Game program, information processing system, information processing device, and game processing method

Abstract

To reflect material in terms of appearance and action occurring in a game, for voxel data-based objects.SOLUTION: An information processing system generates a display mesh based on voxel data. The information processing system generates a voxel update range in a virtual space on the basis of game processing, and updates at least any of density and a material ID for each voxel corresponding to the voxel update range in the voxel data. The information processing system updates the display mesh in accordance with the updated voxel data. The information processing system generates an action in a game according to a material of a determination mesh at a collision position on the basis of collision determination between the determination mesh and a determination shape corresponding to a determination target. The information processing system draws a virtual space including the display mesh on the basis of texture corresponding to the material of the display mesh.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 31

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a game program, an information processing system, an information processing device, and a game processing method for generating objects in a virtual space using voxel data. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, objects are managed using voxel data, and meshes of the objects are generated in a virtual space based on the voxel data (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Marching cubes: A high resolution 3D surface construction algorithm", Computer Graphics, Volume 21, Number 4, WE Lorensen, HE Cline, 1987 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In games, it is desirable to reflect materials in the appearance of objects and the actions that occur in the game.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a game program, an information processing system, an information processing device, and a game processing method that can execute a game in which materials are reflected in the appearance and actions that occur in the game of objects based on voxel data. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following configurations (1) to (11).

[0007] (1) An example of the present invention is a game program that causes a computer of an information processing device to perform the following processes. A process of generating a display mesh that corresponds to the voxel data and is rendered based on a virtual camera, based on voxel data that is defined in a virtual space and in which, for each of a plurality of voxels, at least a density indicating the degree to which the space defined by the voxel is virtually occupied by content and a material ID indicating the type of content, the material ID being settable up to a first plurality of material IDs, the display mesh being generated based on the voxel data, the vertex coordinates of the display mesh being determined based on at least the density included in the voxel data, and the material of the display mesh being determined by setting one or more material IDs to each of a plurality of polygons included in the display mesh, based on at least the plurality of material IDs included in the voxel data. -Processing to generate voxel update range in virtual space based on game processing - Processing to update at least one of the density and material ID for each voxel in the voxel data that corresponds to the voxel update range in virtual space according to the generation of the voxel update range. - Processing to update the display mesh according to the updated voxel data A process for generating an in-game action associated with the material ID set for a polygon in the judgment mesh for which a collision has been detected, based on a collision detection between a judgment mesh used for collision detection in a virtual space, the vertex coordinates of which are determined based at least on the density included in the voxel data, and the material of which is determined by setting one material ID for each of a plurality of polygons included in the judgment mesh based at least on a plurality of material IDs included in the voxel data, and a detection shape corresponding to a detection target based on game processing. A process for drawing a virtual space including a display mesh by drawing the polygons based on texture mapping that blends one or more textures associated with each material ID set for each polygon included in the display mesh.

[0008] According to the configuration (1) above, the polygons of the display mesh can be displayed with an appearance based on the multiple materials set for the voxels, and for the judgment mesh, the processing performed according to the results of collision judgment using the judgment mesh can be prevented from becoming complicated.

[0009] (2) In the above configuration (1), the game program may cause the computer to execute the following processing based on material data that includes at least drawing setting information including at least texture information set for the material, and property information indicating the in-game action set for the material, for each type of material corresponding to the material ID. -Processing that generates in-game actions based on the property information corresponding to the material ID set for the polygons in the judgment mesh where collision was detected A process for drawing a virtual space including a display mesh by drawing the polygons based on texture mapping that blends one or more textures based on the texture information included in the drawing setting information corresponding to each material ID set for each polygon included in the display mesh.

[0010] According to the above configuration (2), the material set for the voxel can determine the in-game action that occurs when a collision is detected, and can also determine the appearance of the object based on the voxel.

[0011] (3) In the above configuration (1) or (2), the game program may further cause the computer to execute the following process. Processing to control the player character based on operational input - Processing to reduce the stamina set for the player character when the material ID of the polygon in the judgment mesh where the collision was detected includes the first material ID based on the collision between the judgment shape corresponding to the player character and the judgment mesh.

[0012] According to the above configuration (3), the physical strength of the player character can be reduced depending on whether the type of material set for the polygon in the determination mesh where collision has been determined is a predetermined type. Note that even if the voxel object is deformed, the physical strength of the player character can be reduced as long as the predetermined material is set for the part of the determination mesh where collision has been determined (i.e., the polygon).

[0013] (4) In any of the above configurations (1) to (3), the game program may further cause the computer to control the player character based on an operation input, and to execute the following process based on a predetermined operation input. Process of making the player character perform the first action A process for generating a first voxel update range from among multiple types of voxel update ranges for a predetermined direction from the player character. A process of decreasing the density of at least a portion of voxels corresponding to the first voxel update range. A process of generating a first object having the same material ID set for the material ID of the material with the highest priority set in advance among the material IDs set for polygons in at least one judgment mesh that comes into contact with a judgment shape set in a predetermined direction from the player character.

[0014] According to the above configuration (4), when the player character performs the first action, the player can be given the impression that a fragment of an object identical to the voxel object is obtained from the voxel object.

[0015] (5) In the above configuration (4), the game program may further cause the computer to control the player character based on an operation input, and to execute the following process based on a predetermined operation input. -Processing to make the player character perform a second action A process for generating a second voxel update range from multiple types of voxel update ranges for a given direction from the player character. A process of decreasing the density of at least a portion of voxels corresponding to the second voxel update range. A process to generate the first object with the same material ID as the material ID that has the greatest decrease in density of the corresponding voxel among the material IDs contained in the voxels corresponding to the second voxel update range.

[0016] According to the above configuration (5), when the player character performs the second action, the player can be given the impression that he or she is obtaining fragments of an object identical to the voxel object, just as when the player character performs the first action.

[0017] (6) In the above configuration (5), the game program may further cause the computer to execute the following process. A process of generating a first object in a state where the first object is held by a player character based on a first action. A process of generating the first object without the player character having it based on the second action. A process of making the player character take an action to acquire a first object that the player character does not have, as a third action in response to a predetermined operation input. A process of having the player character perform an action of throwing the first object that the player character is holding in a predetermined direction as a fourth action in response to a predetermined operation input.

[0018] According to the above configuration (6), the player can make the player character perform the action of releasing an object in two ways.

[0019] (7) In the above configuration (6), the game program may cause the computer to execute the following process. The process of generating the third voxel update range based on the collision between the first object released in response to the fourth action and the judgment mesh. - Updating the density or material ID of at least some of the voxels corresponding to the third voxel update range.

[0020] According to the above configuration (7), an action of releasing an object can cause an in-game action to occur on a voxel object.

[0021] (8) In the above configuration (7), the game program may cause the computer to change the material ID of the voxel corresponding to the third voxel update range to the material ID of the first object, and increase the density of the voxel to a predetermined value.

[0022] According to the above configuration (8), it is possible to give the player the impression that the first object released by the player character has attached to the voxel object.

[0023] (9) In any of the above configurations (2) to (8), the material data may further include a material name for each type of material. The game program may further cause the computer to execute the following process. - Processing to control the aim direction in virtual space based on operational input -Processing to display the material name corresponding to the material ID of the polygon in the mesh used to determine the aim position corresponding to the aim direction

[0024] According to the above configuration (9), it is possible to present to the player the material name of the voxel object designated by the player's operation input.

[0025] (10) In any of the above configurations (6) to (8), the game program may further cause the computer to execute the following process. The process of controlling the aim direction, which is the direction in which the first object moves in response to the fourth action, based on operational input. -Processing to detect collision between the aim direction and the mesh for detection A process of generating a game image including at least an image of a virtual space including a display mesh and an image of a material name corresponding to the material ID of a polygon in a determination mesh for an aim position corresponding to the aim direction, by drawing the polygon based on texture mapping that is a blend of one or more textures based on the texture information included in the drawing setting information corresponding to each material ID, which is set for each polygon included in a display mesh based on material data that includes at least rendering setting information including at least texture information set for the material, property information indicating the in-game action set for the material, and material name, for each type of material corresponding to the material ID

[0026] According to the above configuration (10), when the player character is made to perform an action of releasing an object, it is possible to present to the player the material name of the voxel object onto which the object is to be released.

[0027] (11) In the above configuration (10), the game program may further cause the computer to display information based on the property information together with the material name.

[0028] According to the above feature (11), information on the properties of the material can be presented to the player along with the material name.

[0029] Another example of the present invention may be an information processing device or an information processing system that executes the processes in (1) to (11) above. Also, another example of the present invention may be a game processing method that executes the processes in (1) to (11) above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0030] According to the above game program, information processing system, information processing device, or game processing method, it is possible to reflect materials in the appearance and actions that occur in the game of objects based on voxel data. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an example of the left and right controllers attached to the main unit. [Figure 2] A diagram showing an example of the state when the left controller and right controller are detached from the main unit. [Figure 3] Six-sided views showing an example of the main unit [Figure 4] Six-sided diagram showing an example of the left controller [Figure 5] Six-sided diagram showing an example of the right controller [Figure 6] A block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a main unit. [Figure 7] A block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the main unit, left controller, and right controller. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a terrain object that is a voxel object. [Figure 9]9A and 9B are diagrams showing an example of the state before and after a part of the terrain object shown in FIG. 8 is deleted. [Figure 10] 9A and 9B are diagrams showing an example of the state before and after a part of the terrain object shown in FIG. 8 is deleted. [Figure 11] A diagram showing an example of voxel data [Figure 12] A diagram showing an example of material data [Figure 13] A diagram showing an example of the game space when an update event occurs. [Figure 14] A diagram showing an example of an update range [Figure 15] A diagram showing an example of how to set vertices [Figure 16] A diagram showing one example of how vertex materials are determined [Figure 17] A diagram showing an example of vertex simplification [Figure 18] An example of material conditions [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a mesh generated based on each vertex. [Figure 20] An example of how a mesh quadrilateral is divided into two triangles. [Figure 21] A diagram showing an example of how to determine the material of polygons that make up the display mesh [Figure 22] An example of materials set at each vertex of two adjacent polygons [Figure 23] An example of applying a texture to a polygon [Figure 24] A diagram showing an example of a method for determining the material of polygons that make up the judgment mesh [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a game image showing a player character moving on a terrain object. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a game image showing a player character pulling out a fragment object from a terrain object. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a game image illustrating how a fragment object is generated when a player character destroys a terrain object; [Figure 28] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a game image in a state where a throwing action by a player character is possible; [Figure 29] FIG. 29 shows an example of a game image after a change has been made to the terrain object shown in FIG. 28 due to a debris object coming into contact with the terrain object. [Figure 30] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of various data used in information processing in a game system. [Figure 31] A flowchart showing an example of the flow of game processing executed by the game system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] [1. Game system configuration] A game system according to an example of this embodiment will be described below. An example of the game system 1 according to this embodiment includes a main unit (information processing device; in this embodiment, it functions as a game device main unit) 2, a left controller 3, and a right controller 4. The left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are each detachable from the main unit 2. In other words, the game system 1 can be used as an integrated device by attaching the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 to the main unit 2. The game system 1 can also be used by separating the main unit 2 from the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 (see FIG. 2). Below, the hardware configuration of the game system 1 according to this embodiment will be described, followed by a description of the control of the game system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a left controller 3 and a right controller 4 are attached to a main unit 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are each attached to and integrated with the main unit 2. The main unit 2 is a device that executes various processes (e.g., game processes) in the game system 1. The main unit 2 is equipped with a display 12. The left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are devices that have operation units that allow the user to perform inputs.

[0034] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the state in which the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are detached from the main unit 2. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are detachable from the main unit 2. Note that, below, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 may be collectively referred to as "controllers."

[0035] Fig. 3 is a six-sided view showing an example of the main unit 2. As shown in Fig. 3, the main unit 2 includes a substantially plate-shaped housing 11. In this embodiment, the main surface of the housing 11 (in other words, the front surface, i.e., the surface on which the display 12 is provided) is generally rectangular.

[0036] The shape and size of the housing 11 are arbitrary. As an example, the housing 11 may be of a portable size. Furthermore, the main unit 2 alone or an integrated device in which the left controller 3 and right controller 4 are attached to the main unit 2 may be a portable device. Furthermore, the main unit 2 or the integrated device may be a handheld device. Furthermore, the main unit 2 or the integrated device may be a portable device.

[0037] 3, the main unit 2 includes a display 12 provided on the main surface of the housing 11. The display 12 displays images generated by the main unit 2. In this embodiment, the display 12 is a liquid crystal display (LCD). However, the display 12 may be any type of display device.

[0038] The main device 2 also includes a touch panel 13 on the screen of the display 12. In this embodiment, the touch panel 13 is of a type that allows multi-touch input (for example, a capacitance type). However, the touch panel 13 may be of any type, and may be of a type that allows single-touch input (for example, a resistive type).

[0039] The main unit 2 is provided with a speaker (i.e., speaker 88 shown in FIG. 6) inside the housing 11. As shown in FIG. 3, speaker holes 11a and 11b are formed on the main surface of the housing 11. The output sound of the speaker 88 is output from these speaker holes 11a and 11b, respectively.

[0040] The main unit 2 also has a left terminal 17, which is a terminal for the main unit 2 to communicate with the left controller 3 via a wired connection, and a right terminal 21, which is a terminal for the main unit 2 to communicate with the right controller 4 via a wired connection.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 3, the main unit 2 includes a slot 23. The slot 23 is provided on the upper side of the housing 11. The slot 23 has a shape that allows a predetermined type of storage medium to be inserted therein. The predetermined type of storage medium is, for example, a storage medium (e.g., a dedicated memory card) dedicated to the game system 1 and the same type of information processing device. The predetermined type of storage medium is used, for example, to store data used by the main unit 2 (e.g., application save data, etc.) and / or programs executed by the main unit 2 (e.g., application programs, etc.). The main unit 2 also includes a power button 28.

[0042] The main unit 2 has a lower terminal 27. The lower terminal 27 is a terminal through which the main unit 2 communicates with the cradle. In this embodiment, the lower terminal 27 is a USB connector (more specifically, a female connector). When the all-in-one device or the main unit 2 alone is placed on the cradle, the game system 1 can display images generated and output by the main unit 2 on a stationary monitor. In this embodiment, the cradle also has the function of charging the all-in-one device or the main unit 2 alone that is placed on it. The cradle also has the function of a hub device (specifically, a USB hub).

[0043] FIG. 4 is a six-sided view showing an example of the left controller 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the left controller 3 includes a housing 31. In this embodiment, the housing 31 has a vertically long shape, that is, a shape that is long in the up-down direction (i.e., the y-axis direction shown in FIGS. 1 and 4). The left controller 3 can also be held in a vertically long orientation when detached from the main unit 2. The housing 31 has a shape and size that allows it to be held in one hand, particularly the left hand, when held in a vertically long orientation. The left controller 3 can also be held in a horizontally long orientation. When the left controller 3 is held in a horizontally long orientation, it may be held with both hands.

[0044] The left controller 3 includes an analog stick 32. As shown in FIG. 4, the analog stick 32 is provided on the main surface of the housing 31. The analog stick 32 can be used as a direction input unit that can input directions. By tilting the analog stick 32, the user can input a direction corresponding to the tilt direction (and input a magnitude corresponding to the tilt angle). Note that instead of an analog stick, the left controller 3 may be equipped with a cross key or a slide stick that can perform slide inputs as a direction input unit. In this embodiment, input can be made by pressing the analog stick 32.

[0045] The left controller 3 is equipped with various operation buttons. The left controller 3 is equipped with four operation buttons 33 to 36 (specifically, a right button 33, a down button 34, an up button 35, and a left button 36) on the main surface of the housing 31. The left controller 3 also is equipped with a record button 37 and a - (minus) button 47. The left controller 3 is equipped with a first L button 38 and a ZL button 39 on the upper left of the side of the housing 31. The left controller 3 is also equipped with a second L button 43 and a second R button 44 on the side of the housing 31 that is attached to the main unit 2. These operation buttons are used to issue instructions according to various programs (for example, OS programs and application programs) executed on the main unit 2.

