PROGRAM, INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

Abstract

To provide a program, an information processing system, and an information processing method capable of promoting excitement in a match. [Solution] The system includes a character registration unit 61 that accepts character registration in association with a player in response to a request from the player's terminal, a matching processing unit 62 that matches multiple players whose characters have been registered, and an article editing unit 63 that edits articles regarding pre-match information based on at least one of the information about each matched player and the information about the characters registered by each matched player, and provides the edited results of the articles to each of the matched player's terminals, where the article editing unit 63 edits an article for each matched player, and edits the specified content of the article by giving priority to information associated with the player to whom the information is provided.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a program, an information processing system, and an information processing method for a game in which a plurality of players participate and compete against each other. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, horse racing games in which a player trains a racehorse and enters it in races to compete against other characters, and baseball games in which a player trains a baseball player and has the character compete in matches, have been known. For example, in baseball games, there is a function for generating and displaying reports based on the results of matches (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3454356 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional article generation and display functions, the content of the article is determined by the character's performance in a match and the results of the match, which can give some players the impression that the article lacks excitement.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a program, an information processing system, and an information processing method that can enhance the excitement of a match. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) The present invention relates to a program for a game in which multiple players participate and compete against each other, comprising a character registration unit that accepts registration of a character in association with a player in response to a request from the player's terminal, a matching processing unit that matches multiple players whose characters have been registered, and an article editing unit that causes a computer to function as an article editing unit that edits an article regarding pre-information for the match based on at least one of information about each of the matched players and information about the character registered by each of the matched players, and provides the edited results of the article to each of the matched players' terminals, wherein the article editing unit edits the article for each of the matched players, and edits certain content of the article by giving priority to information associated with the player to which the article is to be provided.

[0007] (2) In the program of the present invention, the character registration unit may accept registration of multiple characters for each player, and the article editing unit may pick one character for each matched player from the multiple characters registered by each matched player, edit the article so that it includes content related to the picked character, and pick characters such that the same type of character does not exist between the matched players.

[0008] (3) The present invention also relates to an information processing system for a game in which multiple players participate and compete against each other, comprising: a character registration unit that accepts registration of a character in association with a player in response to a request from the player's terminal; a matching processing unit that matches multiple players whose characters have been registered; and an article editing unit that edits an article regarding pre-information for the match based on at least one of information about each of the matched players and information about the character registered by each of the matched players, and provides the edited results of the article to each of the matched players' terminals, wherein the article editing unit edits the article for each of the matched players, and edits certain content of the article by giving priority to information associated with the player to which the article is to be provided.

[0009] (4) The present invention also relates to an information processing method for a game in which a plurality of players participate and compete against each other, comprising: a character registration step of accepting registration of a character in association with the player in response to a request from the player's terminal; a matching processing step of matching the players whose characters have been registered; and an article editing step of editing an article regarding pre-information for the match based on at least one of information about each of the matched players and information about the character registered by each of the matched players, and providing the edited results of the article to each of the matched players' terminals, wherein the article editing step edits the article for each of the matched players, and edits certain content of the article by giving priority to information associated with the player to which the article is provided.

[0010] In the above-mentioned program, information processing system, and information processing method, the information from which articles are edited is common among multiple players matched for a match, while advance information that focuses on items related to the player viewing the article is provided to each player, thereby helping to create excitement in the match. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an information processing system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram related to a game function in which a plurality of players participate and compete against each other, among functions realized by the information processing system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the qualifying round and the final round of a special race. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the duration of each round of a special race. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a flow of control of the progress of a qualifying round of a special race executed in the information processing system. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a character registration screen displayed on a player terminal. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a base screen displayed on a player terminal. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an article viewing screen displayed on a player terminal. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of table data referred to when editing an article. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of table data referred to when editing an article. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of table data referred to when editing an article. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an article viewing screen displayed on a player terminal. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of table data referred to when editing an article. [Figure 14]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of table data referred to when editing an article. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an article viewing screen displayed on a player terminal. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a player terminal just before a race. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a cut-in image displayed on a player terminal. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a flow of progress control of the final round of a special race executed in the information processing system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the embodiment described below does not unduly limit the contents of the invention described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the embodiment are necessarily essential components of the present invention.

[0013] 1. Information Processing System Configuration Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system 10 of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, in the information processing system 10, a server 20 and a plurality of player terminals 40 are connected via a network 30 such as the Internet, a mobile phone network, a LAN, or a WAN, and a so-called client-server communication system is constructed. Each of the plurality of player terminals 40 communicates with the server 20 via the network 30 to transmit and receive various information. Each of the plurality of player terminals 40 also communicates with the other player terminals 40 via the network 30 and the server 20 to transmit and receive various information.

[0014] The server 20 includes a control unit 21 consisting of a processor such as a CPU, a storage unit 22 consisting of a main storage device such as a ROM or RAM and an auxiliary storage device such as a HDD or SSD, and a communication unit 23 consisting of a communication module and a communication interface. In the server 20, the control unit 21 executes various processes in accordance with the programs stored in the storage unit 22. The server 20 also receives information from the player terminal 40 via the communication unit 23, and transmits information relating to the results of the processes executed by the control unit 21 to the player terminal 40.

[0015] The player terminal 40 is a smartphone, a tablet, a personal computer, a portable game machine, a stationary game machine installed in a store or at home, etc. The player terminal 40 includes a control unit 41 consisting of a processor such as a CPU, a storage unit 42 consisting of a main storage device such as a ROM or RAM, and an auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory, a HDD, or a SDD, an operation / input unit 43 consisting of a touch panel, a keyboard, a microphone, etc., a display unit 44 consisting of a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, etc., and a communication unit 45 consisting of a communication module and a communication interface. The player terminal 40 also executes various processes according to the programs stored in the storage unit 42. The player terminal 40 also receives information from the server 20 through the communication unit 45 and transmits information to the server 20 or to other player terminals 40.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the main functions of the server 20. In this embodiment, the server 20 has a function of providing, through the player terminal 40, a racing game in which a character based on a racehorse is trained and the character being trained or the character that has been trained competes with other characters for finishing order by running in a race. In particular, in this embodiment, there is a special race held for a limited period as a category of races, and the server 20 has a function of registering a character trained by a player to run in the special race, a function of matching multiple players who will participate in the special race, a function of editing articles related to advance information about the race and providing edited information to each matched player, and a function of performing a running simulation in which the characters registered to run by each matched player race and allowing the player terminal 40 to watch the state of the race. A case in which these functions are realized mainly by the server 20 will be described. However, the functions described above may be realized mainly by the player terminal 40, or may be realized by sharing between the server 20 and the player terminal 40. In the server 20, the data storage unit 50 and the game execution unit 60 work together to realize the above functions, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0017] The data storage unit 50 stores data for the game execution unit 60 to perform various processes, and is realized mainly by the storage unit 22.

