Programs and computer systems

Abstract

To realize new technologies that make it easier to select items to use from a large number of items. [Solution] In the execution control of a game in which a discharge item 34 that is discharged when a given discharge condition is met during gameplay can be selected and used during gameplay, a storage location for virtually storing the discharge item is selected from among N (N≧2) candidate storage locations, and in the progress display mode that displays the game's progress on the screen, control is performed to simultaneously display N display areas 22 corresponding to each of the N storage locations, and the discharge item stored in the corresponding storage location is displayed in the display area 22.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a program or the like that controls execution of a game.

Background Art

[0002] In video games, it is common to display usable items and select an item to use (such as a card, character, or equipment) from the displayed items (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when the number of usable items becomes large, it is difficult to display all of these items due to the constraints of the display screen, and only some of them have to be displayed. This problem tends to surface particularly easily in games of the type where a large number of items appear and are granted as the game progresses, and in games of the type where smooth progress is difficult unless the player selects, switches, and uses appropriate items during the game. That is, in order to configure the usage settings of items, it is necessary to display the items that serve as selection options. Furthermore, in the display of these selection options, which items should be displayed as selection options also becomes a problem. The display of items when the number of items is too large to display all of them is associated with significant problems.

[0005] In recent years, games with automated progression have become popular. In these automated games, items are typically selected and used automatically according to a predetermined algorithm. However, there are often opportunities for some player intervention, such as when the automated progression pauses under certain conditions and awaits player input. Furthermore, if a player watching the automated progression determines that the desired item is not being selected, they may pause the automated control and manually input their own actions. These cases also present the same problems as those related to item display mentioned above.

[0006] The problem that this invention aims to solve is to realize a new technology that makes it easier to select items to use from among a large number of items. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first invention for solving the above problem is: A program for controlling the execution of a game in which a computer system can select and use items that are dispensed when certain dispensing conditions are met during gameplay, A storage location selection means (for example, the storage location selection unit 212 in Figure 7) selects a storage location for virtually storing the aforementioned discharged items from among N (N≧2) storage units that are candidates for the storage location. In the progress display mode that displays the progress of the game on the screen, an item display control means (for example, the item display control unit 214 in Figure 7) controls the simultaneous display of N display areas corresponding to each of the N storage units, and controls the display area to display the dispensed items stored in the corresponding storage unit. The computer system is made to function as follows: The item display control means individually controls the display modes of the N display areas. It is a program.

[0008] According to the first invention, during gameplay controlled by a computer system, the progress of the game and the appearance of dispensed items, each displayed in a separate display area, can be simultaneously shown on the screen. This makes it easier for the player to select items to use from among the many dispensed items while watching the game progress.

[0009] The second invention is, in the above invention, A disposal measure execution control means (for example, the disposal measure execution control unit 216 in Figure 7) executes a given disposal measure on items that satisfy the given disposal conditions among the discharged items stored in the storage unit. This is a program to further enhance the functionality of the aforementioned computer system.

[0010] According to the second invention, among the discharged items stored in the storage unit, items that meet the disposal conditions can be disposed of. In other words, for example, it becomes possible to display discharged items that are advantageous for game progression and not display items that are disadvantageous. This makes it easier to select items to use from among a large number of items.

[0011] The third invention is, in the above invention, Disposal condition setting means (for example, disposal condition setting unit 218 in Figure 7) that sets the disposal conditions individually for each of the N storage units based on the state of the game, This is a program to further enhance the functionality of the aforementioned computer system.

[0012] According to the third invention, disposal conditions can be individually set for each storage unit based on the game situation. In other words, even for the same discarded item, whether or not disposal measures are taken may differ depending on which storage unit it is stored in. Furthermore, if hiding an item is considered a disposal measure, it becomes possible to hide items that are disadvantageous in the current game situation and prioritize the display of advantageous items for selection and use.

[0013] In a fourth aspect of the invention, in any of the above-described inventions, the disposal condition setting means variably sets the disposal condition based on the record of the discharge having been performed and / or the record of items stored in the storage section, the program.

[0014] According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the disposal condition can be variably set based on the record of discharged items having been discharged and the record of items having been stored in the storage section. This makes it possible, for example, to set disposal conditions based on the type and number of discharged items stored in the past, and determine items that satisfy the conditions.

[0015] In a fifth aspect of the invention, in any of the above-described inventions, the disposal action execution control means executes, as the disposal action, an action of performing any one of discarding the condition-satisfying item, selling the condition-satisfying item, synthesizing the condition-satisfying item as a synthesis material, and changing the condition-satisfying item to another item, the program.

[0016] According to the fifth aspect of the invention, any of discarding, selling, synthesizing as a synthesis material, and changing to another item can be performed as the disposal action for the condition-satisfying item.

[0017] In a sixth aspect of the invention, in any of the above-described inventions, the storage destination selection means selects a storage destination based on the intended use of the discharged item, the program.

[0018] According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the storage destination can be selected based on the intended use of the discharged item. That is, since discharged items can be sorted by their intended use and displayed in separate display areas, it becomes easier to select the item to use from among a large number of items.

[0019] In a seventh aspect of the invention, in any of the above-described inventions, the storage destination selection means selects a storage destination based on the remaining usable count of the discharged item, is a program.

[0020] According to the seventh invention, the storage destination can be selected based on the usable count of the discharged item. That is, it becomes possible to display the discharged items in separate display areas by sorting them according to their usable counts, which makes it easier to select an item to use from a large number of items.

[0021] The eighth invention is the item display control means performs control to change the display mode of each of the N display areas, is a program.

[0022] According to the eighth invention, the display mode of each display area can be changed.

[0023] The ninth invention is, in the above-described invention, the item display control means performs control to change the size and / or display position of each of the N display areas, is a program.

[0024] According to the ninth invention, the size and display position of each display area can be changed. Thereby, for example, it is possible to enlarge a discharged item that is advantageous to the progress of the game or change its display position, which makes it easier to select an item to use from a large number of items.

[0025] The tenth invention is, in the above-described invention, the item display control means performs the change control of the display mode based on the progress status of the game, is a program.

[0026] According to the tenth invention, the display mode of the display area can be changed based on the progress status of the game. This makes it possible to display discharged items that are advantageous to the current game progress status in an easily recognizable manner, which makes it easier to select an item to use from a large number of items.

[0027] The eleventh invention is, in the above invention, The item display control means controls the change of the display mode based on the number of discharge items stored in each of the N storage units. It is a program.

[0028] According to the eleventh invention, the display mode of the corresponding display area can be changed based on the number of discharged items stored in each storage section. This makes it easier to grasp the items held by making the display area with a large number of discharged items relatively larger, and makes it easier to select the items to be used from among a large number of items.

[0029] The twelfth invention is, in the above invention, The N storage units include at least a first storage unit and a second storage unit. The N display areas include at least a first display area corresponding to the first housing and a second display area corresponding to the second housing, The first storage section comprises a first main storage section and a first sub-storage section. The second storage section comprises a second main storage section and a second sub-storage section. The item display control means is Of the discharge items stored in the first storage unit, the discharge items stored in the first main storage unit are displayed in the first display area. Of the discharge items stored in the second storage unit, the discharge items stored in the main storage unit are displayed in the second display area. It is a program.

[0030] According to the twelfth invention, of the discharged items stored in the first storage unit and the second storage unit, respectively, only the discharged items stored in the first main storage unit and the second main storage unit can be displayed in the display area. This makes it possible to display, for example, discharged items that are advantageous for game progression, while not displaying others, making it easier to select items to use from among a large number of items.

[0031] The 13th invention is, in the above invention, The item display control means includes a display setting change control means (for example, the display setting change control unit 215 in Figure 7) that controls the display settings when displaying the dispensed items in the display area based on the progress of the game. It is a program.

[0032] According to the 13th invention, it is possible to change the display settings when displaying discharge items in the display area.

[0033] The fourteenth invention is, in the above invention, The aforementioned game is a game that progresses through automated control play in which the player can intervene to select and use the aforementioned options. It is a program.

[0034] According to the 14th invention, in a game that progresses through automated control play in which the player can intervene to select and use items, it becomes easier to select items to use from among a large number of items.

[0035] The 15th invention is, in the above invention, A character appearance control means (for example, the character appearance control unit 220 in Figure 7) that controls the appearance of multiple characters that can use the item selected by the aforementioned selection and use, A means for determining the character to be used in the selected use (for example, the usage determination unit 222 in Figure 7), The program described in claim 21 is for further enabling the computer system to function as described above.

[0036] According to the 15th invention, it becomes possible to select one of several characters appearing in the game and have the selected character use the dispensed item.

[0037] The sixteenth invention is, in the above invention, Appearance control means (for example, appearance control unit 224 in Figure 7) that controls the number of appearances of the discharged objects that are to be discharged, This is a program to further enhance the functionality of the aforementioned computer system.