[0046] The left controller 3 also includes a terminal 42 for wired communication between the left controller 3 and the main unit 2.

[0047] FIG. 5 is a six-sided view showing an example of the right controller 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the right controller 4 includes a housing 51. In this embodiment, the housing 51 has a vertically long shape, that is, a shape that is long in the up-down direction. The right controller 4 can also be held in a vertically long orientation when detached from the main unit 2. The housing 51 has a shape and size that allows it to be held in one hand, particularly the right hand, when held in a vertically long orientation. The right controller 4 can also be held in a horizontally long orientation. When the right controller 4 is held in a horizontally long orientation, it may be held with both hands.

[0048] Like the left controller 3, the right controller 4 is equipped with an analog stick 52 as a directional input unit. In this embodiment, the analog stick 52 has the same configuration as the analog stick 32 of the left controller 3. The right controller 4 may also be equipped with a cross key or a slide stick that allows slide input, instead of an analog stick. Like the left controller 3, the right controller 4 is equipped with four operation buttons 53 to 56 (specifically, an A button 53, a B button 54, an X button 55, and a Y button 56) on the main surface of the housing 51. The right controller 4 is also equipped with a + (plus) button 57 and a home button 58. The right controller 4 is also equipped with a first R button 60 and a ZR button 61 on the upper right side of the housing 51. Like the left controller 3, the right controller 4 is also equipped with a second L button 65 and a second R button 66.

[0049] The right controller 4 also includes a terminal 64 for wired communication between the right controller 4 and the main unit 2.

[0050] Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of main unit 2. In addition to the configuration shown in Fig. 3, main unit 2 includes components 81-91, 97, and 98 shown in Fig. 6. Some of these components 81-91, 97, and 98 may be mounted on an electronic circuit board as electronic components and housed in housing 11.

[0051] The main unit 2 includes a processor 81. The processor 81 is an information processing unit that executes various types of information processing executed in the main unit 2, and may be composed of, for example, only a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or may be composed of an SoC (System-on-a-chip) that includes multiple functions such as a CPU function and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) function. The processor 81 executes various types of information processing by executing an information processing program (for example, a game program) stored in a storage unit (specifically, an internal storage medium such as flash memory 84, or an external storage medium inserted into slot 23, etc.).

[0052] The main device 2 includes a flash memory 84 and a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) 85 as examples of internal storage media built into the main device 2. The flash memory 84 and the DRAM 85 are connected to the processor 81. The flash memory 84 is a memory used primarily to store various types of data (which may be programs) saved in the main device 2. The DRAM 85 is a memory used to temporarily store various types of data used in information processing.

[0053] The main device 2 includes a slot interface (hereinafter abbreviated as "I / F") 91. The slot I / F 91 is connected to the processor 81. The slot I / F 91 is connected to the slot 23, and reads and writes data from and to a predetermined type of storage medium (e.g., a dedicated memory card) inserted into the slot 23 in accordance with instructions from the processor 81.

[0054] The processor 81 reads and writes data from and to the flash memory 84, DRAM 85, and the above-mentioned storage media as appropriate, to execute the above-mentioned information processing.

[0055] The main unit 2 includes a network communication unit 82. The network communication unit 82 is connected to the processor 81. The network communication unit 82 communicates with external devices via a network (specifically, wireless communication). In this embodiment, the network communication unit 82 connects to a wireless LAN and communicates with external devices using a method conforming to the Wi-Fi standard as a first communication mode. The network communication unit 82 also performs wireless communication with other main units 2 of the same type using a predetermined communication method (e.g., communication using a proprietary protocol or infrared communication) as a second communication mode. Note that wireless communication using the second communication mode enables wireless communication with other main units 2 located within a closed local network area, and realizes a function that enables so-called "local communication," in which data is transmitted and received by direct communication between multiple main units 2.

[0056] The main unit 2 is equipped with a controller communication unit 83. The controller communication unit 83 is connected to the processor 81. The controller communication unit 83 performs wireless communication with the left controller 3 and / or right controller 4. Any communication method may be used between the main unit 2 and the left controller 3 and right controller 4, but in this embodiment, the controller communication unit 83 performs communication with the left controller 3 and right controller 4 in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

[0057] The processor 81 is connected to the left terminal 17, right terminal 21, and lower terminal 27. When performing wired communication with the left controller 3, the processor 81 transmits data to the left controller 3 via the left terminal 17 and receives operation data from the left controller 3 via the left terminal 17. When performing wired communication with the right controller 4, the processor 81 transmits data to the right controller 4 via the right terminal 21 and receives operation data from the right controller 4 via the right terminal 21. When performing wired communication with the right controller 4, the processor 81 transmits data to the cradle via the lower terminal 27. As described above, in this embodiment, the main unit 2 can perform both wired and wireless communication with the left controller 3 and the right controller 4. When an integrated device in which the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are attached to the main unit 2 or the main unit 2 alone is attached to the cradle, the main unit 2 can output data (e.g., image data and audio data) to a stationary monitor or the like via the cradle.

[0058] Here, the main unit 2 can communicate simultaneously (in other words, in parallel) with multiple left controllers 3. The main unit 2 can also communicate simultaneously (in other words, in parallel) with multiple right controllers 4. Therefore, multiple users can simultaneously input to the main unit 2 using their own sets of left controllers 3 and right controllers 4. For example, a first user can input to the main unit 2 using a first set of left controllers 3 and right controllers 4, while a second user can simultaneously input to the main unit 2 using a second set of left controllers 3 and right controllers 4.

[0059] The display 12 is also connected to the processor 81. The processor 81 displays on the display 12 an image generated (for example, by executing the above-described information processing) and / or an image acquired from the outside.

[0060] The main unit 2 includes a codec circuit 87 and speakers (specifically, a left speaker and a right speaker) 88. The codec circuit 87 is connected to the speakers 88 and the audio input / output terminal 25, and is also connected to the processor 81. The codec circuit 87 is a circuit that controls the input and output of audio data to and from the speakers 88 and the audio input / output terminal 25.

[0061] The main device 2 includes a power control unit 97 and a battery 98. The power control unit 97 is connected to the battery 98 and the processor 81. Although not shown, the power control unit 97 is also connected to each part of the main device 2 (specifically, each part that receives power from the battery 98, the left terminal 17, and the right terminal 21). The power control unit 97 controls the power supply from the battery 98 to each of the above parts based on instructions from the processor 81.

[0062] Furthermore, battery 98 is connected to lower terminal 27. When an external charging device (e.g., a cradle) is connected to lower terminal 27 and power is supplied to main device 2 via lower terminal 27, battery 98 is charged with the supplied power.

[0063] Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the main unit 2, left controller 3, and right controller 4. Note that details of the internal configuration of the main unit 2 are omitted in Figure 7 because they are shown in Figure 6.

[0064] The left controller 3 is equipped with a communication control unit 101 that communicates with the main unit 2. As shown in FIG. 7 , the communication control unit 101 is connected to each component, including the terminal 42. In this embodiment, the communication control unit 101 can communicate with the main unit 2 both via wired communication via the terminal 42 and via wireless communication without using the terminal 42. The communication control unit 101 controls the method of communication between the left controller 3 and the main unit 2. That is, when the left controller 3 is attached to the main unit 2, the communication control unit 101 communicates with the main unit 2 via the terminal 42. When the left controller 3 is detached from the main unit 2, the communication control unit 101 communicates wirelessly with the main unit 2 (specifically, with the controller communication unit 83). Wireless communication between the controller communication unit 83 and the communication control unit 101 is performed in accordance with, for example, the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

[0065] The left controller 3 also includes a memory 102, such as a flash memory. The communication control unit 101 is configured, for example, by a microcomputer (also called a microprocessor), and executes firmware stored in the memory 102 to perform various processes.

[0066] The left controller 3 includes buttons 103 (specifically, buttons 33 to 39, 43, 44, and 47). The left controller 3 also includes an analog stick (referred to as "stick" in FIG. 7) 32. Each button 103 and analog stick 32 repeatedly outputs information related to operations performed on the button 103 and analog stick 32 to the communication control unit 101 at appropriate timing.

[0067] The communication control unit 101 acquires information related to the input (specifically, information related to the operation or the detection results from the sensor) from each input unit (specifically, each button 103 and analog stick 32). The communication control unit 101 transmits operation data including the acquired information (or information obtained by performing a predetermined process on the acquired information) to the main unit 2. The operation data is repeatedly transmitted once every predetermined time. The interval at which the information related to the input is transmitted to the main unit 2 may or may not be the same for each input unit.

[0068] By transmitting the above operation data to the main unit 2, the main unit 2 can obtain the input made to the left controller 3. In other words, the main unit 2 can determine the operation of each button 103 and analog stick 32 based on the operation data.

[0069] The left controller 3 is equipped with a power supply unit 108. In this embodiment, the power supply unit 108 has a battery and a power control circuit. Although not shown, the power control circuit is connected to the battery and to each part of the left controller 3 (specifically, each part that receives power from the battery).

[0070] As shown in FIG. 7, the right controller 4 is equipped with a communication control unit 111 that communicates with the main unit 2. The right controller 4 also has a memory 112 that is connected to the communication control unit 111. The communication control unit 111 is connected to each component, including the terminal 64. The communication control unit 111 and memory 112 have the same functions as the communication control unit 101 and memory 102 of the left controller 3. Therefore, the communication control unit 111 can communicate with the main unit 2 both via wired communication via the terminal 64 and via wireless communication that does not use the terminal 64 (specifically, communication in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard), and controls the method of communication between the right controller 4 and the main unit 2.

[0071] The right controller 4 has input units similar to those of the left controller 3. Specifically, it has buttons 113 and an analog stick 52. These input units have the same functions as those of the left controller 3 and operate in the same manner.

[0072] The right controller 4 is equipped with a power supply unit 118. The power supply unit 118 has the same functions as the power supply unit 108 of the left controller 3 and operates in the same manner.

[0073] [2. Overview of processing in the game system] Next, an overview of the processing executed in the game system 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 8 to 29. In this embodiment, the game system 1 generates a game image in which terrain objects and characters (for example, a player character operated by a player) are arranged in a game space, which is a three-dimensional virtual space, and displays the game image on a display device. Note that in this embodiment, the display device on which the game image is displayed may be the above-mentioned display 12 or a stationary monitor.

[0074] [2-1. Voxel] In this embodiment, the shapes of some objects in the game space are defined by voxel data. Here, a voxel is a rectangular parallelepiped (more specifically, cubic) region arranged in a grid pattern in the game space, and voxel data is data that indicates information about each voxel. Hereinafter, an object whose shape is defined by voxel data will be referred to as a "voxel object." In this embodiment, the game system 1 stores voxel data for a plurality of voxels set in the game space as data for generating voxel objects in the game space.

[0075] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a terrain object that is a voxel object. As shown in Fig. 8, in this embodiment, the shape of a terrain object that represents terrain such as the ground is defined by voxel data (i.e., it is a voxel object). Each cube shown in Fig. 8 represents a terrain object. Note that in Fig. 8, the edges of the terrain object are shown with thick lines, but these thick lines are added to make the drawing easier to read, and in reality, the edges of the terrain object do not need to be displayed thick.

[0076] The terrain object shown in FIG. 8 is generated according to a rule such that, for example, "if a parameter included in the voxel data set for a voxel is greater than a predetermined value, a cube is placed at the position of the voxel, and if the parameter is equal to or less than the predetermined value, nothing is placed at the position of the voxel." The terrain object shown in FIG. 8 is shown for the purpose of clearly illustrating the relationship between voxels and voxel objects. In this embodiment, a voxel object is actually generated (based on voxel data) according to a rule that results in a complex shape, such as the terrain object shown in FIG. 13 (described later). Note that the rule for determining the shape of the voxel object based on the voxel data is arbitrary. In other embodiments, the game system 1 may generate a voxel object such as that shown in FIG. 8 or that shown in FIG. 13 based on object data.

[0077] The shape of a voxel object can be changed by changing the voxel data of each voxel. FIGS. 9 and 10 are diagrams showing an example of the state before and after a portion of the terrain object shown in FIG. 8 is deleted. That is, when the hatched portion of the terrain object shown in FIG. 9 is destroyed, the terrain object changes to a shape as shown in FIG. 10. At this time, the game system 1 can easily erase the terrain object by rewriting the voxel data (described later) for the voxels in the hatched portion so that they indicate that the terrain object does not exist. Note that when adding a terrain object, the game system 1 can easily change the shape of the terrain object by changing the voxel data of each voxel, just as when erasing a terrain object.

[0078] In this way, the game system 1 can freely change the shape of a voxel object by rewriting the voxel data. For example, when a terrain object is destroyed in a game for some reason (for example, when a player character hits the terrain object), resulting in a change in the shape of the terrain object, the game system 1 can freely change the shape of the terrain object by changing the voxel data used to generate the terrain object, rather than directly changing the data indicating the outer shape of the terrain object (i.e., a mesh, which will be described later).

[0079] In this embodiment, voxels are defined throughout the entire game space (i.e., the voxel space in which voxels are set corresponds to the entire game space). However, the voxel space does not need to be set throughout the entire game space, and may be set in a partial area of ​​the game space. When the voxel space is set in a partial area of ​​the game space, the shape of the voxel object is defined by voxel data related to the voxels in the voxel space, and the position of the voxel object in the game space is defined by the position of the voxel space in the game space. Furthermore, the game space may be set with a main voxel space set over the entire game space and a sub-voxel space set in a partial area of ​​the game space. In this case, the game system 1 stores voxel data for each voxel space.

[0080] 11 is a diagram showing an example of voxel data. The voxel data includes density data, a first material ID, a second material ID, material mixing ratio data, and state data for each voxel defined in the game space. In the voxel data of this embodiment, these data are set for each voxel.

[0081] The density data indicates density, which is an index used to define the shape of a voxel object based on the voxel (specifically, the shape defined by a mesh, which will be described later). As will be described in detail later, the position and shape of the surface of the voxel object (i.e., the mesh, which will be described later) are determined based on the density.

[0082] In this embodiment, density can take an integer value ranging from a lower limit (e.g., 0) to an upper limit (e.g., 255). In this embodiment, the game system 1 determines the surface shape of a voxel object based on density such that a high density value set for a voxel tends to increase the volume ratio of the area inside the voxel object within that voxel, and a low density value tends to decrease that ratio. In this way, density is an index that affects the volume ratio of the area inside the voxel object within that voxel. Density can also be considered an index that indicates the degree to which the space of that voxel is occupied by virtual contents (i.e., the virtual contents of the voxel object). For example, a density of 0 means that the voxel is empty; a density of 255 means that the entire voxel is occupied by the contents of the voxel object; and a density value between 0 and 255 means that the contents of the voxel object occupy the voxel at a ratio according to the value. Then, the shape of the mesh, i.e., the surface shape of the voxel object, can be determined based on the density. The mesh can be described as the surface of the portion of the voxel where content exists, or as the boundary between the portion of the voxel where content exists and the portion of the voxel where content does not exist. Note that the volume occupied by the region within the voxel object generated based on the density does not need to be a volume that strictly matches the proportion indicated by the density. For example, the volume of the voxel object generated by a method such as that shown in Figure 8 and a method such as that shown in Figure 13 may differ even if they are based on the same density.

[0083] In other embodiments, the density may indicate either the entire area of ​​the voxel being occupied by the volume of the area in the voxel object, or the area in the voxel not including the volume of the area in the voxel object. For example, the density data may be data that can only take on the values ​​0 or 1.