[0018] The data storage unit 50 also includes a match information database 51, and data related to the special race is stored in the match information database 51. For example, a matching ID for identifying the race, the player ID of the participating player, the character ID of the character registered to run by the participating player, the status of the registered character (rarity, evaluation points, course suitability, distance suitability, running style suitability, running technique, speed, stamina, power, guts, intelligence, possessed skills, etc.), and the track record of the registered character (time, finishing order, number of races, etc.) are stored.

[0019] The data storage unit 50 also includes an editing material database 52, in which material data (table data including a plurality of types of display text associated with editing conditions) for editing articles relating to advance information on races is stored.

[0020] The game execution unit 60 performs processes such as managing players and characters using various identification information such as a player ID and a character ID, starting a game when a game start condition is satisfied, executing a game mode selected from a plurality of game modes, progressing the game, generating an event when an event occurrence condition is satisfied, calculating a game result, and ending the game when a game end condition is satisfied, and is realized mainly by the control unit 21 and the communication unit 23. The game execution unit 60 also performs processes such as accepting character registration, matching players, editing articles related to advance information about a race and providing the editing results to the player terminal 40, and performing simulation calculations of a race using characters registered by players, and includes a character registration unit 61, a matching processing unit 62, an article editing unit 63, and a simulation processing unit 64.

[0021] In response to a request from the player terminal 40, the character registration unit 61 performs a process of accepting the registration of a character in association with the player. In the information processing system 10 of this embodiment, when a special race game mode is selected, the player can register the characters he has trained to run. A player who wishes to participate in a special race can select three characters from a list of characters he has trained and register them to run. When selecting three characters, characters of the same type cannot be selected more than once. When the three characters are selected and a confirmation input is made, a race registration request including information on the three selected characters is transmitted from the player terminal 40 to the server 20. Based on the received race registration request, the character registration unit 61 links the player ID of the sender with information on the three characters (for example, character ID and status) and registers them in the race registration record of the competition information database 51. The race registration record also records the race results (race type, finishing order, time, etc.) and the number of races for each registered character in the special race.

[0022] In this embodiment, the race entry registration screen has three entry registration slots, numbered 1, 2, and 3, from top to bottom, and the character registered in the first slot is assigned a team member ID of "1," the character registered in the second slot is assigned a team member ID of "2," and the character registered in the third slot is assigned a team member ID of "3," with the three characters being sorted in ascending order of team member ID and registered in the race entry registration record. These team member IDs are referenced when determining the placement of characters when generating a base image, which will be described later, and when editing articles related to advance information about races.

[0023] The matching processing unit 62 performs a process of matching multiple players whose characters have been registered. In the information processing system 10 of this embodiment, when the registration of three characters is completed, an input for a matching request (entry input) can be made. When the entry input is made through the base image in the player terminal 40 of each player, the matching request is transmitted from the player terminal 40 to the server. In response to the matching request from the player terminal 40, the matching processing unit 62 matches three players to create a battle group. More specifically, the matching processing unit 62 matches three players who transmitted a matching request at the same time, gives a matching ID common to the three players and individual team IDs to the three players, and creates a battle group by linking the matching ID to the team IDs of the three players and creating a new battle record in the battle information database 51. This battle record records the battle history (battle players, participating characters, finishing order, time, etc.) of each special race. Regarding the team ID, one of the team IDs "1" to "3" is assigned in the order of acceptance of the matching (the order in which the server 20 receives the matching request). Note that the team ID may be assigned randomly by lottery, not in the order of acceptance of the matching.

[0024] The matching processing unit 62 also performs a gate lottery to assign race numbers to a total of 12 characters, including the nine characters (3 characters x 3) registered by the three players to run and the three non-player characters (hereinafter, may be abbreviated as NPCs as necessary). In the gate lottery, a race number from "1" to "12" is assigned to each character so that they do not overlap with other characters. In the simulation processing described below, a running simulation is performed in which the 12 characters line up in order of their race numbers from the inside of the course used in the race and start the race.

[0025] The article editing unit 63 edits articles related to advance information of the race to be run based on information of the three players belonging to the competition group and information of the three characters registered to run by each player, and performs processing to provide the edited article results to the player terminals 40 of each player belonging to the competition group. In the information processing system 10 of this embodiment, a qualifying round (5 races x 2 rounds) and a final round (1 race x 1 round) are prepared for the special race game mode, and players participating in the special race can view articles related to advance information of the race before watching the race based on the results of the race running simulation in each round.

[0026] The article editing unit 63 also edits articles related to advance information for each player, and edits the predetermined content of the article by giving priority to information associated with the player to whom it is provided. In this embodiment, the article is configured on three pages, the first page (headline), the second page (featured character introduction), and the third page (character track record), and the viewing target can be switched by tapping the tabs on the screen for viewing the article on the player terminal 40.

[0027] The article editing unit 63 also picks one character from each of the three characters registered for a race by each player belonging to the battle group, edits the article so that it includes content related to the picked character, and picks characters so that the same type does not exist among the players belonging to the battle group.

[0028] First, in the preliminary round, one of the three characters related to the player to whom the article was provided is picked at random by lottery with an equal selection rate. Next, for each of the three characters related to the remaining two opponent players, the character with the highest evaluation score is picked. The picked character has a pickup flag set to on in the match record, and the pickup flag is referenced thereafter when identifying the character to be picked.

[0029] In addition, if the character picked for the player to whom the article is provided overlaps with the character to be picked for the opponent player, the character to be picked is changed to the character with the second highest evaluation points registered for the opponent player. The characters of the opponent players are picked in order of lowest team ID. However, the characters of the two opponents may be picked in order from the one selected by lottery, or the character with the highest evaluation points may be picked in order from the player who has registered for the race.

[0030] Next, in the final round, the method of picking out the player to whom the article is provided differs from that of the preliminary round, and the character to be picked is the one with the smallest team member ID (the character with team member ID "1"). After that, the opponent's characters are picked in the same way as in the preliminary round. However, the method of picking out the opponent's characters in the final round may also differ from that of the preliminary round. For example, the team member ID may be referenced to pick out the character with the smallest team member ID, provided that the type does not overlap with the character to be picked out of the player to whom the article is provided.

[0031] In editing the front page (headline), the article editing unit 63 sets display text for "Title", "Subtitle", "Race Commentary" and "Featured Player".

[0032] The method for setting the display text for "Title" and "Subtitle" differs between the preliminary round and the final round.

[0033] First, in the preliminary round, a win rate determination is performed to determine whether the character picked by the player to whom the article is provided has the highest win rate among the three characters registered to run. If the character is determined to have the highest win rate, a lottery is performed for the display text using table data that has different selections for the display text depending on whether the character has the highest win rate or not, and editing information is generated based on the lottery results.

