Game system and program

Abstract

To promote stronger relationships among players. [Solution] One aspect of the present disclosure is a game system comprising: a content processing unit that performs processing to present exclusive content occupied by a first player and shared content shared by the first player and a second player to the first player within the game; a relationship management unit that manages a relationship level relating to the degree of relationship between the first player and the second player; and a parameter management unit that performs modification processing to change the parameters of the exclusive content based on operations on the shared content by the first player or the second player, wherein the parameter management unit controls the amount of parameter change in the modification processing based on the relationship level.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a game system and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the development of network infrastructure, online games in which a large number of players participate simultaneously have become widespread. These games are not merely for entertainment, but also play a role as a platform for promoting communication between players and forming a virtual community. Against this background, a new genre of game system has emerged that combines elements of so-called sandbox games in which players cooperate to cultivate the in-game space and objects, and a matching function that supports encounters and exchanges between players (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the game system disclosed in Patent Document 1, an occupied space called a "personal garden" that each player manages individually and a shared space called a "shared garden" that a pair of players for whom matching has been established manage jointly are provided within the game. In this system, players cooperate with their partners in the shared garden to cultivate facility objects and the like, and the harvests and the like obtained therefrom can be converted into in-game assets (for example, "coins" and "points"). And, by consuming the acquired in-game assets, it is possible to change the parameters of the objects arranged in one's own personal garden (for example, raise the level of a facility).

[0004] Also, the technology of Patent Document 1 adopts a configuration in which, as an incentive for stably maintaining the matching relationship between players, when a once-established matching is dissolved, the shared garden of the pair disappears and becomes unavailable. Thereby, it is expected that players will be conscious of the demerits of dissolving the relationship and will strive to maintain the relationship.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-37032 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] The prior art described in Patent Document 1 has room for improvement in terms of player experience and other aspects.

[0007] Firstly, in conventional technology, the results of cooperative play in a shared garden are converted into generic in-game assets such as "coins," and players indirectly contribute to the growth of their individual gardens by spending these assets at their own discretion. With such indirect parameter linkage, there are concerns that the causal relationship between the act of cooperative play and the resulting growth of one's own occupied space will be weak, making it difficult to obtain a direct sense of accomplishment such as "my personal garden grew this much because I cooperated with my partner" or the sense of achievement from collaborative work. In addition, players are forced to manage the in-game assets they acquire and decide each time which objects to invest in, when, and how much, which is a management task separate from the essential enjoyment of the game and may impair the tempo and immersion of gameplay.

[0008] Secondly, in conventional technologies, the motivation for maintaining relationships relies on the negative aspect of penalties for dissolving matches. Therefore, while this may be somewhat effective as a deterrent to prevent players from "breaking off" their relationships, there are concerns that it is insufficient as a mechanism to provide positive incentives for players to "more actively deepen and improve the quality of their relationships."

[0009] Therefore, this disclosure provides a technology that can facilitate improved relationships between players. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] One aspect of the present disclosure is a game system comprising: a content processing unit that performs processing to present exclusive content owned by a first player and shared content shared by the first player and the second player to the first player within the game; a relationship management unit that manages a relationship level relating to the degree of relationship between the first player and the second player; and a parameter management unit that performs modification processing to change the parameters of the exclusive content based on operations on the shared content by the first player or the second player, wherein the parameter management unit controls the amount of parameter change in the modification processing based on the relationship level.

[0011] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a program that causes a computer to perform the following steps: a content processing step which performs a process of presenting exclusive content owned by a first player and shared content shared by the first player and a second player to the first player in a game; a relationship management step which manages a relationship level relating to the degree of relationship between the first player and the second player; and a parameter management step which performs a modification process which modifies the parameters of the exclusive content based on an operation on the shared content by the first player or the second player, wherein the parameter management step controls the amount of parameter modification in the modification process based on the relationship level. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a technology can be provided that can facilitate improved relationships between players. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the game system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a game server according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the database configuration used in the embodiment. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow in the game system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of screen display (matching and profile disclosure) in a game according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] This figure shows another example of screen display (parameter change notification) in the game according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The game system and program according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numeral, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

[0015] Furthermore, in the following, the term "content" is used as a broad concept encompassing various elements provided to the player within the game. Content includes, but is not limited to, "quests," which are missions or tasks to achieve specific goals; "stages," which are divided units of gameplay that take place in specific areas or sections; "fields," which are vast maps or spaces that can be explored and moved around in; "events," which are special events held for a limited time; "characters," which are people or creatures that the player controls or that appear in the game; and "items," which are tools and equipment that can be obtained and used within the game.

[0016] (1) Example of system configuration Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the game system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the game system 1 adopts a client-server model and includes at least a game server 100 that manages and processes the entire game, and a plurality of terminals 200 (in the example of FIG. 1, terminals 200a and 200b) connected to the game server 100 via a network 5. With this configuration, players a and b who are geographically separated can interact in the common virtual game world provided by the game server 100. In FIG. 1, the terminal 200a of player a and the terminal 200b of player b are illustrated, but there may be more players and terminals 200.

[0018] The game server 100 is an information processing device that executes the game program according to this embodiment and comprehensively controls the progress, rules, and data consistency of the game. Physically, the game server 100 may be a computer equipped with a processor for executing various processes (such as matching, content management, parameter calculation, etc.) to be described later, a main memory for temporarily storing the running program and the data being processed, and a storage enabling data access. The game server 100 may also be a virtual server computer constructed on a cloud computing environment.

[0019] The game server 100 manages, in a database, information such as the account information of each player, the state of in-game content operated by each player, and information regarding the relationship between players. Further, the game server 100 transmits game data and processing results as a response in accordance with a processing request (request) from each terminal 200, and receives the operation information of the player transmitted from each terminal 200.

[0020] Each terminal 200 is an information processing device used by a player to play a game. Each terminal 200 may be any device such as a mobile information terminal like a smartphone or a tablet terminal, or a personal computer (PC), a home game console, etc. As its hardware, each terminal has a processor that executes arithmetic processing of applications, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) that specializes in rendering processing such as 3D graphics, a memory (RAM) for operating applications comfortably, and a flash memory (storage) for storing data. Also, each terminal 200 has an input device (e.g., a touch panel, a physical keyboard or mouse, an acceleration sensor or gyro sensor, a game controller, etc.) for receiving input operations from the player, and an output device (e.g., an organic EL display or a liquid crystal display) for visually outputting information such as a game screen. Furthermore, for connection to the network 5, it may incorporate a communication module compatible with wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11, etc.) or a mobile phone network (5G, LTE).

[0021] It is assumed that an application of the game (specifically, an online game) according to this embodiment is installed on each terminal 200. The application operating on each terminal 200 renders a game screen in real time based on the game data received from the game server 100 and displays it on the display. When it detects an input operation by the player, it generates operation information indicating the content of the operation and transmits it to the game server 100 via the network 5.

