Game system, game control device and program

Abstract

To improve the interest of a game by making it easier for a user to acquire the kind of points desired by the user. [Solution] A point granting unit determines the type and amount of points to be granted as the game progresses. A point storage unit reduces at least a portion of the points to be granted as the game progresses and stores the reduced amount as saved points common to all types of points. A point releasing unit releases at least a portion of the saved points stored by the saving unit and grants them to the user based on a user's operation.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there are games in which a user progresses through the game by selecting an option from a plurality of options, and a game in which the user can acquire at least one type of point out of a plurality of types of points as the game progresses is known (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-133118 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described games, there are cases where a selection item that offers favorable conditions, such as the ability to acquire more points, does not necessarily match a selection item that allows the user to acquire the type of points desired.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a highly entertaining game that makes it easy to select a game progression with favorable conditions, regardless of the type of points that can be acquired, for example. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A game system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a game system that provides a game in which at least one type of point out of a plurality of types of points is awarded as the game progresses, and includes: a point awarding means that determines the type and amount of the points to be awarded as the game progresses; a point storage means that executes a storage process that reduces at least a portion of the points to be awarded as the game progresses and stores the reduced amount as stored points common to all types of points; and a point discharging means that executes a discharging process that releases at least a portion of the stored points stored by the storage means and awards them to the user based on user operation.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a game control device that provides a game in which at least one type of points out of a plurality of types of points are awarded as the game progresses, and includes: a point awarding means that determines the type and amount of points to be awarded as the game progresses; a point storage means that executes a storage process that reduces at least a portion of the points to be awarded as the game progresses and stores the reduced amount as stored points common to all types of points; and a point release means that executes a release process that releases at least a portion of the stored points stored by the storage means and awards them to the user based on user operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a game terminal. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an event deck display screen. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen listing abilities of the main character who is a fielder. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an ability list screen for a pitcher main character character. [Figure 7] A figure showing an example of the main screen of a basic training mode that has elements common to each scenario. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a basic practice screen having elements common to each scenario. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for increasing basic abilities. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for acquiring a special ability. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a main screen of a development mode. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a practice screen. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a practice screen on which a treasure excavation event has occurred. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a treasure excavation icon lottery table. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a treasure table. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a practice screen. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a practice screen. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a pyramid screen. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a pyramid room table. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a magic table. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a magic selection screen. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a practice screen. [Figure 23] FIG. 2 is a schematic functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the game system. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user information table. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a character information table. [Figure 26]FIG. 2 is a schematic functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the game system. [Figure 27] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the game system. [Figure 28] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the game system. [Figure 29] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the game system. [Figure 30] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the game system. [Figure 31] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the game system. [Figure 32] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the game system. [Figure 33] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the game system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] [1. Game system configuration] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example configuration of a game system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This game system 1 includes a plurality of game terminals 10-n (n is a positive integer, 10-1, 10-2, ...) and a server 30. The game terminals 10-n and the server 30 in the game system 1 are connected to each other so that data can be communicated via a network N such as the Internet. Here, since the multiple game terminals 10-n have the same configuration, when no particular distinction is required, they will be simply referred to as "game terminal 10" in the following description.

[0011] The network N in this embodiment is not limited to the Internet, but may be, for example, a dedicated line, a public line (telephone line, mobile communication line, etc.), a wired LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless LAN, etc., as long as it can connect the game terminals 10-n and the server 30 in the game system 1 to each other so that they can communicate with each other, or it may be a combination of these with the Internet.

[0012] A game terminal 10 operated by a user is a computer used by the user to play a game. Examples of game terminals 10 include home game consoles (stationary or portable), personal computers, smartphones, mobile phone terminals, PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) terminals, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, multi-function television receivers (so-called smart TVs), and commercial game consoles installed in gaming facilities, etc.

[0013] The server 30 is, for example, a server computer. The server 30 associates information about the user's game with a user ID for uniquely identifying each user, and stores and manages the information in, for example, a database DB. The database DB may be built within the server 30, or may be built in a server computer separate from the server 30.

[0014] The game system 1 allows for computer battles (also referred to as CPU battles) and online battles. In online battles, for example, user A operating game terminal 10-1 and user B operating game terminal 10-2 can play a competitive game via network N. In the case of online battles, for example, game terminals 10-1 and 10-2 matched by server 30 can directly communicate with each other via a P2P (Peer to Peer) connection or the like to play a competitive game. Alternatively, data exchange between game terminals 10-1 and 10-2 can be performed via server 30. Either method may be used to play a competitive game.

[0015] Communication between game terminal 10-n and server 30 can be realized, for example, by using HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol), which runs on TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol), as the base protocol, and implementing the application protocol specified by this system at a higher level.

[0016] On the other hand, communication between game terminal 10-1 and game terminal 10-2 connected by P2P or the like can be realized by, for example, UDP (User Datagram Protocol), a communication protocol on the transport layer of the OSI reference model that is mainly implemented on the IP protocol. The above-mentioned UDP is a communication method in which data is sent to the other terminal device without any data delivery confirmation or error correction, and therefore has the advantage of low data reliability but high data transfer speed. It is of course possible to use existing protocols other than UDP for communication between game terminal 10-1 and game terminal 10-2, or to use new protocols that will be newly defined in the future.

[0017] Furthermore, for example, in a game terminal 10-n having a short-range wireless communication function using a predetermined frequency band (for example, the 2.4 GHz frequency band), multiple game terminals 10-n can communicate directly with each other to play competitive games, etc.

[0018] (Game device hardware configuration) FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of game terminal 10. Game terminal 10 mainly includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an auxiliary storage device 14, a communication unit 15, an operation unit 16, an image processing unit 17, and a sound processing unit 18, which are interconnected via a bus line 19 including an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. Note that interface circuits are interposed between bus line 19 and each component as needed, but are not shown here. Game terminal 10 also includes a display unit 20 and an audio output unit 21.

[0019] The CPU 11 interprets and executes the commands of the game program, and controls the entire game terminal 10. The ROM 12 stores programs and data necessary for basic operational control of the game terminal 10. The RAM 13 stores various programs and data, and ensures a working area for the CPU 11.

[0020] The auxiliary storage device 14 is a storage device that stores game programs, various data, etc. As the auxiliary storage device 14, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, etc. can be used.

[0021] Communication unit 15 includes a communication interface (not shown) and has a communication control function for communicating data when a game is being played. Here, the communication control function for data communication includes, for example, an Internet connection function, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) connection function, and a short-range wireless communication function using a predetermined frequency band (e.g., the 2.4 GHz frequency band). Communication unit 15 transmits a connection signal for connecting game terminal 10 to network N based on a command from CPU 11, and also receives information transmitted from the other party and supplies the information to CPU 11.

[0022] The operation unit 16 is used by the user to input various operation commands to the game terminal 10. Examples of the operation unit 16 include a position input unit (a component of a touch panel) equipped with a touch interface, physical buttons, a controller, an analog stick, a keyboard, a pointing device, etc. The operation unit 16 may also be configured to accept voice input by identifying voice input from a voice input unit such as a microphone.

[0023] The image processing unit 17 drives the display unit 20 based on an image display command from the CPU 11 to display a game screen. Various known display devices, such as a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display, can be used for the display unit 20. The display unit 20 can also be a touch panel that combines a display device, such as a liquid crystal display, with a position input unit having a touch interface. When the display unit 20 is configured as a touch panel, the image processing unit 17 includes a touch input detection unit (not shown). When a pointer, such as a finger or a pen, touches the screen, the touch input detection unit detects the coordinates of the contact position on the screen and supplies a coordinate signal to the CPU 11. This allows the CPU 11 to recognize the contact position on the screen of the display unit 20. The display unit 20 does not need to be integrated with the game device 10 and may be, for example, a television monitor externally connected to the game device 10.

[0024] The sound processing unit 18 generates an analog audio signal based on a sound generation instruction from the CPU 11 and outputs it to the audio output unit 21 .

[0025] (Server hardware configuration) 3 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of server 30. Server 30 mainly comprises a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, an auxiliary storage device 34, and a communication unit 35, which are interconnected via a bus line 36 including an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. Note that, although an interface circuit is interposed between bus line 36 and each component as needed, the interface circuit is not shown here.

[0026] The CPU 31 interprets and executes commands from the system software and application software, and controls the entire server 30. The ROM 32 stores programs and the like necessary for basic operational control of the server 30. The RAM 13 stores various programs and data, and ensures a working area for the CPU 31. The auxiliary storage device 34 is a storage device that stores programs, various data, and the like. The auxiliary storage device 34 can be, for example, a hard disk drive or a solid state drive.

[0027] The communication unit 35 includes a communication interface (not shown) and controls communication with each game terminal 10-n via the network N. The communication unit 35 also controls communication with other servers (not shown) connected to the network N. For example, if the server 30 is configured as a system incorporated into a social networking service (SNS), the communication unit 35 of the server 30 controls communication with the SNS server. Furthermore, for example, the server 30 controls communication with a video distribution server that distributes game videos played by users to spectators. The server 30 may also be provided with a video distribution function.

[0028] The server 30 can be configured as a single computer, or can be configured as a function-distributed type in which the functions of the server 30 are distributed among multiple servers. Alternatively, a load-distributed type configuration can be achieved by providing multiple servers 30 on the network N for redundancy (multiplexing). The server 30 can also be configured as a cloud server that uses cloud computing technology.

[0029] The programs and data are supplied to game terminal 10 or server 30 from a remote location via network N and stored in RAM 13, auxiliary storage device 14, RAM 33, or auxiliary storage device 34. Game terminal 10 or server 30 may be provided with a component (such as an optical disk drive or a memory card slot) for reading programs and data stored in an information storage medium (such as an optical disk or a memory card). Then, the programs and data may be supplied to game terminal 10 or server 30 via the information storage medium.

[0030] In the following, it is assumed that game terminal 10 is a smartphone or tablet computer equipped with a touch panel.

[0031] [2. Overview of an example game] An example of a game is outlined below. Various games can be executed in the game system 1. For example, various games can be executed regardless of game format or genre, such as sports games (games based on baseball, soccer, tennis, American football, etc.), racing games, fighting games, combat games, digital card games, etc. Note that games may be executed by game terminal 10 communicating data with server 30 or another game terminal 10, or may be executed by game terminal 10 alone.

[0032] For example, in a baseball game, various game modes, including training and competition, are executed based on one or more objects (for example, game characters, game cards, game items, etc.). Below, a baseball game based on baseball will be described as an example of a game executed in the game system 1, and other games will also be mentioned as necessary.

[0033] The baseball game of this embodiment is equipped with various game modes, such as a training mode, a team training mode, a battle mode, an acquisition mode, and an strengthening mode. The training mode is a character training mode in which a user trains a game character to create their own original game character. In this embodiment, in the training mode, a pitcher or fielder (including a catcher) character can be trained. The original character created by the user in the training mode can be used in other game modes, such as the team training mode and the battle mode. The team training mode is a game mode in which a user trains a team consisting of multiple player characters. The battle mode is a game mode in which a user competes against an opposing team using a team formed using original characters created by the user in the training mode. The acquisition mode is a game mode in which a character (an event character, described later) that can be used when training an original character in the training mode can be obtained. The strengthening mode is a part in which an event character obtained in the acquisition mode can be strengthened by, for example, combining event characters obtained in the acquisition mode.

[0034] The development mode will be described in detail below. In the training mode, an original character to be trained (hereinafter referred to as the main character) practices baseball at a high school and is trained as a pitcher or fielder through various events. Note that the training mode of this embodiment provides multiple scenarios, and the high school the main character attends varies depending on the scenario. A scenario is a game story that unfolds as the game progresses. In the game of this embodiment, the user selects one of the scenarios to determine the high school the main character attends.

[0035] When a scenario is selected, the user first determines basic information for the main character. This basic information includes the name, position, dominant arm, batting style, and, in the case of a pitcher, pitching style. Positions can be selected from pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, and outfielder. Positions other than pitcher will be described below as fielders. For the main character's dominant arm, the user selects whether the pitcher is right-handed or left-handed, and also selects whether the player is a right-handed batter, left-handed batter, or switch hitter. For the main character's batting style, the user selects from multiple options, such as standard or open stance. For the pitching style, the user selects from multiple options, such as overhand, three-quarter, sidearm, and underhand. When determining the main character's basic information, preset basic information may be initially displayed on the screen, and the user may then change the basic information.

[0036] Once the main character's basic information has been determined, the event deck is then set up. The event deck is a deck for setting up event characters who will be teammates with the main character and practice together at the high school the main character attends. Event characters are characters that affect the development of the main character (have beneficial effects for the user) when events occur during the development process of the main character. The user selects event characters to set in the event deck from among the event characters they own. Event characters can be acquired as a reward for winning in battle mode or by lottery in the acquisition mode mentioned above.

[0037] Event characters acquired by a user in the game are associated with the user ID and stored in a storage device (database DB, auxiliary storage device 14, auxiliary storage device 34, etc.) as characters owned by the user, and are managed by the game system 1. There is an upper limit on the number of event characters that each user can own. The basic upper limit is 50, but this limit can be extended by meeting certain conditions. For example, by consuming a certain amount of in-game currency, the upper limit can be extended by 5. However, there is a set maximum limit, and there is a limit to the number of event characters that a user can own. Users can sell event characters that they own. When event characters are sold, they are converted into points or in-game currency that can be used in the game.

[0038] In addition, in the aforementioned strengthening mode, the user can select one base character from the event characters they own and one or more strengthening material characters, and then combine the strengthening material characters with the base character to strengthen the base character. This strengthening process can increase the level of the event character selected as the base character. On the other hand, the event characters used as strengthening material characters will no longer be owned by the user.

[0039] By selling or strengthening the event characters, the user can adjust the number of event characters owned by the user to within the upper limit. The game system 1 manages a list of event characters currently owned by the user and event characters owned by the user in the past as illustrated book information. The user can then check the illustrated book information on the screen at any time by performing a predetermined operation.

[0040] Before starting a scenario in the training mode, it is desirable for the user to raise the level of the event character in advance through the strengthening process. This is because the higher the level of the event character, the higher the increase in the ability of the main character through practice and the initial evaluation of the main character, allowing for an advantageous progression in training the main character.

[0041] FIG. 4 shows an example of the display screen G100 for an event deck. When setting up an event deck, the display screen G100 shown in FIG. 4 is displayed. The deck name is displayed in the display area A110. The user can pre-register the combination of event characters in the event deck before starting a scenario in training mode. The change button B1101 is a button for changing the deck name.

[0042] The selected event character is displayed in display area A112. For example, up to six event characters can be set in the event deck. Event characters are selected from the event characters owned by the user, but some of them can be selected from the event characters owned by other users (for example, other users associated with the user). For example, depending on the type of scenario, the user may not own the event character necessary to advance through that scenario advantageously. Even in such a case, if the user can select an event character owned by another user, the user can advance through that scenario advantageously and enjoy the game in that scenario as well.

[0043] Display area A111 displays the rarity of each event character. Rarity indicates the difficulty of obtaining the character, and there are six types of rarity: "Normal (N)," "Powerful Normal (PN)," "Rare (R)," "Powerful Rare (PR)," "Super Rare (SR)," and "Powerful Super Rare (PSR)." The rarity increases in the order of N, PN, R, PR, SR, and PSR, and the higher the rarity, the greater the benefit when developing the main character, such as when an event occurs. In addition, display area A113 displays the level of the event character.

[0044] Additionally, each event character may have a favorite practice associated with them, and if the event character practices that favorite practice together with the main character, the main character may experience an event in which they perform a special practice, or may be able to gain more experience points than usual.

[0045] A list of the event character's favorite practices is displayed in the display area A114. Practice types include "batting," "muscle strength," "base running," "arm strength," "pitch speed," "control," "stamina," "curve ball," "defense," and "mental." When an event character is set in the event deck, the number of event characters with favorite practices is displayed in the display area A115. The example shown in FIG. 4 indicates that one event character has batting as their favorite practice, two event characters have strength as their favorite practice, one event character has base running as their favorite practice, one event character has arm strength as their favorite practice, and one event character has mental strength as their favorite practice. Note that one event character may have two or more favorite practices. When an event character with two or more favorite practices is set in the event deck, the total number displayed in the display area A115 increases accordingly.

[0046] Once the event characters have been set in the event deck as described above, the next step is to select items that can be used in the training mode. Items can be acquired as rewards for winning in the battle mode or by lottery, and for example, the user can use a predetermined number of items (e.g., up to two) in the training mode. Types of items include items for increasing the event occurrence rate, items for restoring stamina, items for reducing the incidence of injury, and items for enabling the automatic allocation process of experience points, which will be described later.

[0047] Once the selection of game items has been completed as described above, the scenario begins. Before explaining the contents of the scenario, the ability values ​​of the main character will be explained. Figure 5 shows an example of an ability list screen G200 in which the main character is trained as a fielder. An image of the main character is displayed in the display area A210.

[0048] The display area A211 displays the name of the main character. The name of the main character is determined when determining the main character's basic information, but can be changed after the main character is trained. The display area A212 displays the number of the main character's position. If the position is catcher, the number 2 is displayed, if it is first baseman, 3 if it is second baseman, 4 if it is third baseman, 6 if it is shortstop, 7 if it is left field, 8 if it is center field, and 9 if it is right field.

[0049] The batting form and dominant hand of the main character are displayed in the display area A213. The position of the main character is displayed in the display area A214. It is also possible to train the main character to be able to play defense in multiple positions, in which case multiple positions can be displayed.

[0050] The display areas A215 to A221 display the basic abilities of a fielder. The basic abilities displayed in the display areas A216 to A221 are displayed in eight levels of evaluation rank: S, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, with an ability value of 90 or higher being S, 80 to 89 being A, 70 to 79 being B, 60 to 69 being C, 50 to 59 being D, 40 to 49 being E, 20 to 39 being F, and 19 or less being G.

[0051] Display area A215 displays information about the basic ability "Trajectory," with an evaluation rank expressed as a number from 1 to 4. The higher the number, the higher the ball's trajectory when batting, and the more likely it is to hit a home run. Display area A216 displays information about the basic ability "Meet," and the higher the "Meet" ability, the easier it is to make contact with the ball and hit a home run. Display area A217 displays information about the basic ability "Power," and the higher the "Power" ability, the more likely it is to hit a long hit. Display area A218 displays information about the basic ability "Running Ability," and the higher the "Running Ability" ability, the faster the base running will be and the more likely it is to hit an infield hit. Display area A219 displays information about the basic ability "Arm Strength," and the higher the "Arm Strength" ability, the faster the ball can be thrown defensively. Display area A220 displays information about the basic ability "Defense Ability," and the higher the "Defense Ability" ability, the wider the defensive range will be. Display area A221 displays information about the basic ability "catching," and the higher the "catching" ability, the easier it is to catch the ball well defensively and the less likely an error will occur.

[0052] Display area A222 displays a list of special abilities related to fielders possessed by the main character. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the main character possesses five special abilities: "infield hit," "pinch hit," "inside hit," "throw," and "stable form." In other words, the main character is likely to hit infield hits, his ability value increases when he appears as a pinch hitter, he excels at "inside hit" when batting, he can throw accurately when fielding, and he is in stable form.

[0053] FIG. 6 shows an example of an ability list screen G300 when the main character is trained as a pitcher. Display area A310 displays an image of the main character. Display area A311 displays the name of the main character. Display area A312 displays the number of the main character's position. If the position is pitcher, 1 is displayed. Display area A313 displays the main character's pitching form and dominant hand. Display area A314 displays the main character's position.

[0054] Display area A315 displays the basic ability related to "pitch speed," showing the maximum speed of a fastball. The basic abilities displayed in display areas A316 and A317 are displayed in eight levels of rank, S, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, in descending order of ability, with an ability score of 90 or higher being S, 80-89 being A, 70-79 being B, 60-69 being C, 50-59 being D, 40-49 being E, 20-39 being F, and 19 or less being G.

[0055] Display area A316 displays basic abilities related to "control," and the higher the "control" ability, the less likely a pitcher will throw a bad pitch and the easier it will be to pitch the ball to the intended course. Display area A317 displays basic abilities related to "stamina," and the higher the "stamina" ability, the less likely the pitcher will tire and the less likely their abilities will decline in the latter half of the game.

[0056] Display area A317 shows the types and amounts of curveballs that the main character has mastered, in addition to the straight ball. Five arrows displayed in display area A318 indicate the direction of the change in trajectory of a curveball thrown by a right-handed pitcher as seen from the batter's side facing the pitcher. Curveballs are classified into five categories, each with a 45-degree angle difference, depending on the direction in which the ball's trajectory changes: rightward (horizontally to the right), downward and rightward, downward (vertically), downward and leftward, and leftward (horizontally to the left).

[0057] 6 shows that the main character has mastered the curveballs "slider," "curve," "fork," and "shoot" in addition to the straight pitch (straight ball). In other words, when using the main character in another game, the user can pitch a type of pitch selected from the pitches "straight," "slider," "curve," "fork," and "shoot."