[0038] According to the 16th invention, it is possible to change the number of ejected objects. The more ejected objects there are, the more items are dispensed. Therefore, this has the effect of making it easier to select items to use from among a large number of items.

[0039] The seventeenth invention is, in the above invention, Discharge setting change control means for controlling the setting of the discharge object to be discharged, This is a program to further enhance the functionality of the aforementioned computer system.

[0040] According to the 17th invention, it becomes possible to change the settings of the discharge object.

[0041] The 18th invention is, A computer system that controls the execution of a game in which it is possible to select and use items that are dispensed when certain dispensing conditions are met during gameplay, A storage location selection means selects a storage location for virtually storing the aforementioned discharged items from among N (N≧2) storage units that are candidates for the storage location, In the progress display mode that displays the progress of the game on the screen, the item display control means controls the simultaneous display of N display areas corresponding to each of the N storage units, and controls the display area to display the dispensed items stored in the corresponding storage unit. Equipped with, The item display control means individually controls the display modes of the N display areas. It is a computer system.

[0042] According to the 18th invention, a computer system that produces the same effects as the first invention can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0043] [Figure 1] A system configuration diagram showing an example of a game system configuration. [Figure 2] An example of a game screen. [Figure 3] Explanation of the item display section's configuration. [Figure 4] A diagram illustrating the management of owned items. [Figure 5] A diagram illustrating the management of owned items. [Figure 6] A diagram illustrating the management of owned items. [Figure 7] An example of a server system's functional blocks and the programs and data it stores. [Figure 8] An example of item management data. [Figure 9] Examples of changes to the display mode of the display area. [Figure 10] An example of changing the display configuration of the display area. [Figure 11] An example of changing the display configuration of the display area. [Figure 12] An example of changing the display configuration of the display area. [Figure 13] An example of ranking rule data. [Figure 14] An example of ranking rule definition data. [Figure 15]An example of data for setting and controlling ranking rules. [Figure 16] An example of discharge object definition data. [Figure 17] Description of how to control changes to settings related to the discharge of discharged objects. [Figure 18] An example of setting change control data. [Figure 19] Example data structure for initial game settings. [Figure 20] Example of gameplay data structure. [Figure 21] A flowchart illustrating the processing flow performed by a server system. [Figure 22] Flowchart continuing from Figure 21. [Figure 23] A diagram illustrating a modified example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0044] Examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described below, but it goes without saying that the embodiments to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the following embodiments.

[0045] Figure 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of a game system according to this embodiment. The game system 1000 is a computer system including a server system 1100 and user terminals 1500 for each user, which are connected via a network 9 to enable data communication.

[0046] Network 9 refers to a communication path capable of data transmission. In other words, Network 9 includes not only LANs (Local Area Networks) using dedicated lines (dedicated cables) or Ethernet (registered trademark) for direct connections, but also telephone networks, cable networks, and the Internet.

[0047] The server system 1100 is a computer system in which a control board 1150 is mounted on a main unit 1101. The control board 1150 is equipped with various processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1151, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), various IC memories 1152 such as VRAM, RAM, and ROM, and a communication device 1153. Some or all of the functions mounted on the control board 1150 may be implemented by an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a SoC (System on a Chip).

[0048] Although Figure 1 depicts the server system 1100 as a single server device, it may also be implemented using multiple devices. For example, the server system 1100 may be configured with multiple servers, each responsible for a specific function, connected to each other via an internal bus or network 9 for data communication.

[0049] User terminal 1500 serves as a Man-Machine Interface (MMIF) for user 2 to play the game as a player. For user 2, who is the player, user terminal 1500 functions as a play terminal. In actual operation, it is common for multiple user terminals 1500 to communicate with the server system 1100 simultaneously.

[0050] The user terminal 1500 is a computer system that can connect to the network 9, such as a personal computer, smartphone, wearable computer, portable game console, home game console, or tablet computer.

[0051] The user terminal 1500 is a computer system comprising an operation input device, an image display device, a communication device, and a control board 1550 that performs calculation processing. Examples of the operation input device include a touch panel 1506, a keyboard, a game controller, and a mouse. Examples of the image display device include a touch panel 1506, a head-mounted display, and a glasses-type display.

[0052] The control board 1550 is equipped with a CPU 1551, various processors such as a GPU and DSP, various IC memories 1552 such as VRAM, RAM, and ROM, and a communication module 1553 that connects to the network 9. These elements mounted on the control board 1550 are electrically connected via bus circuits and the like, enabling data reading and writing, and signal transmission and reception. Part or all of the control board 1550 may be an ASIC, FPGA, or SoC.

[0053] The control board 1550 stores programs and various data necessary to realize the functions of the user terminal 1500 in the IC memory 1552. The user terminal 1500 realizes the functions of a play terminal for playing games by executing a predetermined application program.

[0054] The video game provided by Game System 1000 is a game in which players can select and use items that are dispensed when given dispensing conditions are met, and the game progresses through an automatically controlled play style in which the player can intervene to select and use these items.

[0055] This game has two play modes: player-controlled play and automated play. In player-controlled play, the player character 4 is controlled according to the player's input, and the game progresses accordingly. Automated play is what is commonly known as autoplay, where a computer system, using a predetermined algorithm, takes over the player's input, allowing the game to progress without the player's input. Strictly speaking, it could be said that for the player, this is more like watching the game progress than actually playing it.

[0056] Figure 2 shows an example of a game screen displayed on the user terminal 1500, and is an example of a screen in progress display mode that shows the progress of the game on the screen. The game screen has a game image display unit 10, an item display unit 20, an ejected object 32, an automatic control icon 42, a progress operation icon 44, and a menu icon 46.

[0057] The game image display unit 10 displays game images showing the progress of the game in progress. In the example in Figure 2, an example of game images from an action game is shown in which three player characters 4 appear and engage in combat with enemy NPCs (Non-Player Characters) 6, but the game content and game images can be set as appropriate. Multiple types of candidate characters that can be used as player characters 4 are available, and some or all of these will appear in the game as player characters 4. During gameplay, the type and number of player characters 4 that appear can be changed by player actions such as changing the player's settings.

[0058] In player-controlled gameplay, the game progresses when user 2, the player, performs the designated manual progress operation on the progress operation icon 44.

[0059] The automatic control icon 42 accepts the operation to enable (ON) or disable (OFF) automatic control play. Immediately after starting gameplay, automatic control play is initially disabled, but it can be switched to enabled by operating the automatic control icon 42. From there, when automatic control play is enabled, the game progresses automatically according to a predetermined algorithm, and the game progresses without manual operation. The player can enjoy the game by viewing the game images on the game image display unit 10 without any operation.

[0060] Even when automatic control play is enabled, players can intervene in the game's progression by operating the progress control icon 44. For example, they can intervene in the actions of player character 4 or in the use of items. When the server system 1100 detects an operation of the progress control icon 44, it will execute the game progression corresponding to that intervention operation as an interrupt process, even during automatic progress control.

[0061] The dispense object 32 dispenses items selected by a lottery process at appropriate timings during game progression control. For example, the timing may depend on the appearance of the player character 4, the item dispensed by the dispense object 32 up to that point, and the progress of the game. The timing of the dispensed items may be set in advance by the player, or it may be determined according to the player's instructions.

[0062] The items dispensed from Discharge Object 32 are items that can be used by the player character 4 in the game, and a variety of types are available. For example, these include equipment items and consumable items.

[0063] Equipment items are items that can be equipped, assigned, or applied (hereinafter collectively referred to as "equipped") to the player character 4. Equipment items include weapon items, armor items, and enchantment magic items that activate enchantment magic. Each player character 4 has a set limit on what equipment items can be equipped, in which parts, and how many of each. By equipping equipment items in the equipable parts within the allowed number, the player character 4 can gain item effects.

[0064] Consumable items are items that are consumed upon use and produce some kind of effect (for example, healing player character 4). Examples include healing potions, torches, temporary power-up skills, ingredients, and materials for item synthesis.

[0065] Items dispensed from the dispensed object 32 are given to the player and registered as items owned by that player, and an item icon 26 representing that item is added to the item display unit 20.

[0066] The item display unit 20 has multiple (N) display areas 22. Each display area 22 is composed of multiple display frames 24, with one item icon 26 displayed in each display frame 24. In other words, there is an upper limit to the number of items that can be displayed in each display area 22, and the number of owned items up to the display limit number M, which is equal to the number of display frames 24, can be displayed. The item display unit 20 can then display the total number of owned items, which is the sum of the display limits M in each of the display areas 22.

[0067] In the example shown in Figure 2, the item display unit 20 has two (N=2) display areas 22 (first display area 22A and second display area 22B). The first display area 22A has nine display frames 24 and can display a maximum of nine (maximum number of displayed items M1=9) owned items. The second display area 22B has six display frames 24 and can display a maximum of six (maximum number of displayed items M2=6) owned items. Therefore, the item display unit 20 can display a maximum of 15 owned items.

