Game program and game system

Abstract

To provide a game program and a game system capable of outputting speech suitable for a game situation while diversifying the speech output in real time for the game situation in progress.SOLUTION: In a game system comprising a storage unit in which multiple speech data are stored in association with game situation data, an output unit, and a computer, a game program causes the computer to function as game progress means for progressing the game, situation monitoring means for monitoring the game situation that changes according to the progress of the game, candidate selection means for selecting the multiple speech data associated with the game situation data indicating the monitored game situation as output candidates, priority setting means for setting the priority for each selected output candidate, and speech determination means for determining the speech to be output from the output unit from among the selected multiple output candidate on the basis of the respective set priority.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a game program and a game system. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, games are known in which lines of characters appearing in the game are output in accordance with the progress of the game played by a user (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3962079 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this type of game, if the same lines are output every time a similar game situation occurs, the output lines may be perceived by the user as being mechanical and lacking in humanity.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a game program and a game system that can provide diversity to the lines output in real time in response to the ongoing game situation, while outputting lines appropriate to that game situation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a first invention is a game program executed on a computer in a game system comprising a memory unit in which a plurality of line data are stored in association with game status data, an output unit, and a computer, which causes the computer to function as a game progression means for progressing the game, a situation monitoring means for monitoring the game status that changes in accordance with the progress of the game, a candidate selection means for selecting, as output candidates, a plurality of line data associated with the game status data indicating the monitored game status, a priority setting means for setting a priority for each of the selected output candidates, and a line determination means for determining a line to be output from the output unit from among the selected plurality of output candidates based on each of the set priorities.

[0007] According to the game program, the lines to be output from the output unit are determined based on the priority of each output candidate from among a plurality of output candidates selected according to the game situation. Therefore, the lines to be output are not uniformly determined from the game situation, and as a result, when a game situation similar to a previously occurring game situation occurs, the same lines as before are prevented from being output. Therefore, it is possible to provide diversity to the lines to be output in real time according to the ongoing game situation, while outputting lines appropriate to the game situation.

[0008] The priority setting means may calculate the priority of the output candidate based on at least one of the rarity of the output candidate, which is related to the unlikelihood of a game situation corresponding to the output candidate occurring, and the frequency of the output candidate, which is related to the frequency with which a line corresponding to the output candidate has been output from the output unit prior to the current time.

[0009] By calculating the priority of each output candidate based on the rarity of the output candidate, it is possible to give priority to lines that are rarely output. Also, by calculating the priority of each output candidate based on the degree of appearance of the output candidate, it is possible to prevent lines that overlap with the contents of lines that have already been output from being output. Therefore, by calculating the priority of each output candidate based on at least one of the rarity of the output candidate and the degree of appearance of the output candidate, it is possible to provide more diversity to the lines to be output.

[0010] The priority setting means may calculate the priority based on the degree of appearance of the output candidate, and the degree of appearance of the output candidate may be determined by comparing a game situation corresponding to the output candidate with a game situation corresponding to a line output from the output unit during a period going back a predetermined time from the present time. This makes it possible to easily determine the degree of appearance of the output candidate, since it is not necessary to compare and determine the meaning of each output candidate with the meaning of a line already output from the output unit.

[0011] The priority setting means may calculate the priority based on the degree of appearance of the output candidate, and the degree of appearance of the output candidate may change in a direction to increase the priority of the output candidate as time passes since the speech corresponding to the output candidate was output from the output unit before the current time. This reduces the difficulty of outputting even a speech that has already been output from the output unit as time passes. As a result, it is possible to provide diversity to the speech to be output while eliminating the adverse effect that a user feels uncomfortable because a speech with content that has already been output is not output at all.

[0012] A line excitement level is set for each of the multiple line data, and the computer is further made to function as an excitement level monitoring means for monitoring a speaker excitement level that changes with the progress of the game, and the priority setting means may calculate the priority of the output candidate based on the monitored speaker excitement level and the line excitement level corresponding to the line data as the output candidate, in addition to at least one of the rarity level of the output candidate and the degree of appearance of the output candidate. This makes it possible to suppress the output of lines that do not match the pseudo-emotional state of a virtual speaker in the game, such as a character or a live commentator.

[0013] The output unit may be configured to output the lines as game audio, and the computer may further function as a line switching unit that executes at least one of a first switching process of canceling the output of the unoutputted part of the lines being output and a second switching process of increasing the output speed of the unoutputted part of the lines being output when the output candidate is selected by the candidate selection unit while the lines are being output from the output unit and the first priority of the selected output candidate is higher than the second priority of the lines being output, or is higher by a predetermined set value or more. This allows the switching of the contents of the output audio to have a sense of reality. For example, in the real world, a live commentator or the like may change the content of what he is currently talking about to another content in response to a change in the situation of the subject he is commenting on, and this can be expressed in a game as well.

[0014] The dialogue switching means may determine whether to perform the first switching process or the second switching process based on at least one of the first priority, the second priority, and the duration of the unoutput portion. This makes it possible to provide a more realistic switching of the contents of the output voice.

[0015] A second invention is a game system comprising a program storage unit that stores any one of the game programs described above, and a computer that executes the program stored in the program storage unit.

[0016] The program storage unit storing the game program is a readable / writable or readable storage device or storage medium that is built into or external to a device included in the game system, and may be, for example, a hard disk, a flash memory, an optical disk, etc. The program stored in the program storage unit may be executed in a device to which the program storage unit is directly connected, or may be downloaded and executed in a device connected to the program storage unit via a network (for example, the Internet). Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a game program and a game system that can provide diversity to the lines output in real time in response to the ongoing game situation, while outputting lines appropriate to that game situation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a game system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an external view showing a controller of the game device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen. [Figure 4] 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control unit of the game device. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between lines and various pieces of information corresponding thereto. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of changes in speaker excitement level. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of a dialogue output process. [Figure 8]13 is a flowchart showing the flow of a line switching process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, a game system and a game program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] [Hardware configuration] First, a configuration of a game system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a game device 2 constituting the game system 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the game system 1 includes a game device 2 and a server device 4, and the game device 2 includes a game device main body 20, and one or more controllers 31 (operation unit), a monitor 32 (display unit), and a speaker 33 (audio output unit) connected to the game device main body 20 by wire or wirelessly.

