Game program, game processing method and game terminal

Abstract

To provide a technique for making it possible to make a character manipulated by a player move toward a specified place more reliably.SOLUTION: A program of a game in which a player manipulates a character in virtual space makes a computer function as: input means for accepting manipulation on the character when the player touches a screen; display control means for displaying the character in a game screen that displays at least a part of the virtual space; and operation control means for controlling the character's operation on the basis of the manipulation accepted by the input means, and when the character moves to a specified area in the virtual space and the player performs a specified operation on the screen, for moving the character to a specified place by presuming manipulation for moving the character to the specified place to be performed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a game program, a game processing method, and a game terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, there are known games in which a moving object such as a character can be moved in a virtual space. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for detecting a change in a contact position on a touch panel and moving a moving object in the direction in which the contact position changes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-011517 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, depending on the game, as described in Patent Document 1, it may not always be appropriate to move the character in the direction in which the contact position changes. For example, in a game in which the range of the virtual space displayed on the game screen or the direction of the viewpoint changes, assume a case in which the player wants to quickly move the character toward a specific location. In such a game, the player needs to instantly determine which direction the specific direction is, but depending on the player's skill, the player may not be able to make a good judgment and may not be able to quickly move the character to the specific location.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that enables a character controlled by a player to more reliably move toward a specific location. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A game program according to one embodiment of the present invention is a program for a game in which a player controls a character in a virtual space, and causes a computer to function as input means for accepting operations for the character when the player touches a screen, display control means for displaying the character within a game screen that displays at least a portion of the virtual space, and action control means for controlling the action of the character based on the accepted operation, whereby when the character is located in a specified area within the virtual space and the player performs a specific operation on the screen, the action control means regards this as an operation to move the character to a specific location and moves the character to the location. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique that enables a character controlled by a player to move more reliably toward a specific location. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] An example of the game screen of this game is shown below. [Diagram 3] This shows how the viewpoint on the game screen moves along with the movement of characters and objects. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a game server and a terminal. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block configuration of a game server. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block configuration of a terminal. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a specific example of a map. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the position where a map is displayed on a game screen. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a texture image. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of determining the color of an object. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of image data including texture images of each color. [Figure 12] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining a method for extracting a texture image from image data. [Figure 13] 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining specific examples of specific operations performed by a player. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of a condition for quickly moving a character to a specific point. [Figure 15] 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of controlling the direction of character movement at maximum speed. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of items equipped to a character. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same or similar configurations. In this embodiment, a game in which a character puts a ball into a goal in a virtual three-dimensional space will be described as an example, but the present embodiment is not limited to this. This embodiment can also be applied to various ball games, racing games, shooting games, and the like.

[0010] <System configuration> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a game system 1 according to this embodiment. The game system 1 shown in Fig. 1 includes a game server 10 (game device) and a plurality of terminals 20. The game server 10 and the terminals 20 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a communication network N such as the Internet, an intranet, a wireless LAN, or mobile communication.

[0011] The game server 10 is a device that performs some of the functions required for the terminal 20 to provide a game, such as managing various information related to players and executing some of the game processing. The game server 10 may be composed of one or more information processing devices, or may be composed of a virtual server (such as a cloud server).

[0012] The terminal 20 is a terminal that provides a game to a player, and the player can execute the game according to this embodiment by operating the terminal 20. The terminal 20 is, for example, a computer such as a mobile phone (including a smartphone), a tablet, a personal computer, an arcade game device, or a consumer game device.

[0013] <Game Overview> Next, an overview of the game provided by the game system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. In the game provided by the game system 1 (hereinafter referred to as "this game"), the player operates a character in a transparent sphere in a virtual three-dimensional space (hereinafter referred to as "virtual space"), and competes by throwing a ball (a moving object) that appears in the virtual space into a goal (a fixed object) that is fixedly installed in the virtual space. A ground (flat surface) is provided in the virtual space, and the character moves freely by rolling and jumping on the ground.

[0014] Each player moves the ball by colliding their character with the ball, and the player who finally scores the ball into the opponent's goal wins. This game has various play modes. For example, there are a mode where you play against the computer, a mode where two players play against each other, a mode where four players split into two groups and play against each other, and so on.

[0015] FIG. 2 shows an example of a game screen of this game. The entire virtual space is not displayed on the game screen, but a predetermined range of the virtual space is drawn when the virtual space is viewed from a predetermined viewpoint. The game screen also displays a character CA operated by the player himself (hereinafter referred to as "own character CA"), a goal G, a ball B, and a map M. Although not shown in FIG. 2, when a character CA operated by another player enters the predetermined range, the character CA operated by the other player is also displayed on the game screen. While the game is being played, the own character CA and the ball B are basically displayed on the center line L that divides the screen into left and right. However, under certain conditions, such as when a special attack is activated or when a goal is scored (or has been scored), they may be drawn in a place other than on the center line L or may disappear from the game screen.

