Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

The system will provide players with the appropriate game medium according to their game progress. [Solution] The system includes a provisioning unit that selects a game medium from a set of one or more game mediums and provides it to the player, a game control unit that controls the player to be able to play a target game that includes one or more games, and a set control unit that controls the game mediums included in the set according to the progress of the target game by the player.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In games, a function (so-called "gacha") that provides game elements such as game characters to players by lottery is known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes changing the winning probability of other game items according to whether or not a game item is provided to a player. Patent Document 2 also describes changing the value expected as a lottery result according to the playing situation of the game being played during the lottery.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In games that progress while clearing tasks such as quests, the game media such as characters that players can utilize often changes depending on the game clearance situation. However, in the conventional games described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, it was not possible to appropriately respond when the characters required by the player changed according to the progress situation.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to be able to provide an appropriate game medium to a player according to the progress situation of the game.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The information processing device according to the present invention comprises: a supply unit that selects a game medium from a set of one or more game mediums and provides it to a player; a game control unit that controls the player to be able to play a target game that includes one or more games; and a set control unit that controls the game mediums included in the set according to the progress of the target game by the player. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide the player with an appropriate game medium according to the progress of the game. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an example of the configuration of game system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a game server and terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the functional block configuration of a game server 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of the functional block configuration of terminal 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] A diagram illustrating the contents of the play status management table 100a according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] A diagram illustrating the contents of the owned character management table 100b according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] A diagram illustrating the featured characters set for each quest according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] A flowchart illustrating the control flow of the lottery set for each player according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Next, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. <System Configuration> Figure 1 shows an example of the system configuration of the game system 1 according to this embodiment. The game system 1 shown in Figure 1 comprises a game server 10 (information processing device) and a plurality of terminals 20. The game server 10 and the terminals 20 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate via a communication network N such as the Internet, intranet, wireless LAN, or mobile communication.

[0010] The game server 10 is a device that performs some of the functions necessary for the terminal 20 to provide a game, such as managing various information about the player (user) or executing some of the game's processing. The game server 10 may consist of one or more information processing devices, or it may be configured using a virtual server (such as a cloud server).

[0011] Terminal 20 is an information processing device that provides the game to the player, and the player can execute the game according to this embodiment by operating Terminal 20. Terminal 20 is, for example, a computer such as a mobile phone (including a smartphone), tablet, personal computer, arcade game machine, or consumer game machine. Terminal 20 notifies the game server 10 of its own location detected using GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like.

[0012] <Game Overview> Next, an overview of the games provided by the game system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. The games provided by the game system 1 include event quests (target games, first group of games) and normal quests (second group of games). Event quests are games in which the contents of the lottery set are affected by the progress of the game, while normal quests are games in which the contents of the lottery set are not affected. The contents of the lottery set include the composition of the characters etc. (game mediums) that are the targets of the lottery and the probability of each game medium being won.

[0013] An event quest includes one or more quests (games). A quest is a term that means a mission whose clear condition is to meet a predetermined set of conditions. Quests are sometimes called explorations or tasks. A player who participates in a quest can clear the quest by meeting the said set of conditions, and upon clearing the quest, the player is given a bonus or the game progresses to the next stage.

[0014] A player can form a deck using the characters (game media) they own and clear (achieve) a quest using the formed deck. A new character can be obtained, for example, by performing a lottery. When a lottery is performed, a character or an item (game media) is selected by the lottery process and provided to the player.

[0015] <Hardware Configuration> FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the game server 10 and the terminal 20. The game server 10 and the terminal 20 have a processor 11 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphical processing unit), a memory, a storage device 12 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and / or an SSD (Solid State Drive), a communication IF (Interface) 13 for performing wired or wireless communication, an input device 14 for receiving an input operation, and an output device 15 for outputting information. The input device 14 is, for example, a keyboard, a touch panel, a mouse, and / or a microphone, etc. The output device 15 is, for example, a display, a touch panel, and / or a speaker, etc.