[0021] The game device main body 20 includes a control unit 21, which is a computer that controls the operation of the game device main body 20. The control unit 21 includes, for example, a CPU. A media I / F unit 22, a storage unit 23, a network I / F unit 24 (communication unit), a wireless communication control unit 25, a graphics processing unit 26, and an audio processing unit 27 are each connected to the control unit 21 via a bus 21a.

[0022] The media I / F unit 22 is an interface into which game media 34 for executing a game can be loaded. The game media 34 is a disk-type recording medium such as a DVD-ROM, and stores a game program 34a and game data 34b necessary for executing the game. The game data 34b includes various data necessary for executing the game.

[0023] The storage unit 23 is composed of, for example, an HDD which is a large-capacity recording medium, a ROM which is a semiconductor memory such as a mask ROM or PROM, and a RAM which is a DRAM or SRAM. The storage unit 23 records the game program 34a and game data 34b read from the game media 34, as well as save data, etc. In this embodiment, not all game data 34b in the game media 34 is read at the start of the game, but only game data that is required as appropriate according to the progress of the game (for example, at the change of game scene, etc.).

[0024] The network I / F unit 24 is an interface that connects the game device 2 to a communication network NW such as the Internet or a LAN. The game device 2 is capable of communicating with other game devices 2 and the server device 4 via the communication network NW. For example, when the game device 2 progresses a game while communicating with the outside, it transmits and receives data between the other game devices 2 and / or the server device 4 via the communication network NW.

[0025] The wireless communication control unit 25 is wirelessly connected to a controller 31 attached to the game device main body 20, and is capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from the controller 31. The controller 31 is an operation device that accepts operations by a user. When the controller 31 is operated by a user, operation information corresponding to the operation is sent from the controller 31 to the control unit 21 of the game device 2 via the wireless communication control unit 25. The control unit 21 progresses the game based on the operation information from the controller 31.

[0026] FIG. 2 is an external view showing the controller 31 shown in FIG. 1. The controller 31 is substantially U-shaped, and the user operates it by holding the handles 201L, 201R on both wings with both hands. The controller 31 has a plurality of operators. For example, operation button groups 210, 220 and analog sticks 212, 222 are provided on the left and right upper surfaces of the controller 31, an R1 button 211 is provided on the right front surface of the controller 31, and an L1 button 221 is provided on the left front surface of the controller 31. The operation button group 210 and the analog stick 212 are operated by the thumb of the user's right hand, and the operation button group 220 and the analog stick 222 are operated by the thumb of the user's left hand. The R1 button 211 and the L1 button 221 are operated by the index finger of the user's right hand and the index finger of the left hand, respectively.

[0027] Furthermore, the controller 31 includes a touchpad 230 between the operation button group 210 and the operation button group 220. The touchpad 230 has a horizontally long rectangular shape, and as is well known, when a user brings a fingertip or the like into contact with or into proximity with the surface of the touchpad 230, position information (coordinates) of the contact or proximity point (input point) is output to the control unit 21 in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the touchpad 230 also functions as an operation button when the entirety of the touchpad 230 is pressed down.

[0028] Returning to Fig. 1, the graphics processing unit 26 draws game images in a moving image format in accordance with instructions from the control unit 21. The game images drawn by the graphics processing unit 26 are displayed as a game screen on the monitor 32. The monitor 32 is a display device (display unit) that displays the game images. The monitor 32 is, for example, a liquid crystal display.

[0029] The audio processing unit 27 reproduces and synthesizes digital game sounds in accordance with instructions from the control unit 21. The audio processing unit 27 is also connected to an external speaker 33. The game sounds reproduced and synthesized by the audio processing unit 27 are output to the outside from the speaker 33 as an audio output device. Note that in addition to or instead of the speaker 33, an external headphone or the like may be connected to the audio processing unit 27.

[0030] The server device 4 includes a server control unit 41, which is a computer that controls the operation of the server device 4. The server control unit 41 includes, for example, a CPU. A storage unit 42 and a network I / F unit 43 are connected to the server control unit 41 via a bus 41a. The server device 4 may include an input device such as a keyboard and an output device such as a liquid crystal display, as necessary.

[0031] The storage unit 42 is composed of, for example, an HDD which is a large-capacity recording medium, a ROM which is a semiconductor memory such as a mask ROM or a PROM, and a RAM which is a DRAM or an SRAM. The network I / F unit 43 is an interface which connects the server device 4 to a communication network NW such as the Internet or a LAN. The server device 4 is capable of communicating with the multiple game devices 2 via the communication network NW.

[0032] [Game Overview] An overview of the game in this embodiment will be described. The game described in this embodiment is a battle game that allows users who access the server device 4 from the game device 2 via the communication network NW to battle each other. Specifically, this battle game is a battle-type fighting game in which one user operates a character selected from a plurality of characters, and fights one-on-one in a virtual space against a character operated by another user who is the opponent.

[0033] 3 shows a battle screen D as an example of a game screen. The battle screen D includes an image of a game space S captured by a virtual camera. In the game space S, a player character (hereinafter, user character) PA operated by a user and a character (hereinafter, opponent character) PB fighting against the user character PA are placed. The virtual camera is placed in the game space S, and moves and zooms in the game space S according to the positions of the two characters PA and PB so that the captured image includes the two characters PA and PB.

