Game system, method, and program

Abstract

To provide a game system capable of correcting a position in a virtual world corresponding to a position of a user in a real world.SOLUTION: A process (S400 - 1) of acquiring a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a process (S401 - 2) of acquiring a localization virtual position corresponding to the localization real position; and a process (S401 - 3) of generating an accuracy image indicating the localization accuracy. Processing (S401 - 3) of determining a display position of the generated accuracy image on the basis of the measurement virtual position, processing (S402) of displaying the measurement virtual position, processing (S403) of displaying the accuracy image, and processing (S410) of determining a desired position as a corrected virtual position and displaying the determined corrected virtual position in response to acceptance of an operation of designating the desired position by the user and satisfaction of a predetermined condition regarding the desired position and the accuracy image are executed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 23

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a game that uses location information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-015230 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a game system that can correct a user's position in a virtual world that corresponds to the user's position in the real world. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, a game system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a user position acquisition unit that acquires positioning real position information, which is information indicating the position of a user's terminal in the real world, and which is information indicating a positioning real position indicating a position in the real world measured by a positioning sensor; an accuracy information acquisition unit that acquires accuracy information indicating the accuracy of the positioning; a virtual world acquisition unit that acquires a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual position acquisition unit that acquires positioning virtual position information indicating a positioning virtual position indicating a position in the virtual world corresponding to the positioning real position; and a precision image that indicates the precision of the positioning, and a position where the precision image is displayed is set to the positioning virtual position. a virtual position display unit for displaying the positioning virtual position as a virtual position in the virtual world of the terminal; an accuracy image display unit for executing processing to display the accuracy image at the position determined by the accuracy image determination unit; and a virtual position correction unit for determining the desired position as a corrected virtual position in response to receiving an operation by a user to specify a desired position and satisfying predetermined conditions regarding the desired position and the accuracy image, wherein in response to the corrected virtual position being determined by the virtual position correction unit, the virtual position display unit executes processing to display the corrected virtual position as the virtual position.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a method according to one aspect of the present invention is a method executed by one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors perform a user position acquisition process to acquire positioned real position information, the user position information being information indicating the position of a user's terminal in the real world, the position being information indicating a positioned real position indicating a position measured by a positioning sensor as a position in the real world; an accuracy information acquisition process to acquire accuracy information indicating the accuracy of the positioning; a virtual world acquisition process to acquire a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual position acquisition process to acquire positioned virtual position information indicating a positioned virtual position indicating a position in the virtual world corresponding to the positioned real position; and a process to generate an accuracy image indicating the accuracy of the positioning and display the accuracy image. the one or more processors execute a process to display the accuracy image at the position determined by the accuracy image determination process; and a virtual position correction process to determine the desired position as a corrected virtual position in response to the one or more processors receiving an operation to specify a desired position by a user and satisfying predetermined conditions regarding the desired position and the accuracy image, wherein in the virtual position display process, in response to the corrected virtual position being determined by the virtual position correction process, the one or more processors execute a process to display the corrected virtual position as the virtual position.

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, a program according to one aspect of the present invention provides one or more processors with the following steps: a user position acquisition process for acquiring positioned real position information, the user position information being information indicating the position of a user's terminal in the real world, the position being information indicating a positioned real position indicating a position in the real world measured by a positioning sensor; an accuracy information acquisition process for acquiring accuracy information indicating the accuracy of the positioning; a virtual world acquisition process for acquiring a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual position acquisition process for acquiring positioned virtual position information indicating a positioned virtual position indicating a position in the virtual world corresponding to the positioned real position; and a process for generating an accuracy image indicating the accuracy of the positioning and determining a position to display the accuracy image based on the positioned virtual position. and a virtual position display process for executing a process to display the accuracy image at the position determined by the accuracy image determination process. In response to receiving an operation by a user to specify a desired position and satisfying predetermined conditions regarding the desired position and the accuracy image, the device causes the one or more processors to execute a process to display the corrected virtual position as the virtual position in the virtual world of the terminal, and in response to the corrected virtual position being determined by the virtual position correction process, the device causes the one or more processors to execute a process to display the corrected virtual position as the virtual position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a game system according to one aspect of the present invention can provide a game system that can correct a user's position in a virtual world that corresponds to the user's position in the real world. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a game system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3]1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a game server according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart showing the flow of a method executed by the game system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a specific flow of a process for identifying a destination section according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a specific flow of processing for displaying a virtual world according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen displaying a virtual world according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which information indicating the association between a section and a real facility is displayed according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which a user inputs user attribute information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a specific flow of a process for displaying a virtual position section according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which a recommended route is displayed according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying the progress status of a game related to a linked user according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which an associable section is displayed according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen where the virtual corresponding position is outside the virtual movable range according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a specific flow of processing for executing an event in a game according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a specific flow of processing for displaying facility information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which facility information is displayed according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which property information is displayed according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of another method executed by the game system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of screen transition when acquiring usage credential information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a game system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a terminal according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 23] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a method executed by a game system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which an object indicating a precision circle and a virtual position according to the second embodiment of the present invention is displayed. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which an object indicating a precision circle and a virtual position according to the second embodiment of the present invention is displayed. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a screen for correcting a virtual position according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 27] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a method executed by a game system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a screen on which a corrected virtual position is moved based on a positional relationship according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 29] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen in which a corrected virtual position approaches a positioned virtual position over time according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 30] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a screen on which a corrected virtual position is moved within an accuracy circle according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a screen for an administrator according to a modified example of the second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] [Embodiment 1] The game system 1 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0011] <Game System 1 Overview> The game system 1 is a system for progressing a game that uses location information. To play a game progressed by the game system 1, a user moves around the real world carrying a terminal. In the game, a section associated with the terminal carried by the user, out of a plurality of sections arranged in a virtual world corresponding to the real world, can be updated based on the position of the terminal in the real world.

[0012] For example, one example of a positioning technology that the game system 1 employs to acquire location information is a positioning technology that uses a global positioning system (GPS). In this case, the game can be played using a terminal equipped with a GPS receiving function. Note that GPS signals are unlikely to be received indoors. Therefore, it is desirable to employ a positioning technology that uses GPS when the play area of ​​the game played by the game system 1 is expected to be outdoors. Here, the play area refers to a real-world area in which the game played by the game system 1 can be played. The play area may be defined in the game system 1 using a world coordinate system or the like, or may refer to an area that can be positioned using indoor positioning technology, which will be described later.

[0013] When the play area is assumed to be indoors, known indoor positioning technology (indoor mapping) can be used as the positioning technology.

[0014] For example, when using IMES (Indoor Messaging System) as an example of indoor positioning technology, multiple IMES transmitters are distributed throughout the play area. In this case, the game can be played using a device equipped with the function to receive GPS-compatible radio waves from the IMES transmitters. When IMES is used, it becomes possible to obtain location information that takes into account, for example, differences in floors.

[0015] For example, when using wireless LAN (Local Area Network) access points as an example of indoor positioning technology, multiple wireless LAN access points are distributed throughout the play area. In this case, the game can be played using a device equipped with a function to connect to the wireless LAN. However, when using a wireless LAN, it can be difficult to obtain location information that takes into account, for example, differences in floors.

[0016] Furthermore, for example, when beacons are used as an example of indoor positioning technology, multiple beacon transmitters are distributed throughout the play area, and the game can be played using a device equipped with a function for receiving radio waves from the beacon transmitters (e.g., a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication function).

[0017] Another example of a positioning technology is a method of having a terminal recognize signs distributed throughout the play area (hereinafter referred to as a "positioning method for recognizing signs"). Specific examples of the positioning method for recognizing signs include a method using a multidimensional code and a method using near field communication (NFC). When using a multidimensional code, multiple signs displaying the multidimensional code are distributed throughout the play area. In this case, the game can be played using a terminal equipped with a camera for reading the multidimensional code. When using NFC, multiple NFC readers (an example of signs) are distributed throughout the play area. In this case, the game can be played using a terminal equipped with an NFC communication function.

[0018] The positioning technology employed in the game system 1 is not limited to the above-described examples. The game system 1 may also employ a combination of multiple types of positioning technology. The game system 1 may also acquire more accurate position information among the position information acquired by each of the multiple positioning technologies. For example, because position information acquired by a multidimensional code or NFC is less likely to have errors, it may be acquired in preference to position information acquired by other positioning technologies.

[0019] <Configuration of Game System 1> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a game system 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the game system 1 includes terminals 10-1, 10-2, ... and a game server 30. When there is no need to particularly distinguish between the terminals 10-1, 10-2, ..., each will be simply referred to as a terminal 10. These devices are communicably connected via a network NW. The network NW includes wireless communication networks such as wireless LAN and mobile data communication. Although FIG. 1 shows two terminals 10, the number of terminals 10 included in the game system 1 may be one or three or more. Although FIG. 1 shows one game server 30, the number of game servers 30 included in the game system 1 may be multiple.

[0020] (Hardware configuration of terminal 10) The terminal 10 is a terminal that can be carried by a user who plays a game that uses location information, and is a terminal that can acquire location information of the terminal 10 as location information used in the game. The terminal 10 cooperates with the game server 30 to progress the game that uses location information.

[0021] 1, the terminal 10 includes, for example, a processor 11, a memory 12, a communication interface 13, an input device 14, a display device 15, and a positioning sensor 16. These components are connected via a bus 19. For example, the terminal 10 is a portable terminal that can be carried around. Specific examples of the terminal 10 include, but are not limited to, a smartphone, a tablet, a portable home game console, a wearable device, etc.

[0022] The processor 11 controls each part of the terminal 10 by executing a program stored in the memory 12. The processor 11 is configured by an integrated circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), for example.

[0023] The memory 12 stores programs executed by the processor 11 and various data used by the processor 11. The memory 12 is configured, for example, by a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM (registered trademark)), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), or a combination thereof.

[0024] The communication interface 13 is an interface for connecting to the network NW. The communication interface 13 may be, for example, a communication interface for connecting to a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or an interface for connecting to mobile data communication.

[0025] The input device 14 is a device that accepts user operations and is configured, for example, by a controller, a mouse, a touchpad, a microphone, or a combination of these. The display device 15 is a device that displays a screen for progressing through the game and is configured, for example, by a display.

[0026] The positioning sensor 16 is a sensor for measuring the position of the terminal 10. As the positioning sensor 16, a sensor of a type compatible with the positioning technology adopted in the game system 1 is applied. For example, examples of the positioning sensor 16 include some or all of a GPS receiver, a wireless LAN interface, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) interface, a camera, an NFC interface, etc., but are not limited to these.

[0027] (Hardware configuration of game server 30) As shown in FIG. 1, the game server 30 is a computer that cooperates with the terminal 10 to progress a game that uses location information. The game server 30 includes, for example, a processor 31, a memory 32, and a communication interface 33. These components are connected via a bus 39. The processor 31, the memory 32, and the communication interface 33 will be described in the same manner as the components of the same name that the terminal 10 has, and therefore detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0028] (Functional configuration of terminal 10) Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the terminal 10 includes a control unit 110 and a storage unit 130. The control unit 110 is realized by the processor 11 executing a program stored in the memory 12. The storage unit 130 is configured by the memory 12.

[0029] (Configuration of control unit 110) 2, the control unit 110 includes a user position acquisition unit 111, a virtual world acquisition unit 112, a virtual position section identification unit 113, a virtual position section display unit 114, a virtual corresponding position display unit 115, a destination section identification unit 116, an associable section identification unit 117, an NPC position section identification unit 118, an NPC position display unit 119, and an event execution unit 120. The control unit 110 also includes a user attribute information acquisition unit 121, a highlighted facility identification unit 122, a highlighting unit 123, a usage history information acquisition unit 124, a game effect imparting unit 125, and a specific facility information acquisition unit 126.

[0030] The user position acquisition unit 111 acquires user real position information indicating the position of the user's terminal 10 in the real world. The position in the real world is hereinafter referred to as the "real position." For example, the user position acquisition unit 111 can acquire the user real position information using the positioning sensor 16 and a positioning technique adopted in the game system 1. Specific examples of the positioning technique have been described above, and therefore detailed description will not be repeated.

[0031] The virtual world acquisition unit 112 acquires a virtual world that corresponds to the real world. A "virtual world" is a world within a game. In one aspect of the present invention, it corresponds to the real world. A virtual world that corresponds to the real world means that it is a world based on the arrangement, structure, etc. of real objects (e.g., buildings, passageways, etc.) that exist in at least a part of the real world. For example, the virtual world may be a world that imitates map information of the real world (including maps inside buildings), or a world that is associated with position information, etc. of real objects. More specifically, the virtual world may be generated based on, for example, real outdoor spaces, indoor spaces, etc. Furthermore, the virtual world may be a three-dimensional space or a two-dimensional plane.

[0032] For example, the virtual world acquisition unit 112 may acquire virtual world information indicating the virtual world from the game server 30. The virtual world information is information indicating the virtual world described above. For example, the virtual world information may include information indicating the correspondence between positions in the virtual world (hereinafter referred to as "virtual positions") and real positions, the positions of each section, the positions of inter-section paths connecting each section, and virtual positions corresponding to real objects. Note that an inter-section path is a path connecting sections, and when simply referred to as a "path," it refers to the entire path from one section to another (i.e., including sections passed through along the way). Note that information indicating the correspondence between virtual positions and real positions may include, for example, information associating at least a partial position in the virtual world, such as a virtual section, with the latitude and longitude of the real position. For example, the inter-section path may be arranged to correspond to a passable real passage in the real world (e.g., an outdoor road, an indoor passage, etc.), or may be arranged independently of the real passage. Note that when multiple sections are arranged so that adjacent sections share a boundary, the arrangement of inter-section paths is not necessarily required.

[0033] The virtual location section identification unit 113 identifies some of the sections arranged in the virtual world as virtual location sections based on the user real location information and associates them with the terminal 10. Hereinafter, the virtual location section identified based on the user real location information will be referred to as a "virtual location section corresponding to the user" or a "user's virtual location section." A "section" is a partial area set in the virtual world that is separated from the surrounding area. For example, in a game in which a game medium (e.g., a sugoroku piece) is moved, a "section" is a place where the game medium stops during its movement (e.g., a square on the sugoroku game). A plurality of sections are set in the virtual world, and adjacent sections may be separated from each other by a path between the sections, or the sections may be adjacent to each other without a path between them. Furthermore, a section is not necessarily limited to an area having an area, and may be defined as a point in the virtual world. Furthermore, the size of a section is not limited, and it may be small, for example, displayed as a single dot on the screen.

[0034] "Game media" refers to media used in the progression of a game. Specific examples of game media include characters appearing in the game, various items used in the game (e.g., cards, properties, etc., as described below), and in-game currency (e.g., the cash, as described below). Furthermore, game media are units that can be possessed by a user. A possessable unit is, for example, the smallest unit for consumption or acquisition. "Possessed by a user" refers to being associated with a user. "Possessed by a user" may also refer to being associated with a user in a state where the user can use the game media exclusively. Giving a user possession of game media is also referred to as "granting the user." In other words, game media are possessed by being granted to a user. Possession includes, for example, permanent possession until consumed by the user, temporary possession by rental, etc. Bringing a game medium into a state where the user owns the game media is also referred to as "granting the user."

[0035] Note that the number of virtual location sections associated with the terminal 10 may be one or more. When there are multiple virtual location sections associated with the terminal 10, an associable section, which will be described later, may be identified based on each of the multiple virtual location sections.

[0036] Furthermore, when a second condition including a condition regarding the relationship between the user real position information and the associable section is satisfied, the virtual position section identification unit 113 associates the section identified as the associable section with the terminal 10 as a virtual position section. Note that the associable section is a section identified when the first condition is satisfied. The associable section and the first condition will be described later.

[0037] The "second condition" is a condition for associating a section identified as an associable section with the user's terminal 10 as a virtual location section. The second condition includes a condition regarding the relationship between the user's real location information and the associable section. The "relationship between the user's real location information and the associable section" may be, for example, a positional relationship between a virtual location corresponding to the user's real location (hereinafter also referred to as "user's virtual location") and the location of the associable section. In this case, the condition may be, for example, that the distance between the user's virtual location and the location of the associable section is within a predetermined range. The "relationship between the user's real location information and the associable section" may be, for example, a positional relationship between the user's real location and a real location corresponding to the location of the associable section. The real location of an object, etc., existing in a virtual world such as an associable section is, for example, a real location indicated by world coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) in the real world associated with the object, etc. In this case, the condition may be, for example, that the distance between the user's real location and the real location corresponding to the associable section is within a predetermined range. In this case, the real location may be associated with an associable section set in the virtual world. Hereinafter, the "relationship between the user's real position information and the associable section" will be referred to as the "condition regarding the positional relationship."

[0038] The second condition may include a condition other than the condition regarding the positional relationship. The other condition may be, for example, a condition requiring a user operation. For example, the other condition may be a user operation that approves that the associable partition should be used as the virtual location partition.

