screen G10 shown in FIG. 2. In this case, all of the practice menus PM can be displayed by performing a predetermined scrolling operation on the display area A20. As a variation, when the number of practice menus PM displayed increases, the display of the practice menus PM may be reduced so that all of the practice menus PM can be displayed without scrolling. Alternatively, the display may be changed to a multi-tier display so that all of the practice menus PM can be displayed without scrolling.

[0165] [2-7-6. Variations] There may be an item that can restore the remaining consumable cost (current remaining cost) to a predetermined amount or an upper limit.

[0166] There may also be an item that can reduce the cost for selecting the practice menu PM (i.e., the cost set in the placement area A21). When the user uses the item, the cost set in the placement area A21 other than the cost 0 is reduced by "1" (or 2 or more). There may also be an item that can increase the cost (the cost set in the placement area A21) for selecting the practice menu PM.

[0167] There may be an item that can reduce (or increase) the cost of selecting a specific type of practice menu PM (i.e., the cost set in the placement area A21 where the specific type of practice menu PM is located). For example, if a user uses an item that reduces the cost of selecting a striking-related practice menu PM, the cost set in the placement area A21 where the striking-related practice menu PM is located will decrease by "1" (or even by 2 or more). The effect of the item may be valid for only one turn or multiple turns. For example, if an item called "Batting Month" is used, the effect of the item may last for all turns that include the month in which the item was used.

[0168] There may also be an item that increases the number of selection windows P31 (see FIG. 2) for the practice menu PM (that is, an item that increases the number of practice menu PMs that can be selected in one turn).

[0169] Furthermore, as the number of displayed practice menus PM increases, the number of practice menus PM deleted per turn may also increase.

[0170] [3. Functional configuration of the game device] FIG. 21 is a schematic functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the game device 10. As shown in FIG. 15, the game device 10 includes a data storage unit 100. For example, the data storage unit 100 is realized by at least one of a ROM 12, a RAM 13, and an auxiliary storage device 14. The data storage unit 100 stores data necessary for providing a game. Note that, as will be described later, when various information is stored in a storage device, the storage device may be a file server (online storage) or the like configured separately from the game device 10.

[0171] For example, various data for executing a game stored in the data storage unit 100 may be stored in a server communicably connected to the game device 10, and when the game device 10 accesses the server, the necessary data may be downloaded to the RAM 13 or auxiliary storage device 14 of the game device 10. Information regarding the results of a game executed on the game device 10 or changes to the data may be transmitted from the game device 10 to the server in real time or at a predetermined timing, and the data stored in the server may be updated as appropriate. Of course, the necessary data may be managed on the game device 10 side, and the game may be executed by the game device 10 alone offline without logging in to the server.

[0172] Here, we will explain the data necessary to provide the baseball game described above as a specific example of data stored in the data storage unit 100. The data storage unit 100 stores a practice menu table TBL101, a dedicated icon table TBL102, a user information table TBL103, team data DT104, game progress data DT105, etc. The practice menu table TBL101 (see FIG. 15) and the dedicated icon table TBL102 (see FIG. 19) have already been described, and therefore their description will be omitted. Also, for example, if the event generation system using the aforementioned dedicated icon P26 is not adopted, the dedicated icon table TBL102 can be omitted.

[0173] 22 shows an example of the user information table TBL103. The user information table TBL103 stores, in association with the user ID of the user, the user name, manager level (user's game level), team information saved as training results, saved individual player information, scouted player information, owned item information, etc. In addition, for example, information on other users (friends) associated with the user's user ID may also be stored in the user information table TBL103.

[0174] FIG. 23 shows an example of the team data DT104. The team data DT104 is information about a team to be developed in the development mode. The team data DT104 is stored for each user (associated with a user ID). The team data DT104 includes information about the user's team, such as the overall strength, team rank, and reputation. The team data DT104 also includes information about team members (each player belonging to the team). The team member information includes a character ID that uniquely identifies each player on the team, and parameter information about each player's abilities. The parameter information about each player's abilities includes parameters such as the basic abilities (various ability items such as hitting and power), special abilities, defensive aptitude, reliability, scout evaluation, condition, stamina, grade, and experience points for each ability item. The parameter information is also updated each time a player's experience points are acquired through practice, events, and the like, or the parameters of abilities that improve according to the experience points are changed. The team member information includes team order information (information distinguishing between starting members, bench members, and off-bench members, positions, batting order, etc.) For example, on the aforementioned data screen, the user can change the team order.

[0175] The game progress data DT105 stores information such as the date of the current turn, weather, remaining cost, maximum cost, cost set in each placement area A21, practice menu PM placed in each placement area A21, etc. The game progress data DT105 is updated as the game progresses.

[0176] The game device 10 according to this embodiment executes game control in which at least one game element is selected within a predetermined cost range for each turn.

[0177] Here, the "turn" is a unit of game progression. In each turn, the user as the turn player performs a required predetermined operation, and the turn processing corresponding to that operation is executed, and the game progresses. The game may be a game in which only one user plays each turn consecutively (a game with one turn player). Alternatively, the game may be a game in which turns come to the user and the opponent in a fixed order, and each turn progresses as the turn player (user or opponent) whose turn has arrived performs a required predetermined operation (a game with multiple turn players). In this case, the opponent may be another user or the computer (a so-called CPU battle). When it is the computer's turn that the opponent performs an automatic operation. The opponent may be one person, or two or more people. The opponents may be a mixture of one or more other users and the computer.

[0178] Furthermore, the "game elements" are options that are selected each turn. For example, various game objects such as card-type objects (digital cards), items, characters, etc. can be game elements. For example, command options that cause the controlled character to perform various actions (e.g., practice) are an example of a game element. Also, command options that cause various events to occur in the game are an example of a game element. The practice or event-based practice menu PM in the baseball game described above is an example of a game element.

[0179] The number of options presented to the user or opponent (e.g., the number of game elements arranged in an arrangement area on the game screen) may be constant (fixed) or may be variable. For example, the number of game elements presented as options may be varied depending on the level of a predetermined game parameter (e.g., the aforementioned reputation, etc.).

[0180] Furthermore, the multiple game elements presented as options may all be of different types, or may include some of the same type. A game element selected in a certain turn may or may not be consumed in the game execution of that turn. When a game element is consumed (for example, when it is removed from the placement area on the game screen), it is desirable that a new game element be replenished as an option, but there may be cases where it is not replenished.

[0181] The "cost" is a game parameter for selecting a game element, and may be referred to as, for example, play points or consumption points.

[0182] Furthermore, the "cost range" represents the value of the remaining consumable cost for each turn. The cost range may be constant (fixed) for each turn, or may vary from turn to turn. Examples of the cost range (remaining consumable cost) varying from turn to turn include the following. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a predetermined amount is recovered after a cost corresponding to one or more selected game elements is consumed (deleted from the remaining consumable cost) in each turn. Also, for example, a maximum value may be set for the cost range, and a predetermined amount is recovered (not exceeding the maximum value) after a cost corresponding to one or more selected game elements is consumed in each turn.

[0183] Furthermore, with regard to the "game in which at least one game element is selected," it is sufficient that the game be one in which a game element may be selected, and the selection of a game element may or may not be required. For example, a game in which a player must select a game element that consumes a cost (including cases in which no cost is consumed) is an example of a "game in which at least one game element must be selected." Furthermore, for example, a game in which turns can proceed not only by selecting game elements that consume a cost (including cases in which no cost is consumed), but also by selecting turns that are not related to cost, is an example of a "game in which at least one game element is selected." As a specific example, a game described below (see FIG. 32) in which turns are basically proceeded by selecting one or more practice menus PM (an example of a game element), but turns can also be proceeded by selecting recovery commands CB (an example of a second game element) that do not consume a cost, is an example of a "game in which at least one game element is selected." Furthermore, for example, a game in which turns are basically proceeded by selecting one or more practice menus PM, but turns that are not related to cost can also be proceeded by using a specific item, etc., is an example of a "game in which at least one game element is selected."

[0184] Furthermore, the number of game elements to be selected may be fixed, or the user may be allowed to adjust the number of game elements to be selected as desired as long as it is within the cost range.

[0185] 21, the game device 10 includes a control unit 110. The control unit 110 is realized by the CPU 11 of the game device 10 executing a game program stored in a storage device (ROM 12, RAM 13, auxiliary storage device 14, etc.). The control unit 110 includes a placement area setting unit 111, a cost setting unit 112, a game element placement unit 113, and a game progression unit 114.

