Virtual character control method and apparatus, device, medium, and program product

Abstract

The present application discloses a virtual character control apparatus, a device, a medium, and a program product. The method comprises: displaying a virtual character located in a virtual environment, and a button control having a basic appearance style; in response to a first trigger operation on the button control having the basic appearance style, controlling the virtual character to execute a first activity; in response to a second trigger operation on the button control having the basic appearance style, controlling the virtual character to execute a second activity; if the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meet / meets a preset condition, switching the button control having the basic appearance style from the basic appearance style to an enhanced appearance style; and in response to a second trigger operation on the button control having the enhanced appearance style, controlling the virtual character to execute a third activity. According to the method, the area of a screen occupied by a control can be reduced, and a prompt can be provided for a function switching time point.

Description

Virtual character control method, device, equipment, medium and program product

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on June 15, 2023, with application number 202310713900.X and application name “Virtual Character Control Method, Device, Equipment, Medium and Program Product”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of human-computer interaction technology on user interfaces, and in particular to control technology for virtual characters. Background Art

[0003] In some game applications, the virtual environment interface includes multiple types of controls, which are used to control the virtual characters to perform actions in the virtual environment.

[0004] The above-mentioned multiple types of controls include controls for triggering attack skills, and a virtual character can have multiple attack skills. For example, multiple attack skills include: normal attack, heavy attack, and derived attack. Among them, normal attack refers to a basic attack in the game that has no additional consumption (such as energy, rage, storage, magic value, etc.) and no cooling time; heavy attack refers to an attack after charging in the game, which has a higher damage value and stronger burst energy than normal attack; derived attack is a high-level skill derived from normal attack or heavy attack, which has a higher damage value and stronger burst energy than heavy attack. The above-mentioned normal attack, heavy attack and derived attack can each be set with a corresponding control.

[0005] The multiple controls corresponding to the above-mentioned multiple skills occupy a large area on the interface.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention provides a method, device, equipment, medium and program product for controlling a virtual character. The technical solution is as follows:

[0008] According to one aspect of the present application, a method for controlling a virtual character is provided, the method being executed by a computer device, the method comprising:

[0009] Displaying a virtual character in a virtual environment and a button control with a basic appearance style;

[0010] In response to a first trigger operation on the button control with the basic appearance style, controlling the virtual character to perform a first activity; in response to a second trigger operation on the button control with the basic appearance style, controlling the virtual character to perform a second activity;

[0011] If the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets a preset condition, switching the button control having the basic appearance style from the basic appearance style to an enhanced appearance style;

[0012] In response to the second trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style, the virtual character is controlled to perform a third activity.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present application, a device for controlling a virtual character is provided, the device being deployed on a computer device, and comprising:

[0014] A display module, used for displaying a virtual character in a virtual environment and a button control with a basic appearance style;

[0015] an execution module, configured to control the virtual character to perform a first activity in response to a first trigger operation on the button control having the basic appearance style; and to control the virtual character to perform a second activity in response to a second trigger operation on the button control having the basic appearance style;

[0016] The display module is configured to switch the button control having the basic appearance style from the basic appearance style to the enhanced appearance style if the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets a preset condition;

[0017] The execution module is configured to control the virtual character to perform a third activity in response to the second trigger operation on the button control having the enhanced appearance style.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present application, a computer device is provided, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores at least one program, and the at least one program is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the virtual character control method provided in various aspects of the present application.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which at least one program is stored. The at least one program is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the control method of the virtual character provided in various aspects of the present application.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present application, a computer program product is provided, which includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium; a processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and when the processor executes the computer instructions, implements the control method of the virtual character provided in various aspects of the present application.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present application, a chip is provided, which includes a programmable logic circuit and / or program instructions. When the chip is running, it is used to implement the control method of the virtual character provided in various aspects of the present application.

[0022] The beneficial effects of the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application include at least:

[0023] The control method of a virtual character provided by the present application can control the virtual character to perform three activities through a button control. When the button control displays a basic appearance style, the first trigger operation on the button control can control the virtual character to perform the first activity, and the second trigger operation on the button control can control the virtual character to perform the second activity. When the button control displays an enhanced appearance style, the second trigger operation on the button control controls the virtual character to perform the third activity. By using a button control and two trigger operations, the triggering of three functions is realized. Compared with setting a control for each function, the area occupied on the screen is reduced. Moreover, using two trigger operations on one control is also easier for the user to operate, and there will be no problem of integrating too many operations on one control, which will cause confusion among various operations during use. In this method, the user is informed of the function changes on the control by the change of the appearance style of the button control, so that the user can accurately know the time point of the function change and better grasp the timing of the function triggering. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0025] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer system provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an interface for controlling a virtual character provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG3 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a virtual character provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of an interface for switching the appearance style of a control provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an interface for switching the appearance style of a control provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG6 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a virtual character provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an interface for displaying information about a button control provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG8 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a virtual character provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of an interface for switching the appearance style of a control provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of an interface for switching the appearance style of a control provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG11 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a virtual character provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG12 is a block diagram of a control device for a virtual character provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the device structure of a computer device provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, the implementation methods of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] First, the nouns involved in the embodiments of this application are introduced:

[0040] A virtual environment is a virtual environment displayed (or provided) when an application is running on a terminal. This virtual environment can be a simulation of the real world, a semi-simulated and semi-imaginary environment, or a purely imaginary environment. This application does not limit this to any of the following: a two-dimensional virtual environment, a 2.5-dimensional virtual environment, or a three-dimensional virtual environment. The following embodiments illustrate a three-dimensional virtual environment.