[0039] The virtual location section display unit 114 executes a process for visibly displaying the virtual location section. The virtual location section display unit 114 also executes a process for visibly displaying virtual location sections corresponding to other users associated with the user. This allows the user to know the virtual location sections corresponding to other users associated with the user. The virtual corresponding position display unit 115 executes processing to visibly display a virtual corresponding position, which is a position in the virtual world where at least one of a section and an inter-section route connecting sections preset in the virtual world is located, and which is specified based on the user's real position information. This allows the user to more easily recognize where the real position corresponds to the section or the inter-section route. Hereinafter, the "virtual corresponding position specified based on the user's real position information" will also be referred to as the "user's virtual corresponding position."

[0040] The destination section identification unit 116 identifies a section among the multiple sections as a destination section that is a destination. The destination section identification unit 116 also associates the section identified as the destination section with the terminal 10. Note that when an opponent is associated with the user, the destination section is identified so as to be common to the user and the opponent. The opponent may be an NPC (non-player character) or another user.

[0041] Here, other users do not necessarily have to be associated with a user as an opponent, but may be associated as users who cooperate without competing (hereinafter referred to as "linked users"). Linked users are users with whom a linking process can be executed in a game. Examples of linking processes include, but are not limited to, displaying each other's virtual location sections and processing in which one user's past virtual location section affects the other user's game progress. Furthermore, a user and a linked user may each be able to play a game with an NPC as their opponent. Furthermore, the sections identified as destination sections between a user and a linked user may be the same or different. Linked users may be associated with a user by inputting identification information of the user who wishes to link, reading a multidimensional code displayed on the terminal 10 of the user who wishes to link, or the like. A group of linked users may be formed by multiple users who link with each other. For example, if a user sets two other users as linked users, a group of three linked users may be formed by the user and the two other users.

[0042] The destination section identification unit 116 may also identify a destination section from a plurality of sections according to a predetermined rule, which will be described later.

[0043] When the first condition is satisfied, the associable section identifying unit 117 identifies a section among sections other than the virtual location section as an associable section that can be used as the next virtual location section.

[0044] The "first condition" is a condition for identifying a part of the partitions other than the virtual location partition as an associable partition that can be associated with the terminal 10 as a virtual location partition. This makes it possible to provide a new game that requires the user to move and operate in the real world so that the associable partition becomes a virtual location partition. The first condition may be a condition that includes a user performing an operation to identify an associable partition. An example of a first condition including a user operation to identify an associable partition is that the user performs an operation to randomly select one number from multiple numbers and identifies one number in response to the operation. In this case, the associable partition identification unit 117 identifies the associable partition based on the randomly selected number. This increases the enjoyment of performing an operation to identify an associable partition because the user does not know which partition will be the associable partition until the lottery is held. For example, if the game is a sugoroku game, an operation such as rolling dice or spinning a roulette wheel in the game can be used to randomly select a number (hereinafter, tools used to randomly select numbers, such as dice or roulette, are referred to as "dice, etc.").

[0045] Furthermore, for example, the identification of an associable section may be based on a numerical value identified by a method other than lottery. For example, a code for inputting a numerical value obtained by the user outside the game (e.g., a bonus obtained through a real-life purchase) may be registered in the game system 1. In this case, the operation for the user to identify an associable section, which is included in the first condition, is the operation for inputting the numerical value.

[0046] The first condition may also be a condition that does not include a user operation for identifying an associable section. An example of a first condition that does not include a user operation for identifying an associable section is that a section identified as an associable section is associated with the terminal 10 as a virtual location section. For example, if the game is a game simulating sugoroku, one aspect of the first condition is that the player arrives at the next square. That is, in this aspect, when the player arrives at a certain square, the next square may be identified automatically (without user operation) according to a predetermined rule. Examples of the predetermined rule include a lottery or designation by an operator. In this aspect, the first associable section may also be identified according to a rule similar to the predetermined rule in response to the start of the game. Note that, for example, in a game simulating sugoroku, identifying the first associable section means identifying the associable section (square) that can be reached after the start.

[0047] The "process of associating with the terminal 10" is a process that enables the game system 1 to identify and refer to the terminal 10. For example, this may be a process of acquiring identification information of the terminal 10. Furthermore, for example, the acquired identification information of the terminal 10 may be appropriately associated with other information used by the game system 1. For example, in the process of associating a section with the terminal 10, which will be described later, the section is associated with the identification information of the terminal 10.

[0048] The "process of associating a partition with the terminal 10 as a virtual location partition" refers to making it possible to identify a partition as a virtual location partition of a certain terminal 10 in a process of referencing a virtual location partition. For example, the process of associating a partition with the terminal 10 as a virtual location partition may be a process of simply associating the partition with the terminal 10. Also, for example, the process of associating a partition with the terminal 10 as a virtual location partition may include a process of further associating an attribute indicating that the partition is a virtual location partition with the partition associated with the terminal 10. Furthermore, the phrase "associating a partition identified as an associable partition with the terminal 10 as a virtual location partition when the second condition is satisfied" refers to updating a partition that was associated with the terminal 10 as a virtual location partition before the second condition was satisfied to a partition identified as an associable partition.

[0049] Furthermore, the associable section identifying unit 117 is capable of executing processing to identify the next associable section in response to the virtual position section identifying unit 113 associating the associable section as a virtual location section with the terminal 10. This allows the user to enjoy moving the virtual location section to the associable section, as the next associable section is set when the user moves to the associable section.

[0050] Furthermore, the associable section identification unit 117 identifies the destination section as an associable section when a third condition is satisfied. The "third condition" is a condition for identifying a destination section as an associable section. For example, if the first condition uses a number drawn from among multiple numbers to identify the associable section, the third condition may be that a number is drawn by lottery so that the identified associable section corresponds to the destination section. More specifically, for example, if the game is a game simulating sugoroku, the dice must show the exact number to reach the destination.

[0051] The NPC position section identification unit 118 identifies an NPC position section that is a part of the multiple sections and is associated with an NPC that is previously associated as the user's opponent. Furthermore, if a fourth condition is satisfied, the NPC position section identification unit 118 associates a part of the sections other than the NPC position section with the NPC as the next NPC position section. Furthermore, if a fifth condition is satisfied, the NPC position section identification unit 118 identifies the destination section as the NPC position section.

[0052] Here, the "fourth condition" is a condition for associating a section of sections other than the NPC location section with an NPC as the next NPC location section. For example, the fourth condition may be to identify one number from a plurality of numbers by lottery. In this case, the section determined based on that number becomes the next NPC location section. For example, if the game is a game simulating sugoroku, a number may be drawn by lottery, and the next NPC location section may be identified based on that number.

[0053] If multiple sections can be set as NPC location sections based on the numerical value, one of the multiple sections may be identified as the next NPC location section according to a predetermined rule. The predetermined rule used to identify the NPC location section may be, for example, a lottery, selecting an event described below that is most advantageous for the NPC, selecting the section closest to the destination section, etc. For example, if a 3 is rolled on a die and there are multiple squares three squares away due to a branching route, one square from the multiple squares may be selected as the NPC location section by lottery, etc.

[0054] The "fifth condition" is a condition for identifying a destination block as an NPC location block. For example, if the fourth condition uses a number drawn from among multiple numbers to identify an NPC location block, the fifth condition may be that a number is drawn by lottery so that the identified NPC location block corresponds to the destination block. More specifically, if the game is a sugoroku game, the dice must roll the exact number needed to reach the destination.

[0055] The NPC position display unit 119 executes processing for visually displaying the NPC position section.

[0056] The event execution unit 120 associates event information indicating an event progressing in the game with at least some of the multiple sections, and when the event information is associated with a section identified as a virtual location section, executes an event based on the event information. The event may include, for example, a process that has an effect on the progress of the game, or a process related to facilities in the real world. The process that has an effect on the progress of the game included in the event may, for example, be a process that has an advantageous effect on the progress of the game or a process that has an unfavorable effect. For example, it may include changing a parameter used in the progress of the game. The change may be an advantageous change or a disadvantageous change in the progress of the game. The parameter may be the amount of in-game currency described above, for example, a parameter used to acquire game content such as items in the game (e.g., the amount of money, etc., described below). Furthermore, the process may include, for example, the granting of game content that affects the progress of the game (e.g., cards, etc., described below). An example of a process related to facilities in the real world included in the event is displaying facility information, etc., described below.

[0057] Furthermore, for example, the event may be an event that has a beneficial effect on the progress of the game in response to the destination section being identified as a virtual location section. This allows the user to play a game in which the user enjoys setting the destination as a virtual location section to obtain a beneficial effect on the progress of the game. Note that, when a common destination section is set with an opponent NPC, the event may be an event that has a beneficial effect on the progress of the game for the user or the NPC corresponding to a section identified as a destination section in a predetermined order among the virtual location section and the NPC location section. Note that, when a common destination section is set with another opponent user, the event may be an event that has a beneficial effect on the progress of the game for the user or the other opponent user corresponding to a section identified as a destination section in a predetermined order among the user's virtual location section and the other user's virtual location section. For example, the event includes an event that has a beneficial effect on the progress of the game for the user when the user's virtual location section is identified as a destination section first between the user and the opponent. In this case, the event may further include an event that has some effect (advantageous effect or disadvantageous effect) on the progress of the game for the opponent. On the other hand, for example, when the virtual location section of the opponent between the user and the opponent is first identified as the destination section, the event may include an event that has some effect (advantageous effect or disadvantageous effect) on the progress of the game for the user.

[0058] Furthermore, for example, the event may be an event that provides a user with an advantageous effect in the progress of the game in response to a zone that was previously a virtual location zone corresponding to another user being identified as a virtual location zone corresponding to the user. Here, the "other user" may refer to another user associated as an opponent, or may be the linked user described above. This may motivate the user to set a zone that was previously a virtual location zone corresponding to another user associated with the user as their own virtual location zone. This may also provide the user with the enjoyment of cooperating with other users.

[0059] Furthermore, for example, the event may be to display facility information associated with a section. In response to a section identified as an associable section being associated with the terminal 10 as a virtual location section, the event execution unit 120 executes processing to display the facility information associated with the section. Note that facility information related to facilities existing in the real world is associated with at least some of the multiple sections. This makes it possible to provide a game that can provide the user with information about facilities existing in the real world.

[0060] Here, "facility information" refers to information relating to facilities that exist in the real world. Examples of facilities include stores and public facilities. Examples of facility information include the name of the facility, the type of facility, the location of the facility, contact information for the facility, advertisements for the facility, and information about benefits that make it advantageous to use the facility. By including advertisement information in the facility information, advertisements for facilities that exist in the real world can be provided to users. Furthermore, facilities can provide advertisements for the facilities to users.

[0061] Each piece of information included in the facility information may have different conditions for accepting input. The input includes new input and input for changing previously entered information. For example, the user who enters the information may be different. For example, advertisements may be entered by a facility operator, and non-advertising information such as the name, type, location, and contact information may be entered by a game operator. Furthermore, for example, the condition for acceptance may be the time period during which the information can be accepted. For example, advertisements may be accepted at any time, while acceptance of information other than advertisements may be limited to a predetermined time period. For example, if one aspect of the game is implemented for a limited period of time, advertisements may be changeable at any time during the period, while other information may be displayed only until the start of the period. Furthermore, each piece of information included in the facility information may have different conditions for display by the event execution unit 120. For example, information indicating an advertisement may be displayed on the condition that a fee is paid by the facility.

[0062] The event may also be to provide the user with special benefit information included in facility information associated with a partition. In response to a partition identified as an associable partition being associated with the terminal 10 as a virtual location partition, the event execution unit 120 executes processing to provide the user with special benefit information included in facility information associated with the partition. This may increase the user's satisfaction by associating facility information including special benefit information with the partition that has become a virtual location partition.

[0063] Here, "benefit information" refers to information that makes it more advantageous to use a facility. Making it more advantageous to use a facility means, for example, a reduction in the facility's usage fee, or, if the facility is a store, a reduction in the price required to purchase a product, or providing a gift to the user from the facility. Examples of reductions include discounts and fixed-amount reductions. One form of benefit information may also be referred to as a "coupon." Examples of processing modes for providing benefit information to a user include a process for displaying information indicating the user's right to receive the benefit on the user's terminal, and a process for displaying a one-dimensional code, multi-dimensional code, etc. required to exercise the benefit on the user's terminal.

[0064] Furthermore, the event execution unit 120 changes the content of the benefit information based on the content of the usage history information. Details of the usage history information will be described later. As a result, a benefit can be obtained based on the usage history, and therefore, the user can be motivated to use the facility before playing the game. Furthermore, as a benefit can be provided to the user, the user can be motivated to use the facility after the benefit has been provided.

[0065] The event also includes enabling the acquisition of game content (e.g., property, as described below). For example, the game content can be acquired in exchange for consuming parameters associated with the user (e.g., reducing the amount of money, as described below). When the event is associated with a partition, the event execution unit 120 executes an event that enables the user to acquire the game content in response to the partition identified as an associable partition being associated with the terminal 10 as a virtual location partition.

[0066] As described above, the present invention is not limited to the mode in which an event is executed based on event information associated with a section. For example, a game system according to one mode of the present invention may simply set sections identified as associable sections as virtual location sections.

[0067] The user attribute information acquisition unit 121 acquires user attribute information indicating the attributes of a user. Here, "user attribute information" refers to information indicating the attributes of a user that are associated with information that identifies the user. Examples of user attributes include gender, age, and areas of interest. The information indicating the areas of interest may be information selected from a plurality of options indicating types of areas such as fashion, sports, etc.

[0068] The user attribute information may be acquired by user input, from the user's play history of the game system 1, or from the use history of other software on the terminal 10. For example, the user attribute information may be acquired from the user's play history based on facilities visited by the user in the real world. Specifically, the user may identify facilities visited by the user based on the history of virtual locations corresponding to the user's real location, and acquire the user attribute information from facility information corresponding to the facilities. For example, if the user frequently visits shoe and clothing stores, the user may be associated with fashion attributes. For example, the user attribute information may be acquired from the use history of other software based on the user's settings for other software, search history entered into search software, purchase history in electronic commerce (EC), etc.

[0069] The highlighted facility identification unit 122 identifies a facility to be highlighted from among multiple facilities based on user attribute information. The highlighting unit 123 executes processing to highlight the facility to be highlighted. This makes it possible to highlight and convey to the user real-world facilities that correspond to the user's attributes.

[0070] The usage history information acquisition unit 124 acquires usage history information indicating the user's usage history of the facility. Here, "usage history information" refers to information indicating the usage history of the facility. Examples of such information include the number of times the facility has been used in the past, the amount paid to the facility, purchase history if the facility is a store, and usage certificate information indicating the contents of a document issued by the facility that certifies that the user has paid for the facility.

[0071] The game effect imparting unit 125 executes processing to provide a beneficial effect on the progress of the game in response to the usage certificate information acquired by the usage history information acquiring unit 124 or based on the content of the usage certificate information. Here, "usage certificate information" refers to information indicating the content of a document proving that a user has paid a fee. Examples of the document include a receipt or a receipt. The document may be paper or electronic information. The usage certificate may be any information indicating the content of the document. If the document is electronic information, the usage certificate may be at least a part of the electronic information, as long as it contains content proving that the user has paid a fee. If the document is paper, the usage certificate may be at least a part of electronic data, such as data obtained by scanning or photographing, that contains content proving that the user has paid a fee. This can motivate users who have used the facility, including paying a fee, to play the game.

[0072] The specific facility information acquisition unit 126 acquires specific facility information indicating a portion of facilities identified by the user from among a plurality of facilities. The specific facility information is referenced in a predetermined rule used by the destination section identification unit 116 when identifying a destination section from a plurality of sections. In one aspect of the present invention, the predetermined rule used when identifying a destination section is a rule that a section associated with facility information corresponding to the specific facility information is identified as a destination section with priority over other sections. This increases the probability that the section desired by the user will be identified as a destination section, thereby improving user satisfaction. Furthermore, for example, if a user plans to visit a facility and identifies the facility, the probability that the section corresponding to the facility will be identified as a destination section in the game increases, thereby improving convenience.

[0073] A specific example of a predetermined rule that prioritizes a zone associated with facility information corresponding to specific facility information as a destination zone over other zones is a rule that identifies the destination zone by lottery from among multiple zones, and that sets a higher probability that a zone associated with facility information corresponding to specific facility information will be identified as a destination zone than the probability that other zones will be identified. The predetermined rule may also be a rule other than lottery. For example, a rule that always sets a zone associated with facility information corresponding to specific facility information as a destination zone may be used. In this case, a rule that always sets a destination zone immediately after the start of the game as a zone associated with facility information corresponding to specific facility information may be used. For example, in an aspect in which another destination zone is identified each time a destination zone is reached (the destination zone becomes a virtual location zone), a zone associated with facility information corresponding to specific facility information may be set as a destination zone in a predetermined round, such as the second or fifth round.