[0186] The placement area setting unit 111 has a function of setting a plurality of placement areas in which game elements are placed.

[0187] Here, the "placement area" is an area provided within the game screen where game elements are placed. By placing a game element in the placement area, the game element becomes associated with the placement area. Since a cost is set for the placement area, by placing a game element in the placement area, the "cost set for the placement area" becomes associated with the game element. In the example of the baseball game described above, the placement area setting unit 111 sets a plurality of placement areas A21 (A21-1, A21-2, . . . ) in which practice menus PM, which are examples of game elements, are placed (see FIGS. 4, 20, etc.).

[0188] The number of placement areas can be the same as the number of game elements displayed on the game screen. In this case, if the number of displayed game elements increases (or decreases), the number of placement areas also increases (or decreases).

[0189] As a variation, the number of placement areas may differ from the number of displayed game elements. If the number of placement areas is greater than the number of displayed game elements, placement areas will occur where no game elements have been placed. In this case, the unplaced placement areas may change with each turn. If the number of placement areas is less than the number of displayed game elements, placement areas where multiple game elements are placed will occur. In this case, the placement areas where multiple game elements are placed may change with each turn. When multiple game elements are placed in one placement area, the cost set for that placement area is the cost required to select each of the multiple game elements. For example, if game element A and game element B are placed in a placement area with a cost set to 1, the cost to select game element A is 1, and the cost to select game element B is also 1. When multiple game elements are placed in one placement area, the multiple game elements can be placed overlapping (including partial overlapping) or side-by-side without overlapping each other within the placement area.

[0190] As a variation, when the number of placement areas is set smaller than the number of displayed game elements, only one game element can be placed in one placement area, and some game elements (game elements displayed outside of the placement area) may not be placed in any placement area. In this case, for game elements placed in a placement area, the cost set for that placement area is the cost required to select that game element. On the other hand, for game elements displayed outside of the placement area, no cost is associated with them, so they may not be selectable. In this case, the game elements displayed outside of the placement area may change depending on the turn. For example, game elements that were selected but could not be placed in the placement area may be displayed outside the placement area, and the game elements outside the placement area may be placed in the placement area in the next turn. In this way, by displaying game elements that were selected but could not be placed in the placement area (in other words, game elements waiting to be placed and to be added to the placement area in the next turn) outside the placement area, it becomes necessary to select game elements taking into consideration the game elements that will be added next, thereby realizing a highly strategic game.

[0191] The layout (arrangement) of the multiple placement areas may be arranged in a single row in a predetermined direction (for example, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally), or may be arranged in multiple rows of two or more rows. The multiple placement areas may also be arranged in an annular (circular, etc.) shape. The multiple placement areas do not necessarily all need to be arranged in one place, and one or more placement areas may be arranged away from the other placement areas. It is preferable that the multiple placement areas are arranged in an aligned manner, but they may also be arranged in random positions.

[0192] The cost setting unit 112 has a function of setting a cost for each of the multiple placement areas. In the example of the baseball game described above, the cost setting unit 112 sets a cost for each of the multiple placement areas A21 (A21-1, A21-2, ...) (see FIGS. 4, 20, etc.).

[0193] Here, with regard to "setting a cost for each of a plurality of placement areas," it is possible to set different cost values ​​for different placement areas (placement areas with the same cost value may be included). If placement areas with the same set cost value are included, an upper limit (for example, an upper limit of 2) may be set on the number of placement areas with the same value to prevent too many placement areas with the same cost. Of course, different cost values ​​(values ​​that do not overlap with others) may also be set for each placement area. Placement areas with a cost of "0" may be included.

[0194] For example, costs may be set for each of the multiple placement areas so that the multiple placement areas are arranged in order of cost magnitude. In this case, when the multiple placement areas are arranged horizontally, the costs may increase from the leftmost placement area (lowest cost value) to the right, or from the rightmost placement area (lowest cost value) to the left. Alternatively, the cost magnitudes set for each of the multiple placement areas may be arranged randomly. Furthermore, the order of cost magnitudes may be changed as the game progresses or according to predetermined conditions. For example, the order of cost magnitudes may be changed every predetermined number of turns (e.g., every 10 turns). Furthermore, for example, there may be an item or game element that has the effect of changing the order of cost magnitudes.

[0195] The game element placement unit 113 places each of the plurality of game elements in a plurality of placement areas, and has the function of changing the placement of the game elements depending on the turn. In the example of the baseball game described above, the game element placement unit 113 places the plurality of practice menus PM in the plurality of placement areas A21 (A21-1, A21-2, ...). The game element placement unit 113 then changes the placement of the practice menus PM in the placement areas A21 by turns (see FIGS. 11 to 14).

[0196] Here, changing the placement of game elements every turn is an example of "changing the placement of game elements every turn." Note that there may be turns in which the placement of game elements is not changed. Changing the placement of game elements every multiple turns, for example, every two turns, is an example of "changing the placement of game elements every turn."

[0197] As described above, the game elements selected in a certain turn may be consumed in the game execution of that turn and removed from the placement area, or may not be consumed. When the game elements selected in a certain turn are consumed, for example, rearranging the non-selected game elements and the newly replenished game elements in the placement area according to a predetermined rule is an example of "changing the placement of game elements depending on the turn" (see FIGS. 11 to 13). Furthermore, if the game elements selected in each turn are not consumed, the types of game elements placed in the placement area will be fixed. In this case, rearranging multiple game elements of fixed types in the placement area according to a predetermined rule each turn (or each set of turns) is an example of "changing the placement of game elements depending on the turn" (see FIG. 14).

[0198] The game progression unit 114 has a function of using the cost set in the placement area as the cost for selecting a game element placed in that placement area, and progressing the turn based on a selection operation that selects at least one game element from the game elements placed in the placement area.

[0199] Here, "advancing a turn" refers to progressing the game by executing a predetermined turn progression process based on the user's operation for each turn (for example, a selection operation to select a game element) to progress the game. As the turn progresses, various effects may be produced or events may occur depending on the game element selected by the selection operation. Depending on the selected game element, there may be turns in which no effect occurs, or turns in which a disadvantageous effect or event occurs in the game. Furthermore, there may be fixed turns in which a predetermined event or effect occurs regardless of the selected game element.

[0200] In the baseball game example described above, the game progression unit 114 sets the cost set in the placement area A21 as the cost for selecting a practice menu PM placed in that placement area A21. The game progression unit 114 then progresses the turn based on a selection operation that selects a predetermined number of practice menus PM from the practice menus PM placed in the placement area A21 within a predetermined cost range (remaining cost). In this embodiment, the game can be progressed by selecting a practice menu PM within a predetermined cost range, but the cost is set not in the practice menu PM but in the placement area A21 in which the practice menu PM is placed. The cost set in the placement area A21 is the cost required to select the practice menu PM placed in that placement area A21. In other words, the cost required to select a practice menu PM is determined by the position in which the practice menu PM is placed. Furthermore, since the placement of the practice menu PM in the placement area A21 changes with each turn, the cost required to select the same practice menu PM varies depending on the timing (turn) of selection. This allows the user to be provided with a highly entertaining game with a strategic element not previously available, in which the user must select the practice menu PM at which timing it is placed in the placement area A21.

[0201] Furthermore, the game element placement unit 113 may place each of the plurality of game elements in a plurality of placement areas in accordance with a predetermined order for each turn.

[0202] For example, placing game elements that were not selected in a certain turn or game elements that have been added to replace game elements selected in a certain turn in the next turn, starting from the left end (or right end) of the arrangement of multiple placement areas in the order in which each game element was selected (oldest first), is an example of "placing each of multiple game elements in multiple placement areas in a predetermined order" (see Figures 11 and 12).

[0203] Furthermore, for example, arranging each of the multiple game elements in the order in which they were selected, from the left end of the array of multiple placement areas → right end → second from the left → second from the right → third from the left, etc., is an example of "arranging each of the multiple game elements in multiple placement areas in a predetermined order."

