Programs, methods, and information processing devices for games.

Abstract

To provide a program or similar tool that increases the parameters of a target item by consuming multiple types of material items. [Solution] A program for increasing the parameters of a target item stored in association with the player's player identifier by consuming multiple types of material items, the program causing a computer to perform the following steps: determining a target item based on player input; determining an optimal combination of the optimal number of each type of material item to be consumed to increase the parameters of the target item based on a predetermined method; and determining whether the conditions for increasing the parameters of the target item are met based on the determined optimal combination.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a program for games and the like, and particularly to a program for games and the like that can increase the parameters of an item to be cultivated by consuming multiple types of material items.

Background Art

[0002] A number of games have been released in which the parameters of items, which are game media held by players, are increased and strengthened. In such games, when the selected material content is evolvable and synthetic, after automatically performing the evolution synthesis, a game system is known that enables more experience points to be obtained by executing a process of strengthening the item to be strengthened (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when increasing the parameters of an item to be cultivated by consuming multiple types of material items, it may be cumbersome for the player to sequentially consider which type of material item and how many to consume in order to satisfy the parameter increase condition without wasting the material items as much as possible, and a means for solving this has not yet been realized. In particular, when the effects for increasing the parameters of the item to be cultivated are different for each material item, the more types of material items there are, the more the combination patterns of material items that can be used to increase the parameters increase, and it is not easy for the player to derive the optimal solution.

[0005] This invention was made to solve these problems, and its main objective is to provide a program, etc., that increases the parameters of a target item by consuming multiple types of material items as efficiently as possible. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] 1. To achieve the above objective, a program in one aspect of the present invention is a program for increasing the parameters of a target item stored in association with the player identifier of a player by consuming multiple types of material items, and causes a computer to perform the following steps: determining a target item based on player input; determining an optimal combination of the optimal number of each type of material items to be consumed to increase the parameters of the target item based on a predetermined method; and determining whether the conditions for increasing the parameters of the target item are met based on the determined optimal combination.

[0007] 2. In the program described in Section 1, the number of points obtained by consuming material items may be predetermined for each type of material item, and the number of points to be consumed in order to increase the parameters of the item to be trained by a predetermined amount may also be predetermined.

[0008] 3. The program described in item 1 or 2 may include a step in determining whether the number of material items of each type stored in association with the player identifier is equal to or greater than the number of material items of each type in the optimal combination.

[0009] 4. In the program described in Section 1 or 2, the step of determining the optimal combination includes a step of determining the optimal combination from possible combinations of material items stored in association with the player identifier based on a predetermined method, and the condition determination step may include a step of determining whether the material items of the optimal combination satisfy the conditions necessary to increase the parameters of the item to be trained.

[0010] 5. The program described in any one of items 1 to 4 further includes a step of determining the desired target value of the parameters of the item to be trained based on player input, The step of determining the optimal combination may include determining the optimal combination of the number of each type of material item consumed to reach the desired value, based on a predetermined method.

[0011] 6. In the program described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 5, if it is determined that the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained have been met, the computer may further perform the step of presenting the player with an input field for executing the training process by consuming the optimal combination of each type of material item.

[0012] 7. In the program described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 6, if it is determined that the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are not met based on the determined optimal combination, the computer may further perform the step of presenting the player with an input field for consuming other types of material items in place of at least one of the material items in the optimal combination to perform the training process.

[0013] 8. In the program described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 7, if it is determined that the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are not met, the computer may further perform the step of presenting information to the player indicating that it will consume other types of material items instead of at least one of the optimal combination of material items to perform the training process.

[0014] 9. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising the step of causing the computer to perform the step of presenting information to the player indicating that the training process will be executed by consuming material items that exceed the necessary conditions if it is determined that the optimal combination exceeds the necessary conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained.

[0015] 10. In the program described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 9, if it is determined that the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be cultivated are not met based on the determined optimal combination, the computer may be made to perform the next step of determining the optimal combination based on a predetermined method.

[0016] 11. In the program described in Section 10, the computer may further perform the steps of determining the next optimal combination based on a predetermined method, and determining whether the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are met based on the next optimal combination, until it is determined that the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are met, or until there are no more combinations that can be determined by the predetermined method, and if there are no more combinations that can be determined by the predetermined method, the computer may further perform the step of presenting information to the player indicating that there are insufficient items.

[0017] In the programs described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 11 of section 12, the specified method may include dynamic programming, greedy algorithms, or exhaustive search methods.

[0018] 13. A method as one aspect of the present invention is a method executed by a computer for consuming a plurality of types of material items to increase the parameters of a growth target item stored in association with a player identifier of a player, the method including: determining a growth target item based on player input; determining an optimal combination that is an optimal combination of the number of each type of material item consumed to increase the parameters of the growth target item based on a predetermined method; and a condition determination step of determining whether a condition for increasing the parameters of the growth target item is satisfied based on the determined optimal combination.

[0019] 14. An information processing apparatus as one aspect of the present invention is an information processing apparatus for consuming a plurality of types of material items to increase the parameters of a growth target item stored in association with a player identifier of a player, the information processing apparatus being configured to: determine a growth target item based on player input; determine an optimal combination that is an optimal combination of the number of each type of material item consumed to increase the parameters of the growth target item based on a predetermined method; and perform a condition determination of determining whether a condition for increasing the parameters of the growth target item is satisfied based on the determined optimal combination.

Advantages of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the parameters of a growth target item by consuming material items in an approximately optimal combination.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] [[ID=1⑧]] [Figure 1] It is a system configuration diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a hardware configuration diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a functional block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]This is an example of a game screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is an example of a game screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart showing information processing according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart for determining an optimal combination according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] [First Embodiment] Hereinafter, a game system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, for the sake of convenience of explanation, a more detailed explanation may be omitted as necessary. For example, the detailed explanation of well-known matters and the duplicate explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted.

