Information Processing Apparatus, Information Processing Method, and Program

Abstract

To motivate a player who tries to repeatedly play an event during a game.SOLUTION: An information processing device of the present invention includes: a point giving unit 115 that gives points to a player when the player plays an event in a game and satisfies the achievement condition of the event; a data recording unit 113 as a point recording unit for recording points given to the player for each system to be in association with the system of the event played by the player, out of a plurality of systems set for classifying the events; and a privilege giving unit 116 for giving a privilege to the player when the points recorded for each system satisfy the privilege giving conditions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In a game, an event called a quest is held, and when a player of the game satisfies the achievement condition of the event, a reward may be given to the player. An example of the reward is points, and Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for obtaining a privilege available during the game using the points given as the reward.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, for a player who has been given points for satisfying the achievement condition of an event, there is a possibility that the motivation to play the same event again will decline.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to arouse the motivation of a player who tries to repeat an event in a game.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a point granting unit that grants points to a player when the player plays an event in a game and satisfies the achievement condition of the event; a point recording unit that records the points granted to the player for each category by associating them with the category of the event played by the player among a plurality of categories set for classifying the events; and a privilege granting unit that grants a privilege to the player when the points recorded for each category satisfy the privilege granting condition.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to an aspect of the present invention, since points obtained by event achievement can be acquired for each category of events, it is possible to arouse the motivation of players who want to play various categories of events.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (this embodiment) will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments described below are examples given to facilitate the understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. That is, the present invention can be changed or improved from the embodiments described below without departing from the gist thereof. Also, of course, equivalents of the present invention are included. Also, the screen designs described in the following explanations and drawings are only examples, and the configuration examples of the screen, the information to be displayed, and the specific contents of the GUI (Graphical User Interface), etc. can be appropriately changed according to the use of the present invention and the desires of the user, etc.

[0010] In this specification, the "predetermined period" is not limited to a period having a fixed time, and may be a period that varies according to a determined rule. For example, the time of the predetermined period may change according to the content of an event (for example, the event described later) occurring within the predetermined period. Also, in this embodiment, the "predetermined period" is set to one day, but of course, it is not limited to this period, and the "predetermined period" may be a period other than one day, for example, 1 minute to several minutes, 1 hour to several hours, several days, 1 week to several weeks, 1 month to several months.

[0011] <<Regarding an Information Processing System for Games>> First, a game information processing system (hereinafter referred to as game system S) including an information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of game system S.

[0012] Game system S is constructed for a player to play a game and utilizes a communication network such as the Internet and mobile communication works. The game can be played by a player operating an information processing terminal. In the present embodiment, it is an online game that uses data communication, and the player can advance the game by operating the characters during the game. However, the type of the game is not particularly limited, and it may be an offline game that does not require data communication, or a game without characters. Also, the game may include, for example, a social game that can be used only with a Web browser and an SNS (Social Networking Service) account.

[0013] In addition, events are held in the game, and the player can play the held events. An event is also called a "quest" and is an event in the game with achievement conditions set. For example, challenging a stage prepared for the event corresponds to this. In this case, examples of the achievement conditions for the event include clearing the above stage or the number of times of clearing the stage reaching a specified number.

[0014] In addition, in the present embodiment, in addition to a single player being able to play an event alone, a plurality of players can play an event jointly. That is, the game according to the present embodiment is a co-play compatible game (so-called multiplayer game) in which a plurality of players can operate their respective terminals to jointly and simultaneously play the same event.

[0015] Note that co-play can be realized by known communication technologies. Specifically, when one player (hereinafter also referred to as the recruiting player) recruits participants for an event and another player (hereinafter also referred to as the co-playing player) applies to participate in that event, a communication path for co-play is established, and thereafter, the transmission and reception of various data required for co-play are performed according to known communication methods. The communication method at this time may be a client-server method via a server or a P2P (peer-to-peer) method without going through a server.

[0016] Incidentally, in this embodiment, players in the vicinity of the position of the recruiting player and players registered as friends (cooperators during the game) of the recruiting player can participate in the event as co-playing players and play the event jointly with the recruiting player. However, the qualifications of co-playing players are not particularly limited and can be set arbitrarily.

[0017] Also, in this embodiment, events are classified by family. "Family" is a concept for classifying events according to predetermined rules, and a plurality of them are set. The number of families is not particularly limited, but for example, 3 or more are preferable. Hereinafter, a case where the number of families is 6 will be taken as an example for explanation, and each of the 6 families will be referred to as family A, B, C, D, E, and F.

[0018] Note that the number of events (number of stages), achievement conditions, difficulty levels (levels), etc. classified into each family may be the same or different among families. Also, the content of the event may be determined in association with the family. For example, when there are a plurality of events classified into family A, these events may have something in common in terms of content. On the contrary, the content of the event may be determined regardless of the family.

[0019] Furthermore, when a player plays an event and meets the achievement conditions of the event, points (hereinafter also referred to as event achievement points) are given to the player as a reward. The event achievement points can be saved (accumulated) and increase each time they are newly given.