[0034] Next, in the final round, a lottery is held for the display text using common table data that is not dependent on the winning percentage of the picked character, and editing information is generated based on the lottery result.

[0035] In this embodiment, the "title" and "subtitle" are a pair of data, but the display text for the "title" and "subtitle" may be set by individual lottery.

[0036] Also, in the final round, as in the preliminary round, the lottery target of the display text may be changed by referring to the status or track record of the featured character.

[0037] Regarding the setting of the display text for the "Race Commentary", the text that makes up the three parts of the "Opening", "Middle", and "Closing" is created by drawing lots for each round of the qualifying round and the final round. The method of setting the display text for the "Race Commentary" is also different between the qualifying round and the final round.

[0038] First, in the preliminary round, table data for determining the items to be drawn is selected based on the results of the win rate judgment, and similarly to the "title" and "subtitle," different table data is selected depending on whether the featured character of the player to whom the article is provided has the highest win rate or not, a lottery is held for the display text, and editing information based on the lottery results is generated.

[0039] Next, in the final round, a display text is selected by lottery with reference to common table data that is not dependent on the winning percentage of the picked character, and editing information is generated based on the lottery result.

[0040] Regarding the setting of the display text for the "Featured Player", in each of the preliminary rounds and the final round, the display text that makes up the three parts of "beginning", "middle", and "end" is set by lottery to create the sentences. The method of setting the display text for the "Featured Player" is also different between the preliminary rounds and the final rounds.

[0041] First, in the qualifying round, the total number of races run by the player to whom the article is provided is determined to be either "first race," "1st race," "1st to 4th race," or "5 or more races." The winning percentage of the last 5 races for the player to whom the article is provided is then referenced. Depending on the result of the determination of the total number of races run and the reference result of the winning percentage, different table data is used to set the selection targets and the display text is drawn by lottery, and editing information based on the lottery results is generated.

[0042] Next, in the final round, the total winning percentage of the player to whom the article is provided (total number of wins divided by total number of races) is referenced, and the display text is selected by lottery using table data corresponding to the winning percentage, and editing information based on the lottery results is generated.

[0043] Furthermore, in editing the second page (featured characters), the article editing unit 63 sets display text for "personal comment" and "journalist comment" for each featured character of each player belonging to the fighting group.

[0044] The method for setting the display text for "Personal Comment" is to identify the character type by referencing the character ID of the character to be picked for each player, and the display text is selected by referring to table data corresponding to the character type, and editing information is generated based on the results of the selection.

[0045] Regarding the setting of the display text for the "journalist's commentary," the text that makes up the three parts of the "opening," "middle," and "closing" is created by drawing lots for each of the preliminary and final rounds. The method of setting the display text for the "journalist's commentary" also differs between the preliminary and final rounds.

[0046] First, in the preliminary round, the total number of races for each of the characters picked by each player is determined to be either "first race," "1 to 4 races," or "5 or more races." Furthermore, the winning rate of the last 5 races for each player's picked character is referenced, and different table data is used to set the selection targets depending on the determination of the total number of races and the reference result of the winning rate, and the display text is selected by lottery, and editing information based on the lottery results is generated.

[0047] Next, in the final round, the total number of races for each of the characters picked by each player is determined to be "first race" or "one or more races." Furthermore, the total winning percentage of the characters picked by each player is referenced, and different table data is used to set the selection targets depending on the determination of the total number of races and the reference result of the winning percentage, and the display text is selected by lottery, and editing information based on the lottery results is generated.

[0048] In addition, when editing page 3 (character results), the article editing unit 63 generates editing information that associates the results of the last five special races (started race, finishing order, number of characters (including NPCs), race number, popularity, time) for the nine characters (three characters x three) registered to run by each player belonging to the competition group with the race number.

[0049] The simulation processing unit 64 performs a simulation of a race run by a total of 12 characters, including 9 characters (3 characters x 3) registered by each player belonging to the competition group and 3 non-player characters (NPCs). In the running simulation, calculations are performed on the race development, running speed, stamina consumption, skill activation lottery, skill activation condition judgment, finishing order, time, etc. based on the status of each character (speed, stamina, power, guts, intelligence, course suitability, distance suitability, running style, and possessed skills). The results of this running simulation are recorded in the competition record, and information on the character's race history in the race registration record is also updated.

[0050] In the information processing system 10 of this embodiment, the server 20 transmits various processing result information, such as the matching result performed by the matching processing unit 61, the editing information of the article generated by the article editing unit 63, and the result of the running simulation by the simulation processing unit 64, to the player terminal 40. Also, in the information processing system 10 of this embodiment, the player terminal 40 enables the player to view articles of advance information on the race to be run and to watch the state of the race, based on the information of the various processing results received from the server 20.

[0051] 2. Control method of this embodiment In the following, the control method of this embodiment will be described taking as an example a case where the game program of this embodiment is applied to a game application of a player terminal 40 provided as a smartphone.

[0052] The game program of this embodiment is configured to be able to provide multiple types of game functions, and the main game function, the race function, executes a race game in which multiple characters compete. In the information processing system 10 to which the game program of this embodiment is applied, multiple player terminals 40 are matched in the server 20, and a multiplayer type race game can be executed in which characters registered to run from each of the player terminals 40 compete against each other.

[0053] In the race function provided by the game program of this embodiment, the player does not operate characters during the race, but can watch the results of a running simulation performed based on the status of each participating character through the player terminal 40. In the training function, which is a game function for training a character, the player can increase the status of the character being trained by inputting training instructions to the player terminal 40. The game program of this embodiment also includes a shop function for purchasing items by consuming in-game currency, and a lottery function for acquiring characters, items, etc. by lottery.

[0054] Next, an embodiment of the special race in the game program of this embodiment will be described below. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of the special race.

[0055] As shown in Fig. 3, the special race has a qualifying round and a final round. First, the player competes against other players in the qualifying round, round 1 race, and five races can be played in round 1. As a result of a running simulation in each race in round 1, the character that comes in first is determined to be the winner, and the race results (finishing order, time, etc.) are recorded in the match record, and the race registration record (number of races and wins for each player, and finishing order, time, number of races, number of wins for each character, etc.) is updated according to the race results.

[0056] Players who have raced five times in Round 1 of the Qualifying Round can race five times in Round 2 of the Qualifying Round. For Round 2, players are classified according to the number of wins each player has in the five races of Round 1. Players who have won three or more times in the five races of Round 1 are set to Class A, and players who have won two or fewer times in the five races of Round 1 are set to Class B, and players belonging to the same class are matched up. As a result of a running simulation in each race of Round 2, the character that came in first is determined to have won, and the race results (finishing order, time, etc.) are recorded in the battle record, and the race registration record (number of races and wins for each player, and finishing order, time, number of races, number of wins, etc. for each character) is updated according to the race results.