[0058] The five arrows displayed in display area A317 also function as gauges that indicate the amount of change in each curveball. Here, the amount of change in a curveball is one of the ability parameters of the main character, and indicates the amount of curvature of the curveball. In other words, it indicates the amount of change in the ball's trajectory when the main character throws a curveball. The amount of change is indicated on a seven-point scale from "1" to "7," with "1" being the smallest amount of change and "7" being the largest amount of change.

[0059] In the example shown in Figure 6, the main character has the ability to have a slider change of "5," a curve change of "3," a fork change of "4," and a shot change of "2."

[0060] Display area A319 displays a list of pitcher-related special abilities possessed by the main character. In the example shown in Fig. 6, the main character possesses four special abilities: "heavy ball," "strikeout," "tenacity," and "toughness." In other words, the main character can throw a heavy ball, making it easier to strike out batters, can continue pitching with tenacity even when tired, and is less likely to be shaken by a hit.

[0061] Next, the details of the scenario content will be explained. As mentioned above, multiple scenarios are available in the training mode, and first, the content common to these scenarios will be explained. For example, each scenario consists of four sections, with sections 1 to 3 each consisting of 12 turns, and only section 4 consisting of 15 turns. The user progresses through the game by selecting any command from multiple commands for each turn. In each turn, the user can select a practice item (or practice location) for the main character to practice, or can let the main character rest. Note that, since high school baseball preliminaries and high school baseball games at Koshien are included partway through section 4, if the player is defeated and eliminated from the game, section 4 may be forced to end.

[0062] In each turn of each section, multiple teammates appear in addition to the main character, and have a significant impact on the main character's development. Teammates include event characters set in the event deck, event characters that are predetermined for that scenario, and other default characters (non-event characters). Note that the same characters as the event characters that are predetermined for that scenario can also be set in the event deck.

[0063] In addition, events that can occur in each turn include pre-events that occur before a command is selected by the user, and post-events that occur after a command, such as practice or rest, is selected and executed. Events that occur include scenario-specific scenario events, events involving event characters set in the event deck, and events involving pre-defined event characters specific to the scenario. In scenario-specific scenario events, pre-defined event characters specific to the scenario mainly appear. Whether an event occurs before or after a command is selected is predetermined based on the content of the scenario event and the event characters, and the occurrence condition for each event occurs if the event occurrence lottery is won. When these events occur, the main character receives a training effect corresponding to the event that occurred. For example, when an event occurs, the main character can earn experience points needed to increase the main character's ability scores or acquire special abilities.

[0064] Fig. 7 shows an example of a main screen G400 for the basic training mode, which has elements common to each scenario. Note that, as shown in Fig. 11, additional information is displayed depending on the scenario, but first, the content common to each scenario will be explained using Fig. 7 etc.

[0065] Display area A401 displays the current section and current turn (number of turns remaining in the current section). Display area A402 displays the main character's current school year, month, and week. Display area A403 displays the main character's current stamina gauge; if you choose to practice that turn, the stamina gauge will decrease, and if you take a rest or go on a date, the stamina gauge will increase. Display area A414 displays an icon indicating the main character's motivation parameter. The type of icon switches between multiple stages depending on the main character's motivation parameter, and changes as events occur. Furthermore, when menu button P404 is selected, a menu screen is displayed, allowing the user to check settings or pause the scenario.

[0066] Display area A405 displays the name of the main character and the current evaluation rank of the basic abilities. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the main character is trained as a fielder, so the current evaluation ranks of the aforementioned "trajectory," "contact," "power," "running ability," "arm strength," and "defensive ability" are displayed. If the main character is trained as a pitcher, "pitch speed," "control," "stamina," and "type and amount of curveball change" are displayed. In addition, an image P406 of the main character is displayed near display area A405.

[0067] In each turn, the user can select what to do in that turn from multiple command options P407, P408, P411 to P413. If the "ability improvement" option P410 is selected, the turn will not be consumed. Also, the content of option P409 varies depending on the type of scenario, and some options consume a turn and some do not. Next, the content of each option will be explained.

[0068] If the "Rest" option P407 is selected, the player will not practice that turn, but will instead rest and recover their stamina. The amount of stamina recovered is determined by lottery. If the "Practice" option P408 is selected, the screen will transition to a practice screen G500 in FIG. 8, which will be described later, where the user will then select one of several practice items (or practice locations). Details of the practice items will be described later. The option P409 is a scenario-specific option, and its content will vary depending on the selected scenario.

[0069] When the "ability improvement" option P410 is selected, the user can increase the abilities of the main character by using experience points earned through practice and events. In other words, if the user wants to increase the main character's basic abilities or acquire special abilities, he or she should select this option P410 to increase the main character's abilities. When the "hospital visit" option P411 is selected, the main character's illness, etc., is cured with a predetermined probability. When the "play" option P412 is selected, the main character's stamina is restored and the main character's motivation parameter is also increased by one level with a high probability. When the "date" option P413 is selected, the main character's stamina is restored and experience points are granted to the main character depending on the execution of the date command.

[0070] Next, a description will be given of what happens when the "Practice" option P408 is selected. FIG. 8 shows an example of a practice screen G400. Note that the example shown in FIG. 8 shows a screen in which the "Strength" practice is provisionally selected by the arrow P510. The display area A501 displays the remaining experience points acquired by the main character. Here, experience points refer to the points required to improve the main character's abilities. The display area A501 does not include experience points consumed by improving the main character's basic abilities or acquiring special abilities. There are five types of experience points: "Strength," "Agility," "Technique," "Curveball," and "Spirit." The type and value of experience points acquired vary depending on the practice item. As shown in FIG. 8, when "Strength" practice is selected, both "Strength" experience points and "Spirit" experience points are acquired. Furthermore, the display area A502 displays the amount of experience points gained by selecting that practice, allowing the user to select a practice item while referring to the amount of experience points gained.

[0071] Display area A505 displays the teammates who will participate in the practice. In other words, display area A505 displays the teammate characters associated with the options for that practice item. Teammates are randomly selected from the aforementioned scenario-specific, predefined event characters, event characters set in the event deck, other default characters, scouts, and managers. The more teammates who participate, the more experience points are earned. Display area A506 displays the teammate's name and their evaluation value (or relationship level) with the main character as a gauge. The main character's evaluation value can be increased by events involving that teammate or by practicing with that teammate. The higher the main character's evaluation value, the more likely it is that a trick event will occur that allows the player to acquire tips on special abilities, and the greater the increase in experience points. Note that acquiring tips on special abilities reduces the experience points required to acquire that special ability.

[0072] Here, the tips event will be explained. In the display area A505, a tips event icon P509 is associated with and superimposed on a teammate who is the target of a tips event. Furthermore, a tips event icon P509, which notifies the occurrence of a tips event, is also superimposed on a practice item in which a tips event will occur. Furthermore, when the main character practices together with a teammate with whom the tips event icon P509 is associated (in other words, by selecting a "practice item option" with which a "teammate with whom the tips event icon P509 is associated" is associated), a tips event occurs, and the main character can acquire a tip for a special ability.

[0073] Note that "the main character practices with a teammate" may be simply referred to as "practicing with a teammate." "Practicing with a teammate" means selecting an option for a practice item that is associated with a teammate.

[0074] Teammates who can trigger a tip event are basically event characters. Whether or not a tip event will occur is determined each turn by lottery for each event character that can trigger a tip event. The tip that can be acquired is randomly determined from the special abilities possessed by the event character that triggered the tip event. Tips have levels (in this embodiment, Lv. 1 to Lv. 5), and the higher the level, the fewer experience points the main character needs to acquire a special ability. Note that tips for basic abilities may be acquired from some event characters. When tips for basic abilities are acquired, the experience points needed to improve the main character's basic abilities, such as hitting and pitching speed, are reduced. In other words, acquiring tips allows the main character to develop more advantageously. Note that when a tip event occurs, experience points may be acquired instead of tips.

[0075] The display area A507 displays the favorite practice associated with that teammate. If the ultimately selected practice matches the favorite practice, the main character will receive benefits that are advantageous to their development, such as gaining more experience points. Favorite practices are displayed for event characters set in the event deck, and are not displayed for scenario-specific, predetermined event characters (excluding those set in the event deck) or other default characters. It is possible to practice with up to five teammates, and the teammate combinations associated with each practice item are drawn by lottery each turn.

[0076] Furthermore, if there is an event character among the teammates practicing together whose favorite practice matches the selected practice and whose evaluation value relative to the main character is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a special practice called special tag practice will be performed. When special tag practice is performed, more experience points can be earned than usual.

[0077] Display area A508 displays the injury rate for that exercise. The lower the current physical strength, the higher the injury rate. While referring to the injury rate, the user can select the back button P504 as needed to return to the main screen G400 in FIG. 7 and reselect a command such as "Rest." The higher the injury rate, the higher the probability that the main character will be injured when training. If the main character is injured, they will not be able to gain experience points even if they train.

[0078] A different practice item can be selected from each of the options P511 to P516, and the user can perform that practice by, for example, pressing one of the options P511 to P516 with a finger or the like. Each option P511 to P516 also displays the level of that practice. The level increases by selecting the same practice multiple times, and the higher the practice level, the more experience points can be obtained.

[0079] When the "Strike" option P511 is selected, the experience points required to increase "Meat," one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points are obtained for "Strength," "Technique," and "Spirit," which are displayed in the display area A501. When the "Strength" option P512 is selected, experience points are obtained for "Strength" and "Spirit."

[0080] When the "base running" option P513 is selected, the experience points required to increase "running ability," one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points for "muscle strength" and "agility" are obtained. When the "shoulder strength" option P514 is selected, the experience points required to increase "shoulder strength," one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points for "muscle strength," "agility," and "technique" are obtained.

[0081] When the "Defense" option P515 is selected, the experience points required to increase "Defense," one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points are obtained for "Agility," "Technique," and "Spirit." When the "Mental" option P516 is selected, the main character's physical strength is restored and experience points are obtained for "Technique" and "Spirit."

[0082] Note that the example shown in FIG. 8 is an example of training the main character as a fielder; when training the main character as a pitcher, the practice items for options P511 to P516 are different, with combinations of "pitch speed," "control," "stamina," "curveball," "defense," and "mentality." The types of experience points are the same as when training the main character as a fielder. Similarly, when training the main character as a pitcher, the types and values ​​of experience points gained vary depending on the practice item. For example, if you select to practice "control," you will gain experience points for "technique" and experience points for "mentality."

[0083] When the "ball speed" option is selected, the experience points required to increase "ball speed," one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points are obtained for "strength," "technique," and "spirit," which are displayed in display area A501. When the "control" option is selected, the experience points required to increase "control," one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points are obtained for "technique" and "spirit," which are displayed in display area A501.

[0084] When the "Stamina" option is selected, the experience points required to increase "Stamina," one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points are obtained for "Strength" and "Spirit," which are displayed in display area A501. When the "Curveball" option is selected, the experience points required to increase the type and amount of change in "Curveball," one of the main character's basic abilities, are obtained. Specifically, experience points are obtained for "Technique," "Curveball," and "Spirit," which are displayed in display area A501.

[0085] When the "Defense" option is selected, experience points for "Agility," "Technique," and "Spirit" displayed in display area A501 are gained. When the "Mental" option is selected, the main character's physical strength is restored and experience points for "Technique" and "Spirit" displayed in display area A501 are gained.

[0086] Next, we will explain the procedure for reflecting experience points gained through practice, etc. in basic abilities and special abilities. When the "Ability Improvement" option P410 is selected on the main screen G400 shown in Figure 7, the screen will transition to the screen shown in Figure 9 below.

[0087] FIG. 9 shows an example of a setting screen G600 for increasing the basic abilities of a main character who is trained as a fielder. Display area A601 displays the evaluation rank and ability value of each basic ability before the ability is increased, and display area A602 displays the evaluation rank and ability value of each basic ability after the ability is increased. Selection button P605 is a button for transitioning to a screen for setting basic abilities, and the example in FIG. 9 shows that the basic ability setting screen has been selected. Note that when selection button P606 is selected, transition is made to a special ability setting screen, which will be described later.

[0088] Display area A603 displays the currently acquired experience points for each type ("strength," "agility," "technique," "curveball," and "spirit") that have not been used to allocate to improve the main character's abilities. By allocating the experience points displayed in display area A603 to basic abilities or special abilities, the ability values ​​of the main character's basic abilities can be increased or special abilities can be acquired. Allocating experience points means associating the experience points required to increase the abilities that make up basic abilities and special abilities, either once or multiple times. Experience points used through allocation are subtracted from the experience points displayed in display area A603.

[0089] Display area A604 displays a list of basic abilities, along with the amount of experience points required to increase the ability value of each basic ability by 1. If there is more basic ability information than can be displayed in display area A604, all of the basic ability information can be displayed by moving the scroll bar displayed in display area A612. In this way, the type and amount of experience points required to increase the ability value of each basic ability are determined, allowing for a wide variety of ways to allocate experience points. A button P607 is displayed corresponding to each basic ability, and by operating button P607, experience points can be used to increase the ability value of the corresponding basic ability.

[0090] For example, when the "Trajectory" button P607 is operated once, the experience points required to increase the "Trajectory" ability value by 1 ("Strength": 10, "Technique": 10, and "Spirit": 10) are used, and the "Trajectory" ability value increases by 1. Similarly, when the "Meet" button P607 is operated once, the experience points required to increase the "Meet" ability value by 1 ("Strength": 1, "Technique": 6, and "Spirit": 4) are used, and the "Meet" ability value increases by 1. Similarly, when the "Running" button P607 is operated once, the experience points required to increase the "Running" ability value by 1 ("Strength": 3, "Agility": 12) are used, and the "Running" ability value increases by 1. Thus, for each type of basic ability, at least one of the type (combination of types) of experience points required to improve the ability or the amount of experience points required differs. Furthermore, the ability value of the corresponding basic ability can be increased in stages depending on the number of times the button P607 is operated. In this way, by allocating experience points to a basic ability selected by the user on the setting screen G600, it becomes possible to manually improve the ability value of that basic ability.

[0091] Furthermore, by operating the automatic allocation button P610, an automatic allocation process is executed. In this automatic allocation process, the game system 1 allocates experience points to selected basic abilities and special abilities according to predetermined rules, thereby increasing the ability value of the basic abilities or acquiring special abilities. In this embodiment, the automatic allocation process can be executed when a certain condition is met: that is, the game items selected before the start of the scenario include a specific item that allows the automatic allocation process.

[0092] The allocation of experience points, either manually or through the automatic allocation process, is not finalized until the Confirm button P611 is operated. In other words, until the Confirm button P611 is operated, the allocation is provisional, and the consumption of experience points is not finalized. For example, by operating the Reset button P608, the allocation of experience points at that time can be canceled all at once, and the experience points used after transitioning to the setting screen G600 of FIG. 9 can be returned to an unused state. By operating the Confirm button P611 after the experience points have been allocated, the allocation of experience points (i.e., the consumption of experience points) is finalized, and the setting for changing the main character's abilities is finalized. Furthermore, by operating the Back button P608, the screen returns to the previously displayed main screen G400 (see FIG. 7).

[0093] 10 shows an example of a setting screen G700 for acquiring special abilities for a main character character who is trained as a fielder. The setting screen G700 also basically has the same screen configuration as the setting screen G700 for increasing the ability value of basic abilities, and components that overlap with those of the setting screen G700 are assigned the same component numbers and will not be described again.

[0094] Display area A701 displays a list of special abilities, along with the experience points required to acquire each special ability. If there is more information about special abilities than can be displayed in display area A701, the scroll bar displayed in display area A612 can be used to display all of the information about the special abilities. In this way, the type and amount of experience points required to acquire each special ability are determined, allowing for a wide variety of ways to allocate experience points. A button P607 is displayed corresponding to each special ability, and by operating button P607, experience points can be used to acquire the corresponding special ability.

[0095] 10, at least one of the type (combination of types) of experience points required to acquire the special ability and the amount of experience points required varies for each type of special ability. Note that there are some special abilities that cannot be acquired unless button P607 is operated multiple times.

[0096] Note that while the examples shown in Figures 9 and 10 show the case where the main character is trained as a fielder, if the main character is trained as a pitcher, the basic abilities are replaced with "pitch speed," "control," and "stamina." Also, a selection button for setting the type and amount of change in a curveball has been added, and selecting that selection button allows the player to select the type of curveball. In this case, the type and amount of experience points required to increase the change in the curveball by one are also displayed, and the player can increase the change in the curveball by consuming currently acquired experience points.

[0097] As described above, the main character can be trained by reflecting the experience points gained as a result of the execution of practice and events that occur during the training mode in improving the main character's basic abilities and acquiring special abilities. Basically, the main character's training is completed with the completion of one scenario. Once the training is complete, the main character is evaluated based on the basic abilities, special abilities, etc., and a player overall strength value is calculated, and a player rank is determined based on the player overall strength value.

[0098] Once the main character has been trained in the training mode, it is registered in association with the user ID as a character that can be used by the user in other game modes, such as the battle mode. After the scenario ends, another original character can be created by starting the scenario again from the beginning and training the main character. In other words, multiple original characters can be created by repeating the training in the training mode.

[0099] Next, a description will be given of the characteristic content specific to the scenario described in this embodiment. The scenario according to this embodiment described below is a scenario in which, in order to help a person who has come from ancient Egypt, you practice with your teammates, excavate and restore treasures, restore a pyramid, and rebuild the pyramid in return for improving your baseball skills.

[0100] First, an overview of the game specific to this scenario will be explained. When certain conditions are met, a "treasure excavation icon" is associated with a teammate, such as an event character. By practicing with a teammate associated with this treasure excavation icon, a "treasure excavation event" occurs. When this treasure excavation event occurs, a "treasure object" (hereinafter simply referred to as "treasure") pops out of the pyramid, and the treasure is associated with the teammate. This allows the protagonist character to enjoy the effects of the treasure by practicing with a teammate with whom the treasure is associated (in other words, who owns the treasure). There are 11 types of treasures: "normal treasure," eight "rare treasures," and two "legendary treasures," and the effects vary depending on the type of treasure. The main effects of associating a treasure with a teammate include storing and releasing experience points. Some treasures can be in two states: "absorb" and "release." By practicing with a teammate with an associated treasure in the "absorb" state, at least a portion of the experience points that would have been earned during the practice are absorbed and stored in the pyramid. When experience points are absorbed into the pyramid, all types of experience points are stored together in a common "storage point." Depending on the type of treasure, the storage point may be increased more than usual when absorbing (storing) experience points. Using certain "magic" also increases the storage point more than usual when absorbing (storing) experience points.

[0101] Treasures are basically in an "absorb" state, but by using a specific "magic," they can be put into an "emit" state for a specific number of turns (for example, three turns). By practicing with a teammate who is associated with a treasure in an "emit" state, at least a portion of the "reservoir points" stored in the pyramid will be released and can be taken out as experience points of the type that can be earned in that practice. In other words, by practicing with a teammate who is associated with a treasure in an "emit" state, the experience points released from the "reservoir points" can be added to the experience points of the type that can be earned in that practice. Depending on the type of treasure, the amount of experience points that can be earned when the storage points are released may be more than usual. In addition, by using a specific "magic," the amount of experience points that can be earned when the storage points are released may be more than usual.

[0102] Furthermore, by practicing with a teammate with whom the relic is associated for a set number of turns (for example, five turns), the repair of that relic is completed. When the repaired relic is completed and the teammate is practicing with the associated teammate, the relic is returned to the pyramid (in other words, the association between the teammate and the relic is released). The main effects of returning the relic include the recovery of magic power, the acquisition of experience points, and the repair of the pyramid rooms. Here, magic power is a parameter for using "magic." The pyramid has multiple rooms, and the degree of repair of each room may vary depending on the type of relic returned.

[0103] By repeatedly excavating, repairing, and returning the aforementioned treasures to the pyramid, the repair level of each room in the pyramid increases. Once the repair of a room in the pyramid is complete, the magic corresponding to that room is unlocked and that magic can be used. Magical power is required to use magic. The amount of magical power required varies depending on the type of magic. Magical power is restored by returning the aforementioned treasures and practicing (executing the command that selects the practice item). By using various magic, the development of the main character can be advanced to an advantage.

[0104] As described above, in this scenario, in addition to the content common to each of the above-mentioned scenarios, the development of the main character can be advantageously advanced by excavating treasure, restoring treasure, returning treasure, restoring the pyramid chamber, using various magic spells, etc. Specific examples will be explained below.

[0105] Figure 11 shows an example of the main screen G800 of the development mode displayed in this scenario. Note that in Figure 11, the content common to each scenario is the same as the main screen G400 in Figure 7, so the same component numbers are used for screen configurations that overlap with Figure 7, and their explanations will be omitted.

[0106] The main screen G800 includes a display area A801 ​​and a display area A802. The display area A801 ​​displays an image P803 of a pyramid and information about the storage points stored in the pyramid. The display state of the pyramid image P803 changes as the restoration of the pyramid (the restoration of each room of the pyramid) progresses. For example, the pyramid image P803 is controlled so that an image of the top being chipped away is displayed until the pyramid reaches a predetermined state as the scenario progresses (for example, until the restoration of the top of the pyramid is completed), and once the predetermined state is reached, an image of the top being present is displayed. Furthermore, the display state of the pyramid image P803, such as color, saturation, size, brightness, whether or not it flashes, and the flashing speed, may change depending on the degree to which the pyramid has been restored.