[0041] Avatars: These are movable objects within a virtual environment. These movable objects can be virtual people, virtual animals, or animated characters, for example, people, animals, plants, oil drums, walls, rocks, etc. displayed within a 3D virtual environment. Alternatively, avatars are 3D models created using animation skeletal technology. Each avatar has its own unique shape and volume within the 3D virtual environment, occupying a portion of the space within the 3D virtual environment.

[0042] Virtual props: refers to props used by virtual characters to perform certain actions in a virtual environment, such as virtual vehicles, virtual equipment, etc. For example, virtual explosives refer to virtual items that can explode in a virtual environment, and are a type of virtual equipment used by virtual characters in a virtual environment. When a virtual explosive is activated (or exploded), including at least one of a grenade, a mine, a bomb, an atomic bomb, and a missile, the health of the virtual character within the explosion range will be reduced. For another example, a shooting virtual prop can be used for shooting in a virtual environment, and is another type of virtual equipment used by a virtual character in a virtual environment. When shooting with a shooting virtual prop (such as a bow and arrow, etc.), the health of the enemy virtual character within the range will be reduced.

[0043] For example, virtual items "equipped, carried, or mounted" by a virtual character include virtual items currently in use. A virtual character possesses a virtual backpack, which contains slots where temporarily unused virtual items can be stored. Virtual items "equipped, carried, or mounted" by a virtual character may also include virtual items stored in the virtual backpack.

[0044] Controls are any visible controls or elements on an application's user interface (UI), such as images, input boxes, text boxes, buttons, and labels. Some UI controls can respond to user actions. For example, a user can trigger a button control in different appearance styles to control a virtual character to perform different actions.

[0045] The virtual character control method provided in this application can be applied to a computer system, as shown in FIG1 , which shows a schematic diagram of a computer system 100 provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The computer system 100 includes a terminal 110 and a server 120 .

[0046] Terminal 110 has a client 111 installed and running that supports a virtual environment. This client 111 can be a client for any of the following applications: virtual reality (VR) applications, augmented reality (AR) programs, first-person shooter (FPS) games, third-person shooter (TPS) games, multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, strategy games (SLGs), adventure games, and role-playing games. When terminal 110 runs client 111, the user interface of client 111 is displayed on the screen of terminal 110, such as the virtual environment interface of a game. Terminal 110 is used by user 112. User 112 uses terminal 110 to control a virtual character in the virtual environment to perform activities, including but not limited to at least one of adjusting body posture, crawling, walking, running, riding, jumping, driving, shooting, swinging a sword, punching, stabbing, throwing a virtual smoke bomb, and throwing a virtual explosive. Exemplarily, the virtual character is a virtual person, such as a simulated person or an animated character.

[0047] Terminal 110 may generally refer to one of multiple terminals. This embodiment uses terminal 110 as an example. Terminal 110 may include at least one of a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a wearable device, an AR smart device, a VR smart device, an e-book reader, a Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer III (MP3) player, a Moving Picture Experts Group IV (MP4) player, a laptop computer, and a desktop computer.

[0048] FIG1 shows only one terminal, but in different embodiments, multiple other terminals 130 may be connected to the server 120. Optionally, one or more terminals 130 may be terminals corresponding to developers, and a client development and editing platform supporting a virtual environment may be installed on the terminal 130. The developer may edit and update the client on the terminal 130 and transmit the updated client installation package to the server 120 via a wired or wireless network. The terminal 110 may then download the client installation package from the server 120 to update the client.

[0049] The terminal 110 and other terminals 130 are connected to the server 120 via a wireless network or a wired network.

[0050] Server 120 includes at least one of a single server, multiple servers, a cloud computing platform, and a virtualization center. Server 120 provides backend services for client 111. Optionally, server 120 performs primary computing tasks, while terminal 110 performs secondary computing tasks; alternatively, server 120 performs secondary computing tasks, while terminal 110 performs primary computing tasks; alternatively, server 120 and terminal 110 utilize a distributed computing architecture for collaborative computing.

[0051] Optionally, the server 120 includes a processor 121, an object account database 122, a battle service module 123, and an object-oriented input / output interface (I / O interface) 124. The processor 121 is used to load instructions stored in the server 120 and process data in the object account database 122 and the battle service module 123. The object account database 122 is used to store data of object accounts used by the terminal 110 and other terminals 130, such as the object account's avatar, name, combat power index, and service area where the object account is located. The battle service module 123 is used to provide multiple battle rooms for objects to battle, such as 1v1 battles, 3v3 battles, 5v5 battles, etc. The object-oriented I / O interface 124 is used to establish communication and exchange data with the terminal 110 and / or other terminals 130 via a wireless network or a wired network.

[0052] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the number of the above-mentioned terminals may be more or less. For example, the above-mentioned terminal may be only one, or the above-mentioned terminals may be dozens or hundreds, or a larger number. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of terminals and device types.

[0053] The control method of the virtual character provided in this application can be applied to VR applications, AR applications, FPS games, TPS games, MOBA games, tactical competitive games, SLG, adventure games, role-playing games, etc.

