Game program, game system, game processing method, and game device

Abstract

This invention provides a game program, game system, game processing method, and game device that can appropriately set the return position of a player character in a game where the mesh generated based on voxel updates may deform. [Solution] In the first case where the player character is standing on at least a voxel object terrain, the player character is controlled to move based on the input at the position on the terrain, and the position of the player character is stored as a history. When the player character satisfies the first condition through movement, the movement control based on the input is interrupted, a return position is determined from among the candidates that include multiple positions in the history, that are not positions where terrain does not exist, the player character is moved back to the return position, and the movement control based on the input is resumed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a game program, a game system, a game processing method, and a game device that generate an object in a virtual space using voxel data.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, objects have been managed using voxel data, and a mesh of an object has been generated in a virtual space based on the voxel data (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a game where a mesh generated based on an update of voxels may deform, there may be a case where the position where a player character returns cannot be appropriately set.

[0005] The present invention provides a game program, a game system, a game processing method, and a game device that can appropriately set the return position of a player character in a game where a mesh generated based on an update of voxels may deform.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention may employ configurations such as (1) to (10) below.

[0007] (1) One example of the configuration of the game program of the present invention involves a computer updating voxel data representing terrain defined in a virtual space, wherein for each of a plurality of voxels, a density is set to indicate the degree to which the space defined by the voxel is virtually occupied by its contents, based on game processing; updating a terrain mesh corresponding to the voxel data, where the vertex coordinates are determined based on the density included in at least the voxel data; and in the game processing, in the first case where the player character is at least standing on the terrain, the computer controls the movement of the player character at the position on the terrain based on the input, and stores the position of the player character as a history; when the player character satisfies the first condition through movement, the movement control based on the input is interrupted, a return position is determined from among the candidates that include a plurality of positions included in the history, that are not positions where terrain does not exist, the player character is moved back to the return position, and the movement control based on the input is resumed.

[0008] According to the configuration described in (1) above, in games where terrain meshes generated based on voxel updates may deform, the player character's return position can be appropriately set based on the history so that it does not return to a position where the terrain no longer exists.

[0009] (2) In the configuration of (1) above, the computer may further cause the player character to perform a first action based on the input during game processing, set a first voxel update range in the virtual space based on the first action, and reduce the voxel density of the voxel data corresponding to the first voxel update range.

[0010] According to the configuration described in (2) above, even if the terrain is deformed by the player character's actions, the player character's return position can be appropriately set.

[0011] (3) In the configuration of (1) or (2) above, the computer may further control the player character to move based on the input at the position touching the terrain in the second case in which the player character touches the terrain at least in the forward direction, and may also store the position of the player character as a history.

[0012] According to the configuration described in (3) above, even when the player character moves along a wall, the return position of the player character can be appropriately set.

[0013] (4) In the configuration of (3) above, the computer may also be instructed, in the second case, to store as a history at least the position of the player character each time it moves a predetermined distance, and the position of the player character when it stops.

[0014] According to the configuration described in (4) above, even on walls where the player character has moved, the appropriate position can be stored as history.

[0015] (5) In any one of the configurations described in (1) to (4) above, the computer may further store, during game processing, any checkpoints in the virtual space that the player character reaches, as candidates, while excluding any previously stored history from the candidates.

[0016] According to the configuration described in (5) above, when a specific checkpoint is reached, the player character will not be returned to a previously stored position.

[0017] (6) In any one of the configurations (1) to (5) above, the computer may be caused to determine, as the return position, the newest one among the candidates.

[0018] According to the configuration of (6) above, the player character can be returned to the position with the newest history.

[0019] (7) In any one of the configurations (1) to (6) above, the first condition may include that the position of the player character is within a first range in the virtual space.

[0020] According to the configuration of (7) above, when the player character enters the first range, it can return to the return position.

[0021] (8) In any one of the configurations (1) to (7) above, the first condition may further include that the first held item consumed according to the movement for the player character to return is left.

[0022] According to the configuration of (8) above, it is possible to give the effect that the player character can return to the return position and resume movement control for the first held item.

[0023] (9) In any one of the configurations (1) to (8) above, for each of the plurality of voxels, a material indicating the type of the content may be further set for the voxel data. The computer may further generate or update a display mesh corresponding to the voxel data and drawn based on a virtual camera, by causing the vertex coordinates of the mesh to be determined based at least on the density included in the voxel data, and causing the material of the mesh to be determined based at least on the material included in the voxel data, and cause the virtual space including the display mesh to be drawn based on a texture corresponding to the vertex coordinates of the display mesh and the material of the display mesh.

[0024] According to the configuration of (9) above, since the judgment mesh and the display mesh are determined separately, appropriate meshes can be used according to their respective uses.

[0025] (10) In any one of the configurations of (1) to (8) above, for each of the plurality of voxels, a material indicating the type of the content may be further set in the voxel data. The computer may further determine the material of the terrain mesh based at least on the material included in the voxel data, and use the terrain mesh as the display mesh, and based on the vertex coordinates of the display mesh and the texture corresponding to the material of the display mesh, cause the virtual space including the display mesh to be drawn.

[0026] According to the configuration of (10) above, since drawing and collision judgment can be performed using the same mesh, the processing load for setting the mesh can be reduced.

[0027] Further, the present invention may be implemented in the form of a game system, a game processing method, and a game device.

Effects of the Invention

[0028] According to the present invention, in a game in which the mesh generated based on the update of the voxel may be deformed, the return position of the player character can be appropriately set.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0029] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an example of a state in which a left controller and a right controller are attached to the main body device [Figure 2] A diagram showing an example of a state in which the left controller and the right controller are each removed from the main body device [Figure 3] A six-sided view showing an example of the main body device [Figure 4] A six-sided view showing an example of the left controller [Figure 5]A six-view drawing showing an example of a right controller. [Figure 6] Block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the main unit. [Figure 7] Block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the main unit, left controller, and right controller. [Figure 8] This diagram shows an example of a terrain object that is a voxel object. [Figure 9] Figure 8 shows an example of what the terrain object looks like before and after a portion of it is deleted. [Figure 10] Figure 8 shows an example of what the terrain object looks like before and after a portion of it is deleted. [Figure 11] A diagram showing an example of voxel data. [Figure 12] A diagram showing an example of material data. [Figure 13] A diagram showing an example of the game space when an update event occurs. [Figure 14] A diagram showing an example of the update scope. [Figure 15] A diagram showing an example of how to set vertices. [Figure 16] A diagram illustrating an example of how to determine the material of a vertex. [Figure 17] A diagram showing an example of vertex simplification. [Figure 18] A diagram showing an example of material-related conditions. [Figure 19] This diagram shows an example of a mesh generated based on vertices. [Figure 20] This diagram shows an example where the quadrilaterals that make up the mesh are divided into two triangles. [Figure 21] This diagram shows an example of a method for determining the material of the polygons that make up the display mesh. [Figure 22] This diagram shows an example of a material applied to each vertex of two adjacent polygons. [Figure 23] This diagram shows an example of applying a texture to a polygon. [Figure 24] This diagram shows an example of a method for determining the material of the polygons that make up the mesh used for judgment. [Figure 25] This diagram shows an example of game images illustrating a sequence of events in which a player character 201, moving across terrain objects, enters a restricted area in the game space, and then returns to its starting position using a recovery item. [Figure 26] This diagram shows an example of game images illustrating a sequence of events in which a player character 201, moving across terrain objects, enters a restricted area in the game space, and then returns to its starting position using a recovery item. [Figure 27] This diagram shows an example of game images illustrating a sequence of events in which a player character 201, moving across terrain objects, enters a restricted area in the game space, and then returns to its starting position using a recovery item. [Figure 28] This diagram illustrates an example of how the position history of player character 201 is stored when it is standing on terrain within the game space. [Figure 29] This diagram illustrates an example of how the position history of a player character 201 is stored when it moves along a wall in the game space. [Figure 30] This diagram illustrates an example of how candidate locations are set based on the actions of player character 201 when using a save point. [Figure 31] This diagram shows an example where multiple registered candidate locations are listed in order of priority. [Figure 32] This diagram shows an example of a mini-game stage where player character 201 navigates a single path, and falling will lead to a restricted area. [Figure 33] This diagram shows an example of various types of data used in information processing within a game system. [Figure 34] A flowchart illustrating an example of the game processing flow executed by the game system. [Figure 35] Figure 34 shows an example of a subroutine that controls the operation of each object in step S12. [Figure 36] Figure 35 shows an example of the first half of the candidate position setting process in step S46, a subroutine. [Figure 37]Figure 35 shows an example of a subroutine for the latter half of the candidate position setting process in step S46. [Figure 38] A subroutine showing an example of the return position movement process in step S47 in Figure 35. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0030] [1. Game System Configuration] The following describes a game system according to an example of this embodiment. An example of the game system 1 in this embodiment includes a main unit (information processing device; functioning as the game device main unit in this embodiment) 2, a left controller 3, and a right controller 4. The left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are detachable from the main unit 2. In other words, the game system 1 can be used as an integrated device by attaching the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 to the main unit 2. Alternatively, the game system 1 can be used with the main unit 2 and the left controller 3 and right controller 4 as separate components (see Figure 2). The hardware configuration of the game system 1 in this embodiment will be described below, followed by a description of the control of the game system 1 in this embodiment.

[0031] Figure 1 shows an example of the main unit 2 with the left controller 3 and right controller 4 attached. As shown in Figure 1, the left controller 3 and right controller 4 are attached to the main unit 2 and integrated together. The main unit 2 is a device that performs various processes (e.g., game processing) in the game system 1. The main unit 2 is equipped with a display 12. The left controller 3 and right controller 4 are devices equipped with operation parts for user input.

[0032] Figure 2 shows an example of the left controller 3 and right controller 4 being removed from the main unit 2. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the left controller 3 and right controller 4 are detachable from the main unit 2. In the following, the left controller 3 and right controller 4 will be collectively referred to as "controllers".

[0033] Figure 3 is a six-view drawing showing an example of the main unit 2. As shown in Figure 3, the main unit 2 includes a roughly plate-shaped housing 11. In this embodiment, the main surface of the housing 11 (in other words, the front surface, i.e., the surface on which the display 12 is provided) is roughly rectangular in shape.

[0034] The shape and size of the housing 11 are arbitrary. For example, the housing 11 may be portable. The main unit 2 alone, or the integrated unit in which the left controller 3 and right controller 4 are attached to the main unit 2, may be a portable device. The main unit 2 or the integrated unit may be a handheld device. The main unit 2 or the integrated unit may also be a portable device.

[0035] As shown in Figure 3, the main unit 2 includes a display 12 provided on the main surface of the housing 11. The display 12 displays images generated by the main unit 2. In this embodiment, the display 12 is a liquid crystal display (LCD). However, the display 12 may be any type of display device.

[0036] Furthermore, the main unit 2 is equipped with a touch panel 13 on the screen of the display 12. In this embodiment, the touch panel 13 is of a type that allows multi-touch input (for example, a capacitive touch panel). However, the touch panel 13 may be of any type, for example, a type that allows single-touch input (for example, a resistive touch panel).

[0037] The main unit 2 is equipped with a speaker (i.e., speaker 88 shown in Figure 6) inside the housing 11. As shown in Figure 3, speaker holes 11a and 11b are formed on the main surface of the housing 11. The sound output from speaker 88 is emitted from these speaker holes 11a and 11b, respectively.

[0038] Furthermore, the main unit 2 is equipped with a left terminal 17, which is a terminal for the main unit 2 to communicate with the left controller 3 via wired connection, and a right terminal 21, which is for the main unit 2 to communicate with the right controller 4 via wired connection.

[0039] As shown in Figure 3, the main unit 2 is equipped with a slot 23. The slot 23 is located on the upper side of the housing 11. The slot 23 has a shape that allows a predetermined type of storage medium to be inserted. The predetermined type of storage medium is, for example, a storage medium (e.g., a dedicated memory card) specifically for the game system 1 and similar information processing devices. The predetermined type of storage medium is used, for example, to store data used by the main unit 2 (e.g., application save data, etc.) and / or programs executed by the main unit 2 (e.g., application programs, etc.). The main unit 2 is also equipped with a power button 28.

[0040] The main unit 2 is equipped with a lower terminal 27. The lower terminal 27 is a terminal for the main unit 2 to communicate with the cradle. In this embodiment, the lower terminal 27 is a USB connector (more specifically, a female connector). When the integrated device or the main unit 2 alone is placed on the cradle, the game system 1 can display the images generated and output by the main unit 2 on a stationary monitor. In this embodiment, the cradle also has the function of charging the integrated device or the main unit 2 alone that is placed on it. The cradle also has the function of a hub device (specifically, a USB hub).

[0041] Figure 4 is a six-view drawing showing an example of the left controller 3. As shown in Figure 4, the left controller 3 includes a housing 31. In this embodiment, the housing 31 has a vertically elongated shape, that is, it is long in the vertical direction (i.e., in the y-axis direction as shown in Figures 1 and 4). The left controller 3 can also be held in a vertically elongated orientation when detached from the main device 2. The housing 31 is shaped and sized to be held with one hand, especially the left hand, when held in a vertically elongated orientation. The left controller 3 can also be held in a horizontally elongated orientation. When the left controller 3 is held in a horizontally elongated orientation, it may be held with both hands.

[0042] The left controller 3 is equipped with an analog stick 32. As shown in Figure 4, the analog stick 32 is provided on the main surface of the housing 31. The analog stick 32 can be used as a directional input unit that can input direction. The user can input direction (and magnitude according to the angle of tilt) by tilting the analog stick 32. In addition, the left controller 3 may be equipped with a directional pad or a slide stick that allows slide input instead of the analog stick as the directional input unit. Furthermore, in this embodiment, input by pressing the analog stick 32 is also possible.

[0043] The left controller 3 is equipped with various operation buttons. The left controller 3 has four operation buttons 33-36 (specifically, a right direction button 33, a down direction button 34, an up direction button 35, and a left direction button 36) on the main surface of the housing 31. In addition, the left controller 3 is equipped with a record button 37 and a minus button 47. The left controller 3 has a first L button 38 and a ZL button 39 on the upper left side of the side of the housing 31. Furthermore, the left controller 3 has a second L button 43 and a second R button 44 on the side of the housing 31 that is attached when mounted to the main unit 2. These operation buttons are used to give instructions according to various programs (e.g., OS programs and application programs) executed on the main unit 2.

[0044] Furthermore, the left controller 3 is equipped with a terminal 42 for wired communication between the left controller 3 and the main unit 2.

[0045] Figure 5 is a six-view drawing showing an example of the right controller 4. As shown in Figure 5, the right controller 4 includes a housing 51. In this embodiment, the housing 51 has a vertically elongated shape, that is, a shape that is long in the vertical direction. When the right controller 4 is detached from the main unit 2, it can also be held in a vertically elongated orientation. The housing 51 is shaped and sized to be held with one hand, especially the right hand, when held in a vertically elongated orientation. The right controller 4 can also be held in a horizontally elongated orientation. When the right controller 4 is held in a horizontally elongated orientation, it may be held with both hands.

[0046] The right controller 4, like the left controller 3, is equipped with an analog stick 52 as a directional input unit. In this embodiment, the analog stick 52 has the same configuration as the analog stick 32 of the left controller 3. Alternatively, the right controller 4 may be equipped with a directional pad or a slide stick capable of slide input instead of the analog stick. The right controller 4, like the left controller 3, is equipped with four operation buttons 53-56 (specifically, A button 53, B button 54, X button 55, and Y button 56) on the main surface of the housing 51. Furthermore, the right controller 4 is equipped with a + (plus) button 57 and a home button 58. The right controller 4 is also equipped with a first R button 60 and a ZR button 61 on the upper right side of the housing 51. The right controller 4, like the left controller 3, is also equipped with a second L button 65 and a second R button 66.

[0047] Furthermore, the right controller 4 is equipped with a terminal 64 for wired communication between the right controller 4 and the main unit 2.

[0048] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the main unit 2. In addition to the configuration shown in Figure 3, the main unit 2 includes the components 81-91, 97, and 98 shown in Figure 6. Some of these components 81-91, 97, and 98 may be mounted on an electronic circuit board as electronic components and housed within the housing 11.

[0049] The main unit 2 includes a processor 81. The processor 81 is an information processing unit that performs various information processing operations performed in the main unit 2, and may consist of, for example, only a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or it may consist of an SoC (System-on-a-chip) that includes multiple functions such as CPU function and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) function. The processor 81 performs various information processing operations by executing information processing programs (for example, game programs) stored in a storage unit (specifically, an internal storage medium such as flash memory 84, or an external storage medium installed in slot 23).

[0050] The main unit 2 includes, as an example of an internal storage medium built into itself, a flash memory 84 and a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) 85. The flash memory 84 and DRAM 85 are connected to the processor 81. The flash memory 84 is a memory mainly used to store various types of data (which may be programs) stored in the main unit 2. The DRAM 85 is a memory used to temporarily store various types of data used in information processing.

[0051] The main unit 2 is equipped with a slot interface (hereinafter abbreviated as "I / F") 91. The slot I / F 91 is connected to the processor 81. The slot I / F 91 is connected to slot 23 and reads and writes data to a predetermined type of storage medium (for example, a dedicated memory card) installed in slot 23, according to instructions from the processor 81.