[0016] Here, the predetermined viewpoint is not an arbitrary viewpoint but a predetermined viewpoint. Specifically, it is a viewpoint that looks down on the player's character CA from diagonally above, and from which the player's character CA and the ball B are always seen overlapping on the center line L. In other words, when the player's character CA and the ball B move in the virtual space, the viewpoint also moves so that the player's character CA or the ball B does not deviate from the center line L.

[0017] FIG. 3 shows how the viewpoint of the game screen moves with the movement of the player's character CA and the ball B. FIG. 3 shows the state of the virtual space as seen from directly above. First, in the state shown on the left in FIG. 3, the viewpoint of the game screen is in the L2 direction from the upper right to the lower left. Here, the range of the angle α centered on the line segment L2 indicates the left-right range of the virtual space drawn on the game screen. The magnitude of the angle α may be fixed, or may be dynamically changed according to the progress of the game. From this state, when the ball B moves to the lower right and transitions to the state shown on the right in FIG. 3, the viewpoint of the game screen moves in the L3 direction from the upper left to the lower right. In this game, the player's character CA and the ball B move at high speed in the virtual space, so that the virtual space drawn on the game screen changes rapidly with the movement of the player's character CA and the ball B.

[0018] <Hardware configuration> 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the game server 10 and the terminal 20. The game server 10 and the terminal 20 each have a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a storage device 12 such as a memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and / or an SSD (Solid State Drive), a communication IF (Interface) 13 for wired or wireless communication, an input device 14 for accepting input operations, and an output device 15 for outputting information. The input device 14 is, for example, a keyboard, a touch panel, a mouse and / or a microphone, etc. The output device 15 is, for example, a display and / or a speaker, etc.

[0019] <Function block configuration> FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of the game server 10. The game server 10 includes a communication unit 101, a game control unit 102, and a storage unit 103. The communication unit 101 and the game control unit 102 can be realized by the CPU 11 of the game server 10 executing a program stored in the storage device 12. The program can be stored in a storage medium. The storage medium storing the program may be a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The non-transitory storage medium is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a storage medium such as a USB memory or a CD-ROM. The storage unit 103 can be realized by using the storage device 12 included in the game server 10.

[0020] The communication unit 101 has a function of transmitting and receiving information necessary for executing the present game between the terminal 20. The information necessary for executing the present game is, for example, information indicating the current position of each character CA operated by each player and the current position of the ball B.

[0021] The game control unit 102 provides functions to be performed by the game server 10 among various functions necessary for executing the present game. For example, the game control unit 102 provides a function to transmit position information of each player and the position of the ball B in the same virtual space to each terminal 20, a function to manage attribute data of characters possessed by each player, a function to manage various settings performed by each player in the game, and a function to back up game data held by the terminal 20.

[0022] The storage unit 103 stores a player management DB. The player management DB manages various data related to each player. Specifically, login information, the name of the player displayed on the game screen, information related to the character CA owned, information related to items owned, and the like are stored for each player.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of the terminal 20. The terminal 20 includes an input unit 201, an operation control unit 202, a display control unit 203, a communication unit 204, and a storage unit 205. The input unit 201, the operation control unit 202, the display control unit 203, and the communication unit 204 can be realized by the CPU 11 of the terminal 20 executing a program stored in the storage unit 12. The storage unit 205 can be realized using the storage unit 12 included in the terminal 20. The program can be stored in a storage medium. The storage medium storing the program may be a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium. The non-transitory storage medium is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a storage medium such as a USB memory or a CD-ROM. The program may also be a program downloaded from an external server through a network and installed in the terminal 20.

[0024] The input unit 201 has a function of accepting various inputs from the player. The input unit 201 also has a function of accepting various inputs related to character operation from the player and notifying the operation control unit 202. The input unit 201 may accept an operation for the player's character CA by detecting an operation (such as a touch operation, a flick operation, or a swipe operation) performed by the player on the screen (touch panel) of the terminal 20, or may accept an operation for the player's character CA by detecting that the player has pressed a button on the game controller.

[0025] The action control unit 202 has a function of controlling the action (movement direction, movement speed, etc.) of the player's character CA in the virtual space based on the operation received from the player by the input unit 201. Specifically, the action control unit 202 controls the direction of the operation performed by the player on the screen of the terminal 20. (for example, in the direction of a flick operation). Also, the movement of the player's character CA is controlled so that the faster the speed of the operation, the faster the speed of the player's character CA moves. The movement control unit 202 also controls the movement of the ball B in the virtual space (movement speed, movement direction, movement trajectory, etc.).

[0026] Note that the action control unit 202 may control the player's character CA to perform a specific action when a predetermined condition is satisfied, rather than always moving the player's character CA in the direction of an operation performed by the player on the screen of the terminal 20. For example, when the player's character CA is located in a predetermined area in the virtual space and the player performs a specific operation (e.g., a downward flick operation) on the game screen, the action control unit 202 may consider that an operation to move the player's character CA to a specific point (e.g., a goal point) has been performed, and may move the player's character CA to that point.