[0023] The game system 1 can be realized by a system in which a plurality of information processing devices are connected via a network, but can also be realized by a single information processing device. Here, an embodiment using a system connected to a network will be described. The information processing device can be an electronic device such as a computer, a smartphone, a server, etc.

[0024] FIG. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the game system 1 includes a plurality of player terminals 10 and a server 20. The player terminals 10 and the server 20 are connected to a network 2 such as the Internet and can communicate with each other. Note that the game system 1 of the present embodiment will be described assuming a server-client system.

[0025] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a player terminal 10 and a server 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The player terminal 10 comprises a processor 11, a display device 12, an input device 13, a storage device 14, and a communication device 15. These components are connected by a bus 16. Interfaces are assumed to be interposed between the bus 16 and each component as needed. In this embodiment, the player terminal 10 is a smartphone. However, the player terminal 10 can be an electronic device such as a computer or a game device, as long as it has the above configuration.

[0026] The server 20 also comprises a processor 21, a display device 22, an input device 23, a storage device 24, and a communication device 25. These components are connected by a bus 26. Interfaces are interposed between the bus 26 and each component as needed. In this embodiment, the server 20 is implemented by a computer.

[0027] Processors 11 and 21 control the operation of the entire player terminal 10 or server 20, and are, for example, CPUs. Electronic circuits such as MPUs may also be used as processors 11 and 21. Processors 11 and 21 perform various processes by reading and executing programs and data stored in memory devices 14 and 24. In one example, processors 11 and 21 are composed of multiple processors.

[0028] The display devices (displays) 12 and 22 display application screens and the like to the user (player) of the player terminal 10 or the user (administrator) of the server 20, according to the control of the processors 11 and 21. Preferably, they are liquid crystal displays, but they may also be displays using organic EL or plasma displays.

[0029] Input devices 13 and 23 are user interfaces that receive input from the user to the player terminal 10 and the server 20, and are, for example, a touch panel, touchpad, keyboard, or mouse. In this embodiment, the player terminal 10 is a smartphone, so the player terminal 10 is equipped with a touch panel as the input device 13, and the touch panel also functions as a display device 12, and the display device 12 and the input device 13 are in an integrated structure. The display device 12 and the input device 13 may be in separate forms located in different positions. Since the server 20 is a computer, it is equipped with a keyboard and mouse as input devices and a liquid crystal display as a display device.

[0030] The storage devices 14 and 24 are typical storage devices found in smartphones or computers, including volatile memory (RAM) and non-volatile memory (ROM). Storage devices 14 and 24 may also include external memory. For example, storage device 14 stores native applications (game programs) for running web applications (browsers) and games, while storage device 24 stores server game programs. Web applications, etc., are launched in response to user operations on the player terminal 10 and run on the operating system (OS) pre-installed on the player terminal 10. The server game program includes functions and various data for processing information to ensure that the game progresses appropriately in the web applications, etc., run on each client player terminal.

[0031] In one example, storage devices 14 and 24 are typical storage devices found in smartphones and computers, including volatile memory such as RAM and non-volatile memory such as flash memory like eMMC, UFS, and SSD, as well as magnetic storage devices. Storage devices 14 and 24 may also include external memory. For example, storage device 14 stores browser programs and game programs, while storage device 24 stores server game programs.

[0032] Browser programs and game programs are launched in response to user input on the player terminal 10 and run on the operating system (OS) pre-installed on the player terminal 10. The server game program includes functions and various data for processing information to ensure the game progresses appropriately on the browser programs and game programs running on each client player terminal. A database physically separated from the player terminal 10 and server 20 can also be used as a storage device.

[0033] Communication devices 15 and 25 exchange data with other devices via network 2 (omitted in Figure 2). For example, communication devices 15 and 25 connect to network 2 using wireless communication such as mobile communication or wireless LAN. The player terminal 10 communicates with server 20 via the network using communication device 15. Communication devices 15 and 25 may also use wired communication such as Ethernet® cables.

[0034] Figure 3 shows an example of a functional block diagram of a player terminal 10 and a server 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The player terminal 10 includes an input unit 31, a display unit 32, a communication unit 33, and a game control unit 34, while the server 20 includes an input unit 41, a display unit 42, a communication unit 43, a game control unit 44, an optimal combination determination unit 45, and a parameter increase condition determination unit 46.

[0035] As one variation, the optimal combination determination unit 45 and the parameter increase condition determination unit 46 may be provided in the player terminal 10.

[0036] In this embodiment, these functions are realized by the processors 11 and 21 executing programs. For example, the programs executed are browser programs and game programs stored in memory devices 14 and 24. In this way, since various functions are realized by program loading, one part (function) may be possessed by another part in whole or in part. These functions may also be realized by hardware by configuring electronic circuits, etc., to realize some or all of each function.

[0037] The input units 31 and 41 are configured using input devices 13 and 23, and receive user input to the player terminal 10 and the server 20. The player terminal 10 and the server 20 receive player input via the input units 31 and 41. In this embodiment, the player terminal 10 can use the touch detection function that is generally found in smartphones equipped with a touch panel.

[0038] The display unit 32 displays the game screen on the display device 12, showing the game screen in accordance with the game's progress and user operations. The game control unit 34 performs control processing and stores various data necessary for executing the game of this embodiment. In this embodiment, a browser program is used to process input / output information to the player and process transmission and reception signals to the server 20. When the game application is installed on the player terminal 10 and the game is executed, the game control unit 34 realized in this way performs various information processing for executing the game, such as managing the game's progress and data.

[0039] The display unit 42 displays a management screen for the game administrator on the display device 22 as needed. The game control unit 44 performs processing for the game to be played on the player terminal 10 of this embodiment. When a browser is launched on the player terminal 10, the game control unit 34 is implemented, and the server 20 is accessed to advance the game, in one example, the game control unit 44 periodically or as needed sends and receives data to advance the game.

[0040] For example, the game control unit 44 stores control processing and various necessary data for executing the game of this embodiment, and provides them to the player terminal 10 as appropriate. The various data includes the conditions for increasing each parameter of each game item, and the game items possessed by the player are stored in association with the player's player identification information. Parameters for each item are also stored in association with each item.