[0107] The storage point information displayed in the display area A801 ​​includes the current storage point and the storage point upper limit. FIG. 11 shows an example in which "Storage Point 200 / 999" is displayed, indicating that the current storage point is "200" and the storage point upper limit is "999." The "storage point upper limit" is the maximum storage point that can be stored, and storage points cannot be stored beyond this upper limit. A storage gauge that maximizes the storage point upper limit may be displayed in the display area A801 ​​to make the current storage point amount easier to see. The "storage point upper limit" starts at a default value (e.g., 999) at the start of the game and increases to a predetermined value (e.g., 2000) once the pyramid's outer wall is completely repaired.

[0108] A magic gauge showing the current magical power is displayed in display area A802. A maximum parameter value is set for magical power, and the maximum value of the magic gauge is the maximum value of that parameter. The "maximum magical parameter value" is the maximum magical parameter value that can be accumulated, and magical power cannot be accumulated beyond this. The "maximum magical parameter value" starts at a default value (e.g., 500) at the start of the game and increases to a predetermined value (e.g., 700) once the top of the pyramid is repaired. The smallest unit of magical power required to use magic is "1 magic power," and a line is drawn on the magic gauge for each "1 magic power." For example, a magical parameter value of 100 corresponds to "1 magic power." In other words, the maximum is "5 magic power" until the top of the pyramid is repaired, and after the top is repaired, the maximum is "7 magic power."

[0109] The display state of the pyramid image P803 in the display area A801 ​​may also be changed according to the current amount of magical power. For example, the pyramid image P803 may be controlled so that the greater the amount of magical power, the brighter it becomes. Alternatively, the pyramid image P803 may be configured to change its display state, such as color, saturation, size, brightness, whether it blinks, and the blinking speed, according to the amount of magical power.

[0110] The main screen G800 also includes a pyramid command option P809. This option P809 does not consume a turn. When an operation to select option P809 is performed, the screen transitions to the pyramid screen shown in FIG. 18. On the pyramid screen, it is possible to check magical power, use magic, as well as the repair status of each room in the pyramid and information about each room in the pyramid. Details of the pyramid screen will be described later.

[0111] Figure 12 shows an example of a practice screen G900 to which the screen transitions when the "Practice" option P408 is selected on the main screen G800 in Figure 11. Note that in Figure 12, the content common to each scenario is the same as the practice screen G500 in Figure 8, so the same component numbers are used for screen configurations that overlap with Figure 8, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0112] The practice screen G900 in Fig. 12 includes the same display area A801 ​​and display area A802 as in Fig. 11, and displays the current storage points and magical power. The practice screen G900 also includes a pyramid button P902 for transitioning to a pyramid screen, which will be described later.

[0113] (Treasure Excavation Icon and Treasure Excavation Event) A treasure excavation icon P901 may be associated with and superimposed on a teammate displayed in display area A505 by lottery based on a predetermined probability. Figure 12 shows an example in which the treasure excavation icon P901 is associated with an event character IA whose favorite practice is "striking" and an event character IB whose favorite practice is "strength." By practicing together with a teammate with whom the treasure excavation icon P901 is associated (in other words, by selecting an option for a practice item associated with a teammate with whom the treasure excavation icon P901 is associated), a treasure excavation event occurs.

[0114] 13, when a treasure excavation event occurs, a treasure P903 pops out of a pyramid image P803, and the treasure P903 is associated with the teammate associated with the treasure excavation icon P901. That is, in the display area A507, the icon of the favorite practice associated with the event character (teammate) for whom the treasure excavation event occurred is replaced with the treasure P903. Note that for an event character whose favorite practice icon has been replaced with the treasure P903, special tag practice in the favorite practice will no longer occur.

[0115] When a teammate is associated with an artifact, it is sometimes referred to as "the teammate owning the artifact." When the artifact excavation event is performed, the artifact excavation icon P901 is removed from the teammate who owns the artifact P903.

[0116] In Figure 13, the presentation of the treasure excavation event in which treasure P903 pops out of pyramid image P803 and treasure P903 is associated with a teammate is merely a game presentation, and this presentation may be omitted and only the result of treasure P903 being associated with a teammate displayed on the screen.

[0117] If a teammate is associated with Treasure P903 due to a Treasure Excavation event that occurs in one turn, the effects of that associated Treasure P903 will not occur until the next turn. In other words, the effects of Treasure P903 that was the target of the Treasure Excavation event will not occur on the turn the Treasure Excavation event occurred.

[0118] Next, we will explain the details of associating the treasure excavation icon P901 with a teammate. The teammates that can be associated with the treasure excavation icon P901 are basically event characters that have not won the lottery for the tips event that is executed every turn. Here, an event character that has not won the lottery for the tips event is an event character that is not associated with the tips event icon P509. In the example of Figure 12, the event character IC is associated with the tips event icon P509, so it is a character that has won the lottery for the tips event and is a character that has been excluded from the lottery for the treasure excavation icon P901.

[0119] Teammates other than event characters are referred to here as "mob characters." Mob characters are generally unable to possess treasure, but by meeting certain conditions, even mob characters can possess treasure, and the treasure excavation icon P901 becomes associated with them. Here, the certain conditions are that by using "Magic 6," which will be described later, the mob character changes into a specific state called "Mummy Mob" for a set number of turns (for example, five turns).

[0120] The lottery for the treasure excavation icon is based on a predetermined probability and is executed for each turn for characters that may be associated with the treasure excavation icon. Here, the characters that may be associated with the treasure excavation icon are event characters and mummy mobs that have not won the lottery for the tips event. However, event characters and mummy mobs that are already associated with treasure are also excluded from the lottery for the treasure excavation icon.

[0121] If the Treasure Excavation Icon lottery determines that one or more teammates will be associated with the Treasure Excavation Icon, the next step is to determine which type of Treasure Excavation Icon will be associated. There are three types of Treasure Excavation Icons: the "standard Treasure Excavation Icon," the "rare Treasure Excavation Icon," and the "legendary Treasure Excavation Icon." Of these, the "legendary Treasure Excavation Icon" is definitely associated with the teammate who was determined to be associated with the Treasure Excavation Icon by meeting the specific acquisition conditions for each legendary treasure, as described below. Once these specific acquisition conditions are met, the next time the Treasure Excavation Icon is displayed, it will always be the "legendary Treasure Excavation Icon." The "legendary Treasure Excavation Icon" will continue to be displayed until the teammate with the "legendary Treasure Excavation Icon" is practiced with and excavates a legendary treasure.

[0122] If it is decided to associate a treasure excavation icon with a teammate, but the "legendary treasure excavation icon" is not associated with that teammate, either a "regular treasure excavation icon" or a "rare treasure excavation icon" will be associated with that teammate, but which icon will be associated will be determined by a random drawing based on probability.

[0123] Fig. 14 shows an example of a treasure excavation icon lottery table TBL101 for determining whether to associate a "normal treasure excavation icon" or a "rare treasure excavation icon." As shown in Fig. 14, the probability of the appearance of the "normal treasure excavation icon" and the probability of the appearance of the "rare treasure excavation icon" are set according to the attribute (type) of the target character (event character, mummy mob) with which it has been determined that the treasure excavation icon will be associated.

[0124] Here, an event character is associated with one of the attributes: "player," "girlfriend," "partner," or "staff member." There is also an attribute called "player and girlfriend," but for example, a "player and girlfriend" is treated as a "player" (or may be treated as a "girlfriend"). Event characters with the attribute "player" are divided into "player (one favorite practice)" and "player (two favorite practices)" depending on the number of favorite practices, and the occurrence probability is set accordingly. A dual-wielding event character with both a favorite practice for fielding and a favorite practice for pitching is treated as a "player (two favorite practices)." In this embodiment, an event character with one favorite practice has a higher probability of displaying a rare treasure excavation icon than an event character with two favorite practices. Event characters with the attribute "girlfriend" also have the highest probability of displaying a rare treasure excavation icon. The treasure excavation icon lottery table TBL101 in FIG. 14 is an example, and any occurrence probability can be set.

[0125] After the "treasure vault," one of the rooms in the pyramid, has been repaired, the probability of a "rare treasure excavation icon" appearing increases compared to before the "treasure vault" was repaired. The treasure excavation icon lottery table TBL101 in Figure 14 is from before the "treasure vault" was repaired, and after the "treasure vault" is repaired, for example, all of the "rare treasure excavation icon" appearance probabilities in the table become "+20%," while all of the "regular treasure excavation icon" appearance probabilities in the table become "-20%."

[0126] (Treasure) Next, the details of the treasure will be explained. There are 11 types of treasures: "normal treasure," eight "rare treasure," and two "legendary treasure." By practicing with a teammate who has the "normal treasure excavation icon" associated with them, the teammate will be associated with a "normal treasure." Also, by practicing with a teammate who has the "rare treasure excavation icon" associated with them, one of the eight "rare treasures" will be associated with them. The type of "rare treasure" associated with a teammate is determined by the type (specialty practice or attribute) of the teammate's event character, as described below. Also, by practicing with a teammate who has the "legendary treasure excavation icon" associated with them, one of the two "legendary treasures" will be associated with them. The type of "legendary treasure" associated with a teammate is determined by which of the two "legendary treasure" acquisition conditions has been met.

[0127] FIG. 15 shows an example of the treasure table TBL102. The treasure table TBL102 includes fields such as "treasure ID," "rarity," "treasure name," "character type," "repair turn," "treasure status," "experience point type," "experience points," and "multiplier." The treasure ID is identification information for uniquely identifying each treasure. The "rarity" field stores information on the rarity of each treasure ("ordinary treasure," "rare treasure," or "legendary treasure"). The "treasure name" field stores information on the name of each treasure.

[0128] The "Character Type" field stores information specifying the type of character (event character's specialty or attribute, mummy mob) associated with each rare treasure. For example, for "Treasure R1," the "Character Type" field stores "Batting" and "Control." In this case, "Treasure R1" indicates that it is associated only with event characters whose specialty is "Batting" or "Control." In other words, if an event character with "Batting" or "Control" as a specialty is associated with the "Rare Treasure Excavation Icon," when a rare treasure excavation event occurs, that event character will always be associated with "Treasure R1." Similarly, "Treasure R2," "Treasure R3," "Treasure R4," "Treasure R5," and "Treasure R6" are associated only with event characters whose specialty is "Strength or Fastball," "Baserunning or Curveball," "Arm Strength or Stamina," "Defense," and "Mental" stored in the "Character Type" field, respectively.

[0129] Furthermore, "Treasure R7" is associated only with event characters with the attribute "girlfriend" stored in the "Character Type" field, while "Treasure R8" is associated only with event characters with the attribute "partner or staff" stored in the "Character Type" field, or "Mummy Mob."

[0130] On the other hand, for normal treasures and legendary treasures, there are no restrictions on the type of character that can be associated, and association can be made with all event characters and mummy mobs.

[0131] The "Repair Turns" field stores information about the number of turns required to complete repairing a treasure after the treasure is associated with a teammate. Here, the number of turns required to complete repairing a treasure refers to the number of turns the teammate associated with the treasure and the main character practice together (in other words, the number of times they practice together). For example, for a normal treasure, "Treasure N," the number of repair turns is "3," and after "Treasure N" is associated with a teammate, the repair of "Treasure N" can be completed by practicing together with the teammate three times (three turns). In this embodiment, the number of repair turns for normal treasures is "3," and the number of repair turns for rare treasures and legendary treasures is "5."

[0132] The "Artifact Status," "Experience Point Type," "Experience Points," and "Multiplier" fields are fields that store information regarding the "storage or release effect" of each artifact. The "Experience Point Type" field stores information regarding the type of experience points that are the target of the effect of each artifact. The "Artifact Status" field stores information regarding the state that each artifact can be in ("Absorb" or "Release" state). The "Experience Points" field stores information regarding the percentage of experience points to be absorbed into the storage points when the artifact is in the "Absorb" state (information indicating what percentage of the experience points acquired in practice will be absorbed into the storage points). The "Experience Points" field stores information regarding the number of points to be released from the storage points when the artifact is in the "Release" state. The "Multiplier" field stores information regarding the multiplier that increases the experience points absorbed into the storage points when the artifact is in the "Absorb" state. The "Multiplier" field stores information regarding the multiplier that increases the experience points that can be acquired by releasing storage points when the artifact is in the "Release" state.

[0133] The "Absorb" or "Release" effect of the artifact only applies to the type of experience points earned in the practice you performed. For example, if you perform "Batting" practice (selecting the "Batting" option P511), you can earn three types of experience points: "Strength," "Technique," and "Spirit," so only these three types of experience points are subject to the "Absorb" or "Release" effect. Similarly, if you perform "Strength" practice, only the experience points in "Strength" and "Spirit" are subject to the effect. Furthermore, if you perform "Baserunning" practice, only the experience points in "Strength" and "Agility" are subject to the effect. Furthermore, if you perform "Shoulder Strength" practice, only the experience points in "Strength," "Agility," and "Technique" are subject to the effect. Furthermore, if you perform "Fielding" practice, only the experience points in "Agility," "Technique," and "Spirit" are subject to the effect. Furthermore, if you perform "Mental" practice, only the experience points in "Technique" and "Spirit" are subject to the effect. Also, depending on the type of relic, not all types of experience points that can be earned in the practice may be affected, but some may be limited to a few types. Below, we will explain the effects of "Absorb" and "Emit" for each type of relic.

[0134] In the Treasure Table TBL102, when the normal treasure "Treasure N" is in the "Absorb" state, the "Experience Point Type" field is set to "All Experience Points," the "Experience Points" field is set to "5%," and the "Multiplier" field is set to "1." In this case, the effect is "5% of all types of experience points that can be acquired through practice will be absorbed into the storage points." For example, suppose a user selects the "Strength" practice item, which has a teammate associated with "Treasure N" in the "Absorb" state. The experience points to be awarded are calculated as 100 points for Strength and 100 points for Spirit, and the current storage points are 200 points. The experience points to be awarded do not include the effects of "Absorb" or "Release." In this case, the storage process based on the effect of "Treasure N" in the "Absorb" state adds 5% each of the 100 points for Strength and 100 points for Spirit, totaling 10 points (5 points for Strength and 5 points for Spirit), to the storage points common to all types. This results in a storage point total of 210 points (= 200 + 10). The experience points the user can earn (granted to the main character) are 95 points for Strength (= 100 - 5) and 95 points for Spirit (= 100 - 5), excluding the points stored (absorbed) as storage points.

[0135] Also, when "Treasure N" is in the "Release" state, the "Experience Point Type" field is set to "All Experience Points," the "Experience Points" field is set to "10 points," and the "Multiplier" field is set to "1." In this case, the effect is "to release up to 10 points from the storage points and add them to all types of experience points that can be earned through practice." Here, "release up to n points (at a time) from the storage points" means that if there are enough storage points to release n points (at a time), n points (at a time) will be released, but if there are not enough storage points, the number of points released will be less than n points (at a time). To explain this as an example, suppose that the practice item "Strength" is selected, and that the teammate is associated with "Treasure N" in the "Release" state. As a result, 100 points for Strength and 100 points for Spirit are calculated as the experience points to be awarded, and the current storage points are 200 points. In this case, the release process based on the effect of "Treasure N" in the "Release" state releases 10 points from the storage points (a total of 20 points), and 10 points each are added to the Strength points and Spirit points that can be earned through practice. As a result, the experience points that the user can earn (granted to the main character) are 110 points for Strength (= 100 + 10) and 110 points for Spirit (= 100 + 10). The released points are subtracted from the storage points, leaving 180 points (= 200 - 20).

[0136] Additionally, in the Treasure Table TBL102, when the rare treasure "Treasure R1" is in the "Absorb" state, the "Experience Point Type" field is set to "Technical Points," the "Experience Points" field is set to "50%," and the "Multiplier" field is set to "1." In this case, the effect is "50% of the technical points earned through practice will be absorbed into storage points." This effect only applies to "Technical Points," and experience points other than "Technical Points" cannot be stored (absorbed). To give an example, suppose the user selects the "Mental" practice item, which has a teammate associated with "Treasure R1" in the "Absorb" state. As a result, 100 points for skill and 100 points for spirit are calculated as the experience points to be awarded, and the current storage points are 200 points. In this case, due to the storage process based on the effect of "Treasure R1" in the "Absorb" state, 50% of the 100 points for skill to be absorbed, or "50 points for skill," is added to the storage points common to all types. This results in a storage point of 250 (= 200 + 50). Furthermore, the experience points the user can earn (granted to the main character) are 50 points for skill (= 100 - 50) and 100 points for spirit, excluding the points stored as storage points.

[0137] Additionally, when the rare treasure "Treasure R1" is in the "Release" state, the "Experience Point Type" field is set to "Technical Points," the "Experience Points" field is set to "50 points," and the "Multiplier" field is set to "1.4." In this case, the effect is to "release up to 50 points from the storage points, multiply the released points by 1.4, and add them to the technical points you can earn through practice." This effect only applies to "Technical Points," and experience points other than "Technical Points" cannot be released. To give an example, suppose the user selects the "Mental" practice item, which has a teammate associated with "Treasure R1" in the "Release" state, and 100 points for skill and 100 points for spirit are calculated as the experience points to be awarded, with the current storage points being 200 points. In this case, 50 points are released from the storage points through the release process based on the effect of "Treasure R1" in the "Release" state, and 70 points, which is 1.4 times the 50 points, are added to the skill points that can be earned in practice. As a result, the experience points that the user can earn (granted to the main character) are 170 points for skill (= 100 + 70) and 100 points for spirit. The released points are also subtracted from the storage points, leaving 150 points (= 200 - 50).

[0138] The rare treasures "Treasure R2" to "Treasure R4" differ from "Treasure R1" only in the type of experience points that are stored (absorbed) or released, and have the same effect as "Treasure R1" described above.

[0139] Additionally, in the Treasure Table TBL102, when the rare treasure "Treasure R5" is in the "Absorb" state, the "Experience Point Type" field is set to "Technical Points and Strength Points," the "Experience Points" field is set to "25%, and the "Multiplier" field is set to "1". In this case, the effect is "25% each of the Technical Points and Strength Points earned through practice will be absorbed into storage points". This effect only applies to "Technical Points and Strength Points", and other Experience Points will not be subject to storage (absorption). For example, suppose a user selects the "Shoulder Strength" training item, which has a teammate associated with the "Treasure R5" in the "Absorb" state. This calculates 100 points for Skill, 100 points for Strength, and 100 points for Agility as the experience points to be awarded, and the current pool of points is 200 points. In this case, 25% of the 100 points for Skill and 100 points for Strength are added to the pool of points common to all types. This results in a pool of 250 points (= 200 + 25 + 25). Furthermore, the experience points the user can earn (awarded to the main character) are 75 points for Skill (= 100 - 25), 75 points for Strength (= 100 - 25), and 100 points for Agility, excluding the points already stored.

[0140] Additionally, when the rare treasure "Treasure R5" is in the "Release" state, the "Experience Point Type" field is set to "Technical Points and Strength Points," the "Experience Points" field is set to "25 points," and the "Multiplier" field is set to "1.2." In this case, the effect is to "release up to 25 points from the storage points, multiply each released point by 1.2, and add them to the technical points and strength points you can earn through practice." This effect only applies to "Technical Points and Strength Points," and other experience points are not subject to release. For example, suppose a teammate selects the "Shoulder Strength" practice item and is associated with "Release Treasure R5." This calculates the experience points to be awarded as 100 points for skill, 100 points for strength, and 100 points for agility, and the current pool of points is 200. In this case, the release process based on the effect of "Release Treasure R6" releases 25 points each from the pool (a total of 50 points), and 30 points, which is 1.2 times the 25 points, are added to the skill and strength points that can be earned through practice. As a result, the experience points that the user can earn (and are awarded to the main character) are 130 points for skill (=100 + 30), 130 points for strength (=100 + 30), and 100 points for agility. The pool of points is also deducted by the released points, resulting in 150 points (=200 - 50).

[0141] The rare treasure "Treasure R6" differs from "Treasure R5" only in the type of experience points that are stored (absorbed) or released, and has the same effect as "Treasure R5" described above.

[0142] In addition, in the Treasure Table TBL102, when the rare treasure "Treasure R7" is in the "Absorb" state, the "Experience Point Type" field is set to "Maximum Experience Points Earned," the "Experience Points" field is set to "50%," and the "Multiplier" field is set to "1.2." In this case, the effect is "50% of the experience points of the type that can be earned most in that practice will be reduced, and the reduced amount will be multiplied by 1.2 and absorbed into the storage points." For example, suppose a player selects the "Shoulder Strength" practice item, which has a teammate associated with "Treasure R7" in the "Absorb" state. The experience points to be awarded are calculated as 100 points for skill, 100 points for strength, and 200 points for agility, and the current pool of points is 200 points. In this case, the type of experience points that can be earned most in that practice is "Agility points." Therefore, the pooling process based on the effect of "Treasure R7" in the "Absorb" state reduces 50% of the 200 points for agility (100 points), and adds the reduced 100 points (1.2 times the original 100 points) to the pool of points common to all types, for a total of 120 points. This results in a pool of 300 points (= 200 + 100). The experience points that the user can earn (and that are awarded to the main character) are 100 points for skill, 100 points for strength, and 100 points for agility (= 200 - 100).