[0027] In addition, when the player's character CA is moving at a constant speed in a predetermined direction (first direction), the action control unit 202 may be configured to continue moving the player's character CA at a constant speed in the predetermined direction (first direction) at least until the player performs some kind of operation (e.g., touching the screen).

[0028] The display control unit 203 has a function of displaying a game screen showing at least a part of the virtual space on a display. The display control unit 203 also has a function of displaying the player's own character CA on the game screen, and a function of displaying a map M showing the current position of the player's own character CA in the virtual space, superimposed on the player's own character CA. The display control unit 203 also has a function of displaying the ball B on the game screen, and a function of switching the texture image to be mapped on the surface of the ball B according to the amount of movement of the ball B.

[0029] The communication unit 204 has a function of transmitting and receiving information necessary for executing the present game between the server 10. The information necessary for executing the present game is, for example, information indicating the current position of the character CA operated by each player and the current position of the ball.

[0030] The storage unit 205 stores game data necessary for each functional unit (the input unit 201, the operation control unit 202, the display control unit 203, and the communication unit 204) to execute the game. The game data includes image data of the character CA, image data of the ball B, a game scenario, and the like.

[0031] <Processing Procedure> Next, a specific process performed by the game system 1 will be described.

[0032] (Map view) In this game, each character CA and the ball B move at high speed within the virtual space, and accordingly, the range of the virtual space depicted on the game screen also changes rapidly along with the movement of the player's character CA and the ball B. Also, in order to put the ball B into the enemy's goal G before the enemy player, the player must always be aware of not only the position of the player's character CA, but also the positions of the enemy characters, the positions of the team characters, the position of the ball B, and the position of the goal G.

[0033] Therefore, in this game, the display control unit 203 of the terminal 20 displays, on the game screen, a map showing the positions of each character in the virtual space, the position of the ball B, and the position of the goal G, superimposed on the character CA operated by the player. This enables the player to quickly grasp the positions of the other characters, the position of the ball B, and the position of the goal G while focusing his or her gaze on the player's own character CA.

[0034] 7 is a diagram showing a specific example of the map M. On the map M, a player's character icon CAI1 indicating the current position of the player's character CA, a teammate character icon CAI2 indicating the current position of the character CA operated by the teammate player, and an enemy character icon CAI3 and an enemy character icon CAI4 indicating the current position of the character CA operated by the enemy player are displayed. On the map M, a ball icon BI indicating the current position of the ball B, a goal icon GI1 indicating the position of the enemy's goal G (a second object targeted by the player and teammate players), and a goal icon GI2 indicating the position of the ally's goal G (a first object targeted by the enemy player) are displayed.

[0035] In order to make the position of the enemy character CA easily identifiable, the enemy character icon CAI3 and the enemy character icon CAI4 may be displayed as icons having a different shape from the player's character icon CAI1 and the ally character icon CAI2. In addition, the player's character icon CAI1 and the ally character icon CAI2 may be shaped like an arrow, and the direction of the arrow may indicate the direction in which the player's character CA and the ally character are facing. Alternatively, only the player's character icon CAI1 may be shaped like an arrow, and the ally character icon CAI2 may be shaped to simply indicate the position, like the enemy character icon CAI3 and the enemy character icon CAI4. In order to make the position of the player's character CA easily identifiable, the player's character icon CAI1 may be displayed in a larger shape than the other character icons.

[0036] 8 is a diagram for explaining the position where the map M is displayed on the game screen. The map M displayed on the game screen is displayed in a state where it is stuck to the ground (plane) provided in the virtual space. The display control unit 203 controls the display position of the map M so that a point PCA on the ground, which is a point moved vertically from the position of the player's character CA toward the ground, matches a point where the character icon CAI1 is displayed on the map M on the game screen.

[0037] For example, in the game screen A10 shown in A of FIG. 8, the map M is displayed so that the point PCA where the line segment L10 extending vertically from the player's character CA toward the ground intersects with the ground and the player's character icon CAI1 coincides with the player's character icon CAI1. In this state, it is assumed that the player's character CA moves in the virtual space toward the enemy's goal G1. The state after the player's character CA moves is shown in B of FIG. 8. In the game screen A11 shown in B of FIG. 8, the map M is also displayed so that the point PCA where the line segment L10 extending vertically from the player's character CA toward the ground intersects with the ground and the player's character icon CAI1 coincides with the player's character icon CAI1. In other words, the display position of the player's character CA does not change between the game screen A10 shown in A of FIG. 8 and the game screen A11 shown in B of FIG. 8, but the display position of the map M has moved to the right.

[0038] Next, the display control unit 203 rotates and displays the map M on the game screen so that the direction L12 (first direction) from the player's character CA as the starting point to the enemy's goal G1 is the same as the direction L11 connecting the current position of the player's character icon CA1 on the map M to the goal icon GI1 indicating the enemy's goal position.