[0074] (Information stored in storage unit 130) For example, the storage unit 130 stores linked user information, usage history information, virtual world information, event information, facility information, and handover data. The linked user information is information indicating a linked user associated with a user using the terminal 10. The virtual world information, event information, and facility information are information common to the same play area. The handover data is information associated with the user using the terminal 10, and is referenced when the user finishes playing the game and resumes playing it.

[0075] The storage unit 130 also stores various types of information (not shown) that the control unit 110 updates as the game progresses. The various types of information include user real-world location information, virtual location sections, NPC location sections, destination sections, usage history information, etc. The various types of information may also include information indicating game media associated with the user and game media associated with NPCs as the game progresses. The above-mentioned carryover data may include this various information at the end of the game.

[0076] (Functional configuration of game server 30) Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the game server 30. As shown in Fig. 3, the game server 30 includes a control unit 310 and a storage unit 330. The control unit 310 is realized by the processor 31 executing a program stored in the memory 32. The storage unit 330 is configured by the memory 32.

[0077] (Configuration of control unit 310) As shown in FIG. 3 , the control unit 310 includes a virtual world association unit 311. The virtual world association unit 311 associates each of the terminals 10 of the multiple users with a virtual world. The above-described functional blocks function in each terminal 10, thereby associating each of the terminals 10 of the multiple users with a virtual location section identified for that terminal 10. For example, the virtual world association unit 311 may associate the terminal 10 with a virtual world in response to the terminal 10 receiving a user's operation to start a game. Furthermore, for example, the virtual world association unit 311 may associate the terminal 10 with a virtual world on the condition that the terminal 10 is present in a play area of ​​a game in which the game system 1 is progressing. Here, "the terminal 10 is present in the play area" may mean that user real position information is included in a predetermined area of ​​the real world that is predetermined as the play area. Furthermore, "the terminal 10 is present in the play area" may mean that user real position information is acquired by the user position acquisition unit 111 using indoor positioning technology. Furthermore, if there are multiple play areas for the game in which the game system 1 progresses, the terminal 10 may be associated with the virtual world corresponding to the play area in which the terminal 10 exists.

[0078] Furthermore, an upper limit is set on the number of terminals that the virtual world association unit 311 associates with one virtual world. This makes it possible to prevent an excessive number of users playing games using one virtual world compared to when there is no upper limit on the number of terminals 10 associated with one virtual world. Ultimately, it makes it possible to prevent an excessive number of users in the real world corresponding to that virtual world.

[0079] Furthermore, an upper limit is set on the number of terminals 10 associated with one destination section. This makes it possible to prevent an excessive number of users heading to a section for one purpose compared to when there is no upper limit on the number of terminals 10 associated with one destination section, and therefore makes it possible to prevent an excessive number of users in a location corresponding to the destination section in the real world and an excessive number of users heading to that location.

[0080] (Information stored in storage unit 330) For example, the storage unit 330 stores terminal information, linked user information, usage history information, virtual world information, event information, facility information, and handover data. The terminal information is information related to a terminal associated with a virtual world. For example, the terminal information may include identification information of each terminal 10 associated with the virtual world and / or identification information of a user using each terminal 10. Furthermore, the linked user information, usage history information, virtual world information, event information, facility information, and handover data have been described above, and therefore will not be described in detail again. The linked user information, usage history information, and handover data are synchronized with information of the same name stored in the storage unit 130 of the terminal 10. Furthermore, the virtual world information, event information, and facility information are information common to the play area.

[0081] <Example of a game> An example of a game played by the game system 1 is a game modeled after "Sugoroku," in which a player moves between multiple zones arranged in a virtual world toward a destination zone. A user playing the game moves their virtual location zone in the virtual world toward a destination zone by carrying the terminal 10 and moving within a play area in the real world. The play area in the real world may be, for example, a commercial complex including multiple facilities, but is not limited to this. The game may be a turn-based game in which multiple players compete against each other. The user's opponents may be NPCs, other users, or both. The number of opponents may be one or more.

[0082] Assets are associated with the user and opponents as the game progresses. Hereinafter, "assets associated with a user" will be referred to as "assets owned by a user." Assets are, for example, the sum of the amount of money on hand and the value of a property (e.g., a purchase price). "Money on hand" is an example of in-game currency associated with a user, and is consumed, for example, to purchase a property (e.g., the amount of money on hand associated with the user decreases). "Properties" are an example of game media, and a price and a rate of return are associated with each type of property. Furthermore, properties are associated with a user when a predetermined condition is met. An example of a predetermined condition for a property to be associated with a user is completing a predetermined challenge in the game, in which case the property may be awarded as a reward. Another example of a predetermined condition for a property to be associated with a user is reducing the amount of money on hand by the price associated with the property (consuming money).

[0083] A property is associated with each of at least some of the multiple parcels. For example, the property may have the name of information related to a facility included in a commercial complex (e.g., the name of the facility, products sold at the facility in the real world, etc.). In this case, for example, property information indicating the property may be included in facility information associated with the parcel. The property information is information including at least the name of the property, the price and profit rate associated with the property. The property associated with the parcel can be purchased with the funds held by a user who has the parcel as his or her virtual location parcel. Furthermore, by owning the property, the amount of the user's funds increases by the amount of profit at a predetermined time. The profit is calculated based on the price and profit rate of the property. Furthermore, the property is considered to be an asset with an amount based on the price.

[0084] Items are associated with users as the game progresses. Items are an example of game media that have the effect of advantageously progressing through the game. For example, items are referred to as "cards," but are not limited to this. Items include, but are not limited to, cards that increase the number of dice rolled at one time, cards that allow other sections to be associated with sections regardless of dice rolls, cards that increase rewards when a destination section is reached, and the like.

[0085] For example, a destination section is identified at the beginning of game play and is common between the user and the opponent.

[0086] During a user's turn, a lottery process simulating dice rolling is executed in response to the user's "rolling the dice" operation, and the "number of sections that can be advanced through" is determined by the lottery process. The user's virtual location section can be updated to any of the associable sections that can be reached by starting from the section and tracing the sections on the route equal to the "number of sections that can be advanced through."

[0087] When the user's virtual location zone is updated, an event associated with that zone is executed. Examples of events include an increase or decrease in the amount of money and / or items the user has in the game, a choice of whether or not to purchase a property associated with that zone, and the provision of coupons that can be used at real facilities associated with that zone. Note that events are not limited to these, and other specific examples of events are as described above.

[0088] During the opponent's turn, the opponent's virtual location area is updated. The occurrence of events and property purchases in response to the update of the opponent's virtual location area are explained in the same manner as the update of the user's virtual location area.

[0089] An event that has a beneficial effect on the progress of the game is executed for the user or opponent who reaches the destination section first.

[0090] When either the user or the opponent reaches the destination zone, the user determines whether to identify a new destination zone or end the game. However, the game may continue until a predetermined number of turns are completed regardless of whether the destination zone is reached. The ranking of the user and the opponent is determined by the assets at the end of the game.

[0091] The assets and items acquired as the game progresses are saved as carryover data. For example, when a user plays a game again, the user can start the game using the carryover data saved when the previous game ended. This allows the user to revisit a play area and play the game using the game assets and items acquired during the previous visit to the play area, increasing the user's motivation to revisit the play area.

[0092] For example, if a playable period during which a game can be played in a play area is set, a ranking among multiple users who have played the game may be determined based on assets at the end of the playable period. Users may be awarded rewards that can be used in the play area in the real world according to their ranking.

[0093] <Game System 1 Processing> Fig. 4 is a flow diagram showing the flow of method S1 executed by game system 1. As shown in Fig. 4, method S1 includes steps S100 to S158 executed by terminal 10 and steps S200 to S208 executed by game server 30. The following describes the flow of the process using an example in which the play area is inside a commercial complex.

[0094] In step S100, the control unit 110 of the terminal 10 accepts a user operation to start a game. In step S102, the user position acquisition unit 111 acquires user real position information. For example, the user position acquisition unit 111 may use the indoor positioning technology described above. The control unit 110 also transmits a game start request to the game server 30. The game start request may include identification information of the terminal 10, information about the user's current position, etc.

[0095] In step S200, the virtual world association unit 311 of the game server 30 associates the terminal 10 with the virtual world. For example, the virtual world association unit 311 may associate the terminal 10 with a virtual world corresponding to a commercial complex containing the user's current location information if adding 1 to the number of terminals already associated with the virtual world (hereinafter referred to as the "number of participants") does not exceed the upper limit (i.e., the number of participants does not exceed the upper limit). Furthermore, the control unit 310 transmits information necessary for playing the game to the terminal 10 associated with the virtual world. For example, the information necessary to start the game includes virtual world information, event information, and facility information. Note that if the terminal 10 already has this information (for example, if the terminal 10 has played the game in the past), the control unit 110 does not necessarily transmit this information to the terminal 10.

[0096] If a user applies to participate but the number of participants exceeds the upper limit, the control unit 310 may notify the user by transmitting information to the terminal 10 indicating that the user cannot participate in the game due to the number limit. Hereinafter, notifying a user by transmitting some information to the terminal 10 will be simply referred to as "notifying the user." Furthermore, if the number of participants exceeds the upper limit, the control unit 310 may enable a user to make a reservation to participate in the game. The reservation may be made without requiring a user operation or based on a user operation. Furthermore, the control unit 310 may store the terminals 10 of users who have made a reservation to participate in the game in association with the reservation order, and when the number of participants falls below the upper limit, notify the user that they are now eligible to participate in the game according to the reservation order. Furthermore, the process of associating a terminal 10 that has become eligible to participate with the virtual world may be performed without requiring a user operation or based on a user operation. Whether the number of participants has fallen below the upper limit may be determined based on a decrease in the number of participants. A decrease in the number of participants may occur when an operation to end the game is performed on a terminal 10 associated with the virtual world, when no operation is performed for a certain period of time in the commercial complex, when the terminal 10 is moved outside the commercial complex, etc. This can reduce excessive congestion in the commercial complex due to users playing the game.

[0097] In step S104, the virtual world acquisition unit 112 of the terminal 10 acquires a virtual world corresponding to the real world. For example, the virtual world acquisition unit 112 may acquire virtual world information, event information, and facility information transmitted from the game server 30. For example, the location of each section included in the virtual world information may correspond to a point on a real passageway within a commercial complex. Also, for example, inter-section routes connecting each section included in the virtual world may correspond to a real passageway within the commercial complex. Also, for example, the virtual world information may include facility information corresponding to each real facility within the commercial complex, and the facility information may be associated with sections around the virtual location of the facility indicated by the facility information.

[0098] In step S106, the destination zone identification unit 116 of the terminal 10 identifies some of the zones arranged in the virtual world as destination zones. Figure 5 is a flow diagram showing an example of a specific flow of processing for identifying a destination zone. As shown in Figure 5, step S106 includes steps S1060 to S1064.

[0099] In step S1060, the destination section identification unit 116 identifies, among the multiple sections, a section in which the number of terminals that have set that section as a destination section is less than an upper limit as a candidate destination section. For example, the number of terminals that have set each section as a destination section may be obtained by querying the game server 30. Also, information indicating sections in which the number of terminals is less than an upper limit may be obtained by querying the game server 30. This makes it possible to reduce excessive congestion at a certain facility due to users who have set a section associated with that facility as a destination section.

[0100] 5, the specific facility information acquisition unit 126 acquires specific facility information identified by the user from among multiple facilities. For example, the user may have previously identified one or more facilities in a commercial complex where the user is considering purchasing a product. The specific facility information may also include facilities identified as facilities to be highlighted based on user attribute information.

[0101] In step S1064, the destination section identification unit 116 identifies a destination section from among the candidate destination sections based on a predetermined rule. The predetermined rule in this embodiment is set so that a section associated with facility information corresponding to the specific facility information is given priority over other sections. Furthermore, if the specific facility information includes multiple facilities, the predetermined rule may include a rule that gives priority to a section associated with a facility that the user has not yet visited during this visit to the commercial complex.

[0102] Another aspect of the predetermined rule for identifying a destination zone from among the candidate destination zones may include a rule that prioritizes zones associated with the plurality of facilities that have not yet been identified as a destination zone for the current visit to the commercial complex, thereby allowing the user to more reliably visit the multiple facilities that he or she plans to visit while enjoying playing the game.

[0103] The destination section identification unit 116 associates the section identified as the destination section with the terminal 10. Hereinafter, "associating the section identified as the destination section with the terminal 10" will be referred to as "associating the destination section with the terminal 10." The destination section identification unit 116 transmits the identified destination section to the game server 30. The control unit 310 of the game server 30 associates the destination section with the terminal 10. The control unit 310 may also update the number of terminals that have the section as the destination section. This concludes the description of the process of identifying the destination section in step S106.

[0104] In step S202 of Figure 4, the control unit 110 of the game server 30 executes a process for managing the upper limit number of destination sections in response to the process (S106) for identifying a destination section by the terminal 10. The process for managing the upper limit number of destination sections includes, based on an inquiry from the terminal 10, transmitting to the terminal 10, information indicating the number of terminals that have each section as a destination section, and sections in which the number of terminals is less than the upper limit. The process for managing the upper limit number of destination sections also includes, for example, a process for associating the terminal 10 with the destination section transmitted from the terminal 10, and a process for updating the number of terminals that have the section as a destination section.

[0105] In step S108, the control unit 110 displays the virtual world on the display device 15 of the terminal 10. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a specific flow of processing for displaying the virtual world. As shown in Fig. 6, step S108 includes steps S1080 to S1086.

[0106] In step S1080, the control unit 110 displays on the display device 15 a plurality of sections arranged in the virtual world, routes between the sections, facility areas corresponding to existing facilities, and the like, based on the virtual world information.

[0107] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen displaying a virtual world. Screen example G1 shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display device 15 of the terminal 10. Screen example G1 includes areas G11, G12, G13, and controls G13 to G19. Area G11 includes a character, level, and amount of money associated with the user in the game. The character is used to distinguish the user's virtual location section from the NPC location section and the linked user's virtual location section on the game screen. Therefore, it is desirable that the character be different from the characters of the NPC and the linked user. The character may be set based on a user's operation, or may be set in advance without a user's operation. Note that the character does not necessarily have to be set, and may be replaced by text, graphics, etc. The level is an example of a parameter associated with the user and may provide an advantageous effect corresponding to the level as the game progresses. The level may also be increased as the game progresses. The amount of money is an example of a parameter associated with the user and is a parameter that can be consumed in exchange for acquiring game content such as cards and assets, as described below.

[0108] Area G12 includes multiple sections P1-P11 arranged in the virtual world, a route R11 passing through these sections, and facility areas Q1-Q17. Although not shown, facility areas Q1-Q17 may have information (e.g., name, type, etc.) of corresponding facilities in the real world superimposed thereon. Furthermore, sections P1-P11 arranged in the virtual world are classified into multiple types according to associated event information. The sections P1-P11 may be displayed in different ways depending on their types. In area G12, the sections P1-3 with diagonal lines, the gray sections P5-P8, and the white sections P9-P11 are of different types. For example, the types of sections may include, but are not limited to, those associated with event information that increases the amount of money, those associated with event information that decreases the amount of money, those associated with event information that grants cards, and those associated with event information that allows the purchase of properties.

[0109] Area G13 is an area showing the entire virtual world corresponding to the entire area of ​​a commercial complex in the real world. In the example screen G1, the entire virtual world includes virtual floors corresponding to the real basement floor (B1) and the first to fourth floors (1F to 4F) of the commercial complex. Note that area G12 displays part or all of any of the virtual floors. The virtual floors displayed in area G12 may be scrolled in any direction or switched to different virtual floors depending on at least one of the user's virtual position and the user's real position, or depending on the user's operation.

[0110] The operator G13 "dice" and the operator G14 "card" accept user operations to progress through the game. These will be described in detail later.

[0111] Operator G15 accepts an operation to call up a communication function (e.g., sending and receiving messages) between linked users. Operator G16 accepts an operation to call up a function to view a list of facilities included in the commercial complex. Operator G17 accepts a function to call up a function to view a floor map for each floor. Operator G18 accepts an operation to call up a function to view coupons (an example of benefit information) granted to the user. Operator G19 accepts an operation to call up a function to view facility usage history information.

[0112] Here, area G12 may further display information indicating the association between the section and the real facility. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying information indicating the association between the section and the real facility. Screen example G2 shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the display device 15 of the terminal 10. Screen example G2 schematically shows a portion of the virtual world that may be displayed in area G12 of screen example G1. Screen example G2 displays a hollow arrow-shaped figure indicating the association between the section and the real facility. For example, figure a21 is an arrow-shaped figure starting from section P22 and ending at facility area Q22. In other words, section P22 is associated with a real facility corresponding to facility area Q22. Furthermore, sections and real facilities are not limited to being associated one-to-one. For example, a certain section may be associated with multiple real facilities, or a certain real facility may be associated with multiple sections. For example, figures a22 and a23 are both arrow-shaped figures starting from section P26 and ending at different facility areas Q25 and Q26, respectively. That is, two different real facilities corresponding to facility areas Q25 and Q26 are associated with the section P26.