[0054] Taking the application of a virtual character control method in a game as an example, as shown in FIG2 , a terminal 110 runs a client 111 supporting a virtual environment. A virtual character 202 located in a virtual environment 201 is displayed on the terminal 110 interface. Terminal 110 also displays multiple controls, allowing a user 112 to control the virtual character 202 in the virtual environment 201 to perform various activities. These multiple controls include a button control 203 having a basic appearance style, in which the circular background area of ​​button control 203 is filled with black. In response to a click on button control 203, terminal 110 controls the virtual character 202 to perform a first activity in the virtual environment 201. In response to a long-press operation on button control 203, terminal 110 controls the virtual character 202 to perform a second activity in the virtual environment 201.

[0055] If virtual environment 201 and / or virtual character 202 meet preset conditions, terminal 110 switches the basic appearance style of button control 203 to an enhanced appearance style, and displays button control 204 with the enhanced appearance style on the interface of terminal 110. In the enhanced appearance style, the circular background area of ​​button control 204 is filled with white. In response to a click operation on button control 204, terminal 110 can still control virtual character 202 to perform the first activity in virtual environment 201; in response to a long press operation on button control 204, terminal 110 controls virtual character 202 to perform the third activity in virtual environment 201.

[0056] In the above-mentioned control method of the virtual character, three functions are integrated into one control, and different triggering methods on the control are used to trigger the execution of the first activity and the second activity, as well as the execution of the first activity and the third activity respectively; different appearance styles are used to express controls under different functions, and then the same triggering operation on the control is used to trigger the execution of the second activity and the third activity respectively under different appearance styles. Compared with setting a control for each function, the implementation of the above-mentioned three functions is completed through one control, which can reduce the screen occupancy ratio of the terminal; and each time the function that can be triggered is switched, it is also expressed through a different appearance style, so that the user can quickly and clearly perceive the changes in the functions that can be triggered on the control.

[0057] FIG3 shows a flowchart of a method for controlling a virtual character provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application, which can be applied to a terminal of a computer system as shown in FIG1 . The method comprises the following steps:

[0058] Step 301: Display a virtual character in a virtual environment and a button control with a basic appearance style.

[0059] An application program is running on the terminal, and the application program supports a virtual environment in which virtual characters exist. A virtual environment interface is displayed on the terminal, and the virtual environment interface includes a virtual environment screen, which is a screen obtained by observing the virtual environment from a certain perspective.

[0060] The viewing angle may refer to the viewing angle when observing a virtual environment from the first-person perspective or the third-person perspective of a virtual character. For example, in an embodiment of the present application, the viewing angle may be the angle when observing a virtual character through a camera model in a virtual environment. The camera model automatically follows the virtual character in the virtual environment, that is, when the position of the virtual character in the virtual environment changes, the camera model changes simultaneously with the position of the virtual character in the virtual environment, and the camera model always remains within a preset distance range of the virtual character in the virtual environment. Optionally, during the automatic following process, the relative position of the camera model and the virtual character does not change.

[0061] A camera model may refer to a three-dimensional model located around a virtual character in a virtual environment. When a first-person perspective is used, the camera model is located near or at the head of the virtual character. When a third-person perspective is used, the camera model may be located behind the virtual character and bound to the virtual character, or may be located at any position at a preset distance from the virtual character. The camera model may be used to observe the virtual character in the virtual environment from different angles. For example, when the third-person perspective is a first-person over-the-shoulder perspective, the camera model is located behind the virtual character (e.g., the head and shoulders of the virtual character). In addition to first-person and third-person perspectives, perspectives also include other perspectives, such as a bird's-eye view. When a bird's-eye view is used, the camera model may be located above the head of the virtual character. A bird's-eye view is a perspective from which the virtual environment is observed from an aerial perspective. The camera model will not be actually displayed in the virtual environment, i.e., the camera model will not be displayed in the virtual environment displayed on the virtual environment interface, i.e., the camera model will not be displayed in the aforementioned virtual environment screen.

[0062] Exemplarily, the virtual environment displayed on the virtual environment screen includes at least one of the following elements: mountains, plains, rivers, lakes, oceans, deserts, sky, clouds, sun, moon, stars, plants, animals, buildings, and vehicles.

[0063] A virtual environment interface is displayed on the terminal, and the virtual environment interface also includes a button control with a basic appearance style.

[0064] In one possible implementation, the button control with a basic appearance style can be a trigger control for a skill possessed by the virtual character. For example, the skill corresponding to the button control can be a skill possessed by the virtual character itself, or a skill acquired by the virtual character after equipping a virtual prop.

[0065] If the button control corresponds to a skill possessed by the virtual character, the terminal displays the virtual character in the virtual environment and a button control with a basic appearance. For example, if the virtual character possesses the skill of using a fist to perform a striking action, when the button control is used to trigger the skill, the terminal displays the virtual character in the virtual environment and the button control. For another example, if the virtual character possesses the skill of using a heavy sword to perform an attack action, when the button control is used to trigger the skill, the terminal displays the virtual character in the virtual environment and the button control. For another example, if the virtual character possesses the skill of picking or gathering, when the button control is used to trigger the skill, the terminal displays the virtual character in the virtual environment and the button control.