[0020] Also, in this embodiment, the event achievement points are associated with the category of the event. That is, the event achievement points are given in association with the category of the event that triggered the awarding of the points and are saved for each category.

[0021] Furthermore, when the saved event achievement points meet a predetermined condition (hereinafter referred to as a privilege awarding condition), a privilege is given to the player who meets the condition. Here, the privilege is an item and character (hereinafter referred to as an item, etc.) that can be used in the game, or a value that can be exchanged for an item, etc. (for example, virtual currency that can be used in the game, or an item, etc. required to conduct a lottery of an item, etc. in the game). Also, an effect that can be temporarily enjoyed during the game progress (for example, an effect such as increasing the status value of a character) may be given as a privilege.

[0022] Note that examples of the privilege awarding condition include that the event achievement points saved so far (hereinafter referred to as cumulative points) reach a conditional value. Also, in this embodiment, the privilege awarding condition is determined for each category, and when the cumulative points of a certain category meet the privilege awarding condition of that category, a privilege is given to the player who meets the condition. That is, in this embodiment, the success or failure of the privilege awarding condition is judged for each category, and a privilege is given for each category to the category for which the privilege awarding condition is met. The privilege awarding condition determined for each category and the type of privilege given for each category may be the same among categories, or may be different among categories.

[0023] Describing the device configuration of the game system S, as shown in FIG. 1, the player terminal 10 and the server 12 are communicably connected via the communication network 14 to constitute the game system S.

[0024] The player terminal 10 is a terminal that is operated when the player plays the game. The server 12 is constituted by a server computer for social games (specifically, an SNS server), provides game progress data to the player terminals 10 of each player, and manages the account information of each player and the progress status of the game, etc. Also, in the present embodiment, the server 12 functions as an information processing device. The communication network 14 is a communication line network between the player terminal 10 and the server 12, mainly composed of the Internet and a mobile communication network, and may include a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), an intranet, and Ethernet (registered trademark), etc.

[0025] In addition, when co-play is implemented in the game, each of the plurality of player terminals 10 performs data communication with the server 12, and also performs data communication between the player terminals 10 according to the situation. Incidentally, in FIG. 1, for the sake of illustration, three player terminals 10 are shown, but the number of player terminals 10 constituting the game system S is of course not limited to the above number, and at least one or more is sufficient. Also, in the present embodiment, the server 12 is constituted by one computer, but it is not limited to this, and it may be constituted by a plurality of computers.

[0026] <<Configuration of Player Terminal and Server>> Next, the configurations of the player terminal 10 and the server 12 will be described. The player terminal 10 is composed of a known device used as a game terminal, specifically, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a PC, a tablet terminal, a wearable terminal, or a dedicated game device equipped with a communication function, etc. As shown in FIG. 1, the player terminal 10 includes a display 10A. During the game play, the player operates the operation unit (specifically, operation buttons and a touch panel, etc.) of the player terminal 10 while viewing the image and the like displayed on the display 10A. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the display 10A of the player terminal 10 is a touch panel display.

[0027] The server 12 is a device that distributes data necessary for game progress to each player and manages the progress status of the game of each player. As shown in FIG. 2, the server 12 has a processor 101, a memory 102, a communication interface 103, a storage 104, an input device 105, and an output device 106, and these devices are electrically connected via a bus 107. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server 12.

[0028] The processor 101 executes a series of information processing related to the game by executing a game application program (hereinafter, game program) installed in the server 12. The processor 101 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and the like. Note that the above game program corresponds to the "program" of the present invention.

[0029] The memory 102 is composed of semiconductor memories such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory), provides a working area for the processor 101 by temporarily storing programs and data, and also temporarily stores various data generated by the data processing executed by the processor 101.

[0030] The communication interface 103 is composed of, for example, a communication interface board, etc., and controls the data communication of the server 12. The standard of the data communication by the communication interface 103 is not particularly limited, and examples include communication by a wireless LAN based on Wi-fi (registered trademark), communication by a mobile communication system of 3G, 4G or 5G, or communication based on LTE (Long Term Evolution). Further, the data communication by the communication interface 103 may be a wireless method or a wired method.

[0031] The storage 104 stores various data related to the game and is composed of, for example, a flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), an FD (Flexible Disc), an MO disk (Magneto-Optical disc), a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), an SD card (Secure Digital card), and a USB memory (Universal Serial Bus memory), etc.

[0032] The input device 105 is a device operated by the administrator of the server 12, and for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel display, etc. can be used. The output device 106 is a device that displays image or character information, etc. to the administrator of the server 12 or plays back sound, and various displays and speakers, etc. can be used.

[0033] Next, referring to FIG. 3, the configuration of the server 12 will be described again from a functional perspective. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the functions of the server 12. The server 12 includes a plurality of functional units shown in FIG. 3, specifically, an operation reception unit 111, a data transmission unit 112, a data recording unit 113, a display processing unit 114, a point awarding unit 115, a privilege awarding unit 116, a mode setting unit 117, and a system determination unit 118. These functional units are realized by the cooperation of the hardware devices of the server 12 and a game program as software installed in the server 12. Hereinafter, each functional unit will be described.