[0041] Items include all game elements that can be used in the game, such as weapons, armor, characters, and various tools. Items that can be leveled up have one or more parameters, and each parameter has conditions for increasing it. At least one parameter of an item must be increased by consuming material items.

[0042] In this embodiment, items include those that can be used as either training items or material items, and those that provide enhancement points that can only be used as material items. Items that can be used as either training items or material items become training items if the player selects them as such, and material items if the player selects them as such. Enhancement points can be obtained, for example, by converting items from material items.

[0043] Here, items are treated as weapons and possess parameters such as skill level, skill type, attack power, and hit points (HP), which are stored in association with an item identifier. The parameter that can be increased is the skill level. Players can increase the skill level of their weapons by consuming material items they possess. When the skill level increases, depending on the type and level of the skill, it becomes possible to gain an advantage in the game, such as increasing attack power against enemy characters or increasing the hit points of allied characters.

[0044] The optimal combination determination unit 45 determines the optimal combination of the number of each type of material item consumed to increase the parameters of the item to be trained, based on a predetermined method. Here, the optimal combination does not need to be the theoretically most optimal combination. It may be any combination that is considered optimal when determined based on the predetermined method.

[0045] Each type of material item has a predetermined number of points it can hold. When a material item is consumed, the player gains points that can be used to increase the parameters of the item being trained. The number of points required to increase the parameters of the item being trained by a predetermined amount is also predetermined.

[0046] The calculation required to determine the optimal combination of the number of each type of material item consumed to increase the parameters of an item being trained can be considered a knapsack problem. While various solutions to the knapsack problem are known, finding the best solution (exact solution) among all possible combinations requires exhaustive search, which tries all combinations. When the number and types of items are small, it is possible to determine the exact solution using exhaustive search. However, as the number and types of items increase, the computational complexity increases exponentially, making it difficult to find the exact solution when computational resources or time constraints are present. In such cases, it is preferable to use methods to determine an approximate solution, such as greedy algorithms or dynamic programming. By presenting an approximately optimal combination within a time acceptable to the player, it becomes possible to provide a user interface that is less stressful for the player.

[0047] In this embodiment, the optimal combination is determined by a predetermined method that can find an approximate solution. This makes it possible to increase the parameters of the items to be trained with a combination that is reasonably sound to the player within a time that is acceptable to the player, even if the number and types of items increase, although it is an approximate solution.

[0048] The specified method can be any method commonly known for solving the knapsack problem, such as dynamic programming or greedy algorithms. It can also be determined by referring to a table of optimal combinations predetermined by the game system administrator. Exhaustive search may also be used to find the exact solution.

[0049] The parameter increase condition determination unit 46 determines whether the optimal combination of the number of each type of material item determined by the optimal combination determination unit 45 satisfies the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained.

[0050] If the game control unit 44 determines that the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained have been met, it consumes the optimal number of each type of material item and executes a process to increase the parameters of the item to be trained.

[0051] If the parameter increase condition determination unit 46 determines that the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are not met, the optimal combination determination unit 45 determines the next optimal combination using a predetermined method, excluding the combinations that were determined not to meet the conditions. This process is repeated until the next optimal combination is determined to meet the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained, or until there are no more combinations that can be determined using the predetermined method. If there are no more combinations that can be determined using the predetermined method, the game control unit 44 sends information to the player terminal 10 indicating that the player is short on items, and displays this information to the player on the player terminal's display unit 32.

[0052] There are three rarity levels for items that can be used as either training targets or material items: Rare (R), Super Rare (SR), and Super Special Rare (SSR). Furthermore, the number of points required to increase each skill level of an item is predetermined for each item type. Here, the number of points required is the same for both training targets and material items. There can be any number of material items, as long as there are two or more types.

[0053] Even for enhancement points usable only as material items, three rarity levels are defined: Rare (R), Super Rare (SR), and Super Special Rare (SSR), and skill levels are set accordingly. The requirements for increasing skill levels are the same as for items that can be used as either training targets or material items.

[0054] Enhancement points can be obtained by converting items that can be used as either enhancement targets or material items. For example, converting an R item into enhancement points increases the player's R enhancement points by 1. One enhancement point is equivalent to owning one R material item. As the number of weapon items increases, managing them becomes complicated. Weapon items that are not used as weapons can be converted into enhancement points to be used as material items, making material item management easier.

[0055] Furthermore, if there is a limit to the number of weapon items you can possess, converting them into enhancement points allows you to possess material items without being limited by the weapon item limit. When using weapon items as material items to increase the parameters of an item being trained, you need to select all the weapon items you want to use as material items. Converting them into enhancement points makes it easier for the player to input commands to train the item being trained.

[0056] When a material item is consumed, the points it possesses are consumed, and points for parameter increases are gained and used for parameter increase processing. The base points used to calculate the points possessed and points gained for each material item are 25 points for R items, 100 points for SR items, and 1000 points for SSR items. The points possessed and points gained for each item are the base points multiplied by the skill level. For example, consuming one R item with skill level 3, one SR item with skill level 2, and one SR item with skill level 1 will result in 25 × 3 × 1 + 100 × 2 × 1 + 100 × 1 × 1 = 375 points. Therefore, consuming a material item after increasing its skill level will result in more points gained than the points it possessed before the skill level increase.

[0057] Tables 1-3 show the points required to increase the skill level of each type of item, the cumulative points required to reach that skill level, and the points needed to possess an item at that skill level, categorized by rarity.

[0058] [Table 1] [Table 2] [Table 3]

[0059] At a given skill level, the points held and points gained for each item are the same. For example, when an R item is consumed at skill level 1, the points gained are 25 points, the same as the points held, and at skill level 3, the points gained are 75 points. 50 points are needed to raise the R item's skill level from 1 to 2, and another 100 points are needed to raise it to level 3. Therefore, the cumulative points needed to raise the skill level from 1 to 3 is 150. In other words, 150 points are consumed to increase the held points by 50. Consequently, when using an R item as a material item, it is more efficient to consume it at skill level 1 than to consume it after raising its skill level, thereby consuming held points and gaining points. The same applies to SR items.