[0066] If the button control corresponds to a skill acquired by a virtual character after equipping a virtual item, the terminal displays the virtual character in the virtual environment, and in response to an operation to equip the virtual item, controls the virtual character to equip the virtual item, and displays a button control corresponding to the skill associated with the virtual item. For example, after the terminal displays the virtual character in the virtual environment, in response to an operation to equip a virtual shooting tool, controls the virtual character to equip the virtual shooting tool, and displays a button control associated with the virtual shooting tool, which is used to control the virtual character to shoot using the virtual shooting tool. For another example, after the terminal displays the virtual character in the virtual environment, in response to an operation to equip a virtual projectile, controls the virtual character to equip the virtual projectile, and displays a button control associated with the virtual projectile, which is used to control the throwing of the virtual projectile. For another example, after the terminal displays the virtual character in the virtual environment, in response to an operation to equip a virtual building tool, controls the virtual character to equip the virtual building tool, and displays a button control associated with the virtual building tool, which is used to control the virtual character to use the virtual building tool to construct a virtual building.

[0067] In one possible implementation, methods for obtaining virtual props include, but are not limited to, picking up, purchasing, sharing with other virtual characters, and obtaining reward props for completing tasks.

[0068] In the embodiment of the present application, the appearance style of the button control is composed of at least one of the following elements:

[0069] The shape of the button control, for example, the button control can be round, square, or diamond;

[0070] The fill color of the button control, for example, the button control can be red, yellow, blue, etc.;

[0071] The transparency of the button control, for example, the transparency of the button control can be 0, 50%, or 100%;

[0072] A pattern on a button control, for example, a button control may display a pattern associated with the function triggered by the button control, such as a button control for triggering an arrow to display an arrow pattern;

[0073] The brightness of a button control, for example, the brightness of a button control can be the same as the brightness of other areas on the screen, or higher than the brightness of other areas on the screen.

[0074] In one possible implementation, the appearance style of a button control when initially displayed may be a basic appearance style. The basic appearance style may be the appearance style of a button control that controls a virtual character to perform basic activities, such as a first activity or a second activity. The button control is associated with at least two trigger operations, and the at least two trigger operations are used to trigger different skills. At least two skills correspond to different activities. Therefore, the at least two trigger operations are used to trigger different skills. This can also be described as the at least two trigger operations being used to control the virtual character to perform different activities.

[0075] The at least two trigger operations may include a first trigger operation and a second trigger operation; when the button control is displayed in a basic appearance style, the first trigger operation is used to control the virtual character to perform a first activity, and the second trigger operation is used to control the virtual character to perform a second activity.

[0076] The first activity and the second activity are different activities. In one possible implementation, the difference between the first activity and the second activity can be manifested in at least one of the following:

[0077] The actions performed by the avatar are different, for example, the first activity and the second activity are activities using different combo attacks;

[0078] The actions performed by the avatar have different degrees of impact, such as the first activity and the second activity causing different damage / healing values;

[0079] The coverage of the impact caused by the actions performed by the virtual character is different, for example, the attack range / treatment range corresponding to the first activity and the second activity are different.

[0080] The triggering operation includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a single-click operation, a double-click operation, a long-press operation, a pressure operation, a sliding operation, and a drag operation. The first triggering operation and the second triggering operation are different triggering operations; for example, the first triggering operation is a single-click operation, and the second triggering operation is a long-press operation; another example is the first triggering operation is a single-click operation, and the second triggering operation is a pressure operation; another example is the first triggering operation is a single-click operation, and the second triggering operation is a drag operation.

[0081] Optionally, the button control can be located anywhere on the virtual environment interface. For example, the button control can be located in an edge area of ​​the virtual environment interface, such as the right edge area of ​​the virtual environment interface. Alternatively, the position and layout of the button control on the virtual environment interface can be customized by the user; for example, the button control can be dragged to a target location to change its layout.

[0082] Step 302: In response to a first trigger operation on a button control having a basic appearance style, control the virtual character to perform a first activity.

[0083] In a case where the button control has a basic appearance style, in response to a first trigger operation on the button control having the basic appearance style, the terminal controls the virtual character to perform a first activity.

[0084] Step 303: In response to a second triggering operation on the button control having the basic appearance style, control the virtual character to perform a second activity.

[0085] In a case where the button control has a basic appearance style, in response to a second triggering operation on the button control having the basic appearance style, the terminal controls the virtual character to perform a second activity.

[0086] Step 304: If the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets a preset condition, the button control with the basic appearance style is switched from the basic appearance style to the enhanced appearance style.

[0087] The preset condition may be used to determine whether the virtual environment and / or the virtual character supports (supports or does not support) the virtual character performing the third activity. If the virtual environment and / or the virtual character supports the virtual character performing the third activity, the button control having the basic appearance style may be switched from the basic appearance style to the enhanced appearance style.

[0088] Alternatively, the preset condition is a condition for using the skill corresponding to the third activity. If the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets the preset condition, the skill corresponding to the third activity can be used to control the virtual character to perform the third activity.

[0089] The enhanced appearance style may be the appearance style of a button control that controls a virtual character to perform a more powerful action. A more powerful action has higher damage and greater burst energy than a basic action. For example, a more powerful action may be a third action. The enhanced appearance style is different from the basic appearance style. In one possible implementation, the enhanced appearance style differs from the basic appearance style in at least one of the following elements: the shape of the button control; the fill color of the button control; the transparency of the button control; the pattern on the button control; or the brightness of the button control.