[0022] The network 5 is a communication network that enables data communication between the game server 100 and each terminal 200 using protocols such as HTTP / HTTPS, TCP / IP, UDP, etc. The network 5 can be composed of any type of communication network such as the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or a mobile phone network (5G, LTE).

[0023] With this configuration, each player (for example, player a and player b) can participate in the same game world running on the game server 100 via their respective terminals 200, and play the game while influencing each other. In this embodiment, on top of this basic system infrastructure, a mechanism is provided in which the quality and quantity of cooperation between player a and player b is evaluated, and direct benefits are brought to both players.

[0024] (2) Server configuration example Figure 2 shows an example of the functional block configuration of the game server 100 according to this embodiment.

[0025] As shown in Figure 2, the game server 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a processing unit 130.

[0026] The communication unit 110 is an interface that includes hardware and software for performing data communication with each terminal 200 via the network 5. For example, it may implement a protocol stack such as TCP / IP and control the sending and receiving of game data with each terminal 200 via socket communication or the like.

[0027] The memory unit 120 is an area for permanently or temporarily storing various data necessary for the game's progress. The memory unit 120 is implemented, for example, as a relational database management system (RDBMS) or a NoSQL database, and functionally includes a player DB memory unit 121, a content DB memory unit 122, and a relationship DB memory unit 123. The specific data structure of these databases (DBs) will be described later.

[0028] The processing unit 130 controls the operation of the entire game server 100. The processing unit 130's functions are typically realized when a processor such as a CPU executes the operating system and the program according to this embodiment stored in the memory unit 120. The processing unit 130 forms the core of the game logic and functionally includes a matching processing unit 131, a content processing unit 132, a relationship management unit 133, and a parameter management unit 134.

[0029] The various aspects of the functions of the processing unit 130 will be described below.

[0030] <First aspect> The game server 100 according to this embodiment includes a content processing unit 132 that processes the presentation of exclusive content occupied by a first player (e.g., player a) and shared content shared by the first player and a second player (e.g., player b) to the first player within the game; a relationship management unit 133 that manages the relationship level relating to the strength of the relationship between the first player and the second player; and a parameter management unit 134 that performs a change processing to change the parameters of the exclusive content based on operations on the shared content by the first player or the second player. The parameter management unit 134 controls the amount of parameter change in the change processing based on the relationship level.

[0031] In this configuration, the results of two players cooperating to cultivate and manipulate shared content are directly linked to the growth of each player's exclusive content, rather than being converted into in-game assets. Furthermore, the strength of this connection (amount of parameter change) dynamically fluctuates according to the "relationship level," which indicates the level of the relationship between the two players. As a result, players naturally come to recognize that deepening their relationship with their partner is the most effective strategy to gain an advantage in their own game progress. Consequently, unlike passive motivations such as penalties for dissolving matches, a positive and powerful incentive for deepening relationships is created, which is expected to improve player engagement and retention. In addition, since the process of converting the results of cooperation into in-game assets is omitted, players are freed from the hassle of asset management and can enjoy a more intuitive and immersive gaming experience.

[0032] The term "exclusive content" refers to all in-game elements that are tied to a specific, single player at the account level and are primarily managed and operated by that player. It may also be interpreted as "personal content," "private content," "solo content," or "exclusive assets." Specifically, this includes a player's personal garden, avatars and characters operated by the player, a player's personal base or territory, or a personal skill tree.

[0033] The term "shared content" refers to all in-game elements that are linked to a specific group of two or more matched players and are jointly managed and operated by those players. It may also be interpreted as "collaborative content," "pair content," "multiplayer content," or "shared assets." Specifically, examples include a garden shared by a player pair (shared garden), a guild or team to which players belong, quests or dungeons that are tackled cooperatively, or a spaceship that is built jointly.

[0034] The term "relationship level" refers to an indicator that the system quantitatively evaluates and displays, for example, the depth of the relationship, intimacy, or degree of cooperation between specific players, and may be reinterpreted as "intimacy level," "bond level," "degree of cooperation," or "synchronization rate."

[0035] The term "parameter" refers to a data attribute that quantifies, for example, the state, ability, or growth rate of content, and may be interpreted as "attribute value," "status," "property," or "experience points (EXP)."

[0036] "Presenting" content to the player means, for example, graphically displaying information from the game world on the display of terminal 200, and may be replaced with actions such as "display," "output," "render," or "draw."

[0037] The action of "managing" relationship levels means, for example, maintaining and updating data values ​​in a database and ensuring their consistency, and may be replaced with actions such as "maintain," "update," or "control."

[0038] The action of "changing" a parameter means, for example, updating the numerical value of a parameter to a different numerical value, and may be replaced with actions such as "update," "variate," "adjust," or "increment / decrement."

[0039] The action of "controlling" the amount of parameter change means dynamically determining the content and results of a process (in this case, parameter change) based on certain conditions (in this case, relationship level), and may be replaced with actions such as "adjusting," "determining," "limiting," or "modulating."

[0040] For example, consider applying this embodiment to a game that combines farm simulation and a matching service. In this game, exclusive content corresponds to the player's individual "personal garden," and shared content corresponds to a "shared garden" with a matched partner. The player cooperates with their partner to collect exclusive resources (for example, special in-game creatures or exclusive crops) that can only be obtained in the "shared garden." This collection activity corresponds to "operations related to shared content." Through these operations, the player's "encyclopedia" is filled, and a parameter called "knowledge," which is necessary to harvest high-quality crops, increases. In this embodiment, this increase in "knowledge" leads to "parameter changes of exclusive content," which directly improve the production capacity (ability to produce high-quality crops) of the "personal garden" without involving in-game assets. Furthermore, the parameter management unit 134 applies a larger bonus correction to the amount of this increase in "knowledge" the higher the relationship level between the two. This creates a strong incentive that the more a player cooperates with a close partner, the more efficiently they can cultivate their own "personal garden."

[0041] Thus, in the first embodiment, the relationship management unit 133 monitors and evaluates the interaction between players. The relationship management unit 133 continuously collects and analyzes various in-game activity data concerning the two players, and comprehensively evaluates them to calculate and update a single or multiple indicator value called the "relationship level." The data to be analyzed is diverse, including, for example, the frequency and number of characters of messages exchanged in the game, the total time spent on cooperative play, the number and difficulty of quests completed together, the history of in-game gift exchanges, and the number of times each player has visited exclusive content.