[0060] On the other hand, for SSR items, the points required to level up are set to be smaller than the increase in points held for lower skill levels, making it more efficient to spend the items after leveling up their skill level. For example, the base points for an SSR item are 1000, so an SSR item at skill level 1 will have 1000 points. When the skill level of an SSR item is increased from 1 to 2, the points held become 2000, an increase of 1000 compared to skill level 1, while the cumulative points required to raise it to skill level 2 are only 200. In such cases, the points gained by the player will exceed the points they spend.

[0061] Therefore, consuming at skill level 2 is 800 points more efficient than consuming at skill level 1. As the cumulative required points increase with each skill level, efficiency gradually decreases, and at skill level 11, the cumulative required points and the points you possess become equal. From skill level 12 onwards, it becomes less efficient to increase the skill level before consuming.

[0062] In this way, by changing the efficiency of points acquired before and after skill level increases, players can be given a variety of choices, thereby increasing their interest. On the other hand, there is a problem in that it is difficult for players to determine which combination of material items is optimal. Therefore, the optimal combination determination unit 45 determines the optimal combination. In this embodiment, a greedy method is used to determine the combination that is considered the optimal solution. This makes it possible for players to perform the parameter increase process using the approximately optimal combination within a time that is not stressful for them.

[0063] An example of the parameter increase process for the item to be trained in this embodiment 400 will be explained using the flowchart shown in Figure 4. The game executed by the game system can be any type of game as long as it can be played using one or more items. Players can enjoy training items by increasing their parameters. One form of item parameter increase will be described as increasing the skill level, but other parameters can also be used.

[0064] When the player inputs an operation to enhance a weapon item, the display unit 32 of the player terminal 10 displays a screen for selecting the item to be enhanced. The player selects the item to be enhanced from the weapon items they possess and confirms the selection via the player input unit 31 of the player terminal 10, which the server 20 receives via the communication unit 43 (S401).

[0065] Next, Server 20 displays a screen on Player Terminal 10 for selecting the material items to be consumed in order to enhance the item to be enhanced, and the player selects the material items to be consumed (S402). The player may select a weapon item as the material item, or they may select enhancement points as the material item. If a weapon item is selected as the material item, the player selects which weapon item to use as the material item. Here, we will explain using the case where enhancement points are selected as the material item as an example.

[0066] The server 20 then sends information to the player terminal 10 to display a target parameter determination screen for the player to input the desired target values ​​for the parameters of the item to be trained. The player terminal 10 displays the target parameter determination screen based on this information, and the player inputs the desired target skill level (S404).

[0067] An example of the target parameter determination screen is shown in Figure 5. In the target parameter determination screen 50, item A, an SSR weapon item, is selected as the item to be trained, and its current skill level is 15. The player has selected to use enhancement points as material items. The player possesses 88 SSR enhancement points, 73 SR enhancement points, and 156 R enhancement points as material items. As mentioned above, enhancement points correspond to each type of item; for example, 1 R enhancement point is equivalent to 1 R item. Therefore, in the explanation herein, the number of items and the number of enhancement points are used interchangeably.

[0068] The player can specify the desired skill level to reach by operating the Skill Level Increase Specification Unit 51. Figure 5 shows that increasing the skill level from 15 to 18 has been selected. The player input units 53 and 54 allow the player to select whether or not to use SSR enhancement points and SR enhancement points, respectively. If the player does not want to use these enhancement points, they should turn these inputs off; if they do, they should turn them on. For items that have been turned off, for example, the player can prevent them from being selected by temporarily setting the number of points held for the selected type of enhancement point to 0, without changing the process 400.

[0069] Once the player has determined the desired target parameter value, the optimal combination of the number of each type of material item consumed to increase the parameters of the item being trained is determined based on a predetermined method (S406). Next, it is determined in S406 whether or not the optimal combination has been determined (S408). If there are no material items available to select for determining the optimal combination, the optimal combination cannot be determined.

[0070] As described later, if the determined optimal combination is not found to satisfy the parameter increase condition, the optimal combination determination process (S406) is repeatedly executed, and the next combination considered optimal is determined as the optimal combination. If, after the optimal combination has already been determined, there are no more combinations that can be determined by the predetermined method, information indicating that the optimal combination could not be determined in S406 is output to the game control unit 44, and based on this, it is determined in S408 that the optimal combination could not be determined.

[0071] If it is determined that the optimal combination could not be determined, it is determined whether the desired target parameter can be reduced, since the items possessed cannot reach the target parameter (S410). For example, if reducing the target parameter would result in it being equal to the current parameter, it can be determined that the target parameter cannot be reduced.

[0072] If it is determined that the target parameter can be reduced, the desired target parameter is reduced (S412), and the optimal combination determination process is performed again for the reduced target parameter (S406). The optimal combination determination process performed for the reduced target parameter is the same as the process performed when the reduced target parameter was specified at the start of process 400. This makes it possible to perform parameter increase processing with the optimal combination that the game system considers optimal up to the achievable skill level, even if the player cannot reach the target skill level specified by the player.

[0073] If it is determined that the target parameter cannot be decreased, a message indicating that there are insufficient items to increase the parameter is displayed (S414), and process 400 is terminated.

[0074] If an optimal combination is determined in S406, it is judged as true in S408, and based on the determined optimal combination, it is determined whether or not the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are met (S416). If it is determined in S416 that the parameter increase conditions are not met, the process returns to S406, and the next optimal combination is determined based on a predetermined method.