[0052] The processor 81 performs the above-mentioned information processing by appropriately reading and writing data to the flash memory 84 and DRAM 85, as well as to each of the above-mentioned storage media.

[0053] The main unit 2 includes a network communication unit 82. The network communication unit 82 is connected to the processor 81. The network communication unit 82 communicates with external devices via a network (specifically, wirelessly). In this embodiment, the network communication unit 82 communicates with external devices by connecting to a wireless LAN using a method compliant with the Wi-Fi standard as a first communication mode. The network communication unit 82 also performs wireless communication with other main unit 2 of the same type using a predetermined communication method (for example, communication using a proprietary protocol or infrared communication) as a second communication mode. The wireless communication using the second communication mode is possible with other main unit 2 located within a closed local network area, and realizes a function that enables so-called "local communication" in which data is sent and received by communicating directly between multiple main unit 2.

[0054] The main unit 2 includes a controller communication unit 83. The controller communication unit 83 is connected to the processor 81. The controller communication unit 83 communicates wirelessly with the left controller 3 and / or the right controller 4. The communication method between the main unit 2 and the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 is arbitrary, but in this embodiment, the controller communication unit 83 communicates with the left controller 3 and with the right controller 4 in accordance with the Bluetooth® standard.

[0055] The processor 81 is connected to the left terminal 17, right terminal 21, and lower terminal 27 described above. When the processor 81 communicates with the left controller 3 via a wired connection, it transmits data to the left controller 3 via the left terminal 17 and receives operation data from the left controller 3 via the left terminal 17. When the processor 81 communicates with the right controller 4 via a wired connection, it transmits data to the right controller 4 via the right terminal 21 and receives operation data from the right controller 4 via the right terminal 21. When the processor 81 communicates with the cradle, it transmits data to the cradle via the lower terminal 27. Thus, in this embodiment, the main unit 2 can perform both wired and wireless communication with the left controller 3 and the right controller 4, respectively. Furthermore, when the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are mounted on the main unit 2 as an integrated unit, or when the main unit 2 alone is mounted on the cradle, the main unit 2 can output data (e.g., image data and audio data) to a stationary monitor or the like via the cradle.

[0056] Here, the main unit 2 can communicate simultaneously (in other words, in parallel) with multiple left controllers 3. Furthermore, the main unit 2 can communicate simultaneously (in other words, in parallel) with multiple right controllers 4. Therefore, multiple users can simultaneously input to the main unit 2 using their respective sets of left controllers 3 and right controllers 4. For example, while the first user inputs to the main unit 2 using the first set of left controllers 3 and right controllers 4, the second user can input to the main unit 2 using the second set of left controllers 3 and right controllers 4.

[0057] The display 12 is also connected to the processor 81. The processor 81 displays images generated (for example, by performing the above information processing) and / or images acquired from an external source on the display 12.

[0058] The main unit 2 includes a codec circuit 87 and speakers (specifically, a left speaker and a right speaker) 88. The codec circuit 87 is connected to the speakers 88 and the audio input / output terminals 25, as well as to the processor 81. The codec circuit 87 is a circuit that controls the input and output of audio data to the speakers 88 and the audio input / output terminals 25.

[0059] The main unit 2 comprises a power control unit 97 and a battery 98. The power control unit 97 is connected to the battery 98 and the processor 81. Although not shown in the figures, the power control unit 97 is also connected to various parts of the main unit 2 (specifically, the parts that receive power from the battery 98, the left terminal 17, and the right terminal 21). Based on commands from the processor 81, the power control unit 97 controls the power supply from the battery 98 to the aforementioned parts.

[0060] The battery 98 is also connected to the lower terminal 27. When an external charging device (for example, a cradle) is connected to the lower terminal 27 and power is supplied to the main unit 2 via the lower terminal 27, the supplied power charges the battery 98.

[0061] Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the main unit 2, the left controller 3, and the right controller 4. Note that the details of the internal configuration of the main unit 2 are shown in Figure 6 and are therefore omitted in Figure 7.

[0062] The left controller 3 includes a communication control unit 101 that communicates with the main unit 2. As shown in Figure 7, the communication control unit 101 is connected to each component, including the terminal 42. In this embodiment, the communication control unit 101 can communicate with the main unit 2 both by wired communication via the terminal 42 and by wireless communication without using the terminal 42. The communication control unit 101 controls the method of communication that the left controller 3 performs with the main unit 2. That is, when the left controller 3 is attached to the main unit 2, the communication control unit 101 communicates with the main unit 2 via the terminal 42. When the left controller 3 is detached from the main unit 2, the communication control unit 101 performs wireless communication with the main unit 2 (specifically, the controller communication unit 83). Wireless communication between the controller communication unit 83 and the communication control unit 101 is performed according to, for example, the Bluetooth® standard.

[0063] The left controller 3 also includes a memory 102, such as flash memory. The communication control unit 101 is composed of, for example, a microcontroller (also called a microprocessor) and performs various processes by executing firmware stored in the memory 102.

[0064] The left controller 3 is equipped with buttons 103 (specifically, buttons 33-39, 43, 44, and 47). The left controller 3 is also equipped with an analog stick (referred to as "stick" in Figure 7) 32. Each button 103 and the analog stick 32 repeatedly output information about the operations performed on them to the communication control unit 101 at appropriate intervals.

[0065] The communication control unit 101 acquires information about the input (specifically, information about the operation or detection results from the sensor) from each input unit (specifically, each button 103 and the analog stick 32). The communication control unit 101 transmits operation data, including the acquired information (or information that has been processed in a predetermined manner), to the main unit 2. The operation data is transmitted repeatedly at a rate of once at predetermined intervals. The interval at which information about the input is transmitted to the main unit 2 may or may not be the same for each input unit.

[0066] When the above operation data is transmitted to the main unit 2, the main unit 2 can obtain the input made to the left controller 3. In other words, the main unit 2 can determine the operation of each button 103 and the analog stick 32 based on the operation data.

[0067] The left controller 3 includes a power supply unit 108. In this embodiment, the power supply unit 108 includes a battery and a power control circuit. Although not shown, the power control circuit is connected to the battery and to each part of the left controller 3 (specifically, each part that receives power from the battery).

[0068] As shown in Figure 7, the right controller 4 includes a communication control unit 111 that communicates with the main unit 2. The right controller 4 also includes a memory 112 connected to the communication control unit 111. The communication control unit 111 is connected to each component, including the terminal 64. The communication control unit 111 and the memory 112 have the same functions as the communication control unit 101 and memory 102 of the left controller 3. Therefore, the communication control unit 111 can communicate with the main unit 2 both by wired communication via the terminal 64 and by wireless communication without the terminal 64 (specifically, communication according to the Bluetooth® standard), and controls the method of communication that the right controller 4 performs with the main unit 2.

[0069] The right controller 4 is equipped with the same inputs as the left controller 3. Specifically, it is equipped with buttons 113 and an analog stick 52. These inputs have the same functions and operate in the same way as the inputs of the left controller 3.

[0070] The right controller 4 is equipped with a power supply unit 118. The power supply unit 118 has the same functions and operates in the same manner as the power supply unit 108 of the left controller 3.

[0071] [2. Overview of processing in the game system] Next, an overview of the processes performed in the game system 1 will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 24. In this embodiment, the game system 1 generates a game image in which terrain objects and characters (for example, player characters controlled by the player) are placed in a game space, which is a three-dimensional virtual space, and displays it on a display device. In this embodiment, the display device on which the game image is displayed may be the display 12 described above, or it may be a stationary monitor.

[0072] [2-1. Voxel] In this embodiment, the shape of some objects in the game space is defined by voxel data. Here, a voxel is a rectangular (more specifically, cubic) region arranged in a grid in the game space, and voxel data is data that indicates information about each voxel. Hereafter, objects whose shape is defined by voxel data will be called "voxel objects". In this embodiment, the game system 1 stores voxel data for a plurality of voxels set in the game space as data for generating voxel objects in the game space.

[0073] Figure 8 shows an example of a terrain object that is a voxel object. As shown in Figure 8, in this embodiment, terrain objects representing the ground and other terrain are defined by voxel data (i.e., they are voxel objects). Each cube shown in Figure 8 represents a terrain object. Note that in Figure 8, the edges of the terrain objects are shown with thick lines, but these thick lines are added for the purpose of making the drawing easier to read, and in reality, the edges of the terrain objects do not need to be displayed with thick lines.

[0074] The terrain object shown in Figure 8 was generated using a rule such as, "If the parameter included in the voxel data set for a voxel is greater than a predetermined value, a cube is placed at the voxel's position; if it is less than or equal to the predetermined value, nothing is placed at the voxel's position." The terrain object shown in Figure 8 is shown to illustrate the relationship between voxels and voxel objects in an easy-to-understand manner. In this embodiment, voxel objects are actually generated using rules (based on voxel data) that result in complex shapes, such as the terrain object shown in Figure 13, which will be described later. The rules for determining the shape of the voxel object based on the voxel data are arbitrary. In other embodiments, the game system 1 may generate voxel objects as shown in Figure 8 or as shown in Figure 13 based on object data.

[0075] For voxel objects, the shape can be changed by modifying the voxel data of each voxel. Figures 9 and 10 show examples of what the terrain object shown in Figure 8 looks like before and after a portion of it is deleted. That is, when the shaded portion of the terrain object shown in Figure 9 is destroyed, the terrain object changes to the shape shown in Figure 10. At this time, the game system 1 can easily delete the terrain object by rewriting the voxel data of the shaded portion voxel to indicate that the terrain object does not exist. Furthermore, when adding a terrain object, the game system 1 can easily change the shape of the terrain object by modifying the voxel data of each voxel, just as when deleting a terrain object.

[0076] In this way, Game System 1 can freely change the shape of voxel objects by rewriting the voxel data. For example, if a terrain object is destroyed in a game for some reason (for example, when a player character hits the terrain object) and the shape of that terrain object changes as a result, Game System 1 can freely change the shape of the terrain object by changing the voxel data used to generate the terrain object, rather than directly changing the data that represents the external shape of the terrain object (i.e., the mesh described later).

[0077] In this embodiment, voxels are defined throughout the entire game space (i.e., the voxel space in which voxels are defined corresponds to the entire game space). However, the voxel space does not need to be defined throughout the entire game space; it may be defined in a part of the game space. When the voxel space is defined in a part of the game space, the shape of the voxel object is defined by the voxel data relating to the voxels in that voxel space, and the position of the voxel object in the game space is defined by the position of that voxel space in the game space. Furthermore, the game space may have a main voxel space defined throughout the entire game space and a sub-voxel space defined in a part of the game space. In this case, the game system 1 stores voxel data for each voxel space.

[0078] Figure 11 shows an example of voxel data. For each voxel defined in the game space, the voxel data includes density data, a first material ID, a second material ID, material mixing ratio data, and state data. In this embodiment, this data is set for each individual voxel.

[0079] The density data indicates the density, which is an index used to define the shape of the voxel object based on the voxel in question (specifically, the shape defined by the mesh described later). As will be explained in detail later, the position and shape of the surface of the voxel object (i.e., the mesh described later) are determined based on the density described above.

[0080] In this embodiment, density can take the range of an integer value from a lower limit (e.g., 0) to an upper limit (e.g., 255). In this embodiment, the game system 1 determines the surface shape of a voxel object based on density, such that a higher density value for a voxel tends to result in a larger proportion of the volume occupied by the area within the voxel object within that voxel, and a lower density value tends to result in a smaller proportion. Thus, density is an indicator that affects the proportion of the volume occupied by the area within the voxel object within that voxel. Density can also be said to be an indicator that shows the degree to which the space of the voxel is virtually occupied by its contents (i.e., the virtual contents of the voxel object). For example, if the density is 0, the inside of the voxel is empty; if the density is 255, the entire inside of the voxel is the contents of the voxel object; and if the density is a value between 0 and 255, the contents of the voxel object can occupy the inside of the voxel in proportion to the value. Based on the above density, the shape of the mesh, i.e., the surface shape of the voxel object, can be determined. A mesh can be described as the surface of the portion of a voxel that contains content, or as the boundary between the portion of a voxel that contains content and the portion that does not. Furthermore, the volume occupied by a region within a voxel object generated based on the above density does not need to be exactly equal to the volume indicated by the density. For example, the volume of a voxel object generated using a method like that shown in Figure 8 may differ from that generated using a method like that shown in Figure 13, even if both methods are based on the same density.

[0081] In other embodiments, density may represent either a state where the entire region within the voxel is occupied by the volume of the region within the voxel object, or a state where the region within the voxel does not include the volume occupied by the region within the voxel object. For example, density data may only take the values ​​of 0 or 1.

[0082] The first material ID and the second material ID are information indicating the material (in other words, substance) of the voxel. In this embodiment, a voxel may be assigned a material such as sand, rock, or soil. In the game system 1, multiple types of materials are available that can be assigned to a voxel (see the material data shown in Figure 12). In this embodiment, up to two materials from the multiple types of materials available can be assigned to a single voxel. The first material ID is an ID indicating the first material assigned to the voxel, and the second material ID is an ID indicating the second material assigned to the voxel. As will be described in detail later, the material of a voxel object (i.e., the material assigned to the polygon of a voxel object) is determined based on the material assigned to the voxel.

[0083] As described above, in this embodiment, the voxel data includes an ID indicating the material, but in other embodiments, the voxel data may be a data structure that directly includes data indicating the content of the material (i.e., information such as the name, properties, and drawing settings, which will be described later).

[0084] The material mixing ratio data is an example of data that shows the ratio of each material in a given voxel. In this embodiment, since up to two material IDs can be set for one voxel, the material mixing ratio data that shows the ratio of one of the materials, the material indicated by the first material ID and the material indicated by the second material ID, can also represent the ratio of the other material. In this embodiment, the material mixing ratio is a value between 0 and 1 that indicates the proportion of the second material to the whole consisting of the first and second materials. For example, if the material mixing ratio set for a voxel is 0.4, it means that in that voxel, the first material and the second material are composed in a ratio of 0.6:0.4. As will be described in detail later, the appearance and properties of a voxel object are determined based on the material. The material mixing ratio is used to determine the appearance and properties of a voxel object. In other embodiments, the material mixing ratio may be a value that indicates the proportion of the first material. Also, the ratio of materials within a voxel may be represented by separate values ​​that indicate the proportion of each material. In particular, in other embodiments where it is possible to set not just two types of materials but three or more, the ratio within the material voxels will be represented as multiple values ​​that indicate the proportion of each material.

[0085] In this embodiment, it is not necessary for a voxel to have two types of materials assigned to it; it may have only one type of material assigned. For example, if a voxel has only one type of material assigned to it, the first material ID will indicate that material, and the material mixing ratio will be set to 0.

[0086] The status data indicates the state set for the voxel. The specific content and number of types of status data are arbitrary. In this embodiment, the status data includes data indicating the amount of damage set for the voxel. In other embodiments, the status data may include, for example, data indicating whether (and to what extent) the voxel is wet.

[0087] As described above, in this embodiment, the voxel data includes a material ID, so the game system 1 stores material data that defines the content of the material indicated by the material ID. Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of material data. As shown in Figure 12, in the material data of this embodiment, each material is associated with a material ID and information on the name, properties, and rendering settings set for that material.

[0088] The names included in the material data are the names assigned to the material in question (e.g., soil, sand, grass, etc.). During gameplay, the material names of voxel objects may be displayed. To enable this display, the material data includes information about the material's name.

[0089] The properties included in material data are the properties set for that material. Material properties are the properties that the voxel object to which the material is applied possesses in the game. The specific content and number of types of material properties are arbitrary. For example, at least one of the following pieces of information may be set as material properties. Hardness • weight • Slippery • Damage settings when the player character makes contact ·temperature • Can other objects be attached to a voxel object? • The amount of health restored to the player character when the player character destroys or acquires a voxel object. • The amount of in-game currency a player character acquires when they destroy or acquire a voxel object. In other embodiments, information different from that described above may be set as information indicating the properties of the material.

[0090] In this embodiment, the material data includes an ID indicating the properties of the material as information that identifies those properties (see Figure 12). Although not shown, the game system 1 stores property information for each available property, where the content of that property (for example, the weight and slipperiness values ​​mentioned above) is associated with the property ID. By referring to the above property information, the game system 1 can identify the specific content of the properties set for the material.

[0091] The rendering settings included in the material data are information indicating rendering-related settings, such as the texture used to render the voxel object to which the material is set. In this embodiment, the material data includes the ID of the texture used to render the voxel object to which the material is set as rendering setting information (see Figure 12). Although not shown, the game system 1 stores texture information for each prepared texture, associating the texture ID with the texture indicated by that texture ID. By referring to the above texture information, the game system 1 can identify the specific content of the texture set for the material. In other embodiments, in addition to texture information, arbitrary information related to shading settings may be set as rendering setting information. For example, reflectivity and information related to normals may be set.

[0092] Furthermore, the material data may include other data besides the data shown in Figure 12. For example, the material data may include data related to sound settings. For example, the data related to sound settings may be data that defines the footsteps that are output when the player character walks on the voxel object based on the voxel.