[0084] The first material ID and the second material ID are information indicating the material (in other words, the substance) of the voxel. In this embodiment, a material such as sand, rock, or soil is set to the voxel. Note that the game system 1 provides a plurality of types of materials that can be set to the voxel (see the material data shown in FIG. 12). In this embodiment, up to two materials from the plurality of types of materials provided can be set to one voxel. The first material ID is an ID indicating the first material set to the voxel, and the second material ID is an ID indicating the second material set to the voxel. As will be described in detail later, the material of a voxel object (i.e., the material set to the polygons of the voxel object) is determined based on the material set to the voxel.

[0085] As described above, in this embodiment, the voxel data includes an ID indicating the material, but in other embodiments, the voxel data may have a data structure that includes data that directly indicates the content of the material (i.e., the name, properties, and drawing setting information described below).

[0086] The material mixing ratio data is an example of data indicating the ratio of each material in a voxel. In this embodiment, since up to two material IDs can be set for one voxel, the material mixing ratio data indicating the ratio of one of the materials indicated by the first material ID and the second material ID can also indicate the ratio of the other material. In this embodiment, the material mixing ratio is a value between 0 and 1 indicating the ratio of the second material to the entire first and second materials. For example, if the material mixing ratio set for a certain voxel is 0.4, this indicates that the first material and the second material are composed in a ratio of 0.6:0.4 in that voxel. As will be described in detail later, the appearance and properties of a voxel object are determined based on the materials. The material mixing ratio is used to determine the appearance and properties of a voxel object. In other embodiments, the material mixing ratio may be a value indicating the ratio of the first material. Furthermore, the ratio of materials in a voxel may be represented by individual values ​​indicating the ratio of each material. In particular, in other embodiments, when three or more types of materials can be set instead of two, the ratio of the materials within the voxel is expressed as a plurality of values ​​indicating the proportion of each material.

[0087] In this embodiment, two types of materials do not necessarily have to be set for a voxel, and one type of material may be set. For example, if one type of material is set for a certain voxel, the first material ID indicates that material, and the material mixing ratio is set to 0.

[0088] The state data indicates the state set for the voxel. The specific content and number of types of state data are arbitrary. In this embodiment, the state data includes data indicating the amount of damage set for the voxel. Note that in other embodiments, the state data may include, for example, data indicating whether or not the voxel is wet (and to what extent).

[0089] As described above, in this embodiment, the voxel data includes a material ID, and the game system 1 stores material data that defines the content of the material indicated by the material ID. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of material data. As shown in Fig. 12, in the material data in this embodiment, the material ID is associated with the name, properties, and rendering setting information set for each material.

[0090] The name included in the material data is the name set for the material (for example, earth, sand, grass, etc.). As will be described in detail later, the name of the material of a voxel object may be displayed during the game (see Figure 28). To display it in this way, the material data includes information on the name of the material.

[0091] The properties included in the material data are properties that are set for the material. The material properties are properties that the voxel object to which the material is set has in the game. The specific content and number of types of material properties are arbitrary. For example, at least one of the following information may be set as the material properties: Hardness Weight Slipperiness - Damage settings when the player character comes into contact ·temperature Whether other objects can be glued to the voxel object The amount of health recovered by the player character when the player character destroys or acquires a voxel object The amount of in-game currency the player character will acquire when they destroy or acquire a voxel object. In other embodiments, information other than the above may be set as information indicating the properties of the material.

[0092] In this embodiment, the material data includes an ID indicating the property as information specifying the property of the material (see FIG. 12). Although not shown, the game system 1 stores property information for each prepared property in which the content of the property (for example, values ​​indicating the weight and slipperiness described above) is associated with the property ID. The game system 1 can specify the specific content of the property set for the material by referring to the property information.

[0093] The rendering settings included in the material data are information indicating settings related to rendering, such as textures used to render the voxel object to which the material is set. In this embodiment, the material data includes, as information on the rendering settings, the IDs of the textures used to render the voxel object to which the material is set (see FIG. 12). Although not shown, the game system 1 stores texture information that associates a texture ID with the texture indicated by the texture ID for each texture provided. By referring to the texture information, the game system 1 can identify the specific content of the texture set for the material. Note that in other embodiments, in addition to texture information, any information related to shading settings may be set as information on the rendering settings. For example, information related to reflectance, normals, etc. may be set.

[0094] Furthermore, the material data may include data other than the data shown in Fig. 13. For example, the material data may include data related to sound settings. For example, the data related to sound settings may be data that defines footsteps to be output when a player character walks on a voxel object based on the voxel.

[0095] The material data may be data in any format that can identify the properties and / or rendering settings of a material. For example, in another embodiment, the material data may have a data structure that includes data that directly indicates the properties and / or rendering settings of a material, instead of a data structure that includes a material ID or a texture ID.

[0096] [2-2. Updating Voxel Data] During the game, the voxel data is updated, thereby deforming the voxel object. In this embodiment, when a game event for updating the voxel object (hereinafter referred to as an "update event") occurs, the game system 1 updates the voxel data. The specific content of the update event is arbitrary. The update event may be, for example, an action by a character appearing in the game that deforms the voxel object (e.g., a player character punching a voxel object), or the occurrence of an event that deforms the voxel object (e.g., an object thrown by a character coming into contact with a voxel object, or a bomb exploding).

[0097] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a game space when an update event has occurred. The situation shown in Fig. 13 is a situation in which a player character 201 has performed a punch action on a terrain object 202, which is a voxel object. Details will be described later, but in the example shown in Fig. 13, the voxel data is updated so that the terrain object 202 around the position where the punch action by the player character 201 has landed is erased. This expresses the situation in which the terrain object 202 is destroyed by the punch action by the player character 201.

[0098] In this embodiment, when an update event occurs, the game system 1 sets an update range in the game space (an update range 203 in the example shown in FIG. 13 ) in which the voxel object is updated. The position, shape, and size of the update range are arbitrary. The position of the update range may be determined based on, for example, the position of contact between an object related to the update event that has occurred (e.g., the player character that delivered the punch) and the voxel object. In the example shown in FIG. 13 , the position of the update range 203 may be determined based on the position where a punch from the player character 201 has landed. For example, the center position of the update range 203 may be the position of the hit or a position a predetermined distance forward from the position of the hit. The shape and size of the update range may be determined in advance to be a shape according to the type of update event. For example, when an update event occurs due to a punch from the player character 201, the shape and size of the update range may be determined as a sphere of a predetermined size as shown in FIG. 13 . The size of the update range may also be determined according to a value indicating the degree of influence of the update event that has occurred (e.g., the strength of the punch or the size of the explosion).

[0099] The game system 1 changes the density of voxels corresponding to the set update range. Note that voxels corresponding to the update range are, for example, voxels within the update range or voxels that overlap with the update range. As a result of changing the density, the mesh of the voxel object is changed by processing described below, thereby changing the shape of the voxel object (the visible shape and the shape used for collision detection). Note that in other embodiments, in addition to changing the density of voxels included in the update range, the game system 1 may change the materials (i.e., the first material, the second material, and the material mixing ratio) of the voxels, or may change the state of the voxels.

[0100] In this embodiment, the game system 1 determines whether a voxel is included in the update range using an SDF (Signed Distance Field). The game system 1 sets an SDF indicating the update range set in the game space and performs the above determination based on the value of the SDF. The SDF represents the distance from a specified shape to an arbitrary position using a signed value. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the update range. In the example shown in FIG. 14, a spherical update range is set in the game space. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 14, the SDF is set so that, among positions in the game space, positions inside the shape represented by the SDF have negative SDF values ​​and positions outside the shape represented by the SDF have positive SDF values. In this example, whether a voxel is included in the update range can be determined based on whether the SDF value is positive or negative. Furthermore, by using the signed distance value, not only simple inside / outside determination but also processes such as correction and interpolation can be performed.

[0101] In the above, an example has been described in which a change is made to a voxel object such that the voxel objects within the update range are transformed as if they were deleted, but the change made to a voxel object using the update range is not limited to this. For example, a change may be made to a voxel object such that a new voxel object is added within the update range (i.e., the volume occupied by the area within the voxel object increases by the amount of the update range) (see FIG. 29, described later). Also, a change may be made to a voxel object such that only the material of the voxels within the update range changes, without changing the density of the voxels. Also, a change in voxel density and a change in material may be made in combination.

[0102] [2-3. Calculating the vertices] When the voxel density is updated as described above, the game system 1 sets vertices based on the updated voxel data. These vertices can become vertices of the mesh of the voxel object. As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, the vertices are simplified, and the simplified vertices become vertices of the mesh of the voxel object.

[0103] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a method for setting vertices. In the following descriptions of FIGS. 15 to 24, voxels, vertices, meshes, etc. are depicted in two dimensions for the purpose of making the drawings easier to see and the explanation easier to understand. However, in reality, vertices and meshes are set in three-dimensional space based on voxels in the three-dimensional space. In this embodiment, the game system 1 uses a method for setting vertices at coordinates based on the positions and densities of multiple surrounding voxels in an area where voxels having a density set to indicate their presence (i.e., a density equal to or greater than a reference value, described later) are adjacent to voxels having a density set to indicate their absence (i.e., a density less than a reference value, described later). Details of this method are described below.

[0104] As described above, in this embodiment, the density set for a voxel is set in the range of 0 to 255. A voxel with a density of 0 represents a completely empty state, and a voxel with a density of 255 represents a completely filled state. Densities between 0 and 255 are treated as interpolation and used to determine vertices. In this embodiment, voxels with a density equal to or greater than a reference value are virtually considered to be inside the object, and voxels with a density less than the reference value are virtually considered to be outside the object. It is also possible to virtually consider voxels with a density equal to or greater than a reference value as voxels indicating presence, and voxels with a density less than the reference value as voxels indicating absence. It is not necessary to define only voxels with a density of 0 as outside the object (i.e., the reference value = 1); the reference value may be, for example, 128. In the example shown in FIG. 15, the density of voxel 211 and the other outer voxels is set to 0, the density of voxel 212 is set to 100, which is less than the reference value, and the densities of voxels 213 and 214 are set to 150 and 210, which are greater than or equal to the reference value. In this embodiment, the game system 1 generates vertices between voxels whose densities are greater than or equal to the reference value and voxels whose densities are less than the reference value. Specifically, for each region (region surrounded by dotted lines in the drawing) spanning eight adjacent voxels (four in the drawing), a determination is made as to whether or not to generate a vertex. In other words, a vertex is generated in a region spanning both voxels whose densities are greater than or equal to the reference value and voxels whose densities are less than the reference value. The coordinates of the vertex are determined by comparing the densities of adjacent voxels along each of the X, Y, and Z axes and interpolating based on the difference in density. Note that by setting normal information that defines the position and orientation of the line connecting the vertices, the coordinates of the vertices can be further calculated based on the normal information. Normal information may be stored in advance for at least some voxels, or if not stored, normal information may be calculated based on the densities of adjacent voxels. In Fig. 15, the density of voxel 212 is less than the reference value, so voxel 212 is treated as outside the object in determining whether or not a vertex exists, but the density value of voxel 212 itself is used to calculate the coordinates of the vertices to be generated.If the reference value were set to a value lower than the density of the voxel 212, the result would be that the number of vertices would increase further to the upper right and upper left of the voxel 212 in FIG.

[0105] By setting vertices as described above, when generating a mesh connecting the set vertices (or the vertices after performing the simplification process described below on the set vertices), it is possible to generate a shape having a volume that reflects the density of each voxel to some extent. However, depending on the relationship with adjacent voxels, it is possible that a voxel with a density of 0 may include a part of an area inside the object, or that a voxel with a density of 255 may include a part of an area outside the object. Furthermore, in this embodiment, voxels with a density less than the reference value are processed as outside the object, so that the number of vertices is reduced compared to when voxels are processed as inside the object, and therefore the volume is also reduced accordingly. In this way, it is not necessary to calculate a polygon mesh so that the volume strictly corresponds to the density value.

[0106] [2-4. Determining the vertex material] The game system 1 determines a material for each vertex set as described above. The material of a vertex is determined based on the materials of the voxels surrounding the vertex. The voxels surrounding the vertex are, for example, the voxels used to determine whether or not to generate the vertex (i.e., the voxels that overlap with the "voxel-spanning area" described above). Note that in other embodiments, the voxels used to determine the material of a vertex and the voxels used to determine whether or not to generate the vertex do not need to be the same, and may be different.

[0107] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a method for determining the material of a vertex. In the example shown in FIG. 16, a vertex 219 is set for four voxels 215 to 218, and these four voxels 215 to 218 are the "voxels surrounding the vertex" described above. In an actual three-dimensional space, the number of voxels surrounding a vertex is eight. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the density of voxel 215 is set to 255, the first material is set to "sand," and the material mixture ratio is set to 0 (i.e., first material:second material = 1:0, or the second material may not be set). The density of voxel 216 is set to 0 (the first and second materials may not be set). For voxel 217, the density is set to 204, the first material is "sand," the second material is "grass," and the material mixing ratio is set to 0.3 (i.e., first material:second material = 0.7:0.3). For voxel 218, the density is set to 153, the first material is "earth," the second material is "grass," and the material mixing ratio is set to 0.4 (i.e., first material:second material = 0.6:0.4). Furthermore, the coordinates indicating the position of vertex 219 are set to (X,Y) = (0.8,0.6). Note that in this coordinate system, the left-right direction in FIG. 16 is the X coordinate, the up-down direction is the Y coordinate, and the center position of voxel 217, the bottom-left one of voxels 215 to 218 (the positions of the white circles in FIG. 13), is set to (0,0).

[0108] When determining the material of a vertex, the game system 1 calculates an evaluation value for each material in surrounding voxels based on the density of the material and a weight value based on the distance from the voxel to the vertex. First, a weight value is calculated for each voxel, and the closer the distance from the center position of the voxel to the vertex, the larger the weight value is calculated. In this embodiment, when the center position of the voxel is (x1, y1) and the coordinates of the vertex are (x2, y2), the weight value for a certain voxel is calculated according to the following formula (1): (weight value) = |(1-x1)-x2|·|(1-y1)-y2|…(1) In the example shown in FIG. 16, the weight values ​​of the voxels 215 to 218 calculated according to the above formula (1) are as follows: (Weight value of voxel 215) = |(1-0)-0.8|·|(1-1)-0.6| = 0.12 (Weight value of voxel 216) = |(1-1)-0.8|·|(1-1)-0.6| = 0.48 (Weight value of voxel 217) = |(1 - 0) - 0.8| · |(1 - 0) - 0.6| = 0.08 (Weight value of voxel 218) = |(1-1)-0.8|·|(1-0)-0.6| = 0.32

[0109] The game system 1 also calculates the density of the material for each voxel. Here, the density of a material is a value obtained by multiplying the proportion of the material in the materials set for that voxel by the density of that voxel. In this embodiment, the density of the voxel is calculated by normalizing the values ​​from 0 to 255 to values ​​from 0 to 1. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the only material set for voxel 215 is sand, so the proportion of the sand material is 1 and the density of that voxel is 1, so the density of the sand material is 1. For voxel 216, the density is 0 and no material is set, so the density of the material is not calculated. Alternatively, if some material is set, the density of that material is 0. For voxel 217, the ratios of the sand and grass materials are 0.7 and 0.3, respectively, and the density of the voxel is 204 / 255 = 0.8, so the density of the sand material is 0.7 · 0.8 = 0.56, and the density of the grass material is 0.3 · 0.8 = 0.24. For voxel 218, the ratios of the dirt and grass materials are 0.6 and 0.4, respectively, and the density of the voxel is 153 / 255 = 0.6, so the density of the dirt material is 0.6 · 0.6 = 0.36, and the density of the dirt material is 0.4 · 0.6 = 0.24.