[0016] <Functional Block Configuration> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional block configuration of the game server 10. The game server 10 includes a storage unit 100 and a control unit 110. The storage unit 100 can be realized using a storage device 12 included in the game server 10. Also, the control unit 110 can be realized by a processor 11 of the game server 10 executing a program stored in the storage device 12. Further, the program can be stored in a storage medium. The storage medium storing the program may be a non-transitory computer readable medium. The non-transitory storage medium is not particularly limited, and for example, it may be a storage medium such as a USB memory or a CD-ROM.

[0017] The storage unit 100 stores a play status management table 100a, an owned character management table 100b, and a lottery management table 100c.

[0018] The play status management table 100a manages the progress status of the game for each player. In the play status management table 100a, for example, information regarding the progress status of the game (quest) that the player is playing is stored in association with an ID (player ID) that uniquely identifies the player.

[0019] The owned character management table 100b manages information on the characters and items owned by each player. For example, a character given to a player by lottery is managed in the owned character management table 100b.

[0020] The lottery management table 100c manages, for each player, the characters (game media) included in the set of lottery targets and the lottery probability of each character.

[0021] The control unit 110 provides various functions necessary to run the game. The control unit 110 includes a supply unit 111, a game control unit 112, and a collection control unit 113. Each of these functional blocks may be provided by the terminal 20 instead of the game server 10. The game server 10 and the terminal 20 may be referred to as computers.

[0022] <Terminal> Figure 4 shows an example of the functional block configuration of terminal 20. Terminal 20 includes a storage unit 200, a communication unit 201, a UI (User Interface) unit 202, and a game control unit 203. The storage unit 200 can be implemented using a storage device 12 provided by terminal 20. The communication unit 201, the UI unit 202, and the game control unit 203 can be implemented by the processor 11 of terminal 20 executing a program stored in the storage device 12. This program can be stored in a storage medium. The storage medium on which the program is stored may be a computer-readable non-temporary storage medium. The non-temporary storage medium is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a USB memory or a CD-ROM.

[0023] The memory unit 200 stores the game data necessary for the game control unit 203 to run the game. The game data includes character image data, game scenarios, and the like.

[0024] The communication unit 201 has the function of performing various types of communication with the game server 10 using the communication IF 13.

[0025] The UI unit 202 has the function of receiving various inputs from the player and displaying various game screens on the display. The UI unit 202 also displays game screens according to instructions from the game server 10.

[0026] The game control unit 203 works in conjunction with the game server 10 to provide various functions necessary to run the game. For example, the game control unit 203 provides functions such as obtaining various information (icon image data, text data, etc.) from the game server 10 for drawing on the game screen.

[0027] Next, the game flow using game system 1 will be explained. The player plays event quest (target game) Q1 provided by game server 10 via terminal 20. Event quest Q1 includes five quests (games) from 1F to 5F, and the game control unit 112 controls the game so that the next stage of quests is unlocked and playable sequentially each time a quest is cleared from 1F to 5F.

[0028] Figure 5 illustrates the contents of the play status management table 100a. As shown in Figure 5, a play flag and a clear flag are set for each quest from floor 1 to 5. The play flag is set to "1" for quests played by the player, and if the quest is cleared, the clear flag is set to "1".

[0029] Additionally, players can obtain characters (game elements) that can be used in each quest through a lottery. Figure 6 is an example of the contents of the owned character management table 100b. As shown in Figure 6, the identifiers (C11, C21, etc.) of the characters owned by each player are managed.

[0030] The characters include featured characters whose draw probability is affected by the progress of the event quest, and common characters whose draw probability is not affected by the progress of the event quest. Featured characters are, for example, characters that can be used when playing floors 1-5 of each quest in event quest Q1, and as shown in Figure 7, for example, one or more featured characters are set for each quest.

[0031] The lottery management table 100c has settings for a lottery based on each player's progress in the event quest. Specifically, it manages the set of featured characters and the probability of each character being drawn, according to the quest the player is currently playing and any games they have not yet completed. The distribution unit 111 performs the lottery process based on the contents of the lottery management table 100c and provides the winning character to the player.