[0204] Furthermore, in cases where the game elements selected each turn are not consumed and the types of game elements placed in the placement areas are fixed, the following configuration may be used. For example, placing the game elements not selected in a given turn and the selected game elements in the next turn, starting from the left end (or right end) of the arrangement of the multiple placement areas, in the order of the non-selected game elements followed by the selected game elements, is an example of "placing each of the multiple game elements in the multiple placement areas in a predetermined order." Also, for example, moving a game element that is at the left end (or right end) in a given turn to the right end (or left end) in the next turn, and sliding the other game elements one by one to the left (or right), thereby cycling the placement order of the game elements placed in the multiple placement areas, is an example of "placing each of the multiple game elements in the multiple placement areas in a predetermined order." Note that in this example, the multiple placement areas may be laid out in a circular shape, and the game elements placed in each placement area may be changed by sliding them clockwise (or counterclockwise) one by one (or two or more at a time) each turn.

[0205] In addition to the above, it is sufficient if the order in which the multiple game elements are arranged is predetermined. In the example of the baseball game described above, the game element arrangement unit 113 arranges each of the multiple practice menus PM in the multiple arrangement areas A21 (A21-1, A21-2, ...) in a predetermined order for each turn, as illustrated in Figures 11, 12, 13, and 14. In this embodiment, the order in which the arrangement of the multiple practice menus PM is changed for each turn is predetermined, so the user can predict how the arrangement of the practice menus PM will change in the next turn (i.e., how the required cost will change). Therefore, the user needs to consider which practice menu PM to select in the current turn while taking into account the change in the arrangement of the practice menu PM (i.e., change in cost) from the next turn onwards, thereby providing the user with a highly strategic game.

[0206] Furthermore, the game element placement unit 113 may be configured to remove at least one game element from the placement area that was not selected by the selection operation, and to add a new game element to one of the placement areas.

[0207] Here, "removing a game element from a placement area" means dissolving the association between the game element and the placement area by deleting or moving the game element placed in the placement area. For example, deleting a game element (erasing the display of the game element placed in the placement area) is an example of "removing a game element from a placement area." Furthermore, moving a game element from a placement area to another field is an example of "removing a game element from a placement area."

[0208] For example, removing one or more unselected game elements from the placement area every turn is an example of "removing at least one game element from the placement area among the unselected game elements." Note that there may be turns in which no unselected game elements are removed. Removing one or more unselected game elements from the placement area every multiple turns, for example, every two turns, is an example of "removing at least one game element from the placement area among the unselected game elements."

[0209] The number of unselected game elements removed may be constant (fixed) or variable. For example, the more game elements placed in the placement area (displayed on the game screen), the more unselected game elements are removed from the placement area each turn.

[0210] The method for determining the game element to be removed from the placement area may be fixed or may vary depending on the game progress or predetermined conditions. For example, the game element to be removed may be randomly determined from among the game elements that were not selected. For example, the game element to be removed may be the nth (e.g., first) game element from one end (the left or right end if arranged horizontally) of the game elements that were not selected in any turn (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1). Also, for example, there may be an item or game element that has the effect of removing the (n+1)th game element from the end after a predetermined number of turns. Also, there may be an item or game element that has the effect of allowing the user to arbitrarily select the game element to be removed.

[0211] In the example of the baseball game described above, the game element arrangement unit 113 deletes (an example of removal) one (or two or more) of the practice menus PM that were not selected by the selection operation from the arrangement area A21, and replenishes the deleted practice menus PM with new practice menus PM and places them in the arrangement area A21. In this manner, the user can adopt a strategy of deleting practice menus PM that they do not want to use from the arrangement area A21. Therefore, the user needs to consider whether to select and use the practice menu PM before it is deleted from the arrangement area A21, or to wait for it to be deleted without using it and hope for new practice menus PM to be added, thereby providing the user with a highly strategic game.

[0212] The placement area setting unit 111 may also set a plurality of placement areas in a line. The game element placement unit 113 may then remove from the placement area a game element that is located at one end of the game elements that have not been selected by the selection operation. When arranging a plurality of placement areas in a line, they can be arranged in any direction, such as horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Additionally, the term "one end" refers to one end. For example, if the game elements are lined up horizontally (left and right), the game element located at the left end or right end corresponds to "the game element located at one end." For example, if the game elements are lined up vertically (up and down), the game element located at the top or bottom end corresponds to "the game element located at one end."

[0213] In the example of the baseball game described above, the placement area setting unit 111 sets multiple placement areas A21 (A21-1, A21-2, ...) arranged in a horizontal row (see Figures 4, 20, etc.). Then, the game element placement unit 113 deletes (an example of removal) from the placement area A21 the practice menu PM located at the left end (or the right end) of the practice menus PM that were not selected by the selection operation. According to this aspect, the practice menu PM located at one end of the practice menus PM that were not selected is deleted, making it easy to determine the location of the practice menu PM to be deleted. Furthermore, because the placement (= required cost) of the practice menu PM to be deleted is clear, the user can easily determine whether to allow the practice menu PM to be deleted from the placement area A21 without using it, or to select and use it before it is deleted.

[0214] The cost setting unit 112 may also be configured to set a cost for each of a plurality of placement areas so that the placement areas are arranged in descending order of cost. Here, with regard to "sorting in order of cost," it is possible to sort in order of cost, either in order of largest cost or smallest cost. Sorting in order of cost is included in "sorting in order of cost," regardless of continuity or regularity. For example, a sequence of consecutive costs such as "0, 1, 2, 3, ..." is an example of "arranged in order of cost magnitude." Also, when costs of the same value are included in the sequence of costs, such as "0, 0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, ..." or "0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, ...," this is also an example of "arranged in order of cost magnitude." Also, when costs are not consecutive, such as "1, 3, 5, 7, ..." or "0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, ...," this is also an example of "arranged in order of cost magnitude."

[0215] In the example of the baseball game described above, the cost setting unit 112 sets a cost to each of the multiple placement areas A21 (A21-1, A21-2, . . . ) so that the areas are arranged in descending order of cost, as illustrated in FIG. In this configuration, the practice menus PM placed in the placement area A21 as options are always arranged in descending order of the required cost in each turn, which makes it easier for the user to select a practice menu PM within the remaining cost range in each turn. Furthermore, when this configuration is combined with a configuration in which the practice menu PM is arranged in a predetermined order for each turn, it becomes easier to understand the changes in the arrangement of the practice menu PM (=changes in cost) from the next turn onwards. Furthermore, when this configuration is combined with a configuration for deleting a practice menu PM located at one end of the non-selected practice menu PMs, the practice menu PM with the minimum (or maximum) required cost among the non-selected practice menu PMs can be selected as the target for deletion.

[0216] The game progression unit 114 may also be configured to progress through turns based on a selection operation that selects a predetermined required number of game elements within a cost range. Here, the "required number" may be constant (fixed) or may vary depending on a predetermined game parameter.

[0217] In the baseball game example mentioned above, the user needs to select, for example, three practice menu items PM in each turn, and the game progression unit 114 progresses the turn based on a selection operation to select the required number of three practice menu items PM within the remaining cost. As mentioned above, even if the practice menu items PM are the same, if their placement changes depending on the turn, the cost required for selection will also change, and the user is required to select the required number of practice menu items PM within the remaining cost, thereby realizing a highly entertaining game.

[0218] In addition, the game elements may have predetermined effects set thereto, and the game progression unit 114 may be configured to progress the turn by increasing the effect of the game element as the cost set in the placement area in which the selected game element is placed increases.

[0219] Here, the "effect of a game element" may include not only advantageous effects in the game but also disadvantageous effects in the game. For example, there may be a game element that has both advantageous and disadvantageous effects in the game.

[0220] In the baseball game example described above, each practice menu PM has a predetermined effect set according to its type, and the game progression unit 114 advances the turn by increasing the effect of the selected practice menu PM as the cost set for the placement area A21 in which the selected practice menu PM is placed increases. With this configuration, even for the same practice menu PM, the placement of the practice menu PM in the placement area A21 differs depending on the timing (turn) of selection, which results in different costs required for selection and different degrees of effect depending on the cost. In this way, even for the same practice menu PM, the degree of effect changes depending on the timing of selection, making it possible to provide the user with a highly strategic game.

[0221] Furthermore, game elements that can be placed in the placement area may include game elements whose effects do not change depending on the cost.

[0222] In the baseball game example mentioned above, some practice menu PMs such as "Schedule Review" and "Player Scout" are examples of "game elements whose effects do not change depending on cost." Practice menu PMs such as "Schedule Review" and "Player Scout" have the same effect regardless of the timing at which they are placed in the placement area A21 for any cost. For such practice menu PMs whose effects do not change depending on cost, a strategy can be adopted of selecting them when the cost is low, for example, thereby further enhancing the strategic nature of the game.