[0113] In step S1082 of FIG. 6, the user attribute information acquiring unit 121 acquires user attribute information. For example, the user attribute information acquiring unit 121 may acquire user attribute information input by a user. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which a user inputs user attribute information. A screen example G3 shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on the display device 15 of the terminal 10. The screen example G3 accepts a user operation to input a "field of interest" as a user attribute. For example, the user selects a field corresponding to one of the fields G31_1 to G31_13 as the "field of interest." For example, the shaded fields G31_1 "Amusement," G31_4 "Services," and G31_9 "Goods" indicate the field selected by the user. When an operation on the operator G32 is accepted, the "field of interest" selected by the user is stored in the storage unit 130.

[0114] Note that screen example G3 is not limited to being displayed in step S1082, but may be displayed, for example, before the game start operation is accepted in step S100, or at any time between steps S100 and S108, etc. In this case, in step S1082, user attribute information acquisition unit 121 acquires user attribute information that has already been input by the user by reading it from storage unit 130. However, as described above, user attribute information is not limited to being input by the user, and may be acquired by other methods.

[0115] 6, the highlight facility identification unit 122 identifies a facility to be highlighted from among the multiple facilities based on the user attribute information. For example, the user attribute information acquisition unit 121 may identify, from among the multiple facilities, a facility of a type corresponding to an "area of ​​interest" included in the user attribute information as a facility to be highlighted. The type of each facility can be obtained by referring to the facility information.

[0116] In step S1086, the highlighting unit 123 executes processing to highlight the facility to be highlighted. A specific example of the highlighting processing is superimposing a highlighting object on the facility area corresponding to the facility to be highlighted. For example, in the screen example G1 shown in FIG. 7, highlighting objects E1 and E2 are superimposed on the facility areas Q5 and Q8, respectively. As a result, the facilities corresponding to the facility areas Q5 and Q8 are highlighted more than the other facilities. Other specific examples of the highlighting processing include differentiating the fill color of the facility area, the color and thickness of the frame surrounding the facility area, etc., from other facility areas, or differentiating the font, size, and decoration of the text superimposed on the facility area from other facility areas. However, the highlighting processing is not limited to the above example. Furthermore, when an operation on a highlighted facility is accepted in the screen example G1, information about the facility may be displayed. This concludes the description of the processing for displaying the virtual world in step S108.

[0117] In step S110 of FIG. 4, the virtual position section identification unit 113 of the terminal 10 identifies one of multiple sections arranged in the virtual world as a virtual position section based on the user's real position information. The virtual position section identified in step S110 is identified as the user's starting point. Note that if there are multiple sections that satisfy the conditions for identifying the user's starting point, one of them may be determined by, for example, a lottery. The virtual position section identification unit 113 also associates the section identified as the virtual position section with the terminal 10. Hereinafter, "associating the section identified as the virtual position section with the terminal 10" will be referred to as "associating the virtual position section with the terminal 10." The virtual position section identification unit 113 also transmits the identified virtual position section to the game server 30. In step S204, the control unit 310 of the game server 30 associates the virtual position section with the terminal 10.

[0118] In step S112, the virtual position section display unit 114 executes a process for visibly displaying the virtual position section. Fig. 10 is a flow diagram showing an example of a specific flow of the process for visibly displaying the virtual position section (hereinafter simply referred to as "process for displaying the virtual position section"). As shown in Fig. 10, step S112 includes steps S1120 to S1122.

[0119] In step S1120, the virtual position section display unit 114 displays the user's virtual position section in the virtual world. For example, in the screen example G1 shown in FIG. 7, the character U1 is displayed in a balloon-shaped figure pointing to the section P4. The character U1 is the same as the character included in the area G11, and corresponds to the user who uses the terminal 10. In other words, in the screen example G1, the section P4 is displayed so that it can be visually recognized as the user's virtual position section.

[0120] In step S1122, the control unit 110 calculates a recommended route from the user's virtual location section to the destination section, and displays the calculated recommended route. The recommended route is a route recommended to the user from the virtual location section to the destination section. The recommended route may be the shortest route from the virtual location section to the destination section. The "shortest route" may mean that the length (distance) of the route is shortest, or that the number of sections included on the route is the smallest.

[0121] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which a recommended route is displayed. Screen example G4 shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the display device 15 of the terminal 10. Screen example G4 is a schematic diagram showing a part of a virtual world that may be displayed in area G12 of screen example G1. In screen example G4, character U1 associated with the user is displayed superimposed on section P22. That is, the user's virtual location section is section P22. Furthermore, object G41 indicating the destination section is displayed superimposed on section P28. That is, the destination section corresponding to the user is section P28. Recommended route R41 is the shortest route from section P22, which is the virtual location section, to section P28, which is the destination section.

[0122] In addition, in the example screen G4, there is another shortest route from section P22 to section P28 (a route that passes through P22, P25, P26, P27, and P28 in that order). In this way, when there are multiple shortest routes, the route that passes through more of the highlighted facilities described above may be preferentially displayed as the recommended route R41. In another aspect, even if it is not the shortest route, a route that passes through more of the highlighted facilities may be displayed as the recommended route R31 as long as it satisfies a predetermined condition compared to the shortest route. Examples of the predetermined condition here include, for example, that the difference from the number of sections included on the shortest route is within a threshold value (e.g., within 2), that the percentage difference in length (distance) from the shortest route is within a threshold value (e.g., within 10%), etc.

[0123] In step S1124, the virtual location section display unit 114 displays the virtual location section of the linked user. For example, the virtual location section of the linked user may be acquired by querying the game server 30. Furthermore, the character associated with the linked user may be acquired by querying the game server 30. For example, in step S204 of FIG. 4, the control unit 110 of the game server 30 transmits the virtual location section of the linked user, the character associated with the linked user, etc. to the terminal 10 in response to an inquiry from the terminal 10. Note that the process of displaying the virtual location section of the linked user may be repeatedly executed at any time. For example, the virtual location section of the linked user may be periodically transmitted from the game server 30 to the terminal 10, and the display position may be updated. Furthermore, the virtual location section of the linked user may be transmitted from the game server 30 to the terminal 10, and the display position may be updated in response to an update of the virtual location section.

[0124] For example, in the screen example G1 shown in Fig. 7, the character U2 is displayed in a balloon-shaped figure pointing to the section P11. In other words, the screen example G1 indicates that the section P11 is the virtual location section of the linked user.

[0125] The control unit 110 may also display the game progress status of the linked user in response to a user operation. The user operation may be, for example, an operation on the character U2 corresponding to the linked user, but is not limited to this. The game progress status of the linked user may also be the progress status of a game currently being played between the linked user and an NPC on the terminal 10 used by the linked user. The game progress status of the linked user can be acquired by inquiring of the game server 30. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying the game progress status of the linked user. The example screen G5 shown in FIG. 12 is displayed on the display device 15 of the terminal 10. The example screen G5 schematically shows a portion of the virtual world that may be displayed in the area G12 of the example screen G1. In the example screen G5, the area G51 is displayed in response to a user operation on the character U2 of the linked user. Area G51 includes, as the game progress status for the linked user, the linked user's name in the game, "President xxx," the in-game period since the linked user started the game, "5 years," and the assets held by the linked user as the game progresses, "100,010,000,000 yen." The in-game period may be determined based on the number of turns, for example, such that one year has passed in 12 turns, but is not limited to this.

[0126] Note that game progress information related to linked users may be displayed not only based on user operations but also at a predetermined timing (for example, when the game starts). This allows users visiting the commercial complex to recognize linked users who are currently playing the game in the same commercial complex. This concludes the description of the process of displaying virtual location sections in step S112.

[0127] In step S114 of FIG. 4, the NPC location section identification unit 118 identifies one of the multiple sections arranged in the virtual world as an NPC location section. The NPC location section identified in step S114 is also referred to as the starting point of the NPC. For example, the starting point of the NPC may be the same as or different from the starting point of the user. If the starting point of the NPC is to be different from the starting point of the user, the starting point of the NPC may be determined by lottery from among the multiple sections, but is not limited to this.

[0128] In step S116, the NPC position display unit 119 executes processing for visibly displaying the NPC position section. For example, in the screen example G1 shown in Fig. 7, an icon UN indicating an NPC is displayed in a balloon-shaped figure pointing to the section P11. Note that the screen example G1 shows an example in which the section P4 indicated by the icon UN (the starting point of the NPC) is the same as the section P4 indicated by the character U1 corresponding to the user (the starting point of the user).

[0129] Processing related to the user's turn begins at step S118 in FIG. 4. During the user's turn, the user's virtual position section is updated based on the user's operation, and an event is executed. Note that, in the example flow of FIG. 4, processing is performed in the order of the user's turn and the NPC's turn, but this order is not limited to this, and the reverse may also be possible. Furthermore, instead of setting turns for each user and NPC and processing them in order, each user may be able to progress in the game regardless of the progress of the game by other users or NPCs who are opponents.

[0130] In step S118, the control unit 110 determines whether the number on the dice has been determined based on the user's operation. Determining the number on the dice based on the user's operation is an example of satisfying the first condition. For example, in the example screen G1 shown in FIG. 7, when the user operates the operator G13 "Dice," a lottery process simulating the number on the dice is executed, and one of the integers from 1 to 6, which is the number on the dice, is determined. Also, in the example screen G1, when the user operates the operator G14 "Card," a list of cards owned by the user may be displayed. For example, if the user owns a "card that increases the number of dice rolled at one time," selecting that card from the list of cards may execute a lottery process simulating the rolling of multiple dice. For example, when a card that doubles the number of dice to be rolled is selected, one of the integers from 2 to 12, which is the sum of the numbers on the two dice, is determined. Until the number on the dice is determined (in other words, until the user performs an operation to determine the number on the dice), the determination in step S118 is No, and step S118 is repeated.

[0131] If the determination in step S118 is Yes, the next step S120 is executed. In step S120, the associable section identification unit 117 identifies one or more sections that can be reached by starting from the virtual location section and tracing the sections on the route for the number of dots on the die as associable sections. The associable section identification unit 117 also displays the identified associable sections. Furthermore, if the one or more reachable sections includes a destination section (an example of a case where the third condition is satisfied), the destination section is identified as one of the associable sections.

[0132] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which an associable section is displayed. Screen example G6 shown in FIG. 13 is displayed on the display device 15 of the terminal 10. Screen example G6 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the virtual world that may be displayed in area G12 of screen example G1. In screen example G6, character U1 is displayed superimposed on section P22. That is, the user's virtual location section is section P22. If the die roll is confirmed to be "2," sections P24 and P26, which can be reached by starting from section P22 and tracing two sections on route R21, are identified as associable sections. Furthermore, dashed circles are attached to sections P24 and P26 to indicate that they are associable sections. By visually recognizing the dashed circles, the user can recognize that sections P24 and P26 are associable sections to which the user can proceed next. Note that the display manner indicating that a section is associable is not limited to dashed circles, and other display manners may also be used.

[0133] 4, the user position acquisition unit 111 acquires the user's current position information and determines whether the current position information has been updated. If the user has not moved in the real world, the result is determined as No, and step S122 is repeated. If the user has moved in the real world, the result is determined as Yes, and the next step S124 is executed.

[0134] In step S124, the virtual corresponding position display unit 115 executes a process of displaying the virtual corresponding positions of the user. In the screen example G6 shown in Fig. 13, the virtual position u1_1 pointed to by the icon U1_1 corresponds to the current position of the user. The virtual corresponding position u1_2 pointed to by the icon U1_2 indicates the position on the route R21 that is closest to the virtual position u1_1.

[0135] Here, the icon U1_1 moves in the example screen G6 as the user moves in the real world. The icon U1_2 moves on the path R21 as the icon U1_1 moves. The character U1 may move to another section as the icon U1_2 moves. Specifically, the character U1 does not move if the section closest to the virtual corresponding position u1_2 on the path R21 remains unchanged. If the closest section changes, the character U1 moves to the closest section. For example, when the icon U1_2 moves from the section P22 to P23 as the user moves in the real world, the character U1 continues to be superimposed on the section P22 while the distance from the virtual corresponding position u1_2 to the section P22 is shorter than the distance to the section P23. When the distance from the virtual corresponding position u1_2 to the section P22 becomes shorter than the distance from the section P22 to the section P23, the character U1 moves from the section P22 to the section P23. However, this movement of the character U1 to another section does not mean that the user's virtual position section has moved. The virtual position section moves to a new section when the character U1 is superimposed on the associable section and an approval operation, which will be described later, is accepted. Here, the approval operation is accepted when the character U1 is superimposed on the associable section, but is not accepted when the character U1 is superimposed on another section that is not the associable section. Furthermore, the object for determining the distance to each section in order to determine whether to move the character U1 is not limited to the virtual corresponding position u1_2, but may be the virtual position u1_1. Note that the superimposition of the character U1 indicating the virtual corresponding position u1_2 corresponding to the virtual position u1_1 corresponding to the user's real position on the associable section is an example of a "condition related to the relationship between the user's real position information and the associable section" included in the second condition.

[0136] In this way, the user's virtual position u1_1 is not necessarily located on the route R21. Therefore, by displaying the character U1, the icon U1_1 indicating the virtual position u1_1, and the icon U1_2 indicating the virtual corresponding position u1_2 together, there is an advantage that the user can easily grasp where on the route R21 his or her own virtual corresponding position (or virtual position) corresponds. Note that it is sufficient that the display device 15 displays at least the character U1 and the icon U1_2 indicating the virtual corresponding position u1_2, and the icon U1_1 indicating the user's virtual position u1_1 does not necessarily have to be displayed.

[0137] Furthermore, as the user moves in the real world, the user's virtual corresponding position may become outside the range from the user's virtual position section to the associable section (hereinafter referred to as the "virtual movable range"). Even in this case, the virtual position section is not changed until a determination of "Yes" is made in step S126, which will be described later. For example, FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a screen in which the virtual corresponding position is outside the virtual movable range. The screen example G7 shown in FIG. 14 is an example of a screen changed from the screen example G6 shown in FIG. 13. In the screen example G7, the user's virtual position moves from the virtual position u1_1 to the virtual position u1_3 due to the user's movement in the real world. Accordingly, the icon U1_1 indicating the virtual position u1_3 and the icon U1_2 indicating the virtual corresponding position u1_4 also move. Furthermore, the character U1 is superimposed on the section P27, which is closest to the virtual corresponding position u1_4 on the route R21. Note that the section P27 is not an associable section, so the operation to approve cannot be accepted, and the virtual position section remains the section P22 at this point. Note that, when the virtual corresponding position is outside the virtual movable range, the character U1 may remain within the virtual movable range. For example, the character U1 may remain superimposed on the section closest to the virtual corresponding position within the virtual movable range. For example, in the example screen G7, the virtual movable range is P23, P24, P25, and P26, which are within two dice rolls of the virtual position section P22. Assume that the user moves the virtual corresponding position from the virtual position section P22 through sections P23, P24, and P27 to u1_4 shown in FIG. 14. In this case, the icon U1_2 moves along the path R21 to the virtual corresponding position u1_4, but the character U1 remains stationary on the section P24, which is closest to the virtual corresponding position u1_4. Furthermore, for example, if the user's virtual corresponding position u1_4 is farther away from the virtual movable range than a threshold, the character U1 may be hidden. In this case, the character U1 of the user who is the linked user for the linked user may also be hidden on the linked user's terminal 10. In this case, a return route for returning from the user's virtual corresponding position to the movable range may also be displayed.

[0138] In step S126 of FIG. 4, the virtual position section identification unit 113 determines whether the distance in the virtual world between the position of any associable section and the user's virtual corresponding position is within a predetermined range. As described above, the virtual position section identification unit 113 may make the determination based on the distance in the real world instead of the distance in the virtual world. In this case, the virtual position section identification unit 113 determines whether the distance between the real position corresponding to the position of any associable section and the user's real position is within a predetermined range. The virtual position section identification unit 113 also determines whether the user has performed an approval operation. In this embodiment, the condition that "the distance is within a predetermined range and an approval operation is performed" is an example of a second condition, and in step S126, if this condition is met, it is determined as "Yes."

[0139] For example, in the example screen G6 shown in FIG. 13, when the character U1 is displayed superimposed on the section P24, which is one of the associable sections (i.e., the distance between the section P24 and the virtual corresponding position u1_2 is within a predetermined range), the example screen G6 may display the operator G61 "Arrival" that accepts an approval operation as operable. Note that "displayed operable" may mean that the operator G61, which was displayed in an inoperable state, changes to an operable state, or that the operator G41, which was hidden, is displayed. When the user operates the operator G61, a determination of "Yes" is made in step S126. In other words, when the character U1 is displayed superimposed on the associable section (an example of a "condition related to the relationship between the user's real position information and the associable section" is satisfied), and the operator G61 is operated (an example of an approval operation), an example of the second condition in this embodiment is satisfied.