[0143] Also, when the rare treasure "Treasure R7" is in the "Release" state, the "Experience Point Type" field is set to "Maximum Experience Points Earned," the "Experience Points" field is set to "50 points," and the "Multiplier" field is set to "1.5." In this case, the effect is to "release up to 50 points from the storage points, multiply the released points by 1.5, and add them to the experience points of the type that can be earned most in that practice." For example, suppose a teammate selects the "Shoulder Strength" practice item and is associated with the "Release" "Treasure R7." The experience points to be awarded are calculated as 100 points for skill, 100 points for strength, and 200 points for agility, and the current pool of points is 200. In this case, the most experience points that can be earned in that practice are "agility points." Therefore, through the release process based on the effect of the "Release" "Treasure R7," 50 points are released from the pool of points, and 75 points, which is 1.5 times the 50 points, is added to the agility points that can be earned in the practice. As a result, the experience points that the user can earn (granted to the main character) are 100 points for skill, 100 points for strength, and 275 points for agility (=200 + 75). The pool of points is also deducted by the amount released, leaving 150 points (=200 - 50).

[0144] Regarding the effect of the "Treasure R7," if there are multiple types of experience points that can be earned most in a given practice (for example, in the example above, if the technical points, strength points, and agility points earned in a practice are all the same number), a type of experience points randomly selected from among them will be the subject of the storage process or release process.

[0145] In addition, in the Treasure Table TBL102, when the rare treasure "Treasure R8" is in the "Absorb" state, the "Experience Point Type" field is set to "All Experience Points," the "Experience Points" field is set to "25%," and the "Multiplier" field is set to "1." In this case, the effect is "25% of all experience points that can be earned through practice will be absorbed into the storage points." As an example, suppose a user selects the "Strength" training item, which has a teammate associated with "Treasure R8" in the "Absorb" state. This calculates 100 points for Strength and 100 points for Spirit as the experience points to be awarded, and the current pool of points is 200. In this case, the pooling process based on the effect of "Treasure R8" in the "Absorb" state adds 25% each of the 100 points for Strength and 100 points for Spirit to a total of 50 points (25 points for Strength and 25 points for Spirit), which is added to the pool of points common to all types. This results in a pool of 250 points (= 200 + 50). Furthermore, the experience points the user can earn (granted to the main character) are 75 points for Strength (100 - 25) and 75 points for Spirit (100 - 25), excluding the points stored (absorbed) as pool points.

[0146] Additionally, when the rare treasure "Treasure R8" is in the "Release" state, the "Experience Point Type" field is set to "All Experience Points," the "Experience Points" field is set to "25 points," and the "Multiplier" field is set to "1.2." In this case, the effect is "to release up to 25 points from the storage points to add to all types of experience points that can be earned through practice, and each released point is multiplied by 1.2 and added to all types of experience points that can be earned through practice." To give an example, suppose a user selects the "Strength" practice item, which has a teammate associated with "Treasure R8" in the "Release" state. This calculates the experience points to be awarded as 100 points for Strength and 100 points for Spirit, and the current storage points are 200 points. In this case, the release process based on the effect of "Treasure R8" in the "Release" state releases 25 points each from the storage points (a total of 50 points), and 25 points multiplied by 1.2 (30 points) is added to the Strength and Spirit points that can be earned through practice. As a result, the experience points that the user can earn (granted to the main character) are 130 points for Strength (= 100 + 30) and 130 points for Spirit (= 100 + 30). The released points are then subtracted from the storage points, resulting in 150 points (= 200 - 50).

[0147] Multiple rare treasures of the same type cannot coexist. In other words, if a rare treasure is associated with one teammate, the same type of rare treasure cannot be associated with another teammate until that rare treasure is returned. For example, if two event characters with the "girlfriend" attribute (referred to as "girlfriend characters") are set in the event deck, if one girlfriend character is associated with "Treasure R7," the other girlfriend character can only be associated with the regular treasure "Treasure N." However, different types of rare treasures can coexist. For example, if one teammate is associated with "Treasure R1," it is permissible for another teammate to be associated with a rare treasure other than "Treasure R1" (any of "Treasure R2" through "Treasure R8").

[0148] Furthermore, in the Treasure Table TBL102, the "Treasure State" field of the Legendary Treasure "Treasure L1" is set to "Absorb." In other words, "Treasure L1" cannot be changed from the "Absorb" state to the "Emit" state by magic, and can only be in the "Absorb" state. The "Experience Point Type" field of "Treasure L1" is set to "All Experience Points," the "Experience Points" field is set to "100%," and the "Multiplier" field is set to "2." In this case, the effect is "100% of all experience points that can be earned through practice will be doubled and absorbed into the storage points." To give an example, suppose a user selects the "Strength" practice item with a teammate associated with the legendary treasure "Treasure L1." This calculates 100 points for Strength and 100 points for Spirit as the experience points to be awarded, and the current pool of points is 200. In this case, the pooling process based on the effect of "Treasure L1" adds twice the 100 points for Strength and twice the 100 points for Spirit, totaling 400 points, to the pool of points common to all types. This brings the pool of points to 600 (= 200 + 400). In this case, 100% of the total experience points to be earned in the practice are subject to pooling, so no experience points are earned (granted to the main character) by the user in the practice.

[0149] Furthermore, a specific acquisition condition is set for the legendary treasure "Treasure L1." In this embodiment, the acquisition condition for "Treasure L1" is to complete the repair of three rooms of the pyramid. As will be described later, the pyramid has six rooms, and when three of these rooms have been repaired, the acquisition condition for "Treasure L1" is met. Furthermore, if all six rooms of the pyramid are subsequently repaired, the acquisition condition for "Treasure L1" will again be met. When the acquisition condition for "Treasure L1" is met, the "Legendary Treasure Excavation Icon" is definitely associated with a teammate who is subsequently determined to be associated with the treasure excavation icon. Then, if a player practices with a teammate who has been associated with this "Legendary Treasure Excavation Icon," the legendary treasure "Treasure L1" will be associated with that teammate.

[0150] Each treasure can have other effects besides the absorption or release effects mentioned above. For example, each treasure can have the effect of reducing the amount of stamina lost (or increasing the amount of stamina recovered) when a practice command is executed. Also, each treasure can have the effect of reducing the injury rate compared to when there is no treasure. Effects other than absorption and release may be the same for treasures of all rarities, or the higher the rarity, the higher the effect.

[0151] Furthermore, in the Treasure Table TBL102, the Legendary Treasure "Treasure L2" has no setting in its "Treasure Status" field, and "Treasure L2" itself does not have the aforementioned "Absorb" or "Emit" effects. However, unlike other Treasures, "Treasure L2" has the following effect: "When practicing with a teammate associated with that "Treasure L2," it doubles the effects (absorb, emit, stamina recovery, injury reduction, etc.) of other Treasures in that practice location." Here, "the treasure is in the practice location" refers to a state in which the treasure is associated with a teammate who is associated with practice (practice option).

[0152] Furthermore, a specific acquisition condition is set for the legendary treasure "Treasure L2." In this embodiment, the acquisition condition for "Treasure L2" is to return 20 treasures. Since the acquisition condition for "Treasure L2" is met every time 20 treasures are returned, it is possible to satisfy this acquisition condition multiple times. When the acquisition condition for "Treasure L2" is met, the "Legendary Treasure Excavation Icon" is definitely associated with a teammate who is subsequently determined to be associated with the treasure excavation icon. Then, if a player practices with a teammate who is associated with this "Legendary Treasure Excavation Icon," the legendary treasure "Treasure L2" will be associated with that teammate.

[0153] If a legendary artifact is attached to one teammate, the same type of legendary artifact cannot be attached to other teammates until that legendary artifact is returned. For example, if a teammate has the legendary artifact "Treasure L1" attached, even if they fulfill the conditions to obtain "Treasure L1" again, "Treasure L1" will not be attached to other teammates, and will be reserved until "Treasure L1" is returned. The same applies if a teammate has the legendary artifact "Treasure L2" attached. Note that "Treasure L1" and "Treasure L2" are different types, so the two can coexist.

[0154] As mentioned above, depending on the type of treasure, the type of experience points that can be affected by "absorb" or "emit" are limited (for example, "Treasure R1" is "technique points," "Treasure R2" is "strength points," etc.). Therefore, if a practice is performed that does not earn experience points of the type that is affected by a treasure in the practice area, neither the "absorb" nor "emit" effects will occur. In other words, in order to activate the treasure's effect, it is important to select a practice option that will earn experience points of the type that is affected by the treasure. The user is required not only to determine whether or not a treasure is available in the practice area, but also to determine whether or not the practice at that practice area will earn experience points of the type that is affected by the treasure, which increases the interest of the game.

[0155] Each treasure has a rank of 1 to 5. The higher the rank, the greater the amount of magical power recovered when returning the treasure. Also, the higher the rank of the treasure, the greater the amount of bonus experience points you can earn when returning it.

[0156] The rank of the treasures is fixed at "4" for Legendary Treasure L1 and "5" for Legendary Treasure L2. The rank of treasures other than these Legendary Treasures (i.e., ordinary treasures and rare treasures) is determined based on the attribute (type) of the event character with which the treasure is associated. In this embodiment, the rank of a treasure associated with an event character with the attribute "girlfriend" is "3". The rank of a treasure associated with an event character with the attribute "partner" or "player (one type of specialty practice)" is "2". The rank of a treasure associated with an event character with the attribute "player (two types of specialty practice)" or "staff" is "1". The rank of a treasure associated with a mummy mob is "1".

[0157] In the case of a scenario-specific, predetermined event character (hereinafter referred to as a "scenario-associated event character"), the rank of the treasure is given preferential treatment. In other words, the rank of the treasure associated with a scenario-associated event character is the rank above plus "1". For example, the rank of the treasure associated with a scenario-associated event character with the attribute "girlfriend" is "4 (=3+1)".

[0158] FIG. 16 shows an example of a practice screen G900 in which a treasure P903 in the "absorbed" state is present at the practice location (the teammate associated with the treasure P903 in the "absorbed" state is associated with the currently provisionally selected practice). 16 shows an example in which option P510 for the practice item "Strength" is provisionally selected, and four teammates, "Event Character IA," "Event Character IB," "Mob Character MB," and "Event Character ID," are present at the "Strength" practice location. Here, "Treasure N" is associated with event character IA, "Treasure R2" is associated with event character IB, and "Treasure R7" is associated with event character ID.

[0159] The treasure P903 associated with a teammate is displayed on the screen so that the current state of the treasure P903 can be seen as either "absorb" or "emit." In the example of FIG. 16, each treasure P903 is associated with and displayed as an arrow part P904 indicating the "absorb" state. When the treasure P903 is in the "emit" state, a part P908 (see FIG. 17) with an arrow pointing in the opposite direction to that of the part P904 is displayed. In this embodiment, arrow parts P904 and P908 are used to indicate whether the state of treasure P903 is "absorption" or "emission," but this is not limiting as long as the display state of treasure P903 differs between the "absorption" state and the "emission" state. For example, the color or shape of treasure P903 may be different between the "absorption" state and the "emission" state, or different letters or symbols may be added to treasure P903 between the "absorption" state and the "emission" state.

[0160] Additionally, a part P905 is associated with and displayed on the treasure P903 associated with a teammate. This part P905 indicates the number of turns remaining until the repair of the treasure P903 is complete. In the example of FIG. 16, the part P905 displayed on "Treasure N" is "3," and the part P905 displayed on "Treasure R2" is "5," indicating that the number of remaining repair turns for "Treasure N" is 3 and the number of remaining repair turns for "Treasure R2" is 5. The number of remaining repair turns is basically reduced by one each time you practice with the teammate with whom the treasure P903 is associated. Note that when a "Treasure Tag" event, described below, occurs, the repair of the treasure P903 that triggered the event will proceed by two turns per practice session.

[0161] When the number of remaining repair turns for the treasure P903 reaches 0, the display of the part P905 disappears, and the display state indicates that repair is complete. In this embodiment, a glowing effect is displayed on the treasure P903 whose repair is complete. "Treasure R7" in FIG. 16 is the treasure P903 whose repair is complete. In this embodiment, whether or not the repair of the treasure P903 has been completed is indicated by whether or not the part P905 is displayed and by the effect display, but this is not limited to this, and it is sufficient if the display state of the treasure P903 differs depending on whether or not the repair has been completed.

[0162] Display area A906 displays information about the amount of storage points absorbed (increased) or released when the practice item is selected. That is, information about the points absorbed as storage points or released from storage points due to the effect of "absorbing" or "releasing" experience points from at least one treasure P903 in the currently provisionally selected practice location is displayed. In the example of FIG. 16, display area A906 displays "Absorb 220," indicating that a total of 220 points will be absorbed (added) to storage points by confirming the selection of the currently provisionally selected practice location (practice item). Here, the effect of absorbing 220 points is the combined effect of each of the three treasures P903 in the practice location.

[0163] Display area A502 displays the amount of experience points that would be acquired if the practice was selected, not including the effect of "absorbing" or "releasing" experience points using treasure P903. In the example of Figure 16, by selecting option P511 for the practice item "Strike," it can be seen from viewing display area A502 that the experience points that can be acquired, not including the effect of "absorbing" or "releasing" experience points using treasure P903, are "100 points of strength," "200 points of technique," and "100 points of spirit."

[0164] Additionally, display area A907 to the right of display area A502 displays the amount of experience point loss or gain resulting from the "absorption" or "release" of experience points by the treasure P903. In other words, display area A907 displays the amount of experience point loss or gain related to the exchange (absorption or release) with storage points. As mentioned above, the effect of "absorption" or "release" of experience points by the treasure P903 only applies to the type of experience points that can be earned in the practice being performed. Furthermore, the amount of experience point loss or gain displayed in display area A907 reflects the "absorption" or "release" effects of all treasures P903 present in that practice location. In the example of Figure 16, if the "Strike" practice option P511 is selected, display area A907 reveals that the "absorption" effects of the three treasures P903 result in a loss of 55 strength points, a loss of 110 technical points, and a loss of 5 mental points.

[0165] In the example of Figure 16, if you select option P511 for "Strike" training, you will gain 45 (=100-55) points for Strength, 90 (=200-110) points for Technique, and 95 (=100-5) points for Spirit, and 220 points will be added to the storage points common to all types. Note that the amount of storage points absorbed shown in display area A906 does not match the total negative experience points that can be acquired shown in display area A907 because the effect of "Treasure R7" in the "Absorb" state applies a multiplier to increase storage points when experience points are absorbed.

[0166] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a practice screen G900 in which a treasure P903 in the "release" state is present in the practice location (a teammate associated with a treasure P903 in the "release" state is present). When a magic spell is used on the practice screen G900 of FIG. 16 to put all the treasures into the "release" state, the practice screen G900 will look like the one in FIG. 17. In FIG. 17, each of the three treasures P903 is associated with an arrow part P908 indicating the "release" state and is displayed.

[0167] The display area A906 in Figure 17 displays "Release 130," indicating that a total of 130 points will be released from the storage point by confirming the selection of the currently provisionally selected practice location (practice item). Here, the effect of releasing 130 points is the combined effect of each of the three treasures P903 in the "Release" state at that practice location.

[0168] In the example shown in Figure 17, option P511 for the "Strike" practice is tentatively selected, so stored points can be extracted as three types of experience points: "Strength," "Technique," and "Spirit." Display area A907 displays that, due to the "Release" effect of the three treasures P903, 70 points for Strength, 75 points for Technique, and 10 points for Spirit can be acquired in addition to the experience points that can be acquired in that practice (experience points listed in display area A502). Note that the amount of released stored points listed in display area A906 does not match the total experience points that can be acquired listed in display area A907 because the effect of "Treasure R7" in the "Release" state applies a multiplier to the experience points that are increased when the stored points are released.

[0169] The user considers whether to confirm the currently provisionally selected practice option, referring to the type and amount of experience points that can be acquired, not including the effect of "absorption" or "release" by the treasure P903, displayed in display area A502, and the amount of experience point decrease or increase based on the effect of "absorption" or "release" by the treasure P903, displayed in display area A906. The user also considers whether to confirm the currently provisionally selected practice option, referring to the information displayed in display area A906 about the amount of storage points absorbed (increased) or released if that practice item is selected. By switching between the provisionally selected practice options P511-P516, the teammates and treasure P903 present in the practice location change, and the type of experience points that can be acquired in that practice also changes. Therefore, the user considers which option to confirm while switching between the provisionally selected options P511-P516.

[0170] By performing a practice, a predetermined amount of magical power is recovered. Furthermore, in a practice in which a treasure is returned, an amount of magical power corresponding to the rank of the returned treasure is recovered. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the magic power gauge displayed in the display area A802 flashes the estimated increase in magical power P909 if the provisionally selected practice is performed.

[0171] (Treasure Tag Event) When you practice tag in a practice area with two or more relics (in other words, when you practice with two or more teammates who have relics), a special practice event called a "Treasure Tag Event" will occur. When a Treasure Tag Event occurs, the target relics in the practice area will be repaired more quickly than if the event did not occur. Specifically, when a Treasure Tag Event occurs in a practice area with two or more relics, the repair of those two or more relics will progress two turns in one practice session.

[0172] Additionally, if a Treasure Tag event occurs in a practice area with two or more treasures, and a treasure is returned during that practice, the amount of magical power recovered by the treasure being returned will be greater than if a Treasure Tag event had not occurred. In this case, the more treasures that triggered the Treasure Tag event, the greater the amount of magical power recovered.

[0173] Furthermore, when a Treasure Tag event occurs, you can earn bonus experience points in addition to the experience points you would have earned if that event had not occurred. The more treasures that triggered the Treasure Tag event, the more bonus experience points you will earn. Also, the higher the rank of each treasure that triggered the Treasure Tag event, the more bonus experience points you will earn.

[0174] The bonus experience points from the Treasure Tag event are included in the experience points that could be earned in that practice, which are displayed in display area A502 in Figures 16 and 17. In other words, the bonus experience points that can be earned from the Treasure Tag event are included in the experience points that are subject to "absorption" or "release" by the treasure.

[0175] Practice options with two or more treasures in the practice area are displayed differently from other options, and a notification is made that a treasure tag event is scheduled to occur. In the examples of Figures 16 and 17, the command buttons for the "Strike" practice option P511 and the "Mental" practice option P516 light up, and a notification is made that a treasure tag event will occur.

[0176] (Return of the treasure) When practicing at the practice location where the repaired artifact P903 is located (in other words, practicing with a teammate with whom the repaired artifact P903 is associated), the repaired artifact P903 is returned to the pyramid. In the example of Figure 16, since the repair of "Treasure R7" is complete, confirming the selection of option P511 triggers an event in which "Treasure R7" is returned. Returning the artifact results in the aforementioned effects of restoring magical power, gaining bonus experience points, and repairing the pyramid room.

[0177] While practicing will also restore a certain amount of magical power, returning a treasure will restore a greater amount of magical power. For example, practicing will restore 5 points of magical power. On the other hand, returning a treasure will restore 10 points at rank 1, 30 points at rank 2, 50 points at rank 3, 80 points at rank 4, and 100 points at rank 5.

[0178] With regard to the bonus experience points earned by returning a relic, for example, 10 experience points for a relic's rank 1, 30 experience points for rank 2, 50 experience points for rank 3, 80 experience points for rank 4, and 100 experience points for rank 5 are added to all types of experience points that can be earned in practice when returning a relic. These bonus experience points earned by returning a relic are included in the experience points that could have been earned in that practice, which are displayed in display area A502 in Figures 16 and 17. In other words, the bonus experience points earned when returning a relic are included in the experience points that are subject to processing when the relic is "absorbed" or "released."

[0179] The pyramid has six rooms (the summit, the corridors, the outer walls, the king's chamber, the treasure vault, and the basement), and when a certain treasure is returned, the restoration of all the rooms in the pyramid progresses. The rate at which the restoration of each room progresses depends on the parameters of the treasure being returned. The rate at which the restoration of each room progresses also depends on whether it is a "particularly desired treasure" (described below). For example, the restoration level of each room progresses as treasures are returned, in order of the rarity of the treasures that progress the slowest in restoration level: "normal treasure," "rare treasure," and "legendary treasure."

[0180] The parameter for repairing each room in the pyramid is defined as a "repair value," and each treasure has a "repair value" set. The higher the repair value, the faster the room will be repaired when the treasure is returned. For example, the repair value for a "normal treasure" is "5," the repair value for a "rare treasure" is "10," and the repair value for a "legendary treasure" is "20." The repair value may also be varied depending on the attribute of the event character with which the returned treasure was associated. For example, the repair value of a "treasure associated with an event character with a partner attribute" may be set to "20." Or, for example, the repair value of a "treasure associated with an event character with a girlfriend attribute" may be set to "40." In this case, regardless of the rarity of the treasure, the repair value of a treasure associated with an event character with a partner attribute will be "20," and the repair value of a treasure associated with an event character with a girlfriend attribute will be "40."