[0039] For example, assume that the ball B has moved close to the opponent's goal G, causing the game screen to transition from a state in which the opponent's goal G is not shown (B in FIG. 8) to a state in which the opponent's goal G is shown (C in FIG. 8). In this case, as shown in game screen A12 in C in FIG. 8, map M rotates so that a direction L12 in which the opponent's goal G is located on game screen A12 and a direction L11 connecting the current position of character icon CA1 to goal icon GI1 indicating the position of the opponent's goal on map M are the same direction.

[0040] (Ball B blur effect, Ball B color change) In this game, a process for expressing the magnitude of the object's movement is performed when drawing the ball B, thereby making the game screen appear more realistic. The process for expressing the magnitude of the object's movement may be any process, for example, blurring. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, the process for expressing the magnitude of the object's movement is described as blurring.

[0041] In the game data stored in the storage unit 205, a set of texture images including a plurality of texture images with different blur effects is stored in association with a threshold value indicating the range of the movement amount of the ball B. Each texture image included in the set of texture images is an image processed so that the blur effect increases as the movement amount of the ball increases. The display control unit 203 expresses the blur effect by comparing the movement amount of the ball B with the threshold value and mapping a texture image according to the movement amount of the ball B onto the surface of the ball B represented by polygons. In this embodiment, the movement amount of the ball is intended to be the moving speed of the ball, but is not limited thereto. For example, the movement amount of the ball may be the rotation speed of the ball.

[0042] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a set of texture images. Fig. 9A shows an example of a texture image (first texture image) that has not been subjected to blurring processing, and Fig. 9B shows an example of a texture image (second texture image) that has been subjected to blurring processing. In the texture image shown in Fig. 9A, the surface pattern of ball B is depicted clearly, and in the texture image shown in Fig. 9B, the surface pattern of ball B is depicted in a blurred state.

[0043] When using the set of texture images shown in Figure 9, the display control unit 203 maps a texture image that has not been blurred onto ball B when the amount of movement of ball B is less than a predetermined amount of movement, and maps a texture image that has been blurred onto ball B when the amount of movement of ball B is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount of movement.

[0044] 9 is merely an example and is not limited to this. For example, a set of texture images may be prepared including a texture image (clear image) used when the ball B is stationary, a texture image (slightly blurred image) used when the ball B is moving at a medium speed, and a texture image (blurred image) used when the ball B is moving at the highest speed.

[0045] Here, in this embodiment, multiple sets of texture images with different colors are prepared, and the display control unit 203 may select a set of texture images according to the progress of the game, thereby changing the color of ball B according to the progress of the game, in addition to the blur effect.

[0046] For example, the display control unit 203 may map a texture image of a color corresponding to the attribute of the character (all characters including the player's own character CA, friendly characters, and enemy characters) that last changed the behavior of the ball B onto the ball B. Here, changing the behavior of the ball B includes both changing the moving speed or moving direction of the ball B by the character colliding with the ball B, and changing the moving speed or moving direction of the ball B by colliding some object moved by the character with the ball B. Therefore, the character that last changed the behavior of the ball B means the character if the thing that last collided with the ball B is a character, and means the character that last moved the object if the thing that last collided with the ball B is some object. The attribute of the character may be, for example, an image color given to each character, or the team color of the team to which the character belongs.

[0047] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of determining the color of the ball B. For example, it is assumed that the team color of the team to which the player's character CA belongs is red, and the team color of the team to which the enemy character belongs is blue. If the player's character CA directly touches the ball B, the display control unit 203 selects a set of texture images in red, which is the team color of the player's character CA, extracts a texture image corresponding to the amount of movement of the ball B from the set, and maps it onto the ball B. If the bullet W touches the ball B and the character that last moved the bullet W is an enemy character (for example, if the character that touched the bullet W or the character that fired the bullet W is an enemy character), the display control unit 203 selects a set of texture images in blue, which is the team color of the enemy character, extracts a texture image corresponding to the amount of movement of the ball B from the set, and maps it onto the ball B.

[0048] Here, each texture image included in the set of texture images is included in one piece of image data, and the display control unit 203 may extract a texture image corresponding to the amount of movement of ball B from the image data and map it onto ball B.

[0049] For example, as shown in Fig. 11, image data which is a set of black texture images, image data which is a set of red texture images, image data which is a set of blue texture images, image data which is a set of purple texture images, image data which is a set of yellow texture images, and image data which is a set of green texture images are shown. The left side of Fig. 11 shows image data including a texture image (black in the example of Fig. 11) which the display control unit 203 is currently mapping to ball B, and the right side of Fig. 11 shows candidates for image data (other than black in the example of Fig. 11) which the display control unit 203 uses when changing the color of ball B. Furthermore, of the image data of each color, the texture image on the left side is a texture image to which no blur effect has been applied, and the texture image on the right side is a texture image to which a blur effect has been applied.