[0075] In this specification, the optimal combination determined by the game system as the most optimal combination is referred to as the first optimal combination, and any other optimal combination determined by the game system is referred to as the second optimal combination. In this embodiment, the first optimal combination determined after the start of execution of process 400 is referred to as the first optimal combination, and the next optimal combination determined after it is determined that the first optimal combination does not satisfy the parameter increase condition is referred to as the second optimal combination. The next optimal combination that is repeatedly determined is also referred to as the second optimal combination. Furthermore, an optimal combination determined before it is determined that the parameter increase condition is satisfied may be referred to as a provisional optimal combination.

[0076] The predetermined method used in the process of determining the first optimal combination and the predetermined method used in the process of determining the second optimal combination may be the same or different. For example, the predetermined method used to determine the first optimal combination may be determined by referring to a table that shows the optimal combinations predetermined by the game system designer for the reachable parameters, and the second optimal combination may be determined using a greedy algorithm based on that table to determine the next optimal combination. The first optimal combination may be determined by a greedy algorithm, or the next optimal combination may be determined by referring to a predetermined table.

[0077] If it is determined that the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are met based on the determined optimal combination (S416), the player is presented with an input section for executing the parameter increase process (S418). It is also determined whether the determined optimal combination is the first optimal combination or the second optimal combination that was initially determined in process 400 (S420). Here, it can be determined whether or not it is the first optimal combination by determining whether the process for determining the optimal combination has been executed two or more times. If it is the second optimal combination, the player is presented with information indicating that the parameter increase will be performed by consuming material items other than those included in the first optimal combination (S422).

[0078] Figure 6 shows an example of a game screen including an input unit for executing a parameter increase process. The item display unit 61 indicates that when the skill level increase process is executed, the player's enhancement points will decrease from 88pt to 50pt for SSR, from 73pt to 0pt for SR, and from 156pt to 0pt for R. If the player wishes to increase the skill level under these conditions, they input an operation to the input unit 62 for executing the training process. If the player does not wish to execute under these conditions, they input an operation to the input unit 63 for cancellation. This game screen is an example of the game screen for the next optimal combination, and includes an information display unit 64 to inform the player that the parameter increase process will be executed with reduced efficiency.

[0079] When the system receives input from the player and determines that it is a parameter increase instruction (S424), the parameter increase process is executed (S426). The parameter increase process can be performed, for example, by increasing and updating the parameters of the training target item stored in association with the player. If the player's input is a cancel instruction, the process 400 is terminated without executing the parameter increase process.

[0080] As one variation, the system may accept input to change the desired target parameter value as player input. In this case, it may return to S406 and restart from the process of determining the optimal combination. Alternatively, it may accept input to change the item to be trained (base item) and return to the material item selection screen (S402).

[0081] Next, a more detailed explanation of the optimal combination determination process (S406) and the parameter increase condition determination process (S408) as an embodiment will be given. Here, the optimal combination of material items that the game system deems to be optimal is predetermined for each item type and skill level, and stored in the game control unit 44. The optimal combination of material items does not need to be the theoretically optimal exact solution. It can be any combination that the game system designer or operator considers optimal. For example, Table 4 shows an example of the optimal combination for increasing the skill level of an SSR item.

[0082] [Table 4]

[0083] Table 4 shows that the optimal combination for raising the skill level of an SSR training item from 1 to 2 is to consume two SR items as material items, without consuming any SSR or R items. To raise the skill level from 19 to 20, the optimal combination is to consume six SSR items, zero SR items, and zero R items. Here, the number of each material item is based on the assumption that each item has a skill level of 1. The skill combination indicates which material items of which types in the optimal combination should have their skill levels raised to what extent before being consumed.

[0084] To raise the skill level of the SSR item to be trained from 19 to 20, it is necessary to consume material items to obtain 19,000 points. As mentioned above, if the skill level of an SSR item is low, it is more efficient to increase its skill level before consuming it to obtain points. When the skill level increase process to raise the skill level from 19 to 20 is executed based on the optimal combination, the game control unit 44 consumes 3 SSR material items and 42 SR material items according to the predetermined Table 4, raising 2 SSR material items to skill level 6 and 1 SSR material item to skill level 7, and then executes the skill level increase process for the item to be trained.

[0085] In this case, the player spends 10,200 points, but by efficiently increasing the skill level of the material items, they can acquire the necessary 19,000 points and raise the skill level of the item being trained to level 20.

[0086] If multiple levels of level-up are required to reach the desired skill level, the optimal combination of the total number of material items for each level is shown in Table 4.

[0087] When the player inputs the target parameter (S404), the game control unit 44 refers to the pre-stored table 4 and obtains the optimal combination of materials to raise the player's specified training target item to the input target skill level (S406). For example, if the player selects an SSR item with a current skill level of 18 as the training target item and specifies 20 as the target skill level, the optimal combination is the sum of the optimal combination SSR6+SR36 for raising the skill level from 18 to 19 and the optimal combination SSR6+SR42 for raising the skill level from 18 to 19, so SSR12+SR78 is derived as the optimal combination.

[0088] Next, based on the determined optimal combination, it is determined whether the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are met (S408). Here, it is determined whether the number of enhancement points of each type possessed by the player is equal to or greater than the number of material items of each type in the determined optimal combination. For example, it is determined whether the number of material items of each type stored in association with the player identifier is equal to or greater than the number of material items of each type in the optimal combination. If the player possesses 20 SSR enhancement points and 70 SR enhancement points as material items, the SSR enhancement points are 12 or more, which is the optimal combination, but the SR enhancement points are not 78 or more. Therefore, it is determined that the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are not met.

[0089] If it is determined that the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item being trained are not met, the next optimal combination is determined by a predetermined method (S409). Here, the number of SRs that were determined to be lacking in the optimal combination is reduced, while the number of SSRs that were not determined to be lacking is increased in order to acquire the necessary points to raise the skill level.

[0090] The number of SSRs to be consumed for each skill level increase is determined using a greedy algorithm to minimize optimization efficiency. Optimization efficiency is the difference between the number of points held by the material items in the first optimal combination and the number of points held by the material items in other combinations. For example, to increase a skill level from 19 to 20, the first optimal combination of material items has a total of 10,200 points, consisting of 6 SSRs and 42 SRs. In other combinations, increasing the number of SSRs consumed by one to 7 SSRs and 34 SRs converts them to 5 SSRs at skill level 3 and 2 SSRs at skill level 2, obtaining the required 19,000 points.