[0034] [Operation Reception Unit] The operation reception unit 111 communicates with the player terminal 10 during game play to receive data indicating the content of the operation performed by the player and accepts the operation. The operations of the player received by the operation reception unit 111 include operations for game progress, and the operations include operations for recruiting co-players and operations for applying to participate in events. The operation for recruiting co-players is an operation performed when the player recruits participants (i.e., co-players) to an event as a recruiting player. The operation for applying to participate in an event is an operation performed when the player applies to participate in an event where another player is recruiting co-players.

[0035] In addition, the operations received by the operation reception unit 111 further include an event selection operation, a mode designation operation, and the like. The event selection operation is an operation in which the player selects one event from the events that can be played at that time as the event to be played. More specifically, the player projects the event selection screen shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 onto the display 10A of the player terminal 10, selects one of the playable events displayed on the selection screen, and touches the event on the screen. FIGS. 4 to 6 are diagrams showing screen examples of the event selection screen, respectively.

[0036] The mode selection operation is an operation for specifying the mode applied when selecting an event. In this embodiment, three types of modes are prepared, specifically, the "daily change mode", the "player selection mode", and the "co-op play participation mode". The player designates one of the above three types of modes through a mode selection screen (not shown).

[0037] In the daily change mode, the system of events playable on that day is forcibly determined on the server 12 side, and the system changes every day. When this mode is designated, the events are divided into those playable on that day and those not playable on that day. On the event selection screen, as shown in FIG. 4, only the events of the playable system (specifically, the events of system A) are displayed in a selectable state, while the events of the non-playable system (specifically, the events of systems B to F) are displayed in a grayed-out state and are thus in a non-selectable state for the player. In this embodiment, the system of playable events is determined by the server 12 and the system changes every day. However, the change cycle of the system can be determined at any cycle, for example, the system may be changed every few hours, every few days, or every week.

[0038] In the player selection mode, the player can select and determine the system of events playable on that day by themselves. When this mode is designated, on the event selection screen, as shown in FIG. 5, all events of a plurality of systems A to F are displayed in a selectable state as the events of the playable system on that day. However, an upper limit is set on the number of times the player can select the system of events playable in the player selection mode. In this embodiment, the upper limit is set to once a day. The player can select the system of events playable on that day within the range not exceeding the upper limit. Note that the upper limit on the number of selections is not limited to once a day and can be set to any number. For example, the upper limit may be set to two or more times a day.

[0039] In the co-play participation mode, the category of the event in which the player participates as a co-player is determined by the category selected by other players who are the recruiting players for that event. When this mode is specified, on the event selection screen, as shown in Fig. 6, the events whose categories have been selected by other players who are the recruiting players (in Fig. 6, "Mr. T" and "Mr. S") are displayed as selectable events among the playable event categories. In addition, when selecting an event with the co-play participation mode specified, of course, it is a prerequisite that other players are recruiting co-players for the event, and the player needs to be eligible to participate in that event (for example, being near the recruiting player or being registered as a friend of the recruiting player). Also, as long as there are other players who are recruiting co-players for the event, the player can play the events of the category selected by such other players without any limit on the number of times. As a result, the player will find other players who are recruiting co-players for the events of the desired category and participate in the co-play of that event, so the motivation (initiative) for the player to participate in the co-play of the event can be enhanced.

[0040] Incidentally, for the events selected under the daily change mode or the player selection mode, the player designates either the single-play or co-play method and plays in the designated method. On the other hand, for the events selected under the co-play participation mode, the player will play together with other players who are the recruiting players.

[0041] [Data transmission unit] The data transmission unit 112 transmits data for game progress to the player terminal 10 of the player during the game play at any time, or transmits data for presenting the game progress status and the like to the player. The data for presenting the game progress status and the like includes the data for point display described later.

[0042] In addition, when a player is recruiting co-players for an event, the data transmission unit 112 transmits data regarding the event to the player terminals 10 of the other players, and when another player applies to participate in the event, the data transmission unit 112 transmits data representing the application to the player terminal 10 of the player who is the recruiting player.

[0043] [Data recording section] The data recording unit 113 records various data relating to the game, such as data for game progress and management data for managing the game progress of each player. The management data includes data about the character that the player uses in the game, data about items given to the player, and data about the player's game play history.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the management data recorded in the data recording unit 113 includes data for managing points (accumulated points) for achieving events that each player has accumulated so far, as shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing management data regarding the accumulated points of each player. As can be seen from Fig. 7, the data recording unit 113 records the accumulated points of each player for each system. To explain in more detail, when a player plays an event and meets the achievement condition, the player is given points for achieving the event, and the data recording unit 113 records the points given for each system in association with the system of the event played by the player. In this way, the data recording unit 113 of this embodiment functions as the point recording unit of the present invention. In the present invention, "record" means that, if there are points given in the past, the points are added to the past points and recorded as cumulative points.