[0110] The game system 1 then calculates the evaluation value for each material based on the weight value and the material density. In this embodiment, the evaluation value for a material is the sum of the material densities calculated for each voxel, weighted according to the weight value for each voxel, for each surrounding voxel. In the example shown in FIG. 16 , the evaluation value for the sand material is 1·0.12+0.56·0.08=0.1648 because the material density for voxel 215 is 1 and the weight value is 0.12, and the material density for voxel 217 is 0.56 and the weight value is 0.08. The evaluation value for the grass material is 0.24·0.08+0.24·0.32=0.096 because the material density for voxel 217 is 0.24 and the weight value is 0.08, and the material density for voxel 218 is 0.24 and the weight value is 0.32. Furthermore, the evaluation value of the soil material for voxel 218 is 0.36·0.32=0.1152, since the material density is 0.36 and the weighting value is 0.32.

[0111] The game system 1 determines the material of the vertex based on the evaluation value of each material. Specifically, a predetermined number of materials are determined as the materials of the vertex in descending order of evaluation value. In this embodiment, the two materials with the highest evaluation values ​​are determined as the materials of the vertex. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the evaluation values ​​of the sand, grass, and soil materials are 0.1648, 0.096, and 0.1152, respectively. Therefore, the sand material and the soil material are determined as the materials of the vertex. The game system 1 also calculates the ratio of the two determined materials based on the evaluation values. In this embodiment, the ratio of the two materials may be expressed as a second material ratio, which is the proportion of the second material to the whole, similar to the material mixture ratio. In the example shown in FIG. 16, for example, if the first material is soil and the second material is sand, the second material ratio is expressed as 0.1648 / (0.1648+0.1152)≒0.59. In other embodiments, the value representing the ratio of the two materials may be a value representing the proportion of the first material, or a value representing the proportion of each material may be used.

[0112] In this embodiment, the game system 1 generates and stores vertex data indicating the position of a vertex, the material IDs of the first and second materials set at the vertex, and the ratio of the materials. However, any method may be used to manage the materials set at the vertices. In other embodiments, the vertex data may have a data structure that includes data that directly indicates the contents of the first and second materials.

[0113] As described above, in this embodiment, for each vertex, the game system 1 calculates a priority parameter (e.g., an evaluation value) for each material ID included in the voxel data of multiple surrounding voxels based on the voxel data. Then, based on the priority parameters, up to a predetermined number (here, two) of material IDs with high priorities are selected and determined as the material ID for the vertex. Note that the specific parameter used as the priority parameter is not limited to the evaluation value. For example, in other embodiments, an evaluation value calculated using the density of the material without using the weight value may be used as the priority parameter.

[0114] In this embodiment, the evaluation value, which is an example of a priority parameter, is calculated based on the density of multiple voxels surrounding the vertex so that the material set in a voxel with a higher density has a higher priority (i.e., the evaluation value of the material is larger, making it more likely to be selected). This allows the material of the vertex to be determined by reflecting the magnitude of the density set in the voxels.

[0115] In this embodiment, an evaluation value, which is an example of a priority parameter, is calculated based on the distance from the reference position (specifically, the center position) of multiple voxels surrounding the vertex to the vertex so that the priority of a material set to a voxel close to the vertex is higher. This allows the material of the vertex to be determined by reflecting the distance between the voxel and the vertex.

[0116] In addition, in this embodiment, the evaluation value, which is an example of a priority parameter, can be said to be calculated based on the material mixture ratios of multiple voxels surrounding the vertex, so that a material with a higher material mixture ratio has a higher priority. This makes it possible to determine the material of the vertex by reflecting the ratio of each material when multiple materials are set for one voxel.

[0117] [2-5. Simplifying vertices] In this embodiment, the game system 1 simplifies each of the vertices calculated as described above. That is, the game system 1 reduces the number of vertices by replacing some of the vertices calculated as described above with a single vertex. Note that, as will be described in detail later, the coordinates (i.e., position) and material of the replaced vertex are set based on the multiple vertices before replacement. This simplification can reduce the number of vertices and polygons that make up the mesh of a voxel object, thereby reducing the amount of memory used for processing and the processing load.

[0118] In this embodiment, the game system 1 performs simplification by representing each vertex using SVO (Sparse Voxel Octree). FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of vertex simplification. In FIG. 17, one square indicated by a solid line in FIG. 17(a) represents one vertex segment. Here, a vertex segment is a square region with the center position of a voxel as its vertex (in an actual three-dimensional space, a vertex segment is a cube or rectangular parallelepiped), and is a region with the dotted lines in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 as its edges. In FIG. 17, a vertex segment with the letter "v" inside it indicates a vertex segment in which a vertex is set.

[0119] In this embodiment, the game system 1 determines whether simplification is possible for vertices in a predetermined number of adjacent vertex division regions (four in FIG. 17, eight in actual three-dimensional space). If it is determined that simplification is possible, simplification is performed for the vertices in the predetermined number of vertex division regions.

[0120] (a) of Figure 17 shows the state before simplification is performed. In the example shown in Figure 17, it is assumed that the vertex division areas within the range surrounded by the dotted line are determined to be simplifiable. At this time, the game system 1 performs simplification so that the vertices in each of the predetermined number of vertex division areas determined to be simplifiable are replaced with a single vertex (see (b) of Figure 17). As a result, the vertices in the predetermined number of vertex division areas are simplified to a single vertex.

[0121] In this embodiment, the game system 1 performs simplification in multiple stages. The number of stages is arbitrary, but FIG. 17 illustrates and explains up to the second stage. FIG. 17(b) shows the state after the first stage of simplification has been performed, and FIG. 17(c) shows the state after the second stage of simplification has been performed. In the second stage of simplification, a determination is made as to whether simplification is possible for the vertices resulting from the first stage of simplification. In the example shown in FIG. 17, if it is determined that simplification is possible for the vertex segment area within the range surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 17(b), the vertices of that vertex segment area are simplified, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 17(c). Note that the conditions for determining whether the first stage of simplification is possible and the conditions for determining whether the second stage of simplification is possible may be the same or different.

[0122] The specific method for determining whether simplification is possible is arbitrary. In this embodiment, the conditions used for the determination are a condition related to the shape of the voxel object and a condition related to the material. In this embodiment, if both the condition related to the shape of the voxel object and the condition related to the material are satisfied, it is determined that simplification is possible, and if at least one of the condition related to the shape of the voxel object and the condition related to the material is not satisfied, it is determined that simplification is not possible.

[0123] The shape condition may be, for example, that the shape of each vertex before simplification does not change significantly from the shape of each vertex after simplification. For example, whether the shape of each vertex does not change significantly before and after simplification can be determined by calculating an index indicating the error between the mesh before simplification and the mesh after simplification and determining whether the index is equal to or less than a predetermined tolerance. For example, if the shape of each vertex before simplification is hollow, but the shape of each vertex after simplification becomes solid (i.e., the hollow information is lost due to simplification), it is determined that the shape condition is not satisfied. Whether or not the above case occurs can be determined based on, for example, the density of each voxel corresponding to the vertex segment area being determined. For example, if the shape of each vertex before simplification can be expressed only by two or more vertices, but cannot be expressed by a single vertex, it is determined that the shape condition is not satisfied. The shape condition of a voxel object may be the same as that of a conventional method using SVO.

[0124] In this embodiment, the material condition is a condition regarding the number of material types set for each vertex within the predetermined number of vertex segment regions to be simplified. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of the material condition. FIG. 18(a) illustrates a case where the materials of vertices 221 to 224 are (grass), (grass), (grass and earth), and (grass and earth), respectively. FIG. 18(b) illustrates a case where the materials of vertices 221 to 224 are (grass and sand), (grass), (grass and earth), and (grass and earth), respectively. In this embodiment, the material condition is that the total number of material types set for each vertex to be simplified is equal to or less than a predetermined number. For example, the material condition is that the total number of material types set for each vertex to be simplified is equal to or less than the number of materials that can be set for one vertex. In this embodiment, the predetermined number is 2. For example, in the case of FIG. 18(a), the total number of material types set for vertices 221 to 224 to be simplified is two, grass and earth, so the material condition is satisfied. At this time, provided that the above-mentioned conditions regarding the shape of the object are satisfied, each of the vertices 221 to 224 is determined to be simplifiable. On the other hand, in the case of Figure 18(b), the total number of material types set for each of the vertices 221 to 224 to be simplified is three: grass, earth, and sand, so the material conditions are not satisfied. At this time, regardless of whether the above-mentioned conditions regarding the shape of the object are satisfied, each of the vertices 221 to 224 is determined to be unsimplifiable.

[0125] Note that in the game system 1, multiple types of materials may be prepared that have the same set properties but different appearances, even if they are strictly classified as different types. Some of these multiple types of materials may be considered to be the same type when determining whether or not a material satisfies a condition related to the material. For example, with regard to soil materials, multiple types of soil materials may be prepared that have the same properties but similar appearances (e.g., texture color or pattern). In such a case, the game system 1 may consider these multiple types of soil materials to be the same type when determining whether or not a material satisfies a condition related to the material.

[0126] In this embodiment, up to two types of material can be set for a vertex, just as with voxels. In contrast, in this embodiment, if the total number of material types set for each vertex to be simplified is three or more, simplification is not performed. In other words, if the total number of material types exceeds the number of materials that can be set for one vertex, simplification is not performed. Therefore, even if the number of vertices is reduced by simplification, the information about the materials set for the vertices is not lost as a result of the simplification, and the material information can be maintained.

[0127] In this embodiment, the material of a vertex after simplification is determined based on the material of each vertex before simplification. Specifically, the game system 1 sets one or two types of material set at the vertex before simplification as the first material and the second material at the vertex after simplification. This allows the material information to be maintained. The ratio of the material after simplification is determined based on the ratio of the material at each vertex before simplification. In this embodiment, the ratio of the material after simplification is calculated in the same manner as the method for calculating the ratio of the material at each vertex using the evaluation value described above. That is, the game system 1 calculates a weight value based on the distance between the vertex after simplification and the vertex before simplification, and calculates an evaluation value for each material based on the weight value and the density of the material at the vertex before simplification (note that the evaluation value of the material described above in [2-4. Determining the Material at a Vertex] can be used as the material density here). Then, the ratio of the material is calculated based on the calculated evaluation value of each material.

[0128] [2-6. Mesh Generation] In this embodiment, a mesh of a voxel object is generated based on the vertices simplified as described above. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a mesh generated based on the vertices. Note that the squares shown in FIG. 19 represent the vertex division regions described above, or vertex division regions formed by combining multiple vertex division regions into one vertex division region through simplification. As shown in FIG. 19, the game system 1 generates a mesh composed of polygons whose sides are straight lines connecting adjacent vertices of the vertex division regions. Each polygon that makes up the mesh is a triangle or a quadrangle.

[0129] In this embodiment, the game system 1 generates two types of meshes: a display mesh and a determination mesh. The display mesh is a mesh used for displaying voxel objects. The determination mesh is a mesh used for collision determination of voxel objects. As will be described in detail later, by using the above two types of meshes, the game system 1 can perform processing using meshes that are suitable for displaying voxel objects and for collision determination.

[0130] In this embodiment, the game system 1 generates the display mesh and the determination mesh based on the above-mentioned SVO data (i.e., based on the simplified vertices). This allows the vertex data used to generate the two types of meshes to be shared, thereby improving processing efficiency. Note that in other embodiments, the game system 1 may not simplify the vertices, and may generate the display mesh and / or the determination mesh based on the unsimplified vertices.

[0131] In this embodiment, the game system 1 generates a determination mesh with a simpler shape than the display mesh. Specifically, the game system 1 sets the number of vertices of the determination mesh to be fewer than the number of vertices of the display mesh. In this embodiment, the SVO data is data that stores data on vertices before simplification and data on simplified vertices in an octree structure, but also includes data used to determine whether simplification is possible. This data includes, for example, data on vertices (referred to as provisional vertices) calculated as candidates for vertices after simplification, and data on the aforementioned indicators indicating the errors between the pre-simplification vertices and the provisional vertices. For example, the game system 1 may use, among the provisional vertices, vertices whose indicators are equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold (this threshold is assumed to be greater than the aforementioned allowable value) to generate the determination mesh. This allows the number of vertices of the determination mesh to be fewer than the number of vertices of the display mesh. By setting the number of vertices of the determination mesh to be fewer than the number of vertices of the display mesh, the processing load due to collision determination can be reduced. In addition, since the number of vertices in the display mesh is not excessively reduced, the appearance of the voxel object can be expressed in detail.

[0132] In other embodiments, the display mesh and the judgment mesh may be generated based on the same data or different data. The display mesh and the judgment mesh may have the same shape (although even in this case, the materials set for the two may be different). The number of vertices in the judgment mesh may be the same as the number of vertices in the display mesh or may be greater than the number of vertices in the display mesh.

[0133] [2-6-1.Determining the material of the display mesh] Next, an example of a method for determining the material and appearance of a display mesh will be described. In this embodiment, the game system 1 determines a material for each polygon that constitutes the display mesh. As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, the polygons corresponding to the polygons are drawn using up to two types of textures corresponding to up to two types of materials. Therefore, the game system 1 ensures that no more than two types of material are ultimately set for each polygon that constitutes the mesh. In other embodiments, three or more types of material may be set. For example, in an embodiment in which there are three or more types of voxel materials and three or more types of vertex materials, the same number of materials may be set for the polygons.

[0134] In this embodiment, a quadrangle may be formed as a polygon that constitutes a display mesh (see FIG. 19). When determining the material of the display mesh, the game system 1 first divides the quadrangle that constitutes the display mesh into two triangles under certain conditions. The process of dividing a quadrangle into two triangles will be described below with reference to FIG. 20.

[0135] Fig. 20 is a diagram showing an example in which a quadrangle constituting a mesh is divided into two triangles. Fig. 20(a) shows the quadrangle formed by vertices 231 to 234, which are part of the vertices of the mesh, before division, and Fig. 20(b) shows the two triangles into which the quadrangle is divided. In the example shown in Fig. 20, the materials set for each of vertices 231 to 234 are grass, dirt, sand and grass, and grass, respectively.

[0136] In this embodiment, the game system 1 determines whether a division condition is satisfied when a total of three or more types of materials are set at the vertices of a quadrangle. In this embodiment, the division condition is that by dividing the quadrangle into two triangles, a total of two or fewer types of materials can be set at the vertices of the triangles. If the division condition is satisfied, the game system 1 divides the quadrangle into two triangles such that a total of two or fewer types of materials are set at the vertices. In the example shown in FIG. 20, the materials set at the vertices 231 to 234 forming the quadrangle are three types: grass, earth, and sand. Furthermore, if the quadrangle is divided into a triangle formed by vertices 231, 232, and 234 and a triangle formed by vertices 231, 233, and 234, the materials set at the vertices of the former triangle are two types: sand and grass, and the materials set at the vertices of the latter triangle are two types: grass and earth (see (b) of FIG. 20). Therefore, the division condition is satisfied for the quadrangle, and the game system 1 divides the quadrangle into two triangles.

[0137] Since there are two ways to divide a quadrangle into two triangles, if the division condition is satisfied for a triangle divided by at least one of the two methods, the game system 1 performs the division by the method that satisfies the division condition. On the other hand, if the division condition is not satisfied for a triangle divided by either of the two methods, the game system 1 performs the division by one of the two methods.

[0138] By dividing the polygon as described above, the game system 1 can generate two triangles in which two or fewer types of material are set at each vertex of the quadrangle, minimizing loss of information about three or more types of material that are set at each vertex. As described above, each polygon that makes up a mesh is rendered using up to two types of texture. Therefore, by dividing the polygon as described above, the game system 1 can render the polygon using two types of texture, minimizing loss of information about the material that is set at each vertex.

[0139] In this embodiment, the game system 1 sets polygons corresponding to the polygons after the above division. That is, the vertices of the polygons after the above division become the vertices of the polygons of the display mesh.