[0223] The game of this embodiment can be applied to various games regardless of game format or genre, but in the case of a game in which a target to be raised is raised, the game elements may be set with effects for raising the target to be raised.

[0224] Here, the "training target" refers to an object or a group including multiple objects whose parameters are changed or set as the game progresses based on the user's operation. The "training target" may be at least one object, at least one group, or both at least one object and at least one group. In the example of the baseball game described above, a team consisting of multiple players (a baseball team of a user's high school) corresponds to an example of a group. In the baseball game described above, the team and each individual player on the team are targets for development.

[0225] Furthermore, the "object" is something that can be used in a game. For example, game characters, game cards, etc. are examples of "objects." For example, game characters and game cards representing people such as baseball, soccer, and other sports players, animals such as racehorses, plants such as trees and flowers, fictional creatures such as monsters, and inanimate objects such as robots are examples of "objects." For example, an "object" may be a game character or game card that corresponds to a real person or animal, etc., or it may not correspond to a real person or animal, etc.

[0226] Furthermore, the above-mentioned "developing a development target" refers to changing or setting the parameters of the development target. "Changing parameters" refers to changing the parameters set in the development target. For example, improving or lowering parameters set in an object is an example of "changing parameters." "Setting parameters" refers to setting parameters that have not yet been set in the development target to the development target. For example, adding a special ability that the development target object did not have to the object (e.g., associating special ability information with the object) is an example of "setting parameters." Note that "setting parameters" includes not only setting parameters that produce advantageous effects, but also setting parameters that produce disadvantageous effects.

[0227] In the example of the baseball game described above, the game is about training a team (players included in the team) as the training target, and the practice menu PM has effects set for training the players included in the team. According to this aspect, a highly strategic training game can be realized.

[0228] [4. Processing] Next, an example of the processing executed by the game device 10 according to this embodiment will be described below. Here, an example of the processing when the above-mentioned baseball game is executed will be described.

[0229] 25 to 28 are flowcharts showing an example of the processing of the game device 10 that executes the training mode. The processing described below is realized, for example, by the control unit 110 (CPU 11 of the game device 10) executing a game program stored in a storage device (ROM 12, RAM 13, auxiliary storage device 14, etc.).

[0230] 25, before starting a game in the training mode, the user initially sets information such as the region and the name of the high school (S100). The control unit 110 stores the information initially set by the user in the user information table TBL103 in association with the user ID.

[0231] In addition, in the first year of the game, the control unit 110 generates a plurality of players who are first-year, second-year, and third-year students as mob characters and has them join the user's team (S102). Then, the control unit 110 stores information on the players who joined the user's team in the team data DT104. As a variation, the user may be able to select a mob character player to join the team from among multiple mob character candidates. Alternatively, the user may be able to own characters that can be trained, and the user may be able to invite a predetermined number of characters from the characters he or she owns to join the team. As a variation, a user may add a manager or coach of a baseball team to their team as an auxiliary character that is not a target for development. Although an auxiliary character such as a manager is not a target for development, it has the effect of influencing the development of a target for development.

[0232] The control unit 110 also sets the consumable cost range (remaining cost, maximum cost value) (S104). The control unit 110 also executes a main screen display process (S106) and displays the main screen G10 (see FIGS. 2 and 24) on the display unit 20. Here, the control unit 110 provides a plurality of placement areas A21 on the main screen G10, sets a cost for each placement area A21, places a plurality of practice menus PM in the placement areas A21, and stores this information in the game progress data DT105.

[0233] An example of the main screen display process of S106 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 27. The control unit 110 sets the same number of placement areas A21 as the number of practice menus PM displayed (see Fig. 19) in accordance with the current reputation, for example, by arranging them in a horizontal row (S200). The control unit 110 also sets a cost for each placement area A21 (S202). For example, the control unit 110 sets a cost for each placement area A21 according to the reputation, as shown in Fig. 20.

[0234] In step S204, the control unit 110 determines whether there are any practice menus PM that need to be newly added as command options to be displayed on the screen. For example, immediately after the start of the game, all placement areas A21 need to be replenished with practice menus PM. Furthermore, from the second turn onwards, it is necessary to newly add the same number of practice menus PM as those deleted in the previous turn (including those consumed by executing practice menus PM). Note that if the game is resumed after being interrupted, and all practice menus PM that should be displayed on the screen before the interruption have been selected, it is determined in step S204 that there are no practice menus PM that need to be added.

[0235] If the control unit 110 determines that there is a new practice menu PM to be added (YES in S204), it randomly selects one practice menu PM from the candidates (S206). Then, the control unit 110 determines, for example, by lottery based on a predetermined probability, whether to set a dedicated icon P26 for event occurrence for the selected practice menu PM (S208). If the answer is YES in step S208, the control unit 110 sets the dedicated icon P26 for the selected practice menu PM (S210). After step S210, or if the answer is NO in step S208, the process returns to step S204. Thereafter, the processing of steps S204 to S210 is repeated until there are no more practice menus PM to be newly replenished (NO in S204). As a variation, the control unit 110 may determine the number of practice menus PM to be newly replenished and execute a process of selecting that number of practice menus PM all at once. Information about each selected practice menu PM, including the order in which it was selected, is stored in the game progress data DT105.

[0236] Note that, in the above-described steps S204 to S210, a lottery for selecting a practice menu PM and a lottery for determining whether or not to set the dedicated icon P26 for the selected practice menu PM are performed separately, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a process may be applied in which the candidates include a practice menu PM without the dedicated icon P26 set and a practice menu PM with the dedicated icon P26 set, and the practice menu PM is selected from the candidates, thereby completing the lottery in one go.

[0237] Furthermore, the main screen display process illustrated in FIG. 27 (step S106 illustrated in FIG. 25) illustrates an example of a process in which a practice menu PM is selected for each turn, but the process is not limited to this. For example, the selection of practice menu PM may be performed by a process in which practice menus PM for multiple turns are selected all at once at a predetermined timing. As an example, if the total number of practice menus PM to be selected in a year is determined, the total number of practice menus PM may be selected all at once at the start of the year (at the beginning of the year). In this case, a lottery may also be performed at the start of the year to determine whether or not to set a dedicated icon P26 for each practice menu PM.

[0238] If the result of step S204 is NO, the control unit 110 places the multiple practice menus PM to be displayed on the screen in the placement area A21, respectively (S212). That is, each practice menu PM is associated with the placement area A21. As a result, the cost set in the placement area A21 is associated with the practice menu PM placed in that placement area A21. The control unit 110 stores information associating the practice menu PM with the placement area A21 (or information associating the practice menu PM with the cost set in the placement area A21) in the game progress data DT105. Then, the control unit 110 generates an image of the main screen G10 (see FIGS. 2 and 24) including a plurality of practice menus PM, and outputs it to the display unit 20 via the image processing unit 17 (S214). This ends the subroutine for the main screen display process, and the process returns to the process of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0239] After the main screen G10, on which a plurality of practice menus PM are presented as options, is displayed by the main screen display process (S106) as described above, the control unit 110 determines whether a practice menu PM has been selected by a user operation (S108). If the result of step S108 is YES, the control unit 110 consumes the cost set in the placement area A21 in which the selected practice menu PM is placed as the cost for selecting that practice menu PM (S110). That is, the control unit 110 consumes this cost to reduce the remaining cost and updates the game progress data DT105.

[0240] In addition, the control unit 110 clarifies the selected practice menu PM by displaying "1 Selected" or the like on the selected practice menu PM or by displaying the selected practice menu PM in the selection frame P31 (S112) (see Figures 2 and 24). Although not shown in Figure 25 etc., the practice menu PM currently being selected and the practice menu PM that cannot be selected due to cost exceeding the limit may be displayed in a grayed-out state or the like to prevent selection (see Figures 2, 4 to 8 and 24). Furthermore, when the last practice menu PM to be selected has been provisionally selected, but before the selection is finalized, a trash can icon P24 or the like may be displayed on the practice menu PM to be deleted to notify the user that it is to be deleted (see Figures 7 and 8).

[0241] In step S114, control unit 110 determines whether the selection of the required number of practice menus PM (for example, three) has been completed. If the result of step S114 is NO, control returns to step S108, and the above-described steps S108 to S114 are repeated. If the selection of the required number of practice menus PM has been completed (YES in S114), control proceeds to turn progression processing (S116).