[0057] Players who have completed five races in Round 2 of the preliminary round will be judged as to whether or not they will be able to advance to the final round.

[0058] Players who belong to Class A in Round 2 will advance to the final round regardless of the number of wins they have in the five races in Round 2. However, in the final round, players will be classified according to the number of wins they have, just like in Round 2 of the preliminary round. Among the players who belong to Class A in Round 2, players who have won three or more times in the five races in Round 2 will be set to Class A in the final round, and players who have won two or less times in the five races in Round 2 will be set to Class B in the final round.

[0059] Players in Class B in Round 2 may or may not be able to advance to the final round depending on the number of wins they have in the five races in Round 2. Players who have three or more wins in the five races in Round 2 advance to the final round and are set to Class B. On the other hand, players who have two or fewer wins in the five races in Round 2 are eliminated in the preliminary round and cannot advance to the final round.

[0060] In the final round, players belonging to the same class are matched up, just like in round 2 of the preliminary round, but it differs from the preliminary round in that only one race is held. As a result of a driving simulation in the final round race, the character that came in first is determined to be the winner, and the race results (finishing order, time, etc.) are recorded in the match record, and the race registration record (number of races and wins for each player, and finishing order, time, number of races, number of wins for each character, etc.) is updated according to the race results.

[0061] In this embodiment, the special race is an event that is held for a limited time, and as shown in FIG. 4, the holding period is set for the qualifying round and the final round.

[0062] First, Round 1 of the qualifying round will be held over a two-day period, and during that two-day period, players can register their characters to compete in special races at any time and can be matched for races.

[0063] After Round 1 ends, players are classified for Round 2 based on their performance, and the qualifying round, Round 2, is held over a two-day period. During Round 2, players can register their characters to participate in special races at any time and can be matched for races.

[0064] When the period for holding round 2 ends, the class to which each player belongs and their track record determine whether or not they can advance to the final round, and the classification of players who are permitted to advance to the final round is determined. The final round is only one race, but the period is set to two days, and three periods are set independently: a registration period (about 12 hours) during which characters can be registered to run, a matching period (about 12 hours) during which race matching can be accepted, and a race period (about 24 hours) during which races can be watched. In this embodiment, during the two-day period for holding the final round, the matching period begins when the registration period ends, and the race period begins when the matching period ends.

[0065] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the flow of the qualifying round (common to rounds 1 and 2) for the special race.

[0066] First, to start the qualifying round, the server 20 accepts a participation request for a special race from the player terminal 40 (step S101). Specifically, when the game mode for a special race is selected on the player terminal 40, an entry screen is displayed, and when a participation button displayed on the entry screen is tapped, a participation request is transmitted from the player terminal 40 to the server 20. The server 20 that receives the participation request checks whether or not it is possible to accept the participation request, and transmits a participation permission response to the player terminal 40 if the race is currently being held. Note that if the participation request cannot be accepted, for example, if the race corresponding to the received participation request is not currently being held or if the server is undergoing maintenance, an error response is issued.

[0067] On the player terminal 40 that has received the participation permission response from the server 20, a character registration screen is displayed, and the player is notified through the character registration screen that it is now possible to register three characters to enter the race. As shown in Fig. 6, the character registration screen has three registration slots 101-103, and when a tap input is made on any of the registration slots 101-103, a list of characters that the player has completed training is displayed, and the player can select one character from the list.

[0068] When the player taps the enter button 104 while three characters have been selected for registration on the character registration screen, a race registration request including information on the three characters selected by the player is sent from the player terminal 40 to the server 20. The server 20, which has received the race registration request from the player terminal 40, links the three characters included in the race registration request to the player ID and registers them in the race registration record (step S102). The race registration request is also checked to see whether it is possible to accept the race registration, and if the race registration cannot be accepted due to, for example, server maintenance, an error response is returned.

[0069] When the registration of the three characters selected by the player is completed, the server 20 transmits a registration completion response to the player terminal 40 and starts accepting matching (step S103). On the player terminal 40 that has received the registration completion response from the server 20, the display screen transitions to the base screen. As shown in FIG. 7, on the base screen, images 201-203 of the three characters registered to run are displayed, along with a race button 204 for entering the race. The display of the three characters on the base screen is controlled so that they are arranged from the left in order of the youngest team member ID ("1" on the left, "2" in the middle, and "3" on the right). The base screen also displays the results of the player's last five special races.

[0070] When a tap input is made on the race button 204 on the base screen displayed on the player terminal 40, a matching request is sent from the player terminal 40 to the server 20. The server 20, which has received the matching request from the player terminal 40, performs a matching process in which it matches three players and assigns a matching ID, and also assigns team IDs of "1" to "3" to each of the matched three players in the order in which the matching requests were received, and creates a new match record (step S104).

[0071] When matching of the three players participating in the race is completed, the server 20 edits an article regarding advance information of the race (step S105) and performs a running simulation of the race (step S106).

[0072] First, for article editing, article editing information is generated for each player. First, for the player to whom the article is provided, a lottery is held to pick one character from the three characters that the player has registered to run. Next, for the remaining two opposing players, the character with the highest evaluation point is picked one by one, starting with the lowest team ID. If the character to be picked by the opposing player overlaps with the character to be picked by the player to whom the article is provided, the character with the next highest evaluation point is selected as the character to be picked.

[0073] Once the characters for article editing have been picked, editing information for the article's front page (headline), second page (featured characters), and third page (character performance) is generated.

[0074] For the front page (headline) shown in FIG. 8, display text is set for “Title” (display text 301), “Subtitle” (display text 302), “Race Commentary” (display text 303), and “Player in the Spotlight” (display text 304).

[0075] For the "title" and "subtitle" in the preliminary round, as shown in FIG. 9, table data A1 and table data A2 in which a plurality of pairs of display texts are prepared exist in the editing material database 52, and the table data is selected based on the winning rate of the character to be picked by the player to whom the article is provided, and the lottery targets for the display text are set.

[0076] Specifically, it is determined whether the featured character of the player to whom the article is provided has the highest winning percentage among the three characters registered to run. If there are multiple characters with the highest winning percentage, including the featured character, the featured character is treated as the character with the highest winning percentage.

[0077] Then, when it is determined that the character to be picked of the player to whom the article is provided has the highest winning rate, a lottery is performed with reference to table data A1, and one pair of display texts is set based on the lottery result. When it is determined that the character to be picked of the player to whom the article is provided is not the character with the highest winning rate, a lottery is performed with reference to table data A2, and one pair of display texts is set based on the lottery result. Note that in this embodiment, regardless of whether the lottery target is set with reference to table data A1 or A2, the selection rate of the display texts to be selected is equal, but there may be a bias in the selection rate of the display texts to be selected.