[0140] 4, the virtual location section identification unit 113 associates the associable section that was the target of the user's operation of approving in step S126 with the terminal 10 as a new virtual location section. For example, in the screen example G6 shown in FIG. 13, section P24 that was the target of the "operation to approve" for the operator G61 becomes the new virtual location section. In other words, the user's virtual location section is updated.

[0141] In step S130, the virtual position section display unit 114 executes processing for displaying the updated virtual position section. Details of the processing for displaying the virtual position section have been described with reference to FIG. 10. As a result, for example, in the screen example G6 shown in FIG. 13, the display position of the character U1 is updated from section P22 to section P24 (S1120). When updating the display position of the character U1, an animation of the character U1 moving from section P2 to section P4 may be displayed, but this is not limited to this. In addition, in response to the update of the virtual position section, a recommended route R41 such as that shown in the screen example G4 of FIG. 11 is newly calculated and displayed (S1122). Note that, as described above, of the "processing for displaying virtual position sections" shown in FIG. 10, the processing for updating the display of the linked user's virtual position section (S1124) may be updated at any time regardless of the update of the user's virtual position section.

[0142] 4, the virtual location section identification unit 113 determines whether the user's virtual location section is a destination section. If the determination in step S132 is Yes, steps S150 and thereafter, which will be described later, are executed. If the determination in step S132 is No, the next step S134 is executed.

[0143] In step S134, the event execution unit 120 references the event information associated with the user's virtual location section and executes an event that has an effect on the progress of the game (hereinafter referred to as a "game event"). Figure 15 is a flow diagram showing an example of a specific flow of processing for executing a game event. As shown in Figure 15, step S134 includes steps S1340 to S1344.

[0144] In step S1340, the event execution unit 120 determines whether the virtual location section of the user was previously a virtual location section of a linked user. This determination may be made by referring to the history of virtual location sections of linked users previously acquired from the game server 30, or by making an inquiry to the game server 30.

[0145] If step S1340 returns No, step S1342 is executed. In step S1342, the event execution unit 120 executes a game event based on the event information associated with the user's virtual location. For example, if the type of event information associated with the virtual location is "increase the amount of money," an event may be executed in which the amount of money is increased by a lottery process based on the user's operation from among multiple options for the amount of increase. Alternatively, if the type of event information associated with the virtual location is "decrease the amount of money," an event may be executed in which the amount of money is decreased by a lottery process based on the user's operation from among multiple options for the amount of decrease. Alternatively, if the type of event information associated with the virtual location is "grant a card," an event may be executed in which a card selected from multiple types of cards by a lottery process based on the user's operation is associated with the user.

[0146] If step S1340 returns "Yes," step S1344 is executed. In step S1344, the event execution unit 120 applies a beneficial effect to the progress of the game to an event executed based on event information associated with the user's virtual location. For example, if the type of event information associated with the virtual location is "increase the amount of money," the lottery process may be performed after each of multiple options for the amount of increase has been further increased, or the amount of increase determined by the lottery process may be further increased. Furthermore, for example, if the type of event information associated with the virtual location is "decrease the amount of money," the lottery process may be performed after each of multiple options for the amount of decrease has been reduced, or the amount of decrease determined by the lottery process may be reduced. Furthermore, the beneficial effect to the progress of the game may be, instead of or in addition to the event indicated by the event information associated with the virtual location, a discount on the purchase price of a property, the ability to obtain a new card, or the like, but is not limited to these. Furthermore, in step S1344, the event execution unit 120 may further provide an effect that is advantageous to the progress of the game for the linked user for whom the relevant section was the virtual location section in the past. For example, the effect that is advantageous to the progress of the game for the linked user may be, but is not limited to, "increasing the amount of money held" or "being able to acquire a new card."

[0147] An upper limit may be set for the number of segments that have previously served as linked users' virtual location segments (e.g., up to 20 per linked user, or up to 20 for multiple linked users in total). A time limit may also be set for the period during which segments that have previously served as linked users' virtual location segments are stored (e.g., up to 10 days after becoming a virtual location segment). The shorter the period between a segment serving as a linked user's virtual location segment and becoming the user's virtual location segment, the more advantageous an event may be executed in the game. For example, the shorter the period, the greater the increase in the amount of money or the smaller the decrease in the amount of money. This increases the user's motivation to visit the commercial complex again. This concludes the description of the processing for executing an event in the game in step S134.

[0148] In step S136 of Fig. 4, the event execution unit 120 executes a process of displaying facility information by referring to facility information associated with the user's virtual location section. Fig. 16 is a flow diagram showing an example of a specific flow of the process of displaying facility information. As shown in Fig. 16, step S136 includes steps S1360 to S1368.

[0149] In step S1360, the usage history information acquisition unit 124 acquires usage history information by the user regarding the facility indicated by the facility information associated with the virtual location section. Specific examples of the usage history information and the acquisition method are as described above.

[0150] In step S1362, the event execution unit 120 changes the content of the benefit information included in the facility information associated with the virtual location section based on the content of the usage history information. For example, assume that the facility information associated with the virtual location section includes, as benefit information, a coupon (e.g., a right to purchase a product at a discount) that can be used at the facility indicated by the facility information. In this case, for example, the content of the coupon may be changed so that the benefit to the user increases as the number of visits to the facility indicated by the usage history information increases. Specific examples of changes that increase the benefit to the user include, but are not limited to, increasing the discount rate of the coupon or increasing the number of products eligible for the coupon. Note that the content of the benefit information does not necessarily need to be changed depending on the usage history information. For example, if the number of visits to the facility is less than a threshold (e.g., three times), the content of the coupon may not be changed.

[0151] In step S1364, the event execution unit 120 displays basic information about the facility included in the facility information associated with the user's virtual location section. In this embodiment, the "basic information about the facility" refers to basic information about the facility, such as the name, type, address, and contact information of the facility. The basic information may be information entered by a person associated with the facility, or may be information entered by a game operator, a manager of a commercial complex, or the like.

[0152] In step S1366, the event execution unit 120 displays the facility advertisement information included in the facility information associated with the virtual location section. The facility advertisement information may be, for example, information entered by a facility associate. Furthermore, the facility advertisement information may be updateable by a facility associate.

[0153] In step S1368, the event execution unit 120 provides the user with a benefit by displaying benefit information included in the facility information. If the benefit information has been changed based on the usage history information, the changed benefit information is displayed.

[0154] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which facility information is displayed. Screen example G8 shown in FIG. 17 is displayed on the display device 15 of the terminal 10. Screen example G8 schematically shows facility information displayed in response to the user's virtual location being identified. Screen example G8 includes areas G81 to G84. Area G81 shows basic information about the facility. Areas G82 and G84 show advertising information. Area G83 shows special offer information. A user may receive a special offer by having a reader in the facility read the one-dimensional code included in area G83. Note that area G83 may include a multidimensional code instead of a one-dimensional code. Also, area G83 does not necessarily have to include a one-dimensional code or a multidimensional code. In that case, a user may receive a special offer by presenting area G83 to a staff member at the facility. Also, information indicating area G83 (e.g., a coupon image) may be saved in the terminal 10 based on a user operation (e.g., tapping area G83, etc.).

[0155] If multiple facilities are associated with a virtual location section, facility information for one of the multiple facilities determined by lottery or the like may be displayed as shown in example screen G8. Alternatively, facility information for each of the multiple facilities may be displayed on a split screen.

[0156] Screen example G8 allows the facility to present product advertisements to the user. Screen example G8 also allows the user to learn about products and the like at nearby facilities through advertisements. This concludes the description of the process for displaying facility information in step S136.

[0157] In step S138 of Fig. 4, the event execution unit 120 displays property information included in the facility information associated with the user's virtual location section. As described above, the property information includes, for example, the name of the property, the price and profit rate associated with the property, etc. Furthermore, the control unit 110 executes a process to have the user purchase the property indicated by the displayed property information based on the user's operation. When the user purchases a property, the user consumes the amount of money they have in their possession equal to the price associated with the property, thereby allowing the user to own the property.

[0158] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which property information is displayed. The example screen G9 shown in FIG. 18 is displayed on the display device 15 of the terminal 10. The example screen G9 schematically shows property information displayed in response to the user's virtual location section being identified. The example screen G9 includes areas G91 to G93 and G94_1 to G94_4. The area G91 includes the user's character U1, the amount of money the user has, etc., and is explained in the same manner as the area G11 of the example screen G1. The area G92 shows basic information about the facility. The area G93 shows advertising information about the facility. The areas G94_1 to G94_4 show properties. For example, the name of the property shown in the area G94_1 is the name of a product sold at the facility "Store A," "Product AA." The price of the property "Product AA" is set to "99,990,000 yen" and the profit rate of "500%." ​​The areas G94_2 to G94_4 are explained in the same manner. The property name, quantity, price, and profit rate may be set by a facility official. By allowing the property name included in screen example G9 to be set by a facility official, the facility can present information related to the facility to the user. In addition, the user can learn information about nearby facilities by the property.

[0159] In addition, when a plurality of facilities are associated with a virtual location section, the user may be able to select which of the plurality of facilities' facility information is included in the property to purchase.

[0160] For example, when a user's operation on area G94_1 is accepted, a process is executed to have the user purchase the property "Product AAA" (for example, a process to reduce the amount of money held by the amount of the price of the property "Product AA" and have the user keep the property "Product AA"). The user can consider which property to purchase, or whether to purchase any property, by comparing the current amount of money held in area G91 with the prices of each property contained in areas G94_1 to G94_4. For example, if the property "Product AA" is purchased, a process is executed to increase the amount of money held by the user as profit by 500% of the price of 99,990,000 yen at a predetermined timing. The predetermined timing may be, for example, when a predetermined number of turns have ended, when the game has ended, etc., but is not limited to these.

[0161] The order in which the steps of executing an in-game event (S134), displaying facility information (S136, screen example G8), and displaying property information (S138, screen example G9) are executed is not limited to this order, and the order may be changed, or some or all of the steps may be executed in parallel.

[0162] This completes the process for the user's turn. From the next step S140, the process for the NPC's turn begins. During the NPC's turn, the NPC position section is updated and an event is executed without requiring any user operation.

[0163] Next, in step S140 of FIG. 4, the NPC location section identification unit 118 updates the NPC location section. For example, the NPC location section identification unit 118 may determine the number on the dice by executing a lottery process simulating dice rolling without user operation. Determining the number on the dice through the lottery process is an example of the fourth condition being satisfied. Furthermore, the NPC location section identification unit 118 may identify, as a new NPC location section, one or more sections that can be reached by tracing sections on the route as many times as the number on the dice starting from the NPC location section. Note that when there are multiple reachable sections, which of them is to be the new NPC location section may be determined by a lottery process, for example, but is not limited to this. Furthermore, when the reachable sections include a destination section (an example of the fifth condition being satisfied), the section is identified as the NPC location section.

[0164] In step S142, the NPC position display unit 119 executes a process for visibly displaying the updated NPC position section.

[0165] In step S144, the NPC location section identification unit 118 determines whether the NPC location section is a destination section. If the determination in step S144 is Yes, steps S152 and thereafter, which will be described later, are executed. If the determination in step S144 is No, the next step S146 is executed.

[0166] In step S146, the event execution unit 120 executes an event in the game by referring to the event information associated with the NPC location section, which may result in an increase or decrease in the amount of money the NPC has, an NPC being given a card, or an NPC purchasing a property.

[0167] This completes the NPC's turn, and the process from step S118 is repeated. The process for the user's turn (S118 to S138) and the process for the NPC's turn (S140 to S146) are repeated until it is determined in step S132 or S144 that the user's virtual location section or the NPC's location section is the destination section. Note that while FIG. 4 shows an example in which there is one opponent NPC, there may be more than one opponent NPC.

[0168] If the determination in step S132 is Yes (in other words, if the user's virtual location section reaches the destination section first), the processing from step S150 onwards is executed.

[0169] In step S150, the event execution unit 120 executes an event that has an advantageous effect on the user in the progress of the game. For example, the event that has an advantageous effect on the user in the progress of the game may be, but is not limited to, increasing the amount of money held by the user. Alternatively, the event may increase the amount of money held by the user and the opponent NPC, respectively, and increase the amount of money held by the user by more than that of the NPC. Alternatively, the event may increase the amount of money held by the user and decrease the amount of money held by the NPC. Alternatively, the event is not limited to increasing the amount of money held, but may also cause the user to hold cards.

[0170] In step S152, the event execution unit 120 executes a process of displaying the facility information by referring to the facility information associated with the destination section. The process of displaying the facility information is the same as that of step S136 described with reference to Fig. 16, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. However, the benefit information provided to the user (S1368) may be changed to provide a greater benefit to the user than the score information executed in step S136, in response to the user's virtual location section being the destination section for the first time.

[0171] In step S154, the control unit 110 determines whether or not to end the game. For example, if the user performs an operation to end the game, the control unit 110 determines that the game should be ended. On the other hand, if the user performs an operation to continue the game, the control unit 110 determines that the game should not be ended. If the determination in step S154 is No (if the game is not to be ended), the processing from step S106 is repeated. As a result, the user's turn and the NPC's turn are repeated toward a new destination section.

[0172] If it is determined Yes in step S154 (if the game is to be ended), step S156 is determined. In step S156, the control unit 110 determines the ranking between the user and the opponent NPC. The ranking may be, for example, in descending order of the amount of assets held by the user and the NPC, respectively, but is not limited to this. Furthermore, rewards that are beneficial in real facilities (for example, discount coupons, points that can be used in a commercial complex, etc.) may be awarded depending on the ranking.

[0173] In step S158, the control unit 110 saves the takeover data. The takeover data may include various data used in the game (for example, information on the user's money, properties, items, etc.). The control unit 110 also transmits the takeover data to the game server 30. In step S208, the control unit 310 of the game server 30 saves the takeover data in association with the terminal 10. This allows the user to resume the game using the takeover data the next time they visit the commercial complex and play the game.

[0174] Also, if the determination in step S144 is Yes (in other words, if the user's virtual location section reaches the destination section first), step S148 is executed.

[0175] In step S148, the event execution unit 120 executes an event that has an advantageous effect on the NPC in the progress of the game (hereinafter referred to as an event advantageous to the NPC in the game). For example, an event advantageous to the NPC in the game can be similarly explained by replacing the user and NPC in the above explanation of an "event advantageous to the user in the game."

[0176] When an event advantageous to the NPC is executed in the game, the process starts from step S152. If the game is to be continued, the process starts from step S108, and the user's turn and the NPC's turn are repeated to reach a new destination section. If the game is to be ended, the process starts from step S156. This determines the ranking between the user and the NPC, and the carryover data is saved.

[0177] <Other processes of game system 1> The game system 1 can execute method S2 in addition to method S1. Method S2 can be executed at any time. For example, method S2 may be executed based on a user operation at any time while the game is in progress. Method S2 may also be executed at any time after the game has ended. Method S2 does not require that the user's real location information be within the commercial complex. For example, method S2 may be executed based on a user operation after the user has left the commercial complex (e.g., after returning home).

[0178] Fig. 19 is a flow diagram showing the flow of method S2 executed by game system 1. As shown in Fig. 19, method S2 includes steps S190 to S194 executed by terminal 10. As with method S1, the processing flow will be described below using an example in which the play area is inside a commercial complex.

[0179] In step S190, the usage history information acquisition unit 124 acquires usage certificate information based on a user's operation. Specific examples of usage certificate information have been described above. For example, the usage certificate information can be acquired based on a receipt for a product purchased by the user at a facility in a commercial complex. For example, the usage history information acquisition unit 124 may acquire the usage certificate information by acquiring a one-dimensional code or a multi-dimensional code printed on a paper receipt using a camera (not shown) included in the terminal 10. In this case, the one-dimensional code or the multi-dimensional code may be encoded information regarding the purchased product, the date and time of purchase, the facility where the purchase was made, etc., or may be encoded information regarding the storage location of a database (not shown) in which such information is stored. Alternatively, for example, the usage history information acquisition unit 124 may acquire an image of the paper receipt using a camera (not shown) included in the terminal 10 and acquire the result of character recognition processing based on the image as the usage certificate information. Alternatively, for example, the usage history information acquisition unit 124 may acquire information indicating a receipt issued as digital information by reading it from the storage unit 130. However, the method for acquiring the usage certificate information is not limited to these.

[0180] FIG. 20 shows an example of a screen transition when acquiring usage certificate information. Screen example G10 shown in FIG. 20 is displayed on the display device 15 of the terminal 10. Screen example G10 is displayed in response to a user's operation to call up a function for acquiring usage certificate information. Screen example G10 includes areas G101-G102 and a control G103. Area G101 includes the user's character U1, the user's amount of money, etc., and is described in the same manner as area G11 in screen example G1. Area G102 shows the history of previously acquired usage certificate information. Control G103 accepts a user's operation to instruct acquisition of usage certificate information. When a user's operation on control G103 is accepted, screen example G10 transitions to screen example G11. Screen example G11 includes information G111 instructing the user to read a one-dimensional code included in a paper receipt 99, and area G112 in which an image acquired by a camera is displayed. For example, if the usage history information acquisition unit 124 successfully recognizes a one-dimensional code, it acquires the information indicated by the one-dimensional code as usage proof information. Note that the receipt 99 may include a multi-dimensional code in addition to the one-dimensional code.