[0042] On the other hand, the parameter management unit 134 is a module that processes the player's operations within the game and reflects the results in the game state. For example, when the parameter management unit 134 receives an operation on shared content by player a or b (for example, an operation to cultivate facilities in the shared garden) from terminal 200, it may perform direct parameter linkage processing. In this case, the parameter management unit 134 first queries the relationship management unit 133 for the current relationship level of the player pair and obtains the latest value. Next, based on that relationship level, it calculates a weighting coefficient to be applied to the parameter change amount of the exclusive content using a predetermined calculation formula. For example, the weighting coefficient can be calculated using a linear formula such as "1.0 + (relationship level × 0.1)". In this case, if the relationship level is "7", the coefficient will be "1.7". Then, by multiplying the parameter increase amount of the shared content (for example, the base reward amount "100 EXP" when the shared garden level increases by 1) by this coefficient, the final parameter change amount granted to the exclusive content (in this example, "170 EXP") can be determined. Finally, using this calculated change amount, the parameters (for example, experience points) of each player's exclusive content (for example, personal garden) are directly added, and the values ​​in the database are updated. This creates a feedback loop where players with closer relationships receive greater benefits from the same cooperative play.

[0043] <Second aspect> In a second embodiment, the game server 100 may further include a matching processing unit 131 that matches the first player and the second player in the game based on the input operations of the first player and the input operations of the second player. The content processing unit 132 may assign shared content to the first player and the second player according to the matching.

[0044] In this embodiment, this product is particularly suitable for social games equipped with player matching functions and applications aimed at meeting people. Since shared content is provided to players who have just started a relationship through matching as concrete and enjoyable goals to deepen the relationship, it removes the communication barrier that often occurs after matching, such as "I don't know what to talk about," and strongly promotes the activation of natural interaction and the continuation of the relationship.

[0045] Here, the term "matching" refers to the process of determining combinations (pairs or teams) of players who will play the game together, for example, based on a predetermined algorithm or player selection, and may be reinterpreted as "pairing," "coupling," "team formation," or "grouping."

[0046] The action of "assigning" shared content means, for example, that the system grants a specific player or group of players access rights, operation rights, or management rights to specific content, and may be replaced with actions such as "grant," "provide," "generate," or "instantiate."

[0047] For example, the matching processing unit 131 may search for compatible players and recommend or automatically determine them as matching partners based on various information such as the player's registered profile information (age, interests, place of residence, etc.), game play style (e.g., leisurely play, efficient play), login times, or explicit expressions of interest from the player such as "likes" or "friend requests." Once a match is made, the matching processing unit 131 generates the pair information and notifies the relationship management unit 133 and the content processing unit 132. Upon receiving this notification, the relationship management unit 133 sets the pair's initial relationship level (e.g., level 1) in the relationship database. Simultaneously, the content processing unit 132 generates a new instance of shared content specifically for that pair (e.g., creates new shared garden data in the database) and completes the assignment by recording the content ID in both players' player databases. For example, in a farm simulation and matching game, at this point, a blank shared garden is created exclusively for the two matched players, and their collaborative work begins from there.

[0048] <Third aspect> In a third embodiment, the relationship management unit 133 may change the relationship level based on the history of in-game communication between the first player and the second player.

[0049] In this configuration, not only the act of playing a game together, but also the verbal and nonverbal interactions between players are evaluated by the system as a deepening of the relationship. As a result, players will enjoy not only conquering the game, but also the communication with their partner itself, thereby enhancing the added value of the game by fostering higher-quality human relationships through the gaming platform.

[0050] Here, "in-game communication history" refers to, for example, text chat log data, the history of sending and receiving pre-set messages (emotes, stamps, etc.), records of voice chat usage time and speaking volume, or the history of in-game mail exchanges, and may be interpreted as "interaction history," "dialogue log," "interaction data," or "social graph data."

[0051] The action of "changing" the relationship level means, for example, increasing or decreasing an existing level value based on points calculated from historical data, and may be replaced by actions such as "updating," "adjusting," "recalculating," or "evaluating."

[0052] For example, the Relationship Management Unit 133 monitors various metrics to quantify communication activities between players. For instance, it may analyze the number of messages exchanged per unit of time (e.g., per day), the total number of characters in messages sent and received, the positive / negative nature of the words used (sentiment analysis using natural language processing technology), or the frequency of appearance of specific keywords (e.g., "thank you," "fun," "let's play again"). The unit then comprehensively evaluates these analysis results and calculates points to increase or decrease the relationship level. For example, pairs that consistently exchange messages daily or pairs that have many positive conversations may receive bonus points to their relationship level from time to time. This creates a healthy incentive design where maintaining active and positive communication directly leads to benefits within the game.

[0053] <Fourth aspect> In a fourth embodiment, the relationship management unit 133 may change the relationship level based on the history of cooperative play on shared content by the first player and the second player.

[0054] This approach directly reflects how actively and cooperatively players engage with shared content in the evaluation of their relationship. This systematically curbs so-called "free-riding" (attempting to reap benefits without contributing much to cooperation) and encourages fair cooperation between both players. Furthermore, because the act of cooperative play itself is evaluated, players are more likely to engage in more proactive and high-quality collaborative work.

[0055] Here, "cooperative play history" refers to, for example, the total number of actions each player took on shared content, the total time spent on cooperative play, the number and difficulty of quests completed jointly, or the amount and type of resources invested in shared objects, and may be interpreted as "collaborative work log," "cooperative play data," "contribution history," or "collaboration record."

[0056] For example, the relationship management unit 133 meticulously collects and analyzes each player's operation logs regarding shared content. For instance, it may record the amount of "special resources" used to level up shared objects in a farm simulation and matching game, or the number of times crops are cared for ("watering" or "harvesting"). The more frequent and significant these cooperative actions are, the greater the relationship level may be increased. In particular, a configuration could be considered that grants a larger-than-usual bonus to the relationship level when highly coordinated operations (cooperative operations), such as two players simultaneously activating specific skills at specific times—operations that would be impossible to perform alone—are successfully completed. This motivates players not only to spend time but also to improve the quality of their cooperation with their partners, promoting a deeper level of cooperative experience.

[0057] <Fifth aspect> In the fifth embodiment, the relationship management unit 133 may decrease the relationship level over time if certain conditions are not met.

[0058] In this configuration, if relationships between players are neglected for a long period, the benefits gained from cooperative play gradually diminish. This functions as a gentle nudge to encourage players to continue communicating and cooperating. By introducing an analogy to real-world human relationships—that maintaining relationships requires a certain amount of continuous effort—into the game system, it can provide players with a more realistic and profound relationship-building experience.

[0059] "Prescribed conditions" means, for example, that a minimum level of communication or cooperative play takes place within a certain period defined by the system, and may be interpreted as "activity conditions," "relationship maintenance conditions," "engagement threshold," or "login requirements," etc.

[0060] The action of "reducing" the relationship level means, for example, lowering the numerical value of the relationship level by a certain amount or a certain percentage, and may be replaced with actions such as "attenuating," "decrementing," "downwardly adjusting," or "reducing."