[0242] If a predetermined interruption operation is performed before the transition to the turn progression process (YES in S136), the control unit 110 interrupts the game in the training mode and saves the game data. If training is to be resumed thereafter, it will be resumed from the main screen display process in step S106.

[0243] An example of the turn progression process in step S116 will be described below with reference to the flowchart in FIG. The control unit 110 executes the practice menu PM starting with the earliest selected one (S300). As a result, a practice or event corresponding to the practice menu PM is executed, and if the execution results in changes to the parameters of each player on the team, the team data DT104 is updated. At this time, the control unit 110 increases the effect of the practice or event corresponding to the practice menu PM the higher the cost set in the placement area A21 in which the executed practice menu PM is placed (i.e., the cost required to select the practice menu PM). In addition, the control unit 110 controls the display unit 20 to perform a performance display of a practice or the like according to the executed practice menu PM (S302). As a result, a practice menu execution screen G40 such as that shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on the display unit 20.

[0244] The control unit 110 also determines whether a dedicated icon P26 is set in the executed practice menu PM (S304), and if YES, generates an event according to the type of dedicated icon P26 (S306). If the parameters of each player on the team change as a result of this event, the team data DT104 is updated. After step S306 is executed, or if the answer is NO in step S304, the process proceeds to step S308.

[0245] In step S308, control unit 110 determines whether execution of all selected (e.g., three) practice menus PM has been completed. If the answer is NO in step S308, control returns to step S300, and the above-described steps S300 to S308 are repeated. If all selected practice menus PM have been executed (YES in S308), control proceeds to step S310.

[0246] In step S310, the control unit 110 determines whether a forced stop event (for example, a game, graduation ceremony, entrance ceremony, etc.) is scheduled within one week from the start date of the current turn. If the answer is YES in step S310, the control unit 110 advances the schedule until the day of the forced stop event (S312). On the other hand, if the answer is NO in step S310, the control unit 110 advances the schedule for one week from the start date of the current turn (S314). Information about the advanced schedule is stored in the game progress data DT105. The processing of steps S310 to S314 may be executed before step S300. That is, after the schedule progression effect, an effect of executing the selected practice menu PM (for example, three) may be displayed on the game screen.

[0247] In step S316, the control unit 110 causes the display unit 20 to display a growth report screen G50 (see FIG. 10).

[0248] Furthermore, in step S318, the control unit 110 consumes (deletes) the practice menu PM executed in the current turn, and updates the game progress data DT 105. Furthermore, in S320, the control unit 110 deletes the practice menu PM located at the left end of the practice menu PMs that were not selected in the current turn, and updates the game progress data DT 105. This ends the subroutine for the turn progress processing, and the process returns to the processing of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 25 and 26.

[0249] In step S118 of FIG. 26, the control unit 110 determines whether a farewell party event has occurred in the current turn (i.e., whether it is time to complete the training of the team being trained). If the answer is YES in step S118, the control unit 110 saves the current team (for example, all first- to third-year players belonging to the team) as the team for which training has been completed for this year (S120). For example, the control unit 110 associates information about the team for which training has been completed with the user ID and stores it in the user information table TBL103. The team saved here can then be used in other games, such as a battle mode different from the training mode. The user can also choose not to save the team.

[0250] In addition, the control unit 110 causes the third-year players to leave the current team when the training of the team for this year is completed, and thereafter the players do not participate in team practice, so that their abilities do not fluctuate (S122). This essentially completes the training of each third-year player.

[0251] In addition, once this year's team's training is completed, the third-year players will leave their current teams, and training will begin for teams excluding the current third-year players.

[0252] In this game, individual players are saved after the graduation ceremony event. Alternatively, the registration of each team and the registration of individual players may be performed at approximately the same time. Furthermore, even after third-year players leave the team, parameters such as their abilities may be allowed to change, providing an opportunity to develop individual third-year players until the time of their individual registration. For example, after a farewell party event, a national team may be formed to compete in an international tournament, and third-year players may join the team, thereby improving the parameters of the participating players, such as their abilities.

[0253] After step S122, or if the answer is NO in step S118, the process proceeds to step S124. In step S124, the control unit 110 determines whether a graduation ceremony event has occurred in the current turn (i.e., whether it is time to graduate third-year players). If the answer is YES in step S124, the control unit 110 graduates the third-year players (S126). Then, the control unit 110 saves only the third-year players (graduating players) on the team as individual players (S128). For example, the control unit 110 associates information about individual players whose training has been completed with a user ID and stores the information in the user information table TBL103. The individual players saved here can then be used in other games, such as by training them again as professional baseball players in another game mode. Note that the user can also save only specific players arbitrarily selected from the graduating third-year players by operating the control unit 110.

[0254] After step S128, or if the answer is NO in step S124, the process proceeds to step S130. In step S130, the control unit 110 determines whether an entrance ceremony event has occurred in the current turn (i.e., whether it is time to have a first-year (freshman) player join the team). If the answer is YES in step S130, the control unit 110 causes the first-year player, who is a mob character, to join the user's team as a new member (S132). Note that if a mob character has been successfully scouted in advance in a freshman scouting event, the mob character will be included as a new member. The control unit 110 stores information about the newly joined first-year player in the team data DT104. As a result, the new first-year player joins the development target team from which the third-year player from the previous year was excluded, and the team is replaced. After step S132, or if the answer is NO in step S130, the process proceeds to step S134.

[0255] Incidentally, for the sake of convenience, FIG. 26 only describes the forced stop events related to saving teams and players and replacing players within a team, and omits other descriptions, but various events such as matches also occur.

[0256] In step S134, the control unit 110 recovers the remaining cost by a predetermined amount according to the current reputation before proceeding to the next turn. Then, the process returns to step S106 in Figure 25, and the above-mentioned processing is repeated. In step S106, the main screen G10 for the next turn is displayed, but the arrangement of the practice menu PM, including the newly replenished practice menu PM, is changed from the previous turn.

[0257] [5. Modifications, etc.] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the specific configurations are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and designs within the scope of the present invention are also included. Furthermore, the above-described configurations and aspects can be applied in appropriate combinations, and some configurations may be omitted.

[0258] [5-1] The above mainly describes a configuration example in which a turn does not progress unless a game element that necessarily consumes a cost (including cases where no cost is consumed) is selected. However, in addition to progress of turns by selecting a game element that consumes a cost, progress of turns that are not related to cost may also be possible. For example, as shown in FIG. 32, a recovery command CB (an example of a second game element) that does not consume a cost may be provided separately from the practice menu PM (an example of a game element) placed in the placement area A21. For example, on the main screen G10, the recovery command CB is provided in a predetermined position different from the display area A20 where the list of practice menus PM is displayed. For example, the recovery command CB is a command that has the effect of restoring a predetermined amount of stamina to all players on the user's team (or to some of the players on the team). When the user selects the recovery command CB, the stamina recovery effect is generated, the current turn progresses without consuming a cost, and the one-week schedule progresses in the same way as a normal turn.

[0259] The second game element is not limited to the recovery command CB, but may be any other command button that has a predetermined effect other than the recovery of physical strength, as long as it allows the turn to proceed without cost (without consuming cost).The second game element may also be a command that simply allows the turn to proceed without consuming cost (without producing any specific effect).

[0260] [5-2] The above describes an example of a configuration in which a cost is set for a placement area where game elements (e.g., practice menu PM) are placed, and the placement of the game elements changes depending on the turn. As a result, even for the same game element, the cost for selecting the game element changes depending on the turn. As a variation, a configuration in which the cost for selecting a game element changes depending on the turn, regardless of the placement of the game element, may be used. This configuration can be realized, for example, by the configurations exemplified below in (1) to (3).

[0261] (1) The aforementioned configuration in which the placement of game elements is changed depending on the turn, i.e., a cost is set to the placement area rather than to the game elements, and the placement of game elements relative to the placement area is changed rather than changing the cost set to the placement area depending on the turn.

[0262] (2) A configuration in which the cost set in the placement area changes depending on the turn. This configuration is the same as 1) above in that the cost is set in the placement area rather than the game elements, but the cost set in the placement area changes depending on the turn, regardless of whether the placement of the game elements in the placement area has been changed. Specific examples are shown in Figures 29 and 30.