[0032] The contents of the lottery management table 100c are controlled by the collective control unit 113. Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of lottery control for each player. The collective control unit 113 refers to the play status management table 100a and obtains information regarding the progress of the player's event quests (step S101). For example, it obtains the value of the clear flag for each quest.

[0033] The collection control unit 113 changes the elements of the draw according to the value of the clear flag for each quest (step S102). For example, after receiving a draw request from a player, the collection control unit 113 may refer to the progress of the event quest and determine the elements of the draw, i.e., the set of game elements that can be provided to the player by the draw, according to the progress of the event quest. Alternatively, for example, the collection control unit 113 may configure the elements of the draw set to include one or more common characters that do not change according to the progress of the event quest, and one or more specific characters (pickup characters) that change according to the progress of the event quest. In this case, for example, the collection control unit 113 may exclude characters from the pickup characters that can be used in quests that the player has already cleared, and include characters that can be used in quests that have not yet been cleared. For example, if quests 1F-3F have been cleared but 4F-5F have not, you can remove the characters available for 1F-3F (C11, C12, C21, C22, C31, C32 in the example in Figure 7) from the element and include the characters available for 4F-5F (C41, C42, C51, C52 in the example in Figure 7) in the element.

[0034] Furthermore, the collection control unit 113 refers to the owned character management table 100b and removes characters already owned by the player from the draw (step S103). Note that if the collection control unit 113 removes characters already owned by the player from the draw set among the pick-up characters identified according to the progress of the event quest, it may increase the draw probability for characters that were not excluded from the pick-up characters compared to when there were no characters to be excluded. Alternatively, the collection control unit 113 may skip the process in S103 and execute the process in S104.

[0035] Next, the collective control unit 113 sets the draw probability for each of the modified elements (step S104). Note that characters already owned by the player may not be excluded from the draw, and their probability of being selected in the draw may be set lower than that of characters not owned by the player. For example, the collective control unit 113 may be set to increase the draw probability of characters not owned by the player compared to characters owned by the player, among several pick-up characters identified according to the progress of the event quest.

[0036] However, the method of controlling the elements of the lottery (game media such as characters) by the collective control unit 113 is not limited to those described above. For example, in the above example, the featured characters to be included in the elements are changed based on the quests the player has cleared, but it may also be changed based on whether or not they are playable. That is, each quest from 1F to 5F becomes playable (unlocked) when the previous stage quest is cleared. The collective control unit 113 may refer to the play status management table 100a and, if the clear flag for the previous stage quest (4F for 5F) is "1", include the characters available in that quest in the elements.

[0037] Additionally, the elements may include characters available in quests that the player has played but failed to complete. The collective control unit 113 may refer to the play status management table 100a and include characters available in quests where the play flag is "1" and the clear flag is "0" (played but not completed).

[0038] Furthermore, the aggregation control unit 113 may include characters available for a quest as elements for a predetermined period of time after failing to complete the quest. Specifically, for quests where the play flag is "1" and the clear flag is "0", the aggregation control unit 113 may include characters available for that quest as elements only for a predetermined period of time after the play flag becomes "1".

[0039] Furthermore, the game control unit 112 controls the game so that each time a quest is cleared, the next stage of quests is sequentially unlocked and becomes playable, but the method of controlling the game is not limited to this. For example, when quest 1F is cleared, quests 2F and 3F may become playable, so that clearing one quest unlocks multiple quests. In this case, the collection control unit 113 may change the collection of draws to include characters that can be used in the multiple unlocked quests as elements.

[0040] Furthermore, the collective control unit 113 may set the probability of obtaining a character available in the quest that was not completed higher than the probability of obtaining a character available in the quest that was not completed, if the player fails to complete one of the unlocked quests (e.g., 2F) but does not fail to complete another quest (e.g., 3F). A quest that was not completed is a quest with a play flag of "1" and a clear flag of "0", while a quest that was not completed is a quest with a play flag of "0" and a clear flag of "0".

[0041] Furthermore, the collective control unit 113 may be configured such that, if a player is playing one of the unlocked quests (e.g., 2F) and not playing another quest (e.g., 3F), the character associated with the currently played quest is selected with a higher probability than the character associated with the other quest. The currently played quest is the quest with a play flag of "1", and the quest not being played is the quest with a play flag of "0".