[0068] The items held are categorized according to predetermined categories and displayed in the corresponding display area 22. These categories include, for example, conditions related to the item's purpose and the number of times it can be used. Examples of categories related to purpose include whether the item is equipped and used by the player character 4, such as a weapon or armor, or whether it is consumed and used by the player character 4, such as a healing potion. The number of times an item can be used is the number of times it can be used before it is consumed by use. Examples of categories related to the number of times an item can be used include whether the number of uses is greater than or equal to a predetermined number, and whether it is a finite or infinite number of uses.

[0069] If the number of owned items divided into one display area 22 exceeds the display limit M for that display area 22, some of the divided owned items will be displayed in that display area 22, and the remaining items will be hidden (not displayed). The player can switch the screen to display owned items, including items that were displayed and items that were hidden, by operating the display operation icon 48 of each display area 22. On the screen to which the switch is made, the player may be able to set which owned items should be forcibly displayed in the item display section 20. In that case, it is preferable that the display frame 24 for which the player has set the display settings will be fixed to display the items set by the player.

[0070] The items displayed in the display area 22 are determined by whether or not they meet the predetermined disposal conditions. Specifically, among the items categorized in the display area 22, those that do not meet the disposal conditions are displayed in the display area 22, while items that do meet the disposal conditions are disposed of as condition-satisfied items. One example of a disposal measure is to hide the item.

[0071] The disposal condition is, for example, that the ranking determined according to a predetermined ranking rule satisfies a predetermined subordinate condition. The subordinate condition is that the rank is lower than the rank equal to the maximum number of items M in the display area 22 (Mth rank) (a rank greater than M). Items that satisfy the subordinate condition are likely to be items that are relatively unnecessary. Therefore, for example, when a player who has been watching a game progressing through automated control decides to use an item and intervenes, relatively unnecessary items are already hidden, and only relatively necessary items are displayed, making item selection convenient.

[0072] The display frames 24 in the display area 22 are assigned ranks, as shown in Figure 3 as an example, and the owned items corresponding to the rank are displayed in each display frame 24. In the example in Figure 3, the nine display frames 24 are assigned ranks from 1st to 9th (=Mth rank), with the top left being the highest rank (1st) and the bottom right being the lowest rank (9th = Mth rank), moving from the top left to the bottom right of each row. In other words, of the owned items, M items equal to the maximum number of items that can be displayed from 1st to Mth rank are displayed in the display area 22 according to their rank, and owned items with lower ranks than Mth rank are not displayed. It should be noted that the correspondence between the display frames 24 and ranks is not limited to the example in Figure 3.

[0073] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the management of owned items. As shown in Figure 4, multiple (N; N≧2) storage units 50 are provided to virtually store and manage the player's owned items. The number of storage units 50 is the same as the number of display areas 22, and each storage unit 50 is associated one-to-one with each display area 22, storing the owned items to be displayed in the corresponding display area 22. In the example in Figure 4, there is a "first storage unit 50A" associated with the first display area 22A and a "second storage unit 50B" associated with the second display area 22B.

[0074] The discharged items from the discharged object 32 are placed in a designated storage unit 50 according to the classification criteria. In the example shown in Figure 4, the first storage unit 50A is selected as the storage location for the discharged item 34.

[0075] Furthermore, the storage unit 50 is composed of a main storage unit 52 and a sub-storage unit 54. The main storage unit 52 stores the owned items stored in the storage unit 50 that are to be displayed in the corresponding display area 22, and the maximum number of items that can be stored, which is the storage limit, is equal to the maximum number of items that can be displayed in the corresponding display area 22, M. The sub-storage unit 54 stores the remaining owned items, and the number of items that can be stored is greater than the maximum number of items that can be stored in the main storage unit 52, M. In addition, the items stored in the main storage unit 52 and the sub-storage unit 54 are stored in association with rank. In the example in Figure 4, the first storage unit 50A has a first main storage unit 52A and a first sub-storage unit 54A, and the second storage unit 50B has a second main storage unit 52B and a second sub-storage unit 54B.

[0076] If the number of items stored in storage section 50 is less than or equal to the maximum storage capacity M of the main storage section 52 of storage section 50, all items will be stored in the main storage section 52. If the number of items exceeds the maximum storage capacity M, M of those items will be stored in the main storage section 52, and the remaining items will be stored in the sub-storage section 54.

[0077] In other words, as shown in Figure 5, if the number of owned items stored in the storage unit 50 is less than the maximum storage limit M of the main storage unit 52 of the storage unit 50, all of these owned items are stored in the main storage unit 52 and displayed in the item display unit 20. In this state, even if one item is discharged from the discharge object 32 and that discharged item is selected as a new owned item and the storage unit 50 is chosen as the storage destination, the number of owned items in the storage unit 50 will not exceed the maximum display limit M, so the discharged item 34 is stored in the main storage unit 52 of the storage unit 50. In addition, the owned items are ranked and the ranking is updated, and the display in the corresponding display area 22 is also updated in accordance with this ranking update.

[0078] In the example shown in Figure 5, the discharged item 34, discharged from the discharged object 32, is ranked "3rd" and stored in the main storage unit 52. In addition, the ranking of each owned item that was previously ranked "3rd" or lower has been shifted down by one position.

[0079] Then, in the corresponding display area 22, the discarded item 34 is displayed in the "3rd place" display frame 24, and the display frames 24 that previously displayed each owned item that was ranked "3rd place" or lower are also changed, thereby updating the display in the item display section 20.

[0080] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6, if the number of owned items stored in the storage unit 50 exceeds the maximum storage capacity M of the main storage unit 52, these owned items are divided and stored in both the main storage unit 52 and the sub-storage unit 54. That is, the main storage unit 52 stores the maximum storage capacity M owned items, and the sub-storage unit 54 stores the remaining owned items. In this state, if one item is discharged from the discharge object 32, and that discharged item is selected as a new owned item and the storage unit 50 is selected as the storage destination, the owned items, including the discharged item, are ranked and the ranking is updated.

[0081] As a result, if the rank of the discarded item is within the storage limit M of the main storage unit 52, then the lower-ranked items that exceed the storage limit M of the main storage unit 52 will satisfy the lower conditions, i.e., the conditions for disposal will be met. In Figure 6, as an example of disposal measures for condition-met items, the storage destination is changed from the main storage unit 52 to the sub-storage unit 54. Since the discarded item's rank is within the storage limit M, it is stored in the main storage unit 52, and the display in the corresponding display area 22 is updated accordingly. On the other hand, if the rank of the discarded item is lower than the storage limit M of the main storage unit 52, then the discarded item will satisfy the conditions and will be stored in the sub-storage unit 54 as an example of disposal measures.

[0082] The ranking of owned items is determined by a ranking rule that combines criteria such as item type, attribute, rarity, level, and acquisition date with the relative levels of those criteria. For example, rankings can be made in order of "highest rarity," "type (weapon, armor, etc.)," ​​"attribute (water, fire, etc.)," ​​or "earliest acquisition date." In addition to these basic ranking rules, the ranking rule can also include priority rules that assign specific items to specific ranks, such as "items with the attribute 'water' and type 'weapon' are ranked highest," or "items of type 'healing potion' are ranked highest."

[0083] The ranking of owned items is done by applying one basic ranking rule and an arbitrary number of priority rules. In other words, first, all owned items are ranked using the basic ranking rule, and then the ranking of specific items is changed by applying priority rules to determine the final ranking.

[0084] The ranking rules are variably set based on the game situation, including the four player characters that appear, the actions of player character 4, the record of being ejected by ejection object 32, and the record of being contained in the main containment unit 52.

[0085] One way to set ranking rules based on the appearance of player character 4 and the actions of player character 4 is to set specific ranking rules when a particular type of player character 4 appears, when the number of player character 4 appearances reaches a predetermined number, when player character 4 is equipped with a particular item, or when player character 4 performs a particular action.

[0086] One way to set ranking rules based on the drop record of the drop object 32 is to set specific ranking rules in the following cases: 1) when a specific type of item is dropped, 2) when the number of dropped items of a specific type, the total number of dropped items, the number of times the drop process is executed, the number of times the dropped item is used by player character 4, etc. reach a predetermined number, or 3) when a specific event occurs while player character 4 is using a specific type of dropped item. The number of times the drop process is executed refers to the number of times the drop is performed, and even if multiple items are dropped at the same time, it is counted as one time.

[0087] One way to set ranking rules based on the storage performance of the main storage unit 52 is to set specific ranking rules when, for example, the total number of stored discharged items reaches a predetermined number, a specific type of owned item is stored, a specific combination of items is stored, or a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since a specific type of item was stored.

[0088] The ranking rules may be set based on the game situation. For example, the ranking rules may be changed to specific rules when certain events occur, such as fighting a specific type of enemy character 6 or finding a treasure chest, when a specific task is completed, such as clearing a stage, or when the player character 4 is in a specific state / status, such as leveling up or losing health.