[0034] The battle screen D includes various icons. For example, two vitality gauges G1, G2 are arranged at an interval in the left-right direction at the top of the battle screen D. The two vitality gauges G1, G2 indicate the vitality values ​​of the two characters PA, PB, respectively. In addition, a time display area G3 indicating the remaining time of the battle is arranged between the two vitality gauges G1, G2 on the battle screen D. In addition, two skill gauges G4, G5 are arranged at a interval in the left-right direction at the bottom of the battle screen D. The two skill gauges G4, G5 indicate the skill points consumed when a specific skill specific to the two characters PA, PB is activated, respectively.

[0035] In this game, the game sound output from the speaker 33 during the match includes the lines (words) of a virtual commentator who is commenting on the match. For example, immediately after the match starts, the speaker 33 may output a line such as "Now, the match has begun," or when the character PB jumps as shown in FIG. 3, the speaker 33 may output a line such as "He jumped!"

[0036] [Functional configuration] 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the control unit 21 of the game device 2. The control unit 21 of the game device 2 executes the game program 34a to function as a game space generating means 51, a character control means 52, a game progression means 53, a situation monitoring means 54, a candidate selecting means 55, a line determining means 56, a priority setting means 57, an excitement level monitoring means 58, and a line switching means 59.

[0037] The game space generating means 51 generates a two-dimensional or three-dimensional virtual game space S. In the game space S, the above-mentioned user character PA and opponent character PB are placed.

[0038] The character control means 52 controls the behavior of the user character PA placed in the virtual space S within the game, based on the user's operation of the controller 31. For example, by operating the controller 31, the user can move the user character PA within the game space S or cause the user character PA to attack the opponent character PB.

[0039] Specifically, the movement of the user character PA is determined according to the user's operation on the controller 31. A predetermined movement of the user character PA is assigned to each controller of the controller 31 (more specifically, the operation on each controller).

[0040] For example, the four buttons included in the operation button group 210 (see FIG. 2) are assigned actions of the user character PA, such as "weak punch," "strong punch," "weak kick," and "strong kick." For example, the four buttons included in the operation button group 220 are assigned actions of the user character PA, such as "move to the right of the screen," "move to the left of the screen," "jump," and "crouch."

[0041] In this game, a plurality of predetermined operation inputs (for example, simultaneous pressing of a plurality of buttons among the operation button groups 210, 220, pressing a series of buttons in a predetermined order within a predetermined time, a combination thereof, etc.) are made to the controller 31, whereby the user character PA performs one or a series of predetermined actions (hereinafter referred to as a "special action"). When the special action is a series of actions, the special action includes a plurality of actions such as a punch and a kick. Each of the multiple actions included in the special action does not correspond to a single operation input (a single button press) to the controller 31, but a set of multiple actions included in the special action may correspond to a set of a plurality of operation inputs to the controller 31.

[0042] The special action differs depending on the type of the user character PA. For example, the special action is an attack technique unique to the user character PA. The special action includes an attack technique that can be activated by consuming a predetermined amount of the technique gauges G4 and G5. The predetermined plurality of operation inputs to the controller 31 for activating the special action differs depending on the type of the user character PA.

[0043] Furthermore, the character control means 52 controls the actions of the opponent character PB based on operation information received from the game device 2 of the opponent user.

[0044] The game progression means 53 progresses the game. Specifically, for example, during a battle, the game progression means 53 manages various parameters related to the battle (such as the vitality values ​​of the characters PA and PB and the remaining time of the battle), determines the start and end of the battle, and updates the information in the battle screen D.

[0045] For example, when a battle starts, the game progression means 53 counts down the remaining time of the battle and displays it on the battle screen D. In addition, the game progression means 53 calculates the remaining vitality value of each character PA, PB based on the damage received by the characters PA, PB, and reflects the calculated vitality value in vitality gauges G1, G2 in the battle screen D. The game progression means 53 enables the activation of a predetermined technique specific to the characters PA, PB according to the technique points shown in the technique gauges G4, G5, and calculates the remaining technique points when a technique is activated and reflects them in the technique gauges G4, G5 in the battle screen D.

[0046] The situation monitoring means 54 monitors the game situation which changes as the game progresses.

[0047] The game status includes, for example, various parameters of the characters PA and PB. Examples of the various parameters of the characters PA and PB include the values ​​of the vitality gauges G1 and G2 (vital value) and the values ​​of the skill gauges G4 and G5 (skill points) of the characters PA and PB. The game status also includes, for example, the elapsed time of the match or the remaining time until the time limit set for the match.

[0048] The game situation also includes the type of action that the opponent character PB has performed or is in the process of performing (type of attack, type of defense, jump, whether or not there is movement, direction of movement, speed of movement, posture, type of technique being performed or performed, etc.), the relative position of one of the characters PA, PB to the other (distance between the characters PA, PB, etc.), and the absolute positions of each of the characters PA, PB (positions of the characters PA, PB in the game space S).The game situation also includes not only the instantaneous values ​​of various parameters, but also changes in various parameters within a predetermined time range (for example, from the present time to a time going back a predetermined time).

[0049] The candidate selection means 55 selects one or more pieces of line data to be output candidates from among the plurality of pieces of line data. Specifically, the plurality of pieces of line data are stored in the storage unit 23 in association with game situation data. The line data is game audio data indicating game audio as lines spoken by a virtual play-by-play commentator. The game situation data is data indicating the game situation. The candidate selection means 55 selects one or more pieces of line data associated with game situation data indicating the game situation monitored by the situation monitoring means 54 as output candidates.

[0050] An example of the relationship between the lines (data) and the corresponding game situation (data) is shown in FIG. 5. Note that FIG. 5 shows the rarity and excitement level corresponding to the lines, which will be described in detail later.