[0050] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a method of extracting a texture image from one piece of image data. An area R1 shown in A of FIG. 12 indicates an area expressed by UV coordinates used when extracting a texture image without a blur effect from image data. That is, when mapping a texture image without a blur effect onto ball B, the display control unit 203 extracts the texture of the area shown in A of FIG. 12 and maps it onto ball B represented by polygons. Similarly, an area R2 shown in B of FIG. 12 indicates an area expressed by UV coordinates used when extracting a texture image with a blur effect from image data. That is, when mapping a texture image with a blur effect onto ball B, the display control unit 203 extracts the texture of the area shown in B of FIG. 12 and maps it onto ball B represented by polygons.

[0051] (Character movement operations) In this game, when a player moves the contact point of his / her finger in a predetermined direction while touching the game screen (this includes so-called flick and swipe operations, but for the sake of convenience, will be referred to as "flick operation" in the following explanation), the player's own character CA moves in the direction in which the player moves his / her finger on the screen. However, depending on the game situation, it may be desirable to move the player's own character CA quickly toward a specific point, rather than in the direction in which the player has moved his / her finger.

[0052] Therefore, when the player performs a specific operation while the player's own character CA is located in a predetermined area in the virtual space, the operation control unit 202 regards the operation to move the own character CA to a specific point as having been performed, and moves the own character CA to that point. The specific point may be a fixed point such as a teammate's goal or the player's own goal, or may be a moving point such as the position where the ball is located, the position where an enemy character is located, or the position where an ally character is located.

[0053] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of a specific operation performed by a player. For example, suppose that the player touches point T on the game screen and then performs a flick operation in the F1 direction. In this case, the motion control unit 202 moves the player's character CA in the F1 direction. On the other hand, suppose that the player touches point T on the game screen and then performs a flick operation in the F2 direction. If the F2 direction is within a predetermined angle (angle α) centered on a direction L20 that is directly downward from point T on the ground, the motion control unit 202 moves the player's character CA to the specified point, rather than in the F2 direction.

[0054] Note that the specific operation shown in Fig. 13 is merely an example and is not limited to the example of Fig. 13. For example, the specific operation may be a flick operation performed by the player in a substantially upward direction, a flick operation performed in a substantially rightward direction, or a flick operation performed in a substantially leftward direction. Alternatively, the specific operation may be a tap operation performed by the player on the game screen a predetermined number of times.

[0055] Alternatively, the specific operation may be a flick operation in a specific direction (a flick operation within a specific angle as described in FIG. 13) performed a specific number of times in succession within a specific time. In this case, if a flick operation in a specific direction is performed only once, the player's character CA may move in the specific direction, and if a flick operation in a specific direction is performed a specific number of times in succession within a specific time, the player's character CA may move toward a specific point.

[0056] In addition, a plurality of specific directions may be determined, and a specific point to which the character is moved may be determined for each specific direction. For example, when a flick operation is performed to the right (or when a flick operation to the right is performed a predetermined number of times in succession within a predetermined time), the character may move toward the ball, and when a flick operation is performed to the down direction (or when a flick operation to the down direction is performed a predetermined number of times in succession within a predetermined time), the character may move toward the player's own goal. The point to which the player's character CA moves when a flick operation is performed in a certain direction may be customizable for each player.

[0057] FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of a condition for moving a character to a specific point. FIG. 14 shows a virtual space viewed from above. It is assumed that the left side of the dotted line in the virtual space shown in FIG. 14 is an enemy player's territory (second territory), and the right side of the dotted line is an ally player's territory (meaning the player's own territory in a one-on-one battle, and the same applies in the following explanation) (first territory). A character operated by the player himself is a player's character CA1, and a character who is an ally of the player's character CA1 is an ally character CA2. Characters CA3 and CA4 are enemy characters. It is assumed that goal G1 is an enemy goal (a second object targeted by the player and / or an ally player), and goal G2 is an ally goal (a first object targeted by the enemy player). It is assumed that the specific point is goal G2. Goal G1 is located in the enemy player's territory, and goal G2 is located in the ally player's territory.

[0058] For example, as shown in A of Fig. 14, when the player's character CA1 is in the enemy player's territory and the player performs a specific operation, the action control unit 202 may move the player's character CA1 toward the goal G2. This makes it possible to quickly move the player's character CA toward the player's own goal G2, even if the player's character CA is in the enemy player's territory.

[0059] As another example, the action control unit 202 may move the player's character CA1 toward the goal G2 when the player's character CA1 is in the opponent's territory, the ball B is located within a predetermined distance (d1) from the goal G2, and the player performs a specific operation, as shown in A of Fig. 14. This makes it possible to move the player's character CA quickly only when the battle situation has deteriorated considerably, and thus makes it possible to suppress erroneous operations by the player.

