Program

Abstract

To prevent loss of interest in language settings.SOLUTION: A program causes a computer to function as language control means that executes processing related to a language that can be used to execute a specified event and that can be set for each user, and the language control means is configured such that when the language setting for one user of multiple users who are the entities executing the specified event differs from the language setting for another user, the language control means is configured to be able to execute processing related to changing the language setting for at least one of the one user and the another user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a program to Mu .

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, as an information processing system that provides games, there is known one that has a language setting function capable of setting the language used for various notifications on the user terminal for each player, and also has a chat function capable of sending and receiving messages between players. As the chat function, for example, on the user terminal of the sending player, the display of the message that can be sent to other players and the transmission of the message are performed based on the language setting related to the sending player. On the other hand, on the user terminal of the receiving player, the display of the received message is performed based on the language setting related to the receiving player (see Patent Document 1). According to such an information processing system having a chat function, it is possible to easily execute communication by chat between players with different language settings.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above information processing system, on the sending player side, messages are always sent based on the language setting related to the player, and on the receiving player side, the received messages are always displayed based on the language setting related to the player. Therefore, for example, it is impossible to meet the needs of players who want to use a language setting different from their own language setting when sending and receiving messages, and there is a risk of causing a decrease in the player's interest in the language setting.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a program capable of preventing a decrease in interest in language settings. of Mu

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

[0007] The program according to the present invention Message transmission and reception is usable for, and executes processing related to languages that can be set for each user, and , message transmission means capable of executing message transmission functions a computer as, and the language control means Execute message transmission and reception when the language settings related to one user and the language settings related to another user among a plurality of users are different, is capable of executing processing related to changing the language settings related to at least one of the one user and the other user. A program that is set to enable a selection operation by one user in a predetermined display area, and displays a transmission message that is transmitted to another user when the selection operation is performed. When the language setting related to one user is different from the language setting related to another user, in the predetermined display area, as a transmission message, a first transmission message based on the language of the other user's setting and a second transmission message based on the language of the one user's setting having the same content as the first transmission message are displayed in association with each other. Further, the program according to the present invention is a program that can be used for message transmission and reception and executes processing related to a language that can be set for each user. The language control means functions a computer as message transmission means capable of executing message transmission. When the language setting related to one user is different from the language setting related to another user among a plurality of users who execute message transmission and reception, the language control means can execute processing related to changing the language setting related to at least one of the one user and the other user. A program that is set to enable a selection operation by one user in a predetermined display area, and displays a transmission message that is transmitted to another user when the selection operation is performed. When the language setting related to one user is different from the language setting related to another user, in the predetermined display area, a transmission message based on the language of the other user's setting and a display message based on the language of the one user's setting that is set to be non-selectable and has the same content as the transmission message are displayed in association with each other.

[0008] Further, the program according to the present invention is one functions a computer as an inquiry execution means for asking whether to change the language settings related to at least one of the one user and the other user when the language settings related to one user and the language settings related to another user are different, and a response input means for inputting a response to the inquiry by the inquiry execution means, and the language control means may be configured to be able to change the language settings related to the user who input the response based on the input of a response indicating that the language settings are to be changed by the response input means.

Advantages of the Invention

[0014] The program according to the present invention to Mu can prevent a decrease in interest in language settings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 14

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are merely one aspect for explaining the present invention, and the numerical values and the like shown in the present embodiment are also merely examples and do not limit the present invention. Also, not all of the configurations described in the present embodiment are essential constituent elements of the present invention. Furthermore, in this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are given the same reference numerals as much as possible, and redundant explanations are omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0017] (Configuration of Information Processing System S) As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system S according to the present embodiment is a so-called client-server system constructed by connecting a server 100 and user terminals 200 via a network 300. In the present embodiment, a case where a game is provided by the information processing system S will be described.

[0018] The information processing system S according to the present embodiment functions as an information processing apparatus in which the server 100 and the user terminals 200 cooperate to provide a game. In the server 100 and the user terminals 200, the execution of various functions in the game and the control regarding the progress of the game are respectively shared, and by the cooperation of the server 100 and the user terminals 200, the above-described various functions and the game are executed.

[0019] The server 100 is communicably connected to a plurality of user terminals 200 via the network 300. Each user terminal 200 can transmit and receive various information to and from the server 100 via the network 300. Also, each user terminal 200 can transmit and receive various information to and from other user terminals 200 via the network 300 or the server 100. The server 100 can store various information (for example, player information) for each user (hereinafter also referred to as a player) who plays a game on the user terminal 200, and can also store various information regarding the game. Further, the server 100 can execute processes such as updating the stored information and transmitting (downloading) an image and various information to the user terminal 200 based on an input operation by the user terminal 200. Note that each user terminal 200 may be able to directly transmit and receive various information between the user terminals 200 without going through the network 300 or the server 100 by using its own wireless communication function.

[0020] The network 300 is composed of the Internet, a mobile phone network, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a dedicated line, and the like. The server 100 and the user terminals 200 are connected wirelessly or by wire via the network 300.

[0021] (Hardware Configuration of Server 100) As shown in FIG. 2, the server 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110, a memory 120, a storage unit 130, a communication unit 140, an input unit 150, an output unit 160, an internal bus 170, an input / output interface 180, and the like. Hereinafter, the CPU 110, the memory 120, the storage unit 130, the communication unit 140, the input unit 150, the output unit 160, the internal bus 170, and the input / output interface 180 of the server 100 are also referred to as the server CPU 110, the server memory 120, the server storage unit 130, the server communication unit 140, the server input unit 150, the server output unit 160, the server internal bus 170, and the server input / output interface 180, respectively.

[0022] The server CPU 110 performs various processes such as execution of various functions in the game and progress of the game according to programs and data stored in the server memory 120.

[0023] The server memory 120 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and stores various programs and data used for execution of various functions in the game and processes such as progress of the game. The server CPU 110 and the server memory 120 are connected to each other via the server internal bus 170.

[0024] The server storage unit 130 is composed of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc., and stores various programs and data. Programs and data stored in the server storage unit 130 are read (loaded) into the server memory 120 by the server CPU 110.

[0025] The server communication unit 140 is composed of a communication interface and the like, and transmits and receives information such as various data and programs to and from the user terminal 200 via the network 300. In the server 100, various information is received from the user terminal 200 by the server communication unit 140, and the received various information is stored in the server memory 120 or the server storage unit 130. Further, information regarding the results of various processes executed by the server CPU 110 is transmitted to the user terminal 200 by the server communication unit 140.

[0026] The server input unit 150 is composed of a keyboard, a mouse, and the like. Based on the input operation by the server input unit 150, various processes such as storing various programs and data in the server memory 120 and the server storage unit 130, and updating (updating) the stored various programs and data are executed.

[0027] The server output unit 160 is composed of a display capable of displaying characters, images, etc., a speaker capable of outputting sound, and the like. The contents of various processes executed based on the input operation by the server input unit 150 are output by the server output unit 160.

[0028] Then, the server storage unit 130, the server communication unit 140, the server input unit 150, and the server output unit 160 are connected to the server input / output interface 180, and the server input / output interface 180 is connected to the server internal bus 170.

[0029] (Hardware Configuration of User Terminal 200) Examples of the user terminal 200 include a smartphone, a tablet, a mobile phone, a personal computer, a portable game machine, a stationary game machine installed in a store or at home, and the like. In the present embodiment, the case where a smartphone is used as the user terminal 200 will be described.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, the user terminal 200 includes a CPU 210, a memory 220, a storage unit 230, a communication unit 240, an input unit 250, an output unit 260, an internal bus 270, an input / output interface 280, and the like. Hereinafter, the CPU 210, the memory 220, the storage unit 230, the communication unit 240, the input unit 250, the output unit 260, the internal bus 270, and the input / output interface 280 of the user terminal 200 will be respectively referred to as the terminal CPU 210, the terminal memory 220, the terminal storage unit 230, the terminal communication unit 240, the terminal input unit 250, the terminal output unit 260, the terminal internal bus 270, and the terminal input / output interface 280.

[0031] Note that the terminal CPU 210, the terminal memory 220, the terminal storage unit 230, the terminal communication unit 240, the terminal input unit 250, the terminal output unit 260, the terminal internal bus 270, and the terminal input / output interface 280 have substantially the same configurations and functions as the server CPU 110, the server memory 120, the server storage unit 130, the server communication unit 140, the server input unit 150, the server output unit 160, the server internal bus 170, and the server input / output interface 180, respectively. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted except for some parts.

[0032] In the user terminal 200, the terminal CPU 210 and the terminal memory 220 are connected to each other via the terminal internal bus 270, the terminal storage unit 230, the terminal communication unit 240, the terminal input unit 250, and the terminal output unit 260 are connected to the terminal input / output interface 280, and the terminal input / output interface 280 is connected to the terminal internal bus 270. Then, also in the user terminal 200, various processes such as execution of various functions in the game and progress of the game are performed according to the programs and data stored in the terminal memory 220. Further, in the user terminal 200, various information is received from the server 100 by the terminal communication unit 240, and the received various information is stored in the terminal memory 220 or the terminal storage unit 230. Also, information regarding the results of various processes executed by the terminal CPU 210 is transmitted to the server 100 by the terminal communication unit 240.