[0042] Furthermore, the system may allow switching between a mode that changes the contents of the draw according to the progress of the event quest (first mode) and a mode that does not change according to the progress of the event quest (second mode). In this case, the system may present information on the game media that can be provided to the player in an identifiable manner, depending on whether the first mode or the second mode is selected. When the system is set to the first mode, the collection control unit 113 changes the characters included in the draw collection as described above, according to the progress of the event quest by the player. On the other hand, when the system is set to the second mode, the system may use a draw collection that includes predetermined characters, regardless of the progress of the event quest by the player. In addition, the probability of winning all characters may be made the same.

[0043] As described above, according to this embodiment, the characters (game medium) included in the draw are changed or the probability of a character being drawn is controlled according to the progress of the event quest (target game). This allows players to perform a lottery to acquire appropriate characters based on their progress in the game.

[0044] Furthermore, by excluding characters usable in quests already completed by the player from the draw and including characters usable in quests that have not yet been completed, players can exclude characters they don't need from the draw and provide the characters they do need with a higher probability.

[0045] Furthermore, by including characters usable in playable quests (quests unlocked by clearing previous quests) in the lottery pool, we can provide characters that players are likely to use with a high probability.

[0046] Additionally, by including characters available in quests that players have failed to complete in the lottery pool, we can increase the probability of providing players with the characters they particularly need.

[0047] Additionally, for a predetermined period after a player fails to complete a quest, characters usable in that quest may be included in the lottery pool. This adds a gameplay element where the probability of obtaining a character usable in that quest is higher for a predetermined period after failing to complete it.

[0048] Furthermore, among the characters selected based on the game's progress, the probability of winning characters that the player does not already possess may be increased. This would allow for the player to be given a more appropriate character.

[0049] Furthermore, if completing one quest unlocks multiple quests, the characters available in those quests may be included in the lottery offerings. This allows for a lottery that offers characters the player might use depending on their progress in the game.

[0050] Furthermore, the probability of winning a character usable in a quest that the player has not yet completed among the multiple playable quests may be set higher, or the probability of winning a character usable in a quest that the player is currently playing may be set higher. This increases the probability that the player will acquire a character that is more suitable for them, and improves the motivation to participate in the draw.

[0051] Furthermore, the system now allows players to switch between two modes: one that changes the contents of the draw based on the progress of the event quest (Mode 1), and another that does not change based on the progress of the event quest (Mode 2). This makes it possible to create more engaging gameplay elements, such as making it easier to obtain characters that can be used in quests for a limited time.

[0052] In this embodiment, the information processing device of the present invention is used as a game server 10, but the information processing device is not limited to a server. For example, it may be a terminal device such as a personal computer or a portable information terminal, or a dedicated game machine.

[0053] Some or all of the above embodiments may also be described as follows. However, the present invention is not limited to the following. (Note 1) A provisioning unit that selects a game medium from a set of one or more game mediums and provides it to the player, A game control unit that controls the player to be able to play a target game which includes one or more games, An information processing apparatus comprising: a set control unit that controls game media included in the set according to the progress of the target game by the player; and

[0054] According to the above configuration, it is possible to perform a lottery that allows the player to obtain the appropriate game medium depending on the progress of the game.

[0055] (Note 2) The aforementioned collective control unit, The information processing device described in Appendix 1, which changes the game media included in the set depending on whether a predetermined game in the target game has been cleared or not.

[0056] According to the above configuration, game media that are unnecessary for players can be excluded from the lottery, and the game media that players need can be provided with a high probability.

[0057] (Note 3) The aforementioned collective control unit, The information processing device described in Appendix 1, which changes the game media included in the set depending on whether a predetermined game in the target game is playable or not.

[0058] The above configuration makes it possible to provide players with a high probability of using the game medium they are most likely to use.

[0059] (Note 4) The aforementioned collective control unit, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the set is modified to include a predetermined game medium associated with a predetermined game that was not cleared in the target game.

[0060] The above configuration makes it possible to provide players with the game medium they particularly need with a high probability.