[0093] The material data may be in any format that can identify the properties and / or rendering settings of the material. For example, in other embodiments, the material data may have a data structure that directly indicates the properties and / or rendering settings of the material, instead of a data structure that includes a material ID and a texture ID.

[0094] [2-2. Updating Voxel Data] During gameplay, voxel objects are deformed when the aforementioned voxel data is updated. In this embodiment, when a game event that updates a voxel object (hereinafter referred to as an "update event") occurs, the game system 1 updates the voxel data. The specific content of the update event is arbitrary. An update event may be, for example, a character appearing in the game performing an action that deforms a voxel object (for example, a player character punching a voxel object), or an event that deforms a voxel object may occur (for example, an object thrown by a character making contact with a voxel object, or a bomb exploding).

[0095] Figure 13 shows an example of the game space when an update event occurs. The situation shown in Figure 13 is when a player character 201 performs a punch action on a terrain object 202, which is a voxel object. As will be explained in detail later, in the example shown in Figure 13, the voxel data is updated so that the terrain object 202 around the location where the player character 201's punch action hits is erased. This represents the destruction of the terrain object 202 by the player character 201's punch action.

[0096] In this embodiment, when an update event occurs, the game system 1 sets an update range (update range 203 in the example shown in Figure 13) in the game space for updating the voxel object. The position, shape, and size of the update range are arbitrary. The position of the update range may be determined, for example, based on the position where the object related to the update event that occurred (e.g., the player character that made the punch) and the voxel object came into contact. In the example shown in Figure 13, the position of the update range 203 may be determined based on the position where the punch by the player character 201 hit. For example, the center position of the update range 203 may be the position where it hit, or a predetermined distance forward from the position where it hit. The shape and size of the update range may be predetermined to be a shape corresponding to the type of update event. For example, when an update event occurs due to a punch by the player character 201, the shape and size of the update range may be determined as a sphere of a predetermined size, as shown in Figure 13. The size of the update range may also be determined according to a value indicating the degree of influence of the update event that occurred (e.g., the strength of the punch or the size of the explosion).

[0097] Game system 1 changes the density of voxels corresponding to the set update range. Voxels corresponding to the update range are, for example, voxels within the update range or voxels that overlap with the update range. As a result of the density change, the mesh of the voxel object is changed by the process described later, thereby changing the shape of the voxel object (visual shape and shape used for contact detection). In other embodiments, in addition to changing the density of voxels included in the update range, game system 1 may also change the material of the voxel (i.e., the first material, the second material, and the material mixing ratio) or change the state of the voxel.

[0098] In this embodiment, the game system 1 determines whether a voxel is included in the update range using an SDF (Signed Distance Field). The game system 1 sets an SDF that indicates the update range set in the game space and makes the above determination based on the value of the SDF. The SDF represents the distance from a defined shape to any given position with a sign. Figure 14 shows an example of an update range. In the example shown in Figure 14, a spherical update range is set in the game space. For example, in the example shown in Figure 14, the SDF is set such that for positions inside the shape represented by the SDF in the game space, the SDF value is negative, and for positions outside the shape represented by the SDF, the SDF value is positive. In this example, it is possible to determine whether or not a voxel is included in the update range based on whether the SDF value is positive or negative. Furthermore, by using the signed distance value, it is possible to perform not only simple inside / outside determination but also processing such as correction and interpolation.

[0099] The above example describes a change applied to a voxel object where the voxel object within the update range is deformed to appear as if it were deleted. However, the changes that can be applied to a voxel object using the update range are not limited to this. For example, a change may be applied to a voxel object where a new voxel object is added within the update range (i.e., the volume occupied by the area within the voxel object increases by the amount of the update range). Alternatively, a change may be applied to a voxel object where only the material of the voxels within the update range changes, without changing the voxel density. Furthermore, a combination of changes to voxel density and material may be applied.

[0100] [2-3. Calculation of Vertices] When the voxel density is updated as described above, the game system 1 sets vertices based on the updated voxel data. These vertices are those that can become the vertices of the mesh of the voxel object. As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, the above vertices are simplified, and the simplified vertices become the vertices of the mesh of the voxel object.

[0101] Figure 15 shows an example of how vertices are set. In Figures 15 to 24 described below, voxels, vertices, meshes, etc. are represented in 2D for the purpose of making the diagrams easier to see and the explanations easier to understand. However, in reality, vertices and meshes are set in 3D space based on voxels in 3D space. In this embodiment, the game system 1 uses a method to set vertices at coordinates based on the positions and densities of multiple surrounding voxels in areas where voxels with a set density indicating existence (i.e., a density greater than or equal to the reference value described later) and voxels with a set density indicating non-existence (i.e., a density less than the reference value described later) are adjacent. The details of this method will be described below.

[0102] As described above, in this embodiment, the density set for a voxel is set in the range of 0 to 255. A voxel with a density of 0 represents being completely in the air, and a voxel with a density of 255 represents being completely filled. Densities between 0 and 255 are treated interpolatively and used to determine vertices. In this embodiment, voxels with a density greater than or equal to a reference value are virtually treated as being inside the object, and voxels with a density less than the reference value are virtually treated as being outside the object. Alternatively, voxels with a density greater than or equal to a reference value are virtually treated as existing voxels, and voxels with a density less than the reference value are virtually treated as non-existent voxels. It is not necessary to define only voxels with a density of 0 as being outside the object (i.e., the reference value = 1); the reference value can be, for example, 128. In the example shown in Figure 15, the density of voxel 211 and the other outer voxels is set to 0, the density of voxel 212 is set to 100 (below the reference value), and the densities of voxels 213 and 214 are set to 150 and 210 (above the reference value). In this embodiment, the game system 1 generates vertices between voxels with a density above the reference value and voxels with a density below the reference value. Specifically, for each region spanning eight adjacent voxels (four in the diagram) (the region enclosed by dotted lines in the diagram), a decision is made as to whether or not to generate a vertex. In other words, vertices are generated in regions that span both voxels with a density above the reference value and voxels with a density below the reference value. The coordinates of the vertices are determined by comparing the densities of adjacent voxels along the XYZ axes and interpolating based on the density difference. Furthermore, by setting normal information that defines the position and orientation of the straight line connecting the vertices, the coordinates of the vertices can be calculated based on the normal information. Furthermore, normal information may be stored in advance for at least some of the voxels, or if it is not stored, the normal information may be calculated based on the density of adjacent voxels. In Figure 15, since the density of voxel 212 is below the standard value, voxel 212 is treated as outside the object when determining the presence or absence of a vertex, but the density value of voxel 212 itself is used in calculating the coordinates of the generated vertices.If the baseline value is set lower than the density of voxel 212, the result will be an increase in the number of vertices on the upper right and upper left sides of voxel 212 in Figure 15.

[0103] By setting vertices as described above, when generating a mesh connecting each set vertex (or each vertex after the simplification process described later has been applied to each set vertex), it is possible to generate a shape with a volume that reflects the density of each voxel to some extent. However, depending on the relationship with adjacent voxels, it is possible that voxels with a density of 0 may include some areas within the object, or voxels with a density of 255 may include some areas outside the object. Also, in this embodiment, voxels below a certain threshold are treated as being outside the object, so the volume is smaller because there are fewer vertices compared to when they are treated as being inside the object. Thus, it is not necessary to calculate the polygon mesh so that the volume strictly corresponds to the density value.

[0104] [2-4. Determining the material of the vertices] Game system 1 determines the material for each vertex set as described above. The material of a vertex is determined based on the material of the voxels surrounding that vertex. The voxels surrounding a vertex are, for example, the voxels used to determine whether or not to generate that vertex (i.e., voxels that overlap with the "region spanning voxels" described above). In other embodiments, the voxels used to determine the material of a vertex and the voxels used to determine whether or not to generate a vertex do not need to be the same and may be different.

[0105] Figure 16 shows an example of a method for determining the material of a vertex. In the example shown in Figure 16, vertex 219 is set with respect to four voxels 215-218, and these four voxels 215-218 are the "voxels surrounding the vertex" mentioned above. In actual 3D space, the number of voxels surrounding a vertex is eight. Also, in the example shown in Figure 16, voxel 215 is set to have a density of 255, a first material of "sand", and a material mixing ratio of 0 (i.e., first material:second material = 1:0, or the second material does not need to be set). Voxel 216 is set to have a density of 0 (the first and second materials do not need to be set). For voxel 217, the density is set to 204, the first material is "sand", the second material is "grass", and the material mixing ratio is 0.3 (i.e., first material:second material = 0.7:0.3). For voxel 218, the density is set to 153, the first material is "soil", the second material is "grass", and the material mixing ratio is 0.4 (i.e., first material:second material = 0.6:0.4). The coordinates indicating the position of vertex 219 are set to (X,Y)=(0.8,0.6). The coordinate system for these coordinates is one in which the left-right direction in Figure 16 is the X-coordinate and the up-down direction is the Y-coordinate, with the center position of voxel 217, the bottom left of the center positions of voxels 215-218 (positions of the white circles shown in Figure 13), being (0,0).

[0106] When determining the material of a vertex, the game system 1 calculates an evaluation value for each material in the surrounding voxels based on the density of that material and a weight value based on the distance from the voxel to the vertex. First, the weight value is calculated for each voxel, and is calculated so that it becomes larger the closer the distance from the center position of the voxel to the vertex. In this embodiment, when the center position of the voxel is (x1, y1) and the coordinates of the vertex are (x2, y2), the weight value for a given voxel is calculated according to the following equation (1). (Weight value) = |(1-x1)-x2|·|(1-y1)-y2|…(1) In the example shown in Figure 16, the weight values ​​for each voxel 215 to 218 calculated according to equation (1) above are as follows: (Weight value of voxel 215) = |(1-0)-0.8|·|(1-1)-0.6| = 0.12 (Weight value of voxel 216) = |(1-1)-0.8|·|(1-1)-0.6| = 0.48 (Weight value of voxel 217) = |(1-0)-0.8|·|(1-0)-0.6| = 0.08 (Weight value of voxel 218) = |(1-1)-0.8|·|(1-0)-0.6| = 0.32

[0107] Furthermore, game system 1 calculates the material density for each voxel. Here, material density is the value obtained by multiplying the density of the voxel by the proportion of the material set for that voxel that is occupied by that material. In this embodiment, the voxel density is the value normalized from the above values ​​of 0 to 255 to a value of 0 to 1. In the example shown in Figure 16, for voxel 215, the only material set is sand, so the proportion of sand material is 1, and the density of that voxel is 1, so the density of sand material is 1. For voxel 216, the density is 0 and no material is set, so the material density is not calculated. Alternatively, if any material is set, the density of that material is 0. For voxel 217, the set ratios of sand material and grass material are 0.7 and 0.3, respectively, and the density of the voxel is 204 / 255=0.8. Therefore, the density of the sand material is 0.7·0.8=0.56, and the density of the grass material is 0.3·0.8=0.24. For voxel 218, the set ratios of soil material and grass material are 0.6 and 0.4, respectively, and the density of the voxel is 153 / 255=0.6. Therefore, the density of the soil material is 0.6·0.6=0.36, and the density of the soil material is 0.4·0.6=0.24.

[0108] The game system 1 then calculates the above evaluation value for each material based on the weight value and the density of the material. In this embodiment, the evaluation value of a material is the sum of the density of the material calculated for each voxel, weighted according to the weight value for each voxel, for all surrounding voxels. In the example shown in Figure 16, the evaluation value of the sand material is 1·0.12+0.56·0.08=0.1648, since the material density for voxel 215 is 1 and the weight value is 0.12, and the material density for voxel 217 is 0.56 and the weight value is 0.08. Similarly, the evaluation value of the grass material is 0.24·0.08+0.24·0.32=0.096, since the material density for voxel 217 is 0.24 and the weight value is 0.08, and the material density for voxel 218 is 0.24 and the weight value is 0.32. Furthermore, the evaluation value of the soil material is calculated as follows: for 218 voxels, the material density is 0.36 and the weight value is 0.32, so 0.36 * 0.32 = 0.1152.

[0109] Game System 1 determines the vertex material based on the evaluation value of each material. Specifically, a predetermined number of materials are selected as vertex materials in order from those with the highest evaluation values. In this embodiment, the two materials with the highest evaluation values ​​are selected as vertex materials. In the example shown in Figure 16, the evaluation values ​​of the sand, grass, and soil materials are 0.1648, 0.096, and 0.1152, respectively, so the vertex materials are determined to be the sand material and the soil material. Game System 1 also calculates the ratio of the two selected materials based on the evaluation values. In this embodiment, the ratio of the two materials may be expressed as a second material ratio, which is the proportion of the second material to the whole, similar to the material mixing ratio described above. In the example shown in Figure 16, for example, if the first material is soil and the second material is sand, the second material ratio is shown as 0.1648 / (0.1648+0.1152)≈0.59. In other embodiments, the value representing the ratio of the two materials may be a value indicating the proportion of the first material. Alternatively, separate values ​​representing the proportion of each material may be used.

[0110] In this embodiment, the game system 1 generates and stores vertex data indicating the position of a vertex, the material IDs of the first and second materials set on the vertex, and the ratio of the materials. However, the method for managing the materials set on the vertices is arbitrary. In other embodiments, the vertex data may be a data structure that includes data that directly indicates the contents of the first and second materials.

[0111] As described above, in this embodiment, for each vertex, the game system 1 calculates a priority parameter (e.g., an evaluation value) for each material ID contained in the voxel data of the surrounding voxels, based on the voxel data. Then, based on the priority parameter, it selects up to a predetermined number (in this case, 2) of the highest priority material IDs and determines them as the material IDs for the vertex. Note that the specific parameters used as priority parameters are not limited to the evaluation value described above. For example, in other embodiments, an evaluation value calculated using the density of the material may be used as the priority parameter instead of using the weight value described above.

[0112] In this embodiment, the evaluation value, which is an example of a priority parameter, is calculated based on the density of multiple voxels surrounding the vertex, so that the priority of the material set on the denser voxels is increased (i.e., the evaluation value of the material increases, making it more likely to be selected). This allows the material of a vertex to be determined in accordance with the density set on the voxels.

[0113] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the evaluation value, which is an example of a priority parameter, is calculated based on the distance from the reference position (specifically, the center position) of multiple voxels surrounding the vertex to the vertex in question, so that the priority of the material set on the voxel closest to the vertex is increased. This makes it possible to determine the material of a vertex by reflecting the distance between the voxel and the vertex.

[0114] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the evaluation value, which is an example of a priority parameter, can be said to be calculated based on the material mixing ratio of multiple voxels surrounding the vertex, so that materials with a higher material mixing ratio have a higher priority. According to this, when multiple materials are set for a single voxel, the material of the vertex can be determined by reflecting the ratio of each material.

[0115] [2-5. Simplification of Vertices] In this embodiment, the game system 1 simplifies each vertex calculated as described above. Specifically, the game system 1 reduces the number of vertices by replacing some of the vertices calculated as described above with a single vertex. As will be described in detail later, the coordinates (i.e., position) and material of the replaced vertices are set based on the multiple vertices before replacement. This simplification reduces the number of vertices and polygons that make up the mesh of the voxel object, thereby reducing the amount of memory used for processing and reducing the processing load.

[0116] In this embodiment, the game system 1 simplifies by representing each vertex using SVO (Sparse Voxel Octree). Figure 17 shows an example of vertex simplification. In Figure 17, one square shown by the solid line in Figure 17(a) represents one vertex partition region. Here, a vertex partition region is a square region with the center position of the voxel as its vertex (in actual 3D space, a vertex partition region is a cube or a cuboid), and is the region with the dotted lines as its edges in Figures 15 and 16 described above. Also, in Figure 17, a vertex partition region with the letter "v" inside indicates a vertex partition region where a vertex is set.

[0117] In this embodiment, the game system 1 determines whether simplification is possible for vertices within a predetermined number of adjacent vertex division regions (four in Figure 17, eight in actual 3D space). If it is determined that simplification is possible, simplification is performed for the vertices within that predetermined number of vertex division regions.

[0118] Figure 17(a) shows the state before simplification. In the example shown in Figure 17, it is assumed that the vertex division regions within the area enclosed by the dotted line are determined to be simplifiable. At this time, the game system 1 performs simplification so that the vertices in each of the predetermined number of vertex division regions determined to be simplifiable are replaced with a single vertex (see Figure 17(b)). As a result, the vertices in the predetermined number of vertex division regions are simplified to a single vertex.

[0119] In this embodiment, the game system 1 performs simplification in multiple stages. The number of stages is arbitrary, but Figure 17 illustrates and explains up to the second stage. Figure 17(b) shows the state after the first stage of simplification, and Figure 17(c) shows the state after the second stage of simplification. In the second stage of simplification, it is determined whether or not simplification is possible for the vertices that were created by the first stage of simplification. In the example shown in Figure 17, it is determined that simplification is possible for the vertex division region enclosed by the dotted line in Figure 17(b), and as a result, the vertices in that vertex division region are simplified, resulting in the state shown in Figure 17(c). Note that the criteria for determining whether or not simplification is possible in the first stage and the criteria for determining whether or not simplification is possible in the second stage may be the same or different.