[0033] The terminal input unit 250 is composed of, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, a controller, physical buttons, etc., capable of inputting operations to the user terminal 200, and may be mounted on the user terminal 200 itself, or may be provided separately from the user terminal 200 and connected to the user terminal 200 via a connection cable or the like. The terminal input unit 250 may also be a microphone capable of voice input, or an acceleration sensor capable of detecting the inclination, movement, vibration, etc. of the user terminal 200 and inputting the detected information. In this embodiment, the user terminal 200 is provided with a touch panel 262 that serves both the functions of the terminal input unit 250 and the terminal output unit 260.

[0034] (Overview of games and functions provided by information processing system S) The games provided by the information processing system S according to this embodiment are, for example, sports games in which a competition such as a ball game or a martial art can be played, and a competitive event can be held in which multiple players compete for victory or defeat in a predetermined competition. In the competitive event, up to a predetermined upper limit of players (for example, four people) can participate, and after matching of the participating players is performed, a competitive game of the above-mentioned competition is played by the matched players.

[0035] This game is also provided with a language setting function that allows each player to set the language used in various screens displayed during the game. Specifically, the player can select one of a number of languages (e.g., English, Japanese, French, Italian, Chinese, Korean, etc.) that are prepared in advance and set it as the language used in the game (hereinafter also referred to as the language used). In principle, the user terminal 200 displays various screens in the language used that is set by the player.

[0036] Furthermore, this game is provided with a chat function that enables players to send and receive messages during a battle event. Specifically, a plurality of types of chat objects CO indicating the content of messages are prepared in advance, and a player can send a message to another player by selecting one from the chat objects CO displayed on the user terminal 200.

[0037] When executing the game, a player installs a dedicated application in the user terminal 200 in advance, and registers with the server 100 (for example, registers information such as a player ID and a player name used in the game), registers a character (hereinafter also referred to as a used character) used in the game, and sets the language to be used. When the above application is launched, the user terminal 200 receives various data stored in the server 100, such as the above player name, used character, and used language, and displays a home screen HS on the touch panel 262.

[0038] The home screen HS is the initial screen when the application is launched. As shown in FIG. 4, on the home screen HS, the player name, the name of the used character, the name of the used language, etc. received from the server 100 are displayed, and an icon I1 for changing the settings of the used character and used language, and an icon I2 for starting a battle event are displayed. The display on this home screen HS (the player name, the name of the used character, the name of the used language, the names of the icons I1 and I2, etc.) is performed in the used language set by the player. Then, when the icon I1 is tapped, the user terminal 200 displays a setting screen CS on the touch panel 262, and when the icon I2 is tapped, the user terminal 200 displays an event execution screen IS on the touch panel 262 to start a battle event.

[0039] The settings screen CS is a screen for setting (selecting) the character to be used and the language to be used. As shown in FIG. 5, on the settings screen CS, a select button B1 for selecting the character to be used and a select button B2 for selecting the language to be used are displayed. When the select button B1 is tapped, a list of selectable characters (not particularly shown) is displayed, and the player can select the character to be used by tapping any of the thumbnails. When the select button B2 is tapped, a list of selectable languages is displayed, and the player can select the language to be used by tapping any of the languages.

[0040] Also, as shown in FIG. 5, on the settings screen CS, an icon I3 for confirming the character to be used and the language to be used selected by the player, and an icon I4 for returning to the home screen HS without confirming the character to be used and the language to be used are also displayed. Note that the display on this settings screen CS (the titles of the select buttons B1 and B2, the names of the icons I3 and I4, etc.) is also in the language to be used set by the player, similar to the home screen HS.

[0041] When the icon I3 is tapped, the user terminal 200 transmits the information of the selected character to be used and the language to be used to the server storage unit 130, and displays the home screen HS on the touch panel 262. On the home screen HS displayed when the icon I3 is tapped, the player name, the name of the character to be used (the character selected on the settings screen CS), the name of the language to be used, the names of the icons I1 and I2, etc. are displayed in the language to be used selected on the settings screen CS.

[0042] On the other hand, when the icon I4 is tapped, the user terminal 200 displays the home screen HS on the touch panel 262 without transmitting the information on the selected character to be used and the language to be used to the server storage unit 130. On the home screen HS displayed when the icon I4 is tapped, the player name, the name of the character to be used (the original character to be used, the character to be used stored in the server storage unit 130), the name of the language to be used (the original language to be used), the names of the icons I1 and I2, etc. are displayed in the original language to be used (the language to be used stored in the server storage unit 130). That is, the information on the character to be used and the language to be used selected on the setting screen CS is discarded, and the home screen HS is displayed with the content before the setting screen CS is displayed.

[0043] The event execution screen IS is a screen for executing a battle event. When the icon I2 is tapped and the battle event is started, the user terminal 200 performs a matching request process for causing the server 100 to execute matching (hereinafter also referred to as matching process) with other players who wish to participate in the battle event. As a result, the matching process is performed on the server 100, and information on the matched players (player name, character to be used, language to be used, etc.) is transmitted from the server 100. As shown in FIG. 6(a), during the execution of the matching process, a matching-in progress image indicating that is displayed on the event execution screen IS. Further, as shown in FIG. 6(b), when the player's matching is completed, the image and name of the character to be used by the player himself / herself (that is, the character to be used by the player using the user terminal 200) and the image and name of the character to be used by the opponent in the battle are displayed on the event execution screen IS. Thereafter, a battle game by the matched players is executed, and a game image (not particularly shown) indicating the progress of the game, the result of victory or defeat, etc. is displayed on the event execution screen IS of each of the matched players. Note that the display of the name of the character to be used by the player himself / herself, the name of the character to be used by the opponent in the battle, the progress of the game, the result of victory or defeat, etc. on this event execution screen IS is performed in the language to be used set for the player.

[0044] Also, as shown in FIG. 6(b), an icon I5 for executing the above-described chat function is displayed on the event execution screen IS. In the present embodiment, by tapping on the image of the character in use displayed on the event execution screen IS, it is possible to select a player who is a battle opponent to whom a message is to be sent. When the icon I5 is tapped while a player who is a battle opponent to whom a message is to be sent has been selected on the user terminal 200, a chat object CO in which the content of the message that can be sent to the player of the battle opponent is displayed is shown on the event execution screen IS. Then, when the displayed chat object CO is tapped, the message displayed in the chat object CO is sent to the player of the battle opponent, and the message is displayed on the event execution screen IS of the user terminal 200 used by the player of the battle opponent. As a result, on the user terminal 200 used by the player of the battle opponent, it is considered that the message has been received.

[0045] Here, in the chat function of the present embodiment, when the language used by the player who sends a message matches the language used by the player who receives the message, the message can be sent and received in the language in question. On the other hand, when the language used by the player who sends a message does not match (i.e., is different from) the language used by the player who receives the message, the message can be sent and received in the language used by the receiving player.

[0046] In the present embodiment, when the matching process is executed based on the above-described matching request process and the matching of players is completed, on the server 100, it is determined whether or not the languages used by the matched players match.

[0047] Although not particularly illustrated, when the icon I5 is tapped in a state where a player who is a message recipient is selected on the user terminal 200, if the language used by the player using the user terminal 200 (i.e., the sending-side player) matches the language used by the selected opponent player (i.e., the receiving-side player), on the user terminal 200 of the sending-side player, a chat object CO in which a message is expressed in the above language is displayed. When the chat object CO is tapped, on the user terminal 200 of the receiving-side player, the message of the chat object CO is displayed in the above language.

[0048] For example, assume that in a battle event, player A and player B are matched, and both the language used by player A and the language used by player B are Japanese. Also assume that chat objects CO with messages having the meaning of "Thank you", chat objects CO with messages having the meaning of "Amazing", and chat objects CO with messages having the meaning of "Don't worry about it" can be sent. In this case, when the matching between player A and player B is completed, a determination is made as to whether the language used by player A matches the language used by player B, and a determination result that the languages used by both players match is obtained. Although not particularly illustrated, for example, on the user terminal 200 of player A, when the icon I5 is tapped in a state where player B is selected as the message recipient, on the user terminal 200 of player A, who is the message sender, chat objects COJ1 with a message written in Japanese as "Thank you", chat objects COJ2 with a message written in Japanese as "Amazing", and chat objects COJ3 with a message written in Japanese as "Don't worry about it" are displayed as chat objects CO that can be sent to player B. When the chat object COJ1 is tapped on the user terminal 200 of player A, on the user terminal 200 of player B, who is the message recipient, a message written in Japanese as "Thank you" is displayed.