[0051] For example, the line data "There's not much time left!" shown in Fig. 5 is stored in association with game situation data indicating that the remaining time of the match is 10 seconds. That is, this game situation data includes data related to the remaining time of the match. Therefore, when the remaining time of the match becomes 10 seconds, the candidate selection means 55 selects the line data "There's not much time left!" as an output candidate.

[0052] Also, for example, the line data with the content "I held on by the very end!" shown in FIG. 5 is stored in association with game situation data indicating that the opponent character PB has used a predetermined technique and that the vitality value of the user character PA after receiving the technique has become 1 or more and 5 or less. That is, this game situation data includes data related to the action of the opponent character PB and data related to the change in vitality value of the user character PA. When the opponent character PB has used a predetermined technique during a battle and the vitality value of the user character PA after receiving the technique has become 1 or more and 5 or less, the candidate selection means 55 selects the line data with the content "I held on by the very end!" as an output candidate.

[0053] In this way, the type of characteristic data (parameters) indicating the corresponding game situation may differ for each line. That is, there are multiple types of data (parameters) indicating the game situation, and therefore, for one game situation at a certain point in time during a match, the candidate selection means 55 may select multiple output candidates. For example, if the vitality value of the user character is between 1 and 5 at the moment when there are 10 seconds left in the match due to receiving a technique activated by the opponent character PB, the candidate selection means 55 selects both the line data with the content "There's not much time left!" and the line data with the content "I held on just barely!" as output candidates.

[0054] Correspondence between such dialogue data and the game situation can be achieved, for example, by a game developer creating a dedicated dialogue selection tool that enables the developer to select and save a set of dialogue (words) and the indicators used to decide which dialogue to select for a scene in a gameplay video.

[0055] Specifically, in the game development stage, a pre-stored game video (replay video) in which lines corresponding to commentary are not output is displayed on a display using a line selection tool. During playback of the game video, the game developer operates the line selection tool to temporarily stop playback of the game video at a scene where the developer would like lines for commentary to be output.

[0056] Then, the game developer operates the line selection tool to select a line that he / she thinks is appropriate for the scene from among a plurality of predetermined lines for commentary. Furthermore, after selecting the line, the game developer operates the line selection tool to select one or more indicators from a plurality of predetermined indicators that are the basis for the decision to select the line. For example, when the game developer looks at the vitality gauge on the battle screen and decides to select the line "Your vitality is decreasing," the vitality gauge is selected as the decision indicator. For example, when the game developer looks at the motion of the opponent character PB and decides to select the lines "He flew!" or "He hit the opponent!", the character motion is selected as the decision indicator.

[0057] Furthermore, after selecting the judgment index, the game developer operates the line selection tool to specify whether the judgment of the line selection is based on the instantaneous value of the judgment index or on the change of the judgment index within a certain time. For example, if the game developer uses the remaining time of the match of 10 seconds as the judgment index, the game developer selects the remaining time of the match as the judgment index and also specifies that the instantaneous value of the judgment index is the judgment index. Also, for example, if the game developer uses the decrease in the character's vitality value over a period of three seconds as the judgment index, the game developer selects the character's vitality value as the judgment index and also specifies the time period of three seconds.

[0058] In this way, the line selection tool stores the lines for commentary (i.e., line data) in association with the parameter values ​​designated as judgment indices (i.e., game situation data). By repeating such operations, it is possible to associate the lines with the game situation.

[0059] 4, the line determination means 56 determines the line to be output from the speaker 33 from among the multiple output candidates selected by the candidate selection means 55. Specifically, the line determination means 56 determines the line to be output based on the priority of each output candidate set by the priority setting means 57.

[0060] The priority setting means 57 sets a priority for each selected output candidate. In this embodiment, the priority is calculated by the priority setting means 57 based on the rarity and the frequency of appearance.

[0061] The rarity is an index related to the likelihood of a game situation corresponding to an output candidate occurring. As shown in FIG. 5, a rarity is set in advance for each piece of dialogue data. That is, a rarity is associated with each piece of dialogue data and stored in the storage unit 23. In this embodiment, the rarity is a value set for each line based on the number of times a game situation corresponding to that line has occurred from a large amount of past battle data.

[0062] The degree of having been output is an index relating to the frequency with which a line corresponding to an output candidate has been output from the speaker 33 before the current time. In this embodiment, the priority setting means 57 determines the degree of having been output of an output candidate by comparing the game situation corresponding to the output candidate with the game situation corresponding to the line output from the speaker 33 during the period going back a predetermined time from the current time.

[0063] Here, the predetermined time may be a variable value such as the time elapsed since the start of the match, or may be a predetermined fixed value such as 10 seconds. For example, when the predetermined time is the time elapsed since the start of the match, the priority setting means 57 determines the priority by comparing the game situation corresponding to the output candidate with the game situation corresponding to the lines output from the speaker 33 after the start of the match. Also, when the predetermined time is 10 seconds, the priority setting means 57 determines the priority by comparing the game situation corresponding to the output candidate with the game situation corresponding to the lines output from the speaker 33 in the past 10 seconds.

[0064] In this embodiment, the degree of appearance of an output candidate changes in a direction that increases the priority of the output candidate as time passes since the line corresponding to the output candidate was output from the speaker 33 before the current time. For example, if the priority of a certain line depends only on the degree of appearance, the priority of the line becomes already-appeared at the time the line is output and temporarily decreases, but increases gradually or in stages as time passes from the time of output.