[0089] The handling of items held during gameplay is performed either automatically or manually by the player. Player manual intervention can be performed not only during manual play but also as intervention during automatically controlled play.

[0090] In manual operation, the player can use an item on the player character 4 by performing a predetermined usage operation on the item icon 26 of the item displayed on the item display unit 20.

[0091] For example, you can equip equipment items to player character 4. The effects of the equipped items (item effects) are automatically applied to player character 4. Examples of item effects include increased attack power for weapon items and increased defense power for armor items.

[0092] The same applies to consumable items; consumable items can be used by player character 4. The effects of the used consumable item (item effect) are automatically applied to player character 4. Item effects include, for example, restoring health points with a healing potion item. The used consumable item is removed from the player's inventory, and its item icon 26 is removed.

[0093] Furthermore, players can sell or synthesize items they possess. For example, by using the menu icon 46 to display the menu, selecting the sell function, and then selecting the item icon 26 of the item they wish to sell, they can sell that item for in-game currency or other rewards. Sold items are removed from the player's inventory, and their item icon 26 disappears. Additionally, by selecting the synthesize function from the menu and then selecting the item icons 26 of multiple base and synthesis material items, players can replace those items with the synthesized item. The base and synthesis material items are removed from the player's inventory, their item icons 26 disappear, and the synthesized item is registered as a new item in the player's inventory, with its new item icon 26 displayed.

[0094] In automatic control mode, if predetermined conditions are met during automatic control gameplay, the owned items displayed on the item display unit 20 will be used automatically.

[0095] For example, if an equipment item displayed in the item display unit 20 satisfies the given automatic equipment conditions, that equipment item will be automatically equipped to replace or replace any equipment currently equipped by the player character 4.

[0096] Automatic equipment conditions are those that determine whether equipping an item by replacing an currently equipped item or equipping a new item would be advantageous for game progression. For example, the item must be of the same type as the item currently equipped by player character 4 and be of a higher rank than the currently equipped item. "Same type" means having the same classification and usage. More specifically, this includes items of the same type, such as weapon items or armor items, and items that fit in the same equipment slot on player character 4. "Higher rank" means having a higher rarity, level, or item effect.

[0097] If multiple player characters 4 appear in the game, the player character 4 that meets the automatic equipment conditions and whose equipment provides the highest item effect will be selected as the target, and the newly dropped equipment item will be automatically equipped and used.

[0098] The same applies to consumable items displayed in the item display section 20. The item is automatically used for the player character 4 who has the highest item effect when the conditions for using the item are met and the item's use is deemed advantageous for the game's progression are met. For example, if a healing potion, a consumable item, is dispensed from the dispensed object 32, it will be used for the player character 4 with the lowest percentage of remaining health.

[0099] While the automatic use of owned items displayed in the item display unit 20 is performed when conditions are met that are deemed advantageous to the game's progression, the items may be automatically used for player character 4 regardless of whether the conditions are met. In that case, player character 4 to whom the items are used may be selected randomly, or determined according to a given rule such as rotation. Furthermore, the automatic use may be limited to a single owned item, or a combination of multiple owned items that meet predetermined conditions may be used.

[0100] Furthermore, during automated gameplay, disposal measures such as discarding, selling, and combining items are also performed automatically. As an example of an item that satisfies the disposal conditions, as mentioned above, when a new item is dispensed, the items are ranked, and items that fall to a lower rank than the maximum storage capacity M of the main storage unit 52 of the storage unit 50 selected as the storage destination are considered items that satisfy the conditions. During automated gameplay, even when a new item is dispensed, the system searches for whether there are any items that satisfy the disposal conditions, and disposal measures are executed. That is, as shown in Figure 6, if an item that satisfies the given disposal conditions is found among the items stored in the sub-storage unit 54 during automated gameplay, that item is considered a satisfying item and disposal measures are executed. These disposal measures include discarding, selling, or combining items.

[0101] For example, if an item you possess meets certain automatic sale conditions, that item will be automatically sold. Automatic sale conditions are those that determine that the item will have little role to play in the future progression of the game and will not be particularly needed in the future progression of the game. For example, for equipment items, the automatic sale conditions may include possessing the same type of equipment as the one currently equipped by player character 4, but of a lower rank. For consumable items, the automatic sale conditions may include possessing a certain number or more of the same type of item, or possessing a certain number or more of the same type of item with a higher effect.

[0102] Furthermore, if multiple owned items meet the automatic synthesis conditions, synthesis will be performed automatically using these owned items. The discarded items used as synthesis materials will disappear, and the synthesized item will be registered as an item owned by the player. Automatic synthesis conditions are those that are deemed advantageous for game progression. For example, possessing a certain number or more of the same type and rank of items.

[0103] The items subject to automatic sale or automatic synthesis may be limited to hidden items, or all items may be included. Automatic sale or synthesis targeting hidden items can also be considered a disposal measure for items that meet the conditions. Furthermore, if all items are included, the conditions for automatic sale and automatic synthesis may differ between items displayed in the item display unit 20 and hidden items. For example, the conditions for automatic sale and automatic synthesis for hidden items may be made relatively lenient (relatively easier to satisfy) compared to the conditions for items displayed in the item display unit 20.

[0104] Multiple types of ejected objects 32 are available, and during game progression, new ejected objects 32 appear, or existing ejected objects 32 disappear after their appearance ends, dynamically changing the types and number of ejected objects 32 displayed. In the example in Figure 2, two ejected objects 32a and 32b are displayed.

[0105] The differences between the 32 types of dispensed objects lie in the settings related to item dispensing, such as the type of item dispensed, the probability of dispensing it, the maximum number of items that can be dispensed simultaneously in a single dispensing, and the visual effects during dispensing. The differences between the 32 types of dispensed objects are expressed by differences in appearance.

[0106] The types and number of objects that appear are controlled and changed according to the currently active player characters (4), the history of the 32 objects being dispensed, and the game's progress. The number and timing of the 32 objects that appear may be set in advance by the player, or they may be controlled according to the player's instructions.

[0107] One example of a method for controlling the appearance of the ejected object 32 based on the player character 4 currently present is to make a specific type of ejected object appear or disappear when a specific type of player character 4 appears, or when the number of player characters 4 present reaches a predetermined number, or to set the number of ejected objects present to a predetermined number.

[0108] Examples of how to control the appearance of the discharged object 32 based on the discharge history of the discharged object 32 include, for example, making a specific type of discharged object appear or disappear when a specific type of item is discharged, when the total number of items discharged or used by player character 4 reaches a predetermined number, when the total number of items discharged or used by player character 4 of a specific type of item reaches a predetermined number, when the total number of items discharged or the number of times the discharge process is executed by a specific type of discharged object reaches a predetermined number, or when player character 4 uses a specific type of item that is a discharged item and a specific event occurs, or setting the number of discharged objects to a predetermined number.

[0109] One example of a method for controlling the appearance of the ejected objects 32 based on the game's progress is to make a specific type of ejected object appear or disappear, or to set the number of ejected objects to a predetermined number, when the current game progress is such that a) a specific event has occurred, such as a battle with a specific type of enemy character 6 or the discovery of a treasure chest, b) a specific task has been completed, such as clearing a stage, or c) the state / status of the player character 4 has reached a specific state / status, such as leveling up.

[0110] Furthermore, an upper limit may be set on the number of discharged objects 32 that appear simultaneously. If the number of newly appearing discharged objects 32 exceeds this limit, the new discharged object 32 may not be made to appear, or the appearance of one of the currently appearing discharged objects 32 may be terminated and replaced by a new discharged object 32.

[0111] Furthermore, the settings for the ejection of the currently appearing ejection object 32 are controlled to change according to the player character 4 currently appearing, the ejection history of the ejection object 32, the game's progress, etc., similar to the reference information for controlling the appearance of the ejection object 32.

[0112] Changing the settings related to the dropping of the dropping object 32 means changing settings such as the types of items dropped from the currently appearing dropping object 32, the drop rates, the total number of items that can be dropped, the maximum number of items that can be dropped at one time, and the animation when items are dropped. Specifically, this includes adding a specific type of item to the items that can be dropped, increasing / decreasing the drop rate of a specific type of item, increasing / decreasing the total number of items or the number of items that can be dropped at one time from a specific type of dropping object 32, and setting a specific animation when items are dropped. Changes to the settings of the dropping object 32 may be continuous or temporary for a predetermined period of time.

[0113] Figure 7 shows examples of the functional blocks of the server system 1100 and the programs and data stored by the server system 1100. The server system 1100 functions as a server processing unit 200 by executing and processing the server program 302 on the CPU 1151.

[0114] The server processing unit 200 performs various controls related to game provision. Specifically, the server processing unit 200 includes a user information management unit 202, a game progress control unit 210, and a timing unit 230.

[0115] The User Information Management Unit 202 executes the prescribed user registration procedure and controls the registration and management of user information 320 for each user 2.