[0049] Also, for example, in a battle event, assume that Player A, Player B, and Player C are matched, and the languages used by Player A, Player B, and Player C are all English. Also, similar to the above, assume that a chat object CO in which a message with the meaning content of "Thank you" is displayed, a chat object CO in which a message with the meaning content of "Amazing" is displayed, and a chat object CO in which a message with the meaning content of "Don't worry about it" is displayed can be transmitted. In this case, when the matching of Player A, Player B, and Player C is completed, a determination is made as to whether the languages used by Player A, Player B, and Player C match, and a determination result that the languages used by all players match is obtained. Although not particularly shown, for example, on the user terminal 200 of Player B, when the icon I5 is tapped in a state where Player C is selected as the message recipient, on the user terminal 200 of Player B, which is the message sender, a chat object COE1 of a message written in English as "Thank you" (corresponding to "Thank you"), a chat object COE2 of a message written in English as "Wow" (corresponding to "Amazing"), and a chat object COE3 of a message written in English as "Do not mind" (corresponding to "Don't worry about it") are displayed as chat objects CO that can be transmitted to Player C. Then, when the chat object COE3 is tapped on the user terminal 200 of Player B, a message written in English as "Do not mind" is displayed on the user terminal 200 of Player C, which is the message recipient.

[0050] When the icon I5 is tapped while a player who is a battle opponent to whom a message is to be sent is selected on the user terminal 200, if the language used by the player using the user terminal 200 (the sending-side player) does not match the language used by the selected battle opponent player (the receiving-side player), as shown in FIG. 7(a), on the event execution screen IS on the user terminal 200 of the sending-side player, an inquiry image IP (for example, an image on which characters such as "Do you want to use the language of the other party?" are displayed) asking whether to use the language used by the receiving-side player when sending a message is displayed, and an icon I6 for answering that the language used by the receiving-side player is to be used and an icon I7 for answering that the language used by the receiving-side player is not to be used are displayed. As shown in FIG. 7(b), when the icon I6 is tapped, a language change image CP (for example, an image on which characters such as "Changed to the language of the other party" are displayed) indicating that the language used when sending a message is to be the language used by the receiving-side player is displayed on the event execution screen IS. Although not particularly shown, when the icon I7 is tapped, the above inquiry image IP is erased and the chat function is terminated.

[0051] Then, when the icon I6 is tapped and the above language change image CP is displayed on the event execution screen IS, on the user terminal 200 on which this language change image CP is displayed (that is, the user terminal 200 of the sending-side player), a chat object CO in which a message is written in the language used by the receiving-side player is displayed, and when the chat object CO is tapped, on the user terminal 200 of the receiving-side player, the message of the chat object CO is displayed in the language used by the receiving-side player.

[0052] For example, in a battle event, assume that player A and player B are matched, and the language used by player A is Japanese while the language used by player B is English. Also, assume that a chat object CO with a message having the meaning content of "Thank you", a chat object CO with a message having the meaning content of "Wow", and a chat object CO with a message having the meaning content of "Do not mind" can be sent. In this case, when the matching of player A and player B is completed, a determination is made as to whether the languages used by player A and player B match, and a determination result that the languages used by both players do not match is obtained. As shown in FIG. 7(a), for example, when icon I5 is tapped on the user terminal 200 of player A with player B selected as the message recipient, the above inquiry image IP is displayed. Then, as shown in FIG. 7(b), when the above icon I6 is tapped, the above language change image CP is displayed. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8(a), on the user terminal 200 of player A who is the message sender, a chat object COE1 with a message written in English as "Thank you", a chat object COE2 with a message written in English as "Wow", and a chat object COE3 with a message written in English as "Do not mind" are displayed as chat objects CO that can be sent to player B. Then, as shown in FIG. 8(b), when chat object COE2 is tapped on the user terminal 200 of player A, a message written in English as "Wow" is displayed on the user terminal 200 of player B who is the message recipient.

[0053] That is, in the above example, although the language used by player A on the message sending side is set to Japanese, when player A sends a message to player B, if a response is given to set the language used for sending the message to English, which is the language used by player B on the message receiving side, a chat object CO that can be sent to player B and in which the message is expressed in English, the language used by player B, is displayed. In other words, on the user terminal 200 of player A on the message sending side, although the language used is set to Japanese, when sending a message to player B, the language used for this sending (the language used for displaying the message of the chat object CO that can be sent) is changed to English, which is the language used by player B on the receiving side.

[0054] Also, for example, in a battle event, assume that player A, player B, and player C are matched, the language used by player A is English, the language used by player B is English, and the language used by player C is Italian. Also, similar to the above, assume that chat objects CO in which messages with the meaning content of "Thank you", "Amazing", and "Don't worry about it" are displayed can be sent. In this case, when the matching of Player A, Player B, and Player C is completed, it is determined whether the languages used by Player A, Player B, and Player C match, and a determination result is obtained that the languages used by Player A and Player B do not match the language used by Player C. Although not particularly shown, for example, when the icon I5 is tapped in the user terminal 200 of Player B with Player C selected as the message recipient, the above inquiry image IP is displayed. Then, when the icon I6 is tapped, the above language change image CP is displayed, and on the user terminal 200 of Player B, which is the message sender, as shown in FIG. 9(a), a chat object COI1 of a message written in Italian as "Grazie" (corresponding to "thank you"), a chat object COI2 of a message written in Italian as "Molto" (corresponding to "great"), and a chat object COI3 of a message written in Italian as "Non importa" (corresponding to "don't worry about it") are displayed as chat objects CO that can be sent to Player C. Then, as shown in FIG. 9(b), when the chat object COI2 is tapped in the user terminal 200 of Player B, a message written in Italian as "Molto" is displayed on the user terminal 200 of Player C, which is the message recipient.

[0055] That is, in the above example, although the language used by player B on the message sending side is set to English, when player B sends a message to player C and answers to use the language of player C, which is the message receiving side, as Italian, a chat object CO that can be sent to player C and in which the message is written in Italian, which is the language used by player C, is displayed. In other words, on the user terminal 200 of player B on the message sending side, although the language used is set to English, when sending a message to player C, the language used for this transmission (the language used for displaying the message of the chat object CO that can be sent) is changed to Italian, which is the language used by player C on the receiving side.

[0056] (Functional Configuration of Information Processing System S) Next, the functional configuration of the information processing system S for executing the chat function in the above-described battle event will be described with reference to FIG. 10. In the server memory 120 of the server 100 and the terminal memory 220 of the user terminal 200, programs for executing the above-described battle event and chat function are stored. The server CPU 110 of the server 100 functions as a data transmission / reception unit 182, a storage processing unit 184, an event execution unit 186, a matching processing execution unit 188, and a language determination unit 190 by executing each stored program. Further, the terminal CPU 210 of the user terminal 200 functions as a data transmission / reception unit 282, a storage processing unit 284, an event execution unit 286, a screen control unit 288, an inquiry control unit 290, a language control unit 292, a message transmission control unit 294, and a message reception control unit 296 by executing each stored program.

[0057] Note that these are functional units given as an example, and the server 100 and the user terminal 200 have various other functional units in addition to the above. Further, each functional unit may be provided in either the server 100 or the user terminal, or functional units that perform the same role may be provided redundantly in both the server 100 and the user terminal 200.

[0058] The data transmission / reception unit 182 of the server 100 and the data transmission / reception unit 282 of the user terminal 200 both transmit and receive various types of information and data between the server 100 and the user terminal 200. For example, when the data transmission / reception unit 182 of the server 100 receives login information for logging into the game from the user terminal 200 at the time of application startup, it transmits information about the player corresponding to the login information (e.g., player name, used character, used language) to the user terminal 200. Also, for example, the data transmission / reception unit 282 of the user terminal 200 transmits matching process request data for requesting the execution of the matching process to the server 100 in the above-mentioned matching request process executed based on the tap of the icon I2. Further, when the matching of the player is completed, the data transmission / reception unit 182 of the server 100 transmits information about the matched opponent player (e.g., player ID, player name, used character, used language) to the user terminal 200. Also, when it is determined whether the used languages set for the matched players match, the data transmission / reception unit 182 of the server 100 transmits information about the result of the determination (e.g., determination result of whether they match, players that match, players that do not match) to the user terminal 200. Also, when the chat object CO is tapped, the data transmission / reception unit 282 of the user terminal 200 transmits information about the chat object CO (e.g., corresponding message content, language used for message display), and information about the receiving-side player (e.g., player ID, player name) to the server 100. Further, when the data transmission / reception unit 182 of the server 100 receives the information about the chat object CO, it transmits the information about the chat object CO to the user terminal 200 of the receiving-side player.

[0059] The storage processing unit of server 100 stores various types of information and data received from user terminal 200 in server storage unit 130. The various types of information and data include information related to the player received from user terminal 200 (for example, information such as the player ID, player name, used character, used language, etc. described above), information related to the transmitted chat object CO (information related to the chat object CO tapped on the transmitting user terminal 200, for example, information such as the message content, language used for message display, etc. described above), and information related to the player on the receiving side of the message (information such as the player ID, player name, etc. described above). In addition to the above-described information and data, server storage unit 130 also stores, for example, image data of used characters, data related to the execution of battle events (games) (for example, programs and image data for executing the game), and the like.