[0181] In step S192 of FIG. 19 , the game effect imparting unit 125 determines a weighting based on the proof-of-use information. The weighting is used to determine the magnitude of the advantageous effect of the processing executed in the next step. For example, the game effect imparting unit 125 may determine a greater weighting when the facility usage content indicated by the proof-of-use information satisfies a predetermined condition than when it does not. Specific examples of such conditions include, but are not limited to, a condition that the facility included in the proof-of-use information is associated with any section, a condition that the difference between the date and time included in the proof-of-use information and the date and time identified as the virtual location section is within a threshold, a condition that the section associated with the facility where the product was purchased is a section that has been identified as a destination section or a virtual location section, a condition that the product included in the proof-of-use information is a product preset by the facility, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, for example, the game effect imparting unit 125 may determine a greater weighting when the amount included in the proof-of-use information is greater.

[0182] In step S194, the game effect granting unit 125 executes processing to provide an advantageous effect in the progress of the game. Specific examples of such effects include, but are not limited to, an increase in the amount of money held, an increase in owned properties, and the granting of cards. The magnitude of the advantageous effect is determined by the weighting determined as described above. For example, if the effect is an increase in the amount of money held, the greater the weighting, the greater the increase. Also, if the effect is an increase in owned properties, the greater the weighting, the more properties will be added or the more expensive properties will be added. Also, if the effect is the granting of cards, the greater the weighting, the more cards will be added or the more effective cards will be added.

[0183] Note that when method S2 is executed after the game has ended, advantageous effects on the progress of the game may be applied the next time the game is restarted. For example, an increase in the amount of money, an increase in properties, the addition of cards, etc. may be added to and saved as carryover data. This concludes the explanation of method S2.

[0184] <Modification> The game system 1 may have a function to display, at any time, the rankings of multiple users participating in the game. The rankings may be the rankings among all users participating in the game, or the rankings among a group of linked users. The rankings may also be determined by assets associated with the users. This allows users to check their current rankings, increasing their motivation to aim for a higher ranking.

[0185] Furthermore, in the game system 1, a reward may be awarded to a user when the combination of properties purchased by the user matches a specific combination. The reward may be an advantageous effect in the progress of the game or a reward that provides benefits in real-world facilities. For example, the specific combination may be predetermined or may be determined by lottery or the like at the start of the game. Furthermore, the specific combination may be disclosed to the user during the game, or may not be disclosed. If not disclosed, it may be disclosed when the user or the opponent reaches the destination zone. This allows the user to enjoy discovering which combination of properties will result in a reward. Furthermore, there may be multiple specific combinations. Each combination may be associated with a rank, and the higher the rank, the better the reward. For example, the rank may correspond to the difficulty of collecting the properties included in the combination. For example, a higher rank may be associated with a combination of more expensive properties, or a higher rank may be associated with a combination of more properties.

[0186] Furthermore, in the game system 1, a destination zone may be set so that the user passes through as many zones as possible that the user has not passed through before, thereby increasing the opportunities for the user to use more facilities in the commercial complex.

[0187] In addition, in the game system 1, the associable section to which the player can proceed next has been described as a section that can be reached by tracing a route starting from the current virtual location section and a number of sections determined by lottery. However, the associable section may be a section that can be reached by tracing any number of sections on the route, as long as the number is less than or equal to the number determined by lottery. For example, if the dice result is 3, the "number of sections that can be progressed to" may be 3, or it may be 2, 1, or 0, as long as the number is 3 or less.

[0188] [Embodiment 2] A game system 1A according to this embodiment will be described in detail below. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0189] <Configuration of Game System 1A> Game system 1A is a modified version of game system 1 that enables correction of a user's virtual position based on a user's operation. FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of game system 1A. As shown in FIG. 21, game system 1A includes terminals 10A-1, 10A-2, ... instead of terminals 10-1, 10-2, ... in game system 1. Otherwise, game system 1A is configured similarly to game system 1. When there is no need to particularly distinguish between terminals 10A-1, 10A-2, ..., each will also be simply referred to as terminal 10A. The hardware configuration of terminal 10A will be described similarly to terminal 10, and the functional configuration described below differs from that of terminal 10.

[0190] (Functional configuration of terminal 10A) Fig. 22 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of terminal 10A. As shown in Fig. 22, control unit 110 of terminal 10A further includes an accuracy information acquisition unit 141, a virtual position acquisition unit 142, an accuracy image determination unit 143, a virtual position display unit 144, an accuracy image display unit 127, a virtual position correction unit 128, and a corrected virtual position movement unit 147, in addition to the configuration included in control unit 110 of terminal 10. Below, configurations that differ from those of terminal 10 will be described, and detailed description of other configurations of terminal 10A will not be repeated because terminal 10A has the same configuration as terminal 10.

[0191] The user position acquisition unit 111 acquires positioned real position information, which is information indicating the position (real position) of the user's terminal 10A in the real world, and is information indicating a positioned real position indicating a position in the real world measured by the positioning sensor 16. Here, the positioned real position information is an example of user real position information. The user position acquisition unit 111 can acquire the positioned real position information using the positioning sensor 16 with the positioning technology adopted in the game system 1. Specific examples of the positioning technology are as described in embodiment 1, and therefore detailed description will not be repeated.

[0192] Furthermore, the user position acquisition unit 111 may further acquire positioning method information indicating the type of positioning method used to acquire the positioning real position information. The type of positioning method indicated by the positioning method information may be, for example, information indicating GPS, IMES, wireless LAN, beacon, multidimensional code, NFC, etc., which are described in the specific examples of positioning techniques above, but is not limited to these.

[0193] The accuracy information acquisition unit 141 acquires accuracy information indicating the accuracy of the positioning. Here, "the accuracy of the positioning" refers to the accuracy of the positioning when the positioning actual position information is acquired. A specific example of a method for acquiring the accuracy information will be described later.

[0194] The virtual position acquisition unit 142 acquires positioned virtual position information indicating a positioned virtual position that indicates a position in the virtual world that corresponds to the positioned real position.

[0195] The accuracy image determination unit 143 generates an accuracy image indicating the accuracy of the positioning and determines the position where the accuracy image is to be displayed based on the virtual position. An "accuracy image" is an image indicating the accuracy of the positioning result of the user's terminal 10A in the real world obtained by the positioning sensor 16. Examples of accuracy images include figures. Examples of figures include linear shapes and shapes with circular contours. Examples of circular shapes include circles, ellipses, linear shapes, rectangles, and shapes whose contours are made up of various curves (e.g., so-called amoeba shapes). Furthermore, in the case of a circular shape, it may be the contour alone or may also include the area inside the contour. In this embodiment, a case where the accuracy image is a perfect circle and also includes the area inside the contour will be described. Hereinafter, an accuracy image of this type will be referred to as an "accuracy circle." Furthermore, if the virtual world is a three-dimensional space, the aforementioned figures may be three-dimensional. For example, they may be spherical, ellipsoidal, cylindrical, conical, or the like.

[0196] Furthermore, it is desirable that the accuracy image has a display mode that corresponds to the accuracy. For example, if the accuracy image is a graphic, the area of ​​the accuracy image may be smaller as the accuracy is higher. Furthermore, the color and / or transparency of the accuracy image may be determined according to the accuracy. Furthermore, the display mode of the accuracy image may change according to a change in the accuracy. For example, the accuracy image may change so as to become smaller as the accuracy of the positioning increases. Furthermore, for example, the color and / or transparency of the accuracy image may change according to a change in the accuracy of the positioning. For example, the color of the accuracy image may be lighter or the transparency may be higher as the accuracy is higher.

[0197] Furthermore, for example, when the accuracy image is, for example, a figure, the accuracy image determination unit 143 may determine a position where the positioning virtual position is the center of the figure as the position where the accuracy image is to be displayed. Note that the center of the figure may be, but is not limited to, a geometric center, a center of gravity, an incenter, a circumcenter, etc. For example, in the case of an accuracy circle, the position where the accuracy circle is to be displayed may be determined as a position where the positioning virtual position is the center of the accuracy circle. However, the position where the accuracy image is to be displayed may be determined based on the positioning virtual position and is not limited to the above-mentioned example.

[0198] The virtual position display unit 144 is a functional block for displaying the positioned virtual position as a virtual position in the virtual world of the terminal 10 A. For example, “displaying the positioned virtual position as a virtual position” may mean, but is not limited to, displaying on the display device 15 an image in which an object indicating the virtual position is superimposed on the positioned virtual position.

[0199] Furthermore, in response to the correction virtual position being determined by the virtual position correction unit 128 (described later), the virtual position display unit 144 executes processing for displaying the correction virtual position as a virtual position.

[0200] The accuracy image display unit 127 executes processing for displaying the accuracy image at the position determined by the accuracy image determination unit 143. For example, the accuracy image display unit 127 displays an accuracy circle (an example of an accuracy image) indicating the positioning accuracy of the user's actual position on the display device 15. Details of the accuracy circle will be described later.

[0201] Furthermore, the accuracy image display unit 127 may change the shape of the accuracy image depending on the type of positioning method. This allows the type of positioning method to be reflected in the shape of the accuracy image and shown to the user. For example, the system operator may change the shape of the accuracy image depending on the reliability of the positioning means. This also allows the user to be shown a more reliable accuracy image. For example, if the type of positioning method is associated with a reliability, the accuracy image may be displayed in a manner (e.g., a shape) that corresponds to the reliability associated with the positioning method.

[0202] For example, a positioning method that causes the terminal 10A to recognize the above-described sign (e.g., a method using a multidimensional code, NFC, or the like) can be said to be more reliable than a positioning method that uses a signal received by the terminal 10A. This is because the difference between the location of the sign recognized by the terminal 10A and the actual location of the terminal 10A is considered to be extremely small. Specific examples of positioning methods that cause sign recognition include the above-described positioning technology using a multidimensional code or NFC. Specific examples of positioning methods that use received signals include the above-described positioning technology using GPS, IMES, beacons, and wireless LAN. High reliability of a positioning method corresponds to high positioning accuracy. Therefore, for example, if the accuracy image is, for example, an accuracy circle, and the radius of the accuracy circle is reduced as the accuracy increases, the radius of the accuracy circle obtained by a positioning method that causes sign recognition may be smaller than the radius of the accuracy circle obtained by a positioning method that uses received signals.

[0203] Furthermore, once a real-time position is acquired using a highly reliable positioning method (e.g., a positioning method that recognizes signs), it can be expected that the accuracy of the positioning will not decrease significantly (i.e., the real-time position will be relatively accurate) for a while thereafter, even if the real-time position moves or the positioning method changes. Therefore, for a predetermined period from a certain point in time when the real-time position is acquired using a highly reliable positioning method, the accuracy circle may be smaller in size than that corresponding to the accuracy information, regardless of changes in the real-time position or the positioning method. Furthermore, within a predetermined range from a certain point in time when the real-time position is acquired using a highly reliable positioning method, the accuracy circle may be smaller in size than that corresponding to the accuracy information, regardless of changes in the real-time position or the positioning method.

[0204] The virtual position correction unit 128 determines the desired position as a corrected virtual position when it receives an operation by the user specifying the desired position and when predetermined conditions related to the desired position and the accuracy image are satisfied. This makes it possible to provide a game system capable of correcting a position in the virtual world corresponding to the user's position in the real world. Hereinafter, "determining a corrected virtual position" is also referred to as "correcting a virtual position." In other words, the virtual position correction unit 128 corrects a virtual position (positioned virtual position) corresponding to a real position (positioned real position) measured as the user's real position based on the user's operation. By correcting the virtual position, for example, the corrected virtual position is referenced as the virtual position in the above-described method S1 instead of the virtual position corresponding to the measured real position. When the virtual position is not corrected, the virtual position corresponding to the measured real position is referenced as the virtual position in the above-described method S1.

[0205] Here, the predetermined condition is a condition that must be met in order to determine the desired position specified by the user as the corrected virtual position, and this condition will be referred to as the "sixth condition" below. Examples of the sixth condition include that the desired position is inside the contour of the accuracy image (for example, that the desired position is within the accuracy circle), and that the distance between the desired position and the accuracy image is within a predetermined range. The distance between the desired position and the accuracy image may be, for example, the shortest distance between the desired position and the contour of the accuracy image, or the distance between the desired position and the center of the accuracy image, but is not limited to these.

[0206] The corrected virtual position moving unit 147 moves the corrected virtual position. For example, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 may move the corrected virtual position in accordance with movement of the positioned real position. In other words, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 moves the corrected virtual position (corrected virtual position) in accordance with movement of the user in the real world. As a result, when the user moves in the real world, the corrected virtual position also moves, and therefore the display on the screen becomes more natural to the user.

[0207] For example, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 may move the corrected virtual position in accordance with the movement of the positioned real position so as to maintain the direction of the corrected virtual position as seen from the positioned virtual position. By doing so, when moving the corrected virtual position in accordance with the user's movement in the real world, the direction of the corrected virtual position as seen from the positioned virtual position is maintained, so that the corrected virtual position moves along the direction of movement in the real world, resulting in a more natural depiction for the user on the screen. Note that, in moving the corrected virtual position, at least the direction may be maintained, and the distance between the positioned virtual position and the corrected virtual position may also be maintained. Alternatively, the direction may be maintained, and the distance may change.

[0208] For example, a case will be described in which the distance is changed while maintaining the direction. The corrected virtual position moving unit 147 may move the corrected virtual position (corrected virtual position) over time (in other words, according to the passage of time) so that the corrected virtual position (corrected virtual position) approaches the positioned virtual position (positioned virtual position). As a result, if a user makes an erroneous operation or commits an illegal act by setting a position different from a position in the real world as a desired position for the corrected virtual position, the erroneous operation or illegal act can be corrected over time. Furthermore, if the corrected virtual position is no longer included in an accuracy circle (an example of an accuracy image) due to the shrinking of the accuracy circle, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 may move the corrected virtual position so that it is included in the accuracy circle.

[0209] Furthermore, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 may move the corrected virtual position so that the more the positioned real position moves, the closer the corrected virtual position is to the positioned virtual position. For example, "the more the positioned real position moves" may mean "the longer the moving distance of the positioned real position." This allows the corrected virtual position to move when the user is moving in the real world, compared to a configuration in which the corrected virtual position approaches the positioned virtual position even when the user is not moving in the real world, so the screen display becomes more natural to the user.

[0210] Furthermore, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 may change the speed at which the corrected virtual position is moved so as to approach the positioning virtual position, depending on the positional relationship between the position of the accuracy image and the corrected virtual position. This increases the variety of on-screen effects of the virtual position correction and the accuracy image. Furthermore, for example, when the corrected virtual position is outside the area where the accuracy image is displayed, the speed at which the corrected virtual position enters the accuracy image may be faster than when the corrected virtual position is inside that area. In this manner, the inside of the accuracy image can be set as the virtual position more quickly. Therefore, if a user erroneously operates or commits fraud by setting a position different from the real-world position as the desired position for the corrected virtual position, and the desired position is outside the area where the accuracy image is displayed, the erroneous operation or fraud can be corrected more quickly. Also, for example, the further the corrected virtual position is from the accuracy image, the slower the speed at which the positioning virtual position is moved to approach the positioning virtual position may be. In this case, the actual positioning real position may be farther from the user's actual position in the real world. In other words, the actual accuracy may be lower than the accuracy indicated by the accuracy information. In such a case, if the corrected virtual position is moved quickly, the user may be confused. Furthermore, since accuracy may recover over time, this mode is preferable from the viewpoint of waiting for this recovery.

[0211] Hereinafter, a "virtual position corresponding to a real position determined as the real position of the user" will be referred to as a "determined virtual position." Also, a "corrected virtual position" will be referred to as a "corrected virtual position."

[0212] <Processing of Game System 1A> Methods S4 and S5 executed by the game system 1A will be described with reference to the drawings. (Process to correct virtual position) FIG. 23 is a flow diagram showing the flow of method S4 executed by game system 1A. Method S4 shows the flow of processing for correcting a virtual position. As shown in FIG. 23, method S4 includes steps S400 to S412 executed by terminal 10A. Method S4 is executed in parallel at any time while method S1 is being executed. The corrected virtual position determined in method S4 is used as the virtual position in method S1. Below, the flow of processing will be explained using an example in which the play area is inside a commercial complex, as exemplified in the explanation of method S1. Furthermore, before method S4 is started, it is assumed that, for example, screen example G1 is displayed on display device 15.