[0045] [Display processing section] The display processing unit 114 executes a process (hereinafter, a point display process) of displaying a graphic object indicating the accumulated points recorded for each player for each system on the display 10A equipped in the player terminal 10 of each player. More specifically, the display processing unit 114 creates point display data in the point display process and transmits the data to the player terminal 10 of the corresponding player. When the point display data is received and expanded by the player terminal 10, a point confirmation screen shown in Fig. 8 is displayed on the display 10A, and a graphic object G is displayed on the screen indicating the accumulated points by system of the player (hereinafter also referred to as the confirmer) who owns the player terminal 10. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the point confirmation screen on which the graphic object G is displayed.

[0046] The graphic object G indicates the points recorded for each system for the inspector, and in this embodiment, is a radar chart type graph as shown in Fig. 8. According to the graphic object G shown in Fig. 8, it can be seen that, for example, the accumulated points accumulated by the inspector by playing events in system A are 110P, and the accumulated points accumulated by playing events in system B are 300P. In addition, examples of the graphical object G are not limited to the radar chart shown in FIG. 8, but may be other graphs such as bar graphs and line graphs, or may be figures other than graphs (for example, a character image that changes according to accumulated points).

[0047] Furthermore, when the accumulated points change due to the addition of new points or the like, the display processing unit 114 may execute a presentation process for changing the shape of the graphic object G in conjunction with the change in the accumulated points. For example, a presentation process may be executed for moving the position of one of six vertices of the graphic object G, which is a radar chart, that corresponds to the changed accumulated points by the amount of change in points.

[0048] [Points allocation section] When a player plays an event and meets the achievement conditions of the event, the point awarding unit 115 awards points (points for event achievement) to that player. In this embodiment, the point awarding unit 115 awards points for event achievement for each category. More specifically, points are awarded for the category of the event whose achievement conditions are met. For example, when a player plays an event of category A and meets the achievement conditions of the event, the point awarding unit 115 awards a predetermined number of points for category A to the above-mentioned player. Note that the points (number of points) awarded in one event may be uniformly determined, or may vary according to the difficulty level of the achievement conditions of the event.

[0049] Also, in this embodiment, when a player plays an event jointly with other players, the points awarded for meeting the achievement conditions of the event are determined according to the number of people who played the event jointly. For example, when the number of players in a joint play is 1 person (that is, in the case of single play), the points awarded for condition achievement are set to 30P, and when the number of players in a joint play is 2, 3, and 4 people, the points awarded are set to 40P, 50P, and 60P, respectively. As described above, the point awarding unit 115 increases the points awarded for meeting the achievement conditions of the event and awards them to each participant as the number of participants in the event increases. Thereby, the motivation (initiative) for the player to play the event jointly can be enhanced.

[0050] Incidentally, every time the point awarding unit 115 newly awards points for event achievement, the display processing unit 114 executes display processing. Thereby, the player can confirm the newly awarded points for event achievement ("this time's acquired P" in FIG. 8) and the cumulative points saved so far on the point confirmation screen.

[0051] [Benefit awarding unit] The privilege awarding unit 116 awards a predetermined privilege to a player when the cumulative points stored for each event category (in other words, the points recorded for each category in the data recording unit 113) meet the privilege awarding conditions. Here, "awarding a privilege" means transmitting, as game progress data, data that enables the awarded privilege to be used in the game to the player terminal 10 of the player to whom the privilege is awarded.

[0052] In this embodiment, a plurality of privilege awarding conditions are set for each category. Specifically, a plurality of conditional values for points are set. For example, 100P, 200P, and 300P are set as three conditional values. When the points in each category reach any one of the three conditional values, the privilege awarding unit 116 awards a privilege to the player for that category.

[0053] Note that the conditional values set as privilege awarding conditions can be arbitrarily determined. As described above, they may be the same value among different categories or different values. Also, the number of conditional values for each category is not limited to three and can be any number, and they may be the same or different among different categories.

[0054] As described above, in this embodiment, the privilege awarding conditions are set for each category, and when the privilege awarding conditions are met, the privilege is awarded for each category. Also, a plurality of privilege awarding conditions are set for each category, and when any one of the conditions is met (specifically, when the stored cumulative points reach one of the three conditional values), the privilege is awarded each time.

[0055] Also, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, an indicator I indicating whether or not the privilege granting conditions are satisfied is displayed for each system on the point confirmation screen. Specifically, the fractional value displayed for each system and the three horizontally arranged circles constitute the indicator I. The fractional value has 300, which is the maximum condition value, as the denominator and represents the cumulative points at the current time as the numerator. The three circles correspond to each of the plurality of condition values set as privilege granting conditions, and correspond to 100P, 200P, and 300P in order from the left circle. Then, the circle corresponding to the condition value that the cumulative points have already reached lights up as shown in FIG. 8, and the circle corresponding to the condition value that the cumulative points have not yet reached is turned off (faded out).

[0056] [Mode setting unit] Based on the mode designation operation received by the operation reception unit 111, the mode setting unit 117 selects and sets one of the above-described three types of modes as the mode to be applied when the player selects an event. Also, when the player repeatedly performs the mode designation operation within a day, each time as a result of the mode setting unit 117 setting the mode, the mode applied on that day will be switched.