[0181] Also, as will be described later, once the repair of the "corridor," one of the rooms in the pyramid, is completed, it becomes easier to proceed with the repair of rooms other than the "corridor."

[0182] (Pyramid Room) Below we will explain the details of the pyramid's chambers. When an operation is performed to select the pyramid command option P809 on the main screen G800 of FIG. 11 or the pyramid button P902 on the practice screen G900 of FIG. 12 or the like, a transition to a pyramid screen G1000, an example of which is shown in FIG. 18, is made. On the pyramid screen G1000, information on each of the six rooms of the pyramid can be confirmed. The pyramid screen G1000 includes parts P1001 to P1006 that represent each room of the pyramid. Part P1001 is the summit, part P1002 is the corridor, part P1003 is the outer wall, part P1004 is the king's chamber, part P1005 is the treasure vault, and part P1006 is the basement.

[0183] Here, each room will be explained using the pyramid room table TBL103 shown in FIG. 19. The pyramid room table TBL103 includes fields such as "room ID," "room name," "particularly desired treasure," "effect after repair is complete," "magic that becomes available," and "repair value." The room ID is identification information for uniquely identifying each room in the pyramid. The "room name" field stores information on the name of each room in the pyramid.

[0184] The "Especially Desired Treasure" field stores information about "Especially Desired Treasure," which is a type of treasure that is likely to contribute to the progress of repairs in the target room. Each room in the pyramid is repaired by returning a treasure, and the repair level (the degree of completion until repairs are complete) gradually improves with each returned treasure, but the way in which the repair level of each room improves (the progress of repairs) differs depending on the type of treasure returned. Each room is associated with (set as) a "Especially Desired Treasure," and when this "Especially Desired Treasure" is returned, the repair level of the target room improves more than when other treasures are returned. In this embodiment, "Treasure R7" and "Treasure R8" are set as "Especially Desired Treasures" common to all rooms. In addition, the summit is set as "Treasure R6", the corridor is set as "Treasure R5", the outer wall is set as "Treasure R2", the king's chamber is set as "Treasure R3", the treasure room is set as "Treasure R1", and the basement is set as "Treasure R4", all of which are set as "particularly desired treasures".

[0185] As mentioned above, when a certain treasure is returned, the repair of all rooms in the pyramid progresses, but the room where the returned treasure is set as a "particularly desired treasure" progresses more rapidly than the other rooms. Specifically, let's take the example of when the rare treasure "Treasure R6" is returned. The only room where "Treasure R6" is set as a "particularly desired treasure" is the "top." Therefore, when "Treasure R6" is returned, the repair of the five rooms other than the "top" progresses by a repair value of "10," while the repair of the "top" progresses by a repair value of "40," meaning that the return of one treasure will result in four times the repair progress of the other rooms.

[0186] The "Effects after Repair Completion" field stores information about the effects that occur after the repair of each room of the pyramid is completed. After the repair of each room is completed, the "Effects after Repair Completion" will occur continuously.

[0187] In this embodiment, after the "top" is repaired, an effect of increasing the maximum magical power is activated. Specifically, after the "top" is repaired, a continuous effect is activated in which the maximum magical power that can be accumulated in the pyramid increases to "Magic Power 7." Furthermore, after the "corridor" is repaired, a continuous effect of accelerating the repair of other rooms is activated. For example, after the "corridor" is repaired, the repair value applied when returning a treasure increases by "10." Furthermore, after the "exterior wall" is repaired, a continuous effect is activated in which the target's experience points are amplified by 1.1 times when released from the storage point. Furthermore, after the "King's Chamber" is repaired, a continuous effect is activated in which the target's experience points are amplified by 1.1 times when absorbed into the storage point. Furthermore, after the "treasure vault" is repaired, a continuous effect is activated in which the probability of rare treasure appearing is increased. For example, after the "treasure vault" is repaired, the probability of rare treasure appearing increases by "20%." In addition, once the Basement is repaired, a continuous effect of increasing the storage point limit will be activated. For example, once the Basement is repaired, the storage point limit will increase to 2000.

[0188] The "Magic that becomes available" field stores information about the magic that becomes available (unlocked) when the repair of each room is completed. In this embodiment, after the repair of the "Top", "Corridor", "Outer Wall", "King's Chamber", "Treasure Room", and "Basement" is completed, "Magic 1", "Magic 2", "Magic 3", "Magic 4", "Magic 5", and "Magic 6" become available, respectively. Details of each magic will be given later.

[0189] The "Repair Value" field stores information about the repair value required to complete the repair of each room. The repair value may be the same for all rooms, or may differ depending on the room.

[0190] The pyramid screen G1000 shown in FIG. 18 includes display areas A1011 to A1016 that respectively display information about the "summit," "corridor," "outer wall," "king's chamber," "treasure storehouse," and "basement." The display areas A1011 to A1016 display the "room name," "particularly desired treasure," and a repair gauge P1007 for each room. The repair gauge P1007 is a gauge that indicates the degree of repair (degree of repair completion) of that room. When the repair gauge P1007 is filled to its maximum, the repair of that room is complete, and as mentioned above, the effects of the completed repair are activated and the number of magic spells that can be used increases.

[0191] Selecting (tapping) parts P1001-P1006 representing each room in the pyramid, or display areas A1011-A1016 displaying information about each room, displays the "Room Information Window" for the selected room, allowing you to check detailed information about each room. For example, the "Room Information Window" displays the target room's "Room Name," "Particularly Desired Treasure," "Effects after Repairs are Complete," "Magic that will become available," "Contents of Magic that will become available (Magic Effects)," and the repair gauge P1007. Note that the repair gauge P1007 may be displayed only in the "Room Information Window" and not on the pyramid screen G1000.

[0192] The pyramid screen G1000 also includes a display area A1008 that displays a magic gauge, a magic activation button P1009, a button P1017 for returning to the main screen, and a button P1018 for returning to the practice screen. Tapping the magic activation button P1009 transitions to a magic selection screen G1100, an example of which is shown in Figure 21. The magic selection screen G1100 displays a list of currently unlocked magic spells.

[0193] (Magic) Here, each magic spell will be explained using the magic spell table TBL104 shown in Figure 20. The magic spell table TBL104 includes fields such as "magic spell ID," "magic spell name," "required magic power," "number of continuing turns," "magic spell effect," and "release condition." The magic spell ID is identification information for uniquely identifying each magic spell. The "magic spell name" field stores information on the name of each magic spell. In this embodiment, the magic spell names are "magic spell 1" to "magic spell 7," but they may also be names that evoke the magic spell's effect, for example. The "required magic spell" field stores information on the magic spell required to activate each magic spell. The "number of continuing turns" field stores information on the number of turns the effect of the magic spell will last.

[0194] The "Magic Effect" field stores information about the effect of each magic spell. In this embodiment, using "Magic 1" causes the effect of putting all treasures into the "emission" state for three turns. The targets of the effect of "Magic 1" here are treasures that have the "absorption" and "emission" states (normal treasures and eight types of rare treasures) (see Figure 15). Legendary treasures that do not have the "emission" state are excluded from the target of the effect of "Magic 1". When "Magic 1" is used, all treasures in any practice area (target normal treasures and eight types of rare treasures) will be in the "emission" state for three turns.

[0195] Using "Magic 2" restores 10 HP for each treasure in the practice area during practice for three turns. Using "Magic 3" reduces injury rate by 10% for each treasure in the practice area during practice for three turns. Using "Magic 4" amplifies absorbed experience points by 1.5 times when added to storage points for three turns. Using "Magic 5" doubles the amount of experience points released from storage points for three turns. Using "Magic 6" turns three teammates into mummies for five turns. "Mummying" refers to transforming mob characters among teammates into a specific state called "Mummy Mob." The three mob characters that become mummies are determined randomly, for example. Using "Magic 7" puts the normal treasure "Treasure N" into a "release" state for three turns.

[0196] The "Release Condition" field stores information about the conditions under which each magic spell is released (made usable). As explained in the pyramid room table TBL103, the release condition for "Magic 1" to "Magic 6" is that the repair of the corresponding pyramid room is completed, and the magic spell cannot be used until the room is repaired. In contrast, there is no release condition for "Magic 7," and it can be used at any time.

[0197] The magic selection screen G1100 shown in FIG. 21 includes a display area A1101 that displays a magic gauge and a display area A1102 that displays information about each currently activated magic. The display area A1102 for each magic displays a "Magic Name" P1103, a "Required Magic Power" P1104, and a "Magic Effect" P1105. In this embodiment, only currently activated magic is displayed on the magic selection screen G1100, and only "Magic 7" is displayed at the start of the scenario. Then, as the repair of each room of the pyramid is completed, the magic displayed on the magic selection screen G1100 increases.

[0198] Magic can be activated as long as all the following requirements are met: (1) the target magic is available for use, (2) the target magic is not currently in use, and (3) there is enough magical power to activate the target magic. There is no limit to the number of times magic can be used, and unlocked magic can be used any number of times as long as the above requirements are met. Regarding the condition (2) above, it is not possible to activate the same magic as an active magic on top of another magic. For example, it is not possible to activate "Magic 1" while "Magic 1" is in use. After the number of turns of the activated "Magic 1" has ended, "Magic 1" can be activated again if there is enough magical power.

[0199] On the magic selection screen G1100, the display area A1102 for magic that does not require enough magical power is grayed out, for example, so that the magic cannot be selected. In this case, a message indicating that there is insufficient magical power is displayed in the notification area P1106 within the display area A1102 for the magic that does not require enough magical power.

[0200] On the magic selection screen G1100, the display area A1102 for currently active magic is grayed out, for example, so that the magic cannot be selected. Then, a notification area P1107 within the display area A1102 for currently active magic displays information that the magic is being activated and the number of turns remaining for which the effect of the magic will last.

[0201] It is possible to activate multiple spells at the same time, as long as they are different types of spells. For example, while activating "Spell 1," if you have enough magical power, you can activate "Spell 2," "Spell 3," and so on. When multiple spells are activated at the same time, the effects of each spell will be produced.

[0202] Using magic does not consume a turn. On the magic selection screen G1100, the user can activate the selected magic by selecting (tapping) the display area A1102 of the magic they want to activate. For example, when they tap the display area A1102 of the magic they want to activate, a pop-up for final confirmation of the magic activation is displayed, and they may be able to select whether to activate or cancel within the pop-up. Additionally, by tapping the close button P1109 on the magic selection screen G1100, they can return to the pyramid screen G1000.

[0203] "Magic 7" is a magic that targets only the normal treasure "Treasure N" and puts it into the "Emission" state for three turns. Therefore, when "Magic 7" is used, "Treasure N" in any practice location will be in the "Emission" state for three turns, but only "Treasure N" will be in the "Emission" state. Also, when "Magic 1" is used, all treasures in any practice location (excluding Legendary Treasures) will be in the "Emission" state for three turns, but the Legendary Treasure "Treasure L1," which can only be in the "Absorption" state, will remain in the "Absorption" state. In this way, on the practice screen, treasures in the "Emission" state and treasures in the "Absorption" state may be mixed.

[0204] FIG. 22 shows an example of a practice screen G900 in which both "release" and "absorb" treasures coexist. In FIG. 22, an example is shown in which "Release" treasure R1 is associated with event character IA, and "Release" treasure N is associated with event characters IB and ID in the "Striking" practice area. In this example, due to the effect of "Release" treasure R1, a portion of the skill points gained from "Striking" practice are absorbed into storage points. Additionally, due to the effect of "Release" treasure N, three types of experience points (strength, technique, and spirit) are released from the storage points. The combined results of these "absorption" and "release" effects are displayed in display area A906 and display area A907. In the example of FIG. 22, display area A906 displays the amount of "absorbed" storage points as "40," which is the result of offsetting the amount "absorbed" as storage points and the amount "released" from storage points. Similarly, display area A907 displays the experience points that can be acquired in addition to the experience points that can be acquired in that practice (the experience points displayed in display area A502) as a result of canceling out the amount of experience points that can be acquired reduced by "absorption" and the amount of experience points that can be acquired increased by "release." In the example of Figure 22, display area A907 displays +20 points for strength, -80 points for technique, and +20 points for spirit, calculated based on the effects of "release" and "absorption" of the three treasures.

[0205] In this embodiment, the type of treasure associated with the same teammate may change from the start of the training game (start of the scenario) to the end. That is, even if a treasure is associated with a teammate character, the association is subsequently released by the return of the treasure, so a different type of treasure may be associated with the same character. Event characters set in the event deck appear as teammates at each practice location. Each event character may be associated with a normal treasure, a rare treasure, or a legendary treasure, and the type of associated treasure may change during training (during game progress). For example, in the turn shown in FIG. 16, the normal treasure "Treasure N" is associated with event character IA. Later, "Treasure N" is returned, and in the turn shown in FIG. 22, the rare treasure "Treasure R1" is associated with the same event character IA. Similarly, the treasures associated with event characters IB and ID are different between the turn shown in FIG. 16 and the turn shown in FIG. 22. Even with the same event character, the type of treasure associated with it changes as the game progresses, and the resulting effect also changes, making the game more interesting.

[0206] As described above, the scenario of this embodiment involves training with teammates, excavating and repairing treasures, repairing pyramid rooms, and using magic, while developing the main character through the effects that come with these activities.

[0207] In particular, in the game of this scenario, at least a portion of the experience points of the type that would have been gained by practicing during storage can be stored as storage points common to all types. Then, at any time (by using magic to put the treasure into a release state at any time), at least a portion of the storage points can be released and taken out as the type of experience points the user wants to acquire (as the type of experience points that can be acquired according to the practice at the time of release). In other words, at least a portion of the experience points of the type that would have been gained by practicing during storage can be stored, and released at the user's time, and at the time of release, it is possible to reallocate them as a type of experience points different from those stored. This increases the user's freedom in allocating experience points.

[0208] In order to develop a main character character as intended by the user, it is important to consider the balance of how many and what type of experience points should be acquired. However, in a given turn, the practice item that can increase the type of experience points the user desires may not necessarily match the practice item with favorable conditions (e.g., a practice item that increases the amount of experience points other than the desired type but by a large amount or that triggers a tip event). In the game scenario of this embodiment, even in such cases, a practice item with favorable conditions can be selected, and at least a portion of the type of experience points that can be acquired by that practice item can be stored as a pool of points common to all types. The user can then withdraw the desired type of experience points from the pool of points at any time. This allows the user to develop a main character character as intended by the user, further enhancing the enjoyment of the game.

[0209] [3. Functional configuration of the game system] Fig. 23 is a schematic functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the game system 1. As shown in Fig. 23, the game system 1 includes a data storage unit 100. For example, the data storage unit 100 is realized by at least one of a database DB, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, an auxiliary storage device 14, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, and an auxiliary storage device 34. The data storage unit 100 stores data necessary to provide a game.

[0210] As a specific example of data stored in the data storage unit 100, the data necessary to provide the baseball game described above will be described. The data storage unit 100 stores a user information table TBL111, a character information table TBL112, treasure-related tables TBL101 to TBL104, event deck data DT105, main character character data DT106, association data DT107, game situation data DT108, etc. Note that the treasure-related tables (treasure excavation icon lottery table TBL101, treasure table TBL102, pyramid room table TBL103, and magic table TBL104) (see FIGS. 14, 15, 19, and 20) have already been described, and therefore will not be described here.

[0211] For example, various data for executing a game stored in data storage unit 100 may be stored in database DB or auxiliary storage device 34 of server 30, and when game terminal 10 accesses server 30, the necessary data may be downloaded to RAM 13 or auxiliary storage device 14 of game terminal 10. Information regarding the results of a game executed on game terminal 10 or changes to the data may be transmitted from game terminal 10 to server 30 in real time or at a predetermined timing, and the data stored in database DB or auxiliary storage device 34 of server 30 may be updated as appropriate. Furthermore, necessary data may be stored in auxiliary storage device 14 of game terminal 10 so that at least a part of the game can be executed offline on each user's game terminal 10 without logging in to server 30.

[0212] 24 shows an example of the user information table TBL111. The user information table TBL111, which covers all users registered in the game system 1, is stored in the data storage unit 100 of the game system 1 (for example, the database DB or the auxiliary storage device 34).

[0213] User information table TBL111 includes fields such as "User ID," "User Name," "Owned Event Character," "Owned Item," and "Completedly Trained Character." The user ID is identification information for uniquely identifying each user. The "User Name" field stores the user's name. The "Owned Event Character" field stores information (character ID, ability parameters, etc.) about the event character that the user has acquired through a lottery or the like and possesses. If the event character has been strengthened after acquisition, information about the parameters changed by the strengthening is stored. The "Owned Item" field stores information about items that the user possesses. The "Completely Trained Character" field stores information (character ID, ability parameters, etc.) about the original character that has been trained in training mode. 24, other fields are also included in the user information table TBL111. For example, the user information table TBL111 includes fields for various in-game points owned by the user, the user IDs of other users (comrades, friends, etc.) associated with the user's user ID, battle history, etc.

[0214] FIG. 25 shows an example of the character information table TBL112. The character information table TBL112 is master data for managing all characters used in the game provided by the game system 1. In addition to event characters, the character information table TBL112 also includes information on scenario-specific event characters and non-event characters (mob characters) that appear as teammates. The initial data of all event characters is stored in this character information table TBL112 as reference parameters. For example, the character information table TBL112 is stored and managed in the respective storage devices (e.g., RAM 13, auxiliary storage device 14, RAM 33, auxiliary storage device 34, database DB, etc.) of the server 30 and the game terminal 10. The character information tables TBL112 stored in the server 30 and the game terminal 10 are basically the same. For example, when the game operator changes the character information table TBL112 in the server 30, the changed information is distributed from the server 30 to the game terminal 10 via the network N.

[0215] The character information table TBL112 includes fields such as "Character ID," "Name," "Rarity," "Attribute," "Favorite Practice," "Position," "Ability," and "Event." The character ID is identification information for uniquely identifying each character. The "Name" field stores the name of the character. The "Rarity" field stores information about the rarity of the character. Note that there are event characters with the same name but different rarities. The "Attribute" field stores information about the attribute (player, girlfriend, partner, staff, etc.) associated with the event character. The "Favorite Practice" field stores information about the favorite practice associated with the event character. The "Position" field stores information about the position (defensive position) of the event character. The "Ability" field stores information about the ability (basic ability, special ability) of the event character. The "Event" field stores unique event information associated with the event character. Note that, although not shown in FIG. 25, other fields are also included in the character information table TBL112. For example, fields such as image information and initial evaluation of the event character are included in the character information table TBL112.

[0216] 23 includes various information related to the event deck that is set based on the user's operation. For example, the event deck data DT105 includes the character ID of the event character set in the event deck.

[0217] The main character data DT106 consists of various information related to the main character who is trained in the training mode. Specifically, the main character data DT106 includes basic information such as the main character's name, position, dominant hand, batting form, and pitching form, as well as the main character's current experience points obtained in the training mode scenario, information on the main character's teammates' evaluation scores, and the main character's current basic abilities and special abilities. The main character data DT106 is updated each time the training part scenario progresses.

[0218] The association data DT107 includes information associated with the progress of the game. Specifically, the association data DT107 includes "practice / teammate related information" in which teammates are associated with each practice option (practice location), "trick event / teammate related information" in which trick events are associated with teammates, "treasure excavation icon / teammate related information" in which treasure excavation icons are associated with teammates, and "treasure / teammate related information" in which treasures are associated with teammates. This related information is updated every turn.

[0219] The game situation data DT108 also contains information about the situation in the scenario that is necessary to progress through the game. Specifically, the game situation data DT108 contains information such as the current section number and current turn number, information about the current storage point, information about the state (absorption, release) of each treasure associated with a teammate, information about the number of turns remaining until the repair of each treasure is complete, information about the current repair level of each room in the pyramid, information about current magical power, information about currently released magic, information about magic currently being cast, and information about the number of turns remaining until the effect of currently cast magic ends. This information is updated every turn.

[0220] The game system 1, the server 30, or the game terminal 10 of this embodiment provides a game in which at least one type of point out of a plurality of types of points is awarded in accordance with the progress of the game. In the example of the baseball game described above, a game is provided in which at least one type of experience point out of a plurality of types (strength, agility, technique, curveball, and spirit) is awarded in accordance with the practice of each turn.

[0221] Here, "points" are points that a user can acquire as the game progresses and can be used in the game, and represent a value representing value in the game. The uses of points are not particularly limited. For example, in a training game, points used to change parameters such as a character's abilities or to set new parameters are an example of points. Another example is points used to change the completed state of an object, such as a building, in a game in which the player completes an object. In the baseball game example mentioned above, experience points used to change the parameters of the main character's basic abilities or to acquire special abilities are an example of points.