[0065] In this embodiment, in addition to the above-mentioned rarity and appearance degree, speaker excitement degree and line excitement degree are also used in the calculation of the priority of the output candidate by the priority setting means 57. The speaker excitement degree is an index indicating the degree of excitement of a virtual speaker (play-by-play commentator in this example) in the progressing game situation. Information indicating the speaker excitement degree is stored in the memory unit 23. The speaker excitement degree changes according to the progress of the game. For example, the speaker excitement degree changes according to the progress of the game so that it becomes a value according to the excitement level of the progressing game situation. The speaker excitement degree is monitored by the excitement monitoring means 58 while the competitive game progresses.

[0066] The line excitement degree is an index indicating the optimal value of the excitement level of a virtual speaker (play-by-play commentator in this example) who speaks the line with that line excitement degree. The line excitement degree is associated with each of a plurality of line data and stored in the storage unit 23 (see FIG. 5). The line excitement degree is set to a value according to the content of the line. For example, the line excitement degree is a value set by the game developer for each line based on empirical rules, such as a five-point scale, of the degree of excitement of the virtual play-by-play commentator who speaks the line.

[0067] The priority setting means 57 compares the monitored speaker excitement level with the line excitement level corresponding to the line data as the output candidate, and calculates the priority level so that the line appropriate for the excitement level of the game situation is selected. For example, when the rarity and frequency of appearance of the output candidates are the same, the output candidate associated with the line excitement level close to the previous speaker excitement level is more likely to be prioritized than the output candidate associated with the line excitement level far from the previous speaker excitement level. As a result, for example, in a scene where the game situation is exciting, a more emotional and passionate line is preferentially selected.

[0068] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of changes in speaker excitement level. The horizontal axis is the elapsed time during the game, and the vertical axis is the speaker excitement level. In FIG. 6, during the game, at a certain time t1, a line X1 is output from the speaker 33, and at a time t2 after the time t1, a line X2 is output from the speaker 33. A line excitement level Y1 is associated with the line X1 and stored, and a line excitement level Y2 is associated with the line X2 and stored. The speaker excitement level immediately before the time t1 is a value Y0.

[0069] In the game situation at time t1, the priority setting means 57 calculates the priority of the output candidate by comparing the speaker excitement level Y0 immediately before time t1 with the line excitement level of each output candidate. For example, when the rarity and frequency of appearance of the output candidates are about the same, for example, at time t1, the priority setting means 57 sets the priority of each output candidate so that the priority of the output candidate whose line excitement level is closer to the speaker excitement level Y0 immediately before is higher.

[0070] At time t1, when the line X1 is determined as the output voice and output, the speaker excitement level is changed from the value Y0, which is the speaker excitement level immediately before time t1, to the line excitement level Y1 corresponding to the line X1, as shown in FIG. 6. Thus, in this game, when a line is output, the speaker excitement level is set to the same value as the line excitement level of the output line. This is then maintained until the next line is output. If the line excitement level of the line output at the current time point is different from the line excitement level of the line output previously, the speaker excitement level is changed from the line excitement level of the line output previously to the line excitement level of the line output at the current time point.

[0071] 4, the line switching means 59 executes a line switching process which is a process for switching a line being output to another line. The line switching process will be described in detail later.

[0072] [Dialogue output processing] Next, the line output process will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the line output process. The line output process is a process for determining and outputting lines of a virtual live commentator during a match. The line output process is executed by a situation monitoring means 54, a candidate selecting means 55, a line determining means 56, a priority setting means 57, an excitement level monitoring means 58, and a line switching means 59. The line output process is executed at a preset frame rate from the start to the end of a match.

[0073] In the dialogue output process, the situation monitoring means 54 monitors the game situation that changes as the game progresses. Then, the situation monitoring means 54 determines whether or not there is game situation data corresponding to the monitored game situation (i.e., the current game situation) among the game situation data stored in the storage unit 23 (step S1).

[0074] If it is determined that there is no game situation data corresponding to the monitored game situation among the game situation data stored in the storage unit 23 (step S1: No), the dialogue output process ends.

[0075] If it is determined that the game situation data stored in the memory unit 23 contains game situation data corresponding to the monitored game situation (step S1: Yes), the candidate selection means 55 selects one or more line data associated with the game situation data indicating the monitored game situation as output candidates (step S2).

[0076] When one or more output candidates are selected, the priority setting means 57 calculates the priority of each output candidate based on the rarity of the output candidate, the frequency of the output candidate, the speaker excitement level, and the line excitement level of the output candidate (step S3).

[0077] The line determination means 56 determines the line to be output from the speaker 33 from among the one or more output candidates selected by the candidate selection means 55, based on the priorities set by the priority setting means 57 (step S4). Specifically, the line determination means 56 determines the output candidate with the highest priority from among the multiple selected output candidates, as the line to be output from the speaker 33.

[0078] When the line is determined, the line switching means 59 judges whether or not a line other than the line determined in step S4 is being output (step S5). If it is judged in step S5 that a line other than the line determined in step S4 is not being output (step S5: No), the line determination means 56 outputs the determined line from the speaker 33 (step S7), and the line output process ends.

[0079] If it is determined in step S5 that another line is being output (step S5: Yes), the line switching means 59 executes a line switching process (step S6).

[0080] [Dialogue switching processing] Next, the line switching process executed in step S6 of the line output process will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the line switching process.

[0081] For ease of explanation, the line determined in step S4 will be referred to as the "first line," and the line being output determined in step S5 will be referred to as the "second line." Additionally, the priority set for the first line in step S3 of the current line output process will be referred to as the "first priority," and the priority set for the second line in step S3 of the previous line output process will be referred to as the "second priority."

[0082] In the line switching process, the line switching means 59 first determines whether or not the value obtained by subtracting the second priority of the second line from the first priority of the first line is greater than a set value (step T1). If the line switching means 59 determines that the value obtained by subtracting the second priority from the first priority is not greater than the set value (step T1: No), the line switching means 59 continues to output the second line, which is the game sound being output (step T2), and the line switching process ends.