[0057] [System determination unit] The system determination unit 118 determines the system of events that the player can play under the mode set by the mode setting unit 117. For example, when the daily change mode is set, the system determination unit 18 periodically determines and changes the system of events that the player can play on that day among a plurality of systems (systems A to F). In this embodiment, the system of events determined under the daily change mode is changed every day. More specifically, systems A to F are switched in order one day at a time.

[0058] When the player selection mode is set, the player selects one event of a desired system on the selection screen shown in FIG. 5, and the operation reception unit 111 receives the selection operation. The system determination unit 118 determines the system of events that the player can play on that day according to the selection operation received by the operation reception unit 111. However, in the present embodiment, as described above, the upper limit of the number of selection operations is set to once a day. Therefore, when the player selection mode is set, the system determination unit 118 determines the system of the event that can be played on that day according to the player's selection operation within the range not exceeding the above upper limit (once a day).

[0059] When the co-play participation mode is selected, the player performs an operation of applying to participate in an event that is recruiting co-players on the selection screen shown in FIG. 6, and the operation reception unit 111 receives the operation. Based on the participation application operation received by the operation reception unit 111, the system determination unit 118 identifies the system selected by the other players who are the recruiting players in the event for the event in which the player participates as a co-play player. Then, the system determination unit 118 determines the system of the event in which the player participates as a co-play player to be the system of the event selected by the other players who are the recruiting players.

[0060] <<Regarding the information processing flow according to the present embodiment>> Next, the information processing flow for event play according to the present embodiment will be described. Note that the information processing flow for event play described below employs the information processing method of the present invention. In other words, each step in the flow described below corresponds to a component of the information processing method of the present invention. Also, below, an information processing flow when a certain player (hereinafter, player P) plays an event in the game will be described by taking a specific example.

[0061] The information processing flow for event play according to the present embodiment is implemented through communication between the computer that is the server 12 and the player terminal 10 of player P. Among them, the main steps are implemented by the server 12 and proceed according to the procedures shown in FIGS. 9 to 12. FIGS. 9 to 12 are diagrams showing the flow of the steps implemented by the server 12 in the information processing flow for the game according to the present embodiment.

[0062] In the case where player P plays an event, server 12 executes the steps illustrated in FIG. 9 along the flow shown in the same figure. Specifically, first, the mode applied during event selection is specified by player P, and the operation reception unit 111 of server 12 receives the specified operation (S001). After that, player P selects an event under the specified mode and plays the event, and server 12 executes information processing for advancing the selected event (S002, S003, S004).

[0063] Regarding steps S002 to S004 in detail, in the case of playing an event in the daily change mode (S002), as shown in FIG. 10, according to the event play execution date, the event line that can be played on that day is determined by the line determination unit 118 of server 12 (S021). The event of the determined line is displayed on the display 10A of player terminal 10 in a selectable state on the event selection screen shown in FIG. 4. In such a state, player P selects the event to be played from the displayed events. The operation reception unit 111 of server 12 receives the event selection operation (S022). Thereby, the event to be played is determined. Also, when player P recruits co-players to play an event as co-play for the event to be played (S023), the operation reception unit 111 receives applications from other players who will be co-players to participate in the above event (S024). Note that step S024 is omitted when player P plays the event alone. When the above steps are completed, server 12 transmits data for playing the determined event, and thereby, the play of the event by player P is started (S025).

[0064] In the case of playing an event in the player selection mode (S003), as shown in FIG. 11, when starting to play the event, player P performs a selection operation, and the operation reception unit 111 of server 12 receives the selection operation (S031). This selection operation projects the event selection screen shown in FIG. 5 onto the display 10A of player terminal 10, displays all system events on the screen in a selectable state, and player P selects one desired system event from them and touches the screen. After that, the system determination unit 118 of server 12 determines the system of the event to be played according to the selection operation received by the operation reception unit 111 (S032). That is, the system of the event selected by player P becomes the system of the event to be played. In this embodiment, as described above, an upper limit is set for the number of times player P can select and determine the system of the event to be played. Under the player selection mode, within the range not exceeding the upper limit, the system of the event to be played is determined according to the selection operation of player P. Also, for the event whose system is selected by player P, when the player recruits co-players (S033), similar to the case of the daily change mode, the operation reception unit 111 receives applications for participating in the event from other players who will be co-players (S034). When player P plays the event alone, step S034 is omitted. When the above steps are completed, server 12 transmits data for playing the determined event, and thereby the play of the event by player P is started (S035).

[0065] In the case of playing an event in the co-play participation mode (S004), as shown in FIG. 12, when starting to play the event, the event selection screen shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the display 10A of the player terminal 10. On this screen, the events and their lineages that other players are recruiting co-players for at that time are displayed in a selectable state. The player P selects an event to be played (i.e., an event to participate as a co-player) from the displayed events. The operation reception unit 111 of the server 12 receives the selection operation as an application to participate in that event (S041). Based on the participation application received by the operation reception unit 111, the lineage determination unit 118 of the server 12 determines the lineage of the event in which the player P participates as a co-player (S042). Specifically, the lineage of the event in which the player P participates as a co-player is determined to be the lineage selected by other players who are recruiting players for that event. In addition, the data transmission unit 112 of the server 12 transmits the player P's application to participate in the above event to the player terminal 10 of other players who are the recruiters of the event in which the player P participates as a co-player (S043). When the above steps are completed, the server 12 transmits data for playing the determined event, and thereby, the play of the event by the player is started (S044).