[0060] In addition, the action control unit 202 may be configured to move the player's character CA1 toward the goal G2 when the player performs a specific operation in a case where the player's character CA1 is located in the enemy player's territory and all enemy characters (character CA3 and character CA4) and the ball B are located in the friendly player's territory, as shown in B of Figure 14.

[0061] In addition, the action control unit 202 may be configured to move the player's character CA1 toward the goal G2 when the player's character CA1 is located in the territory of a friendly player and the player performs a specific operation, as shown in C of FIG. 14.

[0062] In addition, the action control unit 202 may be configured to move the player's character CA1 toward the goal G2 when the player's character CA1 is located in the friendly player's camp and all enemy characters are located closer to the goal G2 than the player's character CA1, as shown in C of Figure 14, and when the player performs a specific operation.

[0063] As another example, the action control unit 202 may move the player's character CA1 toward the goal G2 when the player's character CA1 is located in the territory of an enemy player (or a friendly player), the character that last touched the ball B is an enemy character, and the player performs a specific operation.

[0064] As another example, the action control unit 202 moves the player's character CA1 toward the goal G2 when the player's character CA1 is located in the territory of an enemy player (or a friendly player) and the player performs a specific operation, and moves the player's character CA1 toward the goal G1 when the player's character CA1 is located in the territory of a friendly player and the player performs a specific operation. (or towards the opponent's penalty area).

[0065] (Character movement control at maximum speed) In this game, the player operates his / her own character CA in the virtual space and must score ball B into the enemy's goal G before the enemy character scores ball B into his / her own goal G. To achieve this, the player will likely keep moving his / her own character CA at maximum speed.

[0066] Therefore, when the player's own character CA controlled by the player is moving at maximum speed in a first direction, the action control unit 202 causes the player's own character CA to continue moving at maximum speed in the first direction until the player touches the game screen (i.e., while the player is not performing any operation).

[0067] In addition, when the player's character CA is moving at maximum speed in a first direction and the player performs a flick operation in a second direction on the game screen, the action control unit 202 switches between whether the player's character CA changes its moving direction to the second direction while maintaining its moving speed at maximum speed, or whether the player's character CA changes its moving direction to the second direction and decelerates its moving speed, depending on the content of the flick operation or the game situation.

[0068] More specifically, when the player's character CA is moving at maximum speed in a first direction and the player performs a flick operation in a second direction, the operation control unit 202 switches between changing the movement direction of the player's character CA to the second direction while maintaining the movement speed at maximum speed, or changing the movement direction of the player's character CA to the second direction and decelerating the movement speed, based on at least one of the angle difference between the first and second directions, the strength of the flick operation, and the presence of a specific object (intended to be a ball B, a fence, a wall, an item, etc. installed in the virtual space) that the character can touch within a predetermined range toward the second direction.

[0069] (Example 1) For example, when the angular difference between the first direction and the second direction is within a predetermined angle, the movement control unit 202 may operate the player's character CA to change the moving direction to the second direction while maintaining the maximum speed. Also, when the angular difference between the first direction and the second direction exceeds a predetermined angle, the movement control unit 202 may operate the player's character CA to change the moving direction to the second direction and then decelerate the moving speed.

[0070] FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a method of controlling the moving direction of a character at maximum speed. In FIG. 15, it is assumed that the player's character CA is moving at maximum speed in the L30 direction. It is also assumed that the user performs a flick operation in the F5 direction or the F6 direction starting from the point T. It is also assumed that the L31 direction starting from the point T is the same direction as L30. It is also assumed that the direction F5 is included within a predetermined angle (angle α) centered on the direction L31, and the direction F6 is not included within a predetermined angle (angle α) centered on the direction L31.

[0071] For example, if the user performs a flick operation in the F5 direction while the player's character CA is moving in the L30 direction at maximum speed, the player's character CA changes its moving direction to the F5 direction while maintaining its maximum speed. Also, if the user performs a flick operation in the F6 direction while the player's character CA is moving in the L30 direction at maximum speed, the player's character CA changes its moving direction to the F5 direction and gradually decelerates its moving speed from maximum speed.

[0072] This allows, for example, if the player is moving his / her own character CA at full speed toward the enemy's goal but the direction is slightly off, the player can fine-tune the direction of movement of his / her own character CA by simply performing a single flick operation in the direction in which he / she wants his / her own character CA to move.

[0073] In addition, for example, if a situation arises in which the player's character CA is moving at full speed toward the enemy's goal but suddenly needs to move in a direction different from the enemy's goal, the player can change the direction of movement of the player's character CA and stop moving at top speed by simply performing a single flick operation in the direction in which the player wants the player's character CA to move.

[0074] (Example 2) The operation control unit 202 may operate the player's character CA to change the moving direction to the second direction while keeping the moving speed at the maximum speed when the strength of the flick operation in the second direction is less than a predetermined strength, or to change the moving direction to the second direction and decelerate the moving speed when the strength of the flick operation in the second direction is equal to or greater than a predetermined strength.