[0061] For example, the "specified conditions" can be specifically set according to the characteristics of the game, such as "at least one message exchange in the past seven days" or "at least one cooperative play session in the past three days." The relationship management unit 133 may periodically (for example, as a batch process at midnight every day) check these conditions for each player pair and reduce the relationship level of any pair that does not meet the conditions by a certain amount (for example, 5% of the level, or a fixed value of 10 points). However, to avoid giving players an excessive sense of obligation or stress to play, this reduction process may be made more gradual, such as setting a lower limit (for example, level 1) to prevent the level from falling below a certain value, or making the reduction amount very gradual. This mechanism is expected to encourage regular logins to the game, revitalize the entire community, and encourage long-term continued play of the game.

[0062] <Sixth aspect> In the sixth embodiment, the parameter management unit 134 may change the parameters of the shared content in response to operations on the shared content by the first player or the second player, and may change the parameters of the exclusive content in conjunction with the changes to the parameters of the shared content.

[0063] This aspect clarifies the specific processing procedure for parameter linkage in this embodiment. The system can realize an intuitive and easy-to-understand cause-and-effect relationship, where the visible result of "growth of shared content" is the starting point, and this triggers the reward of "growth of exclusive content." Players can easily understand that raising the parameters of shared content (e.g., level) directly leads to strengthening their own exclusive content, making it easier to set immediate goals in cooperative play and maintain motivation.

[0064] Here, "linked" means, for example, that the system automatically initiates a parameter change process in one instance, triggered by a parameter change event in the other instance. This can be reinterpreted as "in response," "based on," "synchronized," or "in reaction."

[0065] In this embodiment, the processing of the parameter management unit 134 may be conceptually carried out in two stages. In the first stage, the player's operation (for example, placing a specific item in a facility in the shared garden) is received from the terminal 200, and the parameters of the shared content itself (for example, the facility's experience points) are updated according to that operation. As a result, if the parameters of the shared content exceed a predetermined threshold (for example, if the facility's experience points reach the maximum value and the level increases), this is detected as an event, and in the second stage, a direct parameter linkage process is triggered. In this second stage of processing, the relationship level is obtained from the relationship management unit 133, a weighting calculation is performed based on it, and finally the parameters of the exclusive content are changed. This two-stage processing flow provides a highly satisfying game experience for the player, where "the results of the efforts of two people are first reflected in the shared property (shared content), and as a result, lead to individual benefits (growth of exclusive content)."

[0066] <Seventh aspect> In the seventh aspect, the parameter may be the level or progress of the corresponding content.

[0067] In other words, by making the parameters that are subject to change "level" or "progress," which are the most familiar and easily perceived central indicators for players in many games, the effects of this embodiment can be presented to players in a more understandable way. The experience of seeing the "level" of one's character or garden increase directly through cooperation with a partner brings players a strong sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, and further deepens their immersion in the game.

[0068] Here, the term "level" refers to an indicator that shows the growth stages of content in discrete classes, and may be interpreted as "rank," "grade," "stage," or "tier," etc.

[0069] The term "progress" refers to an indicator that shows the progress toward achieving a specific goal or reaching the next level, expressed as a continuous value such as a percentage or gauge. It may also be interpreted as "progress rate," "achievement level," "experience points (EXP)," or "proficiency."

[0070] For example, if the parameter to be changed is the "level" of the exclusive content, the parameter management unit 134 will either directly increase the level of the exclusive content by 1 or more as a result of cooperative play in the shared content, or add the "experience points" required to level up. For example, this could be implemented as follows: "When the level of the shared garden increases by 1, 500 EXP is granted to the personal garden as a basic reward, and then an experience point bonus according to the current relationship level is multiplied and added." Also, if the parameter is "progress," for example, a gauge indicating the completion status of a particular story quest can be increased through cooperative play, providing a richer game experience where deepening relationships between players contribute to the progress of the game world's story.

[0071] <Eighth aspect> In the eighth embodiment, the parameter management unit 134 may be adjusted so that the amount of parameter change of the occupied content in the change process increases as the relationship level increases.

[0072] This embodiment technically defines the core incentive design of this embodiment: "The deeper the relationship between players, the greater the in-game benefits they receive." This is the fundamental logic for providing players with a continuous and strong motivation to deepen their relationships. Because the level of the relationship correlates directly with, or even more directly with, the size of the reward, players will strive to build and maintain good relationships with their partners more actively through gameplay.

[0073] Here, the action of "adjusting" to increase the parameter change amount means, for example, the process of calculating the output value (parameter change amount) from the input value (relationship level) using a predetermined calculation formula or table reference, and may be replaced with actions such as "calculate," "determine," "calculate," or "map."

[0074] For example, the parameter management unit 134 may use a calculation formula that incorporates the relationship level as a variable when calculating the parameter change amount of the exclusive content. The simplest example is the linear calculation formula described above (e.g., final change amount = base change amount × (1 + α × relationship level)), but the implementation is not limited to this. For example, a non-linear calculation formula may be adopted in which the rate of increase of the change amount (coefficient α) increases exponentially each time the relationship level exceeds a certain threshold (e.g., level 5, level 10). This makes it possible to give more dramatic bonuses to player pairs that have reached special relationships, such as from "friends" to "best friends" or from "best friends" to "lovers," providing clear goals and a sense of accomplishment at each stage of relationship deepening and promoting long-term continued play of the game. Specifically, in a farm simulation and matching game, if the relationship between two people changes from "in-game friends" to "special relationship (partner, etc.)" by clearing a specific shared quest, this status change can be used as a trigger to double the value of the coefficient α used in calculating the parameter change amount, for example, from 0.1 to 0.2. Furthermore, it is also possible to configure the system so that a reference table combining relationship levels and relationship statuses (e.g., partner, best friend) is stored in the storage unit 120, and the parameter management unit 134 refers to this table to determine more dynamic and complex weighting coefficients.

[0075] <Ninth aspect> In the ninth embodiment, the content processing unit 132 may present the exclusive content and shared content to the second player within the game. The parameter management unit 134 may, in the modification process, differentiate the amount of parameter changes for the first player's exclusive content and the amount of parameter changes for the second player's exclusive content based on the respective contributions of the first player and the second player to the shared content.

[0076] This approach ensures that each player receives different rewards based on their contribution to cooperative play. This allows each player to feel fairly rewarded for their efforts, increasing their sense of fairness and satisfaction with the game system. Furthermore, it effectively prevents so-called "parasitic play," where one player does not participate in cooperation at all, and promotes a healthy game environment where both players actively and harmoniously cooperate.

[0077] Here, the term "contribution" refers to an indicator that shows the degree of contribution to cooperation, calculated by the system based on, for example, the number of actions a player takes on shared content within a certain period, the amount of resources invested, or the amount of damage dealt. It may also be interpreted as "contribution," "contribution points," "activity score," or "performance evaluation."