[0066] Returning to the process flow shown in FIG. 9 for explanation, after the player P plays the event, on the server 12 side, it is determined whether the player P has satisfied the achievement condition of the event (S005). If the achievement condition is satisfied, it is further determined whether the event was a co-play (S006). When the achievement condition of the event is satisfied and the event is a single play rather than a co-play, the point awarding unit 115 of the server 12 awards points for single play to the player P (S007).

[0067] When the achievement conditions of an event are met and the event is a co-op play, the point awarding unit 115 awards points to the player P according to the number of people who played the event cooperatively (S008). The points awarded in this case are set to be more than the points awarded in step S007, that is, the points awarded during single-player play.

[0068] If the achievement conditions of the event are not met, the information processing flow for event play (strictly speaking, the information processing flow per event) ends at that point.

[0069] After that, the data recording unit 113 of the server 12 records the points for event achievement awarded to the player P in association with the category of the event that the player P played and met the achievement conditions (S009). For example, the points awarded to the player P for meeting the achievement conditions of an event of category A will be recorded in association with category A.

[0070] Also, in conjunction with the point awarding, the display processing unit 114 of the server 12 executes display processing (S010). The point display data generated in this display processing is transmitted to the player terminal 10 of the player P and received and expanded by the player terminal 10. As a result, a point confirmation screen shown in FIG. 8 is projected onto the display 10A of the player terminal 10 of the player P, and on the screen, the points for event achievement newly awarded to the player P and a graphic object G showing the points recorded for each category for the player P (i.e., cumulative points) for each category are displayed.

[0071] Furthermore, the server 12 determines whether the accumulated points recorded for each system satisfy the bonus-granting condition set for each system (specifically, whether the condition value is reached) (S011). If the bonus-granting condition is satisfied, the bonus granting unit 116 of the server 12 grants a bonus to the player P (S012). In this embodiment, the bonus granting unit 116 grants a bonus for each system, and in this step S012, a bonus corresponding to the system that satisfies the bonus-granting condition is granted. In this embodiment, a plurality of bonus granting conditions are set for each channel, and the bonus granting unit 116 grants a bonus corresponding to the channel that satisfies the bonus granting condition and according to the content of the bonus granting condition.

[0072] When the series of steps described above is completed, the information processing flow for the event play (strictly speaking, the information processing flow for one event) is completed. After that, when the player P repeatedly plays the event, the series of steps described above is repeatedly performed.

[0073] As described above, in this embodiment, points that can be obtained when the achievement conditions of an event are met are accumulated for each system, whether the accumulated points meet the bonus conditions for each system is determined, and when the bonus conditions are met, a bonus is awarded for each system. As a result, it is possible to stimulate the player's desire to play events of various systems, and the entertainment value of the game can be increased.

[0074] <<Summary>> As a server 12 which is an information processing apparatus according to this embodiment, there are provided a point awarding unit 115 which awards points to a player when the player plays an event in the game and satisfies the achievement conditions of the event, a data recording unit 113 which is a point recording unit that records the points awarded to the player for each category in association with the category of the event played by the player among a plurality of categories set for classifying the events, and a privilege awarding unit 116 which awards a privilege to the player when the points recorded for each category satisfy the privilege awarding conditions. As a result, as described above, it is possible to arouse the motivation of players who want to play events of various categories.

[0075] Regarding the above effect in detail, as described in the section of the problem to be solved by the invention, in a conventional game, when a player plays an event and satisfies the achievement conditions of the event, a reward such as points may be given. However, for a player who has already obtained the reward, there is a possibility that the motivation to play the same event again later will decline. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the points obtained when the achievement conditions of the event are satisfied (points for event achievement) are recorded for each category, and a privilege is awarded when the points recorded for each category satisfy the privilege awarding conditions. As a result, players can play events of various categories evenly, and the motivation of players who want to continue playing events can be sustained longer.

[0076] Moreover, regarding a preferable configuration of the above information processing apparatus, when the points recorded for each category satisfy the privilege awarding conditions determined for each category, the privilege awarding unit 116 may award the privilege to the player for each category. In this case, since it is possible to obtain a privilege for each category by storing the points for event achievement for each category, it is possible to further arouse the motivation of players who want to play events of various categories.

[0077] Also, regarding the above information processing apparatus, when describing a suitable configuration, when a player plays an event jointly with other players, the point awarding unit 115 may award points to the player according to the number of people who jointly played the event. In this case, it is possible to arouse the motivation of the players who want to play the event jointly.