[0075] 15, if the user performs a flick operation in the F5 direction with less than a predetermined strength while the player's character CA is moving in the L30 direction at maximum speed, the player's character CA changes its moving direction to the F5 direction while maintaining its maximum speed. Also, if the user performs a flick operation in the F6 direction with a predetermined strength or more while the player's character CA is moving in the L30 direction at maximum speed, the player's character CA changes its moving direction to the F5 direction and gradually decelerates its moving speed from maximum speed.

[0076] This allows, for example, if the player is moving his / her own character CA at full speed toward the enemy's goal but is slightly off-axis, the player can fine-tune the direction of movement of his / her own character CA by simply lightly flicking in the direction he / she wants his / her own character CA to move.

[0077] In addition, for example, if a situation arises in which the player's character CA is moving at full speed toward the enemy's goal but suddenly needs to move in a direction different from the enemy's goal, the player can change the direction of movement of the player's character CA and stop moving at top speed by simply performing a strong flick operation in the direction in which the player wants the player's character CA to move.

[0078] The strength of the flick operation may be defined by the amount of movement of the flick operation (the distance between the touch start point and the touch end point). For example, a flick operation whose amount of movement is less than a predetermined distance may be defined as a weak flick operation, and a flick operation whose amount of movement is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance may be defined as a strong flick operation.

[0079] Alternatively, the strength of the flick operation may be defined by the speed of the flick operation (the speed from the touch start point to the touch end point). For example, a flick operation whose speed is less than a predetermined speed may be defined as a weak flick operation, and a flick operation whose speed is equal to or greater than the predetermined speed may be defined as a strong flick operation.

[0080] Alternatively, the strength of a flick operation may be defined by the movement amount and speed of the flick operation. For example, a weak flick operation may be defined as a case where the movement amount of the flick operation is less than a predetermined distance and the speed of the flick operation is less than a predetermined speed, and a strong flick operation may be defined as a case where the movement amount of the flick operation is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance or the speed of the flick operation is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed.

[0081] Alternatively, the strength of a flick operation may be defined by the pressure applied to the touch panel during the flick operation. For example, a flick operation with pressure less than a predetermined value may be defined as a weak flick operation, and a flick operation with pressure equal to or greater than the predetermined value may be defined as a strong flick operation.

[0082] (Example 3) If there is no specific object (e.g., a ball or a fence indicating the range of the virtual space) that the player's character CA can touch within a predetermined range from the second direction in which the player performs a flick operation, the operation control unit 202 may cause the player's character CA to change the direction of movement to the second direction while maintaining the maximum speed.

[0083] In addition, when a specific object (e.g., a ball or a fence indicating the range of the virtual space) that the player's character CA can touch is present within a predetermined range from the second direction in which the player performs the flick operation, the action control unit 202 may cause the player's character CA to change its movement direction to the second direction and decelerate its movement speed.

[0084] 15, if the user performs a flick operation in the F6 direction at less than a predetermined speed while the player's character CA is moving in the L30 direction at maximum speed, and if there is no ball, fence, etc. in the F6 direction, the player's character CA changes its moving direction to the F6 direction while maintaining its maximum speed. Also, if the user performs a flick operation in the F6 direction at a predetermined speed or faster while the player's character CA is moving in the L30 direction at maximum speed, and if there is a ball, fence, etc. in the F6 direction, the player's character CA changes its moving direction to the F6 direction and gradually decelerates its moving speed from maximum speed.

[0085] This allows, for example, if the player wishes to move his / her own character CA at full speed toward the opponent's goal and change direction in a direction where there are no objects such as a ball or a fence, the player can simply perform a flick operation in the direction in which he / she wishes to move his / her own character CA, thereby changing only the direction of movement while moving his / her own character CA at top speed.

[0086] Also, for example, if the player is moving his / her own character CA at full speed toward the opponent's goal, but the ball is approaching and he / she wants to change the direction of movement toward the ball, the player can simply strongly flick his / her own character CA toward the ball, thereby changing the direction of movement of his / her own character CA and slowing down the own character CA.

[0087] The above-described process is not limited to the case where the player's character CA moves at the "maximum speed", but can also be applied to the case where the player's character CA moves at a constant speed. The maximum speed may include not only the maximum speed under normal circumstances (when no item that increases the maximum speed is used and no skill that increases the maximum speed is activated), but also the maximum speed when an item that increases the maximum speed is used, and the maximum speed when a skill that increases the maximum speed is activated. The maximum speed may also be defined as the upper limit of the character's moving speed that is realized by a predetermined operation (e.g., a flick operation).

[0088] (Character Skills) In this game, the player's character CA can be equipped with a number of items that can improve the player's character CA's skills (abilities). Examples of the player's character CA's skills include acceleration, maximum movement speed, and shooting accuracy. Examples of items include items that improve acceleration and items that improve shooting accuracy.