[0263] In the example of FIG. 29, for ease of understanding, the selectable practice menus PM and their arrangement are fixed, and the costs set in the arrangement areas A21-1 to A21-7 change with each turn. In the example of FIG. 29, no practice menu PM is consumed regardless of which one is selected, and the arrangement of the practice menus PM does not change with each turn, so the practice menu PM selected with each turn is not shown. For example, focusing on the arrangement area A21-1 on the left side, practice menu A is placed in the arrangement area A21-1 every turn, but the cost set in the arrangement area A21-1 changes from 0 to 1 to 2 with each turn. As a result, even with the same practice menu A, the cost required to select it changes with each turn. The same applies to the other practice menus B to G. While FIG. 29 shows an example in which the costs set in each arrangement area A21 change with each turn according to a predetermined rule, they may also be changed randomly, for example.

[0264] FIG. 30 is a modified example of FIG. 29, in which the selected practice menu PM is consumed and the leftmost unselected practice menu PM is deleted. In FIG. 30, for example, focusing on the placement area A21-7 on the right side, a practice menu G is placed in placement area A21-7 every turn, but the cost set in placement area A21-7 changes from 3 to 0 depending on the turn. As a result, even for the same practice menu G, the cost required to select it changes depending on the turn. The same is true for practice menus C and E. While FIG. 30 shows an example in which the cost set in each placement area A21 changes regularly according to a predetermined rule, it may also be changed randomly, for example. The configuration shown in FIG. 30 is an example of a configuration in which the placement of the game elements (practice menu PM) changes depending on the turn, and the cost set in the placement area A21 also changes depending on the turn.

[0265] 29 or 30, the placement area A21 to which a cost is assigned rotates (the position of the placement area A21 displayed on the screen changes), which can be said to change the cost required to select the practice menu PM assigned to the placement area A21 depending on the turn. That is, the example in FIG. 29 or 30 shows an example in which the placement area positions are rotated, such that the placement area with a cost of 2 is moved to the position of the placement area with a cost of 1 in the next turn, the placement area with a cost of 1 is moved to the position of the placement area with a cost of 0 in the next turn, the placement area with a cost of 0 is moved to the position of the placement area with a cost of 3 in the next turn, and the placement area with a cost of 3 is moved to the position of the placement area with a cost of 2 in the next turn.

[0266] (3) A structure in which a cost is set for the game element itself as an option, and the cost changes depending on the turn. An example of this structure is shown in Figure 31. In the example shown in FIG. 31, no cost is set in the placement area A121, and the cost CST is set directly to the practice menu PMa (the cost CST is associated with it). The numerical value displayed in the lower right of the practice menu PMa is the cost set for the practice menu PMa. In FIG. 31, for example, if we focus on the practice menu G placed in the placement area A121-7 on the right side, the cost set for the practice menu G changes from 3 to 0 with each turn. As a result, even for the same practice menu G, the cost required to select it changes with each turn. The same is true for practice menus C and E. Note that FIG. 31 shows an example in which the cost set for each practice menu PMa changes with each turn according to a predetermined rule (e.g., 0 → 1, 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 3 → 0), but it may also change randomly, for example. As a variation, in the turn in which the practice menu PMa is placed, the practice menu PMa may be set to a cost of 3 (a predetermined cost), and with each passing turn, the cost may decrease by 1 (a predetermined value).

[0267] As described above, the configuration in which the cost for selecting a game element varies depending on the turn is not limited to the configuration in which the placement of the game elements is changed. In any of the configurations (1) to (3), even for the same game element, the cost required for selection varies depending on the timing (turn) of selection. This allows the user to be provided with a highly entertaining game that involves a strategic element that has not been available before, namely, the timing of selection of game elements.

[0268] [5-3] An event may be set up to occur in which the practice effect of the selected practice menu PM is improved for a certain period of time (across multiple turns) (i.e., the experience points gained through practice increase). Alternatively, an event may be set up to occur in which the effect of all selected types of practice menu PM (regardless of whether they are practice-based or event-based) is improved for a certain period of time. While the effect of this event is occurring, it is preferable to display a notice on the screen that the effect is occurring. For example, as shown in FIG. 24, information about the effect currently occurring and the effect's effective period (e.g., "Practice effect increasing, 3 days remaining") may be displayed in the display area A16 on the left side of the main screen G10. For turns that include at least one day of the effect's effective period, the practice effect is improved for all practice performed in that turn. For example, an event having the above-mentioned effect may be included in a fixed event that always occurs at a predetermined turn in a year. Also, there may be a support character or item such as a manager that can cause an event having the above-mentioned effect.

[0269] [5-4] In the above, when a practice menu PM is provisionally selected, an "Over Cost" label P23 (see FIG. 4) or a trash can icon P24 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) is superimposed on the target practice menu PM to notify the user in advance before the selection is finalized. This advance notification function may be omitted.

[0270] [5-5] Although the above explanation has mainly focused on the example of a baseball game, the present invention can also be applied to other games. For example, the present invention can be applied to a variety of games, regardless of game format or genre, such as other sports games (games based on soccer, tennis, American football, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, rugby, etc.), fighting games, combat games, digital card games, role-playing games, simulation games, and adventure games, as long as the game involves selecting at least one game element each turn within a predetermined cost range.

[0271] [5-6] Although the above describes an example in which a game control device according to one aspect of the present invention is realized by the game device 10, it may also be configured as a game system as described below. FIG. 33 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a game system 1. This game system 1 includes a plurality of game terminals 40-n (n is a positive integer, 40-1, 40-2, ...) and a server 30. The game terminals 40-n and the server 30 in the game system 1 are connected to each other via a network N such as the Internet so that they can communicate data with each other. Here, since the plurality of game terminals 40-n have the same configuration, they will be simply referred to as "game terminal 40" in the following description.

[0272] The server 30 associates information about the user's game with a user ID that uniquely identifies each user, and stores and manages the information in, for example, a database. The database may be built within the server 30, or may be built in a server computer separate from the server 30. The server 30 mainly comprises a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, an auxiliary storage device 34, and a communication unit 35, which are interconnected via bus lines including an address bus, a data bus, and a control bus.

[0273] The CPU 31 interprets and executes commands from the system software and application software, and controls the entire server 30. The ROM 32 stores programs and the like necessary for basic operational control of the server 30. The RAM 33 stores various programs and data, and ensures a working area for the CPU 31. The auxiliary storage device 34 is a storage device that stores programs, various data, and the like. For example, a hard disk drive or a solid state drive can be used as the auxiliary storage device 34.

[0274] The communication unit 35 includes a communication interface (not shown) and controls communication with each game terminal 40 via the network N. The communication unit 35 also controls communication with other servers (not shown) connected to the network N.

[0275] The server 30 can be configured as a single computer, or can be configured as a function-distributed type in which the functions of the server 30 are distributed among multiple servers. Alternatively, a load-distributed type configuration can be achieved by providing multiple servers 30 on the network N for redundancy (multiplexing). The server 30 can also be configured as a cloud server that uses cloud computing technology.

[0276] Game terminal 40 (an example of a terminal device) is a computer used by a user to play a game. Game terminal 40 is, for example, a home game console (stationary or portable), a personal computer, a smartphone, a mobile phone terminal, a PHS terminal, a personal digital assistant, a tablet computer, a multi-function television receiver, or an arcade (commercial) game console installed in an amusement facility or the like. Game terminal 40 mainly comprises a CPU 41, ROM 42, RAM 43, auxiliary storage device 44, communication unit 45, operation unit 46, and display unit 47, which are interconnected via a bus line. These components 41 to 47 of game terminal 40 have the same configuration as components 11 to 16 and 20 of game device 10 illustrated in FIG. 1, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Game terminal 40 may be the game device 10 described above.

[0277] The server 30 and the game terminal 40 can communicate with each other to send and receive various data, and are both information processing devices (computers) equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, auxiliary storage device, communication unit, etc., and basically have the same hardware configuration. Therefore, some of the various functions of the game device 10 described above may be realized by the CPU 41 of the game terminal 40, and the remaining functions may be realized by the CPU 31 of the server 30. Alternatively, all of the various functions of the game device 10 described above may be realized by the CPU 41 of the game terminal 40. Alternatively, all of the various functions of the game device 10 described above may be realized by the CPU 31 of the server 30.

[0278] In a configuration in which all of the various functions of the game device 10 are realized by the CPU 31 of the server 30, the server 30 transmits game images resulting from the execution of the game to the game terminal 40, for example in a streaming format, thereby providing the user with a so-called cloud gaming service. In this form of service that provides cloud gaming, there is no need to download or install game-specific software on the user's game terminal 40, and as long as the user is in an environment in which the game terminal 40 can be connected to the network N, the user can easily enjoy the game service provided by the server 30 anywhere.