[0120] The specific method for determining whether simplification is possible is arbitrary. In this embodiment, the conditions used for the above determination are a condition relating to the shape of the voxel object and a condition relating to the material. In this embodiment, if both the condition relating to the shape of the voxel object and the condition relating to the material are satisfied, it is determined that simplification is possible, and if at least one of the conditions relating to the shape of the voxel object and the condition relating to the material is not satisfied, it is determined that simplification is not possible.

[0121] The shape-related condition is, for example, that the shape of each vertex before simplification does not change significantly from the shape of each vertex after simplification. For example, whether or not the shape of each vertex changes significantly before and after simplification can be determined by calculating an index that shows the error between the mesh before simplification and the mesh after simplification, and determining whether or not this index is below a predetermined tolerance value. Also, for example, if the shape of each vertex before simplification is hollow, but the shape of each vertex after simplification is not hollow (i.e., the information that it is hollow is lost due to simplification), the shape-related condition is determined not to be met. Whether or not the above case occurs can be determined, for example, based on the density of each voxel corresponding to the vertex division region to be judged. Also, for example, if the shape of each vertex before simplification is a shape that can only be represented by two or more vertices and cannot be represented by one vertex, the shape-related condition is determined not to be met. The same conditions as in conventional methods using SVO may be used for the shape-related conditions of the voxel object.

[0122] Furthermore, as a condition regarding materials, in this embodiment, a condition is used regarding the number of material types set for each vertex within the predetermined number of vertex division areas that are subject to simplification. Figure 18 is a diagram showing an example of a material condition. Figure 18(a) shows the case where the materials of vertices 221 to 224 are (grass), (grass), (grass and soil), and (grass and soil), respectively, and Figure 18(b) shows the case where the materials of vertices 221 to 224 are (grass and sand), (grass), (grass and soil), and (grass and soil), respectively. In this embodiment, the material condition is that the total number of material types set for each of the above vertices subject to simplification is less than or equal to a predetermined number. For example, the material condition is that it is less than or equal to the number of materials that can be set for one vertex. In this embodiment, the predetermined number is 2. For example, in the case of Figure 18(a), the total number of material types set for each of the vertices 221 to 224 subject to simplification is 2 types, grass and soil, so the material condition is satisfied. In this case, provided that the above-mentioned conditions regarding the shape of the object are met, each vertex 221-224 is determined to be simplifiable. On the other hand, in the case shown in Figure 18 (b), the total number of material types that can be set for each vertex 221-224 that is subject to simplification is three types: grass, soil, and sand, so the material conditions are not met. In this case, regardless of whether the above-mentioned conditions regarding the shape of the object are met or not, each vertex 221-224 is determined to be unsimplifiable.

[0123] In addition, in Game System 1, even if materials are strictly classified as different types, multiple types of materials may be provided that have the same set properties but different appearances. Some of these multiple types of materials may be treated as the same type when determining the conditions related to materials. For example, regarding soil materials, there may be multiple types of soil materials that have the same properties but similar appearances (e.g., texture color and pattern). In such cases, Game System 1 may treat these multiple types of soil materials as the same type when determining the conditions related to materials.

[0124] In this embodiment, similar to voxels, up to two types of materials can be set for vertices. However, in this embodiment, if the total number of material types set for each vertex subject to simplification is three or more, simplification will not be performed. That is, if the total number of material types exceeds the number of materials that can be set for a single vertex, simplification will not be performed. Therefore, even if the number of vertices is reduced through simplification, the material information set for the vertices will not be lost due to the simplification, and the material information can be maintained.

[0125] In this embodiment, the material of the simplified vertex is determined based on the material of each vertex before simplification. Specifically, the game system 1 sets one or two types of materials set for the vertex before simplification as the first material and second material of the simplified vertex. This allows the material information to be maintained. The ratio of the simplified materials is determined based on the ratio of the materials of each vertex before simplification. In this embodiment, the ratio of the simplified materials is calculated in the same way as the method for calculating the ratio of each vertex's material using the evaluation value described above. That is, the game system 1 calculates a weight value based on the distance between the simplified vertex and the vertex before simplification, and calculates an evaluation value for each material based on this weight value and the density of the material at the vertex before simplification (the evaluation value of the material described in [2-4. Determination of Vertex Materials] above can be used as the density of the material here). Then, the ratio of the materials is calculated based on the calculated evaluation value of each material.

[0126] [2-6. Mesh Generation] In this embodiment, a mesh of a voxel object is generated based on each vertex that has been simplified as described above. Figure 19 shows an example of a mesh generated based on each vertex. The squares shown in Figure 19 represent the vertex division regions described above, or vertex division regions that have been combined into one through simplification. As shown in Figure 19, the game system 1 generates a mesh in which the vertex division regions are polygons whose sides are straight lines connecting adjacent vertices. Each polygon that makes up the mesh is either a triangle or a quadrilateral.

[0127] In this embodiment, the game system 1 generates two types of meshes: a display mesh and a collision detection mesh. The display mesh is used for displaying voxel objects. The collision detection mesh is used for collision detection of voxel objects. As will be described in detail later, by using the above two types of meshes, the game system 1 can process using meshes suitable for displaying voxel objects and collision detection, respectively.

[0128] In this embodiment, the game system 1 generates the display mesh and the judgment mesh based on the SVO data described above (i.e., based on each simplified vertex). This allows for improved processing efficiency by sharing the vertex data used to generate the two types of meshes. In other embodiments, the game system 1 may not need to simplify the vertices and may generate the display mesh and / or judgment mesh based on the unsimplified vertices.

[0129] In this embodiment, the game system 1 generates a judgment mesh with a simpler shape than the display mesh. Specifically, the game system 1 ensures that the number of vertices in the judgment mesh is less than the number of vertices in the display mesh. In this embodiment, the SVO data is data that holds the data of the vertices before simplification and the data of the simplified vertices in an octree structure, but also includes data used to determine whether simplification is possible or not. This data includes, for example, data of vertices calculated as candidates for the simplified vertices (referred to as provisional vertices), and the above-mentioned index data that indicates the error between the vertices before simplification and the provisional vertices. For example, the game system 1 may use vertices from the provisional vertices whose index is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold (this threshold shall be greater than the above-mentioned tolerance value) for generating the judgment mesh. This makes it possible to reduce the number of vertices in the judgment mesh to less than the number of vertices in the display mesh. By reducing the number of vertices in the judgment mesh to less than the number of vertices in the display mesh, the processing load due to collision detection can be reduced. Furthermore, since the number of vertices in the display mesh is not excessively reduced, the appearance of voxel objects can be represented in detail.

[0130] In other embodiments, the display mesh and the judgment mesh may be generated based on the same data or on different data. Furthermore, the display mesh and the judgment mesh may have the same shape (however, even in this case, the materials set for them may be different). Also, the number of vertices in the judgment mesh may be the same as the number of vertices in the display mesh, or it may be greater than the number of vertices in the display mesh.

[0131] [2-6-1. Determining the material for the display mesh] Next, an example of a method for determining the material and appearance of the display mesh will be described. In this embodiment, the game system 1 determines a material for each polygon that makes up the display mesh. As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, the polygons corresponding to the above polygons are drawn using up to two types of textures corresponding to up to two types of materials. Therefore, the game system 1 ensures that, for each polygon that makes up the mesh, the number of materials set for one polygon is ultimately two or less. In other embodiments, three or more types of materials may be set. For example, in embodiments where there are three or more types of materials for voxels and three or more types of materials for vertices, the same number of materials may be set for each polygon.

[0132] In this embodiment, quadrilaterals may be formed as polygons constituting the display mesh (see Figure 19). When determining the material of the display mesh, the game system 1 first divides the quadrilateral constituting the display mesh into two triangles under certain conditions. The process of dividing a quadrilateral into two triangles will be described below with reference to Figure 20.

[0133] Figure 20 shows an example of a quadrilateral that makes up a mesh being divided into two triangles. Figure 20(a) shows the quadrilateral before division, which is formed by vertices 231-234, which are part of the mesh vertices, and Figure 20(b) shows the two triangles obtained by dividing the quadrilateral. In the example shown in Figure 20, the materials set for vertices 231-234 are grass, soil, sand and grass, and grass, respectively.

[0134] In this embodiment, the game system 1 determines whether the division condition is met if the total number of material types set at each vertex of the quadrilateral is three or more. In this embodiment, the division condition is that by dividing the quadrilateral into two triangles, the total number of material types set at each vertex of the triangles can be reduced to two or less. If the division condition is met, the game system 1 divides the quadrilateral into two triangles, where the total number of material types set at each vertex is two or less. In the example shown in Figure 20, the materials set at each vertex 231-234 forming the quadrilateral are three types: grass, soil, and sand. Furthermore, if the quadrilateral is divided into a triangle formed by vertices 231, 232, and 234, and a triangle formed by vertices 231, 233, and 234, the materials set at each vertex of the former triangle will be two types: sand and grass, and the materials set at each vertex of the latter triangle will be two types: grass and soil (see Figure 20(b)). Therefore, since the division condition is met for the above quadrilateral, game system 1 divides the quadrilateral into two triangles.

[0135] Since there are two ways to divide a quadrilateral into two triangles, Game System 1 performs the above division using the method that satisfies the division condition if the division condition is satisfied for any triangle divided using at least one of the two methods. On the other hand, if the division condition is not satisfied for any triangle divided using either of the two methods, the division is performed using either method.

[0136] By performing the division as described above, game system 1 can generate two triangles, each with two or fewer materials assigned to each vertex, while minimizing the loss of information from the three or more materials assigned to each vertex of the quadrilateral. Here, as described above, each polygon constituting the mesh is rendered using up to two textures. Therefore, by performing the division described above, game system 1 can render polygons using two textures while minimizing the loss of information from the materials assigned to each vertex.

[0137] In this embodiment, the game system 1 sets polygons corresponding to the polygons after the above division has been performed. That is, the vertices of the polygons after the above division have been performed become the vertices of the polygons of the display mesh.

[0138] In this embodiment, the game system 1 determines the material of each polygon constituting the display mesh by selecting two materials if there are a total of three or more materials that can be set for each vertex of a single polygon. Figure 21 is a diagram showing an example of a method for determining the material of polygons constituting the display mesh. In the example shown in Figure 21, for vertex 241 of the triangular polygon constituting the display mesh, the first material is set to "grass", the second material to "soil", and the material ratio of the first material to the second material is set to 0.8:0.2. For vertex 242 of the same polygon, the first material is set to "grass", the second material to "sand", and the material ratio of the first material to the second material is set to 0.5:0.5. For vertex 243 of the same polygon, the first material is set to "sand", the second material to "soil", and the material ratio of the first material to the second material is set to 0.7:0.3.

[0139] If there are three or more different materials assigned to each vertex of a polygon, Game System 1 calculates a judgment value for each material. The judgment value is calculated as the sum of the ratios of each vertex to which that material is assigned. Then, Game System 1 selects the two materials with the largest judgment values ​​as the materials for that polygon. In the example shown in Figure 21, the judgment value for the grass material is 0.8 + 0.5 = 1.3, the judgment value for the sand material is 0.5 + 0.7 = 1.2, and the judgment value for the soil material is 0.2 + 0.3 = 0.5. Therefore, the materials selected for the polygon shown in Figure 21 are the grass and sand materials (see (a) in Figure 21).

[0140] The specific method for selecting the material of the polygons in the display mesh is arbitrary. In other embodiments, the material of the polygons in the display mesh may be selected by any method based on the information set at the vertices of the polygons. For example, the material of a polygon in the display mesh may be selected by identifying the material with the largest ratio at each vertex, and then selecting the material with the largest number of identified materials for each vertex as the material of that polygon.

[0141] In this embodiment, the material of the selected polygon is indicated by the material set on each vertex of the polygon. That is, when a polygon material is selected, the game system 1 changes the material set on each vertex of the polygon (i.e., the material ID included in the vertex data) to the selected material. In the example shown in Figure 21, vertices 241 and 243 are set to grass and soil and sand and soil materials, respectively, before the polygon material is selected (see Figure 21(a)). When the grass and sand material is selected as the polygon material as described above, the materials set on each vertex 241 and 243 are changed to grass and sand (see Figure 21(b)). Note that for vertex 242, the material set before selection is the same as the material of the selected polygon, so the material is not changed. As described above, when two types of materials are selected as the polygon material, the information of the third and subsequent types of materials set on each vertex of the polygon is deleted.

[0142] Furthermore, Game System 1 changes the ratio of materials set on a vertex in response to changes in the materials set on that vertex. For example, for vertex 241, the content changes from having a first material of grass and a second material of soil to having a first material of grass and a second material of sand. Here, since the proportion of sand material is 0, the material ratio of first material:second material = 1:0. In this way, the above changes formally modify the material of each vertex in order to represent the material of the polygon by the material of each vertex of that polygon.

[0143] As described above, the only material assigned to each vertex of a single polygon will be the material corresponding to the texture used for rendering, as described later. This makes it easier to perform rendering processes using textures.

[0144] It should be noted that the above changes may result in all materials being changed for a given vertex (i.e., no materials before and after the change match). For example, this might occur if the material set for a vertex before the change was soil, and the materials selected for the polygon are grass and sand. In such cases, the material ratio for that vertex may be set based on the material ratios for the other vertices of the polygon. For example, in the above example, if the first material set for one of the other vertices of the triangle polygon is grass with a material ratio of grass:sand = 1:0, and the material set for the other vertex is sand with a material ratio of sand:grass = 1:0, then the material ratio for that vertex may be set to grass:sand = 0.5:0.5. Game system 1 may also determine the material ratio for that vertex by considering the distance between that vertex and the other vertices (for example, based on a weight value that increases as the distance decreases).

[0145] As described above, in this embodiment, the game system 1 selects up to a predetermined number (in this case, 2) of material IDs set on the vertices included in each polygon (i.e., material IDs set on the vertices of the polygon corresponding to the polygon) and determines them as the material IDs for that polygon. This allows the game system 1 to reflect the materials set on the vertices in the appearance of the polygon while reducing the number of textures used during rendering.

[0146] In this embodiment, the game system 1 determines the polygon's material if the number of materials for all vertices constituting the polygon is less than or equal to the predetermined number, and if the number of materials exceeds the predetermined number, it selects a predetermined number of materials with high priority based on the priority parameter of each vertex (specifically, based on the determination value calculated based on the evaluation value described above) and determines them to be the polygon's material. This ensures that even if the total number of materials set for each vertex exceeds the predetermined number, the polygon's material can be set to a predetermined number or less, taking priority into consideration.

[0147] As described above, in this embodiment, the first and second materials set for each vertex of a polygon are changed so that there are two types of materials set for that polygon. However, when such a change is made, there is a possibility that inconsistencies may occur in the first and second materials set for vertices shared by two adjacent polygons.

[0148] Figure 22 shows an example of the materials that can be set for each vertex of two adjacent polygons. Figure 22 shows the state in which two polygons are formed by the vertices 231-234 shown in Figure 20 (Figure 20(b)). In the example shown in Figure 22, the material of the first polygon formed by vertices 231, 233, and 234 is determined to be grass and sand, so the first and second materials of these vertices should be set to grass and sand, respectively. On the other hand, the material of the second polygon formed by vertices 231, 232, and 234 is determined to be grass and soil, so the first and second materials of these vertices should be set to grass and soil, respectively. Therefore, in the example shown in Figure 22, there is a discrepancy in the materials that should be set for vertices 231 and 234, which are shared by the two polygons.

[0149] Therefore, in this embodiment, if there is a discrepancy in the materials to be set for vertices shared by two polygons, the game system 1 adds another vertex at the same position with respect to that vertex. Figure 22(b) shows an example where vertex 231' is added for vertex 231 and vertex 234' is added for vertex 234. In the example in Figure 22, the game system 1 sets the first and second materials for vertices 231 and 234 as grass and sand, respectively, according to the material of the first polygon. Also, for vertices 231' and 234', the first and second materials are set as grass and soil, respectively, according to the material of the second polygon. In this way, by formally setting two vertices as vertices shared by two polygons (i.e., generating two vertex data with the same position but different materials), it is possible to suppress discrepancies in the materials set for vertices.

[0150] Game System 1 generates a display mesh consisting of polygons whose vertices and materials have been determined as described above. Game System 1 also renders voxel objects by drawing polygons based on the material information set for each vertex (i.e., the first material and the second material).

[0151] Figure 23 shows an example of applying a texture to a polygon. Figure 23 shows a triangular polygon formed by vertices 241-243, as shown in Figure 21. The material applied to vertices 241-243 is the same as shown in Figure 21(b).

[0152] The positions of polygon vertices are rendered by mapping, which blends the textures of the first and second materials set for each vertex using the ratio of the materials set for that vertex (i.e., this ratio as the blending ratio). The textures of the first and second materials used for rendering are the textures indicated by the rendering settings information associated with each material ID associated with the data of the vertex in the material data described above (see Figure 12). In the example shown in Figure 23, the position of vertex 241 has a material ratio of grass:sand = 1:0, so rendering is performed using only the grass texture. Similarly, the position of vertex 243 has a material ratio of sand:grass = 1:0 for the first material, so rendering is performed using only the sand texture. Furthermore, the position of vertex 242 has a material ratio of grass:sand = 0.5:0.5 for the first material and sand for the second material, so rendering is performed by blending the grass texture and the sand texture with a blending ratio of 0.5:0.5.