[0060] The storage processing unit 284 of user terminal 200 stores various types of information and data received from server 100 in terminal memory 220 and terminal storage unit 230. The various types of information and data include, for example, information related to the player displayed on the home screen HS and settings screen CS (for example, information such as the player name, used character, used language, etc. described above), information related to the player of the matched battle opponent (for example, information such as the player name, used character, used language, etc. described above), and information related to the result of determining whether the used languages set for the matched players match (for example, information such as the determination result of whether they match, the players that match, the players that do not match, etc. described above). In addition to the above-described information and data, terminal memory 220 and terminal storage unit 230 also store, for example, screen data for displaying various screens such as the home screen HS, settings screen CS, and event execution screen IS in various languages on touch panel 262, chat object display data for displaying chat object CO in various languages on touch panel 262, and image data for displaying the above inquiry image IP and used language change image CP in various languages.

[0061] The event execution unit 186 of the server 100 and the event execution unit 286 of the user terminal 200 both control the progress of the entire battle event (game). For example, the event execution units 186 and 286 perform control of battles by the matched players and the like.

[0062] Based on the matching request processing from the user terminal 200, the matching processing execution unit 188 of the server 100 performs matching of players participating in the battle event.

[0063] The language determination unit 190 of the server 100 determines whether the languages set for the matched players match. Specifically, the language determination unit 190 performs the above determination when the matching process is executed and the player matching is completed. Then, the data transmission / reception unit 182 transmits information regarding the result of the above determination (information such as the determination result of whether they match, the players that match, and the players that do not match) to the user terminal 200 of the matched players.

[0064] Note that the above determination may be performed not by the server 100 but by providing a language determination unit in the user terminal 200. Also, the information regarding the result of the above determination may not be transmitted to the user terminal 200 at the time when the determination is made but temporarily stored in the server storage unit 130, and for example, at the time of executing the chat function (that is, at the time of sending a message, in other words, at the time when the icon I5 is tapped in a state where the player who is the battle opponent for sending a message is selected on the user terminal 200), by executing a process of requesting the above information from the server 100, it may be transmitted to the user terminal 200.

[0065] Also, regarding the above determination, instead of making it at the time when the player's matching is completed, it may be made at the time when the chat function is executed (i.e., when the icon I5 is tapped). When this is done, when the chat function is not executed, the above determination does not need to be made, so the processing load at the time when the player's matching is completed can be reduced.

[0066] The screen control unit 288 of the user terminal 200 controls various screens displayed on the touch panel 262 based on various data stored in the terminal memory 220 and the terminal storage unit 230. For example, the screen control unit 288 performs processing to display the home screen HS according to the player's language used at the time of application startup, processing to display the setting screen CS according to the player's language used when setting the character to be used and the language used (tapping the icon I1), processing to display the home screen HS according to the language used when confirming the selected character to be used and the language used (tapping the icon I3), processing to display the event execution screen IS according to the player's language used when executing the battle event (tapping the icon I2), and the like.

[0067] When the chat function is executed, the inquiry control unit 290 of the user terminal 200 displays, on the touch panel 262 of the player's user terminal 200 on the sending side, the inquiry image IP asking whether to set the language used for sending a message to the language used by the player on the receiving side when the language used by the player on the sending side and the language used by the player on the receiving side do not match, the icon I6 for answering that the language used by the player on the receiving side is to be set, and the icon I7 for answering that the language used by the player on the receiving side is not to be set, in the language used by the player on the sending side.

[0068] The language control unit 292 of the user terminal 200 performs control regarding the setting of the language used for sending and receiving messages in the chat function. Specifically, when the language used by the player on the sending side matches the language used by the player on the receiving side during the execution of the chat function, the language control unit 292 sets the said used language as the language used by the player on the sending side for message transmission. That is, the language used by the player on the sending side (the language used by the player on the receiving side) is directly used for message transmission. On the other hand, when the language used by the player on the sending side does not match the language used by the player on the receiving side, on the condition that the above icon I6 is tapped and an answer is given to set the language to that used by the player on the receiving side, the language used by the player on the receiving side is set as the language used by the player on the sending side for message transmission. That is, the language used by the player on the sending side is changed to the language used by the player on the receiving side only for message transmission, and message transmission is performed.

[0069] The message transmission control unit 294 of the user terminal 200 controls the transmission of messages in the chat function. Specifically, when the language used by the player on the sending side matches the language used by the player on the receiving side, and the language control unit 292 sets the language used by the player on the sending side as the language for message transmission, the message transmission control unit 290 displays a chat object CO with the message written in the above language on the touch panel 262 of the user terminal 200 of the player on the sending side. On the other hand, when the language used by the player on the sending side does not match the language used by the player on the receiving side, and the language control unit 292 sets the language used by the player on the receiving side as the language for message transmission by the player on the sending side, the message transmission control unit 290 displays a chat object CO with the message written in the language used by the player on the receiving side on the touch panel 262 of the user terminal 200 of the player on the sending side. Then, when the chat object CO is tapped, the data transmission / reception unit 282 transmits information about the chat object CO (corresponding message content, language used for message display), and information about the player on the receiving side (player ID, player name) to the server 100.

[0070] The message reception control unit 296 of the user terminal 200 controls the reception of messages in the chat function. Specifically, when information about the above chat object CO transmitted from the user terminal 200 of the player on the sending side and information about the player on the receiving side are received by the server 200, the data transmission / reception unit 182 transmits the information about the chat object CO to the user terminal 200 of the player on the receiving side. Then, when the information about the chat object CO is received by the user terminal 200 of the player on the receiving side, the message reception control unit 296 displays the message of the chat object CO on the touch panel 262 based on the information.

[0071] (Processing of the information processing system S) Next, an example of basic processing in the information processing system S will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 11. Here, the description will focus on the processing related to the above-described chat function, and the description of other processing will be omitted.

[0072] When a start operation (tapping of icon I2) for starting a battle event is performed on the user terminal 200, a matching request process is executed (steps 100, 101), and the data transmission / reception unit 282 transmits the matching process request data to the server 100. As a result, in the server 100, the matching process execution unit 188 executes a matching process (step 102). When the matching process ends, the data transmission / reception unit 182 transmits information about the matched battle opponent player to the user terminal 200. Further, when the matching process ends, the language determination unit 190 executes a use language determination process for determining whether the use languages set for the matched players match (step 103), and the data transmission / reception unit 182 transmits information about the determination result of the use language determination process to the user terminal 200. Also, in the server 100 and the user terminal 200, a battle event control process for controlling the execution of the battle event is executed (steps 104, 105, 106). For example, the event execution units 186 and 286 control the progress of the game executed by the plurality of matched players.

[0073] When an execution operation for sending a message to an opponent player (an execution operation for executing the chat function, specifically, tapping the icon I5 in a state where the opponent player is selected) is performed on the user terminal 200, the user terminal 200 executes a chat control process for performing control related to the language used for message transmission and reception, control of various displays, etc. (step 107). When a selection operation (tapping the chat object CO) for selecting the chat object CO displayed on the touch panel 262 is performed based on the execution of the chat control process by the data transmission / reception unit 282 (step 108), the data transmission / reception unit 282 transmits information related to the chat object CO and information related to the receiving player to the server 100. When the above information is received at the server 100, the data transmission / reception unit 182 executes a message information transmission process for transmitting the information related to the chat object CO to the user terminal 200 of the receiving player (step 109). When the information related to the chat object CO is received at the user terminal 200 of the receiving player, the message reception control unit 296 of the user terminal 200 executes a message reception process for displaying a message on the touch panel 262 based on the information (step 110).

[0074] Next, an example of the chat control process in step 107 described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 12. In the user terminal 200, when an execution operation for transmitting a message to the player of the opponent in the game is performed, based on the information regarding the determination result of the above-described language determination process received from the server 100, it is confirmed whether the language used by the transmitting player matches the language used by the receiving player (step 200). If the languages match (Y in step 200), the language control unit 292 sets the language used by the transmitting player for message transmission (that is, without changing the language used by the transmitting player for message transmission to the language used by the receiving player), and the message transmission control unit 294 displays a chat object CO in which the message is represented in the above-described language on the touch panel 262 of the user terminal 200 of the transmitting player (step 201).

[0075] On the other hand, if the languages do not match (N in step 200), the inquiry control unit 290 executes an inquiry display process of displaying an inquiry image IP for asking whether to change the language for message transmission to the language used by the receiving player in the language used by the transmitting player, an icon I6 for answering that the language used by the receiving player is to be used, and an icon I7 for answering that the language used by the receiving player is not to be used on the touch panel 262 of the user terminal 200 of the transmitting player (step 202). Then, when the icon I6 is tapped (when an answer indicating that the language used by the receiving player is to be used is input (Y in step 203)), the language control unit 292 changes the language used by the transmitting player for message transmission to the language used by the receiving player (step 205), and the message transmission control unit 294 displays a chat object CO in which the message is represented in the language used by the receiving player on the touch panel 262 of the user terminal 200 of the transmitting player (step 206). Also, when the icon I7 is tapped (when an answer indicating that the language used by the receiving player is not to be used is input, Y in step 204)), the chat control process ends.

