Information processing device and information processing method

Abstract

To provide technology that can reduce the possibility of being unable to progress in the game. [Solution] An information processing device is provided, comprising: a first receiving unit that receives a selection from the player whether to execute the quest using a deck owned by the player, or to execute the quest using a plurality of decks pre-associated with the quest; a second receiving unit that, when the player selects to execute the quest using the plurality of decks, receives a selection from the plurality of decks to be used for the quest; and an execution unit that executes the quest using the selected deck.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] There is known a game in which an event called a quest is cleared using a team composed of a plurality of characters called a deck. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for automatically forming a deck from the characters possessed by a user.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the conventional technology, since the game is played with a deck formed by combining the characters possessed by the user, there is a possibility that the game cannot be advanced when the difficulty level of the quest is high.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of suppressing the possibility that the game cannot be advanced.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a first receiving unit that receives a selection from a player whether to execute a quest using a deck owned by the player, or to execute a quest using a plurality of decks pre-associated with the quest; a second receiving unit that, when the player selects to execute the quest using the plurality of decks, receives a selection from the plurality of decks to be used for the quest; and an execution unit that executes the quest using the selected deck. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology that can suppress the possibility of being unable to progress in the game. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the system configuration of the game system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of a game server and terminal. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the functional block configuration of a game server. [Figure 4] This diagram shows an example of the functional block configuration of a terminal. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows an example of the processing steps performed by the game server. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the screen display related to selecting a support deck. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a multiplayer recruitment screen. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In each drawing, components denoted by the same reference numerals have the same or similar configurations.

[0010] <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 (game 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.

[0011] The game server 10 is a device that performs some of the functions necessary for the terminal 20 to provide the game, such as managing various information about the player 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).

[0012] 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.

[0013] <Game Overview> Next, an overview of the game provided by Game System 1 according to this embodiment will be described. In the game provided by Game System 1 (hereinafter referred to as "this game"), players can assemble a deck of characters selected from among multiple characters they possess, and by clearing quests using the assembled deck, they can obtain new characters and items. Furthermore, players can challenge more difficult quests by combining multiple characters they have obtained to grow stronger characters, or by using items to enhance the attributes of characters.

[0014] Here, a quest is a term that means a mission whose clear condition is to meet certain predetermined conditions. A quest is sometimes also called an exploration or a task. A player who participates in a quest can clear the quest by meeting the said certain conditions. When a player clears a quest, the player is given a reward or the story of this game progresses.

[0015] Also, a deck is a term that means a group combining a plurality of characters. When a player executes a quest, the player selects characters with abilities suitable for clearing the said quest to form a deck and plays the quest.

[0016] There are two types of decks: a deck combining characters owned by the player (hereinafter referred to as the "handheld deck") and a deck pre-associated with a quest (hereinafter referred to as the "help deck"). The help deck is a deck composed of a plurality of predetermined (preset) characters that have at least the strength to clear the quest. When a player challenges a quest, the player can choose whether to play using the handheld deck or the help deck.

[0017] A quest has a mode for playing with a plurality of players (hereinafter referred to as "multiplayer"). Also, a player can challenge a quest jointly with other players by specifying multiplayer. When playing multiplayer, the host player selects the quest to play and then recruits other players (guest players) who wish to play multiplayer. When other players agree to participate in multiplayer, the quest starts.

[0018] In this game, a plurality of help decks are pre-associated with a quest. When a player challenges a quest using a help deck, the player can execute the quest using any one of the plurality of help decks.

[0019] <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 include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, 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 and / or a speaker, etc.

[0020] <Functional Block Configuration> (Game Server) 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 game control unit 110. The storage unit 100 can be realized by using the storage device 12 included in the game server 10. Also, the game control unit 110 can be realized by the processor 11 of the game server 10 executing a program stored in the storage device 12. Also, the program can be stored in a storage medium. The storage medium storing the program may be a non-transitory computer readable medium (Non-transitory computer readable medium). The non-transitory storage medium is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a storage medium such as a USB memory or a CD-ROM.