[0153] Furthermore, for positions other than polygon vertices, Game System 1 determines the blend ratio by interpolating the blend ratio at each vertex. Then, rendering is performed by mapping, which blends the textures of the two materials set for each vertex based on the interpolated blend ratio. Note that the specific interpolation method is arbitrary. As an example, the blend ratio between vertices is linearly interpolated. In Figure 23, positions where the grass material texture is applied at a high ratio are shown in white, and positions where the sand material texture is applied at a high ratio are shown in black. In the example shown in Figure 23, the grass texture is applied at vertex 241, the blend ratio of the sand texture increases as you move towards vertex 243, the blend ratio of grass and sand becomes 1:1 at vertex 242, and only the sand texture is applied at vertex 243. In this way, by blending the two textures set for a polygon (i.e., set for each vertex of the polygon) at a blend ratio corresponding to the ratio of materials and rendering them, the appearance at the boundary between different materials in the display mesh can be made natural. This makes the appearance of a display mesh with multiple types of materials set to it look natural.

[0154] [2-6-2. Determining the material of the mesh used for judgment] Next, an example of a method for determining the material of the detection mesh will be described. As will be explained in detail later, in this embodiment, collision detection of voxel objects is performed using the detection mesh, and processing may be performed according to the material of the voxel object that has been detected as having a collision. Therefore, in this embodiment, the material of the detection mesh is also determined.

[0155] In this embodiment, the game system 1 ensures that for each polygon constituting the judgment mesh, only one type of material is assigned to each polygon. Specifically, the game system 1 determines the material assigned to a polygon of the judgment mesh based on the material information assigned to the vertices of that polygon (i.e., the first and second materials and the material ratio information).

[0156] Figure 24 shows an example of a method for determining the material of the polygons that make up the judgment mesh. Figure 24 shows an example of determining the material for the triangular polygon formed by each vertex 241-243 shown in Figure 21. The material set for each vertex 241-243 is as shown in (a) of Figure 21.

[0157] When determining the material of a polygon, the game system 1 calculates a determination value for each material set for each vertex of the polygon. In this embodiment, the method for calculating the determination value is the same as the method for calculating the determination value used to select the material set for the polygons of the display mesh. The specific method for calculating the determination value is arbitrary. In other embodiments, the determination value may be calculated by any method based on the information set for the vertices of the polygons of the determination mesh.

[0158] In the example shown in Figure 24, the judgment values ​​for each material are the same as in Figure 21 above: the judgment value for grass material is 1.3, the judgment value for sand material is 1.2, and the judgment value for soil material is 0.5. Therefore, the grass material is selected as the material for the polygon shown in Figure 24.

[0159] As described above, in this embodiment, the game system 1, for each polygon, selects up to a predetermined number (here, 1) of material IDs from the material IDs set at the vertices included in the polygon (i.e., material IDs set at the vertices of the polygon corresponding to the polygon) and determines them as the material IDs for that polygon. This allows the game system 1 to keep the number of materials set on the judgment mesh below a predetermined number. This makes it possible to suppress the complexity of processing according to the type of material, which is performed according to the result of collision judgment using the judgment mesh. Note that the method for determining the material of the polygons of the judgment mesh is arbitrary and is not limited to the above. In other embodiments, the material of the polygons of the judgment mesh may be determined by any method based on the information set at the vertices of the polygon.

[0160] Furthermore, in this embodiment, up to two types of materials can be set for the polygons of the display mesh, while only one type of material can be set for the polygons of the detection mesh. This allows for a natural appearance using two types of textures for the polygons of the display mesh, and reduces the complexity of the processing performed on the detection mesh in response to the collision detection results. In other embodiments, the types of materials that can be set for the polygons of the display mesh and the detection mesh are arbitrary. The number of materials that can be set for the polygons of the display mesh and the number of materials that can be set for the polygons of the detection mesh may both be multiple, the same, or different.

[0161] In this embodiment, the number of material types set for a single voxel is limited to two, and the number of material types set for a single polygon in the display mesh is also limited to two. This allows the material information set in the voxel data to be reflected in the material of the display mesh while keeping the amount of data in the voxel data down. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the number of material types set for vertices that are set based on the voxel data is also limited to two (see Figure 16). This allows two types of materials to be set for vertices generated during the process of obtaining the display mesh from the voxel data, so that the material information set in the voxel data is reflected in the display mesh without any loss of material information during the process.

[0162] In other embodiments, the game system 1 may set different materials for vertices used to generate the display mesh and vertices used to generate the judgment mesh, with respect to the vertices set based on the voxel data. For example, the game system 1 may set up to two types of materials for vertices used to generate the display mesh, as described above, and set one type of material for vertices used to generate the judgment mesh. Then, for the polygons of the display mesh, two types of materials may be set in the same way as described above, and for the polygons of the judgment mesh, one type of material may be set based on one type of material set for each vertex of the polygon. When one type of material is set for vertices used to generate the judgment mesh, the material with the largest judgment value calculated for each material may be set as the material for that vertex. In the above, as in this embodiment, the number of types of materials set for one polygon in the display mesh can be limited to two, and the number of types of materials set for one polygon in the judgment mesh can be limited to one. Therefore, the material information set in the voxel data can be reflected in the display mesh, and the complexity of the processing performed according to the result of collision judgment using the judgment mesh can be suppressed.

[0163] As described above, in this embodiment, a display mesh and a detection mesh may be set for a single voxel object. However, depending on the game situation, it is not necessary for both a display mesh and a detection mesh to be set for a single voxel object simultaneously (for example, it is not necessary for both to be set in the processing of one frame). For example, the detection mesh may be generated in the range where collision detection is performed within the game space, and not generated in the range where collision detection is not performed. As an example, the game system 1 may generate a detection mesh for voxel objects within a predetermined range centered on the player character, and not generate a detection mesh for voxel objects outside that predetermined range, but only generate a display mesh.

[0164] Furthermore, the game system 1 may store data related to the generated mesh in memory for display meshes, and in frames after the mesh has been generated, use this data without re-executing the mesh generation process, except for the updated range. This reduces the processing load required to generate display meshes. Also, for collision detection meshes, the data related to the generated mesh may not be stored in memory, and meshes may be generated sequentially as needed (for example, whenever collision detection is required). This saves memory space used for mesh generation.

[0165] The above describes a method for generating each mesh (i.e., the display mesh and the judgment mesh) based on the modified voxel data when the voxel data is changed from its initial state. This method can also be used, for example, at the start of a game when generating each mesh based on the initial voxel data. However, the meshes based on the initial voxel data do not necessarily need to be generated based on the initial voxel data at the start of the game; they may be prepared in advance before the game starts.

[0166] In other embodiments, only one of the display mesh and the judgment mesh described above may be set (i.e., the same mesh may be used for both display and judgment). In this case, the display mesh may be used as both the display mesh and the judgment mesh, or the judgment mesh may be used as both the display mesh and the judgment mesh. When the judgment mesh and the display mesh are set separately, appropriate meshes can be used according to their respective purposes, whereas when drawing and collision judgment are shared on the same mesh, the processing load for setting the mesh can be reduced.

[0167] [2-7. Player Character Return Movement Control Processing] Next, referring to Figures 25 to 32, we will explain an example of the process for controlling the return movement of the player character. In the following, we will assume that terrain objects such as the ground and walls are voxel objects, and we will explain an example in which an in-game effect occurs as a result of the player character performing an action and collision detection being performed.

[0168] The above-mentioned "in-game action" refers to any change that occurs in the game, such as a change caused by "processing that reflects the results of contact between objects." The "in-game action" only needs to be based on collision detection between a detection mesh and a detection shape corresponding to the object to be detected based on game processing (for example, a detection area set on an object such as a player character), and the above action may occur on the object corresponding to the detection mesh, or on the object corresponding to the object to be detected. The content of the "in-game action" may be associated with the material set on the polygon that was detected as a collision in the collision detection that causes the action to occur (i.e., the content of the action may be determined by the material).

[0169] Figures 25 to 27 are examples of game images illustrating a series of events in which a player character 201, moving across terrain objects, enters a restricted area in the game space, and then returns to its starting position using a recovery item.

[0170] As shown in the upper part of Figure 25, the game system 1 can control the movement of the player character 201 based on user input at a position on the terrain object in the game space. In the example shown in the upper part of Figure 25, the material of the polygons of the hit detection mesh of the terrain object 251, which is the ground, is set to "rock". The player character 201 is moving on a terrace surface as an example of the terrain of the terrain object 251, and a cliff with a cliff wall (side) 251a is formed in the direction of the player character 201's movement.

[0171] In the example shown in the upper diagram of Figure 25, the game system 1 performs collision detection between the terrain object 251 and the player character 201 using a detection mesh. That is, it performs collision detection to determine whether the detection mesh of the terrain object 251 and the detection shape set for the player character (for example, a predetermined shape area set based on the player character's position) come into contact. If a collision is detected between the polygon whose material is rock and the player character 201, the player character 201 is controlled so that it cannot enter the inside of the polygon as a process to generate an action in the game. Therefore, the player character 201 can stand on or walk on the polygon of the terrain object 251. In this embodiment, the player character 201 can change (for example, deform) the terrain object 251, so for example, it can destroy and erase a part of the terrain object 251.

[0172] Furthermore, the content of the processing performed when a collision between a voxel object and the player character 201 is detected is arbitrary. For example, the above processing may include reducing the player character 201's health based on the impact when the collision is detected, outputting the player character 201's footsteps, or displaying an effect (for example, an effect representing dust or splashes of water) at the point of contact. In this case, the game system 1 can vary the amount of health reduction, the sound of footsteps, or the effects depending on the type of material set on the polygon of the part of the voxel object that made contact.

[0173] For example, if player character 201 falls from a cliff as illustrated in the lower diagram of Figure 25, a collision with the ground below the cliff is detected, and the player character 201's health is reduced based on the impact caused by the difference in height between the terrace surface and the ground below the cliff, as well as the material of the ground. Also, as illustrated in the upper diagram of Figure 26, if the area below the cliff is a restricted area such as an inescapable abyss, player character 201 that has entered the restricted area will not be able to return to the game space, regardless of the difference in height between the terrace surface and the restricted area, and will be subject to a game over or restart.

[0174] In this embodiment, if the player character 201 has stored a predetermined number or more (for example, 1 or more) of recovery items that allow the player character 201 to return to the game space, the player character 201 can return to the game space and continue playing even if they enter the restricted area. The recovery items are consumed in predetermined numbers (for example, 1) depending on the player character 201's movement to return to the game space. Here, the recovery items may be temporarily stored in the player character 201 by picking them up from the game space, or they may be newly stored in the player character 201 when a predetermined event occurs. The state in which the player character 201 temporarily stores recovery items is a state in which the player character 201 can carry the recovery items without equipping or holding them. In this case, the stored recovery items will not be displayed in the game space. Stored recovery items can basically be taken out by the player character 201 in appropriate situations and placed in the game space or used (including equipping and holding). In this embodiment, the player character 201 stores the recovery item by placing it in a storage device (for example, a pouch or item box) that it wears. Such a storage device does not need to be displayed. Alternatively, such a storage device may not exist, and only the function of storing the recovery item may be present. Furthermore, the recovery item may not be stored by the player character 201, but may be owned by the user operating the player character 201, and even if the user owns the item, the player character 201 operated by that user may still enable the recovery.

[0175] As shown in the lower diagram of Figure 26, when a player character 201 enters the restricted area while a predetermined number of recovery items are stored, it is determined that the conditions for returning to the recovery position in the game space by moving the player character 201 have been met. Then, the movement control of the player character 201 based on the user's input is interrupted, and by using and consuming a predetermined number of recovery items 202, the player character 201 can escape the restricted area. For example, the recovery item 202 is a virtual object that resembles a balloon or bubble, and by lifting the player character 201 and flying through the air in the game space, the player character 201 is moved and allowed to escape the restricted area. As an example, when a part of the player character 201 comes into contact with the restricted area, the game system 1 interrupts the movement control based on the user's input, makes recovery items 202 appear in the game space, and starts movement control to return the player character 201 to the recovery position. Furthermore, if player character 201 does not have a predetermined number of the above-mentioned recovery items stored, player character 201 who falls into the above-mentioned restricted area will not be able to return to the game space and will be subject to a process such as restarting the game or a game over. For example, player character 201 who falls into the above-mentioned restricted area will lose a predetermined amount of in-game currency and game items, and will be returned to a pre-set game start point or a designated checkpoint to restart the game, or it will be a game over and player character 201 will be returned to the initial state of the game.

[0176] As shown in the upper and lower diagrams of Figure 27, the game system 1 moves the player character 201 back to a recovery position set in the game space, and resumes movement control based on user input. For example, the recovery item 202 moves the player character 201 back to a position where it touches the ground at the recovery position (see the upper diagram of Figure 27). When the player character 201 is in contact with the recovery position, the recovery item 202 is either moved away from the player character 201 and outside the display range of the game space or is removed from the game space and consumed.

[0177] Thus, in this embodiment, when the position of the player character 201 falls within the restricted area in the game space, the movement control based on the user's input is interrupted, the character is moved back to the recovery position, and then the movement control based on the user's input is resumed. The movement back to the recovery position is possible only if a predetermined number or more recovery items remain that are consumed in accordance with the movement that recovers the player character 201.

[0178] Next, an example of setting the above-mentioned return position will be described. In this embodiment, multiple candidate positions are sequentially set based on the status of the player character 201 in the game space, and when predetermined conditions are met by the movement of the player character 201, the above-mentioned return position is determined from the multiple candidate positions.

[0179] In this embodiment, the position where the player character 201 was in contact with the ground or wall immediately before is stored as a history, and candidate positions are set that include at least several positions included in the history. For example, as shown in Figure 28, when the player character 201 is standing on terrain in the game space, a history of positions corresponding to the movement of the player character 201 is stored. Here, "standing on terrain" means that the player character 201 is being detected as colliding with the upper surface of the detection mesh of the terrain object 251.

[0180] For example, game system 1 performs collision detection between player character 201 and the ground for each entry in the player character 201's movement history on the terrain. If the entry in the collision detection is a suitable candidate location as described later, the system stores that entry. Here, suitable candidate locations on the ground exclude, for example, the following: • Ground position that moves according to the game's progress • The material of the detection mesh at ground level is a material that is damaged or destroyed when touched by other objects. • Ground areas that are erased when certain conditions are met, or other ground locations that are unsuitable as recovery positions. • Positions where collision detection occurs with voxel objects other than terrain objects, such as voxel objects defined by the unique voxel space.

[0181] The game system 1 then stores and registers the history of appropriate positions on the ground at regular intervals as candidate positions. For example, the game system 1 sequentially registers the history of positions that are a certain distance away from an already registered candidate position as the next candidate position. The game system 1 then repeats the registration of candidate positions in a FIFO format so that a predetermined number of candidate positions are secured by going backward in time from the last registered candidate position. In other words, the history of positions where the player character 201 has moved on the ground does not necessarily mean that all of the history will be registered as candidate positions. As a result, when the player character 201 moves on the ground, positions that are appropriate for a certain distance from the player character 201's position history will be registered as candidate positions. In other embodiments, the game system 1 may sequentially register the history acquired at a certain time after a candidate position has been registered as the next candidate position.

[0182] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the position in which the player character 201 was in contact with the wall immediately before is also stored as history, and candidate positions that include at least a plurality of positions included in the history may be set. For example, as shown in Figure 29, when the player character 201 is in contact with the terrain of the cliff wall (side) 251a at least in the forward direction, the player character 201 is controlled to be movable at the position in contact with the terrain based on the user's input. The game system 1 then stores a history of positions corresponding to the player character 201's movement along the terrain when the player character 201 is in contact with the terrain in the forward direction. Here, when the player character 201 is in contact with the terrain in the forward direction, it means that the player character 201 is facing the side of the judgment mesh of the terrain object 251, and the player character 201 is being judged to have a collision with that side.

[0183] For example, game system 1 performs collision detection between player character 201 and the wall for each entry in the history of player character 201's movement along the wall. If the history on the wall where collision detection occurred is suitable as a candidate position, the system stores that history. Here, a suitable position on the wall as a candidate position is defined as having the conditions for a suitable position on the ground as described above, plus the exclusion of the following: - The material of the detection mesh within a predetermined range including the position on the wall (for example, within a predetermined distance below the position on the wall) is an unsuitable material for gripping (for example, a slippery material).

[0184] The game system 1 then stores and registers the history of positions on the wall at regular intervals that are suitable as candidate positions. For example, the game system 1 sequentially registers the history of positions that are a certain distance away from an already set candidate position as the next candidate position. The game system 1 then repeats the registration of candidate positions in a FIFO format so that a predetermined number of candidate positions are secured by going backward in time from the last registered candidate position. In other words, the history of positions where the player character 201 has moved along the wall does not necessarily mean that all of the history will be registered as candidate positions. Furthermore, if the player character 201 stops for a predetermined time or longer while holding onto the wall, the game system 1 removes the candidate position that was registered immediately before from the candidates and sets and registers the history of the stopped position as a new candidate position (i.e., overwrites the registration). This ensures that, for the history of the player character 201 moving along the wall, the position where the player character 201 temporarily stopped while holding onto the wall can be reliably registered as a candidate position. Thus, even when the player character 201 moves along a wall, appropriate positions are registered as candidate positions at each certain distance traveled, based on the player character 201's position history. Additionally, appropriate positions on the wall (for example, the position where the character pauses while holding on) can also be registered as candidate positions.