[0116] The game progress control unit 210 performs various controls related to game progress. Specifically, immediately after the start of gameplay, automatic control play is disabled because player-controlled play is enabled, and the game progresses according to the player's input. When an input is made to enable automatic control play, automatic control play is enabled and various processes are executed to realize automatic control play. For example, the player character 4 and enemy character 6 are automatically controlled to advance the game. If the player intervenes during automatic control play, the game progress corresponding to that intervention is executed like an interrupt process.

[0117] The game progress control unit 210 includes a storage destination selection unit 212, an item display control unit 214, a disposal action execution control unit 216, a disposal condition setting unit 218, a character appearance control unit 220, a usage destination determination unit 222, an appearance control unit 224, an discharge processing execution control unit 226, and an discharge setting change control unit 228.

[0118] The storage destination selection unit 212 selects a storage destination for the discharged item from among N (N≧2) storage units 50 that are candidates for that storage destination. For example, the storage destination is selected based on the intended use of the discharged item and the number of times it can be used.

[0119] Specifically, when an item is discharged from the discharge object 32, a storage location for the discharged item is selected according to given classification conditions (see Figure 4). Classification conditions include, for example, conditions related to the item's purpose and the number of times it can be used. Examples of classification conditions related to purpose include whether the item is equipped and used by the player character 4, such as a weapon or armor, or whether it is consumed and used by the player character 4, such as a healing potion. Examples of classification conditions related to the number of times it can be used include whether the number of uses is greater than or equal to a predetermined number, and whether it is a finite number or an infinite number. The correspondence between the content of the classification conditions and the storage unit 50 that will be the storage location is predetermined and stored as classification condition data 314 (see Figure 19).

[0120] The item display control unit 214 controls the simultaneous display of N display areas 22 corresponding to each of the N storage units 50 in the progress display mode, which displays the game's progress on the screen, and controls the display of the dispensed items stored in the corresponding storage unit 50 in the display areas 22. It also controls the display mode of the N display areas 22 individually and changes the display mode of each of the N display areas 22. For example, it controls the size and / or display position of each of the N display areas 22. Furthermore, it controls the change in display mode based on the game's progress and the storage information of the dispensed items stored in each of the N storage units 50.

[0121] The N storage units 50 each include at least a first storage unit 50A and a second storage unit 50B, and the N display areas 22 each include at least a first display area 22A corresponding to the first storage unit 50A and a second display area 22B corresponding to the second storage unit 50B. The first storage unit 50A has a first storage unit 50A and a first sub-storage unit 54A, and the second storage unit 50B has a second storage unit 50B and a second sub-storage unit 54B. The item display control unit 214 displays the discharge items stored in the first storage unit 50A in the first display area 22A, and displays the discharge items stored in the second storage unit 50B in the second display area 22B. Furthermore, the size of the first display area 22A and the second display area 22B is changed based on the storage information of the discharged items stored in the first storage section 50A.

[0122] Specifically, during gameplay, the item icons 26 of the owned items stored in the main storage units 52 (first main storage unit 52A and second main storage unit 52B) of the corresponding storage units 50 (first storage unit 50A and second storage unit 50B) are displayed in the display areas 22 (first display area 22A and second display area 22B) of the item display unit 20 on the game screen. At that time, the owned items corresponding to the rank defined in each display frame 24 of the display area 22 are displayed (see Figure 3).

[0123] The items a player possesses are managed as item management data 340. Figure 8 shows an example of item management data 340. As shown in Figure 8, item management data 340 is data for managing the player's possessed items and has item management data 341 (first item management data 341a and second item management data 341b) corresponding to each storage unit 50 (first storage unit 50A and second storage unit 50B). Item management data 341 has main item management data 342 (first main item management data 342a and second main item management data 342b) corresponding to the main storage unit 52 (first main storage unit 52A and second main storage unit 52B) and sub-item management data 345 (first sub-item management data 345a and second sub-item management data 345b) corresponding to the sub-storage unit 54.

[0124] The main item management data 342 includes main item data 343 for each owned item stored in the main storage unit 52, and main item ranking data 344 that ranks these owned items. Each main item data 343 is associated with the item ID of the corresponding owned item and includes information such as the item type and acquisition date. The main item ranking data 344 is data that associates the ranks from the highest rank (1st place) to the lowest rank (M1, M2nd place), which is equal to the maximum storage number M, with the item IDs.

[0125] The sub-item management data 345 includes sub-item data 346 for each owned item stored in the sub-storage unit 54, and sub-item ranking data 347 that ranks these owned items. Each sub-item data 346 is associated with the item ID of the corresponding owned item and includes information such as the item type and acquisition date. The sub-item ranking data 347 is data that associates the ranks from the highest rank (1st) to the lowest rank (N1, N2nd) which is equal to the maximum storage number N, with the item IDs.

[0126] The ranking in sub-item ranking data 347 may be a sequential ranking that continues from the ranking in main item ranking data 344, or it may be a ranking only within sub-item management data 345. Figure 8 shows an example of the former.

[0127] The item display control unit 214 displays the item icons 26 of the owned items corresponding to the rank in each display frame 24 of the corresponding display area 22, according to the corresponding main item ranking data 344. Furthermore, when the main item ranking data 344 is updated, the display in the corresponding display area 22 is updated.

[0128] Furthermore, the item display control unit 214 controls the display manner for each display area 22 individually, for example, by changing the arrangement of display frames 24 according to rank (the direction in which they are arranged according to the corresponding rank; in the example of Figure 2, it is the horizontal direction), or by changing the display size, color, and intensity of each display frame 24.

[0129] Figure 9 shows an example of a game screen with a modified display mode for the display area 22. In the example in Figure 9, the display size of the display frame 24 for each display area 22 is set to a different size depending on the corresponding rank, with the higher the corresponding rank, the larger the frame. By making the display size of the display frame 24 for lower corresponding ranks relatively smaller, the number of display frames 24 in the display area 22 can be increased, thereby increasing the number of items that can be displayed.

[0130] Furthermore, the system controls the display configuration of the display areas 22, such as rearranging the arrangement of the display areas 22 in the item display unit 20 (the direction in which the display areas 22 are arranged; in the example of Figure 2, they are arranged horizontally), changing the direction of arrangement, or changing the display size of each display area 22.

[0131] Figure 10 shows an example of a game screen with a modified display configuration for display area 22. In the example in Figure 10, the arrangement of display areas 22 is swapped so that the second display area 22B is placed on the left and the first display area 22A is placed on the right.

[0132] Figure 11 shows another example of a game screen with a modified display configuration for display area 22. In the example in Figure 11, the arrangement of display areas 22 is configured with the first display area 22A positioned above and the second display area 22B positioned below. Furthermore, the top and bottom of this arrangement may also be reversed.

[0133] Figure 12 shows another example of a game screen with a modified display configuration for display area 22. In the example in Figure 12, the display size of the first display area 22A is smaller than that of the second display area 22B. In this case, compared to the display configuration in Figure 2, the number of owned items displayed in the first display area 22A has increased, and the number of owned items displayed in the second display area 22B has decreased.

[0134] Such control over changes in display mode and display configuration can be performed, for example, based on storage information such as the number, type, and attributes of items stored in the first main storage unit 52A. Specifically, when a predetermined large number condition is met, which indicates that the number of items stored in the first main storage unit 52A is significantly larger than the number of items stored in the second main storage unit 52B, or when items of a specific type or attribute are stored in the first main storage unit 52A, the display size of the first display area 22A corresponding to the first main storage unit 52A can be increased. Furthermore, changes to the display mode and display configuration of the display area 22 can also be made based on the progress of the game, such as by setting the display mode and display configuration to make it easier for the player to understand and use items that are deemed advantageous to the game's progression.

[0135] Furthermore, the item display control unit 214 includes a display setting change control unit 215 that controls the display settings when displaying the dispensed items in the display area 22. The display setting change control unit 215 changes the display settings based on the progress of the game. The display settings include at least one of the display position, display size, and arrangement configuration of the dispensed items in the display area 22.

[0136] Specifically, when displaying dropped items in the item display unit 20 during gameplay, if there is a specific game situation where using the dropped item is deemed advantageous for game progression, the display settings of the corresponding item icon 26 and display frame 24 are changed to make it easier for the player to understand and use that item. Alternatively, the display settings of the item display unit 20 may be changed according to the player's operation.

[0137] A specific game situation could be, for example, a) a specific event occurring, such as a battle with a specific type of enemy character 6; b) a specific task being completed, such as clearing a stage; or c) the player character 4 reaching a specific state / status, such as leveling up, losing health, or using a specific type of item. These can be predetermined for each type of item.

[0138] Changes to the display settings can include, for example, increasing the display size of the item's display frame 24 or item icon 26, changing the color or density to highlight it, or changing the display position to a predetermined location such as the top or middle of the display area 22.

[0139] The disposal action execution control unit 216 removes items from the storage unit 50 by executing a given disposal action on items that meet the given disposal conditions from among the discharged items stored in the storage unit 50. For example, the disposal action executed on the items that meet the conditions may be one of the following: discard, sell, use as a synthesis material, or change into another item.