[0021] The memory unit 100 stores a player management DB, a character ownership management DB, and a helper deck management DB. The player management DB manages game data owned by each player. For example, the player management DB stores an ID that uniquely identifies the player in the game (player ID), the player's nickname, and the current location of the terminal 20 used by the player. The character ownership management DB manages the characters owned by each player. For example, the character ownership management DB stores an ID that uniquely identifies the character owned by the player (character ID), various parameters indicating the character's strength (level, luck, HP (hit points), attack power, speed, etc.), and information about the characters that make up the player's registered deck. The helper deck management DB contains information about multiple helper decks associated with each quest (names of the helper decks, etc.) and information about each character included in the helper deck.

[0022] The game control unit 110 provides various functions necessary to run the game. The game control unit 110 includes a reception unit 111, an execution unit 112, a display control unit 113, and an assignment unit 114.

[0023] The reception desk 111 (first reception desk) accepts from the player whether they will perform the quest using the deck they currently possess, or using one of several support decks pre-associated with the quest.

[0024] Furthermore, when the reception unit 111 (second reception unit) receives a selection from a player to perform a quest using multiple support decks, it accepts the selection of one of the multiple support decks to be used for that quest.

[0025] The execution unit 112 executes the quest using one of the support decks selected by the player. Here, each of the multiple support decks may be set to have a different difficulty level for clearing the quest. The difficulty level for clearing the quest may be set by the strength of the characters included in the support deck. For example, a support deck with an "easy" difficulty level may consist of multiple powerful characters, a support deck with a "normal" difficulty level may consist of multiple characters including powerful and weak characters, and a support deck with a "hard" difficulty level may consist of multiple weak characters. However, the difficulty level may not be limited to these, and may be set by other means. For example, the difficulty level for clearing the quest may be set by changing the strength of the enemy characters that appear in the quest, or by whether or not items that give the player an advantage are effective while playing the quest.

[0026] The display control unit 113 displays various screens related to this game on the screen of the terminal 20.

[0027] The rewarding unit 114 grants rewards to the player when the player completes a quest. The rewarding unit 114 may also grant rewards to the player such that the higher the difficulty of completing the quest, the greater the reward when the player uses one of several support decks to complete the quest.

[0028] (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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] The communication unit 201 has the function of performing various types of communication with the game server 10 using the communication IF 13.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] Regarding the functional block configuration described above, it is also possible to configure the game control unit 203 of the terminal 20 to include all or part of the reception unit 111, execution unit 112, display control unit 113, and assignment unit 114 included in the game server 10.

[0034] <Processing Procedure> (Quest selection and deck selection) Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure performed by the game server 10. The reception unit 111 accepts the player's selection of a quest to challenge (S10). Next, the reception unit 111 (first reception unit) accepts the player's selection of whether to challenge the quest using their own deck or using a support deck (S11). If the player uses their own deck, the process proceeds to step S12; if they use a support deck, the process proceeds to step S13. Next, the display control unit 113 accesses the support deck management DB, obtains information on multiple support decks associated with the quest the player is challenging, and displays a screen on the terminal 20 that accepts the selection of a support deck.

[0035] If the player selects to use their own deck in step S11, the reception unit 111 (second reception unit) accepts the player's selection of the deck to be used for the quest challenge (S12). On the other hand, if the player selects to use a support deck in step S11, the reception unit 111 (second reception unit) accepts the player's selection of one support deck to be used for the quest challenge (S13). Subsequently, the execution unit 112 executes the quest using the support deck or the player's own deck selected by the player (S14).

[0036] When a quest is cleared using a support deck, the rewards awarded may differ from those awarded when the quest is cleared without using a support deck. For example, the reward awarded when a quest is cleared using a support deck may be a character selected from among the multiple characters included in support decks of different difficulty levels. For example, when a quest is cleared with an "easy" difficulty support deck, the reward may be a character included in the "easy" difficulty support deck; when a quest is cleared with a "normal" difficulty support deck, the reward may be a character included in the "normal" difficulty support deck; and when a quest is cleared with a "hard" difficulty support deck, the reward may be a character included in the "hard" difficulty support deck. By awarding characters included in support decks as rewards, players can obtain characters that are stronger than the characters they already own. This increases the possibility of clearing quests without using support decks.