[0185] Furthermore, in this embodiment, positions related to checkpoints in the game space may also be set as candidate positions. For example, Figure 30 shows an example of how candidate positions are set based on the action of player character 201 using a save point, which is an example of a checkpoint. For example, as shown in Figure 30, player character 201 touches a save object Sobj in order to use a save point set at a predetermined position in the game space. When player character 201 touches the save object Sobj, the game system 1 sets and registers a candidate position based on a predetermined position set in correspondence with the position of the save object Sobj, or the position of player character 201 who performed the action. Here, the save point is a place where the game progress up to the present can be saved, and has the function of allowing the next time the game is started, the player can start from the state saved at that save point. Therefore, when player character 201 touches the save object Sobj, the game system 1 performs a process to save the game progress up to the present.

[0186] In addition to the save points mentioned above, the checkpoints may be placed at any location in the game space. For example, in a game space with a seamlessly connected hierarchical structure, when the player character 201 moves to a different hierarchical level, the location where the player character 201 reaches that different hierarchical level may be registered as a checkpoint and a candidate location. The checkpoint may be a predetermined location set in the hierarchical level beforehand. Alternatively, it may be the location where the player character 201 first comes into contact with terrain or other objects after reaching the different hierarchical level.

[0187] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in addition to the checkpoints mentioned above, positions based on predetermined circumstances of the player character 201 in the game space may be set as candidate positions. For example, if the player character 201 can move by fast travel (e.g., warp or teleport), the destination of the fast travel may be registered as a candidate position. In this case, the game system 1 may perform a collision check between the player character 201 and the ground or other objects immediately after the fast travel, and register the position where the collision was detected as one of the candidate positions. As another example, the initial position immediately after the start of a new game stage may be registered as a candidate position. In this case, the game system 1 may perform a collision check between the player character 201 and the ground or other objects immediately after the game using the new game stage is started, and register the position where the collision was detected as one of the candidate positions.

[0188] In this embodiment, the game system 1 assigns a priority to each of the multiple candidate positions registered as described above, and determines the candidate position with the highest priority as the return position. For example, Figure 31 shows an example in which the multiple candidate positions registered as described above are listed from top to bottom in order of the highest priority. Specifically, in Figure 31, multiple candidate positions P2 to P9 are registered as the previous ground or wall contact positions, and candidate positions that are registered more recently in chronological order are given a relatively higher priority. Here, the eight candidate positions P2 to P4, where the player character 201 was touching the wall immediately before, and candidate positions P5 to P9, where it was standing on the ground, are listed in order of priority (candidate position P2 is the most recently registered and has the highest priority among candidate positions P2 to P9). Also, in Figure 31, a candidate position P10 related to a checkpoint is registered, and candidate positions related to checkpoints are given a lower priority than the candidate positions registered as the previous ground or wall contact positions. Furthermore, in Figure 31, candidate locations P11 related to the landing position immediately after fast travel are registered, and candidate locations related to the landing position immediately after fast travel are set to have a lower priority than candidate locations related to checkpoints. In addition, in Figure 31, candidate locations P12 related to the landing position immediately after the start of the game stage are registered, and candidate locations related to the landing position immediately after the start of the game stage are set to have a lower priority than candidate locations related to the landing position immediately after fast travel.

[0189] In this embodiment, multiple candidate positions are registered with priority set in the following order: "candidate positions related to the previous ground or wall contact position" > "candidate positions related to checkpoints" > "candidate positions related to the contact position immediately after fast travel" > "candidate positions related to the contact position immediately after the start of the game stage". In this embodiment, depending on the game stage the user is playing, candidate positions with an even higher priority than "candidate positions related to the previous ground or wall contact position" may be registered. For example, as illustrated in Figure 31, if the game is played using an area in the game space where a predetermined starting position is set, that designated starting position may be registered as candidate position P1, and after the game ends, candidate position P1 may be removed from the candidates. For example, in a game where player character 201 aims to clear a mini-game stage set in the game space, if the starting position of player character 201 in the mini-game stage (e.g., the starting point) and the positions that player character 201 has moved to and passed through in the mini-game stage (e.g., the intermediate target point) are predetermined, then the starting point and the predetermined point are registered as candidate positions P1. Then, when the mini-game stage is completed, the candidate positions P1 that were registered during the play of the mini-game stage are removed from the list of candidates.

[0190] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the game system 1 may exclude other candidate locations from the list of candidates when the above-mentioned candidate location is registered. As a first example, when a candidate location related to a checkpoint is newly registered, the game system 1 excludes past candidate locations with a higher priority than the registered candidate location (i.e., candidate locations related to the previous ground or wall contact position) from the list of candidates. As a second example, when a candidate location related to the contact position immediately after fast travel is newly registered, the game system 1 excludes past candidate locations with a higher priority than the registered candidate location (i.e., candidate locations related to the previous ground or wall contact position and candidate locations related to checkpoints) from the list of candidates.

[0191] Furthermore, among the candidate positions registered as "candidate positions related to the previous ground or wall contact position," candidate positions related to ground contact positions and candidate positions related to wall contact positions may be registered with different priorities. For example, candidate positions related to ground contact positions may be registered with a higher priority than candidate positions related to wall contact positions. In addition, the movement history of a player character moving on a wall may not be registered as a candidate position, and only positions included in the movement history of a player character moving on the ground may be registered as candidate positions as described above under "candidate positions related to the previous ground or wall contact position."

[0192] In this embodiment, when starting movement control to return the player character 201 as described above, the system determines whether a candidate position registered at that time is suitable for return in order of priority, and selects a candidate position that is effective for returning the player character 201 as the return position. For example, the game system 1 extracts the candidate position with the highest priority registered at that time, and if it is not a position where there is no terrain, it determines that the candidate position is an effective position for return and selects that candidate position as the return position.

[0193] For example, game system 1 raycasts the candidate position with the highest priority, and if a voxel object defined by density voxel data (e.g., a mesh for determining terrain objects) exists at that candidate position, it determines that the candidate position is a valid return position. For example, in the raycast, a vertical raycast in the game space is performed in the direction of the candidate position, and if an object (e.g., a mesh for determining terrain objects) hits the candidate position, the candidate position is determined to be a valid return position (i.e., terrain exists at the candidate position). On the other hand, if no object (e.g., a mesh for determining terrain objects) hits the candidate position in the raycast, the candidate position is determined to be an invalid return position (i.e., no terrain exists at the candidate position). If a candidate position is determined to be an invalid return position, the next highest priority candidate position is similarly raycast, and this process is repeated until a valid return position is found. For example, the raycast is used when the candidate position is on the ground.

[0194] As another example, game system 1 shapecasts the candidate position with the highest priority and determines that the candidate position is valid as a return position. For example, in the shapecast, a shape identical in shape to the collision detection area used for collision detection of player character 201 is used, and contact between the shape and the detection mesh of the candidate position is detected. For example, the shapecast is used when the candidate position is on a wall, and the detection is performed by moving the shape horizontally from outside the wall towards the wall so that the center of the shape contacts the candidate position. Then, game system 1 determines that the candidate position is valid as a return position if a voxel object defined by density voxel data (for example, a detection mesh for a terrain object) exists at the shapecast candidate position, and the wall at the candidate position is shaped in a way that the player character 201 can grasp it. The shape used in the shapecast described above is the same shape as the collision detection area used for collision detection of the player character 201 in order to facilitate the shapecast. However, in addition to the capsule shape, it may also be a sphere, ellipsoid, polyhedron (e.g., bounding box), cylinder, cone, or polygonal pyramid, or even the polygon shape of the player character 201. Furthermore, the shape may be a plane, curved surface, circle, straight line, line segment, point, etc.

[0195] Thus, in this embodiment, the return position is determined from among the multiple candidate positions registered at that time, from which a position where terrain does not exist is selected. Here, since the terrain object to which the candidate position is registered is composed of a voxel object, the determination mesh (terrain mesh) of the terrain object may deform after it is registered as a candidate position, and it is possible that the terrain to which the candidate position is registered does not exist at the time the return position is determined. However, in this embodiment, since the return position is determined from among the multiple candidate positions registered at the time the return position is determined, from which a position where terrain does not exist is selected from among the multiple candidate positions, the player character 201 can be returned to an appropriate return position without having to return it to a position where terrain no longer exists.

[0196] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the return position is determined from among the multiple candidate positions registered at that time, starting with the candidate position with the highest priority. In addition, the game system 1 may exclude other candidate positions with high priority from the candidates when a candidate position is registered. This prevents the player character 201 from moving across different layers when moving back to the return position, even when determining the return position in a game space with a seamlessly connected hierarchical structure. For example, as described above, when the position where the player character 201 first comes into contact with terrain or other objects after reaching a different layer is registered as a candidate position checkpoint, candidate positions related to checkpoints that had been registered up to that point are excluded from the candidates, and candidate positions with a higher priority than the candidate position are also excluded. Also, when the destination of the player character 201's fast travel is registered as a candidate position, candidate positions related to the landing position immediately after fast travel that had been registered up to that point are excluded from the candidates, and candidate positions with a higher priority than the candidate position are also excluded. Therefore, when player character 201 moves from the first level to a different second level in the game space, the candidate positions registered in the first level are excluded from the candidates. As a result, when player character 201 returns to the second level, the return movement will be performed to a return position determined within the same second level.

[0197] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a candidate position that is given the highest priority may be registered depending on the game stage the user is playing. For example, as illustrated in the upper diagram of Figure 32, if the player character 201 is placed in an area where a mini-game stage is constructed in which the player character 201 must move along a single path without falling, which would lead to a restricted area if the player falls, a designated starting position is set in advance as the starting point of the mini-game. In this case, the game system 1 registers the designated starting position as the candidate position given the highest priority for the duration that the player character 201 is placed in the area. Then, as the player character 201 begins to move from the starting position (designated starting position), the game system 1 registers candidate positions related to the ground contact position at regular intervals. If the player character 201 falls from the single path due to the above movement, and the player character 201 possesses a predetermined number or more of the recovery items, movement control is performed to return the player character 201 to the recovery position.

[0198] At this time, as shown in the lower diagram of Figure 32, the candidate position with the highest priority is the designated start position. Therefore, the game system 1 determines the designated start position as the return position, rather than a candidate position related to the ground contact position registered at regular intervals immediately before, and performs movement control to return the player character 201 to the designated start position. For example, in a game space where a mini-game stage is constructed that the player character 201 aims to clear, if the player character 201 is returned to the candidate position where it was immediately touching ground, the mini-game stage may become stuck and the player character 201 may not be able to move. In this embodiment, by performing movement to return the player character 201 to a pre-set starting point or intermediate target point of the mini-game stage, it is possible to prevent the mini-game stage from becoming stuck.

[0199] In the process of determining whether the above-mentioned candidate positions are valid as return positions, raycasting or shapecasting is used, but the choice of which process to use depends on the type of terrain on which the candidate positions are registered. For example, shapecasting may be used to determine candidate positions on the ground, or both raycasting and shapecasting may be used, or other methods may be used. Similarly, raycasting may be used to determine candidate positions on walls, or both raycasting and shapecasting may be used, or other methods may be used.

[0200] Furthermore, the registered candidate positions and determined return positions described above may include information indicating the direction and posture of the player character, in addition to information indicating the position in the game space. For example, information indicating the direction (e.g., facing forward or up and down) and posture of the player character in the game space when a candidate position is registered may be registered as a candidate position along with information indicating the position in the game space. Also, when a player character returns to a return position, the player character may return to the game space based on the information indicating the direction and posture of the player character included in the candidate position used to determine that return position.

[0201] Furthermore, the registered candidate positions and determined return positions described above may be any positions in the game space other than positions on terrain objects in the game space, i.e., positions on the determination mesh defined by the voxels that make up the terrain object. As a first example, the candidate positions and return positions may be set on voxel objects or other objects different from the terrain object. As a second example, the candidate positions and return positions may be set on movable objects in the game space (for example, on a movable terrain object). As a third example, the candidate positions and return positions may be set on virtual objects other than voxel objects or on the game field. As a fourth example, the candidate positions and return positions may be set on the surface of water or in the air in the game space (for example, a starting point set in the air or a position where the player character is hanging from a predetermined object).

[0202] Furthermore, in this embodiment, movement to the recovery location is enabled when the player character possesses a predetermined number or more recovery items, but the conditions for enabling movement to the recovery location are arbitrary. As a first example, the condition for enabling movement to the recovery location may be that the player character possesses multiple types of recovery items. As a second example, the conditions for enabling movement to the recovery location may be set based on the game mode. For example, movement to the recovery location may be enabled when a game mode with a relatively low difficulty level is set, and movement to the recovery location may be disabled when a game mode with a relatively high difficulty level is set. As a third example, the conditions for enabling movement to the recovery location may be set based on the player character's level or the user's game proficiency. For example, movement to the recovery location may be enabled when the player character's level or the user's game proficiency is relatively low, and movement to the recovery location may be disabled when the player character's level or the user's game proficiency has reached a predetermined level or proficiency.

[0203] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example was used in which it was determined that the condition for the player character 201 to return to its return position in the game space was met when the player character 201 moved into the restricted area, but the circumstances under which this condition is met are arbitrary. For example, if the player character 201 moves outside the range of the game space where gameplay is permitted, it may be determined that the condition for the player character 201 to return to its return position within that range in the game space has been met. As another example, if the player character 201 moves into a deadlock state from which it cannot escape its position or area, it may be determined that the condition for the player character 201 to return to a return position from which it can escape the deadlock state has been met.

[0204] [3. Specific examples of processing in game systems] Next, with reference to Figures 33 to 38, a specific example of information processing in game system 1 will be explained.

[0205] Figure 33 shows an example of various data used for information processing in the game system 1. Each piece of data shown in Figure 33 is stored in memory accessible by the main unit 2 (for example, flash memory 84, DRAM 85, and / or a memory card installed in slot 23). As shown in Figure 33, the game system 1 stores the game program. The game program is for executing the game processing in this embodiment (for example, the game processing shown in Figures 34 to 38). The game program includes the material data mentioned above (see Figure 12). The memory also stores the voxel data mentioned above (see Figure 11), update range data, mesh data, object data, etc. (see Figure 33).

[0206] The update range data is data indicating the update range described above. In this embodiment, the update range is represented by the SDF described above.

[0207] Mesh data includes various data related to the mesh of a voxel object. As shown in Figure 30, in this embodiment, mesh data includes SVO data, display mesh data, and determination mesh data. SVO data is data that holds each vertex calculated from the voxel data in the SVO structure described above. In this embodiment, in addition to data indicating the position of each vertex, SVO data includes data indicating the material set for each vertex (for example, data indicating the material ID). Display mesh data includes various data related to the display mesh. Specifically, display mesh data includes data indicating each vertex of the display mesh and data indicating the material set for each vertex (for example, data indicating the material ID). Determination mesh data includes various data related to the determination mesh. Specifically, determination mesh data includes data indicating each vertex of the determination mesh and data indicating the material set for each vertex (for example, data indicating the material ID).

[0208] Object data includes various data related to objects other than voxel objects (e.g., player characters, virtual objects, etc.). Object data is stored for each object that appears in the game space. Object data includes data indicating the object's position, velocity, and state, for example. Object data also includes candidate position data and return position data. Candidate position data is data describing multiple registered candidate positions in order of priority. Return position data is data indicating the determined return position.

[0209] Figure 34 is a flowchart showing an example of the game processing flow executed by game system 1. Figure 35 is a subroutine showing an example of the process that controls the movement of each object in step S12 in Figure 34. Figure 36 is a subroutine showing an example of the first half of the candidate position setting process in step S46 in Figure 35. Figure 37 is a subroutine showing an example of the second half of the candidate position setting process in step S46 in Figure 35. Figure 38 is a subroutine showing an example of the return position movement process in step S47 in Figure 35. The execution of the game processing starts, for example, when the game is started in response to a player instruction during the execution of the above game program. The processing loop consisting of the series of processes from steps S1 to S14 is executed in one cycle per frame.

[0210] In this embodiment, the processor 81 of the main unit 2 executes the game program stored in the game system 1, thereby executing the processing of each step shown in Figures 34 to 38. However, in other embodiments, some of the processing of each step may be executed by a processor other than the processor 81 (for example, a dedicated circuit). Also, if the game system 1 can communicate with other information processing devices (for example, a server), some of the processing of each step shown in Figures 34 to 38 may be executed by the other information processing device. Furthermore, the processing of each step shown in Figures 34 to 38 is merely an example, and the processing order of each step may be changed, or other processing may be executed in addition to (or instead of) the processing of each step, as long as similar results can be obtained.

[0211] Furthermore, the processor 81 executes the processing of each step shown in Figures 34 to 38 using memory (for example, DRAM 85). That is, the processor 81 stores the information (in other words, data) obtained by each processing step in memory, and when it is necessary to use that information in subsequent processing steps, it reads the information from memory and uses it.