[0140] In this embodiment, when a total of three or more types of materials are set for each vertex of a polygon constituting a display mesh, the game system 1 determines the material of the polygon by selecting two types of materials. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determining the material of a polygon constituting a display mesh. In the example shown in FIG. 21, for vertex 241 of a triangular polygon constituting the display mesh, the first material is set to "grass," the second material is set to "earth," and the material ratio of the first material to the second material is set to 0.8:0.2. For vertex 242 of the polygon, the first material is set to "grass," the second material is set to "sand," and the material ratio of the first material to the second material is set to 0.5:0.5. For vertex 243 of the polygon, the first material is set to "sand," the second material is set to "earth," and the material ratio of the first material to the second material is set to 0.7:0.3.

[0141] When a total of three or more types of materials are set for each vertex of a polygon, the game system 1 calculates a judgment value for each material. The judgment value is calculated as the sum of the ratios of the materials set for each vertex. The game system 1 then selects the two materials with the largest judgment values ​​as the material for the polygon. In the example shown in FIG. 21, the judgment value for the grass material is 0.8+0.5=1.3, the judgment value for the sand material is 0.5+0.7=1.2, and the judgment value for the earth material is 0.2+0.3=0.5. Therefore, the grass and sand materials are selected as the materials for the polygon shown in FIG. 21 (see (a) of FIG. 21).

[0142] Note that the specific method for selecting the material of a polygon of a display mesh is arbitrary. In other embodiments, the material of a polygon of a display mesh may be selected by any method based on information set at the vertices of the polygon. For example, the material of a polygon of a display mesh may be selected for each vertex by identifying the material with the largest proportion at that vertex, and the material identified most frequently for each vertex may be selected as the material of that polygon.

[0143] In this embodiment, the material of the polygon selected as described above is indicated by the material set at each vertex of the polygon. That is, when a material for a polygon is selected, the game system 1 changes the material set at each vertex of the polygon (i.e., the material ID included in the vertex data) to the selected material. In the example shown in FIG. 21, before the selection of the polygon material, grass and earth and sand and earth materials were set for vertices 241 and 243, respectively (see FIG. 21(a)). When grass and sand materials are selected as the polygon material as described above, the materials set at vertices 241 and 243 are changed to grass and sand (see FIG. 21(b)). Note that the material set at vertex 242 before selection is the same as the material of the selected polygon, so the material is not changed. As described above, when two types of materials are selected as the polygon material, the information on the third and subsequent materials set at each vertex of the polygon is erased.

[0144] Furthermore, the game system 1 changes the ratio of materials set for a vertex in accordance with a change in the material set for that vertex. For example, for vertex 241, the first material is grass and the second material is earth, and the first material is grass and the second material is sand. Here, the proportion of sand material is 0, so the material ratio is set to first material:second material = 1:0. In this way, the above change formally changes the material of each vertex in order to represent the material of the polygon by the material of each vertex of the polygon.

[0145] According to the above, the material set for each vertex of one polygon is only the material corresponding to the texture used for rendering, which will be described later, making it easier to execute rendering processing using texture.

[0146] Note that the above change may result in all materials being changed for a certain vertex (i.e., none of the materials before and after the change match). Such a case may occur, for example, when the material set for the vertex before the change is earth and the materials selected for the polygon are grass and sand. In such a case, the material ratio for the vertex may be set based on the material ratio for the other vertices of the polygon. For example, in the above example, if the first material set for one of the other vertices of the triangular polygon is grass and has a material ratio of grass:sand = 1:0, and the material set for the other vertex is sand and has a material ratio of sand:grass = 1:0, the material ratio for the vertex may be set to grass:sand = 0.5:0.5. The game system 1 may also determine the material ratio for the vertex taking into account the distance between the vertex and the other vertices (e.g., based on a weight value that increases as the distance decreases).

[0147] As described above, in this embodiment, for each polygon, the game system 1 selects up to a predetermined number (here, two) of material IDs from among the material IDs set to the vertices included in the polygon (i.e., material IDs set to the vertices of the polygon corresponding to the polygon), and determines them as the material ID for the polygon. This allows the game system 1 to perform rendering processing while reducing the number of textures used, while reflecting the materials set to the vertices in the appearance of the polygon.

[0148] In this embodiment, if the number of materials for all vertices constituting a polygon is equal to or less than the predetermined number, the game system 1 determines the material as the polygon's material, and if the number of materials exceeds the predetermined number, it selects a predetermined number of materials with high priority based on the priority parameters of each vertex (specifically, based on the judgment value calculated based on the evaluation value) and determines them as the polygon's material. This allows the polygon to be made up of a predetermined number of materials or less, taking priority into consideration, even if the total number of materials set for each vertex exceeds the predetermined number.

[0149] As described above, in this embodiment, the first and second materials set for each vertex of a polygon are changed to two types of materials set for that polygon. When such a change is made, there is a possibility that a discrepancy will occur between the first and second materials set for a vertex shared by two adjacent polygons.

[0150] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of materials set at the vertices of two adjacent polygons. FIG. 22 shows a state ((b) of FIG. 20) in which two polygons are formed by the vertices 231 to 234 shown in FIG. 20. In the example shown in FIG. 22, the materials of the first polygon formed by the vertices 231, 233, and 234 are determined to be grass and sand, and therefore the first and second materials of these vertices should be set to grass and sand, respectively. On the other hand, the materials of the second polygon formed by the vertices 231, 232, and 234 are determined to be grass and earth, and therefore the first and second materials of these vertices should be set to grass and earth, respectively. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 22, a discrepancy occurs in the materials to be set for the vertices 231 and 234 shared by the two polygons.

[0151] Therefore, in this embodiment, if a discrepancy occurs in the materials to be set for a vertex shared by two polygons, the game system 1 adds another vertex at the same position as the vertex. FIG. 22(b) is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a vertex 231' is added for the vertex 231 and a vertex 234' is added for the vertex 234. In the example of FIG. 22, the game system 1 sets the first and second materials for the vertices 231 and 234 to grass and sand in accordance with the material of the first polygon. Also, the game system 1 sets the first and second materials for the vertices 231' and 234' to grass and earth in accordance with the material of the second polygon. In this way, by formally setting two vertices as vertices shared by two polygons (i.e., generating two vertex data sets having the same position but different materials), it is possible to prevent discrepancies in the materials set for the vertices.

[0152] The game system 1 generates a display mesh made up of polygons whose vertices and materials have been determined as described above. The game system 1 also draws the voxel object by drawing the polygons based on the material information (i.e., the first material and the second material) set for each vertex.

[0153] Fig. 23 is a diagram showing an example of applying a texture to a polygon. Fig. 23 shows a triangular polygon formed by the vertices 241 to 243 shown in Fig. 21. The materials set for the vertices 241 to 243 are those shown in Fig. 21(b).

[0154] The vertices of a polygon are drawn by mapping that blends the texture of the first material and the texture of the second material set for that vertex at the ratio of the materials set for that vertex (i.e., that ratio is used as the blend ratio). The textures of the first and second materials used for drawing are the textures indicated by the drawing setting information associated with each material ID associated with the vertex data in the material data (see FIG. 12) described above. In the example shown in FIG. 23, the material ratio for the vertex 241 is grass:sand = 1:0, so drawing is performed using only the grass texture. The first material for the vertex 243 is sand, so the material ratio for the sand:grass is 1:0, so drawing is performed using only the sand texture. The first material for the vertex 242 is grass, the second material for the vertex 242 is sand, so the material ratio for the grass:sand is 0.5:0.5, so drawing is performed by blending the grass texture and the sand texture at a blend ratio of 0.5:0.5.

[0155] Furthermore, for positions other than the vertices of a polygon, the game system 1 determines the blend ratio by interpolating the blend ratio at each vertex. Then, rendering is performed by mapping, blending the textures of the two materials set at each vertex based on the interpolated blend ratio. Note that any specific interpolation method may be used. One example is linear interpolation of the blend ratio between vertices. In FIG. 23, positions where a high proportion of grass material texture is applied are indicated in white, and positions where a high proportion of sand material texture is applied are indicated in black. In the example shown in FIG. 23, a grass texture is applied to vertex 241, and the blend ratio of the sand texture increases toward vertex 243. At vertex 242, the grass-to-sand blend ratio is 1:1, and at vertex 243, only the sand texture is applied. In this way, by blending and rendering the two textures set at the polygon (i.e., set at each vertex of the polygon) at a blend ratio according to the material ratio, the boundary between different materials in the display mesh can appear natural. This allows the display mesh to have a plurality of types of materials set thereto to appear natural.

[0156] [2-6-2.Determining the material of the judgment mesh] Next, an example of a method for determining the material of a determination mesh will be described. Details will be given later, but in this embodiment, a collision determination for a voxel object is performed using the determination mesh, and processing may be performed according to the material of the voxel object for which a collision has been determined. Therefore, in this embodiment, the material is also determined for the determination mesh.

[0157] In this embodiment, the game system 1 sets one type of material for each polygon that constitutes the determination mesh. Specifically, the game system 1 determines the material to be set for a polygon of the determination mesh based on information about the material set at the vertices of the polygon (i.e., information about the first and second materials and the ratio of the materials).

[0158] Fig. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a method for determining the material of polygons that make up a determination mesh. Fig. 24 shows an example of determining the material for a triangular polygon formed by each of the vertices 241 to 243 shown in Fig. 21. The materials set for each of the vertices 241 to 243 are those shown in Fig. 21(a).

[0159] When determining the material of a polygon, the game system 1 calculates a judgment value for each material set at each vertex of the polygon. In this embodiment, the method for calculating the judgment value is the same as the method for calculating the judgment value used to select the material set at the polygon of the display mesh. Note that the specific method for calculating the judgment value is arbitrary. In other embodiments, the judgment value may be calculated by any method based on the information set at the vertices of the polygon of the judgment mesh.

[0160] In the example shown in Fig. 24, the judgment values ​​for each material are the same as in the case shown in Fig. 21, with the grass material judgment value being 1.3, the sand material judgment value being 1.2, and the earth material judgment value being 0.5. Therefore, the grass material is selected as the material for the polygon shown in Fig. 24.

[0161] As described above, in this embodiment, for each polygon, the game system 1 selects up to a predetermined number (here, one) of material IDs from among the material IDs set at the vertices of the polygon (i.e., material IDs set at the vertices of the polygon corresponding to the polygon) and determines the material ID for the polygon. This allows the game system 1 to keep the number of materials set in the determination mesh below a predetermined number. This prevents the processing according to the type of material, which is performed according to the results of collision determination using the determination mesh, from becoming complicated. Note that the method for determining the material of the polygon of the determination mesh is arbitrary and is not limited to the above. In other embodiments, the material of the polygon of the determination mesh may be determined by any method based on the information set at the vertices of the polygon.

[0162] Furthermore, in this embodiment, up to two types of material are set for the polygons of the display mesh, while one type of material is set for the polygons of the determination mesh. This allows the polygons of the display mesh to have a natural appearance using two types of texture, and prevents the processing of the determination mesh performed based on the results of collision determination using the determination mesh from becoming complicated. Note that, in other embodiments, any type of material can be set for the polygons of the display mesh and the determination mesh. The number of materials that can be set for the polygons of the display mesh and the determination mesh may both be multiple, may be the same, or may be different.

[0163] In this embodiment, up to two types of materials can be set for one voxel, and up to two types of materials can be set for one polygon in a display mesh. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of voxel data while reflecting material information set in the voxel data on the materials of the display mesh. Furthermore, in this embodiment, up to two types of materials can also be set for vertices set based on the voxel data (see FIG. 16). This allows two types of materials to be set for vertices generated during the process of obtaining a display mesh from voxel data, so that the material information set in the voxel data is not lost during the process, and the material information set in the voxel data can be reflected on the display mesh.

[0164] In another embodiment, the game system 1 may set different materials for vertices used to generate a display mesh and for vertices used to generate a determination mesh, with respect to vertices set based on voxel data. For example, the game system 1 may set up to two types of materials for vertices used to generate a display mesh, as described above, and set one type of material for vertices used to generate a determination mesh. Similarly, two types of materials may be set for polygons of the display mesh, and one type of material may be set for polygons of the determination mesh based on one type of material set for each vertex of the polygon. When one type of material is set for vertices used to generate a determination mesh, the material with the largest judgment value calculated for each material may be set as the material for that vertex. As in the present embodiment, this allows up to two types of materials to be set for each polygon in the display mesh, and only one type of material to be set for each polygon in the determination mesh. Therefore, the information about the material set in the voxel data can be reflected in the display mesh, and the processing performed according to the results of collision judgment using the judgment mesh can be prevented from becoming complicated.

[0165] As described above, in this embodiment, a display mesh and a judgment mesh may be set for one voxel object. However, depending on the game situation, it is not necessary to simultaneously set both a display mesh and a judgment mesh for one voxel object (for example, it is not necessary to set both in processing for one frame). For example, a judgment mesh may be generated in a range within the game space where collision determination is performed, but not in a range where collision determination is not performed. As an example, the game system 1 may generate judgment meshes for voxel objects within a predetermined range centered on the player character, and may generate only display meshes for voxel objects outside the predetermined range without generating judgment meshes.

[0166] Furthermore, for display meshes, the game system 1 may store data relating to the generated meshes in memory, and in frames after the meshes are generated, use the data without re-executing the mesh generation process except for the updated range. This reduces the processing load for generating display meshes. For determination meshes, data relating to the generated meshes may not be stored in memory, and meshes may be generated sequentially as needed (for example, whenever collision determination is required). This saves memory space used for mesh generation.

[0167] The above describes a method for generating meshes (i.e., display meshes and determination meshes) based on the changed voxel data when voxel data is changed from its initial state. The above method can also be used when generating meshes based on voxel data in the initial state, for example, at the start of a game. However, meshes based on voxel data in the initial state do not need to be generated based on voxel data in the initial state at the start of the game, and may be prepared in advance before the start of the game.

[0168] [2-7. Processing using meshes] Next, an example of processing using the mesh generated for a voxel object as described above will be described. In the following, we will explain an example in which terrain objects such as the ground and walls are assumed to be voxel objects, and an action occurs in the game as a result of a player character taking an action and a collision determination being performed.

[0169] FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a game image showing a player character moving on a terrain object. In the example shown in FIG. 25, the material of the polygons in a part of an area 251 of the determination mesh of the terrain object, which is the ground, is set to "lava." Note that the material of the polygons in the determination mesh of the terrain object other than the area 251 is set to "rock." In the example shown in FIG. 25, the game system 1 performs a collision determination between the terrain object and the player character 201 using the determination mesh. That is, the game system 1 performs a collision determination as to whether or not the determination mesh of the terrain object comes into contact with a determination area set for the player character (for example, an area of ​​a predetermined shape set based on the position of the player character). Then, when a collision between the polygon made of lava and the player character 201 is determined, a process of reducing the stamina of the player character 201 is performed as a process of generating an in-game action. In the above case, a process of causing the player character 201 to perform a predetermined reaction is also performed.

[0170] In this embodiment, the property information included in the material data is set to a property of lava material that reduces the stamina of the player character that comes into contact with it (for example, the property that the temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined value). The game system 1 generates an in-game action (in the above example, a reduction in the stamina of the player character) based on the property information corresponding to the material set for the polygon in the determination mesh for which a collision has been determined by collision determination.

[0171] Note that, when a collision between the player character 201 and a polygon made of rock is determined, a process for reducing the player character's vitality is not executed. Furthermore, based on the collision, the player character 201 is controlled so as not to enter the interior of the polygon. Therefore, the player character can stand on or walk on the polygon. In this manner, in this embodiment, by setting a material for each polygon, the game system 1 can execute different processes depending on which part of the voxel object another object has come into contact with. Furthermore, the content of the executed process can be set according to the type of material. Note that in this embodiment, the player character can change the terrain object (for example, by deforming it or changing its material). For example, the player character can erase the lava portion of the terrain object or change the lava to another material. Therefore, by changing the terrain object, the player can avoid the player character's vitality from being reduced due to contact with lava.