[0078] The action of "making the parameter change amounts different" means, for example, calculating the parameter change amounts applied to each player individually according to their contribution, so that a difference in the values ​​between them occurs as a result. This can be replaced with actions such as "making a difference," "calculating individually," "differentiating," or "changing the distribution ratio."

[0079] For example, when the parameter management unit 134 executes parameter linkage processing, it may first obtain operation logs for shared content from the relationship management unit 133, aggregate these logs for each player, and calculate the contribution. For example, in a shared facility level-up event, if player a invests 100 resources in the facility and player b invests 50 resources, the contribution ratio is calculated as 2:1. Next, the parameter management unit 134 determines the total amount of parameter changes based on the relationship level. For example, if the total amount of changes is "300 EXP", this sum is distributed according to the calculated contribution ratio (2:1). As a result, "200 EXP" is added to player a's exclusive content, and "100 EXP" is added to player b's exclusive content. This realizes a system that is highly satisfying for players, where players who contribute more receive more rewards.

[0080] <Tenth aspect> In the tenth embodiment, the content processing unit 132 may notify the first player if the parameters of the content reserved by the first player change due to the modification process.

[0081] This approach allows players to easily recognize the specific impact their collaboration with their partner has had on their exclusive content. Beyond simply changing parameter values, text notifications such as "Your garden has grown significantly thanks to the power of your bond!" and special visual effects are displayed, emotionally amplifying the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction from cooperative play, further enhancing the positive gaming experience.

[0082] Here, "notification" means, for example, a text message displayed on the screen, a pop-up window, a special animation effect, or a sound effect, and may be interpreted as "feedback," "alert," "results display," or "toast notification."

[0083] For example, when the parameter management unit 134 successfully updates the parameters of the exclusive content, it may notify the content processing unit 132 of the results (information such as which parameters changed and by how much). The content processing unit 132 receives this information and may send data defining the content of the notification to be displayed to the corresponding player's terminal 200. When the client application on the terminal 200 receives this data, it may, according to the instructions, for example, display a modal message box in the center of the screen that says "Bonus! Your personal garden level has increased," or play a special animation effect such as making the objects of the exclusive content emit a dazzling light. Such theatrical feedback allows players to feel the results of their cooperation more strongly and favorably, and maintain a high level of motivation for the next cooperative play.

[0084] (3)DB configuration example Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a database schema used in this embodiment. These databases may be constructed using appropriate technologies depending on the characteristics of the data. For example, a relational database (RDB) may be used for data where transactional consistency is important (such as player account information), while a NoSQL database may be used for large amounts of log data or data requiring a flexible schema (such as interaction history).

[0085] Figure 3(a) shows an example of the Player Database configuration. The Player Database is a database for managing the account information and gameplay status of each player participating in the game. The Player Database includes, for example, "Player ID," "Nickname," "Content ID," and "Parameter Information." As shown in Figure 3(a), the Player Database may store "Content ID" and "Parameter Information" corresponding to exclusive content owned by the player, and "Content ID" and "Parameter Information" corresponding to shared content shared by the player. The "Content ID" and "Parameter Information" may also include "Exclusive Content ID," "Exclusive Content Parameter Information," "Shared Content ID," and "Shared Content Parameter Information." The Player Database may also include "Last Login Date and Time," "Profile Information," etc.

[0086] "Player ID" is an identifier used to uniquely identify each player. "Nickname" is the name a player is displayed to other players in the game. "Last Login Date and Time" is a timestamp that records the date and time the player last logged into the game and is used for managing inactive players, etc. "Profile Information" stores information such as a self-introduction, age, and interests that the player optionally sets.

[0087] The "Occupied Content ID" is an ID that uniquely identifies the content (e.g., personal garden) that the player owns, and functions as a foreign key to the "Content ID" in the content database. The "Occupied Content Parameter Information" is data that comprehensively records the current dynamic state of the player's owned content, and is recorded as data with a structure such as {"level": 15, "exp": 1250, "items": [{"item_id": "i001", "quantity": 10}, ...], "facilities": [{"facility_id": "f001", "level": 5, "position": {"x": 10, "y": 20}}], ...} or as serialized binary data.

[0088] The "Shared Content ID" is an ID that uniquely identifies the shared content (e.g., a shared garden) that the player is participating in, and it also functions as an external key to the "Content ID" in the content database. The "Shared Content Parameter Information" is data that records the state of the shared content from the player's perspective, as well as the individual's contribution within that shared content.

[0089] The player database stores records containing this information, one for each registered player.

[0090] Figure 3(b) shows an example of the content database configuration. The content database is, so to speak, a master database for managing static definition information of all content present in the game. The content database includes, for example, "content ID," "content name," "content type," and "content data." The content database may also include "unlock conditions," "version," etc.

[0091] The "Content ID" is a primary key identifier used to uniquely identify each piece of content. The "Content Name" is the name of the content (e.g., "Beginning Farmhouse" or "Sunny Lodge"). The "Content Type" is a flag or enumeration value indicating whether the content is "exclusive," "shared," or of another type (e.g., event-only). The "Content Data" is the detailed definition data that makes up the content, and is stored in a structure such as {"graphics": {"model_path": " / assets / models / f001.fbx"}, "parameters": {"initial_exp": 0, "max_level": 50}, "actions": ["upgrade", "harvest"]}, and includes initial parameter values, an experience point table required for leveling up, a list of executable operations, etc. The "Unlock Condition" defines the conditions under which the player can use the content (e.g., completion of a specific quest, player level 10 or higher). A "version" is a version control number for content data, used to ensure consistency with client-side assets.

[0092] The content database stores records for each type (number) of content that exists within the game.

[0093] Figure 3(c) shows an example of the relationship database configuration. The relationship database is a database for managing information about the relationships between matched player pairs. The relationship database may include, for example, "Pair ID," "Player ID 1," "Player ID 2," "Relationship Level," "Relationship Status," and "Interaction History." The relationship database may also include "Pair Formation Date and Time," "Last Interaction Date and Time," etc.

[0094] The "Pair ID" is a primary key identifier used to uniquely identify a matched pair of players. "Player ID1" and "Player ID2" are the player IDs of the two players who make up the pair, and serve as foreign keys to the "Player ID" in the player database. The "Relationship Level" is a numerical value (integer or floating-point number) indicating the current level of the relationship between the pair. This value is updated periodically by the relationship management unit 133 based on the interaction history or when an event occurs. The "Relationship Status" indicates the stage of the relationship between the two (e.g., "Friend," "Partner," "Couple," etc.). The "Pair Formation Date and Time" and "Last Interaction Date and Time" are timestamps used for relationship management (e.g., determining when to perform relationship level decay). The "Interaction History" is data that records various interactions between the pair within the game. For example, it is stored chronologically with timestamps as an array such as [{"timestamp": "...", "type": "chat", "sender_id": "...", "content": "..."}, {"timestamp": "...", "type": "co-op", "action_id": "a001", "player_id": "..."}], containing chat logs, gift sending and receiving records, and logs of actions on shared content. Since a large amount of logs are expected, this field may actually be implemented as a foreign key to a separate table and stored in a database dedicated to logs.