[0222] The "user" is, for example, a person who plays a game provided by a game system. For example, user identification information is set for each user, and each user is identified (specified) by the user identification information. "User identification information" is information for uniquely identifying each user. For example, a user ID, a unique user name, or an email address is an example of "user identification information."

[0223] Furthermore, "points are awarded" means that points are awarded to a user and that the points are associated with the user's user identification information and stored in a storage device. Here, "associating" means storing one piece of information linked to another piece of information. The points to be awarded may be directly associated with the user's user identification information, or may be indirectly associated with the user identification information via another game element (such as an object). For example, associating points with an "object associated with user identification information" is an example of points being awarded to a user. In the baseball game example described above, in a game in which a user trains a main character, the main character is associated with the user identification information. Experience points awarded as the game progresses are associated with (awarded to) the main character, and these experience points are an example of points awarded to a user.

[0224] Furthermore, "game progression" refers to the game being executed and progressing based on user operations for progressing the game. For example, in a turn-based game in which turns are advanced by user operations, the execution of turn processing in response to user operations is an example of "game progression." Note that the game is not limited to games in which the game progresses little by little with each user game progression operation, and may also be a game in which the game automatically progresses until a predetermined game situation is reached with a single user game progression operation. In the baseball game example mentioned above, the user selects a command option such as practice each turn, and the selected practice processing is executed to progress the game.

[0225] 23, the game system 1 includes a control unit 110. The control unit 110 is realized by CPU 11 of the game terminal 10 or CPU 31 of the server 30 executing a game program stored in a storage device (ROM 12, RAM 13, auxiliary storage device 14, ROM 32, RAM 33, auxiliary storage device 34, etc.). Some of the functions of the control unit 110 may be realized by the game terminal 10, and the remaining functions may be realized by the server 30. Alternatively, all of the functions of the control unit 110 may be realized by the server 30, or all of the functions of the control unit 110 may be realized by the game terminal 10.

[0226] The control unit 110 includes a point giving unit 111 (an example of a point giving means), a point storage unit 112 (an example of a point storage means), and a point issuing unit 113 (an example of a point issuing means).

[0227] The point granting unit 111 has a function of determining the type and amount of points to be granted as the game progresses. In the example of the baseball game described above, the point granting unit 111 determines the type and amount of experience points to be granted according to the selected practice (hitting, strength, base running, arm strength, pitching speed, control, stamina, curveball, defense, or mental practice).

[0228] Here, "the points to be awarded" refer to points that the user would have acquired if the storage process or release process described below had not been performed. For example, the experience points displayed in the display area A502 of the practice screen G900 in Figures 16, 17, 22, etc., correspond to an example of "the points to be awarded." If the storage process or release process has not been performed, "the points to be awarded" are awarded to the user. On the other hand, if the storage process or release process has been performed, the stored amount is subtracted from "the points to be awarded," or the released amount is added to "the points to be awarded," and the resulting points are awarded to the user.

[0229] In the example of the baseball game mentioned above, the "points to be awarded as the game progresses" determined by the point awarding unit 111 include, in addition to the experience points normally gained from the selected practice, the increase in experience points due to "effects other than absorption and release" that occur from the selected practice, such as special tag practice, treasure tag event, and the return of treasure.

[0230] The point storage unit 112 has a function of executing a storage process to reduce at least a portion of the points to be awarded as the game progresses and store the reduced amount as a storage point common to all types of points. In the example of the baseball game described above, the point storage unit 112 executes a storage process to reduce at least a portion of the experience points to be awarded according to the selected practice and store the reduced amount as a storage point common to all types.

[0231] Here, "reducing at least a portion of the points to be awarded" means reducing the points to be stored from the "points to be awarded." The amount of points to be reduced is not particularly limited as long as it is not 0 (zero), and may be all of the "points to be awarded."

[0232] Furthermore, "storing the reduced amount as stored points common to all types of points" means that when storing at least a portion of the reduced amount of points to be awarded, the reduced amount is stored as "storage points," which are common points regardless of the type of point (in other words, converted into "storage points"). In other words, all types of points are stored collectively as "storage points." The reduced amount of points may be stored as "storage points" as is, or the reduced amount of points may be increased (or decreased) and stored as "storage points" as described below. Furthermore, in order to use points once stored as "storage points," the user may be able to freely withdraw (release) them at any time (at any timing), or they may be able to be withdrawn when predetermined release conditions are met.

[0233] The point releasing unit 113 has a function of executing a releasing process to release at least a part of the stored points stored by the point storage unit 112 and grant them to the user based on a user's operation. In the example of the baseball game described above, the point releasing unit 113 executes a releasing process to release at least a part of the stored points and grant them to the user as experience points based on an operation to practice with a teammate associated with a treasure in a released state.

[0234] Here, "releasing at least a portion of the stored points and granting them to the user" means that the portion of the "stored points" stored by the point storage unit 112 that is subject to the release process (the release portion) is reduced and granted to the user. The amount of the release portion is not particularly limited as long as it is not 0 (zero), and all of the "stored points" stored by the point storage unit 112 may be subject to the release process. The release portion may be granted to the user as is, or the release portion may be increased (or decreased) as described below and granted to the user.

[0235] The timing of releasing the stored points (the timing at which the stored points can be taken out based on the user's operation) is not particularly limited. In the example of the baseball game mentioned above, the experience points stored as stored points in one turn may be taken out immediately in the next turn.

[0236] In the baseball game example described above, by practicing with a teammate associated with a released treasure, the player can release the stored points and earn experience points in addition to the type of experience points earned for that practice. In other words, in the baseball game example described above, in order to release the stored points, it is necessary to use magical power to put the treasure into a released state or to select a practice associated with a teammate associated with a released treasure. However, such release conditions may be eliminated, and the user may be able to extract (release) the stored points at any time (at any timing) by performing a specified release operation. Furthermore, the stored points may be extracted as a type of experience points different from the type of experience points stored. Furthermore, the user may be able to specify the amount of stored points to be released. Furthermore, all stored points may be released at once. Furthermore, when the stored points are released, they may be extracted as a type of experience points specified by the user. Furthermore, the release operation may be an operation independent of the practice operation, and the release process may be performed without the execution of practice.

[0237] In addition, the point release unit 113 has the function of executing the release process, based on the user's operation, to grant at least a portion of the stored points stored in the point storage unit 112 to the user as points of a type corresponding to the operation.

[0238] Here, "granting the user the points of a type corresponding to the operation" means that at least a portion of the stored points, regardless of the type of point, is converted into points of a type corresponding to the user's operation and granted to the user. In other words, based on the user's operation, the user can extract and use at least a portion of the stored points, which are stored in a form regardless of the type of point, as points of a desired type.

[0239] In the example of the baseball game described above, the point release unit 113 executes a release process in which, based on the user's operation of selecting a practice, at least a portion of the stored points is released to grant the user experience points of a type (at least one type of experience points) associated with the practice selected by the operation. In this case, if the user performs an operation to select a practice associated with a desired type of experience points, the release process allows the user to acquire the desired type of experience points from the stored points.

[0240] As mentioned above, the release operation may be an operation independent of the practice operation, or the user may be allowed to specify the type of experience points they wish to acquire when performing the release operation.

[0241] With the above configuration, at least a portion of the experience points of a type that would be acquired as the game progresses can be stored as a common pool of points for all types, and can then be withdrawn as experience points of a different type. In other words, it is possible to reallocate the types of experience points via the common pool of points for all types.

[0242] The point release unit 113 also has a function of enabling the release process when a predetermined release enabling condition is met.

[0243] Here, the "predetermined release enabling condition" refers to a predetermined condition that enables the release process. The release enabling condition is not particularly limited, and various conditions can be set. For example, the release enabling condition may be a user performing a predetermined operation at any timing. In the baseball game example mentioned above, the user performing an operation to use magic that changes the state of the treasure to "release" at any timing is an example of "when the predetermined release enabling condition is met." Furthermore, "selecting a practice that is associated with a teammate that is associated with a treasure in the released state" is an example of "when the predetermined release enabling condition is met."

[0244] Furthermore, for example, the release enabling condition may be a predetermined game situation. For example, in a turn-based game, completing a predetermined number of turns corresponds to an example of the release enabling condition. In a game including multiple stages, clearing a predetermined stage corresponds to an example of the release enabling condition. In a competitive game, defeating an opponent corresponds to an example of the release enabling condition. Furthermore, arriving at a predetermined location in the game or obtaining a predetermined object in the game corresponds to an example of the release enabling condition.

[0245] Furthermore, for example, the release enabling condition may be that a game parameter reaches a predetermined state. For example, an example of the release enabling condition is that the ability parameter of the target character reaches a predetermined value or more. Also, an example of the release enabling condition is that the target character acquires a predetermined special ability.

[0246] The period during which the release process can be executed when the "predetermined release condition" is satisfied is not particularly limited. For example, after the "predetermined release condition" is satisfied, the period during which the release process can be executed may continue until the end of the game. Furthermore, for example, after the "predetermined release condition" is satisfied, the release process may only be executed for a predetermined period. Here, the predetermined period may be a period based on real-world time (e.g., one hour, one day, etc.), a period based on virtual time within the game, a period until a predetermined game situation is reached, or a period until a predetermined game parameter is reached. For example, in a turn-based game, the period during which the release process can be executed may be the period from when the "predetermined release condition" is satisfied until a predetermined number of turns have been played. In the baseball game example mentioned above, an example of the predetermined period would be the period from when the user casts a spell to change the state of the treasure to "release" at any time until the user practices with the character associated with the treasure a predetermined number of times (or a predetermined number of turns) (e.g., three turns together).

[0247] The game may be one that progresses as the user selects an option from a plurality of options.

[0248] Here, the "multiple options" are not particularly limited, and various options can be employed. For example, in a game in which the game progresses by having an operable character perform an action, multiple actions to be performed by the character can be options. As an example, in a game in which the player attacks or defends against an enemy, multiple attacking or defensive methods can be options. In the baseball game example mentioned above, multiple practice items (or practice locations) to be performed by the main character to be trained are examples of "multiple options." Also, for example, in a game in which the player progresses by selecting the direction or location in which the operable character will move, multiple directions or locations can be options.

[0249] 26, the control unit 110 of the game system 1 can be configured to include an associating unit 114 (an example of associating means). The associating unit 114 has a function of associating a first game element that enables the storage process or the release process with an object. In the example of the baseball game described above, the associating unit 114 associates the treasure that enables the storage process or the release process with a teammate character.

[0250] Here, the "first game element" may be, for example, a game object such as an item, a character, or a building, or a game parameter such as an attribute associated with an object. In the baseball game example described above, the game object called treasure corresponds to an example of the "first game element."

[0251] Furthermore, the first game element can produce "an effect that enables at least one of the storage process or the release process." That is, the first game element can be one that can produce an effect that enables only the storage process. Furthermore, the first game element can be one that can produce an effect that enables only the release process. Furthermore, the first game element can be one that can produce an effect that enables both the release process and the release process. In the baseball game described above, an example was shown in which treasures that enable both the release process and the release process (normal treasures and rare treasures) and a treasure that enables only the storage process (legendary treasure "Treasure L1") were used, but a treasure that enables only the release process (treasure that is only in the release state) may also be used.

[0252] Furthermore, an "object" is something that can be used in a game. For example, a game character, a game card (digital card), or a game item is an example of an "object." For example, a game character or a game card representing a person such as an athlete, a living thing such as a racehorse, a fictional person or living thing such as a monster, or an inanimate object such as a robot is an example of an "object." For example, an "object" may be a game character or a game card that corresponds to an actual person or living thing, or it may not correspond to an actual person, etc. In the baseball game described above, a teammate character is an example of an "object."

[0253] Then, when the option associated with the object associated with the first game element is selected, the storage process by the point storage unit 112 or the release process by the point release unit 113 may be executed. In the example of the baseball game described above, when the option of practice associated with a teammate associated with a treasure is selected, the storage process by the point storage unit 112 or the release process by the point release unit 113 is executed.

[0254] According to the above configuration, in a game in which the player progresses by selecting options such as practice, in order to execute the storage process or the release process, the player is required to select an option that is associated with an object such as a teammate that is associated with a first game element such as a treasure, thereby enhancing the playability of the game.

[0255] Furthermore, some of the first game elements can be in at least a first state and a second state. In the baseball game example described above, the normal treasure "Treasure N" and the rare treasures "Treasure R1" to "Treasure R8" correspond to examples of first game elements that can be in an "absorb" state as an example of the first state and a "release" state as an example of the second state.

[0256] Here, with regard to "being able to take at least a first state and a second state," the "first state" is the state of the first game element that enables the storage process, and the "second state" is the state of the first game element that enables the release process, but the first game element may also be able to take other states. For example, the first game element may be able to take a "third state" that prevents the execution of either the storage process or the release process.

[0257] The point storage unit 112 may execute the storage process when the option associated with the object associated with the first game element in the first state is selected. In the baseball game example described above, the point storage unit 112 executes the storage process when the option of practice associated with a teammate associated with a treasure in an “absorb” state is selected.

[0258] Furthermore, the point release unit 113 may execute the release process when the option associated with the object associated with the first game element in the second state is selected. In the example of the baseball game described above, the point release unit 113 executes the release process when the option of practice associated with a teammate associated with a treasure in the "release" state is selected.

[0259] As described above, by setting conditions for executing the storage process or the release process, it is possible to improve the entertainment value of the game.

[0260] 26, the control unit 110 of the game system 1 can be configured to include a change unit 115 (an example of a change means). The change unit 115 has a function of changing the state of the first game element associated with the object between the first state and the second state based on a user operation.

[0261] Here, "changing the state of a first game element between the first state and the second state" includes changing the state of a first game element from the first state to the second state, or changing the state of a first game element from the second state to the first state. In the baseball game example mentioned above, changing the state of the treasure associated with a teammate from the "absorb" state to the "emit" state based on the operation of a user using magic (Magic 1 or Magic 7) is an example of "changing the state of the first game element associated with the object between the first state and the second state based on the operation of a user."

[0262] In the baseball game described above, an example was given in which the state of the treasure could be changed from the "absorption" state to the "emission" state by using magic, but the invention is not limited to this, and the state of the treasure may be changed from the "emission" state to the "absorption" state by using a specific magic. Also, the state of the treasure may be changed from the "absorption" state to the "emission" state, or from the "emission" state to the "absorption" state, at any timing, by an operation separate from the use of magic.

[0263] According to the above configuration, by changing the state of the treasure based on the user's operation, it becomes possible to arbitrarily switch between executing the storage process or the release process, thereby improving the playability of the game.

[0264] In addition, the first game element may be of multiple types. In the baseball game example, there are 11 types of treasures in total: one normal treasure, eight rare treasures, and two legendary treasures.

[0265] At least one of the type of points to be stored in the storage process or the amount of stored points may differ depending on the type of first game element associated with the object. In the baseball game example described above, as shown in FIG. 15, for example, in the case of a normal treasure "Treasure N," the items to be stored are "all types of experience points," and the amount of stored points is "5% of the experience points that would have been obtained through practice." Also, for example, in the case of a rare treasure "Treasure R1," only "skill points" are stored, and the amount of stored points is "50% of the skill points that would have been obtained through practice." As shown in FIG. 15, at least one of the type of experience points that can be stored or the amount of stored points differs depending on the type of treasure associated with a teammate.

[0266] With the above configuration, the effects of storage (the type of points to be stored or the amount stored) can be varied depending on the type of treasure associated with a teammate, further enhancing the playability of the game.

[0267] Furthermore, at least one of the type of points or the amount of points awarded to the user in the release process may differ depending on the type of the first game element associated with the object. In the baseball game example described above, as shown in FIG. 15, for example, in the case of a normal treasure "Treasure N," "all types of experience points" are awarded upon release, with each type awarded in an amount of "10 points." Furthermore, for example, in the case of a rare treasure "Treasure R1," only "technical points" are awarded upon release, with the amount of experience points awarded being "50 points x 1.4." As shown in FIG. 15, at least one of the type or amount of experience points awarded upon release (the type or amount of experience points to be released) differs depending on the type of treasure associated with a teammate.

[0268] With the above configuration, the effect of releasing the treasure (the type or amount of experience points granted) can be varied depending on the type of treasure associated with the teammate, further enhancing the game's playability.

[0269] Furthermore, the associating unit 114 may cancel the association between the first game element and the object when a predetermined cancellation condition is met.

[0270] Here, the "predetermined release condition" refers to a predetermined condition for releasing the association between the first game element and the object. The release condition is not particularly limited, and various conditions can be set. For example, the release condition may be that the user performs a predetermined operation at any timing. Furthermore, for example, the release condition may be that a predetermined game situation occurs, as exemplified in the "release enabling condition" above, or that a game parameter becomes a predetermined state.

[0271] In the baseball game example mentioned above, practicing together for a predetermined number of turns (or a predetermined number of times) with a teammate with whom a treasure is associated (for example, practicing together for four turns) corresponds to an example of a "predetermined release condition." When the predetermined release condition is met, the association unit 114 releases the association between the treasure and the teammate. For example, if the player practices together for three turns with the teammate with whom "Treasure N" is associated, the treasure will be repaired, and if the player practices together for one more turn after that (for a total of four turns of practicing together), the treasure will be returned, and the association unit 114 will release the association between the treasure and the teammate.

[0272] 26, the control unit 110 of the game system 1 can be configured to include an achievement level management unit 116 (an example of an achievement level management means). The achievement level management unit 116 has a function of improving the achievement level of the second game element based on the cancellation of the association by the associating unit 114.

[0273] Here, the "second game element" may be, for example, a game object such as an item, a character, or a building, or may be a game parameter such as a building completion rate or repair rate, a land reclamation rate, a savings rate, etc. In the baseball game example mentioned above, the game object called the pyramid room (or the pyramid room repair rate) corresponds to an example of the "second game element."

[0274] Furthermore, if the second game element is a game object such as a building, the "degree of achievement of the second game element" may be the degree of completion of creating the game object, or the degree of repair of the game object. In the baseball game example mentioned above, the degree of repair of the pyramid rooms corresponds to an example of the "degree of achievement of the second game element." Furthermore, if the second game element is a game parameter with an upper limit, such as a construction rate or repair rate, the degree of achievement of the game parameter relative to the upper limit corresponds to an example of the "degree of achievement of the second game element."

[0275] In the example of the baseball game described above, the achievement level management unit 116 improves the repair level of the pyramid room based on the cancellation of the association between the treasure and the teammate by the association unit 114. According to this configuration, if a predetermined cancellation condition is satisfied and the association between the treasure and the teammate is cancelled (i.e., the treasure is returned), the repair level of the pyramid room can be improved, thereby improving the playability of the game.

[0276] Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 26, the control unit 110 of the game system 1 can be configured to include an effect generation unit 117 (an example of an effect generation means). The effect generation unit 117 has a function of generating a game effect when the degree of achievement of the second game element reaches a predetermined standard. In the baseball game example described above, when the repair of the pyramid room is completed, the effect generation unit 117 generates, as game effects, the effect stored in the "Effect after repair completion" field in FIG. 19 and the effect of releasing the magic stored in the "Magic that becomes available" field. With this configuration, when the repair degree of the pyramid room reaches a predetermined standard, a game effect is generated, thereby improving the playability of the game.

[0277] Here, "producing a game effect" means creating a game situation that is advantageous to the user in the progress or outcome of the game. For example, improving a game parameter or extending the time limit in a game with a time limit is an example of "producing an effect in the game." Furthermore, for example, enabling an operation or process that was not possible until the achievement level of the second game element reached a predetermined standard is an example of "generating a game effect." In this embodiment, an example was given in which magic becomes available (operations that use magic become possible) upon completion of the restoration of the pyramid room, which is an example of "generating a game effect." Furthermore, for example, continuously increasing the rate of improvement of a game parameter after the achievement level of the second game element reaches a predetermined standard is an example of "producing a game effect." In this embodiment, an example has been given in which, upon completion of the repair of a pyramid room, the maximum value of magical power is increased after the repair, or the experience points granted to the user when releasing stored points are increased, which is an example of "producing a game effect."

[0278] In the baseball game described above, an example was given in which a game effect is generated when the pyramid room is completely repaired (i.e., when the repair completion rate reaches 100%), but this is not limiting. For example, even if the pyramid room repair completion rate is less than 100%, a game effect may be generated when a predetermined standard (e.g., the repair completion rate reaches 80%) is reached.

[0279] Furthermore, when a predetermined storage increase condition is satisfied, the point storage unit 112 may increase the number of stored points when storing the reduced points as the stored points compared to when the storage increase condition is not satisfied. Here, the "predetermined storage increase condition" refers to a predetermined condition for reducing at least a portion of the points to be awarded as the game progresses and increasing the number of stored points compared to normal when storing the reduced amount as stored points common to all types. Here, "increasing compared to normal" means increasing compared to when the storage increase condition is not satisfied.

[0280] Furthermore, when a predetermined increase condition at the time of release is satisfied, the point release unit 113 may increase the number of points to be awarded to the user by releasing at least a portion of the stored points compared to when the increase condition at the time of release is not satisfied. Here, the "predetermined increase condition at the time of release" refers to a predetermined condition for increasing the number of points to be awarded to the user by releasing at least a portion of the stored points stored by the storage means based on a user's operation compared to normal. Here, increasing the number of points compared to normal means increasing the number of points to be awarded to the user compared to when the increase condition at the time of release is not satisfied.