[0172] The content of the processing executed when a collision between a voxel object and another object is determined is arbitrary. For example, if the other object is a moving object such as a player character or an enemy character, the processing may be processing to output the sound of footsteps of the object or to display an effect (e.g., an effect representing dust or water splashes) at the location of contact. In this case, the game system 1 can vary the sound of footsteps or the effect depending on the type of material set for the polygon of the contacting portion of the voxel object.

[0173] 26 is a diagram showing an example of a game image depicting a player character pulling out a fragment object from a land object. As shown in Fig. 26, in this embodiment, the player can, by inputting a predetermined operation, cause the player character 201 to perform an action (referred to as a "pull-out action") of grabbing the land object 202 and pulling out and holding a part of it as a fragment object 252. As an in-game effect caused by the pull-out action, the game system 1 erases a part of the land object 202 and generates a fragment object 252.

[0174] When a pull-out action is performed, the game system 1 specifically executes the following process. That is, when the player performs an operation input to cause the player character to perform a pull-out action, the game system 1 causes the player character to perform an action such as digging forward and grabbing, and performs a collision determination. Then, when a collision between the player character performing the pull-out action and the terrain object is determined, an update range 253 is generated based on the position and orientation of the player character. For example, the update range 253 is generated in a predetermined direction (for example, forward) based on the player character. Note that the shape and size of the update range may be determined in advance so as to correspond to the type of action of the player character. Furthermore, the game system 1 reduces the density of voxels corresponding to the update range 253. Then, by updating the mesh in accordance with the reduction in voxel density, the terrain object 202 is deformed so that the portion within the update range 253 is erased (see (b) of FIG. 26 ). In this embodiment, the density of each voxel corresponding to the update range 253 is reduced, but the voxels whose density is to be reduced may be at least a portion of the voxels corresponding to the update range 253.

[0175] Furthermore, in the above description, the voxel object corresponding to the update range 253 is unconditionally deformed by the pull-out action. However, in other embodiments, the voxel object corresponding to the update range 253 may be deformed with the amount of damage set to the voxel as a condition. For example, instead of unconditionally deforming the voxel object corresponding to the update range 253, the game system 1 may increase the amount of damage set to the voxel corresponding to the update range 253, and decrease the density of the voxel when the amount of damage exceeds a predetermined value. In this case, the amount of increase in damage may be determined according to the action performed on the voxel object.

[0176] The game system 1 also generates fragment objects 252 representing the erased portions of the terrain object 202. That is, the game system 1 generates the fragment objects 252 in a state in which the player character holds them, based on the above-mentioned pull-out action. The fragment objects 252 may be generated to have a shape corresponding to the erased portions of the terrain object 202, or may have a predetermined shape. The fragment objects 252 may or may not be voxel objects. If the fragment objects are voxel objects, a voxel space different from the voxel space of voxels corresponding to the terrain object 202, etc., is defined for the fragment objects 252.

[0177] The game system 1 determines the material of the fragment object 252. The material of the fragment object 252 is determined based on the material set for polygons in the determination mesh of the terrain object 202 that come into contact with the update range 253. The material of the fragment object 252 is determined to be the same as any one of the materials set for polygons in the determination mesh that come into contact with the update range 253. This makes it possible to make the material of the fragment object 252 the same as the material of the erased portion of the terrain object. As is clear from the above explanation, the fragment object 252 is not actually part of the terrain object. However, since the fragment object 252 is generated when a portion of the terrain object is erased and the material of the erased portion of the terrain object is inherited by the fragment object 252, the player can be given the impression that the player character 201 has removed a portion of the terrain object 202 by a pull-out action.

[0178] In this embodiment, a priority order is assigned to each type of material provided, and the game system 1 determines the material with the highest priority order among the materials assigned to each polygon of the determination mesh within the update range 253 as the material of the fragment object 252. Consider, for example, a case where the determination mesh within the update range 253 includes a polygon whose material is rock and a polygon whose material is lava. In such a case, if the material of the fragment object 252 is set to lava, an inconvenience may occur, such as the player character's stamina decreasing when the player character grasps the fragment object 252 through a pull-out action (note that, as described in FIG. 25 , the lava material is set to decrease the player character's stamina upon contact). Furthermore, as described above, if the determination mesh within the update range 253 includes polygons assigned different types of materials, it may be difficult for the player to predict what material the fragment object 252 will be made of, and the above-mentioned inconvenience may occur contrary to the player's intention. In contrast to this, in this embodiment, by setting priorities for materials set as materials for fragment objects, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the above inconvenience occurring.

[0179] FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of a game image illustrating the generation of fragment objects as a result of the player character destroying a terrain object. As shown in FIG. 27, in this embodiment, the player can cause the player character 201 to perform a punch action by inputting a predetermined operation. As in the case of the punch action described above, the game system 1 erases a portion of the terrain object 202 and generates a fragment object 255 as an in-game effect caused by the punch action. Specifically, the terrain object 202 is deformed so as to appear as if a portion of it has been erased. Note that, unlike the pull-out action described above, when a punch action is performed, the fragment object 255 is not grasped by the player character 201 after the punch action, but is instead placed around the position where the punch action was performed (see (b) of FIG. 27). Note that there may be cases in which the fragments corresponding to the destruction of the terrain object 202 are not generated.

[0180] When a punch action is performed, the game system 1 specifically executes the following process. That is, when a player performs an operation input to have the player character perform a punch action, the game system 1 causes the player character to perform a punch action forward and performs a collision determination. Then, when a collision between the player character performing the punch action and the terrain object is determined, an update range 254 is generated based on the position and orientation of the player character. For example, the update range 254 is generated in a predetermined direction (e.g., forward) based on the player character. Note that the position, shape, and size of the update range 254 due to the punch action may be the same as or different from the update range 253 due to the pull-out action. Then, the game system 1 reduces the density of voxels corresponding to the update range 254. As a result, the terrain object 202 is deformed by the punch action as well, so that the portion within the update range 254 is erased (see (b) of FIG. 27 ). As with the pull-out action, with respect to the punch action, instead of unconditionally deforming the voxel object corresponding to the update range 254, the game system 1 may increase the amount of damage set for the voxels within the update range 254 in response to the punch action, and decrease the density of the voxels when the amount of damage exceeds a predetermined value. Furthermore, the voxels whose density is decreased by the punch action may be at least a portion of the voxels corresponding to the update range 254.

[0181] Furthermore, the game system 1 generates fragment objects 255 corresponding to the erased portions of the terrain object 202. That is, the game system 1 generates the fragment objects 255 based on the punch action in a state where the fragment objects 255 are not held by the player character (for example, in a state where the fragment objects 255 are placed around the position where the punch action was performed). The fragment objects 255 may be generated to have a shape corresponding to the erased portions of the terrain object 202, or may have a predetermined shape. The fragment objects 255 may or may not be voxel objects.

[0182] The game system 1 determines the material of the fragment object 255. The material of the fragment object 255 is determined based on the material set for polygons in the determination mesh that comes into contact with the update range 254, among the determination meshes of the landform object 202. The material of the fragment object 255 is determined to be the same as any one of the materials set for polygons in the determination mesh that comes into contact with the update range 254. This makes it possible to make the material of the fragment object 255 the same as the material of the erased portion of the landform object. Furthermore, by generating the fragment object 255 together with the erasure of a portion of the landform object and inheriting the material of the erased portion of the landform object, the player can be given the impression that a portion of the landform object that has been destroyed by a punch action performed by the player character has been generated as a fragment object.

[0183] In this embodiment, the material of the fragment object 255 is determined to be the material with the greatest degree of decrease in density in the voxel among the materials set for the polygons in the determination mesh that come into contact with the update range 254. This makes it possible to generate a fragment object that more accurately reflects the material configuration of the portion of the terrain object that was erased by the punch action.

[0184] Note that any method can be used to determine the material of the fragment objects generated by the above-described pull-out action or punch action. For example, the method for determining the material of the fragment objects may be the same for pull-out actions and punch actions. Alternatively, for example, the material set for the largest number of polygons in the determination mesh within the update range may be determined as the material of the fragment objects. Alternatively, for example, the material set for polygons in the determination mesh within the update range that satisfy a predetermined condition (for example, polygons that come into contact with the hand of the player character performing the pull-out action or punch action) may be determined as the material of the fragment objects. In other embodiments, multiple types of materials may be set for the fragment objects.

[0185] In this embodiment, the player can cause the player character to perform an action of throwing the fragment object 252 or 255 generated as described above (hereinafter referred to as a "throw action"). The player can also cause the player character to perform an action of holding a fragment object that has been generated in response to a punch action and placed on the ground, by performing a predetermined operational input. The player character is now holding a fragment object by performing the above-described pull-out action or by performing an action of holding a fragment object after the above-described punch action. In this state, the game system 1 causes the player character to perform a throw action in response to the player's operational input, in which the player character releases the fragment object that it is holding in a predetermined direction.

[0186] 28 is a diagram showing an example of a game image in a scene where the player character 201 is ready to perform a throwing action and is deciding the throwing direction while in a throwing stance. As shown in Fig. 28, when the player character 201 is holding a fragment object 261, the player character 201 can perform a throwing action. In this state, as shown in Fig. 28, the game system 1 displays a aiming image 262 and an object information image 263 superimposed on an image showing the game space as a process for generating an action in the game.

[0187] The aiming image 262 indicates the direction (also referred to as the aim direction) in which the fragment object will be released by the throwing action. That is, in response to the player's operation input for performing the throwing action, the game system 1 moves the fragment object 261 from the position of the player character 201 toward the position in the virtual space indicated by the aiming image 262. The aim direction is controlled based on the operation input by the player. For example, the game system 1 may change the aim direction in response to an operation input for changing the orientation of the virtual camera. Specifically, the game system 1 may control the virtual camera in response to the operation input so as to rotate around the player character while maintaining the player character within its field of view, and control the aim direction to be in a direction corresponding to the line of sight of the virtual camera. At this time, the aiming image 262 is displayed, indicating the position where a straight line extending from the position of the player character in the aim direction intersects with the landform object 253. Specifically, the game system 1 performs a collision determination between the aim direction (i.e., the above-mentioned straight line extending in the aim direction) and the determination mesh of the land object 253, and if a collision is determined, displays the aim image 262. The aim image 262 is arranged so as to indicate the position of a polygon in the determination mesh that intersects with the above-mentioned straight line extending in the aim direction.

[0188] The aiming image 262 can indicate to the player the position where the fragment object will come into contact with the voxel object when the player character performs a throwing action. This makes it easier for the player to control the throwing action. Note that the specific method for controlling the aim direction and the aiming image 262 is arbitrary, and conventional methods may be used. For example, in another embodiment, when the aiming image 262 is displayed, the aiming image 262 may be displayed in a first-person perspective game image in which the player character is not displayed.

[0189] With the player character in a stance to throw the fragment object, a throwing action is performed in which the fragment object is thrown in the aimed direction in response to a predetermined operation input by the player.

[0190] The object information image 263 indicates information about the land object 253 at the position indicated by the aiming image 262. In this embodiment, the object information image 263 indicates the name of the material (rock in the example shown in FIG. 28 ) set for the polygon of the determination mesh at the position indicated by the aiming image 262. This makes it possible to present to the player the material of the voxel object that will come into contact with the fragment object thrown by the throwing action. The object information image 263 also indicates information about the properties of the material (here, hardness). This makes it possible to present to the player the properties of the voxel object that will come into contact with the fragment object thrown by the throwing action. Note that the content indicated by the object information image 263 is arbitrary. For example, in other embodiments, the object information image 263 may indicate any property related to the material set for the polygon at the position indicated by the aiming image 262, or may indicate the state of the polygon (for example, the amount of damage described above). In this embodiment, the polygons of the determination mesh have only one type of material, so the material corresponding to the aiming position is specified as one, which is suitable for displaying information about the material.

[0191] In this embodiment, when a fragment object thrown by a throwing action is determined to have come into contact with a voxel object as a result of collision determination, the game system 1 modifies the voxel object as an in-game action. FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating an example of a game image after a fragment object 261 has come into contact with the terrain object 253 shown in FIG. 28 and modified the terrain object 253. In the example shown in FIG. 29, the terrain object 253 is deformed so that the fragment object is attached to the contact position between the fragment object and the terrain object 253. Specifically, the game system 1 generates an update range to include the contact position, and increases the voxel density in the update range, thereby deforming the terrain object 253 to the above shape. For example, the update range may be set to a shape corresponding to the shape of the fragment object, and the terrain object 253 may be deformed so that the update range is within the terrain object 253. As a result, in the example shown in FIG. 29, the terrain object 253 has a shape in which an additional portion 265 has been added to the terrain object before deformation. In the example shown in FIG. 29, the fragment object is erased in response to contact with the land object 253.

[0192] Furthermore, the material of the polygons in the added portion 265 is determined based on the material of the fragment object that has come into contact with the terrain object 253. Specifically, the game system 1 sets the material of a voxel within the update range to be the material of the fragment object. Then, the materials of the display mesh and the determination mesh are determined based on the material of the voxel. This makes it possible to make the appearance of the added portion 265 the same as that of the fragment object, thereby more easily giving the player the impression that the fragment object has been attached to the terrain object 253 (although in reality, the terrain object 253 has been deformed as described above).

[0193] In the example shown in FIG. 29 , the change made to the voxel object in response to the contact of the fragment object with the voxel object is a deformation that adds an additional portion to the voxel object. However, the change made to the voxel object is not limited to this. The change may be a change to the density of voxels or a change to the material. For example, if the fragment object has the property of exploding, the fragment object may explode in response to contact with the voxel object, and the voxel object may be deformed so that a portion of the voxel object is erased. Specifically, the game system 1 sets an update range to include the contact position and reduces the density of voxels within the update range. For example, if the material of the voxel object is lava and the material of the fragment object is ice, the material of the voxel object may be changed in response to contact with the fragment object. Specifically, the game system 1 may set an update range that includes the contact position and change the lava material of the voxels within the update range to obsidian or rock. This allows you to express a situation where a lava object is cooled by an ice object and turns into obsidian or rock.

[0194] The content of the above changes may be determined based on the material of the voxel object, based on the material of the fragment objects, or based on a combination of the material of the voxel object and the material of the fragment objects, thereby making it possible to bring about various changes to the voxel object.

[0195] The game system 1 may also determine whether to make the above-mentioned changes based on the material of the voxel object, the material of the fragment object, or a combination of the material of the voxel object and the material of the fragment object. For example, when a fragment object made of rock comes into contact with a voxel object made of rock, the game system 1 may make the changes shown in Fig. 29, but when a fragment object made of rock comes into contact with a voxel object made of iron, the game system 1 may not make the changes shown in Fig. 29.

[0196] In this embodiment, as described above, one type of material is set for the polygons of the determination mesh and the fragment objects. If multiple types of material were set for at least one of the polygons of the determination mesh and the fragment objects, it would be difficult to determine the changes to be made to the voxel object according to the material types of the determination mesh and the fragment objects when they come into contact. In contrast, in this embodiment, the determination mesh and the fragment objects determined to be in contact by collision detection each have one type of material, making it easy to determine the changes to be made to the voxel object.

[0197] [3. Specific examples of processing in game systems] Next, a specific example of information processing in the game system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0198] FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of various data used for information processing in the game system 1. Each piece of data shown in FIG. 30 is stored in a memory accessible by the main unit 2 (for example, the flash memory 84, the DRAM 85, and / or a memory card inserted in the slot 23). As shown in FIG. 30, the game system 1 stores a game program. The game program is for executing the game processing in this embodiment (specifically, the game processing shown in FIG. 31). The game program includes the above-mentioned material data (see FIG. 12). The memory also stores the above-mentioned voxel data (see FIG. 11), update range data, mesh data, object data, etc. (see FIG. 30).

[0199] The update range data is data that indicates the update range described above. In this embodiment, the update range is represented by the SDF described above.