[0037] Figure 6 shows an example of the screen display related to the selection of a support deck. The quest selection screen A100 displays a list of quests that the player can challenge. When a quest is selected on the quest selection screen A100, the player moves to the deck selection screen A110. The deck selection screen A110 displays buttons to select the deck to be used for the quest and a "Use Support Deck" button. When the "Use Support Deck" button is selected on the deck selection screen A110, the player moves to the support deck selection screen A120.

[0038] The support deck selection screen A120 displays multiple support decks, each set to a different quest difficulty level. The example in Figure 6 shows support decks for three difficulty levels (easy, normal, and hard), but is not limited to this. Multiple support decks set to two or more difficulty levels may be available.

[0039] In the processing procedure of step S13 in Figure 5, the reception unit 111 (second reception unit) may, when a player clears a quest using a support deck, open up (allow) the selection of a deck with a higher difficulty level than the support deck used to clear the quest. For example, if a player clears a quest using a support deck set to "easy" difficulty, the next time the player challenges the same quest, they may also be able to select a support deck set to "normal" difficulty, one level higher than "easy". Also, if a player clears a quest using a support deck set to "normal" difficulty, the next time the player challenges the same quest, they may also be able to select a support deck set to "hard" difficulty, one level higher than "normal".

[0040] In the processing procedure of step S10 in Figure 5, the reception unit 111 (first reception unit) may receive an instruction from the host player to play a quest in multiplayer with other players. Alternatively, the reception unit 111 (second reception unit) may receive an instruction from the host player to select one support deck from among several support decks to use when playing a quest in multiplayer with other players. In this case, in the processing procedure of step S14, the execution unit 112 executes the quest in multiplayer by receiving instructions from the host player and the other players to control multiple characters included in the deck selected by the host player.

[0041] Figure 7 shows an example of a multiplayer recruitment screen. The multiplayer recruitment screen A200 displays a list of host players who are currently recruiting for multiplayer games. Players who wish to take on a quest by joining a multiplayer game can select a player on the multiplayer recruitment screen A200 to play with that player. For example, if player T selects player TE (quest Y) on the multiplayer recruitment screen A200, player T will take on quest Y together with the host player TE.

[0042] The display control unit 113 may also display information on the multiplayer recruitment screen A200 indicating whether the player will challenge the quest using a support deck or using their own deck. Furthermore, if the player chooses to challenge the quest using a support deck, the display control unit 113 may also display the difficulty level of the support deck on the multiplayer recruitment screen A200.

[0043] Here, when a quest is executed in multiplayer mode, the reception desk 111 (third reception desk) may accept recruitment of players to play the quest in multiplayer mode with the host player (other players to play multiplayer together) from among the multiple support decks, where the support deck of the same difficulty level as the support deck of the host player is allowed to select (is unlocked). For example, in the case of quest M, if multiplayer is performed using support decks, and the host player selects a support deck set to "hard" difficulty, then for quest M, only players who are able to select a support deck set to "hard" difficulty may be allowed to participate in the multiplayer.

[0044] To illustrate a specific example using Figure 7, consider player T, who is referring to the multiplayer recruitment screen A200 shown in Figure 7. For quest A, player T can use a support deck set to "easy" difficulty, but for quest M, only support decks set to "easy" difficulty are available (i.e., support decks set to "hard" difficulty are unavailable). In this case, the reception unit 111 may accept player T's participation in quest A, which is being recruited by player AC, but may not accept player T's participation in quest M, which is being recruited by player KU.