[0095] The relationship database stores records equal to the number of pairs that are currently matched.

[0096] These databases can work in conjunction with each other and be operated under transactional management to maintain data integrity. For example, when the parameter management unit 134 performs parameter linkage processing, it first identifies the two player IDs that make up a pair by referencing the player DB from the ID of the shared content that the player is operating on. Next, it searches the relationship DB using those two player IDs as keys and retrieves the current "relationship level" from the corresponding pair's record. Then, it calculates the parameter change amount using that relationship level and finally updates the "exclusive content parameter information" for each player in the player DB. This series of processes can be executed as an atomic transaction, which is committed only if all operations are successful and rolled back if any errors occur along the way.

[0097] (4) Example of operation flow Figure 4 shows the sequence of processes from when players are matched to when direct parameter linking occurs through cooperative play.

[0098] First, in step S1, the processing unit 130 of the game server 100 performs a matching process that serves as the starting point for building relationships between players and determines pairs of players who will play cooperatively. This step can be further broken down into several substeps.

[0099] (S1-1) First, the matching processing unit 131 receives a request from player a's terminal 200a to send a "like" to a specific player b, as data including the IDs of player a and player b.

[0100] (S1-2) The matching processing unit 131 verifies this request and sends a notification to player b's terminal 200b that a "like" has been received from player a.

[0101] (S1-3) Next, the matching processing unit 131 receives a "thank you" response request from player b's terminal 200b to player a.

[0102] (S1-4) Once it is confirmed that both parties agree, the matching processing unit 131 completes the matching. Triggered by this completion, the content processing unit 132 generates an instance of shared content (e.g., a new shared garden) specifically for this pair and assigns its content ID to the records of both players in the player database.

[0103] (S1-5) The relationship management unit 133 also creates a record of this new pair in the relationship database, along with the date and time the pair was formed and the initial relationship level (e.g., level 1). This allows player a and player b to access the shared content and begin playing together.

[0104] Next, in step S2, the processing unit 130 receives player operations on the shared content and changes the parameters of the shared content and relationship level based on those operations.

[0105] (S2-1) For example, when player a performs an operation to drop a specific item into a facility in the shared garden from their terminal, the operation information (player ID, shared content ID, operation details, etc.) is sent from terminal 200a to the game server 100.

[0106] (S2-2) The parameter management unit 134 verifies this operation information (for example, whether player a possesses the item) and then updates the parameters of the shared content (for example, the facility's experience points).

[0107] (S2-3) Simultaneously, the parameter management unit 134 notifies the relationship management unit 133 of this operation. The relationship management unit 133 records this cooperative play event as an "interaction history" in the relationship database along with a timestamp.

[0108] (S2-4) Furthermore, the relationship management unit 133 updates the relationship level according to predetermined rules based on the history of this cooperative play (for example, adding +5 points for each cooperative play).

[0109] Next, in step S3, the processing unit 130 performs a process (direct parameter linkage process) to change the parameters of the occupied content based on the relationship level.

[0110] (S3-1) The parameter management unit 134 detects that a specific condition (for example, the facility level is upgraded) has been met as a result of the parameter update of the shared content in step S2, and triggers this process.

[0111] (S3-2) The parameter management unit 134 retrieves the current latest "relationship level" of the pair from the relationship database.

[0112] (S3-3) The parameter management unit 134 retrieves the "basic fluctuation amount" (for example, 500 EXP) associated with the current level-up event from the content DB.

[0113] (S3-4) Next, based on the base change amount and the acquired relationship level (e.g., level 5), a weighted calculation (e.g., 500 × (1.0 + 5 × 0.1) = 750 EXP) is performed to calculate the final parameter change amount. Optionally, the contribution of each player to this level-up can be calculated from the interaction history in the relationship database, and the calculated final change amount can be distributed to both players according to their contribution ratios.

[0114] (S3-5) Finally, the parameter management unit 134 uses the calculated change amount to update the parameters of each player's exclusive content (e.g., personal garden experience points) recorded in the player DB within an atomic transaction. The result of this update is notified to each player's terminal via the content processing unit 132 and displayed on the screen as a sense of accomplishment.

[0115] Through the above flow, a consistent gaming experience, from building relationships between players to cooperative play and the direct and fair distribution of results, is automatically and robustly realized as a system.

[0116] (5) Screen display example Next, with reference to Figures 5 and 6, specific examples of user interface (UI) screens displayed on the player's terminal 200 by the game according to this embodiment will be described. These screen examples visually illustrate how the player experiences the functions of this embodiment.

[0117] Figure 5 is an example of screen transitions illustrating the matching process between players and how the information disclosed to each player changes as their relationship deepens within the game.

[0118] Figure 5(a) shows the matching candidate screen displayed on player a's device. Here, a brief profile (avatar and nickname) of player b (Yanagi), recommended by the system, is displayed, and player a can indicate their interest in player b by tapping the "Like" button. At this initial stage, for privacy reasons, detailed profile information (age, place of origin, blood type, etc.) is not displayed.

[0119] Figure 5(b) shows the screen immediately after players a and b send each other "likes" and a match is made. Once a match is made, shared content (a shared garden) is created between the two players, enabling cooperative play. In this screen, as evidence that the relationship has progressed a step further, part of player b's profile, "hometown," has changed from "not available" to "Tokyo" and is now revealed. This is the result of the system automatically expanding the range of information that can be viewed in accordance with the progress of the first stage of the relationship, which is the successful match.

[0120] Figures 5(c) and (d) show the screen after the two players have played together and their relationship has deepened after being matched. From the state shown in Figure 5(c), if conditions are met, such as the shared garden reaching a predetermined level (e.g., level 10) or the relationship level exceeding a certain value, the "blood type" of player b, which was previously "undisclosed," will be newly revealed as "AB," as shown in Figure 5(d).

[0121] In this way, the game system can control the gradual expansion of the range of profile information that players can view of each other, in accordance with the progress of the relationship between players (for example, an increase in the relationship level or the progress of shared content). This functions as an intellectual reward, as deepening the relationship itself leads to the discovery of new information, and is a powerful incentive that stimulates the natural curiosity of players to want to know more about each other.

[0122] Figure 6 shows an example of a notification screen sent to players when the parameters of exclusive content change directly as a result of cooperative play using shared content.