[0090] Accordingly, switching a button control having a basic appearance style from a basic appearance style to an enhanced appearance style includes at least one of the following steps:

[0091] Switch the first fill color of the button control with the basic appearance style to the second fill color. For example, the fill color of the circular background area of ​​the button control 203 in the basic appearance style is black, and the fill color of the circular background area of ​​the button control 204 in the enhanced appearance style is white, as shown in FIG2 ;

[0092] Switching the first pattern displayed on the button control with the basic appearance style to the second pattern. For example, the button control 401 in the basic appearance style displays a sword, while the button control 402 in the enhanced appearance style displays two crossed swords, as shown in FIG4 ;

[0093] Switching the first brightness displayed on the button control with the basic appearance style to a second brightness, where the second brightness is greater than the first brightness; that is, switching the brightness display of the button control to highlight display;

[0094] Switching the first transparency of the button control with the basic appearance style to the second transparency;

[0095] The shape of the button control with the basic appearance style is switched from a first shape to a second shape. For example, the shape of the button control 501 in the basic appearance style is a circle, and the shape of the button control 502 in the enhanced appearance style is a diamond, as shown in FIG5 .

[0096] In some embodiments, there are at least two preset conditions, and the at least two preset conditions are associated with different enhanced appearance styles. Exemplarily, the at least two preset conditions include a first preset condition and a second preset condition. If the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets the first preset condition of the at least two preset conditions, the button control with the basic appearance style is switched from the basic appearance style to the first enhanced appearance style associated with the first preset condition; if the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets the second preset condition of the at least two preset conditions, the button control with the basic appearance style is switched from the basic appearance style to the second enhanced appearance style associated with the second preset condition.

[0097] The first enhanced appearance style and the second enhanced appearance style may be the same or different. When the first enhanced appearance style and the second enhanced appearance style are different, at least one of the following elements may be different between the first enhanced appearance style and the second enhanced appearance style: the shape of the button control; the fill color of the button control; the transparency of the button control; the pattern on the button control; or the brightness of the button control.

[0098] In one possible implementation, among at least two preset conditions, at least one preset condition corresponds to at least two skills, each skill being associated with its own enhanced appearance style. Exemplarily, the at least one preset condition includes a first preset condition, which is associated with at least two skills. If the virtual environment and / or virtual character meets the first preset condition, selection controls corresponding to the at least two skills are displayed around a button control having a basic appearance style. In response to a selection operation on the selection control for a first skill among the at least two skills, the selection control is removed from display, and the button control having the basic appearance style is switched from the basic appearance style to the first enhanced appearance style associated with the first skill. If the at least two skills also include a second skill, the selection control can also be removed from display, and the button control having the basic appearance style is switched from the basic appearance style to the appearance style associated with the first skill, in response to a selection operation on the selection control for the second skill.

[0099] Alternatively, after selection controls corresponding to at least two skills are displayed around a button control with a basic appearance style, if no selection operation is triggered on the selection control and the display time of the selection control reaches a fourth time, the selection control is cancelled, and the button control with a basic appearance style is switched from the basic appearance style to the first enhanced appearance style associated with the first skill of at least two skills by default, or the button control with a basic appearance style is randomly switched from the basic appearance style to the first enhanced appearance style associated with the first skill of at least two skills.

[0100] In one possible implementation, among the at least two preset conditions, at least one preset condition is associated with at least two skills, each of which is associated with its own enhanced appearance style. Exemplarily, the at least one preset condition includes a first preset condition associated with at least two skills; if the virtual environment and / or virtual character meets the first preset condition, a button control having a basic appearance style is randomly switched from the basic appearance style to a first enhanced appearance style associated with a first skill among the at least two skills.

[0101] In other embodiments, there is one preset condition, which is associated with at least two skills, each of which is associated with its own enhanced appearance style. If the virtual environment and / or virtual character meets the preset condition, selection controls corresponding to the at least two skills are displayed around a button control having a basic appearance style. In response to a selection operation on the selection control for a first skill among the at least two skills, the selection control is removed from display, and the button control having the basic appearance style is switched from the basic appearance style to the first enhanced appearance style associated with the first skill. If the at least two skills also include a second skill, the selection control can also be removed from display, and the button control having the basic appearance style is switched from the basic appearance style to the appearance style associated with the second skill, in response to a selection operation on the selection control for the second skill among the at least two skills.

[0102] Alternatively, if no selection operation is triggered on the selection control and the display time of the selection control reaches the fourth time, the selection control is cancelled, and the button control with the basic appearance style is switched from the basic appearance style to the first enhanced appearance style associated with the first skill by default, or the button control with the basic appearance style is randomly switched from the basic appearance style to the first enhanced appearance style associated with the first skill of at least two skills.

[0103] For example, the selection controls described above may be one or at least two. When there is only one selection control, the selection operation may be sliding in different directions on the selection control, thereby representing the selection of different skills. For example, sliding left on the selection control is used to select the first skill; sliding right on the selection control is used to select the second skill. In another example, the selection control may be a list control that displays multiple selection controls corresponding to multiple skills. Clicking a selection control selects a skill. In another example, when the selection control is multiple independent controls, each skill corresponds to a selection control. Clicking a selection control selects a skill.

[0104] In other embodiments, there is one preset condition, and the preset condition corresponds to at least two skills, and each skill is associated with its own enhanced appearance style; if the virtual environment and / or virtual character meets the preset condition, the button control with the basic appearance style will be randomly switched from the basic appearance style to the first enhanced appearance style associated with the first skill of at least two skills.