[0078] Also, regarding the above information processing apparatus, when describing a suitable configuration, it is preferable to further include a display processing unit 114 that executes a process of displaying a graphic object G indicating points recorded for each system for each system on a terminal (that is, the player terminal 10) operated by the player when playing an event. In this case, the player can confirm the points for event achievement (accumulated points) stored so far for each system, and can grasp the systems with a large (or small) accumulated points. As a result, it is possible to further arouse the motivation of the player to play the events of various systems evenly, for example, by preferentially playing the events of the systems with few accumulated points.

[0079] Also, the information processing apparatus of the present invention may further include a system determination unit 118 that determines the systems of events that the player can play. In this case, the system determination unit 118 can periodically determine and change the systems of events that the player can play from among a plurality of systems. By periodically changing the systems of events that can be played in this way, the player will not finish playing the events in a short period (for example, about 1 day to several days), but will play the events of various systems evenly over a relatively long period.

[0080] In addition, in the above configuration, the system determination unit 118 can determine the system of events that the player can play within a predetermined period according to the selection operation performed by the player. By setting the system of playable events according to the player's selection operation in this way, the player can play the events of the desired system to obtain points. Such an effect is particularly effective in a situation where the system of playable events changes periodically. Specifically, in a situation where the system of playable events changes, a player who has forgotten to play the events of a certain system (for example, system A) needs to wait until the next opportunity (that is, the time when the events of system A become playable again) to play the events of system A again. Also, this may cause the motivation of the player who wants to play the event to decline. On the other hand, if the system of playable events can be determined according to the player's selection operation, the above player can play the events of system A without waiting for the next opportunity. This can sustain the motivation of the player who wants to play the event.

[0081] In addition, in the above configuration, an upper limit on the number of selection operations performed by the player within a predetermined period is determined, and it is preferable that the system determination unit 118 determines the system of events that the player can play within the predetermined period according to the selection operation within a range not exceeding the upper limit. In this case, since the number of selection operations of the player for the system of playable events is limited, while allowing the player to play events of various systems, for the events of the system selected by the player, play within a range not exceeding the upper limit can be allowed.

[0082] Also, in the above configuration, when another player recruits a co-player who plays an event jointly with the other player, and the player participates in the event as a co-player, the system determination unit 118 may determine the system of the event in which the player participates as a co-player to be the system selected by the other player. In this case, the player can obtain points for a particular lineage by participating in an event of the desired lineage among the events for which co-players are being recruited. Such an effect is particularly effective when the lineages of playable events change periodically. That is, in a situation where the lineages of playable events change, for example, even if a player forgets to play an event of lineage A, if another player is recruiting co-players for an event of lineage A, the player can play the event of lineage A without having to wait until the next opportunity (i.e., the time when the event of lineage A becomes playable again). This can sustain the motivation of the player who wants to play the event.

[0083] Also, in the present embodiment, an example of an information processing method using the information processing apparatus of the present invention has been described. In that information processing method, when a player plays an event in the game and satisfies the achievement conditions of the event by a computer, points are given to the player, and the points given to the player are recorded for each lineage in association with the lineage of the event played by the player among a plurality of lineages set for classifying the events. When the points recorded for each lineage satisfy the privilege granting conditions, a privilege is given to the player. This can arouse the motivation of players who want to play events of various lineages.

[0084] Note that the information processing method according to this embodiment is realized by the server 12 alone or in combination with the player terminal 10 and the server 12. Here, the server 12 may be a server computer for ASP (Application Service Provider), SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). In this case, since a series of information processing related to event play, point awarding and recording, and privilege awarding (excluding information input and display) is executed by the server 12, on the player terminal 10 side, only operations for event progress and display of images and the like need to be performed.

[0085] Also, in this embodiment, a program (specifically, a game program) that causes the computer that is the server 12 to function as an information processing device has been described. However, this program is a program executed by a computer. When a player plays an event in the game and satisfies the achievement conditions of the event, the computer is caused to award points to the player, and the computer is caused to record the points awarded to the player for each category in association with the category of the event played by the player among a plurality of categories set for classifying the events. When the points recorded for each category satisfy the privilege awarding conditions, the program is a program that causes the computer to award a privilege to the player. By having this program executed by a computer, it is possible to arouse the motivation of players who want to play various types of events.

[0086] Note that the above program may be obtained by being read from a computer-readable recording medium (media), or may be obtained by being received (downloaded) via a network such as the Internet or an intranet.

[0087] <<Other Embodiments>> So far, specific examples have been given and described for the information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program of the present invention. However, the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and other embodiments are also conceivable. For example, in the above embodiment, the server 12 functions as the information processing apparatus of the present invention. However, part or all of the functions of the information processing apparatus of the server 12 may be provided in the player terminal 10. For example, functions corresponding to the point granting unit 115 and the privilege granting unit 116 may be provided in the player terminal 10.

[0088] In the above embodiment, the privilege granting conditions are set for each lineage. When the privilege granting conditions are satisfied in any lineage, the privilege corresponding to that lineage is granted. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Specifically, as the privilege granting conditions, conditions related to a plurality of lineages may be set. For example, it may be set as a privilege granting condition that the cumulative points reach the conditional value in all of lineages A, B, and C.