[0200] The mesh data includes various data related to the mesh of the voxel object. As shown in FIG. 30 , in this embodiment, the mesh data includes SVO data, display mesh data, and judgment mesh data. The SVO data is data that holds each vertex calculated from the voxel data in the above-mentioned SVO structure. In this embodiment, the SVO data includes data indicating the position of each vertex, as well as data indicating the material set for each vertex (e.g., data indicating the material ID). The display mesh data includes various data related to the display mesh. Specifically, the display mesh data includes data indicating each vertex of the display mesh and data indicating the material set for each vertex (e.g., data indicating the material ID). The judgment mesh data includes various data related to the judgment mesh. Specifically, the judgment mesh data includes data indicating each vertex of the judgment mesh and data indicating the material set for each vertex (e.g., data indicating the material ID).

[0201] The object data includes various data related to objects other than voxel objects (e.g., player characters, debris objects, etc.). The object data is stored for each object that appears in the game space. The object data includes, for example, data indicating the position, speed, status, etc. of the object.

[0202] 31 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of game processing executed by the game system 1. Execution of the game processing is initiated, for example, when the game is started in response to a command from a player during execution of the game program. Note that a processing loop consisting of a series of processes from steps S1 to S14 is executed once per frame.

[0203] In the present embodiment, the processor 81 of the main unit 2 executes the game program stored in the game system 1 to perform the processing of each step shown in FIG. 31 . However, in other embodiments, some of the processing of each step may be performed by a processor (e.g., a dedicated circuit) other than the processor 81. Furthermore, if the game system 1 is capable of communicating with another information processing device (e.g., a server), some of the processing of each step shown in FIG. 31 may be performed in the other information processing device. Furthermore, the processing of each step shown in FIG. 31 is merely an example, and the processing order of each step may be reversed, or another process may be performed in addition to (or instead of) the processing of each step, as long as similar results are obtained.

[0204] 31 using a memory (for example, DRAM 85). That is, the processor 81 stores information (in other words, data) obtained by each processing step in the memory, and when using the information in a subsequent processing step, reads the information from the memory and uses it.

[0205] 31, processor 81 acquires the operation data indicating an operation input by the player. That is, processor 81 acquires the operation data received from each controller via controller communication unit 83 and / or each of terminals 17 and 21. Following step S1, the process of step S2 is executed.

[0206] In step S2, processor 81 designates, as the processing target, any of the objects in the game space that require processing and for which processing has not been completed. For the designated object, it executes a process of calculating the velocity and a process of reflecting the results of collisions between objects in the previous frame. The velocity of the object is used to calculate the position of the object in the current frame in the process of step S12, which will be described later. For example, if the designated object is a player character, the velocity of the player character is calculated based on the operation data acquired in step S1. Furthermore, if the designated object is an object not controlled by the player (e.g., a fragment object), the velocity of the object is calculated based on rules predetermined in the game program. For example, the velocity of a fragment object is set to 0 if the fragment object is placed on a terrain object and not moving; if the fragment object is held by the player character, the velocity is set to the same as the player character's velocity; and if the fragment object is thrown by a throwing action by the player character, the velocity is set to a velocity that moves in the aim direction at a magnitude determined by the above rules. Specifically, the velocity of the object is calculated based on virtual physical calculations that include interactions between objects. For example, the speed is determined based on factors such as repulsion due to collisions between objects, interactions such as friction due to contact, falling due to virtual gravity, and deceleration due to virtual air resistance.

[0207] Furthermore, the process of reflecting the result of the collision between objects in the previous frame includes a process of influencing the objects due to the collision when it is determined that the objects have collided in the collision determination (step S11) in the previous frame. The above process is, for example, the following process. -Processing to reduce the player character's stamina if it is determined that the player character has come into contact with a lava terrain object in the previous frame Processing to generate debris objects when it is determined that the player character has come into contact with a terrain object due to a pull or punch action in the previous frame -Processing to destroy debris objects when it is determined that the debris object has come into contact with a rock terrain object in the previous frame If the state of the object is changed in the process of step S2 above, processor 81 updates the object data stored in memory for that object to indicate the changed content. After step S2, the process of step S3 is executed.

[0208] In step S3, processor 81 determines whether an update event that updates the voxel object has occurred due to the object specified in step S2. For example, the determination in step S3 is made based on the result of collision determination (step S11) in the previous frame. For example, if it is determined that the player character has come into contact with the terrain object due to a pull-out action or a punch action in the previous frame, it is determined that an update event that erases a part of the terrain object (see FIGS. 26 and 27) has occurred. Also, for example, if it is determined that a debris object has come into contact with a rock terrain object in the previous frame, it is determined that an update event that increases the volume of the terrain object (see FIG. 29) has occurred. If the determination result in step S3 is positive, the process of step S4 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S3 is negative, the process of step S6 is executed.

[0209] In step S4, processor 81 sets an update range in the game space for updating the voxel object. For example, the specific contents of the update range (i.e., position, shape, and size) are associated with each type of update event in the game program. The update range set in step S4 is set to have contents associated with the type of update event determined to occur in step S3. Processor 81 stores data indicating the set update range in memory as update range data. Following step S4, the process of step S5 is executed.

[0210] In step S5, the processor 81 makes changes to the voxels corresponding to the update range set in step S4 in accordance with the update event. For example, when a voxel object in the update range is transformed so as to be erased or added to the update range, the voxel data stored in memory is updated to change the density of the voxels corresponding to the update range (see [2-2. Voxel Data Update] above). Also, for example, when the material of a voxel object in the update range is changed, the voxel data stored in memory is updated to update the first and second material IDs and material mixing ratios of the voxels corresponding to the update range. After step S5, the process of step S6 is executed.

[0211] In step S6, processor 81 determines whether or not the processes in steps S2 to S5 have been completed for all objects that require processing. If the determination result in step S6 is positive, the process in step S7 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S6 is negative, the process in step S2 is executed again.

[0212] In step S7, processor 81 updates the vertices of the voxel object in the game space. That is, if the voxel data is updated in the processing of step S5 above, new vertices are calculated based on the updated voxel data. The positions of the new vertices are calculated according to the method described above in [2-3. Calculation of Vertex]. The materials of the new vertices are calculated according to the method described above in [2-4. Determination of Vertex Material]. Following step S7, the processing of step S8 is executed.

[0213] In step S8, processor 81 simplifies the vertices. That is, processor 81 simplifies each vertex after updating by the processing of step S7 according to the method described above in [2-5. Vertex Simplification]. The SVO data stored in memory is updated to indicate each vertex obtained by the processing of steps S7 and S8. Therefore, the SVO data is updated by the processing of steps S7 and S8. Note that the processing of steps S7 and S8 does not need to recalculate the vertices for all of the voxel data, and may be performed only for the part where the voxel content was changed in the processing of step S5. Following step S8, the processing of step S9 is performed.

[0214] In step S9, the processor 81 updates the display mesh of the voxel object based on the SVO data stored in memory. The position of each vertex of the display mesh and the material of each polygon of the display mesh (i.e., the material set for each vertex of the polygon) are calculated according to the methods described above in [2-6. Mesh Generation] and [2-6-1. Determination of Material for Display Mesh]. The processor 81 updates the display mesh data stored in memory to indicate the updated position and material of each vertex of the display mesh. After step S9, the processor 81 executes the processing of step S10. The processor 81 may start the processing of step S10 and subsequent steps in parallel without waiting for the completion of step S9. In this case, step S9 must be completed before the start of step S13.

[0215] In step S10, processor 81 updates the determination mesh of the voxel object based on the SVO data stored in memory. The positions of each vertex of the determination mesh and the material of each polygon of the determination mesh (i.e., the material set for each vertex of the polygon) are calculated according to the methods described above in [2-6. Mesh Generation] and [2-6-2. Determination of Determination Mesh Material]. Processor 81 updates the determination mesh data stored in memory to indicate the positions and materials of each vertex of the determination mesh after the update. Following step S10, the process of step S11 is executed.

[0216] In the example shown in FIG. 31 , the determination mesh generation process (step S10) is executed for each frame, but the determination mesh generation process does not have to be executed for each frame. For example, if the collision determination process in step S11 is executed only in frames that satisfy a predetermined condition, processor 81 may execute the determination mesh generation process in the frame in which the collision determination in step S11 is performed. Processor 81 may also execute the determination mesh generation process for voxels within an area of ​​the game space in which the collision determination in step S11 is performed. For example, in a situation in which no objects other than voxel objects that are the subject of collision determination exist around the player character in the game space (that is, a situation in which it is sufficient to perform only collision determination between the player character and its surrounding voxel objects), processor 81 may execute the determination mesh generation process for voxels within a predetermined range based on the player character.

[0217] In step S11, processor 81 performs collision determination for each object in the game space based on the determination mesh data and object data stored in memory. That is, processor 81 performs collision determination using a determination mesh for a voxel object, and using a determination area of ​​a predetermined shape set for the object for an object that is not a voxel object. Note that in this embodiment, the collision determination in step S11 is performed taking into account the speed calculated in step S2 above. That is, processor 81 performs collision determination using the position of each object when it moves at the above speed.

[0218] In this embodiment, the collision determination in step S11 determines, for example, whether or not there will be a next contact. - Contact between the player character performing a movement, punch action, or pull action and a terrain object Contact between a character who performs an action to lift a fragment and the fragment - Contact between the line extending from the player character's position in the aim direction and the terrain object -Collision between debris objects thrown by the player character and terrain objects If it is determined in the collision determination of step S11 that the objects have come into contact with each other, a process that reflects the result of the collision between the objects is executed in the process of step S2 in the next frame, or it is determined in the process of step S3 in the next frame that an update event has occurred. After step S11, the process of step S12 is executed.

[0219] In step S12, the processor 81 controls the actions of each object in the game space. For example, with respect to the player character, the processor 81 controls the player character to move and perform various actions based on the operation data acquired in step S1. When a predetermined action is performed, an area for collision determination corresponding to the action is generated in the game space. For example, a fragment object is controlled to move in the aim direction described above in response to being thrown by a throwing action by the player character. Note that in one processing of step S12, the processor 81 controls each object so that, for an action performed over multiple frames (e.g., an action by the player character), the action progresses for one frame. By repeatedly executing the processing of step S12 over multiple frames, each object performs a series of actions related to movement and various actions. Furthermore, the position of the object is basically determined to be the position after moving at the speed calculated in step S2. However, if it is determined by the collision determination in step S11 that an object will come into contact with another object and the movement is obstructed by the contacting object, the position of the object is determined not to change. The object data stored in the memory is updated to reflect the object after the control in step S12. After step S12, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0220] In step S13, processor 81 generates a game image. That is, processor 81 generates a game image by drawing each polygon of the display mesh of the voxel object and the polygons of each object other than the voxel object based on the virtual camera. Note that each polygon of the display mesh is drawn using drawing settings such as texture corresponding to the material set for the polygon, according to the method described above in [2-6-1. Determining the Material of the Display Mesh]. In addition, in this embodiment, when the player character is in a state where a throwing action is possible, processor 81 generates a game image so as to include the above-mentioned aiming image and object information image (see FIG. 28). The game image generated in step S13 is output to the display device and displayed once per frame.

[0221] In step S14, processor 81 determines whether or not to end the game. For example, processor 81 determines to end the game when a predetermined operation input for ending the game is performed by the player. If the determination result in step S14 is negative, the processing of step S1 is executed again. Thereafter, the series of processing from steps S1 to S14 is repeatedly executed until it is determined in step S14 that the game is to end. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S14 is positive, processor 81 ends the game processing shown in FIG. 31.

[0222] [4. Effects and Modifications of the Present Embodiment] As described above, in the above embodiment, the game program is configured to cause the computer of the information processing device to execute the following processes. A process for generating a display mesh based on voxel data (The voxel data is defined in a virtual space, and for each of a plurality of voxels, at least a density indicating the degree to which the space defined by the voxel is virtually occupied by the contents and a material ID indicating the type of the contents, which material ID can be set up to a first number (for example, two). The display mesh corresponds to the voxel data and is drawn based on the virtual camera. The vertex coordinates of the display mesh are determined based at least on the density included in the voxel data, and the material of the display mesh is determined based at least on the plurality of material IDs included in the voxel data.) -Processing to generate voxel update range in virtual space based on game processing - Processing to update at least one of the density and material ID for each voxel in the voxel data that corresponds to the voxel update range in virtual space according to the generation of the voxel update range. - Processing to update the display mesh according to the updated voxel data A process that generates an in-game action according to the material of the judgment mesh at the collision position, based on the collision detection between the judgment mesh and the judgment shape corresponding to the detection target based on game processing. (Note that the judgment mesh is used for collision detection in virtual space. The vertex coordinates of the judgment mesh are determined based at least on the density contained in the voxel data. The material of the judgment mesh is determined based at least on multiple material IDs contained in the voxel data.) A process for drawing a virtual space including a display mesh based on the vertex coordinates of the display mesh and the texture corresponding to the material of the display mesh.

[0223] According to the above configuration, the appearance of a voxel-based object can be changed based on the voxel material updated during the game, and an action based on the material can be generated in the game. In other words, the material can be reflected in the appearance and in-game action of an object based on voxel data.

[0224] The "in-game action" refers to any change that occurs in the game. For example, in the above embodiment, it refers to a change that occurs due to "processing that reflects the results of collision between objects." Also, in the above embodiment, displaying an object information image based on a collision determination between the line extending in the aim direction and a terrain object is also an example of the "in-game action." In the above configuration, the "in-game action" may be based on a collision determination between a determination mesh and a determination shape corresponding to a determination target based on game processing (e.g., a determination area set for an object such as a player character, or a line extending in the aim direction). The action may occur on an object corresponding to the determination mesh, or on an object corresponding to the determination target. As in the above embodiment, the content of the in-game action may be associated with a material set for a polygon determined to have collided in the collision determination that causes the action to occur (i.e., the content of the action may be determined by the material).

[0225] In the above embodiment, when a process is executed using data (which means including a program) in an information processing device, part of the data required for the process may be transmitted from another information processing device different from the information processing device. In this case, the information processing device may execute the process using the data received from the other information processing device and the data stored in the information processing device itself.

[0226] In other embodiments, the information processing system may not have some of the configurations in the above embodiments, or may not execute some of the processes executed in the above embodiments. For example, in order to achieve some specific effects in the above embodiments, the information processing system may have the configurations for achieving those effects and execute the processes for achieving those effects, but may not have other configurations or may not execute other processes. [Industrial Applicability]

[0227] The above embodiment can be used, for example, as a game system or game program, for the purpose of reflecting materials in the appearance and actions that occur in a game of objects based on voxel data. [Explanation of symbols]

[0228] 1. Game System 2 Main unit 81 processors 201 Player Character 202 Terrain Objects 203,253,254 Update range 211~218 voxels 262 Aiming Image 263 Object Information Images

Claims

1. The computer of the information processing device Based on voxel data defined in a virtual space, in which for each of a plurality of voxels at least a density indicating the degree to which the space defined by the voxel is virtually occupied by content and a material ID indicating the type of content, the material ID being settable up to a first number, which is a plurality of voxels, a display mesh is generated that corresponds to the voxel data and is drawn based on a virtual camera, the vertex coordinates of the display mesh are determined based at least on the density included in the voxel data, and the material of the display mesh is determined by setting one or more material IDs to each of a plurality of polygons included in the display mesh based at least on the plurality of material IDs included in the voxel data; generating a voxel update range in the virtual space based on game processing; In response to the generation of the voxel update range, at least one of the density and the material ID is updated for each voxel in the voxel data that corresponds to the voxel update range in the virtual space; updating the display mesh in accordance with the updated voxel data; a determination mesh used for collision determination within the virtual space, the vertex coordinates of the determination mesh being determined based at least on the density included in the voxel data, and the material of the determination mesh being determined by setting one material ID for each of a plurality of polygons included in the determination mesh based at least on a plurality of material IDs included in the voxel data, and based on a collision determination between the determination mesh and a determination shape corresponding to a determination target based on game processing, generating an in-game action associated with the material ID set for the polygon in the determination mesh for which a collision has been determined; A game program that renders the virtual space including the display mesh by rendering the polygons included in the display mesh based on texture mapping that blends one or more textures associated with each of the material IDs set for the polygons.