[0105] For example, the above-mentioned preset conditions are conditions that need to be met by the virtual environment; or the above-mentioned preset conditions are conditions that need to be met by the virtual character; or the above-mentioned preset conditions are conditions that need to be met by the virtual character and the virtual environment. In one possible implementation, the preset conditions include but are not limited to at least one of the following:

[0106] The virtual character uses a designated virtual item; for example, controlling the virtual character to use a designated virtual item to obtain a skill corresponding to the third activity;

[0107] The virtual character performs the first or second activity more times than the threshold within the first duration. For example, the first activity is a combo, and the virtual character performs two consecutive combos within the first duration to obtain the skill corresponding to the third activity.

[0108] The damage value output by the virtual character during the second duration of time when performing the first activity and / or the second activity is higher than the damage threshold;

[0109] The cooldown (or energy accumulation) of the skill corresponding to the third activity reaches the third duration. For example, during the initial phase or after a skill is released, the skill corresponding to the third activity switches from a releasable state to an unreleasable state. After the cooldown period has expired and the energy is fully accumulated, the skill corresponding to the third activity switches from an unreleasable state to a releasable state again.

[0110] The avatar defeats other objects in the virtual environment; for example, controlling the avatar to defeat an enemy avatar, a non-player character (NPC), or an environmental object in the virtual environment, such as a gem, a tree, or other designated object in the virtual environment;

[0111] The virtual character's health value is higher than the health threshold;

[0112] The virtual environment supports the execution of the third activity; for example, there is an executable area for the third activity in the virtual environment, and the virtual character can execute the third activity within this executable area; another example is that the weather in the virtual environment affects the execution of the third activity, and when the weather in the virtual environment is weather that supports the third activity, the third activity can be executed; another example is that the terrain in the virtual environment affects the execution of the third activity, and when the terrain at a certain location in the virtual environment is terrain that supports the third activity, the execution of the third activity is supported at that location.

[0113] It should be noted that the preset conditions are pre-set according to application requirements.

[0114] In a possible implementation, the basic appearance style may be switched to the first enhanced appearance style by a direct transition; or by a gradual transition, for example, during the energy accumulation process, the basic appearance style gradually changes to the first enhanced appearance style.

[0115] Step 305 : In response to a second trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style, control the virtual character to perform a third activity.

[0116] In a case where the button control has an enhanced appearance style, in response to a second trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style, the terminal controls the virtual character to perform a third activity.

[0117] For example, using the method provided in this embodiment in a game, the first activity is a normal attack, the second activity is a heavy attack, and the third activity is a derivative attack. The terminal displays a virtual character in a virtual environment and a button control with a basic appearance style. In response to a click on the button control with the basic appearance style, the virtual character is controlled to perform a normal attack; in response to a long press on the button control with the basic appearance style, the virtual character is controlled to perform a heavy attack. After the energy accumulation period reaches a fourth duration, the basic appearance style of the button control with the basic appearance style is switched to a first enhanced appearance style. At this point, in response to a click on the button control with the first enhanced appearance style, the virtual character is controlled to perform a normal attack; in response to a long press on the button control, the virtual character is controlled to perform a derivative attack.

[0118] In other embodiments, after the virtual character is controlled to perform a third activity, a button control with an enhanced appearance style is switched from the enhanced appearance style to the basic appearance style. After the third activity is completed, the virtual character and / or the virtual environment must meet pre-set conditions again before the third activity can be performed again. For example, after the skill corresponding to the third activity is released, energy must be accumulated again, and the third activity can only be performed again after the energy accumulation is complete.

[0119] In summary, the control method of the virtual character provided in this embodiment can control the virtual character to perform three activities through a button control. When the button control displays a basic appearance style, the first trigger operation on the button control can control the virtual character to perform the first activity, and the second trigger operation on the button control can control the virtual character to perform the second activity; when the button control displays an enhanced appearance style, the second trigger operation on the button control controls the virtual character to perform the third activity. Through one button control and two trigger operations, the triggering of three functions is realized. With one control corresponding to each function, the area occupied on the screen is reduced; and using two trigger operations on one control is also easier for the user to operate, and there will be no problem of integrating too many operations on one control, which will cause confusion among various operations during use. The method also informs the user of the function changes on the control by changing the appearance style of the button control, so that the user can accurately know the time point of the function change and better grasp the timing of the function triggering.

[0120] In some other embodiments, the embodiment shown in FIG3 may further include the following steps, as shown in FIG6 :

[0121] Step 306 : In response to a first trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style, control the virtual character to perform a fourth activity.

[0122] In a case where the button control has an enhanced appearance style, in response to a first trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style, the terminal controls the virtual character to perform a fourth activity.

[0123] The fourth activity may be the same as the first activity and different from the second activity and the third activity; or the fourth activity may be different from the first activity, the second activity and the third activity.

[0124] In summary, the method for controlling a virtual character provided in this embodiment can control a virtual character to perform three to four activities through one control, thereby improving the utilization rate of the control.

[0125] In other embodiments, after a button control having a basic appearance style is switched from a basic appearance style to an enhanced appearance style, a prompt content may be displayed around the button control having the enhanced appearance style, where the prompt content is used to explain the skills corresponding to the third activity. For example, if the virtual environment and / or virtual character meets the preset conditions for the first time, the button control is switched from the basic appearance style to the enhanced appearance style for the first time, and the prompt content is displayed around the button control with the enhanced appearance style. For another example, if the virtual environment and / or virtual character meets the preset conditions, the button control is switched from the basic appearance style to the enhanced appearance style, and it is determined that the third activity occurs for the first time, and the prompt content is displayed around the button control with the enhanced appearance style.