[0140] Furthermore, 1) for items stored in the first storage unit 50A that satisfy the first disposal condition, a first disposal measure is performed to change their storage destination from the first storage unit 50A to the first sub-storage unit 54A; and 2) for items stored in the second storage unit 50B that satisfy the second disposal condition, a second disposal measure is performed to change their storage destination from the second storage unit 50B to the second sub-storage unit 54B. For example, the items stored in the first storage unit 50A are ranked, and items that satisfy the first disposal condition are selected by including the first lower condition based on the ranking as part of the first disposal condition; and the items stored in the second storage unit 50B are ranked, and items that satisfy the second disposal condition are selected by including the second lower condition based on the ranking as part of the second disposal condition.

[0141] Specifically, if the number of owned items stored in the storage unit 50 of the storage unit selected by the storage destination selection unit 212 exceeds the maximum storage capacity M of the main storage unit 52 of the storage unit 50, the owned items, including the released items, are ranked according to the ranking rule data 350. Then, among the owned items stored in the main storage unit 52 of the storage unit 50, those with a lower ranking than the maximum storage capacity M of the main storage unit 52 are disposed of as items that satisfy the conditions. For example, the storage destination may be the sub-storage unit 54 (see Figure 6).

[0142] At this time, if the ranking of the newly dispensed item is within the maximum storage capacity M of the main storage unit 52, a new main item data 343 corresponding to the dispensed item is added, and the main item ranking data 344 is updated. In addition, for items that meet the conditions, the corresponding main item data 343 is deleted from the main item management data 342, added as sub-item data 346 to the sub-item management data 345, and the sub-item ranking data 347 is updated.

[0143] On the other hand, if the rank of a newly released item is lower than the maximum storage capacity M of the main storage unit 52, the released item is stored in the sub-storage unit 54 as a condition-fulfilling item. In other words, new sub-item data 346 corresponding to the released item is added, and the sub-item ranking data 347 is updated.

[0144] The ranking rule data 350 is data that defines the ranking rules to be applied at the present time. Figure 13 shows an example of the ranking rule data 350. As shown in Figure 13, the ranking rule data 350 defines the correspondence between rule type and rule number. The rule types include priority rules and basic ranking rules. In principle, one rule number is assigned to the basic ranking rule, and an arbitrary number (0 or more) of rule numbers is assigned to the priority rules. This ranking rule data 350 is updated by the disposal condition setting unit 218.

[0145] The rule number is an identification number that indicates a specific rule. The content of the specific ranking rule corresponding to the rule number is defined as ranking rule definition data 316. Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of ranking rule definition data 316. As shown in Figure 14, ranking rule definition data 316 associates the rule number with the criterion elements that constitute the ranking rule, their high / low combinations, and the rule type.

[0146] Although the ranking rule data 350 is common to all storage units 50, the types of items categorized may differ for each storage unit 50, so it is also possible to set the ranking rule data 350 separately for each storage unit 50.

[0147] The disposal action execution control unit 216 performs disposal actions on items that meet the conditions, such as discarding, selling, combining as synthesis material, or changing into other items, when the owned items stored in the sub-storage unit 54 meet the given disposal conditions. The disposal conditions are those conditions under which performing the disposal action is deemed advantageous to the progress of the game, and include automatic discard conditions for discarding items, automatic selling conditions for selling items, automatic synthesis conditions for combining multiple items, and automatic conversion conditions for converting items into other items.

[0148] The disposal conditions include a first disposal condition for items stored in the main storage unit 52 and a second disposal condition for items stored in the sub-storage unit 54. The second disposal condition is preferably a relatively lenient condition (a relatively easy condition to satisfy) compared to the first disposal condition. The disposal conditions are stored in advance as disposal condition data 315 (see Figure 19).

[0149] The disposal condition setting unit 218 sets disposal conditions individually for each of the N storage units 50 based on the game situation. For example, the disposal conditions are set variably based on the game situation, such as the record of items being discharged by the discharge object 32 and the record of items being stored in the storage unit 50.

[0150] Specifically, the disposal condition is that the rank assigned according to the ranking rule satisfies the lower-level conditions. By setting the ranking rule variably according to the ranking rule setting control data 317, the disposal conditions for determining whether an item satisfies the conditions are set variably. The set ranking rule is stored as ranking rule data 350.

[0151] Figure 15 shows an example of ranking rule setting control data 317. As shown in Figure 15, the ranking rule setting control data 317 defines the setting conditions, rule number, target rule type, and rule content in association with each other. When the setting conditions are met, the corresponding rule number and its rule content are applied to and set in the ranking rule data 350. That is, if the target rule type is a basic ranking rule, the current basic ranking rule is updated and set. If the target rule type is a priority rule, according to the rule content, the rule with the highest priority is added to or modified from the current priority rule.

[0152] The character appearance control unit 220 controls the appearance of multiple characters that can use the selected item, based on the selection and use of the item.

[0153] Specifically, from a pre-prepared list of candidate characters, a number of characters up to or below the maximum number of characters that can appear (determined by the game's progress, etc.) is selected according to the player's input or randomly, and introduced into the game as Player Character 4. The characters that can be selected as Player Character 4 are defined in Candidate Character Definition Data 311 (see Figure 19). Player Character 4 currently in play is managed as Player Character Control Data 331 (see Figure 20).

[0154] The usage determination unit 222 determines which character will use the selected item.

[0155] Specifically, for items dispensed from the currently appearing dispensed object 32, it is determined whether certain conditions are met for using the dispensed item to be advantageous in the game's progression. If the conditions are met, the player character 4 currently appearing who can use the dispensed item and whose item effect is the highest when used is selected as the recipient of the dispensed item.

[0156] The appearance control unit 224 controls the number of appearances of the discharge object 32 that dispenses the dispensed items. For example, it controls at least one of the following: a) the type of discharge object 32 to be dispensed, b) the timing of the appearance of a new discharge object 32, and c) the end of the appearance of a currently appearing discharge object 32.

[0157] Specifically, the number of discharged objects 32 is controlled by controlling their appearance and termination according to the discharged object definition data 318. Information regarding discharged objects 32 that are currently present is managed as appearing discharged object data 351 (see Figure 20).

[0158] Figure 16 shows an example of discharge object definition data 318. Discharge object definition data 318 is generated for each type of discharge object 32. Each piece of discharge object definition data 318 has, associated with the corresponding discharge object type, appearance conditions, appearance termination conditions, discharge initial setting data, and discharge animation data.

[0159] The appearance conditions are the conditions for making the object 32 of that type appear, and are determined based on factors such as the player character 4 currently in play, the history of making the object 32, and the progress of the game. The appearance termination conditions are the conditions for ending the appearance of the object 32 of that type and causing it to disappear.

[0160] The initial discharge data is the initial value for the discharge of the discharge object 32 of that type, and is the setting when the discharge object 32 of that type appears. The initial discharge data includes a list of discharge items, discharge conditions that determine the timing of the discharge process, a simultaneous discharge limit which is the maximum number of items that can be discharged at one time, a total discharge limit which is the maximum number of items that can be discharged in total, and a discharge animation which is the animation when an item is discharged. The discharge item list is a list of items that can be discharged from the discharge object 32, and the discharge probability and the total discharge limit which is the total number of items that can be discharged are determined in association with the item type.

[0161] The drop animation data is data used for the animations that occur when an item is dropped, and includes animation data for one or more animations.

[0162] As shown in Figure 17, the appearance control unit 224 causes the type of discharge object 32 that satisfies the appearance conditions to appear, according to the discharge object definition data 318, as the initial settings defined in the discharge initial setting data. The settings of the appeared discharge object 32 can be changed by the discharge setting change control unit 228 depending on the progress of the game, etc. In addition, the appearance of any discharge object 32 that satisfies the appearance termination conditions among the currently appearing discharge objects 32 is terminated and made to disappear.

[0163] The discharge processing execution control unit 226 controls the discharge processing of each discharge object 32 to be executed at the same time.

[0164] Specifically, if any of the currently appearing drop objects 32 meet the currently set drop conditions, the drop processing for all currently appearing drop objects 32 is executed simultaneously. The drop processing for each drop object 32 is performed according to the current settings of that drop object 32. That is, for each drop object 32, a lottery is performed using the drop probabilities of each item type from the item types defined in the item list to determine the type and number of items to be dropped, up to or less than the simultaneous drop limit. Then, each of the determined item types is displayed along with the animation defined in the drop animation and added to the player's inventory.

[0165] The discharge setting change control unit 228 controls the settings of the discharge object 32 that will be discharged. For example, it controls at least one of the following settings for the discharge object 32: a) the types of items that can be discharged, b) the total number of items that can be discharged, c) the maximum number of items that can be discharged at once, d) the probability of discharge, e) the animation when discharged, and f) the timing of the execution of the discharge process.