[0083] For example, the set value is zero. In this case, in step T1, the line switching means 59 judges whether or not the first priority of the first line is higher than the second priority of the second line. If the second priority of the second line being output is equal to or higher than the first priority of the first line, the line switching means 59 does not output the first line, and the second line being output continues to be output as is.

[0084] If the line switching means 59 determines that the value obtained by subtracting the second priority from the first priority is greater than the set value (step T1: Yes), the line switching means 59 determines whether the duration of the unoutput portion of the second line, which is the game sound being output, is greater than or equal to a predetermined duration (step T3).

[0085] If the line switching means 59 determines that the duration of the unoutput portion of the second line being output is equal to or longer than a predetermined duration (step T3: Yes), the line switching means 59 executes a first switching process to cancel the output of the unoutput portion of the second line (step T4).

[0086] When the line switching means 59 determines that the time length of the unoutputted portion of the second line being output is not equal to or longer than the predetermined time length (step T3: No), the line switching means 59 executes a second switching process for increasing the output speed of the unoutputted portion of the second line (step T5). Then, when the output of the second line is completed, the line switching means 59 outputs the first line (step T6).

[0087] To summarize the above, the game program 34a of this embodiment is a game program 34a executed by the control unit 21 in a game system 1 including a memory unit 23 in which multiple lines of dialogue data are stored in association with game situation data, a speaker 33 (output unit), and a control unit 21 (computer), and causes the control unit 21 to function as a game progression means 53 that progresses the game, a situation monitoring means 54 that monitors the game situation that changes according to the progress of the game, a candidate selection means 55 that selects, as output candidates, the multiple lines of dialogue data associated with the game situation data indicating the monitored game situation, a priority setting means 57 that sets a priority for each of the selected output candidates, and a line determination means 56 that determines the lines to be output from the speaker 33 from the multiple selected output candidates based on each of the set priorities.

[0088] According to this game program 34a, the lines to be output from the speaker 33 are determined based on the priority of each output candidate from among a plurality of output candidates selected according to the game situation. Therefore, the lines to be output are not uniformly determined from the game situation, and as a result, when a game situation similar to a previously occurring game situation occurs, the same lines as before are prevented from being output. Therefore, it is possible to provide diversity to the lines to be output in real time according to the ongoing game situation, while outputting lines appropriate to the game situation.

[0089] In addition, in this embodiment, the priority of each output candidate is calculated based on the rarity of the output candidate. Therefore, it is possible to give priority to lines that are rarely output. In addition, by calculating the priority of each output candidate based on the degree of appearance of the output candidate, it is possible to prevent lines that overlap with the contents of lines that have already been output from being output. In this way, by calculating the priority of each output candidate based on the rarity and appearance of the output candidate, it is possible to provide more diversity to the lines to be output.

[0090] In this embodiment, the degree of appearance of an output candidate is determined by comparing the game situation corresponding to the output candidate with the game situation corresponding to the lines output from the speaker 33 during the period from the current time back to a predetermined time. This makes it possible to easily determine the degree of appearance of an output candidate since it is not necessary to compare and determine the meaning of each output candidate with the meaning of lines already output from the output unit.

[0091] In addition, in this embodiment, the degree of output candidate prioritization changes in a direction that increases the priority of the output candidate as time passes since the speech corresponding to the output candidate was output from the speaker 33 before the current time. Therefore, even if the speech has already been output, the difficulty of outputting it is reduced as time passes. As a result, it is possible to provide diversity to the speech to be output while eliminating the adverse effect that the user feels uncomfortable because a speech that has already been output is not output at all.

[0092] In this embodiment, the priority setting means 57 calculates the priority of the output candidate based on the monitored speaker excitement level and the line excitement level of the output candidate in addition to the rarity and appearance level of the output candidate. This makes it possible to prevent lines that do not match the simulated emotional state of a virtual speaker in the game, such as a live commentator, from being output.

[0093] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the line switching means 59 determines that the value obtained by subtracting the second priority of the second line, which is the voice being output, from the first priority of the first line determined by the line determination means 56 is not greater than a set value, the line switching means 59 continues to output the second line being output. This makes it possible to prevent, for example, when a voice with important content having a high priority is being output, the voice from being interrupted by another voice.

[0094] Furthermore, when the line switching means 59 determines that the value obtained by subtracting the second priority of the second line, which is the voice being output, from the first priority of the first line determined by the line determination means 56 is greater than the set value, it executes at least one of a first switching process for canceling the output of the unoutputted part of the second line and a second switching process for increasing the output speed of the unoutputted part of the second line. This allows the switching of the content of the output voice to have a sense of reality. For example, in the real world, a live commentator or the like may change the content of what he is currently talking about to another content in response to a change in the situation of the subject he is commenting on, and this can also be expressed in a game.

[0095] Furthermore, when the line switching means 59 determines that the duration of the unoutput portion of the second line being output is equal to or longer than a predetermined duration, the line switching means 59 executes a first switching process for canceling the output of the unoutput portion of the second line. This makes it possible to provide a more realistic switching of the content of the audio being output.

[0096] <Other embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0097] For example, the game program 34a does not have to be recorded on the game media 34, and may be downloaded to the game device 2 from an external source via a communication network NW. For example, the game device 2 included in the game system of the present invention may be a mobile information terminal such as a smartphone, and the operation unit and the display unit may be a touch screen or the like. Furthermore, the display device that displays the game screen may be a head-mounted display or the like.

[0098] In the above embodiment, the game system 1 includes the game device 2 and the server device 4, but the game system of the present invention may not include the server device 4. The present invention is applicable not only to online games but also to offline games. For example, the present invention is applicable to a CPU battle game in which a user operates a user character to battle against an opponent character as a non-player character whose action is controlled by a CPU. The present invention is also applicable not only to fighting games, but also to action games, role-playing games, shooting games, sports games, racing games, and the like.