[0281] The storage increase condition or the release increase condition is not particularly limited, and various conditions can be set. For example, the storage increase condition or the release increase condition may be set by a predetermined operation performed by the user at any timing. Furthermore, for example, the condition for increasing the amount during storage or the condition for increasing the amount during release may be that a predetermined game situation occurs, such as the example given in the "releaseable condition" above, or that a game parameter becomes a predetermined state.

[0282] In the baseball game example mentioned above, completing the restoration of a specific pyramid room (King's Chamber) is an example of a "specific storage increase condition" (see Figure 19). Using a specific magic spell (Magic spell 4) (activating the magic spell's effect) is an example of a "specific storage increase condition" (see Figure 20). Selecting a practice associated with a character associated with a specific treasure ("Treasure R7," "Treasure L1") or "Treasure L2" in an absorbed state is an example of a "specific storage increase condition."

[0283] In the baseball game example mentioned above, the completion of repairs to a specific pyramid room (exterior wall) is an example of a "specific release increase condition" (see Figure 19). The use of a specific magic (magic 5) (the effect of the magic is activated) is an example of a "specific release increase condition" (see Figure 20). The selection of a practice associated with a character associated with a specific treasure in the released state (treasures "Treasure R1" to "Treasure R8") or "Treasure L2" is an example of a "specific release increase condition."

[0284] According to the above configuration, if the storage increase condition is satisfied, the stored points increase when at least a portion of the acquired experience points are stored, thereby further increasing the merits of storing. Also, if the release increase condition is satisfied, the experience points increase when at least a portion of the stored points are released, thereby further increasing the merits of storing and releasing.

[0285] Furthermore, the game is a game in which objects are used, and the associating unit 114 has a function of associating game elements that can generate game effects with the objects. The game elements come in a plurality of types that can generate different game effects, and the associating unit 114 has a function of changing the type of game element associated with the same object from the start to the end of the game. Here, a "game element" may be, for example, a game object such as an item, a character, or a building, a game parameter such as an attribute associated with an object, or information on a game effect that can be generated. In the baseball game example mentioned above, multiple types of treasures with different game effects are examples of "game elements."

[0286] In the baseball game example described above, the associating unit 114 has a function of changing the type of treasure associated with the same teammate from the start to the end of the game in the training mode. That is, from the start of training (start of the scenario) to the end, the same teammate can repeatedly excavate and return treasure. Therefore, the type of treasure associated with the same teammate by the associating unit 114 can change.

[0287] For example, if a "game element" is an attribute associated with an object, the associating unit 114 may change the type of attribute associated with the same object from the start to the end of the game. Also, if a "game element" is information about a game effect, the associating unit 114 may change the type of "information about a game effect" associated with the same object from the start to the end of the game.

[0288] Generally, game elements such as attributes associated with objects do not change during the course of a game, but in this embodiment, the treasures and attributes associated with the same object can change from the start to the end of the game, thereby causing changes in the game effects during the course of the game, thereby increasing the interest of the game. [4. Processing] Next, an example of the processing executed by the game system 1 of this embodiment will be described below. Here, an example of the processing executed by the game system 1 when executing the baseball game described above will be described.

[0289] 27 to 33 are flowcharts showing an example of the processing of the game system 1, illustrating the basic processing procedure from the start to the end of the training mode. The processing described below is realized by the control unit 110 (CPU 11 of the game terminal 10 or CPU 31 of the server 30) executing a game program stored in a storage device (ROM 12, RAM 13, auxiliary storage device 14, ROM 32, RAM 33, auxiliary storage device 34, etc.).

[0290] First, the processing starts when the user selects the training mode. Below, the processing will be described when the above-mentioned scenario of practicing together with teammates and excavating hidden treasures is selected.

[0291] 27, the control unit 110 performs a process to start the training part. As the process to start the training part, the control unit 110 receives, via user operations, input of basic information about the main character, setting of an event character to be set in the event deck, and selection of a game item. Specifically, the control unit 110 displays a setting screen on the display unit 20 for inputting basic information about the main character. The user operates the operation unit 16 to input information about the main character's name, position, dominant arm, and batting form (and pitching form). The control unit 110 then displays the event deck setting screen shown in FIG. 4 on the display unit 20. The user operates the operation unit 16 to set the event character. Next, the control unit 110 displays a screen on the display unit 20 for selecting game items to be used in the scenario. The user operates the operation unit 16 to select game items to be used in the scenario. Once these processes are completed, the training part for training the main character begins. Through these processes, the control unit 110 updates the event deck data DT105, main character data DT106, etc.

[0292] In S102, the control unit 110 performs a section start process. Specifically, the control unit 110 adds 1 to the number of sections stored in the game situation data DT108. When the number of sections is 1, it indicates that the first section will start, and when the number of sections is 2, it indicates that the second section will start. In this embodiment, as described above, the game is made up of four sections (first section to fourth section).

[0293] In S104, the control unit 110 performs a turn start process. Specifically, the control unit 110 adds 1 to the number of turns stored in the game situation data DT108. A turn number of 1 indicates that the first turn will start, and a turn number of 2 indicates that the second turn will start. In this embodiment, as described above, the first to third sections each consist of 12 turns (1st turn to 12th turn), and only the fourth section consists of 15 turns (1st turn to 15th turn).

[0294] In S106, the control unit 110 associates teammates who will practice together with each of the six types of practice. Specifically, the control unit 110 draws teammates for each practice, generates practice / teammate association information that associates the drawn teammates with the practice, and stores the information in the association data DT107. If practice / teammate association information is already stored in the association data DT107, the practice / teammate association information is updated. In this embodiment, the number of teammates associated with one practice ranges from 0 to 6. In addition to event characters set in the event deck, teammates include event characters specific to the scenario and non-event characters (mob characters). The processing of S106 is performed after the turn start processing, so that the teammates associated with each practice change with each turn.

[0295] In S108, the control unit 110 draws a lottery to select a teammate who will generate a tips event, targeting the event characters of the teammates associated with each practice in S106. The control unit 110 generates tips event / teammate association information that associates the tips event with the teammate who won the lottery, and stores this in the association data DT107. Note that the processing of S108 is performed after the turn start processing, so that the teammate associated with the tips event changes for each turn.

[0296] In S110, the control unit 110 selects a teammate to associate with a treasure excavation icon from among the teammates associated with each practice in S106, targeting event characters that are not associated with a trick event. If the aforementioned mummy mob is present, the mummy mob is also included in the selection. Teammates already associated with a treasure are excluded from the selection. For each teammate who wins the selection, the control unit 110 determines whether to associate the icon with a "normal treasure excavation icon," a "rare treasure excavation icon," or a "legendary treasure excavation icon," as described above. The control unit 110 then generates treasure excavation icon / teammate association information that associates the treasure excavation icon with the target teammate, and stores the information in the association data DT107. Since the processing of S110 is performed after the turn start processing, the teammate associated with the treasure excavation icon changes with each turn.

[0297] In S112, the control unit 110 determines whether or not to generate a previous event based on information about the event of the event character set in the event deck, which is included in the character information table TBL112, and information about the scenario event that is predetermined and specific to that scenario. In this process, the control unit 110 performs an event generation lottery, and if the lottery is won, the previous event is generated. If the result of this determination is that the previous event is to be generated, the process proceeds to S114 (YES in S112), and if the previous event is not to be generated, the process proceeds to S116 in FIG. 28 (NO in S112).

[0298] There are multiple types of pre-events, and each of these events has its own occurrence conditions (e.g., the evaluation value of the main character, whether or not related events occur, number of turns, etc.). For all event character events and scenario events related to this development mode, one event is generated by lottery from among the events that are determined to satisfy the occurrence conditions based on the game situation. If no event satisfies the occurrence conditions, no event will occur. Also, some events, such as scenario events, are generated with priority over other events regardless of the lottery results. For such scenario events, the occurrence conditions are set with priority.

[0299] In S114, the control unit 110 generates the event that was won in the lottery. Specifically, the control unit 110 generates a screen according to the story of the event and displays it on the display unit 20. At this time, the control unit 110 updates the main character data DT106 so as to grant experience points to the main character, restore physical strength, increase the evaluation value of the event character appearing in the event relative to the main character, and change the "motivation" of the main character.

[0300] 28, the control unit 110 displays, for example, a main screen G800 as shown in Fig. 11 on the display unit 20. At this time, the control unit 110 references the game situation data DT108 and displays information on the current storage points in the display area A801 ​​and information on the current magical power in the display area A802.

[0301] In S118 to S122, the control unit 110 determines which of the options P407 to P413 has been selected from the main screen G800 by the user's operation. If the "ability improvement" option P410 has been selected (YES in S118), the process proceeds to S124. If the "pyramid command" option P809 has been selected (NO in S118, YES in S120), the process proceeds to S300 in FIG. 30. If the "practice" option P408 has been selected (NO in S118 and S120, YES in S122), the process proceeds to S128. If an option other than these has been selected (NO in S118, S120, and S122), the process proceeds to S126.

[0302] In S124, the control unit 110 displays on the display unit 20 a setting screen G600 for increasing the basic abilities of the main character as shown in Fig. 9, and performs processing for increasing the main character's basic abilities and acquiring special abilities in response to user operation. In this processing, the control unit 110 switches between the screen shown in Fig. 9 and the screen shown in Fig. 10 in response to user operation. If the back button P608 is selected on these screens, the process returns to S116. Note that if the user consumes experience points to increase the main character's basic abilities or acquire a special ability, the control unit 110 updates the main character data DT106.

[0303] In S126, the control unit 110 performs processing according to the selected option. If the "Rest" option P407 is selected by the user's operation, the control unit 110 updates the main character data DT106 to restore the main character's stamina. If the "Visit the Hospital" option P411 is selected by the user's operation, the control unit 110 holds a lottery to cure the main character's illness, etc., and if the lottery is won, updates the main character data DT106 for the illness, etc. as well. If the "Play" option P412 is selected by the user's operation, the control unit 110 updates the main character data DT106 to restore the main character's stamina and "motivation." If the "Date" option P413 is selected by the user's operation, the control unit 110 restores the main character's stamina and grants the main character experience points according to the content of the date. Accordingly, the control unit 110 updates the main character data DT106. Note that, if necessary, the control unit 110 displays information such as the amount of increase in stamina on the display unit 20.

[0304] In S128, the control unit 110 determines a practice to be provisionally selected. When the option "Practice" is selected for the first time, for example, the default "Hitting" is determined as the practice to be provisionally selected. From the second time onwards, the practice selected previously is determined as the practice to be provisionally selected.

[0305] In S130, the control unit 110 executes a process for calculating experience points and storage points for the provisionally selected practice. This process is for calculating experience points and storage points that indicate the effects of absorption or release, which are displayed in the display area A906 and the display area A907 of the practice screen G900 shown in FIG. 16, etc. The process for calculating experience points and storage points will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 29.

[0306] In S200, the point granting unit 111 of the control unit 110 determines the type and amount of experience points to be granted in accordance with the provisionally selected practice. As described above, the type of experience points to be granted is predetermined and associated with the practice. The amount of experience points is calculated based on, for example, predetermined parameters such as the base points for each practice, the practice level, the abilities of teammates associated with the practice, the number of teammates associated with the practice, the motivation parameter of the main character, special tag practice, treasure tag event, and the return of treasure. The experience points to be granted calculated in S200 are calculated taking into account all effects other than the effects of absorption and release. The point granting unit 111 stores the calculated experience points in the association data DT107.

[0307] In S202, the control unit 110 determines whether or not there is a treasure in an absorbed state in the provisionally selected practice location. If YES in S202, the process proceeds to S204, and if NO, the process proceeds to S210. In S204, the control unit 110 determines whether the type of experience points that can be acquired in the provisionally selected practice are subject to absorption by the "treasure in an absorbing state" in the provisionally selected practice location. When making this determination, the information in the "Type of Experience Points" field of the treasure table TBL102 shown in Fig. 15 is referenced. If the answer is YES in S204, the process proceeds to S206, and if the answer is NO, the process proceeds to S210. In S206, the point storage unit 112 of the control unit 110 calculates the amount to be deducted from the experience points to be awarded due to the absorption effect of the target "absorbed treasure." In this case, the point storage unit 112 calculates the amount to be deducted for each type of experience points to be awarded in the practice. Furthermore, if there are multiple target "absorbed treasures," the point storage unit 112 calculates the amount to be deducted from the experience points to be awarded for each of them. When making this calculation, the information in the "Experience Points" field of the treasure table TBL102, an example of which is shown in FIG. 15, is referenced.

[0308] In S208, the point storage unit 112 calculates the storage points to be added (absorbed) based on the decrease calculated in S206. For this calculation, the information in the "Multiplier" field of the treasure table TBL102 illustrated in FIG. 15 is referenced. If the multiplier is greater than 1, the decrease calculated in S206 is amplified to calculate the storage points. Furthermore, the point storage unit 112 calculates the storage points by amplifying the decrease calculated in S206 by applying a multiplier of 1.1 if the restoration of the "King's Chamber" in the pyramid room has been completed, or a multiplier of 1.5 if the turn is one in which the effect of "Magic 4" is active. Furthermore, if the legendary treasure "L2" is present in the provisionally selected practice location, the point storage unit 112 doubles the experience points calculated in S208 to double the absorption effect. The point storage unit 112 stores the information on the calculation result in the game situation data DT108.

[0309] In S210, the control unit 110 determines whether or not there is a treasure in the released state in the provisionally selected practice location. If YES in S210, the process proceeds to S212, and if NO, the process proceeds to S132 in FIG. In S212, the control unit 110 determines whether the type of experience points that can be acquired in the provisionally selected practice are eligible for release of a "released treasure" in the provisionally selected practice location. When making this determination, the information in the "Type of Experience Points" field of the treasure table TBL102 shown in Figure 15 is referenced. If the answer is YES in S212, the process proceeds to S214, and if the answer is NO, the process proceeds to S132 in Figure 28. In S214, the point release unit 113 of the control unit 110 calculates the amount of storage points to be released depending on the effect of the target "released treasure." In this case, the point release unit 113 calculates the storage points to be released for each type of experience points to be awarded in the practice. Furthermore, if there are multiple target "released treasures," the point release unit 113 calculates the storage points to be released for each of them. When making this calculation, the information in the "experience points" field of the treasure table TBL102, an example of which is shown in FIG. 15, is referenced.

[0310] In S216, the point releasing unit 113 calculates the experience points to be added to the experience points to be awarded to the user based on the storage points to be released calculated in S214. When making this calculation, the information in the "Multiplier" field of the treasure table TBL102 illustrated in FIG. 15 is referenced. If the multiplier is greater than 1, the storage points to be released calculated in S214 are amplified and the experience points to be added are calculated. Furthermore, the point releasing unit 113 calculates the experience points to be added by amplifying the storage points to be released calculated in S214 by applying a multiplier of 1.1 if the "outer wall" of the pyramid room has been repaired, or a multiplier of 2.0 if the turn is one in which the effect of "Magic 5" is active. Furthermore, if the legendary treasure "L2" is present in the provisionally selected practice location, the point releasing unit 113 doubles the experience points calculated in S216 to double the effect of the release. The point releasing unit 113 stores the information on the calculation result in the game situation data DT108.

[0311] 28. In S132, the control unit 110 displays a practice screen G900 such as that shown in FIG. 16 on the display unit 20. In this case, the control unit 110 displays the practice screen G900 of the provisionally selected practice location. Specifically, the control unit 110 displays an arrow P510 in a position close to the provisionally selected option. The control unit 110 also displays a teammate associated with the practice of the provisionally selected option. Specifically, the control unit 110 displays the teammate based on the practice / teammate related information stored in the association data DT107, and also displays the teammate's evaluation value based on the main character data DT10. Note that if the teammate associated with the practice of the option has a favorite practice, the favorite practice is displayed in a position close to the teammate. The control unit 110 also displays in the display area A502 the experience points to be awarded when the user confirms the practice of the provisionally selected option. The experience points to be awarded calculated in S200 are displayed in this display area A502. Furthermore, the control unit 110 displays the effect of absorption and / or release in the display area A906 and the display area A907, reflecting the results of the calculation process of the experience points and storage points in S130.

[0312] If the user performs an operation to change the temporarily selected practice on practice screen G900 (i.e., an operation to select a practice different from the temporarily selected practice) (YES in S134), the process returns to S128, and S128 to S132 are executed again. If the pyramid button P902 is selected (YES in S136), the process proceeds to S300 in FIG. 30. If the user performs an operation to confirm the practice by reselecting the temporarily selected practice (YES in S138), the process proceeds to S142 in FIG. 31. If the back button P504 is selected (YES in S140), the process returns to S116 in FIG. 28.

[0313] Here, the case where the pyramid command option P809 is selected on the main screen or the pyramid button P902 is selected on the practice screen will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In S300, control unit 110 displays pyramid screen G1000, an example of which is shown in Fig. 18, on display unit 20. When parts P1001 to P1006 indicating the rooms of the pyramid or display areas A1011 to A1016 displaying information about the rooms are selected (YES in S302), control unit 110 displays detailed information about the selected room in the "room information window" (S304). When the button P1017 for returning to the main screen is selected (YES in S320), the process returns to S116 in Fig. 28. When the button P1018 for returning to the practice screen is selected (YES in S322), the process returns to S132.

[0314] Furthermore, when the magic activation button P1009 is selected (YES in S306), the control unit 110 displays the magic selection screen G1100 shown in FIG. 21 on the display unit 20 (S308). When an operation to select an available magic on this magic selection screen G1100 is performed (YES in S310), the control unit 110 activates the selected magic (S312). The effect of the activated magic is determined by looking up the magic table TBL104 shown in FIG. 20. The control unit 110 then stores information about the activated magic in the game situation data DT108. In S314, the control unit 110 consumes magical power according to the magic used, and updates the magical power information stored in the game situation data DT . In S316, the control unit 110 sets the number of remaining turns for which the effect of the used magic is valid, and stores this in the game situation data DT108.

[0315] Next, the case where an operation to confirm practice is performed on practice screen G900 (YES in S138 of FIG. 28) will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In S142, the control unit 110 determines whether or not there is a hidden treasure in the confirmed practice location. If YES in S142, the process proceeds to S144, and if NO, the process proceeds to S162. In S144, the control unit 110 determines whether or not two or more treasures exist in the confirmed practice location. If YES in S144, the process proceeds to S146, and if NO, the process proceeds to S148. In S146, the control unit 110 generates a treasure tag event as an effect when two or more treasures exist in the practice location.

[0316] In S148, the control unit 110 determines whether or not there is any treasure in an absorbed state in the confirmed practice location. If the answer is YES in S148, the process proceeds to S150; if the answer is NO, the process proceeds to S152. In S150, the point storage unit 112 of the control unit 110 executes a storage process according to the treasure in an absorbed state. For this storage process, the necessary calculation processes have already been completed in S206 (the process of calculating the amount to be subtracted from the experience points to be awarded) and S208 (the process of calculating the storage points to be added) that were executed when the practice was provisionally selected. Therefore, the point storage unit 112 executes the storage process using the information already calculated at the time of provisional selection, subtracts at least a portion of the experience points to be awarded for the confirmed practice, and stores the reduced amount as storage points common to all types. The point storage unit 112 then updates the storage points stored in the game situation data DT108.

[0317] In S152, the control unit 110 determines whether or not a treasure in a released state exists in the confirmed practice location. If the answer is YES in S152, the process proceeds to S154; if the answer is NO, the process proceeds to S156. In S154, the point release unit 113 of the control unit 110 executes a release process according to the treasure in a released state. For this release process, the necessary calculation processes have already been completed in S214 (calculation process of the pool points to be released) and S216 (calculation process of the amount of experience points added by the release) executed when the practice was provisionally selected. Therefore, the point release unit 113 executes the release process using the information calculated at the time of provisional selection, releases at least a portion of the pool points, and adds them to the experience points of the type obtained in the confirmed practice. Then, the point storage unit 112 updates the pool points stored in the game situation data DT108.

[0318] In S156, the control unit 110 determines whether or not a restored treasure exists in the confirmed practice location. If YES in S156, the process proceeds to S158; if NO, the process proceeds to S162. If a restored treasure exists in the confirmed practice location, this means that the player will practice with a teammate associated with the restored treasure, and the treasure return process of S158 is executed. This treasure return process will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 32. In S400, the control unit 110 releases the association between the teammate and the treasure for which repair has been completed, and then updates the treasure / teammate association information stored in the association data DT107. In S402, the control unit 110 restores magical power according to the rank of the returned treasure as a result of the treasure return, and then updates the magical power information stored in the game situation data DT108. In S404, the control unit 110 gives bonus experience points as a result of returning the treasure. In S406, the control unit 110 executes a process to repair each room of the pyramid as a result of the return of the treasure. Here, the room associated with the returned treasure as a "particularly desired treasure" receives a greater degree of repair than the other rooms. Then, the control unit 110 updates the degree of repair of each room of the pyramid stored in the game situation data DT108.