[0166] Specifically, according to the setting change control data 319, it is determined whether the change conditions are met for the currently appearing discharge object 32, and if they are met, the corresponding changes are applied to modify the current settings of the discharge object 32.

[0167] Figure 18 shows an example of setting change control data 319. As shown in Figure 18, setting change control data 319 is data for controlling changes to the settings of the currently appearing ejected object 32, and defines the change conditions and the change content in association. When the change conditions are met, the corresponding change content is applied. The change conditions are defined as conditions based on the currently appearing player character 4, the ejection history of the ejected object 32, the progress of the game, etc. The change content is the modification or addition of setting values ​​such as the item ejection probability, the number of items that can be ejected, the ejection conditions, the number of items ejected simultaneously (number of items ejected at the same time), and the ejection animation. Changeable items are, for example, the items defined in the initial ejection setting data.

[0168] Returning to Figure 7, the timing unit 230 manages the current date and time 360, measures the time, etc., using the system clock or the like.

[0169] The server system 1100 stores the server program 302, the distribution client program 304, the game initial setup data 310, the user information 320, the play data 330, and the current date and time 360 ​​in the server storage unit 300, which is an IC memory 1152. Of course, other data may also be stored as appropriate.

[0170] The distribution client program 304, when executed by the user terminal 1500, causes the user terminal 1500 to function as a game client and as a control and human-machine interface for the game system 1000.

[0171] As shown in Figure 19, the game initial setup data 310 includes various initial setup data related to the game. For example, the game initial setup data 310 includes candidate character definition data 311, event definition data 312, item definition data 313, classification condition data 314, disposal condition data 315, ranking rule definition data 316, ranking rule setting control data 317, discharge object definition data 318, and setting change control data 319. Of course, other data may also be included as appropriate.

[0172] Candidate character definition data 311 is data that defines candidate characters that the player can select as player character 4, and is prepared for each character type. Each candidate character definition data 311 corresponds to a character type and includes model data, motion data, equipment item equipment conditions (specifications of what types of equipment items can be equipped and how many to which parts), initial ability setting data, etc. Initial ability setting data is data of initial settings for each ability parameter.

[0173] Event definition data 312 is data that defines events that occur during the game, such as encountering enemy character 6 or the appearance of treasure chests, and is prepared for each event. Each event definition data 312 corresponds to an event type and includes event activation condition data and event execution data for executing that event.

[0174] Item definition data 313 is data that defines the items that appear in the game, and is prepared for each type of item. This includes items that are dispensed from the dispensed object 32. Each item definition data 313 corresponds to an item type and includes attributes, rarity, level, model data, display data for the item icon 26, item classification, equipment requirements, and item effect data granted by use. Item classification is a classification such as equipment items or consumable items. Equipment requirements are data set when the item is an equipment item, and include, for example, the types of characters that can equip it, the equipment slots, and the number of equipable items.

[0175] Returning to Figure 7, user information 320 is prepared for each user 2 who has completed the prescribed registration procedure, and stores various information associated with that user 2. One user information 320 includes the user account, a list of owned items, play history, number of plays, billing information, save data, etc. Save data includes the game progress at the time of saving, for example, game progress (which game stage was reached, which NPCs were encountered, which items were acquired, play time, etc.), player level, list of owned items, etc.

[0176] Play data 330 is data relating to the progress of the game and is updated by the game progress control unit 210. Play data 330 includes, for example, player character control data 331, game progress data 332, owned item management data 340, ranking rule data 350, appearing / discarding object data 351, discarding object appearance history data 352, object discard history data 353, item usage history data 354, and item disposal history data 355, as shown in Figure 20.

[0177] The player character control data 331 stores various data indicating the status of player character 4. For example, it includes the player character 4's character ID, character type, latest ability parameter values, equipped item list, display position coordinates, and motion control data. The ability parameter values ​​may be changed sequentially due to the item effects of equipped items.

[0178] Game progress data 332 includes various parameter values ​​that describe the game's progress, such as the elapsed time since the start of the game, the game stage being played, and the status data of player character 4. The status data includes ability parameter values, experience points, level, equipment, owned items, status ailments, etc.

[0179] The discharge object appearance history data 352 is a history of the discharge objects 32 that have appeared, and for each discharge object 32 that has appeared, it has associated information such as its type, appearance timing, and appearance termination timing.

[0180] The object discharge history data 353 is a history of items discharged by the discharge object 32, and for each discharge of the discharge object 32, it has associated information such as the type of discharge object 32, the timing of the discharge, and the type of discharged item.

[0181] Item usage history data 354 is a history of the use of owned items, and for each use, it associates the type of item used, the character ID to which it was used, the timing of use, the timing of completion of use, and the result of use.

[0182] Item disposal history data 355 is a record of disposals of owned items, such as discarding, selling, synthesizing, and converting. For each disposal, it is associated with the type of item disposed of, the details of the disposal, and the timing of the disposal.

[0183] Figures 21 and 22 are flowcharts illustrating the processing flow performed by the server system 1100. For ease of understanding, Figures 21 and 22 limit the explanation to interaction with a single user terminal 1500; however, in actual operation, the server system 1100 interacts with multiple user terminals 1500 simultaneously.

[0184] As shown in Figure 21, first, the character appearance control unit 220 displays a list of candidate characters according to the candidate character definition data 311, and determines the player character 4 according to the player's selection operation (step S1). If there is game save data in the user information 320, it may be read.

[0185] Next, the appearance control unit 224 determines the number and type of discharged objects 32 to be released first, and releases the discharged objects 32 of the determined type (step S3). The number and type of discharged objects 32 may be determined to satisfy the conditions defined in the discharged object definition data 318, or they may be determined randomly.

[0186] Then, the game progress control unit 210 disables automatic control play and starts manual control play, which is game progress control by manual operation (step S5).

[0187] If a switch operation is performed between automatic control play and manual control play during game progress control (Step S7: YES), the game progress control unit 210 switches between automatic control play and manual control play according to the operation (Step S9).

[0188] Then, if automatic control play is in progress (step S11: YES), the appearance control unit 224 determines whether the appearance conditions for the discharged object 32 are met. That is, it determines whether the appearance conditions defined in the discharged object definition data 318 are met, and determines the number and type of discharged objects 32 to be newly released.

[0189] If there are new discharge objects 32 to be made to appear (Step S13: YES), then it is determined whether the number of currently appearing discharge objects 32 is less than or equal to a predetermined upper limit. If it exceeds the upper limit (Step S15: NO), then it is determined which discharge objects 32 will be made to disappear from among the currently appearing discharge objects 32 so that the number of appearing objects becomes less than or equal to the upper limit, and the discharge objects 32 of the determined type will disappear (Step S17). After that, the determined number and type of discharge objects 32 will be made to appear (Step S19). Alternatively, the discharge objects 32 of the type that were decided to appear may not be made to appear.

[0190] Next, the discharge setting change control unit 228 determines whether each of the currently appearing discharge objects 32 satisfies the setting change conditions according to the setting change control data 319. If there is a discharge object 32 that satisfies the conditions (step S21: YES), the setting of that discharge object 32 is changed (step S23).

[0191] Next, as shown in Figure 22, the discharge processing execution control unit 226 determines whether each of the appearing discharge objects 32 satisfies the discharge conditions. If there are any discharge objects 32 that satisfy the discharge conditions (step S25: YES), the discharge processing is performed for each of the appearing discharge objects 32 (step S27). That is, for each discharge object 32, the number and type of items to be discharged are determined according to the discharge object definition data 318, and the processing is performed to discharge items of the determined type.

[0192] Next, the storage destination selection unit 212 selects a storage destination for each discharged item according to given classification conditions (step S28). Subsequently, the disposal action execution control unit 216 ranks the stored items (discharged items) for each storage unit 50 according to the ranking rule data 350 (step S31).

[0193] Furthermore, a search is performed for items that meet the disposal conditions from the held items (step S33). If the ranking of the items that meet the conditions exceeds the maximum storage capacity M of the main storage unit 52 (step S35: YES), a disposal measure is taken to change the storage destination of the items that meet the conditions from the main storage unit 52 to the sub-storage unit 54 (step S37). On the other hand, if the ranking of the items that meet the conditions does not exceed the maximum storage capacity M of the main storage unit 52 (step S35: NO), the items that have been newly acquired and disposed of are stored in the main storage unit 52 (step S39). Then, the display on the item display unit 20 is updated according to the contents of the main storage unit 52 after the update (step S41).

[0194] Next, it is determined whether there are any items in the sub-containment section 54 that meet the disposal conditions. If there are any items that meet the conditions (Step S43: YES), disposal measures such as discarding, selling, or synthesizing the items are carried out (Step S45).

[0195] Furthermore, the disposal condition setting unit 218 determines whether the setting conditions for the ranking rule are met according to the ranking rule setting control data 317, and if the setting conditions are met (step S47: YES), it changes the setting to the corresponding ranking rule (step S49).