[0099] The present invention is also applicable to the distribution of game play videos. That is, the "output unit" in the present invention is not limited to one that outputs to a player who plays the game, but may be one that outputs to a viewer who watches the distributed game play video. For example, lines may not be output from an output unit for a player (distributor) who plays the game, and lines may be output only from an output unit for a viewer who watches the game play video. For example, in order to output lines only from an output unit for a viewer who watches the game play video (to watch a video with live commentary), some kind of compensation may be required. For example, the compensation may be a fee, a subscription contract, or a monetary donation (so-called tipping) to the distributor.

[0100] In the above embodiment, the control unit 21 of the game device 2 executes the game program 34a to function as the game space generating means 51, the character control means 52, the game progression means 53, the situation monitoring means 54, the candidate selecting means 55, the dialogue determining means 56, the priority setting means 57, the excitement level monitoring means 58, and the dialogue switching means 59, but some of these functional units 51 to 59 may not function. For example, the present invention is also applicable to games that do not generate a virtual space or games that do not control characters.

[0101] Furthermore, the server control unit 41 of the server device 4 may function as a part or all of the functional units 51 to 59 by executing a game program stored in the storage unit 42. In this case, the game program of the present invention is stored in the server device 4 or is stored in a distributed manner in the game device 2 and the server device 4, and the control unit 21 and the server control unit 41 that execute such a game program correspond to the "computer" that executes the game program of the present invention.

[0102] Furthermore, one or both of the dialogue data and the game situation data do not have to be stored in the storage unit 23 of the game device 2, and may be stored in another storage device such as the storage unit 42 of the server device 4, for example.

[0103] The game situations monitored by the situation monitoring means 54 described in the above embodiment are merely examples. The game situations monitored by the situation monitoring means 54 may be only a part of those described in the above embodiment. Furthermore, the game situations monitored by the situation monitoring means 54 may include game situations other than those described in the above embodiment.

[0104] In the above embodiment, the priority of the output candidates was set so that output candidates associated with a line excitement level close to the immediately preceding speaker excitement level are more likely to be given priority than output candidates associated with a line excitement level that is far from the immediately preceding speaker excitement level, but the method of using speaker excitement level and line excitement level in setting output candidates is not limited to this.

[0105] For example, the priority of the output candidates may be set so that output candidates associated with a line excitement level greater (i.e., higher) than the immediately preceding speaker excitement level are more likely to be prioritized than output candidates associated with a line excitement level less (i.e., lower) than the immediately preceding speaker excitement level. This makes it easier for lines with a line excitement level greater than the speaker excitement level to be prioritized. Each time a line with a line excitement level greater than the speaker excitement level is output, the speaker excitement level increases, so that lines with a greater line excitement level are more likely to be output as the game progresses.

[0106] In addition, the priority of output candidates may be set so that, for example, output candidates associated with a line excitement level greater than the immediately preceding speaker excitement level, where the difference between the immediately preceding speaker excitement level and the line excitement level is within a predetermined range, are more likely to be given priority over other output candidates.

[0107] In the above embodiment, the priority is calculated based on the rarity, the degree of appearance, the speaker excitement, and the line excitement, but the method of setting the priority is not limited to this. For example, the calculation method, determination method, or acquisition method of each parameter of the rarity, the degree of appearance, the speaker excitement, and the line excitement is not limited to the one described in the above embodiment.

[0108] For example, the rarity may be calculated for each line using a predetermined calculation formula based on information indicating a game situation associated with each line. For example, the rarity may be set or calculated so that it increases as the number of parameters included in the game situation data corresponding to the line data increases. Also, for example, the rarity may be set for each line by a game developer judging the likelihood of the game situation corresponding to the line occurring based on experience, for example, on a five-point scale.

[0109] The degree of appearance may not change in a direction that increases the priority as time passes. For example, the degree of appearance may be a value that does not depend on the time that has elapsed since the line for which the degree of appearance is set was output. Also, for example, the degree of appearance may change in a direction that increases the priority of a line as the number of times another line is output after the line for which the degree of appearance is set increases, instead of increasing the time that has elapsed since the line for which the degree of appearance is set was output.

[0110] For example, the speaker excitement level is set to be changed from the line excitement level of the line output last time to the line excitement level of the line output at the current time, but the method of setting the speaker excitement level is not limited to this. For example, the speaker excitement level may be calculated based on another parameter such as the remaining time of the match or a vitality gauge. For example, the speaker excitement level may be set to increase when an attack technique (special action) specific to a character is activated or when a specific attack technique hits an opponent. In addition, the speaker excitement level may be gradually or stepwise decreased after a certain period of time has elapsed during which no lines are output. For example, the speaker excitement level may be decreased as time passes from the point at which the speaker excitement level is set to the same value as the line excitement level of the output line.

[0111] For example, the calculation of the priority of the output candidate may not use the excitement level (here, the excitement level includes the speaker excitement level and the line excitement level). The priority of the output candidate may be calculated based on at least one of the rarity level of the output candidate and the degree of appearance of the output candidate. The priority of the output candidate may be preset for each output candidate.

[0112] Also, it may be possible to set which of the parameters of rarity, appearance, and excitement is to be emphasized in calculating the priority by weighting each parameter. For example, if the weight of a certain parameter is 0, the parameter is not taken into consideration (does not contribute) in calculating the priority. Alternatively, the weighting may be set by the user according to his / her preference. The weighting may be set by the user directly adjusting the weighting value, or by selecting a parameter to be emphasized from among several predetermined items. In this way, by allowing the user to set the weighting of each parameter that contributes to the priority, for example, in a game in which a virtual live commentator can be set, the weighting of each parameter can be set for a certain live commentator A so that the proportion of excitement that contributes to the priority is larger than other parameters, and for another live commentator B, the weighting of each parameter can be set so that the proportion of rarity that contributes to the priority is larger than other parameters. In other words, the personality of a virtual speaker such as a live commentator can be expressed.