[0212] In Figure 34, the processor 81 acquires operation data indicating user input (step S1) and proceeds to the next step. For example, the processor 81 acquires operation data output from each controller via the controller communication unit 83 and / or terminals 17 and 21, as well as operation data output from the main unit 2 (e.g., touch panel 13).

[0213] Next, the processor 81 designates one of the game space objects that needs processing but has not yet been processed (including voxel objects defined by the unique voxel space) as the object to be processed, and performs the process of calculating the velocity of the designated object and the process of reflecting the results of contact between objects in the previous frame (step S2), and then proceeds to the next step. The velocity of the object is used in the process of step S12, described later, to calculate the position of the object in the current frame. For example, if the designated object is a player character, the velocity of the player character is calculated based on the operation data obtained in step S1. Also, if the designated object is an object that is not operated by the user, the velocity of the object is calculated based on rules predetermined in the game program. As an example, the velocity of an object is calculated based on virtual physics calculations that include interactions between objects. For example, interactions such as repulsion from collisions between objects, friction from contact, falling due to virtual gravity, and deceleration due to virtual air resistance are reflected in the velocity determination.

[0214] Furthermore, the process that reflects the results of object contact in the previous frame includes processing that affects the objects if it is determined in the collision detection (step S11 described later) in the previous frame that objects have come into contact with each other. The above processing is, for example, as follows. - If it is determined that the player character was hit by an impact from falling into a terrain object in the previous frame, the player character's health will be reduced. • If it is determined that the player character made contact with a terrain object due to a punch action or similar in the previous frame, the process of generating a fragment object is executed. If the state of an object is changed during the processing of step S2 described above, the processor 81 updates the object data stored in memory for that object to reflect the changed state.

[0215] Next, the processor 81 determines whether an update event has occurred that updates the voxel object due to the object specified in step S2 (step S3). For example, the determination in step S3 is made based on the result of the collision determination in the previous frame (step S11, described later). For example, if it is determined that the player character has come into contact with a terrain object due to a punch action or the like in the previous frame, it is determined that an update event has occurred that erases part of the terrain object. If an update event has occurred, the processor 81 proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, if no update event has occurred, the processor 81 proceeds to step S6.

[0216] In step S4, the processor 81 sets an update range in the game space for updating voxel objects and proceeds to the next step. For example, the specific details of the update range (e.g., position, shape, and size) are associated with each type of update event in the game program. The update range set in step S4 is set to be associated with the type of update event that was determined to occur in step S3. In step S4, the processor 81 stores data indicating the set update range in memory as update range data.

[0217] Next, the processor 81 makes changes to the voxels corresponding to the update range set in step S4 in accordance with the update event (step S5), and proceeds to step S6. For example, if the processor 81 deforms voxel objects within the update range to appear as if they have been deleted or shrunk, or deforms them to appear as if voxel objects have been added to the update range, it updates the voxel data stored in memory to change the density of voxels corresponding to that update range (see [2-2. Updating Voxel Data] above).

[0218] In step S6, the processor 81 determines whether the processing in steps S2 to S5 has been completed for all objects that require processing (including voxel objects defined by the unique voxel space). If the processing of all objects is complete, the processor 81 proceeds to step S7. On the other hand, if the processing of any object is not complete, the processor 81 returns to step S2 and repeats the process.

[0219] In step S7, the processor 81 updates the vertices of the voxel object in the game space and proceeds to the next step. For example, if the voxel data was updated in step S5, the processor 81 calculates new vertices based on the updated voxel data. The positions of the new vertices are calculated according to the method described in [2-3. Vertex Calculation] above. The material of the new vertices is calculated according to the method described in [2-4. Vertex Material Determination] above.

[0220] Next, the processor 81 simplifies the vertices (step S8) and proceeds to the next step. For example, the processor 81 simplifies each updated vertex according to the method described in [2-5. Simplification of Vertices] above. Then, the processor 81 updates the SVO data stored in memory to show each vertex obtained by the processes in steps S7 and S8. Note that the processes in steps S7 and S8 do not need to recalculate the vertices for the entire voxel data, and may be performed only on the parts of the voxels whose contents were changed in the process in step S5.

[0221] Next, the processor 81 updates the display mesh of the voxel object based on the SVO data stored in memory (step S9), and proceeds to the next step. The position of each vertex of the display mesh and the material of each polygon of the display mesh (for example, the material set for each vertex of the polygon) are calculated according to the methods described in [2-6. Mesh Generation] and [2-6-1. Determination of Display Mesh Material] above. In step S9, the processor 81 updates the display mesh data stored in memory to show the updated position and material of each vertex of the display mesh. The processor 81 may start the processing from step S10 onwards, described later, without waiting for the completion of step S9, and execute it in parallel. In that case, step S9 must be completed before the start of step S13, described later.

[0222] Next, the processor 81 updates the determination mesh of the voxel object based on the SVO data stored in memory (step S10), and proceeds to the next step. The position of each vertex of the determination mesh and the material of each polygon of the determination mesh (for example, the material set for each vertex of the polygon) are calculated according to the methods described in [2-6. Mesh Generation] and [2-6-2. Determination of the Material of the Determination Mesh] above. In step S10 above, the processor 81 updates the determination mesh data stored in memory to show the updated position and material of each vertex of the determination mesh.

[0223] In the example shown in Figure 31, the process of generating the judgment mesh in step S10 is performed every frame, but the process of generating the judgment mesh does not have to be performed every frame. For example, if the collision judgment process in step S11, which will be described later, is performed only on frames that satisfy predetermined conditions, the processor 81 may perform the process of generating the judgment mesh on the frame in which the collision judgment is performed. The processor 81 may also perform the process of generating the judgment mesh for voxels within the area in the game space in which the collision judgment in step S11 is performed. For example, in a situation where there are no objects other than voxel objects that are subject to collision judgment around the player character in the game space (i.e., a situation where only collision judgment between the player character and the surrounding voxel objects needs to be performed), the processor 81 may perform the process of generating the judgment mesh for voxels within a predetermined range relative to the player character.

[0224] Next, the processor 81 performs collision detection for each object in the game space based on the detection mesh data and object data stored in memory (step S11), and proceeds to the next step. For example, the processor 81 uses the detection mesh for voxel objects and a predetermined shape detection area set for non-voxel objects to perform collision detection. In this embodiment, the collision detection in step S11 is performed taking into account the speed calculated in step S2. In other words, the processor 81 performs collision detection using the position of each object when it moves at the above speed.

[0225] In this embodiment, the collision determination in step S11 determines, for example, whether or not the following contact occurs. • Contact between the player character performing actions such as punching and terrain objects. • Contact between the player character and terrain objects due to movement such as falling. Furthermore, if the collision detection in step S11 determines that objects have come into contact with each other, the process in step S2 in the next frame will either reflect the result of the object contact, or the process in step S3 in the next frame will determine that an update event has occurred.

[0226] Next, the processor 81 controls the movement of each object in the game space (step S12) and proceeds to step S13. The process of controlling the movement of each object in step S12 will be described below with reference to Figure 35.

[0227] In Figure 35, the processor 81 determines whether the control processing for all objects subject to operation control has been completed (step S41). If there are any objects for which control processing has not been completed, the processor 81 proceeds to step S42. On the other hand, if the control processing for all objects has been completed, the processor 81 terminates the processing by the subroutine.

[0228] In step S42, the processor 81 selects an object to be controlled from among the objects whose operation control process has not yet been completed, and proceeds to the next step.

[0229] Next, the processor 81 controls the movement of the object currently selected as the target of the motion control processing (step S43), and proceeds to the next step. For example, the processor 81 controls the player character to move and perform various actions based on the operation data acquired in step S1. When a predetermined action occurs, the processor 81 generates a collision detection area in the game space corresponding to that action. The processor 81 also controls the object to move in the direction from which it was released when it is thrown by the player character. In one step S43, the processor 81 controls each object to perform one frame's worth of action for actions that take place over multiple frames (for example, actions by the player character). As a result, when the process of step S43 is repeatedly executed over multiple frames, each object performs a series of actions related to movement and various actions. Furthermore, if new movements or actions of the player character that take place over multiple frames are set during the process in step S43, the process in step S43 is repeatedly executed over multiple frames, causing the player character to perform the newly set movements or series of actions. In addition, the position of an object is basically determined to be the position after moving at the speed calculated in step S2. However, if the collision detection in step S11 determines that the object is in contact with another object and its movement is hindered by the other object it is in contact with, the position of the object may be determined not to change. Then, in step S43, the processor 81 updates the object data stored in memory to reflect the object after the control in step S43.

[0230] Next, the processor 81 determines whether the object currently selected as the target of the motion control process is a player character (step S44). If the object currently selected as the target of the motion control process is a player character, the processor 81 proceeds to step S45. On the other hand, if the object currently selected as the target of the motion control process is not a player character, the processor 81 returns to step S41 and repeats the process.

[0231] In step S45, the processor 81 determines whether or not the player character will move to the recovery position. For example, if the player character has been set in step S43 to perform an action that will cause them to move to the recovery position (for example, the action of entering the restricted area (see Figure 28, upper diagram)), or if the process of moving to the recovery position, which will be described later, is ongoing, the processor 81 makes a positive determination in step S45. If the player character does not move to the recovery position, the processor 81 proceeds to step S46. On the other hand, if the player character does move to the recovery position, the processor 81 proceeds to step S47.

[0232] In step S46, the processor 81 performs candidate position setting processing and returns to step S41 to repeat the process. An example of the candidate position setting processing performed in step S46 will be described below with reference to Figures 36 and 37.

[0233] In Figure 36, the processor 81 determines whether the player character is playing a game using an area with a predetermined starting position (step S51). If the player character is playing a game using the area, the processor 81 proceeds to step S52. On the other hand, if the player character is not playing a game using the area, the processor 81 proceeds to step S53.

[0234] In step S52, the processor 81 registers the designated starting position set in the area used by the player character in the game as a candidate position and proceeds to step S54. For example, the process of registering the designated starting position as a candidate position is performed according to the method described above with reference to Figure 31 in [2-7. Player Character Return Movement Control Process], and the designated starting position is registered as the highest priority candidate position. Then, in step S52, the processor 81 updates the candidate position data stored in memory to reflect the content after registration in step S52.

[0235] In step S53, the processor 81 removes the designated start position, which is registered as a candidate position, from the candidates and proceeds to step S54. For example, if the designated start position is registered as a candidate position in the candidate position data stored in memory, the processor 81 removes the candidate position from the candidates and updates the candidate position data to reflect the content after the removal.

[0236] In step S54, the processor 81 determines whether the player character has moved a predetermined distance or more from the latest candidate position registered in the candidate position data, specifically in the "candidate position related to the previous ground or wall contact position". If the player character has moved a predetermined distance or more from the latest registered candidate position, the processor 81 proceeds to step S55. On the other hand, if the player character has not moved a predetermined distance or more from the latest registered candidate position, the processor 81 proceeds to step S56.

[0237] In step S55, the processor 81 registers a new candidate position for the player character's location on the ground or wall, and proceeds to step S59. For example, the process of registering a candidate position for the player character's location on the ground or wall is performed according to the method described above in [2-7. Player Character Return Movement Control Process] with reference to Figures 28, 29, and 31, and is registered as the candidate position with the highest priority among the "candidate positions related to the previous ground or wall contact position". Then, in step S55, the processor 81 updates the candidate position data stored in memory to reflect the content after registration in step S55.

[0238] Meanwhile, in step S56, the processor 81 determines whether or not the player character is positioned on a wall in the game space. If the player character is positioned on a wall, the processor 81 proceeds to step S57. If the player character is not positioned on a wall, the processor 81 proceeds to step S59.

[0239] In step S57, the processor 81 determines whether the period during which the player character has stopped moving on the wall has reached a predetermined time. If the period during which the character has stopped moving has reached the predetermined time, the processor 81 proceeds to step S58. On the other hand, if the period during which the character has stopped moving has not reached the predetermined time, the processor 81 proceeds to step S59.

[0240] In step S58, the processor 81 overwrites and registers the position on the wall where the player character is stopped as a candidate position, and proceeds to step S59. For example, the process of overwriting and registering the position where the player character has stopped on the wall for a predetermined time or longer as a candidate position is performed in accordance with the method described above with reference to Figures 29 and 31 in [2-7. Player Character Return Movement Control Process], and is overwritten in place of the most recently registered candidate position among the "candidate positions related to the previous ground or wall contact position". Then, in step S58, the processor 81 updates the candidate position data stored in memory to reflect the content after the overwrite registration in step S58.

[0241] In step S59, the processor 81 determines whether the player character has performed an action related to checkpoints (see Figure 30) or reached a predetermined checkpoint. If an action related to checkpoints has been performed or a predetermined checkpoint has been reached, the processor 81 proceeds to step S60. On the other hand, if no action related to checkpoints has been performed and a predetermined checkpoint has not been reached, the processor 81 proceeds to step S71 (see Figure 37).

[0242] In step S60, the processor 81 excludes candidate positions that have been given a higher priority than candidate positions associated with checkpoints registered in the candidate position data (for example, candidate positions associated with the previous ground or wall contact position) and proceeds to the next step. For example, the process of excluding candidate positions from the candidates is performed according to the method described above with reference to Figure 31 in [2-7. Player Character Return Movement Control Process]. Then, in step S60, the processor 81 updates the candidate position data stored in memory to reflect the content after the exclusion in step S60.

[0243] Next, the processor 81 registers a new candidate position associated with the checkpoint where the player character is located (step S61), and proceeds to step S71 (see Figure 37). For example, the process of registering a candidate position associated with a checkpoint is performed according to the method described above with reference to Figures 30 and 31 in [2-7. Player Character Return Movement Control Process], and a new candidate position is registered in place of the "candidate position associated with a checkpoint" that had been registered in the candidate position data up to that point. Then, in step S61, the processor 81 updates the candidate position data stored in memory to reflect the content after registration in step S61.

[0244] Moving on to Figure 37, in step S71, the processor 81 determines whether or not the player character is performing an action to move using fast travel. If the player character is performing an action to move using fast travel, the processor 81 proceeds to step S72. On the other hand, if the player character is not performing an action to move using fast travel, the processor 81 proceeds to step S74.

[0245] In step S72, the processor 81 excludes candidate positions that have a higher priority than the candidate position associated with the ground contact position immediately after fast travel (for example, candidate positions associated with the previous ground or wall contact position, or candidate positions associated with checkpoints) from the candidate position data and proceeds to the next step. For example, the process of excluding candidate positions from the candidates is performed according to the method described above in [2-7. Player Character Return Movement Control Process] with reference to Figure 31. Then, in step S72, the processor 81 updates the candidate position data stored in memory to reflect the content after the exclusion in step S72.

[0246] Next, the processor 81 registers the position of the player character immediately after fast travel as a candidate position (step S73), and proceeds to step S74. For example, the process of registering a candidate position related to the ground position immediately after fast travel is performed according to the method described above with reference to Figure 31 in [2-7. Player Character Return Movement Control Process], and a new candidate position is registered in place of the "candidate position related to the ground position immediately after fast travel" that had been registered in the candidate position data up to that point. Then, in step S73, the processor 81 updates the candidate position data stored in memory to reflect the content after registration in step S73.

[0247] In step S74, the processor 81 determines whether the user has started a game using a new game stage. If a game using a new game stage has been started, the processor 81 proceeds to step S75. On the other hand, if a game using a new game stage has not been started, the processor 81 terminates the processing by the subroutine.

[0248] In step S75, the processor 81 excludes candidate positions that have a higher priority than the candidate position associated with the ground contact position immediately after the start of the game stage, which are registered in the candidate position data (for example, candidate positions associated with the previous ground or wall contact position, candidate positions associated with checkpoints, and candidate positions associated with the ground contact position immediately after fast travel), and proceeds to the next step. For example, the process of excluding candidate positions from the candidates is performed according to the method described above in [2-7. Player Character Return Movement Control Process] with reference to Figure 31. Then, in step S75, the processor 81 updates the candidate position data stored in memory to reflect the content after the exclusion in step S75.

[0249] Next, the processor 81 newly registers the grounding position immediately after the start of the game stage where the player character is placed as a candidate position (step S76), and ends the processing by this subroutine. For example, the process of registering the candidate position related to the grounding position immediately after the start of the game stage is performed according to the method described with reference to FIG. 31 in the above [2-7. Player Character Return Movement Control Processing], and instead of the "candidate position related to the grounding position immediately after the start of the game stage" that has been registered in the candidate position data until then, a new candidate position is registered. Then, in step S76 above, the processor 81 updates the candidate position data stored in the memory so that it becomes the content after the registration in step S76.

[0250] Returning to FIG. 35, when it is determined in step S45 above that the player character moves to the return position, the processor 81 performs a return position movement process (step S47), returns to step S41 above, and repeats the process. Hereinafter, an example of the return position movement process performed in step S47 will be described with reference to FIG. 38.