[0089] In the above embodiment, the points (strictly speaking, cumulative points) recorded for each lineage are used (stored) for obtaining privileges. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and cases where the cumulative points are utilized for purposes other than obtaining privileges are also conceivable. For example, the cumulative points of each lineage may be reflected in the performance of the character used by the player during the game (specifically, the characteristics, properties, and abilities of the character, special effects during the game play, and numerical values indicating these). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, the cumulative points of each lineage may be reflected in the corresponding status value (ability value). FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the correspondence between the points stored by the player and the status value of the character used by the player during the game. According to FIG. 13, for example, it shows that the cumulative points of lineage A affect the status value 1 of the character illustrated in FIG. 13.

[0090] In the above embodiment, when points are recorded and accumulated for each system, the points for each system are accumulated independently of each other. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, when the points for a certain system increase or decrease, the points for other systems associated with that system may increase or decrease in conjunction with the increase or decrease. To explain this using the case shown in Figure 14 as an example, when the number of points in one of two systems (for example, system A and system D) that are positioned opposite each other in the above-mentioned graphical object (for example, the number of points in system A) is increased, the number of points in the other system (for example, the number of points in system D) may be decreased by an amount corresponding to the increase. On the other hand, for two systems (for example, systems A and B) that are adjacent to each other in a graphics object, the increase or decrease in points of each system may not affect the other system. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of the influence between systems due to an increase or decrease in points. By adopting the above-mentioned point increase / decrease system (rules), the entertainment value of the game can be improved, and the player's desire to play various types of events can be further stimulated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 10 Player terminal (information processing terminal) 10A Display 12 Server 14 Communication Networks 101 Processor 102 Memory 103 Communication Interface 104 Storage 105 Input Devices 106 Output Device 107 Bus 111 Operation reception section 112 Data transmission / reception unit 113 Data recording section (point recording section) 114 Display processing unit 115 Points Granting Department 116 Benefits Granting Department 117 Mode setting unit 118 System determination unit G Graphic object I Indicator S Game system

Claims

1. A processor is provided. The processor, When a player plays an event in the game and meets a condition for achieving the event, points are awarded to the player; recording the points given to the player in association with the category of the event played by the player among a plurality of categories set for classifying the events; When the points recorded for each of the systems satisfy a benefit providing condition set for each of the systems, a benefit is provided to the player for each of the systems; displaying on a first screen the degree of achievement of the points accumulated for each of the plurality of systems with respect to the privilege granting condition; a second screen for selecting an event in which the player will participate as a co-player from among events of the type selected by the other players, the type selected by the other players for the event being identifiable; When the points associated with a first system among the plurality of systems are increased or decreased, the points associated with a second system among the plurality of systems that is associated with the first system are changed in conjunction with the first system. Information processing device.

2. the processor awards points to the player when the player plays an event in the game and satisfies an achievement condition of the event; a processor records the points granted to the player in association with the category of the event played by the player among a plurality of categories set for classifying the events; a processor, when the points recorded for each of the systems satisfy a bonus awarding condition set for each of the systems, awarding a bonus to the player for each of the systems; The processor displays on a first screen a degree of achievement of the points accumulated for each of the plurality of paths with respect to a privilege providing condition; the processor displays, on a second screen on which the player selects an event in which to participate as a co-player from among events of the type selected by the other players, the type selected by the other players in a identifiable manner for the event; a processor, when the points associated with a first system among the plurality of systems are increased or decreased, changing the points associated with a second system among the plurality of systems that is associated with the first system in conjunction with the points; method.

3. causing the processor to award points to a player when the player plays an event in the game and satisfies an achievement condition of the event; causing a processor to record the points given to the player in association with the category of the event played by the player among a plurality of categories set for classifying the events; causing a processor to give a bonus to the player for each of the systems when the points recorded for each of the systems satisfy a bonus giving condition set for each of the systems; displaying on a first screen a degree of achievement of the points accumulated for each of the plurality of paths with respect to a privilege providing condition; causing the processor to identifiably display, on a second screen on which the player selects an event in which to participate as a co-player from among events of the type selected by the other players, the type selected by the other players for the event; a processor that, when the points associated with a first system among the plurality of systems increase or decrease, changes the points associated with a second system among the plurality of systems that is associated with the first system in conjunction with the points; program.

4. A terminal and a server are provided, The server, When a player plays an event in the game using the terminal and meets a condition for achieving the event, points are awarded to the player; recording the points given to the player in association with the category of the event played by the player among a plurality of categories set for classifying the events; When the points recorded for each of the systems satisfy a benefit providing condition set for each of the systems, a benefit is provided to the player for each of the systems; displaying on a first screen the degree of achievement of the points accumulated for each of the plurality of systems with respect to the privilege granting condition; a second screen for selecting an event in which the player will participate as a co-player from among events of the type selected by the other players, the type selected by the other players for the event being identifiable; When the points associated with a first system among the plurality of systems are increased or decreased, the points associated with a second system among the plurality of systems that is associated with the first system are changed in conjunction with the first system. system.

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