[0126] Exemplarily, the terminal may further display the above prompt content in an edge area of ​​the virtual environment interface.

[0127] For example, as shown in FIG7 , if the enhanced appearance style is the first enhanced appearance style, a prompt “Press and hold the attack key to use a more powerful derivative skill” may be displayed above the button control 204 of the first enhanced appearance style.

[0128] In summary, the skill triggering guidance method provided in this embodiment provides users with skill descriptions corresponding to the third activity, allowing users to understand the skills corresponding to the third activity in a timely manner, thereby more reasonably planning the triggering timing of the third activity.

[0129] In other embodiments, the user may also reserve the skill corresponding to the third activity through a third trigger operation on the button control with an enhanced appearance style, so as to execute it again at an appropriate time.

[0130] For example, as shown in FIG8 , a flowchart of a method for controlling a virtual character provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application is shown. The method can be applied to a terminal of a computer system as shown in FIG1 . The method includes the following steps:

[0131] Step 801: Display a virtual character in a virtual environment and a button control with a basic appearance style.

[0132] Step 802: In response to a first trigger operation on a button control having a basic appearance style, control the virtual character to perform a first activity.

[0133] Step 803: In response to a second trigger operation on the button control having the basic appearance style, control the virtual character to perform a second activity.

[0134] Step 804: If the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meet a preset condition, the button control with the basic appearance style is switched from the basic appearance style to the enhanced appearance style.

[0135] For steps 801 to 804 , reference may be made to the detailed description of steps 301 to 304 , which will not be repeated here.

[0136] Step 805: In response to the third trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style, the skill corresponding to the third activity is retained, and the button control with the enhanced appearance style is switched from the enhanced appearance style to another appearance style.

[0137] The other appearance style is different from the enhanced appearance style. Optionally, at least one of the following elements is different between the other appearance style and the enhanced appearance style: the shape of the button control; the fill color of the button control; the transparency of the button control; the pattern on the button control; or the brightness of the button control.

[0138] Accordingly, switching a button control from the enhanced appearance style to another appearance style includes at least one of the following steps:

[0139] Switch the secondary fill color of the button control with enhanced appearance style to the tertiary fill color;

[0140] Switching the second pattern displayed on the button control with the enhanced appearance style to the third pattern;

[0141] Switching the second brightness displayed on the button control with the enhanced appearance style to a third brightness, the second brightness being greater than the third brightness;

[0142] Switch the secondary transparency of the button control with enhanced appearance style to the tertiary transparency;

[0143] Switch the shape of the button control with the enhanced appearance style from the second shape to the third shape.

[0144] It should be noted that other appearance styles can be the same as the basic appearance style. When the button control switches from the enhanced appearance style to the basic appearance style, a reservation mark for the skill corresponding to the third activity is also displayed in the edge area of ​​the button control. For example, as shown in Figure 9, when switching from the enhanced appearance style button control 901 back to the basic appearance style button control 902, a reservation mark 903 is displayed in the upper right corner of the button control 902. In the embodiments of the present application, the style of the reservation mark is not limited and can be circular, oval, square, diamond, etc.

[0145] If the number of times the skill corresponding to the third activity is used can be accumulated, the number of times used can also be recorded through a reservation mark, for example, the number of times used can be displayed on the reservation mark 903, as shown in FIG10 .

[0146] Step 806 : In response to a first trigger operation on the button control having another appearance style, control the virtual character to perform a first activity.

[0147] In the case where the button control has other appearance styles, in response to the first triggering operation on the button control, the terminal controls the virtual character to perform the first activity.

[0148] Step 807 : In response to a second trigger operation on the button control having another appearance style, control the virtual character to perform a second activity.

[0149] In the case where the button control has other appearance styles, in response to the second triggering operation on the button control with other appearance styles, the terminal controls the virtual character to perform the second activity.

[0150] Step 808 : In response to a third trigger operation being triggered again on the button control with the other appearance style, the button control with the other appearance style is switched from the other appearance style to the enhanced appearance style.

[0151] It should be noted that the third trigger operation that is triggered again can also be replaced by other trigger operations that are different from the third trigger operation. For example, the third trigger operation is an upward sliding operation on the button control, and the other trigger operation can be a downward sliding operation on the button control; for example, the third trigger operation is a left sliding operation on the button control, and the other trigger operation is a right sliding operation on the button control.

[0152] The third trigger operation is different from the first and second trigger operations. The other trigger operations are different from the first, second, and third trigger operations.

[0153] Step 809 : In response to the first trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style, control the virtual character to perform a fourth activity.

[0154] In a case where the button control has an enhanced appearance style, in response to a first trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style, the terminal controls the virtual character to perform a fourth activity.

[0155] In a possible implementation, the fourth activity may be the same as the first activity, and different from the second activity and the third activity; or the fourth activity may be different from the first activity, the second activity, and the third activity.

[0156] Step 810: In response to a second trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style, control the virtual character to perform a third activity.

[0157] In a case where the button control has an enhanced appearance style, in response to a second trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style, the terminal controls the virtual character to perform a third activity.

[0158] To sum up, the skill retention method provided in this embodiment can retain the skills corresponding to the third activity, and then select a more appropriate time to control the virtual character to perform the third activity, thereby achieving full and effective utilization of the third activity. For example, during the game, the ultimate move can be retained and released at the appropriate time to win the game.