[0113] The line switching process by the line switching means 59 is not limited to that described in the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the line switching means 59 determines whether to perform the first switching process or the second switching process depending on whether the time length of the unoutputted part of the second line being output is equal to or longer than a predetermined time length, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the line switching means 59 may determine whether to perform the first switching process or the second switching process based on at least one of the first priority, the second priority, and the time length of the unoutputted part of the second line. In addition, the line switching means 59 may execute only the first switching process or only the second switching process without determining whether to execute the first switching process or the second switching process.

[0114] In addition, the line switching means 59 executes either the first switching process or the second switching process when the value obtained by subtracting the second priority of the second line from the first priority of the first line is greater than a set value, but the line switching means 59 may execute either the first switching process or the second switching process regardless of the first priority and the second priority.

[0115] In addition, the candidate selection means 55 does not necessarily need to select multiple output candidates, and may select only one output candidate depending on the game situation. In the voice output process of the above embodiment, if only one line data is selected as an output candidate in step S2, step S3 may be omitted. In this case, in step S4, the line determination means 56 may determine the one line data selected as an output candidate as the output voice.

[0116] In addition, when a competitive game in which users compete against each other via a communication network is executed on each user's game device, the sounds output from each game device may be controlled to be different. The game device of user Y, who is the opponent of user X, may output lines based on the settings of user Y. In other words, even during the same match, the content of the lines output by each game device may be different.

[0117] In the above embodiment, the line determination means 56 determines the lines of a virtual commentator who provides commentary on the match, but the lines determined by the line determination means 56 are not limited to this. For example, the line determination means 56 may determine the lines of a speaker other than the virtual commentator, such as a character placed in a virtual space.

[0118] In the above embodiment, the lines determined by the line determination means 56 are output as game sounds, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention is also applicable to a device that outputs the lines determined by the line determination means 56 as characters on a display device. That is, the "output unit" in the present invention does not have to be a sound output device configured to be able to output lines as game sounds, such as a speaker or a headphone, but may be a display device such as a monitor or a touch screen. In this case, the line data is not game sound data indicating game sounds as lines, but character data indicating characters as lines. [Explanation of symbols]

[0119] 1: Game System 2: Game device 4: Server device 21: Control section 23: Storage section 31: Controller 32: Monitor 33: Speaker 41: Server control unit 42: Storage section 51: Game space generation means 52: Character control means 53: Game progress method 54: Situation monitoring means 55: Candidate selection method 56: Means of deciding lines 57: Priority setting means 58: Excitement level monitoring means 59: Dialogue switching means

Claims

1. A game system including a storage unit in which a plurality of pieces of dialogue data are stored in association with game situation data, an output unit, and a computer, comprising: a game program executed by the computer, The computer, A game progression means for progressing through the game; a situation monitoring means for monitoring a game situation that changes as the game progresses; a candidate selection means for selecting, as output candidates, a plurality of the dialogue data associated with the game situation data indicating the monitored game situation; a priority setting means for calculating and setting a priority for each of the selected output candidates based on a degree of appearance of the output candidate, which is related to a frequency with which a line corresponding to the output candidate has been output from the output unit up to a current time; and A game program that functions as a line determination means that determines lines to be output from the output unit from among the plurality of output candidates selected based on each of the set priorities.

2. A game program as described in claim 1, wherein the degree of appearance of the output candidate is determined by comparing the game situation corresponding to the output candidate with the game situation corresponding to the lines output from the output unit between the current time and a time point going back a predetermined time.

3. A game program as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the degree of appearance of the output candidate changes in a direction that increases the priority of the output candidate as time passes since the line corresponding to the output candidate was output from the output unit prior to the present time.

4. A line excitement level is set for each of the plurality of line data, The computer is further caused to function as an excitement level monitoring means for monitoring a speaker's excitement level that changes in accordance with the progress of the game, A game program as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the priority setting means calculates the priority of the output candidate based on the degree of appearance of the output candidate, as well as the monitored speaker excitement degree and the line excitement degree corresponding to the line data as the output candidate.

5. In a game system including a storage unit in which a plurality of pieces of dialogue data are stored in association with game situation data, an output unit, and a computer, a game program executed by the computer, comprising: The computer, A game progression means for progressing through the game; a situation monitoring means for monitoring a game situation that changes as the game progresses; a candidate selection means for selecting, as output candidates, a plurality of the dialogue data associated with the game situation data indicating the monitored game situation; a priority setting means for setting a priority for each of the selected output candidates; and a speech determining unit that determines a speech to be output from the output unit from among the plurality of output candidates selected based on each of the set priorities; the output unit is configured to be able to output the lines as game sounds, the computer is further made to function as a dialogue switching means for executing at least one of a first switching process for canceling output of the unoutputted portion of the dialogue being output and a second switching process for increasing the output speed of the unoutputted portion of the dialogue when the output candidate is selected by the candidate selection means while the dialogue is being output from the output unit and a first priority level, which is the priority level of the selected output candidate, is higher than a second priority level, which is the priority level of the dialogue being output, or is higher by a predetermined set value or more; A game program in which the dialogue switching means determines whether to perform the first switching process or the second switching process based on at least one of the first priority, the second priority, and the duration of the unoutput portion.

6. A program storage unit that stores the game program according to any one of claims 1 to 5; A game system comprising: a computer that executes the program stored in the program storage unit.

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