[0091] In this case, the total points consumed are 7,000 points for 7 SSRs and 3,400 points for 34 SRs, totaling 10,400 points. The optimization efficiency is the difference from 10,200, and since the points consumed to raise the skill level increased by 200, it is expressed as a decrease of 200. On the other hand, if the number of SSRs consumed to raise the skill level from 18 to 19 is increased by one, 7 SSRs and 30 SRs are required, and the points consumed are 10,000. The optimization efficiency in this case is the difference from 9,600, which is a decrease of 400. When raising the skill level from 1 to 20, the optimization efficiency is calculated for each skill level increase, and the number of SSRs required to raise the skill level with the smallest decrease is increased.

[0092] Therefore, when raising the skill level from 18 to 20, the next optimal combination is determined to be the one that increases the number of SSRs consumed by one in the stage of raising the skill level from 19 to 20, where the decrease in optimization efficiency is smaller. If the next optimal combination satisfies the skill level increase conditions, the player is shown information indicating that the skill level increase process will be performed by consuming a less efficient combination of material items than the optimal combination, in this case, by consuming more SSR items (S422). Note that the optimal skill level to raise each material item before consumption may be determined by a greedy algorithm or by using a predetermined reference table.

[0093] If the next optimal combination still results in fewer SRs than the number needed for that combination, then the next optimal combination is determined. For example, by increasing the number of SSRs used to raise the skill level from 19 to 20 by one, the number of SSRs used increases to 8, and the number of SRs decreases by 6. This process is repeated until the number of enhancement points required for the SSRs and SRs in the optimal combination falls below the number of enhancement points possessed.

[0094] If all combinations required to raise the skill level to the target level do not fall below the number of enhancement points held, the target skill level is lowered by one level (S412), and processes S406, S408, and S416 are repeated for the lowered target skill level to determine the optimal combination that falls below the number of enhancement points held. In this embodiment, after lowering the target skill level, the first optimal combination determined for that lowered target skill level is designated as the first optimal combination, and if this satisfies the skill level increase conditions, the player will not see any information indicating that the skill level increase process will be performed using a less efficient combination of material items than the optimal combination.

[0095] Furthermore, the process from S406 to S416 is repeatedly executed until the optimal combination that satisfies the parameter increase conditions is determined, or until the reduced skill level becomes equal to the current skill level. If the reduced skill level is equal to the current skill level, it is determined that the target parameter cannot be lowered any further (S410), a message is displayed to the player indicating that there is a shortage of items (S414), and the parameter increase process is terminated.

[0096] By using this embodiment, the player can easily raise the parameters of the item to be trained to the desired parameter value. In particular, when there are multiple types of material items, the number of points obtained by consuming each type of material item is predetermined, and the number of points required to raise the parameters of the item to be trained by a predetermined amount is also predetermined, there are many possible combinations of material items that can raise the parameters to the desired value. While determining the optimal combination can increase the player's interest, it may also be perceived as cumbersome by the player.

[0097] By using this embodiment, it is possible to automatically determine the optimal combination using a predetermined method and execute a process to increase the parameters, thereby simplifying player operation. As the number of material item types increases, the amount of computation required to calculate the exact solution becomes enormous, making it difficult to complete the calculation within a time acceptable to the player. Furthermore, when there are multiple types of material items, the value of each material item may change depending on the player's preferences and the number of points held at that time, making it impossible to uniquely determine the exact optimal solution.

[0098] This problem is treated as a so-called knapsack problem, and by calculating an approximate solution using a predetermined method for solving the knapsack problem, the computational complexity can be reduced, making it possible to determine the optimal combination within a time acceptable to the player. The provisional optimal solution is the combination that the game system designer considers optimal based on the predetermined method, and therefore may not suit the player's preferences. By also providing a means for manual parameter increases, it is possible to execute the parameter increase process with a combination that perfectly matches the player's preferences. If there are few types of material items or sufficient computational resources are available, methods for calculating an exact solution, such as exhaustive search, may be used.

[0099] As one variation, the desired target parameters could be fixed without requiring the player to input them. For example, the parameters could always be increased to the maximum value, or it could be limited to increasing a parameter by only one level.

[0100] As another variation, it is not necessary to perform the process of lowering the attainment parameter when the possessed items are insufficient. In this case, for example, the process can be made without determining whether the attainment parameter can be lowered (S410) and the process of lowering the attainment parameter (S412).

[0101] [Second Embodiment] Unlike the first embodiment, the step of determining the optimal combination includes determining the optimal combination from combinations of material items stored in association with the player identifier based on a predetermined method, and the condition determination step includes determining whether the material items of the determined optimal combination satisfy the conditions necessary to increase the parameters of the item to be trained. In this embodiment, the combination whose total points match the points necessary to increase the parameters of the item to be trained is called the first optimal combination, and the combination whose total points exceed the required points is called the second optimal combination. The following explanation will focus on the differences from the first embodiment, and parts that are the same as the first embodiment will be explained only to the extent necessary.

[0102] The flowchart for the parameter increase process is the same as that shown in Figure 4, but here, the process of decreasing the target parameters (S410 and S412) is not performed. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is possible to perform these processes as well. Figure 7 shows the detailed information processing flow 700 of the optimal combination determination process (S406) in this embodiment. In this embodiment, a provisional optimal combination is determined, and the process of updating the provisional optimal combination is repeated until the determined optimal combination satisfies the parameter increase conditions or until there are no remaining material items.

[0103] First, to determine the optimal combination, the player extracts only the material items they possess that have fewer points than the points required to increase the parameters of the item to be trained (S701). Next, it is determined whether there are any remaining material items among the extracted items that could be candidates for inclusion in the optimal combination (S702). For example, it is determined whether there are any remaining material items after removing items that have already been selected as material items to be included in the optimal combination.