[0213] In step S400, the user position acquisition unit 111 acquires positioning real position information, which is an example of user real position information. The user position acquisition unit 111 also calculates positioning accuracy and acquires accuracy information indicating the calculated positioning accuracy. The user position acquisition unit 111 also acquires positioning method information. The positioning accuracy indicates the range of error of the real position indicated by the user real position information (in other words, the real position of the user measured by the positioning technology adopted in the game system 1A). As a method for calculating the positioning accuracy, a known technology according to the positioning technology can be adopted. For example, the positioning accuracy may be calculated based on the strength of a received signal from a signal transmission source for positioning (e.g., a GPS satellite, an IMES transmitter, a beacon transmitter, an access point, etc.), the number of signal transmission sources from which signals are being received, the performance of the terminal 10, the type of positioning technology, etc. For example, in a calculation method of positioning accuracy according to the type of positioning technology, the positioning accuracy of the actual position measured by the positioning technology using a multidimensional code or NFC may be calculated to be higher than the positioning accuracy of the actual position measured by the positioning technology using IMES. Also, a combination of multiple calculation methods may be used to calculate the positioning accuracy.

[0214] In step S401-1, the virtual world acquisition unit 112 acquires a virtual world corresponding to the real world.

[0215] In step S401-2, the virtual position acquisition unit 142 acquires positioned virtual position information indicating a positioned virtual position indicating a position in the virtual world corresponding to the positioned real position.

[0216] In step S401-3, the accuracy image determination unit 143 generates an accuracy image indicating the accuracy of positioning, and determines the position where the accuracy image is to be displayed based on the virtual position of positioning.

[0217] In step S402, virtual position display unit 144 displays the positioned virtual position on display device 15 as a virtual position in the virtual world of terminal 10A. Note that if an object indicating the virtual position has already been superimposed on the positioned virtual position in method S1, the processing of this step is omitted. The object indicating the virtual position is superimposed on the positioned virtual position when the virtual position has not been corrected, but is superimposed on the corrected virtual position when the virtual position has been corrected as described below.

[0218] In step S404, the accuracy image display unit 127 displays an accuracy circle (an example of an accuracy image) corresponding to the positioning accuracy on the display device 15. The accuracy circle indicates the range of error of the real position determined as the user's real position and is represented by a circle centered on the virtual position. The higher the positioning accuracy, the smaller the radius of the accuracy circle, indicating an area that may include the virtual position corresponding to the user's true real position. The accuracy image display unit 127 may also determine the size of the positioning circle according to the positioning method. For example, the size of a positioning circle based on a positioning method that recognizes signs (e.g., NFC, multidimensional code) may be smaller than the size of a positioning circle based on a positioning method that uses received signals (e.g., GPS, IMES, beacon, wireless LAN). The accuracy image display unit 127 also updates one or both of the position and size of the accuracy circle when some or all of the user real position information, accuracy information, and positioning method information are updated.

[0219] 24 and 25 are diagrams showing examples of screens on which an object indicating an accuracy circle and a virtual position is displayed. Screen examples G21 and G22 shown in FIGS. 24 and 25 are displayed on the display device 15 of the terminal 10A. Screen examples G21 and G22 are schematic illustrations of a portion of a virtual world that may be displayed in area G12 of screen example G1. As shown in screen examples G21 and G22, accuracy circles C1 and C2 each have a center at the positioning virtual position z1_1. Furthermore, the radius of the accuracy circle C1 is smaller than that of the accuracy circle C2, which indicates that the accuracy circle C1 has a higher positioning accuracy than the accuracy circle C2.

[0220] In addition, in the example screens G21 and G22, an icon U1_1 is superimposed on the positioned virtual position z1_1. The icon U1_1 is an example of an object indicating a virtual position.

[0221] In step S406, the virtual position corrector 128 determines whether or not a user operation to correct the virtual position has been received If the determination in step S406 is No, the method S4 ends.

[0222] For example, the user's operation may be an operation of specifying a desired position at which the virtual position is to be corrected. For example, if the display device 15 is configured with a touch panel, the user may perform an operation of tapping a desired position w1_1 at which the virtual position is to be corrected on the screen example G22 shown in FIG. 25. Furthermore, the user's operation may include an operation for transitioning to a mode for correcting the virtual position before the operation of specifying the desired position w1_1. The operation for transitioning to the mode may be, for example, an operation on a predetermined operator (not shown) displayed on the display device 15. Furthermore, in this case, when an operation on the operator is accepted again in the mode, the mode may be cancelled. However, the user's operation for correcting the virtual position is not limited to this. If it is determined Yes in step S406, the next step S408 is executed.

[0223] In step S408, the virtual position correction unit 128 determines whether the desired position based on the user's operation is within the accuracy circle. The desired position being within the accuracy circle is an example of the sixth condition. If the determination in step S408 is No, the method S4 ends. If the determination in step S408 is Yes, the next step S410 is executed. For example, in the example screen G22, the desired position w1_1 is within the accuracy circle C2, so the determination is Yes.

[0224] In step S410, the virtual position correction unit 128 determines the desired position as a corrected virtual position. By determining the corrected virtual position, the virtual position is corrected. Furthermore, the virtual position display unit 144 superimposes an object indicating the virtual position on the corrected virtual position instead of superimposing it on the positioned virtual position. Once the corrected virtual position is determined, in the above-described method S1, the corrected virtual position is referenced as the virtual position instead of the positioned virtual position. Furthermore, for example, the virtual position correction unit 128 may further correct the corrected virtual position based on a user operation. Note that in addition to the object indicating the virtual position being superimposed on the corrected virtual position, an object indicating the positioned virtual position may also be superimposed on the positioned virtual position. This allows the user to recognize the difference between the positioned virtual position and the corrected virtual position.

[0225] FIG. 26 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a screen for correcting a virtual position. A screen example G23 illustrated in FIG. 26 is displayed when the user taps a desired position w1_1 on the screen example G22. In response to the user tapping the desired position w1_1, the desired position w1_1 is determined as a corrected virtual position x1_1. Furthermore, the virtual position display unit 144 moves an icon U1_1 indicating the virtual position from the positioned virtual position z1_1 to the corrected virtual position x1_1. This allows the user to correct the virtual position to correspond to the true real position when the positioning accuracy is low and the positioned virtual position does not correspond to the true real position.

[0226] Furthermore, by referencing the corrected virtual position as the virtual position in method S1, the user can avoid a situation in which "a desired association section cannot be set as a virtual position section due to low positioning accuracy." For example, suppose a user actually moves to the vicinity of a real location corresponding to a certain associable section in order to set the associated section as a virtual position section. However, if the positioning accuracy is low at the true real location after the movement, the positioned virtual position may be far away from the associable section. In this case, the user cannot perform an operation to set the associated section as a virtual position section even though the user has moved to the vicinity of the real location corresponding to the desired associable section. Therefore, the user can set the desired association section as a virtual position section by performing an operation to set a desired position in the virtual world that appears to correspond to the true real location as a corrected virtual position.

[0227] In step S412, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 stores the positional relationship between the positioned virtual position and the corrected virtual position as the positional relationship between the virtual positions before and after correction. Hereinafter, this positional relationship will be referred to as the "corrected positional relationship." The corrected positional relationship may be information having, for example, a direction and a distance. In the example screen G23, the corrected positional relationship v1 may be expressed by including the direction of the corrected virtual position x1_1 as seen from the positioned virtual position z1_1 and the distance between the positioned virtual position z1_1 and the corrected virtual position x1_1. Note that the corrected positional relationship may change from the time when the desired position specified by the user is determined as the virtual corrected position. Changes in the corrected positional relationship will be described later. The corrected positional relationship will be referred to in method S5, which will be described next. This concludes the description of method S4.

[0228] (Process of moving the corrected virtual position) FIG. 27 is a flow diagram showing the flow of method S5 executed by game system 1A. Method S5 shows the flow of processing for moving the corrected virtual position. As shown in FIG. 27, method S5 includes steps S500 to S510 executed by terminal 10A. Method S5 is repeatedly executed from the time the virtual position is corrected by method S4 until the corrected virtual position again coincides with the positioned virtual position. Note that once the corrected virtual position coincides with the positioned virtual position, the virtual position may be considered to have returned to an uncorrected state. In the following, as with the explanation of method S4, the flow of processing will be explained using an example in which the play area is inside a commercial complex. Furthermore, it is assumed that, for example, screen example G23 is displayed on display device 15.

[0229] In step S500, the user position acquisition unit 111 acquires the positioning actual position information, the accuracy information, and the positioning method information. If the positioning actual position indicated by the positioning actual position information has moved since the previous acquisition, the positioning virtual position also moves.

[0230] In step S502, the accuracy image display unit 127 updates the accuracy circle. Note that if none of the positioning real position information, the accuracy information, and the positioning method information has changed since the last time they were acquired, the process of updating the accuracy circle may be omitted.

[0231] In step S504, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 moves the corrected virtual position in accordance with the movement of the positioned virtual position so as to maintain the corrected positional relationship. The corrected positional relationship may be the corrected positional relationship when the desired position designated by the user is determined as the virtual corrected position, or, as will be described later, may be the corrected positional relationship after a change from the corrected positional relationship. Furthermore, it is sufficient that at least the direction included in the corrected positional relationship is maintained, and the distance included in the corrected positional relationship may be maintained or may change.

[0232] FIG. 28 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a screen on which the corrected virtual position is moved based on the corrected positional relationship. A screen example G24 illustrated in FIG. 28 is displayed following the screen example G23. For example, assume that a user carrying the terminal 10 on which the screen example G23 is displayed moves the positioning virtual position z1_1 to the positioning virtual position z1_1a. The accuracy circle C2 is updated to an accuracy circle C3 centered on the positioning virtual position z1_1a after the movement. Furthermore, the corrected virtual position x1_1 moves to the corrected virtual position x1_1a so that the corrected positional relationship v1 is maintained as the corrected positional relationship with the positioning virtual position z1_1a after the movement.

[0233] In step S506, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 moves the corrected virtual position so as to approach the positioned virtual position as time passes. Furthermore, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 may change the speed at which the corrected virtual position approaches the positioned virtual position (hereinafter referred to as "approach speed") according to the positioning accuracy. For example, the approach speed may be faster as the positioning accuracy is higher. Furthermore, as a result, the distance between the positioned virtual position and the corrected virtual position in the corrected positional relationship changes as time passes from when the desired position specified by the user is determined as the virtual corrected position.

[0234] 29 is a diagram showing an example of a screen in which the corrected virtual position approaches the positioned virtual position as time passes. Screen example G25 shown in FIG. 29 is displayed at time t1, a certain amount of time having passed since time t0, when screen example G24 was displayed. As shown in screen example G25, icon U1_1 indicating the virtual position moves from corrected virtual position x1_1a at time t0 to corrected virtual position x1_1b at time t1. Corrected virtual position x1_1b is closer to the positioned virtual position z1_1a than corrected virtual position x1_1a. Accordingly, corrected positional relationship v1 between the positioned virtual position and the corrected virtual position changes to v2. When the corrected positional relationship is expressed including distance and direction, the corrected positional relationship v2 has the same direction as the corrected positional relationship v1, but the distance is reduced.

[0235] In step S508, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 determines whether the corrected virtual position is outside the accuracy circle. If the determination in step S508 is No, the processing from step S500 is repeated. Here, if the accuracy circle shrinks in step S502, the corrected virtual position may be outside the accuracy circle. For example, specific examples of when the accuracy circle shrinks include when the positioning accuracy improves due to the movement of the user, when the positioning accuracy improves due to a change in the external environment, etc. If the corrected virtual position is outside the accuracy circle as the accuracy circle shrinks, the determination in step S508 is Yes, and the next step S510 is executed.

[0236] In step S510, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 moves the corrected virtual position into the accuracy circle. For example, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 may move the corrected virtual position to the intersection of the line connecting the corrected virtual position outside the accuracy circle and the positioning virtual position with the circumference of the accuracy circle. The corrected virtual position moving unit 147 may also move the corrected virtual position to a position a predetermined distance inward from the intersection. However, the position within the accuracy circle to which the corrected virtual position is moved is not limited to this.

[0237] FIG. 30 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a screen in which the corrected virtual position is moved within the accuracy circle. Screen example G26 shown in FIG. 30 is displayed immediately after screen example G24. For example, assume that the positioning accuracy is improved in the state of screen example G24, and the accuracy circle C3 is reduced to the accuracy circle C4. In this case, the corrected virtual position x1_1a is outside the reduced accuracy circle C4. Therefore, the corrected virtual position x1_1a is moved to a position x1_1c within the accuracy circle C4. For example, the corrected virtual position x1_1c after the movement is included within the accuracy circle C4 on the line connecting the corrected virtual position x1_1a before the movement and the positioning virtual position z1_1a. Accordingly, the corrected positional relationship v1 changes to v3. When the corrected positional relationship is expressed including the distance and the direction, the corrected positional relationship v3 has the same direction as the corrected positional relationship v1 but is reduced in distance.

[0238] Note that the movement of the corrected virtual position accompanying the movement of the positioned virtual position (S500 to S504), the movement of the corrected virtual position as time passes (S506), and the movement of the corrected virtual position when it is not included in the accuracy circle (S508 to S510) are not limited to being executed in this order, and may be executed in a different order or in parallel. For example, assume that the positioning accuracy improves as the user moves. In this case, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 calculates a destination of the corrected virtual position that maintains the changing corrected positional relationship while changing the corrected positional relationship so that the corrected virtual position approaches the positioned virtual position as time passes due to the movement. Furthermore, if the calculated destination is outside the accuracy circle, the virtual position correcting unit 128 may further move the destination into the accuracy circle and determine the resulting position as the corrected virtual position after the movement.

[0239] Note that some or all of the steps of the above-described methods S4 and S5 may not necessarily be executed by the control unit 110 of the terminal 10, but may be executed by the control unit 310 of the game server 30, or may be executed by the control unit 110 and the control unit 310 in cooperation with each other. Furthermore, the above-described methods S4 and S5 are not limited to being used to correct a virtual position referenced in a game progressed by method S1, but may also be used to correct a virtual position in any game that uses a virtual position corresponding to a measured real position.

[0240] <Variation 1> The "process of determining whether the desired position is within the accuracy circle" in step S408 of the above-described method S4 (the desired position being within the accuracy circle is an example of the sixth condition) may be omitted. In this case, the desired position based on the user's operation may be determined as the corrected virtual position regardless of whether the desired position is within the accuracy circle. Furthermore, if the desired position based on the user's operation is outside the accuracy circle, the position within the accuracy circle that is closest to the desired position may be determined as the corrected virtual position.

[0241] <Variation 2> Furthermore, the sixth condition described above may be either (i) that the desired position is within the accuracy circle, or (ii) that the seventh condition is satisfied if the desired position is outside the accuracy circle. The seventh condition may be, for example, a condition regarding the number of times correction to a desired position outside the accuracy circle is possible. More specific examples of the seventh condition include up to once per hour or up to once per game. Note that the "one game" in "once per game" may be until either the user or the opponent reaches the destination section. However, the seventh condition is not limited to the above example.

[0242] Here, for example, due to a decrease in the accuracy of the accuracy information itself, even if the measured current position is significantly different from the actual position, an accuracy image indicating high accuracy (for example, an accuracy circle with a relatively small radius) may be displayed. Even in such a case, this modified example can set a desired position outside the accuracy circle as the corrected virtual position if the seventh condition is satisfied, allowing the game to proceed.

[0243] <Variation 3> Furthermore, in step S506 of the above-described method S5, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 may move the corrected virtual position so that the more the positioned real position moves, the closer the corrected virtual position becomes to the positioned virtual position, instead of moving in response to the passage of time. In this case, if the positioned real position does not move, the corrected virtual position also does not move over time, resulting in a more natural depiction for the user than in a situation in which the corrected virtual position moves even when the user is stationary. For example, the corrected virtual position may move closer to the positioned virtual position at a rate of 1 meter for every 10 meters the positioned real position moves. Here, "10 meters" refers to a distance in the real world, and "1 meter" refers to a value obtained by converting a distance in the virtual world to a distance in the real world. Note that in this modification, the corrected virtual position may be moved closer to the positioned virtual position in response to both the passage of time and movement.

[0244] <Variation 4> Furthermore, in step S506 of the above-described method S5, the corrected virtual position moving unit 147 may change the speed (approach speed) at which the corrected virtual position moves so as to approach the positioned virtual position, depending on the positional relationship between the position of the accuracy image and the corrected virtual position. For example, the approach speed may change depending on whether the corrected virtual position is inside or outside the accuracy circle. As a specific example, the approach speed when the corrected virtual position is outside the accuracy circle may be faster than the approach speed when the corrected virtual position is inside the accuracy circle. Also, for example, the approach speed may change depending on the distance between the corrected virtual position and the positioned virtual position. As a specific example, the approach speed may be faster as the distance increases. Furthermore, by combining these, when the corrected virtual position is outside the accuracy circle, the approach speed may be faster as the distance between the corrected virtual position and the circumference of the accuracy circle increases, and when the corrected virtual position is inside the accuracy circle, the approach speed may be a constant speed slower than when the corrected virtual position is outside. By changing the approach speed as in these examples, the difference between the corrected virtual position and the positioned virtual position can be eliminated in a relatively short time. In this modification, steps S508 to S509 (processing for moving the corrected virtual position into the accuracy circle when the corrected virtual position is outside the accuracy circle) may be omitted.