[0123] This screen simulates a specific in-game success scenario, where players A and B cooperate in the "shared garden" to water crops and perform other tasks, resulting in the shared garden's level increasing to 15. This success triggers the direct parameter linkage process described in step S3 of Figure 4, which is executed on the server side, causing the parameter (level in this example) of player A's exclusive content, the "personal garden," to increase. In response, the content processing unit 132 sends notification data to player A's terminal, and a modal dialog (message box) saying "Bonus! Your personal garden level has increased" is displayed on the screen. The background depicts the avatars of the two players celebrating in the shared garden, visually emphasizing that this is "the result of their cooperation."

[0124] This direct and clear feedback allows players to immediately and strongly feel a clear cause-and-effect relationship between their actions and results, such as "My garden grew thanks to working with my partner." This positive experience of success gives players a great sense of satisfaction and effectively stimulates their desire for further cooperative play and deeper communication with their partners.

[0125] (6) Other embodiments In the above embodiment, a sandbox game in which exclusive content is a "personal garden" and shared content is a "shared garden" was mainly used as an example, but the types of content are not limited to these. For example, the exclusive content may be a "character" controlled by an individual player, and the shared content may be a "guild" or "clan" to which multiple players belong. In this case, when guild members cooperate to upgrade the guild's shared facilities (e.g., a blacksmith or research lab), the results are weighted according to each member's relationship with the guild (e.g., loyalty and cooperation calculated from their contribution to the guild and frequency of interaction with other members), and are applied as a direct buff effect that lasts for a certain period of time to each member's individual character's stats (parameters such as attack power and defense power).

[0126] The following describes further modifications that apply the technical concept of this embodiment to various types of content and game genres.

[0127] Variation 1: Application to cooperative quests / stages In this modified example, we assume that the shared content is a "cooperative quest" aimed at achieving a specific goal, or a "stage" specifically designed for two players to complete.

[0128] In this case, the "exclusive content" is the "character" controlled by each player, and its "parameters" are experience points, skill points, or stats (HP, attack power, etc.). The "shared content" is the quest or stage itself, and its "parameters" are the evaluation calculated upon completion (for example, completion time, score obtained, combo count, or completion rank such as S, A, B).

[0129] The parameter management unit 134 acquires the clear rank of a cooperative quest as a parameter change for shared content when a player pair clears it. Then, based on the "relationship level" of the two players managed by the relationship management unit 133, it applies bonus adjustments to the quantity and quality of experience points and reward items each player's character receives. For example, if a pair with a high relationship level clears a quest with the highest rank (S rank), in addition to the normal rewards, the drop rate of rare items will be greatly increased, or special skill points will be granted as well. This gives players a strong incentive not only to clear quests, but also to work together with their partner to achieve high performance and to maintain a good relationship with them on a daily basis.

[0130] Modification 2: Application to a search-type field In this modified example, we assume that the shared content is part of a vast "field" or "open world" that two people can freely explore.

[0131] In this case, "exclusive content" refers to the exploration-related abilities of each player's "character" (e.g., movement speed, exploration range, item discovery ability, etc.) and "vehicles" owned by the individual. "Shared content" is the shared field itself, and its "parameters" are represented by the field's "exploration rate," the number of landmarks and hidden passages discovered, or the number of puzzles solved collaboratively.

[0132] The parameter management unit 134 updates the parameters of shared content (such as exploration rate) whenever the two players explore the field, discover new areas, or jointly solve puzzles. Then, whenever these parameters exceed a certain threshold, or periodically thereafter, it directly enhances the parameters of each player's exclusive content based on their achievement level and the two players' "relationship level." For example, a pair with a high relationship level and a field exploration rate exceeding 50% will be granted a passive skill that permanently increases the movement speed of both characters by 5%, or improves the fuel efficiency of their personal mounts. This allows players to efficiently develop their characters while enjoying the act of adventuring and exploring every nook and cranny of the vast world with their partner.

[0133] Variation 3: Application to limited-time events In this modified example, we assume that the shared content is a "collaborative event" that takes place only for a specific period of time.

[0134] In this case, "exclusive content" refers to "commemorative items," "titles," or special "avatar skins" that remain in the player's account even after the event ends. "Shared content" is the event itself, and its "parameter" is the total value of "event points" earned by the two players working together during the event period.

[0135] The parameter management unit 134 adds event points, which are parameters for shared content, each time a player pair completes an activity within the event (for example, jointly defeating a specific monster or completing a delivery quest). Then, at the end of the event, the rank and performance of the exclusive content (rewards) distributed to each player are determined based on the total event points achieved and the "relationship level" of the two players at that time. For example, even if two players earn the same 100,000 event points, the pair with the highest relationship level will be given a top-rank commemorative item with a special effect, while the pair with a lower relationship level will be given a standard item. This creates a difference where players should not only cooperate intensively during the event period, but also deepen their relationship with their partner before the event begins in order to obtain better rewards.

[0136] Modification 4: Application to the development of shared characters or shared items In this modified example, we assume that the shared content is a shared "item," such as a single "support character" that two people jointly develop, or a single "legendary weapon."

[0137] In this case, "exclusive content" refers to the individual "main character" that each player primarily controls. "Shared content" refers to support characters or legendary weapons, and their "parameters" are stats such as level, learned skills, or attack power.

[0138] The parameter management unit 134 updates the parameters of shared content (support characters and weapons) when a player pair performs actions to develop them (for example, by using material items or participating in battles to gain experience points). Then, depending on the level of the shared content's parameters and the player pair's "relationship level," it grants powerful buff effects to each player's exclusive content (main character). For example, a support character developed by a pair with a high relationship level may activate a special cooperative skill during battle that significantly enhances the main character's abilities, or a legendary weapon may unleash its true power only when the two players are close together, dramatically increasing its attack power. This approach makes it possible to create a highly narrative game experience where "the beings developed by two people become a powerful force protecting them, the deeper their bond is."

[0139] As these variations demonstrate, the technical concept of this embodiment (weighting the results of operations on shared content at a relationship level and directly linking them to the parameters of exclusive content) is not limited to a specific game genre or content format, but is a highly versatile framework applicable to a wide variety of cooperative online games.

[0140] Furthermore, although the game system 1 according to this embodiment has been described as one in which all processing is completed on a single game server 100, it may also be configured as a more scalable distributed system in which servers are distributed according to function (for example, physically separating the matching server, gameplay server, and database server). In addition, the client terminal is not limited to smartphones, PCs, or home game consoles, but can be applied to various devices that may appear in the future, such as VR (virtual reality) goggles and AR (augmented reality) devices.

[0141] Furthermore, the operation flow and operation examples in the above-described embodiments do not necessarily have to be executed chronologically in the order shown in the flowchart. For example, the steps in the operation may be executed in a different order than that shown in the flowchart, or they may be executed in parallel. Also, some of the steps in the operation may be deleted, or further steps may be added to the process.