[0078] For the "Race Comment," the text is created by selecting by lottery each of the display texts constituting the three parts, "opening," "middle," and "closing," and as shown in FIG. 10, table data B1 to B4 exist as table data for selecting the display text for each part in the qualifying round, and the table data is selected based on the winning percentage of the character to be picked by the player to whom the article is provided and the type of qualifying round, and the display text to be selected by lottery is set.

[0079] Specifically, if the character to be picked by the player to whom the article is provided is the character with the highest winning rate among the three characters registered to run, table data B1 is selected, and if the race to be run is round 1 of the qualifying round, table data B3 is selected, and if it is round 2 of the qualifying round, table data B4 is selected, and the display text is selected from the two types of table data.

[0080] On the other hand, if the character to be picked by the player to whom the article is provided is not the character with the highest winning rate among the three characters registered to run, table data B2 is selected, and further, if the race to be run is round 1 of the qualifying round, table data B3 is selected, and if it is round 2 of the qualifying round, table data B4 is selected, and the display text is selected from the two types of table data.

[0081] Once the display text selection targets have been set, a selection is made for the display text for each of the "opening," "middle," and "closing" parts of the "race review," and based on the results of the selection, the display text for each selected part is combined to create the "race review" sentence for the article for the qualifying round.

[0082] For "Featured Players," the text is created by selecting by lottery each of the display texts that make up the three parts, "beginning," "middle," and "closing," and as table data for selecting the display texts for each part in the preliminary round, table data C1 to C14 exist as shown in Fig. 11, and the table data is selected based on the total number of races participated by the player to whom the article is provided and the winning percentage in the most recent five races, and the display text is set as the lottery target. Note that if the total number of races participated is less than five, the number of wins divided by the total number of races participated is treated as the winning percentage in the most recent five races.

[0083] If the total number of races of the player to whom the article is provided is determined to be "first race", table data C1 is selected and the lottery target of the display text is set by table data C1. Note that if the total number of races of the player is "first race", there are no special race results for that player, so table data C1 is always selected.

[0084] In addition, when the total number of races run by the player to whom the article is provided is determined to be "1 to 4 races," one of the table data C2 to C8 is selected according to the winning percentage of the most recent 5 races, and the lottery target is set according to the selected table data. When the winning percentage is 0% (no win), the table data C2 is selected, when the winning percentage is 25% (1 win in 4 races), the table data C3 is selected, when the winning percentage is 33% (1 win in 3 races), the table data C4 is selected, when the winning percentage is 50% (1 win in 2 races or 2 wins in 4 races), the table data C5 is selected, when the winning percentage is 66% (2 wins in 3 races), the table data C6 is selected, when the winning percentage is 75% (3 wins in 4 races), the table data C7 is selected, and when the winning percentage is 100% (all wins), the table data C8 is selected.

[0085] In addition, when it is determined that the total number of races run by the player to whom the article is provided is "five or more races," one of the table data C9 to C14 is selected according to the winning percentage of the most recent five races, and the lottery target is set according to the selected table data. When the winning percentage is 0% (five races, zero wins), the table data C9 is selected, when the winning percentage is 20% (five races, one win), the table data C10 is selected, when the winning percentage is 40% (five races, two wins), the table data C11 is selected, when the winning percentage is 60% (five races, three wins), the table data C12 is selected, when the winning percentage is 80% (five races, four wins), the table data C13 is selected, and when the winning percentage is 100% (five wins), the table data C14 is selected. In this embodiment, after one player has run five races in round 1 of the qualifying round, the total number of races run by that player is determined to be "five or more races."

[0086] Once the display text selection targets are set, a selection is made for the display text for each of the "beginning," "middle," and "conclusion" parts of the "Featured Player," and based on the results of the selection, the "Featured Player" sentence for the article for the preliminary round is created.

[0087] For the second stage (characters of interest) shown in FIG. 12, display text is set for "personal comments" (display text 401-403) and "journalist commentary" (display text 404-406) for each character to be picked by each player belonging to the battle group.

[0088] For the "personal comment", the character type is identified by referring to the character ID of the character to be picked for each player, and the lottery target for the display text is set by referring to table data corresponding to the character type.

[0089] In this embodiment, there are 30 types of characters, each of which is assigned a unique character ID in advance. As shown in FIG. 13, table data D1 to D30 having a one-to-one correspondence with the 30 types of character IDs are present as table data for setting the display text of the "own comment" in the preliminary round, and table data corresponding to the character ID of the character to be picked is selected. In this embodiment, the table data for setting the display text of the "own comment" is common to the preliminary round and the final round. However, for the "own comment", table data for setting the display text for the preliminary round and table data for setting the display text for the final round may be prepared separately.

[0090] In this embodiment, unique table data is associated with the character ID, but common table data may exist for some or all of the character IDs in addition to the unique table data for the character ID. Also, the lottery targets for "own comment" may be set from common table data regardless of the character ID. Also, the lottery targets for "own comment" may be set from common table data for some character IDs, and the lottery targets for "own comment" may be set from character-specific table data for the remaining character IDs.

[0091] For the "journalist's commentary," the text is created by selecting by lottery each of the display texts constituting the three parts, "beginning," "middle," and "closing," and as table data for selecting the display texts for each part in the preliminary round, as shown in Fig. 14, table data E1 to E14 exist, and table data is selected for each character based on the total number of races run by the character to be picked for each player and the winning percentage in the most recent five races, and the display text is set as the lottery target. Note that if the total number of races run is less than five, the number of wins divided by the total number of races run is treated as the winning percentage in the most recent five races.

[0092] If the total number of races of the picked character is determined to be "first race", table data E1 is selected and the lottery target of the display text is set by table data E1. Note that if the total number of races of the picked character is "first race", there is no special race result for that character, so table data E1 is always selected.

[0093] In addition, when the total number of races of the picked-up character is determined to be "1 race to 4 races", one of the table data E2 to E8 is selected according to the winning rate of the most recent 5 races, and the lottery target is set according to the selected table data. When the winning rate is 0% (no win), the table data E2 is selected, when the winning rate is 25% (1 win in 4 races), the table data E3 is selected, when the winning rate is 33% (1 win in 3 races), the table data E4 is selected, when the winning rate is 50% (1 win in 2 races or 2 wins in 4 races), the table data E5 is selected, when the winning rate is 66% (2 wins in 3 races), the table data E6 is selected, when the winning rate is 75% (3 wins in 4 races), the table data E7 is selected, and when the winning rate is 100% (all wins), the table data E8 is selected.