[0045] In multiplayer using the Helper Deck, the characters controlled by the host player and the guest players may differ depending on the number of participants. For example, assuming the Helper Deck consists of characters A, B, C, and D, in non-multiplayer mode, players control the characters in the order of A, B, C, and D. If two players are playing multiplayer, the host player may control characters A and B, and the guest players may control characters C and D. If three players are playing multiplayer, the host player may control characters A and D, the first guest player may control character B, and the second guest player may control character C. In other words, when executing a quest in multiplayer, the execution unit 112 may determine which characters from the multiple characters included in the support deck are controlled by the host player and which are controlled by the guest players, based on the number of guest players playing with the host player. Furthermore, if there are multiple guest players, the execution unit 112 may also determine which characters are controlled by the host player and which are controlled by the guest players, based on the order in which the multiple guest players joined the multiplayer game.

[0046] In this embodiment, the support deck may have some of the characters (e.g., 3 characters) predetermined from a set number of characters (e.g., 4 characters) that make up the support deck, while the remaining character (e.g., 1 character) may be selected from the characters owned by the player.

[0047] In this case, in the processing procedure of step S13 in Figure 5, the reception unit 111 (second reception unit) may accept the selection of characters to be included in one of the support decks chosen by the player from among the characters the player possesses. The execution unit 112 may also execute the quest using a support deck that includes the character selected by the player and a predetermined character that is pre-associated with a single support deck.

[0048] Furthermore, the predetermined number of characters that make up the support deck, and the number of characters that can be selected from the characters owned by the player, may vary depending on the difficulty level of the support deck. In other words, the reception unit 111 (second reception unit) may change the number of characters that it accepts for selection from the characters owned by the player, depending on the difficulty level of one support deck selected by the player. The reception unit 111 may increase the number of characters that can be selected from the characters owned by the player as the difficulty level of the support deck increases.

[0049] For example, the number of characters a player can select from their owned characters may be 1 out of 4 for a "easy" difficulty support deck, 2 out of 4 for a "normal" difficulty support deck, and 3 out of 4 for a "hard" difficulty support deck.

[0050] In this embodiment, the support deck is not limited to one intended to help clear quests, but may also be provided that is intended to make quests more enjoyable and consists of characters weaker than those owned by the player. In this case, the reception unit 111 may reduce the number of characters that the player can select from their owned characters as the difficulty of the support deck increases. For example, in such cases, a support deck with an "easy" difficulty level may accept 2 out of 4 characters, a support deck with a "normal" difficulty level may accept 3 out of 4 characters, and a support deck with a "hard" difficulty level may accept 4 out of 4 characters. As the difficulty of the support deck increases, the number of owned characters that can be included in the support deck decreases, which in turn increases the difficulty of clearing quests.

[0051] In the embodiment described above, the predetermined characters included in the support deck may have their various parameters, which determine the strength of the characters, replaced with the parameter values ​​at the time the previous version of the game was provided. For example, in this game, it is assumed that the upper limit of each character's parameter value is strengthened each time the version is updated. In this case, the upper limit of the parameter value of the characters included in the support deck may be set to the upper limit of the parameter value at the time the previous version of the game was provided.

[0052] <Summary> According to the embodiment described above, when challenging a quest, players can use one of several support decks instead of their own deck. This makes it possible to reduce the possibility that players with only weak decks may be unable to complete quests and progress through the game.

[0053] The embodiments described above are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit its interpretation. The flowcharts, sequences, elements, and their arrangement, materials, conditions, shapes, and sizes described in the embodiments are not limited to those exemplified and can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, configurations shown in different embodiments can be partially substituted or combined.

[0054] <Note> <Note 1> A first reception unit that receives a selection from the player whether to execute the quest using the deck the player possesses, or to execute the quest using multiple decks that have been pre-associated with the quest, When the player selects to perform the quest using the multiple decks, a second reception unit accepts the selection of one of the multiple decks to be used for the quest. An execution unit that executes the quest using the selected deck, An information processing device having

[0055] According to Appendix 1, it becomes possible to reduce the possibility of being unable to progress in the game.

[0056] <Note 2> Each of the aforementioned decks is set to have a different difficulty level for clearing the aforementioned quest. The information processing device described in Appendix 1.