[0196] Subsequently, the game progress control unit 210 determines whether the game termination conditions (e.g., game over, game clear, game interruption, etc.) are met. If they are not met (step S51: NO), it returns to step S7 and repeats the same process. If the game termination conditions are met (step S51: YES), the game progress control unit 210 saves the save data (step S53) and terminates the series of processes.

[0197] According to this embodiment, in a game whose execution is controlled by a computer system, the game system 1000, the progress of the game and the appearance of the dispensed items, each displayed separately in one of the multiple display areas 22, can be simultaneously displayed on the screen. This makes it easier for the player to select which items to use from among the many dispensed items while watching the game progress.

[0198] Although examples of embodiments to which the present invention is applied have been described, the forms to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the above-described forms, and components can be added, omitted, or modified as appropriate.

[0199] (Variation 1) For example, in the embodiment described above, the number of display areas 22 in the item display unit 20 on the game screen was set to 2 (N=2), but it is also possible to have 3 or more display areas 22. In that case, a number of storage units 50 equal to the number of display areas 22 should be provided. In addition, the classification conditions should be changed and set as necessary so that items can be classified into each storage unit 50 according to the classification conditions.

[0200] Furthermore, the classification criteria may not only be used continuously throughout the game after being set once, but may also be changed according to the game situation. For example, suppose the number of display areas 22 is 2 (= the number of storage units 50 is 2), and the initial classification criteria are for classifying items into equipment items and consumable items. When the game situation meets predetermined conditions, the classification criteria can be changed to classify items into items of a predetermined attribute and items of other attributes.

[0201] Furthermore, the classification conditions may be changed such that if the game situation satisfies the first condition, the number of display areas 22 is set to 2 (= the number of storage units 50 is set to 2), and if the second condition is met, the number of display areas 22 is set to 3 (= the number of storage units 50 is set to 3).

[0202] (Variation 2) Furthermore, multiple discharge objects 32 may be discharged sequentially with a predetermined time difference, rather than simultaneously, to discharge items. In this case, the discharge history of the discharge object 32 immediately preceding the one discharging items will become the discharge history for the next discharge object 32. In other words, the discharge settings for the next discharge object 32 may be changed based on the discharge history of the discharge object 32 immediately preceding the one discharging items.

[0203] (Variation 3) In the embodiment described above, in step S43 of Figure 22, the search target for items that satisfy the conditions was the sub-storage unit 54, but the main storage unit 52 may also be included as a search target in addition to the sub-storage unit 54.

[0204] (Modification #4) In the embodiment described above, in steps S31 to S37 of Figure 22, when any of the owned items stored in the main storage unit 52 becomes a condition-satisfying item, changing the storage location of that condition-satisfying item to the sub-storage unit 54 was explained as an example of a disposal measure. This disposal measure may also include discarding, selling, or using as synthesis material, similar to step S45. In that case, the disposal conditions for searching for condition-satisfying items include conditions such as automatic discarding conditions, automatic selling conditions, and automatic synthesis conditions to search for condition-satisfying items.

[0205] (Variation 5) Furthermore, the game system 1000 may implement multiple user terminals 1500 using a P2P (Peer to Peer) architecture. In this case, programs and data corresponding to the functional division are stored in the user terminals 1500, and the functions equivalent to the server processing unit 200 in the above embodiment are distributed and implemented by the user terminals 1500, which act as P2P nodes. The same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained in this configuration as well.

[0206] (Variation #6) Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the game system 1000 may be implemented not as a client-server type, but as a single computer system that was the user terminal 1500 in the above embodiment.

[0207] Specifically, as shown in Figure 23, for example, the user terminal 1500B stores all the data stored by the server system 1100 in the above embodiment (see Figure 7). However, instead of the server program 302 and the distribution client program 304, a game program 306 is provided as an application program for the user terminal 1500B. In the above embodiment, the game program 306 implements all the functional parts of the server system 1100 (see Figure 7) as a terminal processing unit 200t on the user terminal 1500B. Also, the user information 320 consists only of information of the user terminal 1500. The processing flow described in the above embodiment (see Figures 21 and 22) can be reinterpreted by changing the execution entity from the server system 1100 to the user terminal 1500B. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0208] 1000...Game System 1100... Server System 200... Server Processing Unit 202...User Information Management Department 210...Game Progression Control Unit 212...Detention Destination Selection Section 214... Item display control unit 215...Display setting change control unit 216... Disposal Measures Execution Control Unit 218... Disposal Condition Setting Department 220...Character Appearance Control Unit 222... Usage determination unit 224... Appearance Control Unit 226... Discharge Processing Execution Control Unit 228... Discharge setting change control unit 230...Timekeeping section 300... Server storage 302… Server Program 304…Client program for distribution 310...Game initial settings data 320... User Information 330 play data 360...Current date and time 1500... User terminal 10...Game image display section 4…Player character 6… Enemy Characters 20... Item display section 22…Display area 22A…1st display area 22B…Second display area 24... Display frame 26… Item Icon 32... Discharge Objects 34... Items that can be obtained 42...Automatic progress control icon 44…Progress control icon 46…Menu icon 48…Display operation icon 50... Detention Unit 50A...First containment area 50B...Second containment area 52…Main storage area 52A...Main containment area 1 52B...Second Main Containment Unit 54... Sub-accommodation unit 54A...First Sub-accommodation Unit 54B...Second Sub-accommodation Unit 2…User

Claims

1. A program for controlling the execution of a game in which a computer system can select and use items that are dispensed when certain dispensing conditions are met during gameplay, A storage location selection means that selects a storage location for virtually storing the aforementioned discharged items from among N (N≧2) storage units that are candidates for the storage location. In the progress display mode that displays the progress of the game on the screen, an item display control means controls the simultaneous display of N display areas corresponding to each of the N storage units, and controls the display area to display the dispensed items stored in the corresponding storage unit. The computer system is made to function as follows: The item display control means individually controls the display modes of the N display areas. program.

2. A disposal measure execution control means that executes a given disposal measure for items that satisfy a given disposal condition among the discharged items stored in the storage section, The program according to claim 1 for further functioning the computer system.

3. Disposal condition setting means for individually setting the disposal conditions for each of the N storage units based on the game situation, The program according to claim 2 for further enabling the computer system to function as described above.

4. The disposal condition setting means sets the disposal conditions variably based on the actual discharge record and / or the actual storage record of the storage unit. The program according to claim 3.

5. The disposal measure execution control means executes one of the following measures as the disposal measure for the item that satisfies the conditions: disposal, sale, synthesis as a material, or conversion into another item. The program according to claim 2.

6. The aforementioned storage destination selection means selects a storage destination based on the intended use of the discharged item. The program according to claim 1.

7. The storage destination selection means selects a storage destination based on the number of times the discharged item can be used. The program according to claim 1.

8. The item display control means performs control to change the display mode of each of the N display areas. The program according to claim 1.

9. The item display control means performs control to change the size and / or display position of each of the N display areas. The program according to claim 8.

10. The item display control means controls the change of the display mode based on the progress of the game. The program according to claim 8.

11. The item display control means controls the change of the display mode based on the number of discharge items stored in each of the N storage units. The program according to claim 8.

12. The N storage sections include at least a first storage section and a second storage section. The N display areas include at least a first display area corresponding to the first storage area and a second display area corresponding to the second storage area. The first storage section comprises a first main storage section and a first sub-storage section. The second storage section comprises a second main storage section and a second sub-storage section. The item display control means is Of the discharge items stored in the first storage unit, the discharge items stored in the first main storage unit are displayed in the first display area. Of the discharge items stored in the second storage unit, the discharge items stored in the second main storage unit are displayed in the second display area. The program according to claim 1.

13. The item display control means includes a display setting change control means that controls the display settings when displaying the dispensed items in the display area based on the progress of the game. The program according to claim 1.

14. The aforementioned game is a game that progresses through automated control play in which the player can intervene to select and use the aforementioned options. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. Character appearance control means that controls the appearance of multiple characters that can use the selected item, A means for determining the character to be used in the selected use, The program according to claim 14 for further enabling the computer system to function as described above.

16. Appearance control means for controlling the number of appearances of the discharged objects that are to be discharged, The program according to claim 14 for further enabling the computer system to function as described above.

17. Discharge setting change control means for controlling the setting of the discharge object to be discharged, The program according to claim 14 for further enabling the computer system to function as described above.

18. A computer system that controls the execution of a game in which it is possible to select and use items that are dispensed when certain dispensing conditions are met during gameplay, A storage location selection means for selecting a storage location to virtually store the aforementioned discharged items from among N (N≧2) storage units that are candidates for the storage location, In the progress display mode that displays the progress of the game on the screen, the item display control means controls the simultaneous display of N display areas corresponding to each of the N storage units, and controls the display area to display the dispensed items stored in the corresponding storage unit. Equipped with, The item display control means individually controls the display modes of the N display areas. Computer system.

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