[0089] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a display example of items equipped to a character. As shown in FIG. 16, one wheel-shaped object is displayed on each of the left rear and right rear of the player's character CA displayed on the game screen. Each object further includes an area S1, an area S2, an area S3, an area S4, and an area S5. An item equipped by the player's character CA is displayed in area S1, and items possessed by the player's character CA but not equipped are displayed in areas S2 to S5. The player can arbitrarily select an item to equip from among the items possessed by the player's character CA by operating the game screen.

[0090] When the player's character CA moves, an effect is displayed in which areas S2 to S4 rotate with area S1 at the center. In addition, the distance between the player's character CA and each of the wheel-shaped objects changes according to the player's character CA's moving speed. Specifically, the faster the player's character CA's moving speed, the greater the distance between the player's character CA and each of the wheel-shaped objects. In other words, an effect is displayed in which the faster the player's character CA's moving speed, the later the wheel-shaped objects follow.

[0091] <Summary> According to the embodiment described above, in a game in which each character CA and the ball B move around in various ways in a virtual space, the map M is displayed superimposed on the player's own character CA. This allows the player to grasp the position of the player's own character CA in the virtual space with less eye movement.

[0092] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a plurality of texture images with different blur effects are prepared in advance, and a texture image according to the amount of movement of ball B is mapped onto ball B. This makes it possible to realize the blur effect on ball B with a smaller processing load.

[0093] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the player's character CA is located in a predetermined area (e.g., an enemy's base) and the player performs a specific operation, the player's character CA is moved toward a specific point (e.g., a team's goal). This makes it possible to move the player's character CA toward the specific point more reliably in a situation where the player needs to move the player's character CA to the specific point quickly.

[0094] Also, according to this embodiment, while the player's character CA is moving at the maximum speed, the player's character CA continues to move at the maximum speed unless the player performs a specific operation. This allows the player to move the character at high speed with fewer operations. Also, this fosters a sense of exhilaration in the game, making it possible to increase the interest of the game.

[0095] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the player's character CA is moving at maximum speed, a simple operation can be used to change only the direction of movement of the player's character CA, or to change the direction of movement of the player's character CA while decelerating the character CA. This allows the player to operate the character more accurately, even when the character is moving at high speed.

[0096] The above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The flow charts, sequences, elements included in the embodiments, and their arrangements, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, etc. are not limited to those illustrated, and can be changed as appropriate. In addition, configurations shown in different embodiments can be partially replaced or combined with each other.

[0097] For example, the game according to the present embodiment may be a game that uses AR technology that displays characters and various objects superimposed on a real space. In other words, the virtual space according to the present embodiment may include an AR space that uses a real space. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 1...game system, 10...game server, 11...CPU, 12...storage device, 13...communication IF, 14...input device, 15...output device, 20...terminal, 101...communication unit, 102...game control unit, 103...memory unit, 201...input unit, 202...operation control unit, 203...display control unit, 204...communication unit, 205...memory unit, 325...display control unit

Claims

1. a processor, the processor comprising: Accepting operations for a character placed in a virtual space via an input device; displaying the character within a game screen that displays at least a portion of the virtual space based on a game object that moves in the virtual space and a viewpoint that moves corresponding to the position of the character; When an operation in a specific direction is received from the input device while the character is located outside a predetermined area in the virtual space, the character is moved in the specific direction based on a direction in which the virtual space is viewed from the viewpoint; when an operation in the specific direction is received from the input device while the character is located in the predetermined area in the virtual space, the character is moved to a predetermined point in the virtual space regardless of a direction in which the virtual space is viewed from the viewpoint. Information processing device.

2. The processor receives an operation for a character placed in a virtual space via an input device; a processor displays the character within a game screen that displays at least a portion of the virtual space based on a game object that moves in the virtual space and a viewpoint that moves corresponding to a position of the character; when the processor receives an operation in a specific direction from the input device while the character is located outside a predetermined area in the virtual space, the processor moves the character in the specific direction based on a direction in which the virtual space is viewed from the viewpoint; when the processor receives an operation in the specific direction from the input device while the character is located in the predetermined area in the virtual space, the processor moves the character to a predetermined point in the virtual space regardless of a direction in which the virtual space is viewed from the viewpoint. Information processing methods.

3. Accepting operations for a character placed in a virtual space via an input device; displaying the character within a game screen that displays at least a portion of the virtual space based on a game object that moves in the virtual space and a viewpoint that moves corresponding to the position of the character; When an operation in a specific direction is received from the input device while the character is located outside a predetermined area in the virtual space, the character is moved in the specific direction based on a direction in which the virtual space is viewed from the viewpoint; when an operation in the specific direction is received from the input device while the character is located in the predetermined area in the virtual space, the character is moved to a predetermined point in the virtual space regardless of a direction in which the virtual space is viewed from the viewpoint. A program that causes a processor to execute a process.

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