[0057] According to Appendix 2, since players can play quests with decks of different strengths, players will be able to challenge quests at various difficulty levels.

[0058] <Note 3> The system includes a rewarding unit that grants a reward when the player completes the quest, The rewarding unit grants rewards to the player such that, when the player executes the quest using the multiple decks, the reward increases as the difficulty of clearing the quest increases. The information processing device described in Appendix 2.

[0059] According to Appendix 3, clearing quests with a more difficult deck yields greater rewards, which can encourage players to challenge quests with more difficult decks.

[0060] <Note 4> The aforementioned second reception area is, When the aforementioned player clears the quest using the aforementioned multiple decks, the player is allowed to select a deck with a higher difficulty level than the deck used when the quest was cleared previously. The information processing device described in Appendix 2 or 3.

[0061] According to Appendix 4, clearing quests allows players to select more difficult decks, thus preventing them from getting bored with the same quests.

[0062] <Note 5> The aforementioned quest includes a mode for playing with multiple players. The first reception unit receives an instruction from the player to play the quest in the mode together with other players. The execution unit executes the quest in the mode by receiving input from the player and the other players regarding the operation of multiple characters included in the deck selected by the player. An information processing device as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 4.

[0063] According to Appendix 5, it will be possible for multiple players to cooperate in tackling quests using decks associated with those quests.

[0064] <Note 6> When executing the quest in the aforementioned mode, the system includes a third reception unit that accepts applications from players who are allowed to select a deck of the same difficulty level as the deck that the player is allowed to select, to play the quest in the aforementioned mode together with the aforementioned player. The information processing device described in Appendix 5.

[0065] According to Appendix 6, multiple players who can select decks of the same difficulty level will be able to cooperate in tackling quests.

[0066] <Note 7> The second reception unit accepts the selection of characters to be included in the deck chosen by the player from among the characters the player possesses. The execution unit executes the quest using the deck which includes the character selected by the player and the characters that are pre-associated with the deck. An information processing device as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 6.

[0067] According to Appendix 7, since players can incorporate characters they own into some of the characters in the decks associated with quests, players will be able to play quests without getting bored.

[0068] <Note 8> The second reception unit changes the number of characters that it accepts for selection from among the characters owned by the player, according to the difficulty level of the deck selected by the player. The information processing device described in Appendix 7.

[0069] According to Appendix 8, the difficulty of the deck required to clear a quest can be changed by the number of characters that can be included in the deck.

[0070] <Note 9> An information processing method performed by an information processing device, A step of receiving a choice from the player whether to perform the quest using the deck the player possesses, or to perform the quest using multiple decks that have been pre-associated with the quest, When the player selects to perform the quest using the multiple decks, the process includes the step of accepting the selection of one of the multiple decks to be used for the quest, The steps include: executing the quest using the selected deck; Information processing methods including

[0071] According to Appendix 9, it becomes possible to reduce the possibility of being unable to progress in the game.

[0072] <Note 10> On the computer, A step of receiving a choice from the player whether to perform the quest using the deck the player possesses, or to perform the quest using multiple decks that have been pre-associated with the quest, When the player selects to perform the quest using the multiple decks, the process includes the step of accepting the selection of one of the multiple decks to be used for the quest, The steps include: executing the quest using the selected deck; A program to execute.

[0073] According to Appendix 10, it becomes possible to reduce the possibility of being unable to progress in the game. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 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, 110...Game control unit, 111...Reception unit, 112...Execution unit, 113...Display control unit, 114...Assignment unit, 200...Storage unit, 201...Communication unit, 202...UI unit, 203...Game control unit

Claims

[Claim 1] A first reception unit that receives a selection from the player whether to execute the quest using the deck the player possesses, or to execute the quest using multiple decks that have been pre-associated with the quest, When the player selects to perform the quest using the multiple decks, a second reception unit accepts the selection of one of the multiple decks to be used for the quest. An execution unit that executes the quest using the selected deck, An information processing device having

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