[0076] As described above, in this embodiment, when the language used by the player on the sending side does not match the language used by the player on the receiving side, a query is made as to whether the language used to send a message (execute the chat function) to the player on the sending side should be the language used by the player on the receiving side. When it is answered that the language used by the player on the receiving side is to be used, the language used to send the message is changed to the language used by the player on the receiving side, and the message can be sent and received in the language used by the player on the receiving side. Thereby, it is possible to meet the need for the player on the sending side to execute message transmission using the language used by the player on the receiving side, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in interest in language settings.

[0077] (Modification example) Hereinafter, a modification example of this embodiment will be described. (1) In the above embodiment, when the language used by the player on the sending side does not match the language used by the player on the receiving side, the language used by the player on the sending side to send a message is changed to the language used by the player on the receiving side. However, the mode of language change in the above case is not limited to this.

[0078] (1-1) For example, the language used by the player on the receiving side to receive a message may be changed to the language used by the player on the sending side. Specifically, for example, assume that Player A and Player B are matched, and the language used by Player A is Japanese, while the language used by Player B is English. In this case, when the chat function is executed with Player B selected as the message recipient on the user terminal 200 of Player A, an inquiry image IP asking whether to set the language for receiving messages to the language used by Player A, icons for answering that the language used by Player A should be set, etc. are displayed on the user terminal 200 of Player B. When the icon is tapped, the language for Player B to receive messages is changed to Japanese, which is the language used by Player A. Then, on the user terminal 200 of Player A on the sending side, a chat object CO with the message content written in Japanese, which is the language used by Player A, is displayed. When the chat object CO is tapped, on the user terminal 200 of Player B on the receiving side, the message of the chat object CO may be displayed in Japanese, which is the language used by Player B on the sending side. When configured as described above, it is possible to meet the need of the receiving-side player to receive messages in the language used by the sending-side player, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in interest in language settings.

[0079] (1-2) Also, for example, both the language used by the sending-side player for sending messages and the language used by the receiving-side player for receiving messages may be changed to another language different from the languages used by the sending-side player and the receiving-side player. Specifically, for example, assume that Player A and Player B are matched, and the language used by Player A is Japanese and the language used by Player B is English. In this case, when the chat function is executed with Player B selected as the message recipient on the user terminal 200 of Player A, on the user terminal 200 of Player A, an inquiry image IP asking whether to set the language for sending a message to a specific language other than Japanese and English (for example, Italian), icons for answering that the message is to be set to the specific language, etc. are displayed. On the user terminal 200 of Player B, an inquiry image IP asking whether to set the language for receiving a message to the specific language, icons for answering that the message is to be set to the specific language, etc. are displayed. When the icons on both user terminals 200 are tapped, the language when Player A sends a message and the language when Player B receives a message are changed to the specific language. Then, on the user terminal 200 of Player A on the sending side, a chat object CO with the message content expressed in the specific language is displayed. When the chat object CO is tapped, on the user terminal 200 of Player B on the receiving side, the message of the chat object CO may be displayed in the specific language. When it is done as above, both the player on the sending side and the player on the receiving side can respond to the need to send and receive messages using a language different from their own used language, and it becomes possible to prevent a decline in interest in language settings.

[0080] (1 - 3) Also, for example, a player meeting a predetermined condition may be selected from among a plurality of matched players, and the language used for sending or receiving the message of the player may be changed to the language used by other players.

[0081] (1-3-1) For example, prioritize the languages that can be set by the player, select a player who uses a language with a lower (or higher) priority from the matched players, and change the language that the player uses for sending and receiving messages to the language used by other players, so that the sending and receiving of messages can be performed. Specifically, for example, assume that Player A and Player B are matched, and the language used by Player A is Japanese and the language used by Player B is English. Also, as the priority of languages, the priority of English is set higher than that of Japanese, and for a player who uses a language with a relatively lower priority as the language for sending and receiving messages, it is determined that the language used for sending and receiving messages can be changed to the language used by a player who uses a language with a relatively higher priority. In this case, when the chat function is executed with Player B selected as the message recipient on the user terminal 200 of Player A, an inquiry image IP asking whether to change the language for sending messages to the English language used by Player B (a player who uses a language with a higher priority than Player A) and icons for answering to change to the language used by Player B are displayed on the user terminal 200 of Player A, which uses Japanese with a lower priority as the language. When the icon is tapped, the language for Player A to send messages is changed to English, which is the language used by Player B. Then, a chat object CO with the message content written in English, which is the language used by Player B, is displayed on the user terminal 200 of the sending-side Player A, and when the chat object CO is tapped, on the user terminal 200 of the receiving-side Player B, the message of the chat object CO may be displayed in English, which is the language used by the receiving-side Player B. When it is done as above, it is possible to meet the need of the player to execute the sending and receiving of messages using a language different from their own used language, and it is possible to prevent the decline in interest in language settings.

[0082] (1-3-2) Also, for example, based on various parameters such as the number of times of participating in a battle event, the number of victories (losses) in a battle event, the experience points that can be obtained based on the execution of a battle event, the rank assigned according to the experience points, the number of benefits such as items that can be obtained based on the execution of a battle event, the number of times of sending messages, the type of character, the number of times of changing the language used, and the period during which the application is installed, etc., a player who changes the language used may be selected. Specifically, for example, for a player with a relatively small number of times of participating in a battle event, the language used for sending and receiving messages may be changed to the language used by a player with a relatively large number of times of participating in a battle event so that the sending and receiving of messages can be performed. Also, for example, if priorities are set for the types of characters, for a player using a character with a relatively low priority, the language used for sending and receiving messages may be changed to the language used by a player using a character with a relatively high priority so that the sending and receiving of messages can be performed. Even when done as above, it is possible to meet the need of the player to execute the sending and receiving of messages using a language different from their own language, and it is possible to prevent the decrease in interest in the language setting.

[0083] (1-3-3) Also, for example, when there are three or more matched players, a player whose language used for sending and receiving messages is changed may be selected based on the number of players who have set the language. Specifically, for example, for a player using a language with a small (or large) number of set users, the language used for sending and receiving messages may be changed to the language used by a player using a language with a large (or small) number of set users so that the sending and receiving of messages can be performed. More specifically, for example, assume that Player A, Player B, Player C, and Player D are matched, and the languages used by Player A, Player B, and Player C are all Japanese, while the language used by Player D is English. Also, assume that it is determined that for a player using a language with a small number of set users, the language used for message transmission and reception can be changed to the language used by a player using a language with a large number of set users. In this case, when the chat function is executed with Player D selected as the message recipient on the user terminal 200 of Player A, a query image IP asking whether to set the language for receiving messages on the user terminal 200 of Player D, who uses a language with a small number of set users (English in this example), to the language used by Player A (a player using a language with a large number of set users (Japanese in this example)), and icons for answering to set the language to that used by Player A are displayed. When the icon is tapped, the language for Player D to receive messages is changed to Japanese, which is the language used by Player A. Then, on the user terminal 200 of the sending-side Player A, a chat object CO with the message content written in Japanese, which is the language used by Player A, is displayed. When the chat object CO is tapped, on the user terminal 200 of the receiving-side Player D, the message of the chat object CO may be displayed in Japanese, which is the language used by the sending-side Player A. Even in the above case, it is possible to meet the needs of players who want to send and receive messages using a language different from their own language, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in interest in language settings.

[0084] (2) In the above-described embodiment, when the language used by the player on the transmission side does not match the language used by the player on the reception side, on the premise that the language used by the player on the transmission side for message transmission is changed to the language used by the player on the reception side, an inquiry image IP asking whether to use the language of the player on the reception side is displayed on the user terminal 200 of the player on the transmission side. However, the control regarding the display of the inquiry image IP and the change of the language used for message transmission and reception is not limited to this. For example, when the language used by the player on the transmission side does not match the language used by the player on the reception side, an inquiry image IP asking whether to use the language of the other party for message transmission and reception is displayed on the user terminals 200 of both players. For the player who has previously answered to use the language of the other party, the language used for message transmission and reception may be changed to the language of the other party described above so that message transmission and reception can be performed. Even when it is done as described above, the player can respond to the need to execute message transmission and reception using a language different from its own used language, and it becomes possible to prevent a decrease in interest in language settings.

[0085] (3) For a player whose language used for message transmission and reception is changed to the language of the other party, benefits such as items and virtual currency that can be used within the battle event may be granted. When it is done as described above, it is possible to enhance the motivation to change one's own used language in message transmission and reception, and it becomes possible to prevent a decrease in interest in language settings.