[0061] (Note 5) The aforementioned collective control unit, The information processing device according to Appendix 4, which controls the set so that the predetermined game medium is included in the set for a predetermined time after the predetermined game fails to be cleared.

[0062] According to the above configuration, a gameplay element can be added in which, for a predetermined period of time after failing to clear a quest, the probability of obtaining a game item that can be used for that quest is high.

[0063] (Note 6) The aforementioned collective control unit, An information processing device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 5, which modifies the contents of the set such that the selection probability of a game medium possessed by the player and a game medium not possessed by the player are different, among a plurality of game media identified according to the progress of the target game.

[0064] The above configuration makes it possible to provide players with a more appropriate gaming medium.

[0065] (Note 7) The game control unit, When the first game in the aforementioned target game is cleared, the second and third games become playable. The aforementioned collective control unit, The information processing device according to Appendix 1, which modifies the contents of the set to include a game medium associated with the second game and a game medium associated with the third game when the second game and the third game become playable.

[0066] According to the above configuration, a lottery can be performed to obtain game media that the player may use, depending on the progress of the game.

[0067] (Note 8) The aforementioned collective control unit, The information processing apparatus according to Appendix 7, wherein if the user fails to clear the second game but does not fail to clear the third game, the contents of the set are modified so that the game medium associated with the second game is selected with a higher probability than the game medium associated with the third game.

[0068] The above configuration increases the probability that players will be able to obtain a more suitable game medium, thereby improving the gameplay experience.

[0069] (Note 9) The aforementioned collective control unit, The information processing device according to Appendix 7, which modifies the contents of the set such that, if the second game is played but the third game is not, the game medium associated with the second game is selected with a higher probability than the game medium associated with the third game.

[0070] The above configuration increases the probability that players will be able to obtain a more suitable game medium, thereby improving the gameplay experience.

[0071] (Note 10) It is possible to switch between the first mode and the second mode. The aforementioned collective control unit, When the first mode is set, the game media included in the set are controlled according to the progress of the target game by the player. When the second mode is set, the information processing device according to Appendix 1 uses the set including a predetermined game medium, regardless of the progress of the target game by the player.

[0072] The above configuration allows for highly engaging gameplay, such as making certain game items easier to obtain for a limited time.

[0073] (Note 11) A step of selecting a game medium from a set of one or more game mediums and providing it to the player, The steps include controlling the player to be able to play a target game that includes one or more games, An information processing method comprising the step of controlling a game medium included in the set according to the progress of the target game by the player.

[0074] According to the above configuration, it is possible to perform a lottery that allows the player to obtain the appropriate game medium depending on the progress of the game.

[0075] (Note 12) Computers, A provisioning unit that selects a game medium from a set of one or more game mediums and provides it to the player, A game control unit that controls the player to be able to play a target game which includes one or more games, A program that functions as a collection control unit that controls the game media included in the collection according to the progress of the target game by the player.

[0076] According to the above configuration, it is possible to perform a lottery that allows the player to obtain the appropriate game medium depending on the progress of the game.

[0077] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. For this reason, the above embodiments are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted restrictively. For example, the order of each processing step described above can be arbitrarily changed or executed in parallel, as long as there is no inconsistency in the processing content. In addition, other steps may be added between each processing step. Furthermore, a step described as one step may be divided into multiple steps and executed, and a step described as multiple steps may be considered as one step. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1...Game system, 10...Game server, 11...Processor, 12...Storage device, 13...Communication interface, 14...Input device, 15...Output device, 20...Terminal, 100...Storage unit, 100a...Play status management table, 100b...Owned character management table, 100c...Lottery management table, 110...Control unit, 111...Provision unit, 112...Game control unit, 113...Collection control unit, 200...Storage unit, 201...Communication unit, 202...UI unit, 203...Game control unit

Claims

[Claim 1] A provisioning unit that selects a game medium from a set of one or more game mediums and provides it to the player, A game control unit that controls the player to be able to play a target game which includes one or more games, An information processing apparatus comprising: a set control unit that controls game media included in the set according to the progress of the target game by the player; and

Images