[0142] A program may be provided that causes a computer (information processing device) to perform the operations according to the above embodiment. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable medium. Using a computer-readable medium, it is possible to install the program on a computer. Here, the computer-readable medium on which the program is recorded may be a non-transient storage medium. The non-transient storage medium is not particularly limited, but may be a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.

[0143] The functions realized by the embodiments described above may be implemented in a circuit or processing circuitry, including a general-purpose processor, an application-specific processor, an integrated circuit, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a CPU (a Central Processing Unit), conventional circuits, and / or a combination thereof, programmed to realize the described functions. A processor, including transistors and other circuits, is considered a circuit or processing circuitry. A processor may be a programmed processor that executes a program stored in memory. In this specification, a circuit, unit, or means is hardware programmed to realize or execute the described functions. Such hardware may be any hardware disclosed herein, or any hardware known to be programmed to realize or execute the described functions. If such hardware is a processor that is considered a type of circuit, then the circuit, means, or unit is a combination of hardware and software used to constitute such hardware and / or processor.

[0144] As used herein, the terms “based on” and “according to” do not mean “based solely on” or “according solely to” unless otherwise specified. “Based on” means both “based solely on” and “based at least partially on.” Similarly, “according to” means both “based solely on” and “according at least partially to.” Furthermore, the terms “include,” “comprise,” and their variations do not mean to include only the listed items, but may include only the listed items, or may include additional items in addition to the listed items. Also, the term “or” as used herein is not intended to mean exclusive OR. Where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, these articles are considered plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0145] Although the embodiments have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to those described above, and various design changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0146] (7) Note The disclosure described above may also be expressed as follows:

[0147] The first feature is a game system comprising: a content processing unit that performs processing to present exclusive content occupied by the first player and shared content shared by the first and second players to the first player within the game; a relationship management unit that manages a relationship level relating to the degree of the relationship between the first and second players; and a parameter management unit that performs modification processing to change the parameters of the exclusive content based on operations on the shared content by the first or second player, wherein the parameter management unit controls the amount of parameter change in the modification processing based on the relationship level.

[0148] The second feature is a game system that, in the first feature, further includes a matching processing unit that matches the first player and the second player within the game based on the input operations of the first player and the input operations of the second player, and the content processing unit assigns the shared content to the first player and the second player according to the matching.

[0149] The third feature is a game system in which, in the first or second feature, the relationship management unit changes the relationship level based on the history of in-game communication between the first player and the second player.

[0150] The fourth feature is a game system in which, in any of the first to third features, the relationship management unit changes the relationship level based on the history of cooperative play on the shared content by the first player and the second player.

[0151] The fifth feature is a game system in which, in any of the first to fourth features, the relationship management unit decreases the relationship level over time if a predetermined condition is not met.

[0152] The sixth feature is a game system in which, in any of the first to fifth features, the parameter management unit changes the parameters of the shared content in response to operations on the shared content by the first player or the second player, and changes the parameters of the exclusive content in conjunction with the changes to the parameters of the shared content.

[0153] The seventh feature is a game system in which, in any of the first to sixth features, the parameter is the level or progress of the corresponding content.

[0154] The eighth feature is a game system in which, in any of the first to seventh features, the parameter management unit adjusts the amount of parameter change of the exclusive content in the change process to increase as the relationship level increases.

[0155] The ninth feature is a game system in which, in any of the first to eighth features, the content processing unit presents the exclusive content occupied by the second player and the shared content to the second player within the game, and the parameter management unit, based on the respective contributions of the first player and the second player to the shared content, makes the amount of parameter changes for the first player's exclusive content and the amount of parameter changes for the second player's exclusive content different in the modification process.

[0156] The tenth feature is a game system in which, in any of the first to ninth features, the content processing unit notifies the first player if the parameters of the first player's exclusive content change as a result of the modification process.

[0157] The eleventh feature is a program that causes a computer to execute the following steps: a content processing step which performs a process of presenting exclusive content occupied by the first player and shared content shared by the first and second players to the first player within the game; a relationship management step which manages a relationship level relating to the degree of relationship between the first and second players; and a parameter management step which performs a modification process which changes the parameters of the exclusive content based on operations on the shared content by the first or second player, wherein the parameter management step controls the amount of parameter change in the modification process based on the relationship level. [Explanation of symbols]

[0158] 1…Game System 5…Network 100... Game Server 110... Communications Department 120...Storage section 121... Player DB memory unit 122...Content DB Storage Unit 123...Relationship DB Memory Unit 130... Processing Unit 131…Matching Processing Unit 132...Content Processing Unit 133…Relationship Management Department 134...Parameter Management Unit 200… Terminal

Claims

1. A content processing unit that performs processing to present exclusive content occupied by the first player and shared content shared by the first player and the second player to the first player within the game, A relationship management unit manages the relationship level related to the degree of the relationship between the first player and the second player, The system includes a parameter management unit that modifies the parameters of the shared content based on operations performed by the first player or the second player on the shared content, and modifies the parameters of the exclusive content in conjunction with the modification of the parameters of the shared content. The parameter management unit controls the amount of parameter changes in the change process based on the relationship level, and is a game system.

2. The system further includes a matching processing unit that matches the first player and the second player within the game based on the input operations of the first player and the input operations of the second player. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the content processing unit assigns the shared content to the first player and the second player in accordance with the matching.

3. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the relationship management unit changes the relationship level based on the history of in-game communication between the first player and the second player.

4. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the relationship management unit changes the relationship level based on the history of cooperative play of the shared content by the first player and the second player.

5. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the relationship management unit reduces the relationship level over time if predetermined conditions are not met.

6. The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the parameter is the level or progress of the corresponding content.

7. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the parameter management unit adjusts the amount of parameter change of the occupied content in the change process to increase as the relationship level increases.

8. The content processing unit presents the exclusive content and the shared content to the second player within the game. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the parameter management unit, based on the respective contributions of the first player and the second player to the shared content, makes the amount of parameter changes for the content occupied by the first player and the amount of parameter changes for the content occupied by the second player different in the modification process.

9. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the content processing unit provides a notification to the first player if the parameters of the content reserved by the first player change as a result of the modification process.

10. A content processing step that performs a process of presenting exclusive content, which is exclusively used by the first player, and shared content, which is shared by the first player and the second player, to the first player within the game. A relationship management step for managing the relationship level relating to the degree of the relationship between the first player and the second player, The computer is made to perform a parameter management step which involves changing the parameters of the shared content based on an operation on the shared content by the first player or the second player, and changing the parameters of the exclusive content in conjunction with the change in the parameters of the shared content. The parameter management step includes a program that controls the amount of parameter change in the change process based on the relationship level.

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