[0251] In FIG. 38, the processor 81 determines whether the player character holds (for example, stores) the return item or is using the return item at the current time (step S81). Then, when the player character holds or is using the return item, the processor 81 proceeds to step S82. On the other hand, when the player character neither holds nor uses the return item, the processor 81 proceeds to step S92.

[0252] In step S82, the processor 81 refers to the return position data stored in the memory and determines whether the return position has already been determined. Then, when the return position has not been determined, the processor 81 proceeds to step S83. On the other hand, when the return position has already been determined, the processor 81 proceeds to step S89.

[0253] In step S83, the processor 81 selects the candidate position with the highest priority indicated by the candidate position data stored in the memory and proceeds with the processing to the next step.

[0254] Next, the processor 81 performs a determination process on the candidate position selected in step S83 (step S84) and proceeds with the processing to the next step. For example, the processor 81 determines whether the selected candidate position is valid as a return position according to the method described in [2-7. Player Character Return Movement Control Process].

[0255] Next, the processor 81 determines whether the result of the determination process in step S84 indicates that the candidate position selected in step S83 is valid as a return position (step S85). And when the selected candidate position is not valid as a return position, the processor 81 proceeds with the processing to step S86. On the other hand, when the selected candidate position is valid as a return position, the processor 81 proceeds with the processing to step S87.

[0256] In step S86, the processor 81 excludes the candidate position determined to be invalid in the determination process in step S84 from the candidate position data, returns to step S83, and repeats the processing.

[0257] On the other hand, in step S87, the processor 81 determines the candidate position determined to be valid in the determination process in step S84 as the return position and proceeds with the processing to the next step. For example, the processor 81 updates the return position data stored in the memory using the candidate position determined as the return position.

[0258] Next, the processor 81 performs the recovery position movement start process (step S88) and proceeds to step S89. For example, the processor 81 interrupts the player character's movement and equips the recovery item, and also sets the operation to move the player character toward the recovery position determined in step S87. Then, in step S88, the processor 81 updates the object data stored in memory to reflect the player character after the control in step S88.

[0259] In step S89, the processor 81 moves the player character to the return position and proceeds to the next step. In step S89, the processor 81 updates the object data stored in memory to reflect the player character after the control in step S89. The process in step S89 is repeatedly executed over multiple frames, causing the player character to move to the return position determined in step S87 (see Figure 26 bottom and Figure 27 top).

[0260] Next, processor 81 determines whether the player character has reached the return position (step S90). If the player character has reached the return position, processor 81 proceeds to step S91. On the other hand, if the player character has not reached the return position, processor 81 terminates the processing by the subroutine.

[0261] In step S91, the processor 81 performs the return position movement completion process and terminates the processing by the subroutine. For example, the processor 81 places the player character at the return position indicated by the return position data. The processor 81 also moves the attached return item away from the player character and outside the display range of the game space or removes it from the game space (see Figure 27, bottom diagram), and subtracts the number of return items the player character possesses (stores) by the number used. Then, in step S91, the processor 81 updates the object data stored in memory to reflect the player character after the control in step S91.

[0262] In step S81, if it is determined that the player character neither possesses nor has used a recovery item, the processor 81 performs a game end animation (step S92) and terminates the processing by the subroutine. For example, the processor 81 starts an animation in which the player character enters a restricted area and it is game over. Then, in step S92, the processor 81 updates the object data stored in memory to reflect the player character after the control in step S92. The processing in step S92 is repeatedly executed over multiple frames until the animation ends, and when the animation ends, the recovery position movement processing in step S47 ends.

[0263] Returning to Figure 34, after the process of controlling the movement of each object in step S12, the processor 81 generates a game image (step S13) and proceeds to the next step. For example, the processor 81 generates a game image by drawing each polygon of the display mesh for the voxel object and the polygons of each object other than the voxel object based on a virtual camera. Each polygon of the display mesh is drawn using drawing settings such as textures corresponding to the material set for the polygon, according to the method described in [2-6-1. Determination of the material of the display mesh] above. The game image generated in step S13 is output to the display device and displayed in a cycle of once per frame.

[0264] Next, the processor 81 determines whether or not to terminate the game (step S14). For example, if the user performs a predetermined operation input to terminate the game or if the conditions for terminating the game are met, the processor 81 makes an affirmative determination in step S14. If the game is to be terminated, the processor 81 terminates the process according to the flowchart. On the other hand, if the game is not to be terminated, the processor 81 returns to step S1 and repeats the process. Thereafter, the series of processes from steps S1 to S14 are repeatedly executed until it is determined in step S14 that the game should be terminated.

[0265] Thus, in this embodiment, in a game space where the terrain object detection mesh (terrain mesh) generated based on voxel updates may deform, the return position of the player character can be appropriately set so that it does not return to a position where the terrain object no longer exists.

[0266] In the explanation above, we used an example where a voxel object is defined by generating a 3D mesh based on voxel data set in a 3D space. However, a voxel object can also be defined based on voxel data set in a 2D space.

[0267] Furthermore, the game system 1 may be any device, including a portable game device, any portable electronic device (PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), mobile phone, smartphone, personal computer, camera, tablet, etc.). In this case, the input device for user operation to control the player character, etc., does not have to be the left controller 3, right controller 4, or touch panel 13, etc., but may be another controller, mouse, touchpad, touch panel, trackball, keyboard, directional pad, slide pad, etc.

[0268] Furthermore, although the above description uses an example in which each information processing is performed by the game system 1, at least a part of the above processing steps may be performed by other devices. For example, if the game system 1 is configured to communicate with other devices (e.g., another server, another information processing device, another game device, another mobile terminal, etc.), the above processing steps may be performed by the cooperation of those other devices. In this way, by performing at least a part of the above processing steps by other devices, it becomes possible to perform processing similar to the processing described above. In addition, the above information processing can be performed by the cooperation of one processor or multiple processors included in an information processing system composed of at least one information processing device. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the processor 81 of the game system 1 can perform information processing by executing a predetermined program, but some or all of the above processing may be performed by a dedicated circuit provided in the game system 1.

[0269] As described above, the invention can be realized in so-called cloud computing system configurations, distributed wide-area networks, and local network system configurations. For example, in a distributed local network system configuration, the above processing can be performed collaboratively between a stationary information processing device (stationary game device) and a portable information processing device (portable game device). It goes without saying that in these system configurations, there are no particular limitations on which device performs the above processing, and the invention can be realized regardless of how the processing is divided.

[0270] Furthermore, the processing order, set values, and conditions used in the information processing described above are merely examples, and it goes without saying that this embodiment can be realized even with other orders, values, and conditions.

[0271] Furthermore, the above program may be supplied to the game system 1 not only through an external storage medium such as external memory, but also to the device via a wired or wireless communication line. The program may also be pre-recorded in a non-volatile storage device inside the device. The information storage medium for storing the program may be a CD-ROM, DVD, or similar optical disc-type storage medium, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, etc. Alternatively, the information storage medium for storing the program may be a volatile memory for storing the program. Such storage media can be described as recording media that can be read by a computer or the like. For example, by having a computer or the like read and execute the program on these recording media, the various functions described above can be provided.

[0272] The present invention has been described in detail above. However, the foregoing description is merely illustrative of the present invention in every respect and is not intended to limit its scope. Needless to say, various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, those skilled in the art will understand that they can implement an equivalent scope based on the description of the present invention and common technical knowledge from the description of the specific embodiments of the present invention. Further, it should be understood that the terms used in this specification are used in the meaning commonly used in the art unless otherwise specified. Therefore, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. In case of contradiction, this specification (including the definitions) shall prevail.

Industrial Applicability

[0273] As described above, the present invention can be used as a game program, a game system, a game processing method, a game device, etc. that can appropriately set the return position of a player character in a game where the mesh generated based on the update of voxels may deform.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0274] 1... Information processing system 2... Main body device 3... Left controller 4... Right controller 11... Housing 12... Display 13... Touch panel 32, 52... Analog stick 42, 64... Terminal 81... Processor 82... Network communication unit 83... Controller communication unit 85... DRAM

Claims

1. On the computer, Voxel data representing terrain defined in a virtual space, wherein for each of multiple voxels, a density is set to indicate the degree to which the space defined by that voxel is virtually occupied by its contents, and this voxel data is updated based on game processing. The terrain mesh, which corresponds to the voxel data and represents the terrain, is updated, and the vertex coordinates are determined based on the density included in at least the voxel data. In the aforementioned game processing, further, In the first case where the player character is at least on the terrain, the player character is controlled to move based on the input at the position on the terrain, and the position of the player character is stored as a history. When the aforementioned player character satisfies the first condition through movement, Interrupt movement control based on user input, From among the candidates that include multiple locations in the aforementioned history, the return location is determined from the candidates that are not locations where the aforementioned terrain does not exist. A game program that moves the player character back to the return position and resumes movement control based on the input.

2. The aforementioned computer further, In the aforementioned game processing, The player character is made to perform a first action based on the input, Based on the first action, a first voxel update range is set within the virtual space. The game program according to claim 1, which reduces the density of voxels in the voxel data corresponding to the first voxel update range.

3. The aforementioned computer further, In the aforementioned game processing, The game program according to claim 1, in the second case in which the player character is in contact with the terrain at least in the forward direction, the program controls the player character to be able to move based on an input at the position in contact with the terrain, and stores the position of the player character as the history.

4. The aforementioned computer further, The game program according to claim 3, wherein, in the second case, the program stores at least the position of the player character each time it moves a predetermined distance, and the position of the player character when it stops, as the history.

5. The aforementioned computer further, In the aforementioned game processing, The game program according to claim 1, wherein when the player character reaches a checkpoint in the virtual space, the program further stores the checkpoint as a candidate and excludes the history previously stored from the candidates.

6. The game program according to claim 3, wherein the computer determines the most recent of the candidates as the return position.

7. The game program according to claim 1, wherein the first condition includes the position of the player character being within a first range in the virtual space.

8. The game program according to claim 7, wherein the first condition further includes that the player character has a first possession item remaining that is consumed in accordance with the movement that returns.

9. The voxel data further includes a material that indicates the type of content for each of the multiple voxels, The aforementioned computer further, A display mesh corresponding to the voxel data and drawn based on a virtual camera is generated or updated by determining the vertex coordinates of the mesh based on the density included in at least the voxel data, and determining the material of the mesh based on the material included in at least the voxel data. A game program according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which causes the program to draw the virtual space including the display mesh based on the vertex coordinates of the display mesh and the texture corresponding to the material of the display mesh.

10. The voxel data further includes a material that indicates the type of content for each of the multiple voxels, The aforementioned computer further, The material of the terrain mesh is determined based on the material included in the voxel data, A game program according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the terrain mesh is used as a display mesh, and the program renders the virtual space including the display mesh based on the vertex coordinates of the display mesh and the texture corresponding to the material of the display mesh.

11. Voxel data representing terrain defined in a virtual space, wherein for each of multiple voxels, a density is set to indicate the degree to which the space defined by that voxel is virtually occupied by its contents, and this voxel data is updated based on game processing. The terrain mesh, which corresponds to the voxel data and represents the terrain, is updated, and the vertex coordinates are determined based on the density included in at least the voxel data. In the aforementioned game processing, further, In the first case where the player character is at least on the terrain, the player character is controlled to move based on the input at the position on the terrain, and the position of the player character is stored as a history. When the aforementioned player character satisfies the first condition through movement, Interrupt movement control based on user input, From among the candidates that include multiple locations included in the history, the return location is determined from the candidates that are not locations where the terrain does not exist. A game system that moves the player character back to the return position and resumes movement control based on the input.

12. The aforementioned game system further, In the aforementioned game processing, Based on the input, the player character performs a first action. Based on the first action, a first voxel update range is set within the virtual space. The game system according to claim 11, wherein the density of voxels in the voxel data corresponding to the first voxel update range is reduced.

13. The aforementioned game system further, In the aforementioned game processing, The game system according to claim 11, in the second case in which the player character is in contact with the terrain at least in the forward direction, the system controls the player character to be movable based on an input at the position in contact with the terrain, and stores the position of the player character as the history.

14. The aforementioned game system further, The game system according to claim 13, wherein, in the second case, the position of the player character each time it moves a predetermined distance, and the position when the player character stops are stored as at least the history.

15. The aforementioned game system further, In the aforementioned game processing, The game system according to claim 11, wherein when the player character reaches a checkpoint in the virtual space, the system further stores the checkpoint as a candidate and excludes the history previously stored from the candidates.

16. The game system according to claim 13, wherein the game system determines the most recent of the candidates as the return position.

17. The game system according to claim 11, wherein the first condition includes the position of the player character being within a first range in the virtual space.

18. The game system according to claim 17, wherein the first condition further includes that the player character has a first possession item remaining that is consumed in accordance with the movement that returns.

19. The voxel data further includes a material that indicates the type of content for each of the multiple voxels, The aforementioned game system further, A display mesh corresponding to the voxel data and drawn based on a virtual camera is generated or updated by determining the vertex coordinates of the mesh based on the density included in at least the voxel data, and determining the material of the mesh based on the material included in at least the voxel data. A game system according to any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein the virtual space including the display mesh is rendered based on the vertex coordinates of the display mesh and the texture corresponding to the material of the display mesh.

20. The voxel data further includes a material that indicates the type of content for each of the multiple voxels, The aforementioned game system further, The material of the terrain mesh is determined based on the material included in the voxel data, A game system according to any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein the terrain mesh is used as a display mesh, and the virtual space including the display mesh is rendered based on the vertex coordinates of the display mesh and the texture corresponding to the material of the display mesh.

21. In the information processing system, Voxel data representing terrain defined in a virtual space, wherein for each of multiple voxels, a density is set to indicate the degree to which the space defined by that voxel is virtually occupied by its contents, and this voxel data is updated based on game processing. The terrain mesh, which corresponds to the voxel data and represents the terrain, is updated, and the vertex coordinates are determined based on the density included in at least the voxel data. In the aforementioned game processing, further, In the first case where the player character is at least on the terrain, the player character is controlled to move based on the input at the position on the terrain, and the position of the player character is stored as a history. When the aforementioned player character satisfies the first condition through movement, Interrupt movement control based on user input, From among the candidates that include multiple locations in the aforementioned history, the return location is determined from the candidates that are not locations where the aforementioned terrain does not exist. A game processing method that moves the player character back to the return position and resumes movement control based on the input.

22. The aforementioned information processing system further includes, In the aforementioned game processing, The player character is made to perform a first action based on the input, Based on the first action, a first voxel update range is set within the virtual space. The game processing method according to claim 21, wherein the density of voxels in the voxel data corresponding to the first voxel update range is reduced.

23. The aforementioned information processing system further includes, In the aforementioned game processing, The game processing method according to claim 21, in the second case in which the player character is in contact with the terrain at least in the forward direction, the method controls the player character to be able to move based on an operation input at the position in contact with the terrain, and stores the position of the player character as the history.

24. The aforementioned information processing system further includes, The game processing method according to claim 23, wherein, in the second case, the position of the player character each time it moves a predetermined distance, and the position when the player character stops are stored as at least the history.

25. The aforementioned information processing system further includes, In the aforementioned game processing, The game processing method according to claim 21, wherein when the player character reaches a checkpoint in the virtual space, the checkpoint is further stored as a candidate, and the history stored up to that point is excluded from the candidates.

26. The game processing method according to claim 23, wherein the information processing system determines the most recent of the candidates as the return position.

27. The game processing method according to claim 21, wherein the first condition includes the position of the player character being within a first range in the virtual space.

28. The game processing method according to claim 27, further comprising the first condition that the player character has a first possession item remaining that is consumed in accordance with the movement that returns.

29. The voxel data further includes a material that indicates the type of content for each of the multiple voxels, The aforementioned information processing system further includes, A display mesh corresponding to the voxel data and drawn based on a virtual camera is generated or updated by determining the vertex coordinates of the mesh based on the density included in at least the voxel data, and determining the material of the mesh based on the material included in at least the voxel data. A game processing method according to any one of claims 21 to 28, wherein the virtual space including the display mesh is rendered based on the vertex coordinates of the display mesh and the texture corresponding to the material of the display mesh.

30. The voxel data further includes a material that indicates the type of content for each of the multiple voxels, The aforementioned information processing system further includes, The material of the terrain mesh is determined based on the material included in the voxel data, A game processing method according to any one of claims 21 to 28, wherein the terrain mesh is used as a display mesh, and the virtual space including the display mesh is rendered based on the vertex coordinates of the display mesh and the texture corresponding to the material of the display mesh.

31. A game device equipped with a processor, The aforementioned processor, Voxel data representing terrain defined in a virtual space, wherein for each of multiple voxels, a density is set to indicate the degree to which the space defined by that voxel is virtually occupied by its contents, and this voxel data is updated based on game processing. The terrain mesh, which corresponds to the voxel data and represents the terrain, is updated, and the vertex coordinates are determined based on the density included in at least the voxel data. In the aforementioned game processing, further, In the first case where the player character is at least on the terrain, the player character is controlled to move based on the input at the position on the terrain, and the position of the player character is stored as a history. When the aforementioned player character satisfies the first condition through movement, Interrupt movement control based on user input, From among the candidates that include multiple locations included in the history, the return location is determined from the candidates that are not locations where the terrain does not exist. A game device that moves the player character back to the return position and resumes movement control based on the input.

Images