[0319] In S408, the control unit 110 determines whether or not there is a pyramid room that has been repaired. If the answer is YES in S408, the process proceeds to S410; if the answer is NO, the process proceeds to S160 in FIG. 31. If there is a pyramid room that has been repaired (YES in S408), the control unit 110 releases the magic associated with the room that has been repaired (S410). The control unit 110 then updates the information on the released magic stored in the game situation data DT108. The control unit 110 also activates the post-repair effect associated with the room that has been repaired (S412). The control unit 110 then updates the information on the room that has been repaired and the information on the activated effect stored in the game situation data DT108. After that, the process proceeds to S160 in FIG. 31.

[0320] In S160, the control unit 110 executes repair of the treasures in the confirmed practice location. Specifically, the number of remaining repair turns for the treasures in the confirmed practice location is reduced by "1." If a treasure tag event is occurring, the control unit 110 reduces the number of remaining repair turns for each treasure by "2." Then, the control unit 110 updates the information on the number of remaining turns until the repair of each treasure is completed, which is stored in the game situation data DT108.

[0321] In S162, the control unit 110 determines whether or not there is a teammate with whom a treasure excavation icon is associated at the confirmed practice location. If the answer is YES in S162, the process proceeds to S164; if the answer is NO, the process proceeds to S166. In S164, the control unit 110 generates a treasure excavation event. That is, the control unit 110 associates a treasure according to the type of treasure excavation icon with the teammate with whom the treasure excavation icon is associated. The control unit 110 then generates treasure / teammate association information that associates the treasure with the target teammate, and stores this information in the association data DT107. The control unit 110 also sets the number of repair turns and the treasure rank of the treasure associated with the teammate, and stores the set information in the game situation data DT108.

[0322] In S166, the control unit 110 executes the confirmed practice. As a result, the control unit 110 grants the experience points displayed in the display area A502 and the display area A907 of the practice screen G900 to the main character. In addition, the control unit 110 consumes stamina according to the confirmed practice, increases the evaluation value of teammates, and, if a tip event has occurred, causes the main character to acquire tips. Then, the control unit 110 reflects the practice results in the main character data DT106.

[0323] Thereafter, the process proceeds to S168 in Fig. 33. In S168, the control unit 110 determines whether or not to cause a subsequent event to occur, similar to S112 described above. That is, the control unit 110 performs an event occurrence lottery, and if the lottery is won, the subsequent event occurs. If the result of this determination is that the subsequent event will not be caused to occur, the process proceeds to S172, and if the subsequent event will be caused to occur, the process proceeds to S170. The conditions for causing the subsequent event are the same as those for the previous event.

[0324] In S170, the control unit 110 generates the event that was won in the lottery. Specifically, the control unit 110 generates a screen according to the story of the event and displays it on the display unit 20. At this time, as with the previous event, the control unit 110 updates the main character data DT106 so as to grant experience points to the main character, restore stamina, increase the evaluation value of the event character appearing in that event relative to the main character, and change the "motivation" of the main character. Note that in a predetermined turn of the fourth section, a baseball game (a qualifying or Koshien game) occurs as a subsequent event. In this case, the control unit 110 updates the game situation data DT108 with information related to the outcome of the game.

[0325] In S172, the control unit 110 performs turn end processing. Specifically, the control unit 110 updates the main character data DT106 so that the main character's stamina is restored by a certain amount, and updates the game situation data DT108 to move on to the next turn. The control unit 110 also updates the game situation data DT108 by reducing by "1" the number of remaining turns during which the effect of the currently used magic is valid. In S174, the control unit 110 determines whether the current turn is the last turn of each section. If it is the last turn, the process proceeds to S176 (YES in S174), and if it is not the last turn, the process returns to S104 in FIG. 27 (NO in S174). If the player loses the match and is eliminated midway through the fourth section, the fourth section is forced to end, and the current turn becomes the last turn. If the player continues to win matches and progresses to the 15th turn of the fourth section, the current turn will also be the last turn.

[0326] In S176, the control unit 110 determines whether the current section is the last section. If it is the last section, the process proceeds to S178. On the other hand, if it is not the last section, the control unit 110 displays a screen on the display unit 20 indicating that the section has ended, updates the game situation data DT108 to move on to the next section, and returns to S102 in FIG. 27.

[0327] In S178, the control unit 110 performs processing to end the training mode. Specifically, first, the control unit 110 displays on the display unit 20 a setting screen G600 for increasing the basic abilities of the main character, as shown in FIG. 9. In other words, the control unit 110 prompts the user to use up all of their remaining experience points to improve the basic abilities and acquire special abilities. Then, when the user operates the control unit 110 to use up the remaining experience points for the basic abilities and special abilities, the control unit 110 updates the main character data DT106 with the abilities of the main character that are finally determined, and ends the scenario, which is the training part.

[0328] [5. Summary] In the game system 1 according to the embodiment described above, at least a portion of the experience points of a type that would be acquired through practice can be stored as a common pool of points for all types. Furthermore, the user can withdraw the experience points by releasing at least a portion of the stored pool of points based on the user's operation. Therefore, even if the user acquires experience points of a type other than the one desired by the user through practice, the experience points can be stored as pool of points that are not specific to the type. This makes it easier to select a game progression that offers favorable conditions, such as the ability to acquire more experience points, regardless of the type of experience points that can be acquired, thereby improving the enjoyment of the game.

[0329] Furthermore, in the game system 1 according to this embodiment, at least a portion of the stored points can be released at a timing of the user's choosing, and can be extracted (acquired) as experience points of a type corresponding to the user's operation. That is, at least a portion of the experience points of a type acquired in response to practice during storage are stored as common stored points regardless of type, and by releasing at least a portion of the stored points at a timing of the user's choosing, it becomes possible to acquire a different type of experience points as desired by the user. In other words, when a practice is performed, experience points of a type associated with that practice are allocated and awarded, but if at least a portion of those points are stored as stored points unrelated to type, they can be reallocated as a different type of experience points when released. This increases the user's flexibility in allocating experience point types, enabling the user to develop a character more in line with their intentions.

[0330] [6. Modifications] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0331] [6-1] In the above, in order to release the stored points, magic that puts the treasure into a release state is required, and sufficient magical power is required to use the magic. As a variation, magical power may be removed as a condition for using magic, and the user may be able to use magic that puts the treasure into a release state at any time. [6-2] It is also possible to allow the user to release stored points at any time without using magic to release the treasure. For example, it is possible to allow a release operation independent of practice, and when a release operation is performed, the user can take out (earn) the type of experience points of the user's choice from the stored points in the amount specified by the user at any time, without consuming a turn (or with the consumption of a turn). For example, in the setting screen shown in Fig. 9 or 10 for consuming experience points to change the ability parameters of a character to be trained, a release operation may be enabled so that a user-specified type of experience points can be extracted from the storage points in an amount specified by the user. That is, the release operation may be enabled so that the user can specify the type and amount of experience points to be released while viewing the setting screen shown in Fig. 9 or 10. In this case, the currently acquired experience points for each type are displayed in display area A603 of Fig. 9 or 10, and the experience points of the type extracted from the storage points by the release operation are added and displayed in display area A603. In addition, the release operation may be possible independently of the above practice only when certain conditions are met, such as when the user uses a specific item that they possess (for example, only when the game is set to use a specific item at the start of the game). [6-3] In the above, the magic spells "Magic 1" to "Magic 6" other than "Magic 7" cannot be used unless the condition that the repair of the corresponding pyramid room is completed is met, but this condition may be removed for all or some of the magic spells, allowing the user to use any magic spell at any time. In this case, for example, any magic spell may be allowed to be used from the start of the game only if a certain condition is met, such as setting the game to use a specific item at the start (the user brings a specific item they own with them at the start of the game). [6-4] In the above, rare and legendary treasures can be associated with not only event characters but also mummy mobs, but the treasures associated with mummy mobs can be limited to normal treasures only. This will increase the value of event characters. Also, teammates with which the treasure can be associated may be limited to only the event characters set in the event deck (treasures may not be associated with mummy mobs). In the above [6-5], if a treasure is associated with a teammate due to a treasure excavation event that occurs in a certain turn, the effect of the associated treasure will occur from the next turn onwards. As a variation, the effect of the associated treasure may occur on the turn in which the treasure excavation event occurs. [6-6] In the above, by practicing with a teammate with which the treasure is associated (in other words, by selecting a practice with which the teammate with which the treasure is associated) the treasure is repaired and the number of remaining repair turns is reduced by one. As a variation, regardless of whether or not the teammate with which the treasure is associated practices, the treasure may be repaired and the number of remaining repair turns reduced by one simply by consuming a turn. In this case, the treasure is repaired by consuming the number of repair turns set for each treasure. In [6-7] and above, when a Treasure Tag event occurs in a practice area with two or more treasures, the repair of those two or more treasures will proceed two turns per practice. As a variation, when a Treasure Tag event occurs, the more target treasures that triggered the event, the more turns the repair of those target treasures will proceed. For example, when there are two or three target treasures, the repair of those target treasures will proceed two turns, when there are four or five target treasures, the repair of those target treasures will proceed three turns, and when there are six or more target treasures, the repair of those target treasures will proceed four turns.

[0332] [6-8] Although the above explanation has been given mainly on the example of a baseball game, the present invention can also be applied to other games. For example, the present invention can be applied to various games, regardless of the game format or genre, such as other sports games (games based on soccer, tennis, American football, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, rugby, etc.), fighting games, combat games, digital card games, role-playing games, simulation games, adventure games, and training games, as long as "at least one type of point out of multiple types is awarded as the game progresses."

[0333] [6-9]The game terminal 10 and the server 30 can communicate with each other to send and receive various data, and are both information processing devices (computers) equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, auxiliary storage device, communication unit, etc., and basically have the same hardware configuration. Therefore, some of the various functions described above may be realized by the CPU 11 of the game terminal 10, and the rest may be realized by the CPU 31 of the server 30. Alternatively, all of the various functions described above may be realized by the CPU 11 of the game terminal 10. Or, all of the various functions described above may be realized by the CPU 31 of the server 30.

[0334] [6-10]Regarding the configuration having a storage control function for storing various information in a storage device, since the storage device itself is not included in the configuration, it may be installed anywhere inside or outside the game system 1. For example, the storage device may be a storage device within the game system 1 (e.g., RAM 13, auxiliary storage device 14, RAM 33, auxiliary storage device 34, database DB, etc.), or a file server (online storage) with a configuration different from these.

[0335] [6-11]The computer-readable program according to the present embodiment is recorded on various computer-readable recording media such as a hard disk, optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.), flexible disk, semiconductor memory, etc., and is read from the recording medium and executed by the CPU of the computer constituting the game system 1 or the game control device. Also, the means for providing the program to the computer is not limited to the recording media described above, and can also be performed via a communication network such as the Internet.

[0336] [7. Supplementary Note] The present invention can be understood as follows from the above description. For ease of understanding of the present invention, the reference numerals in the attached drawings are appended in parentheses for convenience, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments by this.

[0337] 1) A game system (1) according to one aspect of the present invention provides a game in which at least one type of points (e.g., experience points) categorized into a plurality of types is awarded as the game progresses, and includes: a point awarding means (111) that determines (S200) the type and amount of points to be awarded as the game progresses; a point storage means (112) that executes a storage process (S206, S208, S150) that reduces at least a portion of the points to be awarded as the game progresses and stores the reduced amount as a storage point common to all types of points; and a point releasing means (113) that executes a release process (S214, S216, S154) that releases at least a portion of the stored points stored by the point storage means (112) and awards them to the user based on a user operation.

[0338] 14) A game control device (10 or 30) according to one embodiment of the present invention provides a game in which at least one type of points (e.g., experience points) categorized into a plurality of types is awarded as the game progresses, and includes: a point awarding means (111) that determines (S200) the type and amount of points to be awarded as the game progresses; a point storage means (112) that executes a storage process (S206, S208, S150) that reduces at least a portion of the points to be awarded as the game progresses and stores the reduced amount as a storage point common to all types of points; and a point releasing means (113) that executes a release process (S214, S216, S154) that releases at least a portion of the stored points stored by the point storage means (112) and awards them to the user based on a user operation.

[0339] 15) A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as a game system (1) described in any one of 1) to 13) or a game control device (10 or 30) described in 14).

[0340] 16) An information storage medium according to one aspect of the present invention is a computer-readable information storage medium having the program according to 15) recorded thereon.

[0341] 17) A control method for a game system (1) or a game control device (10 or 30) according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling a game system (1) or a game control device (10 or 30) that provides a game in which at least one type of point (e.g., experience points) classified into a plurality of types is awarded in accordance with the progress of the game, and includes a point awarding step (S200) that determines the type and amount of the points to be awarded in accordance with the progress of the game (e.g., by performing practice), a point storage step (S206, S208, S150) that executes a storage process to reduce at least a portion of the points to be awarded in accordance with the progress of the game and store the reduced amount as a storage point common to all types of points, and a point releasing step (S214, S216, S154) that executes a release process to release at least a portion of the stored points stored by the point storage step and award them to the user based on a user operation.

[0342] According to the above aspects 1), 14) to 17), at least a portion of the types of points that are to be acquired as the game progresses can be stored as points common to all types. Furthermore, points can be withdrawn by releasing at least a portion of the stored points based on the user's operation. Therefore, even if points of a type other than the user's desired type are acquired as the game progresses, they can be stored as points that are not specific to the type. This makes it easier to select a game progression that offers favorable conditions, such as the ability to acquire more points, regardless of the type of points that can be acquired, thereby improving the enjoyment of the game.

[0343] 2) In one aspect of the present invention, in the aspect described in 1) or 14) above, the point release means (113) may execute the release process based on a user's operation to grant at least a portion of the stored points stored in the point storage means (112) to the user as points of a type corresponding to the operation.

[0344] According to the aspect described in 2) above, at least a portion of the points of a type obtained as the game progresses can be stored as points common to all types, and when released, the points can be withdrawn as points of a type different from the type at the time of storage based on the user's operation. In other words, it is possible to reallocate point types via the points common to all types. This increases the user's freedom in allocating point types.

[0345] 3) In one aspect of the present invention, in the aspect described in 1) or 2) above, the point release means (113) may be configured to be able to execute the release process when a predetermined release condition is met (for example, when magic is used to make the stored points available for release).

[0346] According to the aspect described in 3) above, in order to release and acquire stored points, it is necessary to satisfy a predetermined release enabling condition, which can enhance the entertainment value of the game.

[0347] 4) In one aspect of the present invention, in the aspect described in any of 1) to 3) above, the game progresses by the user selecting an option from a plurality of options (e.g., a plurality of exercises), and may further include an associating means (114) for associating a first game element (e.g., a treasure) that enables the storage process or the release process with an object (e.g., a teammate), and when the option to which the object to which the first game element is associated is associated is selected, the storage process by the point storage means (112) or the release process by the point release means (113) may be executed.

[0348] According to the aspect described in 4) above, in a game in which the player progresses by selecting options, in order to execute the storage process or the release process, the player is required to select an option that is associated with an object that is associated with the first game element, thereby further enhancing the playability of the game.

[0349] 5) In one aspect of the present invention, in the aspect described in 4) above, the first game element (e.g., a treasure) may have at least a first state (e.g., an absorption state) and a second state (e.g., a release state), and the point storage means (112) may execute the storage process when an option associated with the object (e.g., a teammate) associated with the first game element in the first state is selected, and the point release means (113) may execute the release process when an option associated with the object associated with the first game element in the second state is selected.

[0350] According to the aspect described in 5) above, executing the storage process requires selecting an option associated with an object associated with the first game element in the first state. Also, executing the release process requires selecting an option associated with an object associated with the first game element in the second state. This further enhances the playability of the game.

[0351] 6) In one aspect of the present invention, the aspect described in 5) above may further include a change means (115) that changes the state of the first game element (e.g., treasure) associated with the object (e.g., teammate) between the first state (e.g., absorption state) and the second state (e.g., emission state) based on a user operation (e.g., an operation using magic).

[0352] According to the aspect described in 6) above, by changing the state of the first game element based on a user operation, it becomes possible to arbitrarily switch between executing the storage process and the release process, thereby further enhancing the playability of the game.

[0353] 7) In one aspect of the present invention, in any of the aspects described in 4) to 6) above, there may be multiple types of the first game element (e.g., treasure), and at least one of the type of points to be stored in the storage process or the amount of stored points may differ depending on the type of first game element associated with the object (e.g., teammate).

[0354] According to the aspect described in 7) above, the effect of storage (the type of points to be stored or the amount of storage points stored) can be varied depending on the type of first game element associated with the object, thereby further enhancing the playability of the game.

[0355] 8) In one aspect of the present invention, in any of the aspects described in 4) to 7) above, there may be multiple types of the first game element (e.g., treasure), and at least one of the type of points or the amount of points awarded to the user in the release process may differ depending on the type of first game element associated with the object (e.g., teammate).

[0356] According to the aspect described in 8) above, the effect upon release (the type of points awarded or the amount of points awarded upon release) can be varied depending on the type of first game element associated with the object, thereby further enhancing the playability of the game.

[0357] 9) In one aspect of the present invention, in the aspect described in any of 4) to 8) above, the associating means (114) may further include achievement management means (116) that disassociates the first game element (e.g., treasure) from the object (e.g., teammate) when a predetermined disassociation condition is met (e.g., when the restoration of the treasure is completed), and that improves the achievement level (e.g., repair level) of the second game element (e.g., pyramid room) based on the disassociation by the associating means (114).

[0358] According to the aspect described in 9) above, by satisfying a specified release condition and releasing the association between the first game element and the object, the degree of achievement of the second game element can be improved, thereby further enhancing the playability of the game.

[0359] 10) In one aspect of the present invention, in the aspect described in 9) above, the game may further include an effect generating means (117) that generates a game effect (e.g., release of magic) when the achievement level (e.g., repair level) of the second game element (e.g., pyramid room) reaches a predetermined standard.

[0360] According to the aspect described in 10) above, if the achievement level of the second game element reaches a predetermined standard, an effect occurs in the game, which can further enhance the enjoyment of the game.

[0361] 11) In one aspect of the present invention, in any of the aspects described in 1) to 10) above, when a predetermined condition for increasing the number of points when storing is met (for example, when a predetermined magic spell is used, or when a predetermined type of treasure is associated with a teammate), the point storage means (112) may increase the number of points (for example, experience points) stored as the points when the decreased amount is stored as the storage points compared to when the condition for increasing the number of points when storing is not met.

[0362] According to the aspect described in 11) above, if the condition for increase during storage is met, the stored points will increase when at least a portion of the points that can be acquired are stored, thereby further increasing the merits of storing.

[0363] 12) In one aspect of the present invention, in any of the aspects described in 1) to 11) above, the point release means (113) may, when a predetermined increase condition at the time of release is met (for example, when a predetermined magic spell is being used, or when a predetermined type of treasure is associated with a teammate), release at least a portion of the stored points and increase the points (for example, experience points) awarded to the user compared to when the increase condition at the time of release is not met.

[0364] According to the aspect described in 12) above, if the condition for increase at the time of release is satisfied, the points that can be acquired when releasing at least a portion of the stored points increase, thereby further increasing the merits of storing and releasing.

[0365] 13) In one aspect of the present invention, in the aspect described in any of 1) to 3) above, the game is a game in which an object (e.g., a character) is used, and further includes an associating means (114) for associating a game element (e.g., a treasure, an attribute, effect information) that can generate a game effect with the object, and there are multiple types of the game element that can generate different game effects, and the associating means (114) may be configured to change the type of the game element associated with the same object between the start and end of the game.

[0366] Generally, game elements such as attributes associated with an object do not change during the course of the game. In contrast, according to the aspect described in 13) above, the game elements associated with the same object change from the start to the end of the game, which can cause changes in the game effects during the course of the game. This further enhances the playability of the game. [Explanation of symbols]

[0367] 1...game system, N...network, DB...database, 10...game terminal, 11...CPU, 13...RAM, 14...auxiliary storage device, 20...display unit, 30...server, 31...CPU, 33...RAM, 34...auxiliary storage device, 100...data storage unit, 110...control unit, 111...point granting unit, 112...point storage unit, 113...point release unit, 114...association unit, 115...change unit, 116...achievement level management unit, 117...effect generation unit, TBL101...treasure excavation icon lottery table, TBL102...treasure table, TBL103...pyramid room table, TBL104...magic table, DT105...event deck data, DT106...protagonist character data, DT107...association data, DT108...game situation data

Claims

[Claim 1] A game system that provides a game in which at least one type of points out of a plurality of types of points is awarded according to the progress of the game, a point awarding means for determining the type and amount of points to be awarded in accordance with the progress of the game; a point storage means for executing a storage process of reducing at least a portion of the points to be awarded in accordance with the progress of the game and storing the reduced amount as a storage point common to all types of points; a point issuing means for executing an issuing process of issuing at least a portion of the point storage points stored by the storage means and granting the points to the user based on an operation by the user; A game system including:

Images