[0094] In addition, when it is determined that the total number of races of the picked-up character is "five or more", one of the table data E9 to E14 is selected according to the winning rate of the most recent five races, and the lottery target is set according to the selected table data. When the winning rate is 0% (0 wins in five races), the table data E9 is selected, when the winning rate is 20% (1 win in five races), the table data E10 is selected, when the winning rate is 40% (2 wins in five races), the table data E11 is selected, when the winning rate is 60% (3 wins in five races), the table data E12 is selected, when the winning rate is 80% (4 wins in five races), the table data E13 is selected, and when the winning rate is 100% (5 wins in five races), the table data E14 is selected. In this embodiment, in the round 1 of the preliminary round, the round 2 of the preliminary round, and the final round, the character cannot be changed during the same round, but the character to be registered to run can be changed in different rounds, so the total number of races is counted cumulatively every time a character runs one race.

[0095] Furthermore, in this embodiment, for some table data (e.g., table data E1), there may be display text for which a specific condition (e.g., parameter 800 or greater) is set in at least one of the parts "beginning," "middle," and "end," and the display text for which a specific condition is set is controlled so that it is included in the lottery only if the character to be picked meets the specific condition.

[0096] Once the selection of the display text is set, a selection of display text is made for each of the "opening," "middle," and "closing" parts of the "journalist's commentary," and based on the results of the selection, the text of the "journalist's commentary" for the article for the preliminary round is created.

[0097] For the third stage (character track record) shown in FIG. 15, the track records (starting race, finishing order, number of characters (including NPCs), race number, popularity, time) of the last five special races for the nine characters (three characters x three) registered to run by each player belonging to the competition group are associated with the race number. In this embodiment, the edited information for the third stage (character track record) includes the player ID, character ID, race number, and race track record for the nine characters, and is common to each player belonging to the competition group. Note that common processing is performed for the third stage (character track record) in the preliminary round and the final round.

[0098] Next, a running simulation for the qualifying round of the special race will be described. In this embodiment, course 1 is set as a common course for all races in round 1 of the qualifying round, and course 2 is set as a common course for all races in round 2 of the qualifying round. In the running simulation, the race development, the order of arrival, the time, etc. are calculated based on the information of the course associated with the race to be run, the status (speed, stamina, power, guts, wisdom, possessed skills) of the 12 characters (including 3 NPCs) to be run, etc., and the race results are recorded in the battle record. The race development here includes the movement history of each character from the start point of the course to the finish point, the occurrence history of each character's events (activation of skills, occurrence of accidents), etc. In addition, based on the race results, the information of the player's track record in the race registration record and the information of the track record of the characters who ran in the race are updated.

[0099] Then, when editing of the article regarding advance information of the race and running simulation are completed on the server 20 side, a match completion response including these results is transmitted to the player terminal 40 of each player belonging to the match group.

[0100] In the player terminal 40 that has received the match completion response, the game progress status becomes the pre-race state, and the display screen transitions from the base screen to a pre-race screen (step S107). In the pre-race screen shown in Fig. 16, the characters participating in the race are displayed as animations, and a watch button 601 for watching the race, an article button 602 for viewing advance information on the race, and the like are provided.

[0101] In this embodiment, a cut-in image introducing the characters to be picked up by each player is displayed in the process of the display screen of the player terminal 40 transitioning from the base screen to the immediately before race screen. In this cut-in image, as shown in FIG. 17, the images of the three characters registered to run by each player are arranged in the upper display area 701, the middle display area 702, and the lower display area 703, and the background colors are predetermined to be pink, blue, and yellow, respectively, from top to bottom. In the player terminal 40, the pick-up characters of the player are arranged in the middle display area 702 and the pick-up characters of the opponent player are arranged in the lower display area 703 and the upper display area 701, from the lowest team ID, based on the information (e.g., team ID, etc.) included in the match completion response. In this embodiment, the relationship between each character and the background color is set when the cut-in image is generated, and the background colors are set to blue, yellow, and pink, from top to bottom, in the first page (headline) of the article shown in FIG. 8 and the second page (attention character) shown in FIG. 12, and a process is performed to display the article contents of the pick-up characters so as to correspond to the background colors.

[0102] When the article button 602 is tapped while the immediately before race screen is displayed on the player terminal 40, the first page (headline), second page (character of interest), and third page (character track record) of the article regarding the advance information of the race become viewable based on the editing information included in the battle completion response (step S108). While viewing the article, the article content to be viewed can be switched by tapping the tabs (first page tab 305, second page tab 306, and third page tab 307) corresponding to the first page (headline), second page (character of interest), and third page (character track record). When the return button 308 is tapped on the article viewing screen, the screen transitions to the immediately before race screen. When viewing the third page (character track record) of the article, the track records of nine characters cannot be displayed on one screen, so a scroll bar 501 is provided, and the scroll bar can be scrolled by dragging the slider 502 up and down. The display screen of the third page (character track record) can also be scrolled by flick input.

[0103] Furthermore, when a tap input is made to the watch button 601 while the immediately before race screen is displayed on the player terminal 40, a race video showing the state of the race between the 12 characters is displayed based on the driving simulation information included in the race completion response (step S109). After that, the screen transitions to a result display screen that displays the race results, and the player is notified of the award of the reward for the race results (step S110).

[0104] In the preliminary rounds, the process of the same round is repeated until participation in five races is completed in each of rounds 1 and 2 (N in step S111, proceed to step S103). That is, once participation in five races is completed in round 1 of the preliminary round, participation in five races becomes possible in round 2 of the preliminary round. Once participation in five races is completed in round 1 of the preliminary round (Y in step S111), a round end process is performed to assign players to class A or class B depending on the number of wins in round 1 (step S112).

[0105] Also, when participation in five races in round 2 of the preliminary round is completed (Y in step S111), the preliminary round ends, and a round end process is performed to determine whether or not the conditions for advancing to the final round are met (step S112), and if the conditions for advancing to the final round are met, the racer is allowed to participate in the final round. Specifically, if a racer belongs to class A in round 2 of the preliminary round, or if a racer belongs to class B in round 2 of the preliminary round and has three or more wins in round 2, the racer will advance to the final round.

[0106] In addition, in the round end process after the completion of the five races in Round 2 of the preliminary round, not only is it determined whether or not a player will advance to the final round, but for players who have been determined to advance to the final round, the process of assigning players to Class A or Class B according to their class and number of wins in Round 2 is also carried out.

[0107] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the flow of the final round for the special race.

[0108] In the final round, the basic flow of the race is the same as in the qualifying round, but the final round will be held with only one race, and the acceptance of entry registration, the acceptance of matching, and the viewing of the race will each be held for a limited period. Below, we will omit a detailed explanation of the parts that are common to the qualifying round and focus on the main differences.

[0109] First, in the final round, the registration of the three characters is completed during the registration period (steps S201 to S202), and a matching request cannot be made from the player terminal 40 until the registration period ends and the matching period begins (N in step S203).