[0086] (4) When the language used for message transmission and reception is changed, even after the message transmission and reception are completed, the language may be set as the default used language, and the display on various screens may be performed in the used language. Also, after the message transmission and reception are completed, an image for inquiring whether to change back to the original language may be displayed. When an answer indicating not to change to the original language is input, the changed language may be set as the default used language. Even when configured as described above, the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment are achieved.

[0087] (5) In the above-described embodiment, when the chat function is executed (when the icon I5 is tapped in a state where the player who is the opponent for sending a message on the user terminal 200 is selected), control regarding the display of the inquiry image IP and the change of the language used for sending and receiving messages is executed. However, the timing of executing such control is not limited to this. For example, in the case where there are two matched players, control regarding the display of the inquiry image IP and the change of the language used for sending and receiving messages may be executed at the point when the matching is completed. Even when configured as described above, the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment are achieved.

[0088] (Another form of the chat function) In the chat function of the above-described embodiment, when the language used by the sending-side player and the language used by the receiving-side player do not match, an inquiry is made to the sending-side player as to whether to use the language used by the receiving-side player for message sending. When an affirmative answer is received, the language used for message sending is changed to the language used by the receiving-side player, and the chat function is set to send and receive messages in the language used by the receiving-side player. However, the mode of the chat function is not limited to this. Other forms of the chat function will be described below.

[0089] (Another form 1) In another form 1, when the chat function is executed (when the icon I5 is tapped in a state where the player of the opponent to whom the message is to be sent at the user terminal 200 is selected), if the language used by the player who sends the message does not match the language used by the player who receives the message, at the user terminal 200 of the sending player, without displaying an inquiry asking whether to use the language of the receiving player as in the above embodiment, a chat object CO in which the message is written in the language of the receiving player is displayed, and a chat object CO in which the message is written in the language of the sending player is also displayed (see Fig. 13(a)).

[0090] Then, when the chat object CO in which the message is written in the language of the receiving player is tapped, at the user terminal 200 of the receiving player, the message of the chat object CO is displayed in the language of the receiving player (see Fig. 13(b)). On the other hand, when the chat object CO in which the message is written in the language of the sending player is tapped, at the user terminal 200 of the receiving player, the message of the chat object CO is displayed in the language of the sending player.

[0091] For example, in a battle event, assume that player A and player B are matched, the language used by player A is Japanese, and the language used by player B is English. Also assume that a chat object CO in which a message with the meaning of "Thank you" is displayed, a chat object CO in which a message with the meaning of "Amazing" is displayed, and a chat object CO in which a message with the meaning of "Don't worry about it" is displayed can be sent. In this case, when the matching of player A and player B is completed, it is determined whether the language used by player A and the language used by player B match, and a determination result is obtained that the languages used by both players do not match. For example, when the icon I5 is tapped (the chat function is executed) in the user terminal 200 of player A with player B selected as the message transmission destination in the user terminal 200 of player A, as shown in FIG. 13(a), the user terminal 200 (the user terminal 200 of player A, which is the message transmission side) displays a chat object CO that can be transmitted to player B, a chat object COE1 with a message written in English as "Thank you" and a chat object COJ1 with a message written in Japanese as "Thank you" separately side by side, a chat object COE2 with a message written in English as "Wow" and a chat object COJ2 with a message written in Japanese as "Amazing" separately side by side, and a chat object COE3 with a message written in English as "Do not mind" and a chat object COJ3 with a message written in Japanese as "Don't worry" separately side by side. 13(b), for example, when chat object COE2 is tapped on the user terminal 200 of player A, a message written in English as "Wow" is displayed on the user terminal 200 of player B, who is the message recipient. Also, although not shown in the figure, for example, when chat object COJ1 is tapped on the user terminal 200 of player A, a message written in Japanese as "Thank you" is displayed on the user terminal 200 of player B, who is the message recipient.

[0092] That is, in the above example, although the language used by player A on the message sending side is set to Japanese, as chat objects CO that can be sent to player B, both a chat object CO in which the message is written in English, which is the language used by player B, and a chat object CO in which the message is displayed in Japanese, which is the language used by player A, are displayed. In other words, on the user terminal 200 of player A on the message sending side, although the language used is set to Japanese, when sending a message to player B, the language used for this transmission (the language used for displaying the message of the chat object CO that can be sent) is changed to English, which is the language used by player B on the receiving side, and Japanese, which is the language used by player A on the sending side, can also be used.

[0093] Also, for example, in a battle event, assume that player A, player B, and player C are matched, the language used by player A is English, the language used by player B is Italian, and the language used by player C is Japanese. Also, similar to the above, assume that a chat object CO in which a message with the meaning content of "Thank you", a chat object CO in which a message with the meaning content of "Amazing", and a chat object CO in which a message with the meaning content of "Don't worry about it" can be sent. In this case, when the matching of Player A, Player B, and Player C is completed, it is determined whether the languages used by Player A, Player B, and Player C match, and a determination result is obtained that the languages used by Player A, Player B, and Player C do not match. For example, when the icon I5 is tapped (when the chat function is executed) with Player B selected as the message recipient on the user terminal 200 of Player A, although not particularly shown, on the user terminal 200 (the user terminal 200 of Player A who is the message sender), as chat objects CO that can be sent to Player B, a chat object COI1 of a message written in Italian as "Grazie" and a chat object COE1 of a message written in English as "Thank you" are separately arranged and displayed, a chat object COI2 of a message written in Italian as "Molto" and a chat object COE2 of a message written in English as "Wow" are separately arranged and displayed, and a chat object COI3 of a message written in Italian as "Non importa" and a chat object COE3 of a message written in English as "Do not mind" are separately arranged and displayed. Then, for example, when the chat object COI2 is tapped on the user terminal 200 of Player A, a message written in Italian as "Molto" is displayed on the user terminal 200 of Player B who is the message recipient. Also, although not particularly shown, for example, when the chat object COE1 is tapped on the user terminal 200 of Player A, a message written in English as "Thank you" is displayed on the user terminal 200 of Player B who is the message recipient.

[0094] That is, in the above example, although the language used by player A on the message sending side is set to English, as chat objects CO that can be sent to player B, both a chat object CO in which the message is written in Italian, which is the language used by player B, and a chat object CO in which the message is displayed in English, which is the language used by player A, are displayed. In other words, on the user terminal 200 of player A on the message sending side, although the language used is set to English, when sending a message to player B, the language used for this transmission (the language used for displaying the message of the chat object CO that can be sent) is changed to Italian, which is the language used by player B on the receiving side, and at the same time, English, which is the language used by player A on the sending side, can also be used.

[0095] As described above, in another form 1, when the language used by the player on the sending side and the language used by the player on the receiving side do not match, the language used for message transmission is changed to the language used by the player on the receiving side, and the message can be sent and received in the language used by the player on the receiving side, and the message can also be sent and received in the language used by the player on the sending side. Thereby, it is possible to meet the need for the player on the sending side to execute message transmission using the language of the player on the receiving side, and it is possible to prevent a decline in interest in language settings.

[0096] (Modification example) Hereinafter, a modification example of another form 1 will be described. (1) In the above-described other form 1, when a message is sent according to the language used by the player on the receiving side (when tapping on a chat object CO in which the message is displayed in the language used by the player on the receiving side), on the user terminal 200 of the player on the receiving side, the message is displayed only in the language used by the player on the receiving side. Also, when a message is sent according to the language used by the player on the sending side (when tapping on a chat object CO in which the message is displayed in the language used by the player on the sending side), on the user terminal 200 of the player on the receiving side, the message was to be displayed only in the language used by the player on the sending side. However, the display mode of the message is not limited to this.

[0097] For example, when a message is sent according to the language used by the player on the receiving side, on the user terminal 200 of the player on the receiving side, the message may be displayed in the language used by the player on the receiving side and also in the language used by the player on the sending side. Also, when a message is sent according to the language used by the player on the sending side, on the user terminal 200 of the player on the receiving side, the message may be displayed in the language used by the player on the sending side and also in the language used by the player on the receiving side. Also, when a message is sent according to the language used by the player on the receiving side, on the user terminal 200 of the player on the receiving side, the message may be displayed only in the language used by the player on the sending side. Also, when a message is sent according to the language used by the player on the sending side, on the user terminal 200 of the player on the receiving side, the message may be displayed only in the language used by the player on the receiving side. Even when done as above, it is possible to meet the needs of players who want to send and receive messages using a language different from their own used language, and it becomes possible to prevent a decline in interest in language settings.

[0098] (2) In the above-described other form 1, on the user terminal 200 of the player on the sending side, as chat objects CO that can be sent to the player on the receiving side, a chat object CO with a message displayed in the language used by the player on the receiving side and a chat object CO with a message displayed in the language used by the player on the sending side were displayed. However, the chat objects CO to be displayed are not limited to these.

[0099] For example, on the user terminal 200 of the player on the sending side, a chat object CO with a message displayed in the language used by the player on the receiving side and a chat object CO with a message displayed in another language different from both the language used by the player on the sending side and the language used by the player on the receiving side may be displayed. When the chat object CO with a message displayed in another language is tapped, on the user terminal 200 of the player on the receiving side, the message may be displayed in the above-described other language. Even when configured as above, it is possible to meet the need of the player to send and receive messages using a language different from their own used language, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in interest in language settings.