2. The computer, For each type of material corresponding to the material ID, based on material data including at least rendering setting information including at least texture information set for the material and property information indicating an in-game effect set for the material, generating the in-game action based on the property information corresponding to the material ID set for the polygon in the determination mesh for which the collision has been determined; 2. A game program as described in claim 1, which causes the virtual space including the display mesh to be drawn by drawing the polygons based on texture mapping that is performed by blending one or more textures based on texture information included in the drawing setting information that corresponds to each of the material IDs set for each polygon included in the display mesh.

3. The computer further comprises: Controlling a player character based on operational input; 2. A game program as described in claim 1, wherein, based on a collision between the judgment shape corresponding to the player character and the judgment mesh, if the material ID of a polygon in the judgment mesh for which a collision is determined includes a first material ID, the stamina set for the player character is reduced.

4. The computer further comprises: The player character is controlled based on the operation input, and based on a predetermined operation input, causing the player character to perform a first action; generating a first voxel update range from among a plurality of types of voxel update ranges with respect to a predetermined direction from the player character; Decreasing the density of at least a portion of voxels corresponding to the first voxel update range; 2. The game program according to claim 1, wherein a first object is generated to which the same material ID is set for the material ID of the material having the highest predetermined priority among the material IDs set for polygons in at least one of the judgment meshes that come into contact with the judgment shape set in a predetermined direction from the player character.

5. The computer further comprises: The player character is controlled based on the operation input, and based on a predetermined operation input, causing the player character to perform a second action; generating a second voxel update range from among the plurality of types of voxel update ranges with respect to a predetermined direction from the player character; Decreasing the density of at least a portion of voxels corresponding to the second voxel update range; 5. The game program according to claim 4, wherein the first object is generated with the same material ID as the material ID of the voxel corresponding to the second voxel update range that has had the largest decrease in density of the corresponding voxel.

6. The computer further comprises: generating the first object in a state in which the first object is held by the player character based on the first action; generating the first object in a state where the first object is not held by the player character based on the second action; as a third action in response to a predetermined operation input, causing the player character to take an action of holding the first object that the player character does not have; 6. The game program according to claim 5, wherein the fourth action in response to a predetermined operation input is to have the player character perform an action of throwing the first object being held in a predetermined direction.

7. The computer, generating a third voxel update range based on a collision between the first object released in response to the fourth action and the determination mesh; The game program according to claim 6 , further comprising updating the density or the material ID of at least a portion of voxels corresponding to the third voxel update range.

8. The computer, 8. The game program according to claim 7, wherein the material ID of a voxel corresponding to the third voxel update range is changed to the material ID of the first object, and the density of the voxel is increased to a predetermined value.

9. The material data further includes a material name for each type of material, The computer further comprises: Based on the operational input, the aim direction in the virtual space is controlled, 3. The game program according to claim 2, wherein the material name corresponding to the material ID of a polygon in a mesh for determining an aim position corresponding to the aim direction is displayed.

10. The computer further comprises: controlling an aim direction, which is a direction in which the first object is moved in response to the fourth action, based on an operation input; performing a collision determination between the aim direction and the determination mesh; For each type of material corresponding to the material ID, based on rendering setting information including at least texture information set for the material, property information indicating an in-game effect set for the material, and material data including at least a material name, 7. A game program as described in claim 6, wherein the program draws each polygon included in the display mesh based on texture mapping by blending one or more textures based on texture information included in the drawing setting information corresponding to each of the material IDs set for the polygons included in the display mesh, thereby generating a game image including at least an image of the virtual space including the display mesh and an image of the material name corresponding to the material ID of a polygon in a mesh for determining an aim position corresponding to the aim direction.

11. The computer further comprises:

11. The game program according to claim 10, further displaying information based on the property information together with the material name.

12. Based on voxel data defined in a virtual space, in which for each of a plurality of voxels at least a density indicating the degree to which the space defined by the voxel is virtually occupied by content and a material ID indicating the type of content, the material ID being set up to a first number, which is a plurality of material IDs, a display mesh is generated that corresponds to the voxel data and is drawn based on a virtual camera, the vertex coordinates of the display mesh being determined based at least on the density included in the voxel data, and the material of the display mesh is determined by setting one or more material IDs to each of a plurality of polygons included in the display mesh based at least on the plurality of material IDs included in the voxel data; generating a voxel update range within the virtual space based on game processing; In response to the generation of the voxel update range, at least one of the density and the material ID is updated for each voxel in the voxel data that corresponds to the voxel update range in the virtual space; updating the display mesh in accordance with the updated voxel data; a determination mesh used for collision determination within the virtual space, the vertex coordinates of the determination mesh being determined based at least on the density included in the voxel data, and the material of the determination mesh being determined by setting one material ID for each of a plurality of polygons included in the determination mesh based at least on a plurality of material IDs included in the voxel data, and based on a collision determination between the determination mesh and a determination shape corresponding to a determination target based on game processing, generating an in-game action associated with the material ID set for the polygon in the determination mesh for which a collision has been determined; An information processing system that draws the virtual space including the display mesh by drawing the polygons included in the display mesh based on texture mapping that blends one or more textures associated with each of the material IDs set for the polygons.

13. The information processing system includes: For each type of material corresponding to the material ID, based on material data including at least rendering setting information including at least texture information set for the material and property information indicating an in-game effect set for the material, generating the in-game action based on the property information corresponding to the material ID set for the polygon in the determination mesh for which the collision has been determined; 13. An information processing system according to claim 12, wherein the virtual space including the display mesh is rendered by rendering the polygon based on texture mapping by blending one or more textures based on texture information included in the rendering setting information corresponding to each of the material IDs set for each polygon included in the display mesh.

14. The information processing system further comprises: Controlling a player character based on an operational input; 13. An information processing system according to claim 12, wherein, based on a collision between the judgment shape corresponding to the player character and the judgment mesh, if the material ID of a polygon in the judgment mesh for which a collision is determined includes a first material ID, the physical strength set for the player character is reduced.

15. The information processing system further comprises: The player character is controlled based on the operation input, and based on a predetermined operation input, causing the player character to perform a first action; generating a first voxel update range from among a plurality of types of voxel update ranges with respect to a predetermined direction from the player character; Decreasing the density of at least a portion of voxels corresponding to the first voxel update range; 13. The information processing system according to claim 12, wherein a first object is generated to which the same material ID is set for the material ID of a material having the highest predetermined priority among the material IDs set for polygons in at least one of the determination meshes that come into contact with the determination shape set in a predetermined direction from the player character.

16. The information processing system further comprises: The player character is controlled based on the operation input, and based on a predetermined operation input, causing the player character to perform a second action; generating a second voxel update range from among the plurality of types of voxel update ranges with respect to a predetermined direction from the player character; Decreasing the density of at least a portion of voxels corresponding to the second voxel update range; The information processing system according to claim 15, wherein the first object is generated with the material ID set to the material ID that is the same as the material ID that has the greatest degree of decrease in the density of the corresponding voxel, among the material IDs included in the voxels corresponding to the second voxel update range.

17. The information processing system further comprises: generating the first object in a state in which the first object is held by the player character based on the first action; generating the first object in a state where the first object is not held by the player character based on the second action; as a third action in response to a predetermined operation input, causing the player character to take an action of holding the first object that the player character does not have; 17. The information processing system according to claim 16, wherein the fourth action in response to a predetermined operational input is to cause the player character to perform an action of throwing the first object being held in a predetermined direction.

18. The information processing system includes: generating a third voxel update range based on a collision between the first object released in response to the fourth action and the determination mesh; The information processing system according to claim 17 , further comprising: updating the density or the material ID of at least a portion of voxels corresponding to the third voxel update range.

19. The information processing system includes: The information processing system according to claim 18 , wherein the material ID of a voxel corresponding to the third voxel update range is changed to the material ID of the first object, and the density of the voxel is increased to a predetermined value.

20. The material data further includes a material name for each type of material, The information processing system further comprises: Based on the operational input, the aim direction in the virtual space is controlled, 14. The information processing system according to claim 13, wherein the material name corresponding to the material ID of a polygon in a mesh for determining an aim position corresponding to the aim direction is displayed.

21. The information processing system further comprises: controlling an aim direction, which is a direction in which the first object is moved in response to the fourth action, based on an operation input; A collision determination is performed between the aim direction and the determination mesh, For each type of material corresponding to the material ID, based on rendering setting information including at least texture information set for the material, property information indicating an in-game effect set for the material, and material data including at least a material name, 18. An information processing system as described in claim 17, wherein the polygons are drawn based on texture mapping by blending one or more textures based on texture information included in the drawing setting information corresponding to each of the material IDs set for each polygon included in the display mesh, thereby generating a game image including at least an image of the virtual space including the display mesh and an image of the material name corresponding to the material ID of a polygon in a mesh for determining an aim position corresponding to the aim direction.

22. 22. The information processing system according to claim 21, further displaying information based on the property information together with the material name.

23. An information processing device including a processor, The processor: Based on voxel data defined in a virtual space, in which for each of a plurality of voxels at least a density indicating the degree to which the space defined by the voxel is virtually occupied by content and a material ID indicating the type of content, the material ID being set up to a first number, which is a plurality of material IDs, a display mesh is generated that corresponds to the voxel data and is drawn based on a virtual camera, the vertex coordinates of the display mesh being determined based at least on the density included in the voxel data, and the material of the display mesh is determined by setting one or more material IDs to each of a plurality of polygons included in the display mesh based at least on the plurality of material IDs included in the voxel data; generating a voxel update range within the virtual space based on game processing; In response to the generation of the voxel update range, at least one of the density and the material ID is updated for each voxel in the voxel data that corresponds to the voxel update range in the virtual space; updating the display mesh in accordance with the updated voxel data; a determination mesh used for collision determination within the virtual space, the vertex coordinates of the determination mesh being determined based at least on the density included in the voxel data, and the material of the determination mesh being determined by setting one material ID for each of a plurality of polygons included in the determination mesh based at least on a plurality of material IDs included in the voxel data, and based on a collision determination between the determination mesh and a determination shape corresponding to a determination target based on game processing, generating an in-game action associated with the material ID set for the polygon in the determination mesh for which a collision has been determined; An information processing device that draws the virtual space including the display mesh by drawing the polygons based on texture mapping that blends one or more textures associated with each of the material IDs set for each polygon included in the display mesh.

24. Information processing systems, Based on voxel data defined in a virtual space, in which for each of a plurality of voxels at least a density indicating the degree to which the space defined by the voxel is virtually occupied by content and a material ID indicating the type of content, the material ID being settable up to a first number, which is a plurality of voxels, a display mesh is generated that corresponds to the voxel data and is drawn based on a virtual camera, the vertex coordinates of the display mesh are determined based at least on the density included in the voxel data, and the material of the display mesh is determined by setting one or more material IDs to each of a plurality of polygons included in the display mesh based at least on the plurality of material IDs included in the voxel data; generating a voxel update range in the virtual space based on game processing; In response to the generation of the voxel update range, at least one of the density and the material ID is updated for each voxel in the voxel data that corresponds to the voxel update range in the virtual space; updating the display mesh in accordance with the updated voxel data; a determination mesh used for collision determination within the virtual space, the vertex coordinates of the determination mesh being determined based at least on the density included in the voxel data, and the material of the determination mesh being determined by setting one material ID for each of a plurality of polygons included in the determination mesh based at least on a plurality of material IDs included in the voxel data, and based on a collision determination between the determination mesh and a determination shape corresponding to a determination target based on game processing, generating an in-game action associated with the material ID set for the polygon in the determination mesh for which a collision has been determined; A game processing method in which the virtual space including the display mesh is drawn by drawing the polygons included in the display mesh based on texture mapping that blends one or more textures associated with each of the material IDs set for the polygons.

25. The information processing system, Drawing setting information including at least texture information set for each type of material corresponding to the material ID. and property information indicating an in-game effect set for the material, based on material data including at least the property information. generating the in-game action based on the property information corresponding to the material ID set for the polygon in the determination mesh for which the collision has been determined; Let, 25. A game processing method according to claim 24, wherein rendering of the virtual space including the display mesh is performed by rendering the polygon based on texture mapping that is performed by blending one or more textures based on texture information included in the rendering setting information that corresponds to each of the material IDs, and that is set for each polygon included in the display mesh.

26. The information processing system further includes: Controlling a player character based on operational input; 25. A game processing method according to claim 24, wherein, based on a collision between the determination shape corresponding to the player character and the determination mesh, if the material ID of a polygon in the determination mesh for which a collision is determined includes a first material ID, the stamina set for the player character is reduced.

27. The information processing system further includes: The player character is controlled based on the operation input, and based on a predetermined operation input, causing the player character to perform a first action; generating a first voxel update range from among a plurality of types of voxel update ranges with respect to a predetermined direction from the player character; Decreasing the density of at least a portion of voxels corresponding to the first voxel update range; 25. A game processing method according to claim 24, wherein a first object is generated to which the same material ID is set for the material ID of a material having the highest preset priority among the material IDs set for polygons in at least one of the determination meshes that come into contact with the determination shape that is set in a predetermined direction from the player character.

28. The information processing system further includes: The player character is controlled based on the operation input, and based on a predetermined operation input, causing the player character to perform a second action; generating a second voxel update range from among the plurality of types of voxel update ranges with respect to a predetermined direction from the player character; Decreasing the density of at least a portion of voxels corresponding to the second voxel update range; 28. The game processing method according to claim 27, wherein the first object is generated to which the same material ID as the material ID that has the greatest degree of decrease in the density of the corresponding voxel is set, among the material IDs included in the voxels that correspond to the second voxel update range.

29. The information processing system further includes: generating the first object in a state in which the first object is held by the player character based on the first action; generating the first object in a state where the first object is not held by the player character based on the second action; As a third action in response to a predetermined operation input causing the player character to perform an action to have the first object that the player character does not have; 29. A game processing method according to claim 28, wherein the fourth action in response to a predetermined operational input is to have the player character perform an action of throwing the first object being held in a predetermined direction.

30. The information processing system, generating a third voxel update range based on a collision between the first object released in response to the fourth action and the determination mesh; 30. The game processing method according to claim 29, further comprising updating the density or the material ID of at least a portion of voxels corresponding to the third voxel update range.

31. The information processing system, 31. The game processing method according to claim 30, further comprising changing the material ID of a voxel corresponding to the third voxel update range to the material ID of the first object, and increasing the density of the voxel to a predetermined value.

32. The material data further includes a material name for each type of material, The information processing system further includes: Based on the operational input, the aim direction in the virtual space is controlled, 26. A game processing method according to claim 25, further comprising displaying the material name corresponding to the material ID of a polygon in a mesh for determining an aim position corresponding to the aim direction.

33. The information processing system further includes: controlling an aim direction, which is a direction in which the first object is moved in response to the fourth action, based on an operation input; performing a collision determination between the aim direction and the determination mesh; For each type of material corresponding to the material ID, based on rendering setting information including at least texture information set for the material, property information indicating an in-game effect set for the material, and material data including at least a material name, 30. A game processing method as described in claim 29, wherein a game image including at least an image of the virtual space including the display mesh and an image of the material name corresponding to the material ID of a polygon in a mesh for determining an aim position corresponding to the aim direction is generated by drawing the polygon based on texture mapping that is a blend of one or more textures based on texture information included in the drawing setting information that corresponds to each of the material IDs set for each polygon included in the display mesh.

34. The information processing system further includes:

34. A game processing method according to claim 33, further displaying information based on said property information together with said material name.

Images