[0279] [5-7] Regarding the configuration having a storage control function for storing various information in a storage device, the storage device itself is not included in the configuration, and therefore may be installed anywhere, whether inside or outside the game device 10 or game system 1. For example, the storage device may be a storage device within the game device 10 or game system 1, or a file server (online storage) or the like configured separately from these.

[0280] [5-8] Some or all of the functions of the control unit 110 described above may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration). Each of the above functions may be implemented individually as a processor. Alternatively, some or all of the above functions may be integrated into a processor. [5-9] The computer-readable program according to this embodiment is recorded on various computer-readable recording media, such as a hard disk, an optical disk (e.g., CD-ROM, DVD-ROM), a flexible disk, or a semiconductor memory, and is read from the recording media and executed by the CPU of a computer constituting the game system 1 or the game device 10 (an example of a game control device). The program may also be provided to a computer via a network, including a communication line such as the Internet, a WAN, a LAN, or a dedicated line. A computer may read a program stored on a file server (online storage). A computer may also receive a program distributed from a distribution server. The recording media may also include internal or external recording media accessible from the distribution server for program distribution. The program code stored on the distribution server's recording media does not have to be in a format directly executable by the computer that receives it. In other words, the format of the program stored on the distribution server's recording media is arbitrary, as long as it can be installed in a computer executable manner after being downloaded from the distribution server. The program may also be divided into multiple parts, downloaded at different times, and then combined. Each of the divided programs may be distributed by a different distribution server. The computer-readable recording medium also includes a storage medium that stores the program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory such as RAM in a server that transmits the program via a network or in a computer that receives the program. The program may also be a differential program that can achieve the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already stored in the computer.

[0281] [6. Notes] From the above description, the present invention can be understood, for example, as follows: It should be noted that, to facilitate understanding of the present invention, reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are conveniently placed in parentheses, but this does not mean that the present invention is limited to the illustrated embodiments.

[0282] 1) A program according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer (1, 10, 30) that executes control of a game that selects at least one game element (PM) within a predetermined cost range for each turn to function as: a placement area setting unit (111) that sets multiple placement areas (A21) in which the game elements are placed; a cost setting unit (112) that sets a cost for each of the multiple placement areas; a game element placement unit (113) that places each of the multiple game elements in the multiple placement areas and changes the placement of the game elements depending on the turn; and a game progression unit (114) that uses the cost set in the placement area as the cost for selecting the game element placed in that placement area and progresses the turn based on a selection operation that selects at least one game element from the game elements placed in the placement area.

[0283] Here, a "computer" may include at least a processor and a storage device (memory). Here, the processor is, for example, a CPU. The processor may also include hardware such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) in addition to or instead of the CPU. For example, personal computers, tablet computers, smartphones, stationary or portable game consoles, commercial game consoles, mobile phone terminals, PHS terminals, PDAs, multi-function television receivers with information processing capabilities, servers, and other devices that include a processor and a storage device are all included in the "computer." A "computer" may also be composed of multiple devices that can communicate with each other. For example, a system including a server and a terminal device is also included in the "computer."

[0284] According to the aspect described in 1) above, a game can be progressed while selecting at least one game element within a predetermined cost range, but the cost is set not for the game element but for the placement area in which the game element is placed. The cost set for the placement area is the cost required to select a game element placed in that placement area. In other words, the cost required to select a game element is determined by the position at which the game element is placed. Furthermore, the placement of the game element relative to the placement area changes with each turn. Therefore, even for the same game element, the placement of the game element relative to the placement area differs depending on the timing (turn) of selection, and therefore the cost required for selection differs. This makes it possible to provide a user with a highly entertaining game with a strategic element not previously available, in which the timing at which the game element is placed in the placement area to be selected can be determined.

[0285] 2) In one aspect of the present invention, in the aspect described in 1) above, the game element placement unit (113) places each of the multiple game elements (PM) in the multiple placement areas (A21) in accordance with a predetermined order for each turn.

[0286] According to the aspect described in 2) above, the multiple game elements are arranged in a predetermined order in the multiple arrangement areas for each turn. For example, game elements that were not selected in a given turn or game elements added in place of selected game elements are arranged in a predetermined order in the next turn, such as being arranged from the left end (or the leftmost) in the order in which the game elements were selected. In other words, since the order in which the multiple game elements are changed for each turn is predetermined, the user can predict how the arrangement of the game elements will change in the next turn (i.e., how the required cost will change). Therefore, the user needs to consider which game element to select in the current turn while taking into account the change in the arrangement of the game elements (i.e., the change in cost) from the next turn onwards, thereby providing the user with a highly strategic game.

[0287] 3) In one aspect of the present invention, in the aspect described in 1) or 2) above, the game element placement unit (113) removes (e.g., deletes) from the placement area (A21) at least one of the game elements (PM) that was not selected by the selection operation, and adds a new game element to one of the multiple placement areas.

[0288] According to the aspect described in 3) above, at least one of the game elements that was not selected is removed from the placement area without being selected, allowing the user to adopt a strategy of removing from the placement area game elements that they do not want to use. This configuration forces the user to consider whether to select and use the game element before it is removed from the placement area, or to wait for it to be removed without using it and hope that new game elements will be replenished, making it possible to provide the user with a highly strategic game.

[0289] 4) In one aspect of the present invention, in the aspect described in 3) above, the placement area setting unit (111) sets a plurality of the placement areas (A21) in a row (for example, a horizontal row), and the game element placement unit (113) removes from the placement area the game element (PM) that is placed at one end (for example, the left end) of the game elements that were not selected by the selection operation.

[0290] According to the aspect described in 4) above, the game element located at one end of the non-selected game elements is removed, making it easy to understand the location of the game element to be removed. Also, because the location (= required cost) of the game element to be removed is clear, the user can easily decide whether to allow the game element to be removed from the placement area without using it, or to select and use it before it is removed.

[0291] 5) In one aspect of the present invention, in any of the aspects described in 1) to 4) above, the cost setting unit (112) sets the cost for each of the multiple placement areas (A21) so that the multiple placement areas (A21) are arranged in order of the magnitude of the cost.

[0292] According to the aspect described in 5) above, the multiple placement areas are arranged in order of the set cost, so that the multiple game elements as options are essentially always arranged in order of the required cost in each turn, which makes it easier for the user to consider selecting game elements within the cost range in each turn. Furthermore, when this mode is combined with mode 2) above (a configuration in which game elements are arranged in a predetermined order for each turn), it becomes easier to understand the changes in the arrangement of game elements (=changes in cost) from the next turn onwards. Furthermore, when this mode is combined with mode 4) above (a configuration in which game elements located at one end of the non-selected game elements are removed), the game element with the minimum (or maximum) required cost among the non-selected game elements can be the target for removal.

[0293] 6) In one aspect of the present invention, in any of the aspects described above in 1) to 5), the game progression unit (114) progresses the turn based on the selection operation that selects a predetermined required number (e.g., three) of game elements (PM) within the cost range.

[0294] According to the aspect described in 6) above, it is necessary to select a predetermined number of game elements within a cost range for each turn. Even for the same game elements, the cost required to select them varies depending on the turn, so it is necessary to select a predetermined number of game elements within a cost range, which makes for a highly entertaining game.

[0295] 7) In one aspect of the present invention, in the aspect described in any of 1) to 6) above, a predetermined effect is set for the game element (PM), and the game progression unit (114) progresses the turn by increasing the effect of the game element the higher the cost set for the placement area (A21) in which the selected game element is placed.

[0296] According to the aspect described in 7) above, even if the game element is the same, the placement of the game element in the placement area will differ depending on the timing (turn) of selection, and therefore the cost required for selection will differ, and the degree of effect produced by the cost will also differ. In this way, even if the game element is the same, the degree of effect produced will change depending on the timing of selection, so it is possible to provide users with a highly strategic game.

[0297] 8) In one aspect of the present invention, in the aspect described in 7) above, the game elements (PM) that can be placed in the placement area (A21) include game elements whose effects do not change depending on the cost.

[0298] According to the aspect described in 8) above, there are game elements whose effects do not change depending on the cost required for selection, and for such game elements, a strategy can be adopted of selecting them, for example, at a time when the cost is low, thereby further enhancing the strategic nature of the game.