[0104] If it is determined that the material exists, a material item to be included in the optimal combination is selected from the extracted material items (S704). When selecting a material item, the material item with the minimum points among the material items whose combined points (including the material items already included in the provisional optimal combination and the selected material item) are equal to or greater than the required points is selected. If such a material item cannot be selected, the material item with the maximum points is selected, and the process of flow 700 is terminated.

[0105] In S416, the processing after it is determined that the parameter increase conditions are met is the same as in the first embodiment. In S408, if it is determined that no optimal combination has been determined, an item shortage is displayed (S412), and processing 400 ends. The determination of whether or not it is the first optimal combination (S420) is made if the total number of points obtained by consuming each material item of the optimal combination is equal to or greater than the points required for parameter increase and less than the required points plus a predetermined value (e.g., 5), and if it is greater than the required points by a predetermined value (e.g., 5) or more, it is determined that it is not the first optimal combination. The predetermined value can be set to zero, and the number of points required can be used as the threshold for determining the first optimal combination.

[0106] In S706, if it is determined that there are no material items that possess more than the required number of points, information indicating that the optimal combination could not be determined is output to the game control unit 44 (S710), and the processing of flow 700 is terminated.

[0107] When processing S700 is completed, in S408 of processing 400, if it is determined that an optimal combination has been determined, it is determined whether that optimal combination satisfies the parameter increase conditions (S416). In this embodiment, it is determined whether the total value of points obtained by consuming the material items included in the provisional optimal combination determined at that point is equal to or greater than the points required to increase the parameters of the item to be trained. If it is equal to or greater than the required points, it is determined to be true; otherwise, it is determined to be false. If it is determined to be true, the process proceeds to S418 and beyond; if it is determined to be false, it returns to S406 to determine the next optimal combination.

[0108] In S416, the processing after it is determined that the parameter increase conditions are met is the same as in the first embodiment. In S408, if it is determined that no optimal combination has been determined, an item shortage is displayed (S412), and processing 400 ends. The determination of whether or not it is the first optimal combination (S420) is made if the total number of points obtained by consuming each material item of the optimal combination matches the points required for parameter increase, and if it is greater than the required points by a predetermined value (e.g., 5), it is determined that it is not the first optimal combination.

[0109] Next, a more specific example of processing using this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the item to be trained is a character card, and as in the first embodiment, there are R items (cards), SR items (cards), and SSR items (cards). The parameter to be increased is the skill level. The character card is an idol card that the player can possess. Idol cards can also be used as material items. Furthermore, trainer cards may also be used as material items. There are multiple types of trainer cards, such as Limited-Time Trainer A and Limited-Time Trainer B. Tables 5 and 6 show the points that can be obtained (points held) when trainer cards and idol cards are consumed to increase the skill level of each SSR item.

[0110] [Table 5] [Table 6]

[0111] To increase the skill level of an SSR idol card by one level, you need to obtain 100 points or more by consuming material items. Table 5 shows the number of points that can be obtained for each skill level when using trainer cards as material items, by consuming each type of card. For example, to increase the skill level of an SSR idol card from 1 to 2, you can obtain 100 points or more with one Limited Trainer D or Special Trainer, so you can increase the skill level to 2 by consuming one of either cards. However, when combining Master Trainers and Veteran Trainers, you will need to obtain 100 points with three Master Trainers and one Veteran Trainer.

[0112] Unlike the first embodiment, the number of points obtained does not change depending on the skill level of the material items, so the points held and the points obtained are the same. On the other hand, the points obtained when consuming material items change depending on the skill level of the item being trained. When consuming veteran trainers to increase the special skill level of an SSR item being trained, 10 points can be obtained when raising the special skill level from 1 to 2, but 7 points can be obtained when raising it from 2 to 3.

[0113] Even when raising multiple skill levels at once, the required points for each level are calculated, and the sum of these is the total required points. Here, if the total points obtained by consuming items reach 100 points or more, the skill level of the item being trained can be increased. Any surplus points obtained in excess of 100 points cannot be carried over to the next skill level, although this may be allowed. For example, when raising the skill level of an SSR idol card from 1 to 3, if one Special Trainer is used to raise the skill level from 1 to 2, 400 points will be left over. However, these 400 points cannot be used to raise the skill level from 2 to 3. It is necessary to consume another card to obtain another 100 points.

[0114] Table 6 shows the number of points that can be obtained by consuming each card when using an idol card as a material item, for each skill level. Character cards have attributes assigned to them, and the points obtained will increase by a predetermined amount if the attributes of the character card being trained match those of the material character card.

[0115] In the game control unit 44, card items are associated with the player identifiers P0105 and P0106 ​​of players PA and PB, as shown in Table 7. If the item identifier starts with I, it means an Idol card, and if it starts with T, it means a Trainer card. For example, player PA possesses one each of the Idol cards named IA, IC, and ID, two IB cards, and one each of the Trainer cards named TA, TB, TD, TF, and TK.

[0116] [Table 7]

[0117] In this embodiment, the player first chooses whether to use an idol card or a trainer card as a material item. For example, if player PA selects an SSR idol card IA with skill level 1 as the item to be trained and chooses to use a trainer card as a material item to raise the skill level to 2, first, only material items with less than the required points are extracted from the trainer cards the player possesses. Referring to Table 5, since the item types Limited-Time Training Ticket, Veteran Trainer, Limited-Time Veteran Trainer, and Master Trainer are cards with less than 100 required points, these cards are extracted, while Limited-Time Master Trainer is not extracted because it is a card with 100 or more points. Then, from the extracted trainer cards, the smallest material item is selected among the material items whose total points exceed the required points, and if it is not possible to select the smallest material item, the largest material item is selected.