[0110] When the matching period starts, it becomes possible to accept a matching request from the player terminal 40 (Y in step S203, step S204), and during the matching period, a matching process is performed to match three players and create a competition group (step S205), a process is performed to edit an article of advance information for the race (step S206), and a process is performed to perform a running simulation of the race (step S207), which are recorded in the competition record. During the matching period, the running simulation is completed, but a competition completion response including information on the race results and the like is not transmitted to the player terminal 40 until the race period starts (N in step S208).

[0111] In this embodiment, there are cases where articles relating to advance information for the races in the final round are edited in a manner different from that for the qualifying round.

[0112] First, in the final round, the method of picking one character from the three registered by the player for whom the article is provided differs from that of the preliminary round, and the selection is made by referencing the team member ID assigned to each of the three characters. Specifically, of the three characters, the character with the smallest team member ID (the character with team member ID "1") is picked. The opponent's character is picked in the same way as in the preliminary round.

[0113] As for the "title" and "subtitle" in the front page (headline) of the article in the final round, as shown in FIG. 9, a table A3 in which a plurality of pairs of display texts are prepared exists in the editing material database 52, and the lottery target of the display text is set for each player using the table data A3, regardless of the winning rate of the character to be picked up by the player to whom the article is provided. That is, in the final round, the display text of the "title" and "subtitle" are set from common table data, but since the lottery for the display text is performed for each player to whom the article is provided, the notation of the "title" and "subtitle" on the front page (headline) may differ for each player. Note that in the final round, the table data for setting the lottery target of the display text by determining the winning rate of the character to be picked up by the player to whom the article is provided may be selected from a plurality of types of table data.

[0114] As for the "race commentary" on the front page (headline), table data B5 exists in the editing material database 52 as shown in FIG. 10 as table data for selecting the display text for each part of the "beginning", "middle", and "end" in the final round, and the lottery target for the display text is set for each player using the table data B5, regardless of the winning percentage of the character that is the pick-up target of the player to whom the article is provided. That is, in the final round, the display text for the "race commentary" is set from common table data, but since the lottery for the display text is performed for each player to whom the article is provided, the notation of the "race commentary" on the front page (headline) may differ for each player. Note that in the final round, table data for determining the winning percentage of the character that is the pick-up target of the player to whom the article is provided and setting the lottery target for the display text may be selected from multiple types of table data.

[0115] As for the "Featured Player" on the front page (headline), table data C15 and table data C16 exist in the editing material database 52 as table data for selecting the display text for each of the "beginning", "middle" and "closing" parts in the final round, as shown in Fig. 11, and the lottery target for the display text is set using table data corresponding to the winning rate by referring to the total winning rate (the total number of wins divided by the total number of races) of the player to whom the article is provided. Specifically, it is determined whether the total winning rate of the player to whom the article is provided is less than 50% or 50% or more, and if the total winning rate is less than 50%, table data C15 is selected, and if the total winning rate is 50% or more, table data C16 is selected.

[0116] As for the second stage (featured character), the same process is performed for "personal comment" as in the preliminary round, but the method of setting the display text for "reporter's comment" is different. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, table data E15 to E19 exist in the editing material database 52 as table data for selecting the display text for each part of "opening", "middle", and "closing" for "reporter's comment" in the final round, and the lottery target for the display text is set using table data according to the total number of races and total win rate of the picked-up character of each player. Specifically, it is determined whether the total number of races of the picked-up character is "first race" or "one race or more", and if the total number of races is "first race", table data E15 is selected, and if the total number of races is "one race or more", one of table data E16 to E19 is selected according to the total win rate. If the total winning percentage is 0%, table data E16 is selected, if the total winning percentage is between 1% and 49%, table data E17 is selected, if the total winning percentage is between 50% and 99%, table data E18 is selected, and if the total winning percentage is 100%, table data E19 is selected.

[0117] In this embodiment, when the matching period of the final round ends and the race period starts (Y in step S208), a match completion response including editing information of articles related to advance information of the race and the results of the running simulation is transmitted to the player terminal 40 in response to a race result acquisition request from the player terminal 40. In this embodiment, when an input to select a special race game mode is made to the player terminal 40 during the race period of the final round, the screen transitions to the base screen. When a tap input is made on the entry button 204 while the base screen is displayed during the race period of the final round, a race result acquisition request is transmitted from the player terminal 40 to the server 20. The server 20 that receives the race result acquisition request from the player terminal 40 accepts the race result acquisition request on condition that it is during the race period and transmits a match completion response to the player terminal 40. Note that if the server 20 side cannot normally accept the race result acquisition request due to server maintenance or the like, the server 20 transmits an error response to the player terminal 40.

[0118] Then, the processing on the player terminal 40 side after receiving the match completion response from the server 20 is the same as that of the preliminary round, and the state transitions to a state just before the race, and a just before the race screen is displayed on the player terminal 40 (step S209). When the article button 602 is tapped on the just before the race screen, an article on advance information about the race can be viewed (step S210), and when the watch button 601 is tapped on the just before the race screen, a race video showing the state of the race is displayed (step S211). After that, the screen transitions to a result display screen that displays the race results, and the player is notified of the award of a reward for the race results (step S212).

[0119] In the information processing system 10 described above, articles related to advance information of the race are edited for each player to whom the article is provided, based on at least one of the information of each player belonging to the battle group created by matching and the information of the character registered to run by each player, and further, for the first page (headline) and second page (featured character), the information associated with the player to whom the article is provided is given priority for editing. In this way, in the information processing system 10, while the information from which the article is edited is common among the players belonging to the battle group, advance information that focuses on the items related to the player viewing the article can be provided to each player, which can help each player get excited about the race.

[0120] Furthermore, in the information processing system 10, when editing the first page (headline) and second page (featured character) of an article, one character is picked for each player from the three characters registered to run by each player belonging to the battle group, and the first page (headline) and second page (featured character) of the article are edited in association with the picked character, and the picking is performed so that the same type of character does not exist among the players belonging to the battle group. In other words, even if another player belonging to the battle group registers a character of the same type as the character registered to run by the player, the article is edited by giving priority to the character of the player to whom the article is provided, so that the player's interest in the content of the article can be further attracted.

[0121] In particular, in this embodiment, the characters that are the pick-up targets of the player to whom the article is provided are displayed at the top of the character display order on the first page (headline) and second page (featured characters). This makes it easier to know that the character is registered to run when viewing the article, improving the user interface environment.

[0122] In this embodiment, the third page (character track record) of an article about advance information for a race can be viewed based on common information when provided to any player belonging to a battle group. That is, the first page (headline) and second page (featured character) of an article are edited with priority given to information associated with the player to whom the article is provided, but the third page (character track record) is common to all players, so the player to whom the article is provided can be impressed that he or she is relatively in the spotlight on the first page (headline) and second page (featured character).