[0299] 9) In one aspect of the present invention, in the aspect described in any one of 1) to 8) above, the game is a game in which a player is trained, and the game elements (PM) have effects for training the player. According to this aspect, a highly strategic training game can be realized.

[0300] 10) In one aspect of the present invention, in any of the aspects described in 1) to 9) above, the game progression unit (114) also progresses the turn through a predetermined operation unrelated to the cost (for example, an operation of selecting a second game element (CB), or an operation of selecting a predetermined item).

[0301] 11) In one aspect of the present invention, in the aspect described in 10) above, the predetermined operation not related to cost is an operation of selecting a second game element (CB) that is not placed in the placement area (A21).

[0302] According to the aspect described in 10) or 11), it is possible to increase the variety of operations for progressing a turn.

[0303] 11) In one aspect of the present invention, in any of the aspects 1) to 9) above, the game may be a game in which at least the game element is selected for each turn.

[0304] 12) A game control device (1, 10, 30, 40) according to one aspect of the present invention executes control of a game in which at least one game element (PM) is selected within a predetermined cost range for each turn, and includes: a placement area setting unit (111) that sets multiple placement areas (A21) in which the game elements are placed; a cost setting unit (112) that sets a cost for each of the multiple placement areas; a game element placement unit (113) that places each of the multiple game elements in the multiple placement areas and changes the placement of the game elements depending on the turn; and a game progression unit (114) that uses the cost set in the placement area as the cost for selecting the game element placed in the placement area, and progresses the turn based on a selection operation that selects at least one game element from the game elements placed in the placement area. This achieves the same effect as the aspect described in 1) above.

[0305] Here, the "game control device" can be configured, for example, by a computer serving as a game device (such as a smartphone, mobile phone terminal, PHS, tablet computer, dedicated game console, personal computer, multi-function television receiver, or arcade game machine). Alternatively, the game control device can be configured by a computer such as a server that can communicate with each user's terminal device. Alternatively, the game control device can be configured by multiple computers (servers, terminal devices, etc.) that communicate with each other.

[0306] 13) A game system (1) according to one aspect of the present invention includes a server (30) and a terminal device (40) capable of communicating with the server (30), and executes control of a game in which at least one game element (PM) is selected within a predetermined cost range for each turn. The game system includes: a placement area setting unit (111) that sets multiple placement areas (A21) in which the game elements are placed; a cost setting unit (112) that sets a cost for each of the multiple placement areas; a game element placement unit (113) that places each of the multiple game elements in the multiple placement areas and changes the placement of the game elements depending on the turn; and a game progression unit (114) that sets the cost set for each placement area as the cost for selecting the game element placed in the placement area, and progresses the turn based on a selection operation for selecting at least one game element from the game elements placed in the placement area. This achieves the same effect as the aspect described in 1) above.

[0307] 14) A control method for controlling a computer (1, 10, 30, 40) according to one aspect of the present invention is a control method for controlling a computer that executes control of a game that selects at least one game element (PM) within a predetermined cost range for each turn, the control method including: a placement area setting step (S200) of setting a plurality of placement areas (A21) in which the game elements are to be placed; a cost setting step (S202) of setting a cost for each of the plurality of placement areas; a step (S212) of placing each of the plurality of game elements in the plurality of placement areas, and a game element placement step (S204, S206, S318, S320) of changing the placement of the game elements depending on the turn; and a game progress step (S116) of setting the cost set in each placement area as the cost for selecting the game element placed in the placement area, and progressing the turn based on a selection operation of selecting at least one game element from the game elements placed in the placement area. This achieves the same effect as the aspect described in 1) above.

[0308] 15) An information storage medium according to one aspect of the present invention is a computer-readable information storage medium having recorded thereon the program according to any one of the aspects 1) to 11) above, thereby achieving the same effects as those of the aspects 1) to 11) above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0309] 1...game system, N...network, 10...game device, 11...CPU, 13...RAM, 14...auxiliary storage device, 15...communication unit, 16...operation unit, 17...image processing unit, 18...sound processing unit, 19...recording medium drive, 20...display unit, 21...audio output unit, 40...game terminal, 41...CPU, 42...ROM, 43...RAM, 44...auxiliary storage device, 45...communication unit, 46...operation unit, 47...display unit, 100...data storage unit, 110...control unit, 111...placement area setting unit, 112...cost setting unit, 113...game element placement unit, 114...game Game progression section, A21...placement area, A22...cost display area, P23...label, P24...trash can icon, P25...arrow icon, P26...dedicated icon, P31...selection frame, G10...main screen, G40...practice menu execution screen, G50...growth report screen, CG...cost gauge, PM...practice menu, CS...selection cursor, CB...recovery command, TBL101...practice menu table, TBL102...dedicated icon table, TBL103...user information table, DT104...team data, DT105...game progression data

Claims

1. A computer that executes control of a game that selects at least one game element within a predetermined cost range each turn, an arrangement area setting unit that sets a plurality of arrangement areas in which the game elements are to be arranged; a cost setting unit that sets a cost for each of the plurality of placement areas; a game element placement unit that places the plurality of game elements in the plurality of placement areas, respectively, and that changes the placement of the game elements depending on the turn; a game progression unit that sets the cost set in the placement area as the cost for selecting the game element placed in the placement area, and progresses the turn based on a selection operation that selects at least one game element from the game elements placed in the placement area; A program that makes it work.

2. The game element placement unit places each of the plurality of game elements in the plurality of placement areas in accordance with a predetermined order for each turn. The program according to claim 1.

3. The game element placement unit removes at least one of the game elements not selected by the selection operation from the placement area, and replenishes a new game element in one of the plurality of placement areas. The program according to claim 1.

4. the placement area setting unit sets the placement areas in a line, The game element placement unit removes from the placement area the game elements that are not selected by the selection operation and that are placed at one end of the game elements. The program according to claim 3.

5. The cost setting unit sets the cost to each of the plurality of placement areas so that the plurality of placement areas are arranged in order of the magnitude of the cost. The program according to claim 1.

6. The game progression unit progresses the turn based on the selection operation of selecting a predetermined required number of the game elements within the cost range. The program according to claim 1.

7. A predetermined effect is set for the game element, The game progression unit progresses the turn by increasing the effect of the game element as the cost set in the placement area in which the selected game element is placed increases. The program according to claim 1.

8. The game elements that can be placed in the placement area include game elements whose effects do not change depending on the cost. The program according to claim 7.

9. The game is a game in which a subject to be trained is trained, and the game elements are set with effects for training the subject to be trained.

9. The program according to claim 1.

10. A game control device that executes control of a game in which at least one game element is selected within a predetermined cost range for each turn, an arrangement area setting unit that sets a plurality of arrangement areas in which the game elements are to be arranged; a cost setting unit that sets a cost for each of the plurality of placement areas; a game element placement unit that places the plurality of game elements in the plurality of placement areas, respectively, and that changes the placement of the game elements depending on the turn; a game progression unit that sets the cost set in the placement area as the cost for selecting the game element placed in the placement area, and progresses the turn based on a selection operation that selects at least one game element from the game elements placed in the placement area; 1. A game control device comprising:

11. A game system including a server and a terminal device capable of communicating with the server, and executing control of a game in which at least one game element is selected within a predetermined cost range for each turn, an arrangement area setting unit that sets a plurality of arrangement areas in which the game elements are to be arranged; a cost setting unit that sets a cost for each of the plurality of placement areas; a game element placement unit that places the plurality of game elements in the plurality of placement areas, respectively, and that changes the placement of the game elements depending on the turn; a game progression unit that sets the cost set in the placement area as the cost for selecting the game element placed in the placement area, and progresses the turn based on a selection operation that selects at least one game element from the game elements placed in the placement area; A game system including:

12. A control method for controlling a computer that executes a game control for selecting at least one game element within a predetermined cost range for each turn, comprising: an arrangement area setting step of setting a plurality of arrangement areas in which the game elements are to be arranged; a cost setting step of setting a cost for each of the plurality of placement areas; a game element placement step of placing each of the plurality of game elements in the plurality of placement areas, the placement of the game elements being changed depending on the turn; a game proceeding step of setting the cost set in the placement area as the cost for selecting the game element placed in the placement area, and proceeding with the turn based on a selection operation of selecting at least one game element from the game elements placed in the placement area; A control method comprising:

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