[0118] At the start of process 400, since the optimal combination has not yet been determined, the Master Trainer (50 points), which has the highest points among the extracted trainer cards, is selected. However, since the Master Trainer alone does not reach the required 100 points, S704 is executed again. No matter which of the remaining trainer cards is used, the required 100 points are still not reached, so the limited-time Veteran Trainer (40), which has the highest points, is selected. Furthermore, when S704 is executed again, the total points will exceed 100 regardless of whether Veteran Trainer (30) or Limited-Time Training Ticket (25) is selected. In this case, the limited-time Training Ticket (25), which has the lowest points, is selected, and the total points become 115, fulfilling the required points.

[0119] If points exceeding the required points are obtained, it is determined that this is not the first optimal combination (S420), and information indicating that it is not the optimal combination, and in this case points exceeding the required points, is displayed to the player (S422). For example, if the total points are 101, information indicating that points exceeding the required points are obtained is displayed to the player. If it is not possible to meet the required points by combining the material items possessed by the player using the predetermined method, it is determined that the combination is not possible (S710), and information indicating that there are insufficient items is displayed to the player (S414), and the process ends. The same process can be used to determine the optimal combination when idol cards are used instead of trainer cards.

[0120] By using this embodiment, it becomes possible to determine the optimal combination from among the possible combinations of material items stored in association with a player identifier, based on a predetermined method, and to determine whether the determined optimal combination of material items satisfies the conditions necessary to increase the parameters of the item to be trained.

[0121] In the above-described embodiment, the player terminal 10 was described as using a web application to allow the user to play the game. However, the player terminal 10 may also store a native application in the storage device 14 and execute it to perform information processing necessary to advance the game. The native application includes a game program for running the game and various data referenced when the game program is executed. The native application is launched in response to user operation on the player terminal 10 and is executed on an operating system (OS) pre-installed on the player terminal 10. In this case, the player terminal 10 may be equipped with at least some of the functions provided by the server 20 in the above-described embodiment. In yet another embodiment, the player terminal 10 may be able to run the game using only one player terminal 10 without communicating with the server 20.

[0122] In the processes or operations described above, the processes or operations can be freely modified, as long as no inconsistencies arise in the processes or operations, such as using data that should not yet be available at a given step. Furthermore, the embodiments described above are illustrative examples for explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its essence. [Explanation of symbols]

[0123] 1: Game System 2: Network 10: Player terminal 11: Processor 12:Display device 13: Input device 14:Storage device 15: Communication equipment 16: Bus 18: Skill Level 19: Skill Level 20: Server 21: Processor 22:Display device 23: Input device 24:Storage device 25: Communication equipment 26: Bus 31: Input section 32: Display section 33: Communications Department 34: Game Control Department 41: Input section 42: Display section 43: Communications Department 44: Game Control Department 45: Optimal combination determination unit 46: Parameter increase condition determination unit

Claims

1. A program that consumes multiple types of material items to increase the parameters of a training target item that is linked to the player's player identifier and stored in memory, The stage where the item to be trained is determined based on player input, The steps include determining the optimal combination of the number of each type of material item consumed to increase the parameters of the item to be trained, based on a predetermined method, Based on the determined optimal combination, a condition determination step is made to determine whether or not the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are met. A program that causes a computer to execute something.

2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the number of points obtained by consuming material items is predetermined for each type of material item, and the number of points required to increase the parameters of the item to be trained by a predetermined amount is predetermined.

3. The program according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the condition determination step includes a step of determining whether the number of material items of each type stored in association with the player identifier is equal to or greater than the number of material items of each type in the optimal combination.

4. The step of determining the optimal combination includes determining the optimal combination from possible combinations of material items stored in association with the player identifier, based on a predetermined method. The program according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the condition determination step includes a step of determining whether the optimal combination of material items satisfies the conditions necessary to increase the parameters of the item to be trained.

5. The process further includes a step of determining the desired target value for the parameters of the item to be trained based on player input, The step of determining the optimal combination includes determining the optimal combination of the number of each type of material item consumed to reach the desired value, based on a predetermined method. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising the step of causing the computer to execute an operation input unit for the player to perform the training process by consuming the optimal number of each type of material item in the optimal combination, if it is determined that the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained have been met.

7. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising the step of causing the computer to execute an operation input unit for the player to perform the training process by consuming a different type of material item instead of at least one of the material items in the optimal combination, if it is determined that the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are not met based on the determined optimal combination.

8. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising the step of causing the computer to perform the step of presenting information to the player indicating that, if it is determined that the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are not met, the training process will be carried out by consuming other types of material items instead of at least one of the optimal combination of material items.

9. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising the step of causing the computer to perform the step of presenting information to the player indicating that the training process will be executed by consuming material items that exceed the necessary conditions if it is determined that the optimal combination exceeds the necessary conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained.

10. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising the step of causing the computer to perform the next step of determining the optimal combination based on a predetermined method if it is determined that the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be cultivated are not met based on the optimal combination determined above.

11. The program according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of: determining the next optimal combination based on a predetermined method; and determining whether the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are met based on the next optimal combination, which are repeated until it is determined that the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are met, or until there are no more combinations that can be determined by the predetermined method, and if there are no more combinations that can be determined by the predetermined method, the program further causes the computer to perform the steps of: presenting information to the player indicating that there are insufficient items.

12. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the predetermined method includes a dynamic programming method, a greedy algorithm, or a brute-force search method.

13. A computer-based method for increasing the parameters of a training target item, which is stored in association with the player's player identifier, by consuming multiple types of material items, The stage where the item to be trained is determined based on player input, The steps include determining the optimal combination of the number of each type of material item consumed to increase the parameters of the item to be trained, based on a predetermined method, Based on the determined optimal combination, a condition determination step is made to determine whether or not the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are met. Methods that include...

14. An information processing device for increasing the parameters of a training target item, which is stored in association with the player's player identifier, by consuming multiple types of material items, The system determines the items to be trained based on player input. Based on a predetermined method, the optimal combination of the number of each type of material item consumed to increase the parameters of the item to be trained is determined. Based on the determined optimal combination, a condition check is performed to determine whether the conditions for increasing the parameters of the item to be trained are met. Information processing device.

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