[0100] (3) In the above-described other form 1, on the user terminal 200 of the player on the sending side, a chat object CO with a message displayed in the language used by the player on the receiving side and a chat object CO with a message displayed in the language used by the player on the sending side were each separately displayed. However, the display mode of the chat object CO is not limited to this.

[0101] For example, a chat object CO on which both a message in the language used by the receiving player and a message in the language used by the sending player are displayed may be displayed on the user terminal 200 of the sending player. In this case, when the object CO is tapped, the message in the language used by the receiving player or the message in the language used by the sending player may be displayed on the user terminal 200 of the receiving player. More specifically, for example, suppose that player A and player B are matched in a battle event, and player A's language is Japanese and player B's language is English. Although not particularly illustrated, when player A sends a message to player B, the user terminal 200 of player A on the sending side may display, as chat objects CO that can be sent to player B, a chat object CO including both the message "Thank you" written in English and the message "Thank you" written in Japanese, a chat object CO including both the message "Wow" written in English and the message "Awesome" written in Japanese, and a chat object CO including both the message "Do not mind" written in English and the message "Don't worry about it" in Japanese. When the chat object CO including both the message "Thank you" written in English and the message "Thank you" written in Japanese is tapped, the user terminal of player B on the receiving side may display the message "Thank you" written in English (the message written in the language of the receiving player), or the message "Thank you" written in Japanese (the message written in the language of the sending player). In the above-described manner, it is possible to meet the needs of the player who wishes to send and receive messages in a language different from the language he or she uses, and to prevent a decline in interest in language settings.

[0102] (4) Also, for example, when there are three or more matched players and the languages used by the matched players do not match, the display on the user terminal 200 of the player on the sending side and the display on the user terminal 200 of the player on the receiving side may be controlled as follows. When any player sends a message (executes the chat function), on the user terminal 200 of the player (the player on the sending side), a chat object CO with messages in each language used is displayed, and then the player who will receive the message can be selected. When the player who will receive the message (the player on the receiving side) is selected, on the user terminal 200 of the player on the sending side, the chat object CO with the message in the language used by the player on the sending side and the chat object CO other than the chat object CO with the message in the language used by the player on the receiving side are deleted. When the chat object CO with the message in the language used by the player on the sending side is tapped, on the user terminal 200 of the player on the receiving side, the message may be displayed in the language used by the player on the sending side, or the message may be displayed in the language used by the player on the receiving side together with the said display. Also, when the chat object CO with the message in the language used by the player on the receiving side is tapped, on the user terminal 200 of the player on the receiving side, the message may be displayed in the language used by the player on the receiving side, or the message may be displayed in the language used by the player on the sending side together with the said display.

[0103] Specifically, for example, suppose that player A, player B, and player C are matched in a competitive event, and player A's language is Japanese, player B's language is English, and player C's language is Italian. Although not particularly shown, in this case, when player A sends a message, a chat object COJ1 with a message written in Japanese as "Thank you," a chat object COE1 with a message written in English as "Thank you," and a chat object COI1 with a message written in Italian as "Grazie" are displayed side by side, a chat object COJ2 with a message written in Japanese as "Awesome," a chat object COE2 with a message written in English as "Wow," and a chat object COI2 with a message written in Italian as "Molto" are displayed side by side, and a chat object COJ3 with a message written in Japanese as "Don't worry," a chat object COE3 with a message written in English as "Do not mind," and a chat object COI3 with a message written in Italian as "Non importa" are displayed side by side, respectively. Thereafter, when player A selects player B as the receiving player, chat objects COI1, COI2, and COI3, which are chat objects CO with messages written in Italian, are erased. Then, for example, when the displayed chat object COE1 is tapped, the user terminal 200 of player B (the receiving player) may display a message written in English, such as "Thank you," or may display the message written in Japanese, such as "Thank you." Furthermore, for example, when the displayed chat object COJ2 is tapped, the user terminal 200 of player B (the receiving player) may display a message written in Japanese, such as "Amazing," or may display the message written in English, such as "Wow." Even when configured as described above, it is possible to meet the need for the player to send and receive messages in a language different from their own language, and it is possible to prevent a decline in interest in language settings.

[0104] (5) In the case of (4) above, the sending player may be configured to be able to select a plurality of receiving players and send messages to the plurality of players all at once. Even when configured in this way, the same control as in (4) above may be executed for the display on the user terminal 200 of each receiving player. Even when configured as described above, it is possible to meet the need for the player to send and receive messages in a language different from their own language, and it is possible to prevent a decline in interest in language settings.

[0105] (6) Regarding the modification of the above embodiment, it can also be applied to other forms 1 within a non - contradictory range.

[0106] (Other form 2) In other form 2, when the chat function is executed (when the icon I5 is tapped in a state where the player of the opponent in the game who sends a message on the user terminal 200 is selected), if the language used by the player who sends the message does not match the language used by the player who receives the message, on the user terminal 200 of the sending player, without displaying an inquiry asking whether to use the language of the receiving player as in the above embodiment, a chat object CO in which the message is written in the language of the receiving player is displayed, and at the same time, a display of the message in the language used by the sending player (hereinafter also referred to as translation display TD) is performed (see Fig. 14(a)). Note that, unlike the chat object CO, for the translation display TD, tapping does not send a message.

[0107] When the chat object CO is tapped, on the user terminal 200 of the receiving player, the message of the chat object CO is displayed in the language used by the receiving player (see Fig. 14(b)).

[0108] For example, in a battle event, assume that player A and player B are matched, the language used by player A is Japanese, and the language used by player B is English. Also assume that chat objects CO with messages having the meaning of "Thank you", chat objects CO with messages having the meaning of "Amazing", and chat objects CO with messages having the meaning of "Don't worry about it" can be sent. In this case, once matching between player A and player B is completed, a determination is made as to whether the language used by player A and the language used by player B match, and the determination result is that the languages used by both players do not match. For example, when icon I5 is tapped on user terminal 200 of player A with player B selected as the recipient of a message (when the chat function is executed), as shown in FIG. 14(a), a chat object COE1 with a message written in English as "Thank you" is displayed on user terminal 200 (user terminal 200 of player A who is the message sender), along with a Japanese translation display TD of the message "Thank you" (text display of "Thank you") separate from chat object COE1, a chat object COE2 with a message written in English as "Wow" is displayed, along with a Japanese translation display TD of the message "Wow" (text display of "Amazing") separate from chat object COE2, and a chat object COE3 with a message written in English as "Do not mind" is displayed, along with a Japanese translation display TD of the message "Do not mind" (text display of "Don't worry") separate from chat object COE3. Then, as shown in FIG. 14(b), for example, when chat object COE2 is tapped on user terminal 200 of player A, a message written in English as "Wow" is displayed on user terminal 200 of player B, who is the message recipient.

[0109] That is, in the above example, although the language used by player A on the message sending side is set to Japanese, as the chat object CO that can be sent to player B, a chat object CO in which the message is written in English, which is the language used by player B, is displayed, and a translated display TD of the message in Japanese is separately performed. In other words, on the user terminal 200 of player A on the message sending side, although the language used is set to Japanese, when sending a message to player B, the language used for this transmission (the language used for displaying the message of the chat object CO that can be sent) is changed to English, which is the language used by player B on the receiving side.

[0110] Also, for example, in a battle event, assume that player A, player B, and player C are matched, the language used by player A is English, the language used by player B is Italian, and the language used by player C is Japanese. Also, similar to the above, assume that chat objects CO in which messages with the meaning content of "Thank you", chat objects CO in which messages with the meaning content of "Amazing", and chat objects CO in which messages with the meaning content of "Don't worry about it" are displayed can be sent. In this case, when the matching of Player A, Player B, and Player C is completed, it is determined whether the languages used by Player A, Player B, and Player C match, and a determination result is obtained that the languages used by Player A, Player B, and Player C do not match. For example, when the icon I5 is tapped (when the chat function is executed) with Player B selected as the message recipient on the user terminal 200 of Player A, although not particularly shown, on the user terminal 200 (the user terminal 200 of Player A who is the message sender), a chat object COI1 of a message written in Italian as "Grazie" is displayed, and separately from the chat object COI1, a translation display TD of the message "Grazie" in English (display of the characters "Thank you") is performed. A chat object COI2 of a message written in Italian as "Molt" is displayed, and separately from the chat object COI2, a translation display TD of the message "Molt" in English (display of the characters "Wow") is performed. A chat object COI3 of a message written in Italian as "Non importa" is displayed, and separately from the chat object COI3, a translation display TD of the message "Non importa" in English (display of the characters "Do not mind") is performed. Then, for example, when the chat object COI2 is tapped on the user terminal 200 of Player A, a message written in Italian as "Molto" is displayed on the user terminal 200 of Player B who is the message recipient.