[0245] <Variation 5> In the above-described embodiment, a limit may be placed on the process of correcting the virtual position. For example, a mode may be adopted in which an operation to specify a desired position for re-correcting the virtual position is not accepted for a predetermined period (e.g., 10 minutes) after the virtual position correction unit 128 corrects the virtual position. Alternatively, a desired position for re-correcting the virtual position may be limited to a range within a predetermined distance from the positioning virtual position for a predetermined period after the virtual position correction unit 128 corrects the virtual position. As a specific example, a mode may be adopted in which an operation to specify a desired position within a circle with a radius half that of the accuracy circle is accepted, but an operation to specify a desired position outside the half circle is not accepted, during the predetermined period.

[0246] This allows the game to proceed even when there is a large error between the actual position and the positioning real position due to correction of the virtual position, while also preventing fraud such as progressing the game by pretending to have arrived at a position that was not actually reached.

[0247] <Variation 6> In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 310 of the game server 30 may store a "desired position" as a "desired position history" each time one or more terminals 10A determine the "desired position" as a corrected virtual position. For example, the control unit 310 may identify a dense area in the virtual world where these "desired position histories" are densely concentrated. For example, the control unit 310 may identify an area as a dense area where the number of "desired position histories" per unit area (i.e., density) is equal to or greater than a threshold, but the identification method is not limited to this. The control unit 310 may also present the dense area to an administrator. The administrator may be, for example, a game operator, a manager of a commercial complex, or the like.

[0248] FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of a screen that presents dense areas to an administrator. In the example screen G27 shown in FIG. 31, "★" type marks are superimposed on an image showing the virtual world as "desired location history." Furthermore, dense areas M1 and M2 indicate areas where "★" type marks are densely concentrated. Screen example G27 allows the administrator to recognize areas in the real world that correspond to dense areas M1 and M2 as areas where positioning accuracy should be improved.

[0249] Furthermore, the control unit 310 of the game server 30 may provide information indicating a dense area to the terminal 10A. In this case, if the positioned real position is included in the dense area or its surrounding area, the virtual position correction unit 128 of the terminal 10A may generate an accuracy image (e.g., an accuracy circle with a larger radius) indicating lower accuracy compared to when the positioned real position is not included. Furthermore, the control unit 310 of the game server 30 may provide information indicating the "desired position history" or its density to the terminal 10A. In this case, the virtual position correction unit 128 of the terminal 10A may generate an accuracy image (e.g., an accuracy circle with a larger radius as the density increases) according to the density of the "desired position history" around the positioned real position. This allows the accuracy indicated by the accuracy image to reflect the history of desired positions previously specified as virtual positions to be corrected, thereby improving the accuracy of the accuracy image itself.

[0250] [Note] From the above description, the present invention can be understood, for example, as follows: Note 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.

[0251] The game system (1) according to aspect 1 includes a user position acquisition unit (111) that acquires positioning real position information, which is information indicating the position of a user's terminal in the real world and is information indicating a positioning real position indicating a position in the real world measured by a positioning sensor; an accuracy information acquisition unit (141) that acquires accuracy information indicating the accuracy of the positioning; a virtual world acquisition unit (112) that acquires a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual position acquisition unit (142) that acquires positioning virtual position information indicating a positioning virtual position indicating a position in the virtual world corresponding to the positioning real position; and an accuracy image determination unit that generates an accuracy image indicating the accuracy of the positioning and determines a position to display the accuracy image based on the positioning virtual position. a virtual position display unit (143) for displaying the determined virtual position as a virtual position of the terminal in the virtual world, a precision image display unit (127) for executing processing for displaying the precision image at the position determined by the precision image determination unit (143), and a virtual position correction unit (128) for determining the desired position as a corrected virtual position in response to receiving an operation for designating a desired position by a user and satisfying predetermined conditions related to the desired position and the precision image, wherein in response to the correction virtual position being determined by the virtual position correction unit (128), the virtual position display unit (144) executes processing for displaying the corrected virtual position as the virtual position. This makes it possible to provide a game system capable of correcting a position in the virtual world corresponding to a user's position in the real world.

[0252] The game system (1) according to aspect 2 is in aspect 1, and further includes a corrected virtual position moving unit (147) that moves the corrected virtual position, and the corrected virtual position moving unit (147) moves the corrected virtual position in accordance with movement of the positioned real position. Since the corrected virtual position also moves when moving in the real world, the display on the screen becomes more natural to the user.

[0253] In the game system (1) according to aspect 3, in aspect 2, the corrected virtual position moving unit (147) moves the corrected virtual position in accordance with movement of the positioned real position so as to maintain the direction of the corrected virtual position as seen from the positioned virtual position. As a result, when moving the corrected virtual position in accordance with movement of the user in the real world, by maintaining the direction of the corrected virtual position as seen from the positioned virtual position, the corrected virtual position moves along the direction of movement in the real world, making the display on the screen more natural to the user.

[0254] The game system (1) according to aspect 4 is any one of aspects 1 to 3, and further includes a corrected virtual position moving unit (147) that moves the corrected virtual position, and the corrected virtual position moving unit (147) moves the corrected virtual position so that the corrected virtual position approaches the positioned virtual position over time. As a result, if a user makes an erroneous operation or commits fraud by setting a position different from a position in the real world as a desired position for setting the corrected virtual position, the erroneous operation or fraud can be corrected over time.

[0255] In the game system (1) according to aspect 5, in aspect 2 or 3, the corrected virtual position moving unit (147) moves the corrected virtual position so that the more the positioned real position moves, the closer the corrected virtual position becomes to the positioned virtual position. As a result, compared to a configuration in which the corrected virtual position approaches the positioned virtual position even when the user is not moving in the real world, the corrected virtual position also moves when the user is moving in the real world, resulting in a more natural depiction of the screen display for the user.

[0256] In the game system (1) according to aspect 6, in aspect 4 or 5, the corrected virtual position moving unit (147) changes the speed at which the corrected virtual position is moved to approach the positioned virtual position depending on the positional relationship between the position of the accuracy image and the corrected virtual position. This increases the variety of on-screen effects of the virtual position correction and the accuracy image. Furthermore, for example, if the corrected virtual position is outside the area where the accuracy image is displayed, the speed may be increased until the corrected virtual position enters the accuracy image. This aspect allows the virtual position to be positioned more quickly inside the accuracy image. Therefore, even if a user erroneously operates or commits fraud by setting a position different from the real-world position as the desired position for the corrected virtual position, and the desired position is outside the area where the accuracy image is displayed, the erroneous operation or fraud can be corrected more quickly. Furthermore, for example, the farther the corrected virtual position is from the accuracy image, the slower the speed at which the corrected virtual position is moved to approach the positioned virtual position may be. In this case, the positioned virtual position may actually be far from the user's actual real-world position. In other words, the actual accuracy may be lower than the accuracy indicated by the accuracy information. In such a case, if the corrected virtual position is moved too quickly, the user may be confused. In addition, since the accuracy may recover over time, this mode is preferable from the viewpoint of waiting for this recovery.

[0257] In the game system (1) according to aspect 7, in any one of aspects 1 to 6, the user position acquisition unit (111) further acquires positioning method information indicating the type of positioning method used to acquire the positioning real-time position information, and the accuracy image display unit (127) varies the shape of the accuracy image depending on the type of positioning method. This allows the details of the positioning means to be reflected in the shape of the accuracy image and shown to the user. For example, the system operator can vary the shape of the accuracy image depending on the reliability of the positioning means. This also allows the system operator to show the user a more reliable accuracy image.

[0258] A method (S4) according to aspect 8 is a method executed by one or more processors, in which the one or more processors perform a user position acquisition process (S400) to acquire positioned real position information, the user position information being information indicating the position of a user's terminal in the real world, the position being information indicating a positioned real position indicating a position in the real world measured by a positioning sensor; an accuracy information acquisition process (S400) to acquire accuracy information indicating the accuracy of the positioning; a virtual world acquisition process (S401-1) to acquire a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual position acquisition process (S401-2) to acquire positioned virtual position information indicating a positioned virtual position indicating a position in the virtual world corresponding to the positioned real position; and a virtual position acquisition process (S401-3) to generate an accuracy image indicating the accuracy of the positioning, and a position to display the accuracy image. The present invention includes an accuracy image determination process (S401-3) for determining an accuracy image based on a positioned virtual position, a virtual position display process (S402) for the one or more processors to display the positioned virtual position as a virtual position in the virtual world of the terminal, an accuracy image display process (S403) for the one or more processors to execute a process for displaying the accuracy image at the position determined by the accuracy image determination process, and a virtual position correction process (S410) for the one or more processors to determine the desired position as a corrected virtual position in response to receiving an operation by the user to specify a desired position and satisfying predetermined conditions related to the desired position and the accuracy image, and in response to the correction virtual position being determined by the virtual position correction process, the one or more processors execute a process for displaying the corrected virtual position as the virtual position in the virtual position display process. This achieves the same effects as in aspect 1.

[0259] The program according to aspect 9 includes, in one or more processors, a user position acquisition process (S400) for acquiring positioning real position information, the user position information being information indicating the position of the user's terminal in the real world, the position being information indicating a position in the real world measured by a positioning sensor; an accuracy information acquisition process (S400) for acquiring accuracy information indicating the accuracy of the positioning; a virtual world acquisition process (S401-1) for acquiring a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual position acquisition process (S401-2) for acquiring positioning virtual position information indicating a position in the virtual world corresponding to the positioning real position; and an accuracy information acquisition process (S401-3) for acquiring accuracy information indicating the accuracy of the positioning. The present invention executes an accuracy image determination process (S401-3) that generates an accuracy image and determines a position where the accuracy image is to be displayed based on the positioned virtual position, a virtual position display process (S402) that displays the positioned virtual position as a virtual position in the virtual world of the terminal, an accuracy image display process (S403) that executes a process for displaying the accuracy image at the position determined by the accuracy image determination process, and a virtual position correction process (S410) that determines the desired position as a corrected virtual position in response to receiving an operation by a user to specify a desired position and satisfying predetermined conditions related to the desired position and the accuracy image, and in response to the corrected virtual position being determined by the virtual position correction process, causes the one or more processors to execute a process for displaying the corrected virtual position as the virtual position in the virtual position display process. This achieves the same effects as in aspect 1.

[0260] [Software implementation example] The functions of the terminals 10, 10A and game server 30 (hereinafter referred to as "devices") that make up the game system 1, 1A can be realized by a program that causes a computer to function as the device, and a program that causes a computer to function as each control block of the device (particularly each part included in the control unit 110, 310).

[0261] In this case, the device includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory) as hardware for executing the program. The control device and storage device execute the program, thereby realizing the functions described in each of the above embodiments.

[0262] The program may be non-transitory and may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media. The recording media may or may not be included in the device. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0263] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the control blocks can be realized by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit that functions as each of the control blocks is formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, the functions of the control blocks can also be realized by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0264] Furthermore, each process described in each of the above embodiments may be executed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI ​​may run on the control device or on another device (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[0265] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0266] 1. Game System 10 devices 11, 31 processors 12, 32 memory 13, 33 Communication Interface 14 Input Devices 15 Display device 16 Positioning Sensor Buses 19 and 39 30 Game Servers 110, 310 control unit 111 User location acquisition unit 112 Virtual World Acquisition Department 113 Virtual location area identification unit 114 Virtual location section display 115 Virtual corresponding position display section 116 Destination Zone Identification Department 117 Associable area identification part 118 NPC Location Identification Unit 119 NPC position display section 120 Event Execution Department 121 User attribute information acquisition unit 122 Emphasis Facility Specific Section 123 Highlight section 124 Usage history information acquisition unit 125 Game Effect Granting Section 126 Specific Facility Information Acquisition Department 127 Precision image display section 128 Virtual position correction unit 130, 330 storage section 141 Accuracy information acquisition unit 142 Virtual position acquisition unit 143 Accuracy Image Determination Unit 144 Virtual position display unit 147 Correction virtual position movement unit

Claims

1. a user position acquisition unit that acquires positioning real position information, which is information indicating a position of a user's terminal in the real world, and is information indicating a positioning real position indicating a position measured by a positioning sensor as a position in the real world; an accuracy information acquisition unit that acquires accuracy information indicating the accuracy of the positioning; a virtual world acquisition unit that acquires a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual position acquisition unit that acquires positioning virtual position information indicating a positioning virtual position that indicates a position in the virtual world corresponding to the positioning real position; an accuracy image determination unit that generates an accuracy image indicating the accuracy of the positioning and determines a position where the accuracy image is to be displayed based on the virtual positioning location; a virtual position display unit for displaying the determined virtual position as a virtual position of the terminal in the virtual world; an accuracy image display unit that executes processing to display the accuracy image at the position determined by the accuracy image determination unit; a virtual position correction unit that determines the desired position as a corrected virtual position in response to receiving an operation by a user to specify a desired position and in response to a predetermined condition being satisfied regarding the desired position and the accuracy image, In response to the correction virtual position being determined by the virtual position correction unit, the virtual position display unit executes a process for displaying the correction virtual position as the virtual position. Game system.

2. a correction virtual position moving unit that moves the correction virtual position; the corrected virtual position moving unit moves the corrected virtual position in accordance with movement of the positioned actual position. The game system according to claim 1 .

3. The correction virtual position moving unit a movement of the corrected virtual position in accordance with a movement of the positioned actual position so as to maintain a direction of the corrected virtual position as seen from the positioned virtual position; The game system according to claim 2 .

4. a correction virtual position moving unit that moves the correction virtual position; The correction virtual position moving unit moving the corrected virtual position so that the corrected virtual position approaches the positioning virtual position as time passes; The game system according to claim 1 .

5. The correction virtual position moving unit moving the corrected virtual position so that the corrected virtual position approaches the positioned virtual position as the positioned actual position moves; The game system according to claim 2 .

6. The correction virtual position moving unit changing a speed at which the corrected virtual position is moved so as to approach the positioning virtual position in accordance with a positional relationship between the position of the accuracy image and the corrected virtual position; 6. The game system according to claim 4 or 5.

7. the user position acquisition unit further acquires positioning method information indicating a type of positioning method used to acquire the positioning real position information; the accuracy image display unit changes the shape of the accuracy image depending on the type of the positioning method. The game system according to claim 1 .

8. 1. A method executed by one or more processors, comprising: a user position acquisition process in which the one or more processors acquire positioning real position information, the positioning real position being information indicating the position of the user's terminal in the real world, the position being information indicating a position measured by a positioning sensor as a position in the real world; an accuracy information acquisition process in which the one or more processors acquire accuracy information indicating accuracy of the positioning; a virtual world acquisition process in which the one or more processors acquire a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual position acquisition process in which the one or more processors acquire positioned virtual position information indicating a positioned virtual position indicating a position in the virtual world corresponding to the positioned real position; an accuracy image determination process in which the one or more processors generate an accuracy image indicating the accuracy of the positioning and determine a position to display the accuracy image based on the positioning virtual position; a virtual position display process by the one or more processors for displaying the determined virtual position as a virtual position of the terminal in the virtual world; an accuracy image display process in which the one or more processors execute a process for displaying the accuracy image at the position determined by the accuracy image determination process; a virtual position correction process in which the one or more processors determine the desired position as a corrected virtual position in response to receiving an operation by a user to designate a desired position and satisfying a predetermined condition related to the desired position and the accuracy image, In response to the correction virtual position being determined by the virtual position correction process, the one or more processors execute a process for displaying the correction virtual position as the virtual position in the virtual position display process. method.

9. one or more processors, a user position acquisition process for acquiring positioning real position information, which is information indicating the position of the user's terminal in the real world, and is information indicating a positioning real position indicating a position measured by a positioning sensor as a position in the real world; an accuracy information acquisition process for acquiring accuracy information indicating the accuracy of the positioning; a virtual world acquisition process for acquiring a virtual world corresponding to the real world; a virtual position acquisition process for acquiring positioning virtual position information indicating a positioning virtual position in the virtual world corresponding to the positioning real position; an accuracy image determination process for generating an accuracy image indicating the accuracy of the positioning and determining a position where the accuracy image is to be displayed based on the virtual positioning location; a virtual position display process for displaying the determined virtual position as a virtual position in the virtual world of the terminal; an accuracy image display process for executing a process for displaying the accuracy image at the position determined by the accuracy image determination process; a virtual position correction process for determining the desired position as a corrected virtual position in response to receiving an operation by a user to specify the desired position and satisfying a predetermined condition related to the desired position and the accuracy image; Execute In response to the correction virtual position being determined by the virtual position correction process, the one or more processors are caused to execute a process for displaying the correction virtual position as the virtual position in the virtual position display process. program.

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