[0123] In addition, in this embodiment, the display text on page 1 (headline) and page 2 (featured character) is set by referring to the player's winning percentage and number of races, as well as the character's winning percentage and number of races, so that appropriate changes can be made to the content of the article as the rounds of the special race progress.

[0124] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the information referenced when setting the display text differs between the qualifying round and the final round of a series of special races, it is possible to prevent the content of the articles from becoming monotonous.

[0125] In this embodiment, as an example of editing with priority given to information associated with the player to whom the article is provided, when setting the selection target of the display text of the first page (headline) and second page (featured character) of the article, the total number of races and winning percentage of the player to whom the article is provided, or the total number of races and winning percentage of the characters to be picked up by the player to whom the article is provided, are referred to so that the information associated with the player to whom the article is provided has a large influence on the edited content. However, when drawing the display text, the selection target may be set regardless of the information associated with the player to whom the article is provided, and then the selection rate of the display text associated with the player to whom the article is provided may be controlled so that it is high, so that the information associated with the player to whom the article is provided is more likely to be reflected in the edited content. Regarding the priority given to information associated with the player to whom the article is provided, it is not essential that the information associated with the player to whom the article is provided affects the edited content, and it is sufficient that the information associated with the player to whom the article is provided is treated as information with a higher priority than information associated with the opponent player.

[0126] Furthermore, in this embodiment, each of the three players belonging to the competing group registers three characters to compete, and when picking one of the three characters, the character of the player to whom the article is provided is picked and then the character to be picked for the opposing player is determined so that a character of the same type is not selected. However, when picking one character from three characters, if the opponent player's pick-up character overlaps with the pick-up character of the player to whom the article is provided, the character of the player selected by lottery may be selected as the character to be picked, and in this case, the lottery may be held so that the player to whom the article is provided is more likely to be selected.

[0127] In this embodiment, three characters can be registered for one player, but only one character can be registered for one player. In this case, there is no need to select one character in the article editing function, and the article can be edited by referring to the information of the one character registered by each player.

[0128] In this embodiment, the character registered to run cannot be changed during the same round in either Round 1 of the preliminary round or Round 2 of the preliminary round. In other words, the character registered to run in the preliminary round cannot be changed until five races have been completed. However, it may be possible to accept changes to the character's registration to run during the same round, in which case articles related to advance information about the race can be edited by referring to the information of the newly registered character.

[0129] Regarding the article editing function, the information to be referred to when editing an article includes race information (race name, race venue, distance, etc.), player names and titles of players belonging to the battle group (can be set from those acquired by the player in the game), the track record of the player to whom the article is provided in special races (last 5 races, all races, etc.), character names and nicknames of characters registered to run by each player belonging to the battle group (can be set from those acquired during training mode), track records in training mode of characters registered to run by each player belonging to the battle group, track records of characters registered to run by each player belonging to the battle group in special races (last 5 races, all races, etc.), status of characters registered to run by each player belonging to the battle group (speed, stamina, power, tenacity, intelligence, course suitability, etc.), and running style of the character selected by the player when registering to run (escape, leading, overtaking, closing in, etc.). In addition, editing can be performed by referring to necessary information depending on the content of the article.

[0130] The information referenced when editing an article is basically managed on the server 20 side, and the response content sending the edited result of the article to the player terminal 40 includes that information, but some information (for example, information common to each player, such as the race name of a special race, the race venue, and distance information) may be managed in the memory unit 42 of the player terminal 40, and when an input related to viewing an article is made to the player terminal 40, the content may be displayed by referring to the memory unit 42 of that player terminal 40.

[0131] Regarding the server 20, the character registration function, matching function, article editing function, and simulation function may be realized by one server 20, or each function may be distributed among a plurality of servers 20 and realized by separate servers 20. Also, only some of the character registration function, matching function, article editing function, and simulation function may be realized by a server 20 different from the other functions. Also, a plurality of servers 20 having the matching function may be prepared.

[0132] Although a racing game has been described as an example of a game in which multiple players participate and compete, the information processing system 10 may be configured to provide a spectating function for other games. For example, the present invention can be applied to any genre of game in which multiple players participate and compete, such as fighting games, sports games (baseball games, soccer games, etc.), action games, battle royale games, role-playing games, etc. The form of the competition may be one-on-one, multiple-on-multiple, or one-on-multiple. [Explanation of symbols]

[0133] 10 Information processing systems, 20 server, 40 player terminal, 21, 41 control unit, 22, 42 storage unit, 23, 45 communication unit, 43 operation input unit, 44 display unit, 50 data storage unit, 51 match information database, 52 editing material database, 60 game execution unit, 61 character registration unit, 62 matching processing unit, 63 Article Editing Department, 64 Simulation Processing Department,

Claims

1. A character registration unit that accepts registration of a character in association with a player in response to a request from the player's terminal; a matching processing unit that performs matching between the plurality of players whose characters have been registered; making the computer function as an article editing unit that edits an article regarding advance information of a multiplayer game in which the matched players will participate, based on at least one of information on each of the matched players and information on the characters registered by each of the matched players, and provides the edited result of the article to each of the matched players' terminals; The character registration unit, accepting registration of a plurality of said characters for each of said players; The editorial department: A program for determining, for each matched player, a character to be picked from among the multiple characters registered by each of the matched players such that there are no characters of the same type between the matched players, and editing the article so that it includes content related to the picked character for each matched player.

2. A character registration unit that accepts registration of a character in association with a player in response to a request from the player's terminal; a matching processing unit that performs matching between the plurality of players whose characters have been registered; an article editing unit that edits an article regarding advance information of a multiplayer game in which the matched players will participate, based on at least one of information about each of the matched players and information about the characters registered by each of the matched players, and provides the edited result of the article to each of the matched players' terminals; The character registration unit, accepting registration of a plurality of said characters for each of said players; The editorial department: An information processing system that determines, for each matched player, a character to be picked from a plurality of characters registered by each of the matched players such that there are no characters of the same type between the matched players, and edits the article so that it includes content related to the picked character for each matched player.

3. A character registration step of accepting registration of a character in association with a player in response to a request from the player's terminal; a matching process step of matching a plurality of players whose characters have been registered; an article editing step of editing an article regarding advance information of a multiplayer game in which the matched players will participate, based on at least one of information on each of the matched players and information on the characters registered by each of the matched players, and providing the edited result of the article to each of the matched players' terminals; In the character registration step, accepting registration of a plurality of said characters for each of said players; In the article editing step, An information processing method in which a character to be picked is determined for each matched player from a plurality of characters registered by each of the matched players such that no characters of the same type exist between the matched players, and the article is edited so that content related to the picked character is included for each matched player.

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