[0111] That is, in the above example, although the language used by player A on the message sending side is set to English, as the chat object CO that can be sent to player B, a chat object CO in which the message is written in Italian, which is the language used by player B, is displayed, and a translated display TD of the message in English is separately performed. In other words, on the user terminal 200 of player A on the message sending side, although the language used is set to English, when sending a message to player B, the language used for this transmission (the language used for displaying the message of the chat object CO that can be sent) is changed to Italian, which is the language used by player B on the receiving side.

[0112] As described above, in other form 2, when the language used by the player on the sending side and the language used by the player on the receiving side do not match, the language used for message transmission is changed to the language used by the player on the receiving side, and the message can be sent and received in the language used by the player on the receiving side. On the user terminal 200 of the player on the sending side where the language used for message transmission is changed, a translated display TD of the message in the language used by the player on the sending side is performed. Thereby, it is possible to meet the need for the player on the sending side to execute message transmission using the language of the player on the receiving side, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in interest in language settings.

[0113] (Modification example) Hereinafter, a modification example of other form 2 will be described. (1) In the above other form 2, similar to the above embodiment, when the language used by the player on the sending side and the language used by the player on the receiving side do not match, the player on the sending side changes the language used for message transmission to the language used by the player on the receiving side. However, the mode of language change in the above case is not limited to this.

[0114] (1-1) For example, similar to (1-1) in the modification of the above embodiment, after changing the language used by the receiving player for message reception to the language used by the transmitting player, similar to the above other form 2, in the user terminal 200 of the receiving player where the language used for message reception is changed, the translated display TD of the message in the language used by the receiving player may be performed.

[0115] Specifically, for example, assume that player A and player B are matched, and the language used by player A is Japanese and the language used by player B is English. In this case, when the chat function is executed with player B selected as the message transmission partner in the user terminal 200 of player A, a chat object CO with the message written in Japanese, which is the language used by player A, is displayed on the user terminal 200 of the transmitting player A. Then, when the chat object CO is tapped, the language for player B to receive the message is changed to Japanese, which is the language used by player A. In the user terminal 200 of the receiving player B, the message of the chat object CO is displayed in Japanese, which is the language used by the transmitting player B, and the translated display TD of the above message in English, which is the language used by the receiving player, may be performed.

[0116] When it is done as above, it is possible to meet the need for the receiving player to execute message reception using the language of the transmitting player, and it is possible to prevent a decline in interest in language settings.

[0117] (1-2) Also, with the same content as (1-2) to (1-3) in the modification of the above embodiment, the player may change the language used for message transmission and reception. Even when it is done in this way, similar to the above other form 2, in the user terminal 200 of the player where the language used for message transmission and reception is changed, the translated display TD of the message in the language used by the player may be performed.

[0118] Even when configured as described above, the player can meet the need to send and receive messages in a language different from their own, and it becomes possible to prevent a decrease in interest in language settings.

[0119] (2) In the above-described other form 2, the translated display TD of the message was performed separately from the chat object CO, but the mode of the translated display TD of the message is not limited to this. For example, the translated display TD of the message may be performed within the chat object CO. Even when configured as described above, it becomes possible to prevent a decrease in interest in language settings.

[0120] (3) Regarding the modified examples of the above-described embodiments and the modified examples of the above-described other form 1, they can also be applied to the other form 2 within a non - conflicting range.

[0121] (Other form 3) In other form 3, when the chat function is executed (when the icon I5 is tapped in a state where the player of the opponent to whom the message is to be sent at the user terminal 200 is selected), if the language used by the player who sends the message does not match the language used by the player who receives the message, on the user terminal 200 of the sending - side player, without displaying an inquiry asking whether to use the language of the receiving - side player as in the above - described embodiment, the chat object CO in which the message is expressed in the language of the receiving - side player is automatically displayed. That is, other form 3 is different from the above - described embodiment in that the above - mentioned inquiry display is not performed, and since other controls are the same as those in the above - described embodiment, the description is omitted. Regarding the modified examples of the above - described embodiments, the modified examples of the above - described other form 1, and the modified examples of the above - described other form 2, they can also be applied to other form 3 within a non - conflicting range.

[0122] (Others) (1) In the above-described embodiments, other forms, and modification examples, the language setting function provided in the game itself enables the setting of the language used for each player. However, the setting of the language used is not limited to this. For example, in a platform that provides a plurality of games, if a language setting function is provided that enables the language used to be set collectively for a plurality of games on the platform for each player, the language used for each player may be set by this language setting function. And even when the language used is set by such a language setting function, various controls such as those in the above-described embodiments, other forms, and modification examples may be executed.

[0123] (2) Each process in the above-described embodiments, other forms, and modification examples may be executed on at least one of the server 100 and the user terminal, and the execution timing and the device that executes it are not particularly limited. Also, the functions of the server 100 may be provided in one server 100 in its entirety, or may be distributed and provided in a plurality of servers 100.

[0124] (3) In the above-described embodiments, other forms, and modification examples, a smartphone is used as the user terminal 200, and the game can be executed by a dedicated application installed on the user terminal 200. However, the type of the user terminal 200 and the tool for executing the game are not limited to this. For example, a personal computer may be used as the user terminal 200, or the game may be executed by a general web browser.

[0125] (4) In the above-described embodiments, other forms, and modification examples, operations such as tapping on the touch panel 262 of the smartphone enable the execution of processes for inputting and selecting various information. However, the operation modes for performing these processes are not limited to the above content. For example, when a personal computer is used as the user terminal 200, the above processes may be executed by operations such as clicking, dragging, and dropping with a mouse.

[0126] (5) Although the information processing system S in the above-described embodiment, the above-described other forms, and the above-described modification examples provides a game, for example, in an information processing system S that provides an image distribution service, controls similar to those in the above-described embodiment, the above-described other forms, and the above-described modification examples may be executed. That is, in the image distribution service, regarding the language used by the distributor when distributing images to viewers and the language used by the viewers when viewing images, controls similar to the above may be executed.

[0127] (6) A program for executing the processing in the above-described embodiment, the above-described other forms, and the above-described modification examples may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium and provided as the storage medium. Further, the above-described embodiment, the above-described other forms, and the above-described modification examples may be not a client-server type information processing system S, but an information processing apparatus that stores the above program and can execute processing similar to that of the information processing system S alone, or may be an information processing method for realizing each function and the steps shown in the flowchart.

[0128] Note that the execution of the chat function (transmission and reception of messages) in the above-described embodiment corresponds to an example of a predetermined event of the present invention. The language control unit 292 in the above-described embodiment corresponds to an example of the language control means of the present invention. The inquiry control unit 290 that displays the inquiry image IP in the above-described embodiment corresponds to an example of the inquiry execution means of the present invention. The icons I6 and I7 in the above-described embodiment correspond to an example of the answer input means of the present invention. The chat object CO in which the messages in the above-described embodiment and the above-described other forms are displayed corresponds to an example of the message of the present invention. The message transmission control unit 294 in the above-described embodiment and the above-described other forms corresponds to an example of the message transmission means of the present invention. The message reception control unit 296 in the above-described embodiment and the above-described other forms corresponds to an example of the message reception means of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0129] S Information processing system 100 Server 188 Matching processing execution unit 190 Language determination unit 200 User terminal 290 Inquiry control unit 292 Language control unit 294 Message transmission control unit 296 Message reception control unit

Claims

1. Language control means that can be used for message transmission and reception and executes processing related to a language that can be set for each user, causing a computer to function as message transmission means capable of executing message transmission, wherein the language control means is a program capable of executing processing related to changing the language setting for at least one of a user and another user when the language setting for one user and the language setting for another user among a plurality of users who execute message transmission and reception are different, displaying, in a predetermined display area, a transmission message that can be set to be selectable by one user and is transmitted to another user when a selection operation is performed, a program for displaying, in the predetermined display area, both a first transmission message based on the language set by another user and a second transmission message based on the language set by one user having the same content as the first transmission message in association with each other when the language setting for one user and the language setting for another user are different.

2. Language control means that can be used for message transmission and reception and executes processing related to a language that can be set for each user, causing a computer to function as message transmission means capable of executing message transmission, wherein the language control means is a program capable of executing processing related to changing the language setting for at least one of a user and another user when the language setting for one user and the language setting for another user among a plurality of users who execute message transmission and reception are different, displaying, in a predetermined display area, a transmission message that can be set to be selectable by one user and is transmitted to another user when a selection operation is performed, a program for displaying, in the predetermined display area, both a transmission message based on the language set by another user and a display message based on the language set by one user having the same content as the transmission message but set to be non-selectable in association with each other when the language setting for one user and the language setting for another user are different.

3. Inquiry execution means for inquiring whether to change the language setting for at least one of a user and another user when the language setting for one user and the language setting for another user are different, A computer functions as a response input means capable of inputting a response to an inquiry by the inquiry execution means, The language control means, The program according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the language setting of the user who input the response can be changed based on the input of a response indicating that the language setting is to be changed by the response input means.

Images