[0159] In other embodiments, if the user does not wish to control the virtual character to perform the third activity, the user can cancel the skill corresponding to the third activity through a fourth trigger operation on the button control. For example, after the basic appearance style of the button control is switched to the enhanced appearance style, the skill corresponding to the third activity is canceled in response to the fourth trigger operation on the button control, and the enhanced appearance style of the button control is switched back to the basic appearance style.

[0160] To sum up, the skill cancellation method provided in this embodiment allows the user to determine whether it is necessary to control the virtual character to perform the third activity based on actual needs. If there is no need to control the virtual character to perform the third activity, the user can independently cancel the skill corresponding to the third activity and continue to control the virtual character to perform the first activity and / or the second activity through the button control of the basic appearance style.

[0161] FIG10 shows a flowchart of a method for controlling a virtual character provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The method can be applied to a terminal of a computer system as shown in FIG1 to illustrate the control logic of the virtual character in the embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0162] Step 1101: Determine whether a preset condition is triggered.

[0163] When the virtual character and / or virtual environment changes, the terminal obtains the data item that caused the change and determines whether the data item triggers the determination of the preset condition. In other words, the determination of the preset condition requires a triggering opportunity. If the terminal detects a triggering opportunity, it executes step 1102; otherwise, it executes step 1107. For example, the preset condition may include multiple conditions, and when the virtual character and / or virtual environment meets one of them, the determination of the preset condition is triggered.

[0164] If the judgment of the preset condition is not triggered, step 1107 is executed.

[0165] Step 1102: Accumulate and record data items corresponding to the preset conditions.

[0166] The terminal accumulates and records the data items corresponding to the preset conditions. Specifically, after each accumulation and recording, step 1103 is executed to determine whether the virtual environment and / or virtual character meets the preset conditions. For example, each time energy is accumulated, it is determined whether the accumulated energy reaches an energy threshold.

[0167] Step 1103: Determine whether the virtual environment and / or virtual character meet preset conditions.

[0168] If the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets the preset conditions, step 1104 is executed; if the virtual environment and / or the virtual character does not meet the preset conditions, step 1108 is executed.

[0169] Step 1104: loop and play the prompt animation.

[0170] The prompt animation is used to prompt that the skill corresponding to the third activity is available. That is, the enhanced appearance style in the embodiment of the present application can also be expressed in the form of a prompt animation.

[0171] Step 1105: Whether to trigger a long press operation on the button control while the prompt animation is being played in a loop.

[0172] When a long press operation is triggered on a button control of the terminal, the terminal determines whether the long press operation is triggered when the prompt animation is played in a loop, that is, whether the long press operation is triggered after the button control is switched to the enhanced appearance style. When the prompt animation is played in a loop, if the long press operation is triggered on the button control, step 1106 is executed.

[0173] Step 1106: Control the virtual character to perform a third activity.

[0174] The terminal responds to the long press operation and controls the virtual character to perform a third activity.

[0175] Step 1107: No accumulation or recording of data items is performed.

[0176] The terminal does not accumulate or record data items.

[0177] Step 1108 : Control the virtual character to perform the first activity through a click operation, and control the virtual character to perform the second activity through a long press operation.

[0178] When the button control has a basic appearance style, the virtual character can be controlled to perform the first activity through a click operation, and the virtual character can be controlled to perform the second activity through a long press operation.

[0179] In summary, the control method for a virtual character provided in this embodiment can control a virtual character to perform three activities through a single button control. When the button control displays a basic appearance style, the first trigger operation on the button control can control the virtual character to perform the first activity, and the second trigger operation on the button control can control the virtual character to perform the second activity. When the button control displays an enhanced appearance style, the first trigger operation on the button control can still control the virtual character to perform the first activity, and the second trigger operation on the button control can control the virtual character to perform the third activity. By using a single button control and two trigger operations, the triggering of three functions is achieved. Compared with setting a control for each function, the area occupied on the screen is reduced. Moreover, using two trigger operations on one control is also easier for the user to operate, and there will be no confusion when multiple operations are mixed. In addition, the method also notifies the user of the function change on the control by changing the appearance style of the button control, so that the user can accurately know the time point of the function change and better grasp the timing of the function triggering.

[0180] The following is an embodiment of the device of the present application. For details not described in detail in the embodiment of the device, reference can be made to the corresponding records in the above method embodiment, and no further details will be given herein.

[0181] FIG12 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a virtual character control device provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The device can be implemented as all or part of a terminal through software, hardware, or a combination of both. The device includes:

[0182] Display module 1201, used to display the virtual character in the virtual environment and button controls with basic appearance styles;

[0183] An execution module 1202 is configured to control the virtual character to perform a first activity in response to a first trigger operation on the button control having the basic appearance style; and to control the virtual character to perform a second activity in response to a second trigger operation on the button control having the basic appearance style.

[0184] The display module 1201 is configured to switch a button control having a basic appearance style from a basic appearance style to an enhanced appearance style if the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meet a preset condition;

[0185] The execution module 1202 is configured to control the virtual character to perform a third activity in response to a second trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style.

[0186] In some embodiments, the preset conditions include at least two preset conditions, and the at least two preset conditions are associated with different enhanced appearance styles;

[0187] The display module 1201 is configured to switch a button control having a basic appearance style from the basic appearance style to a first enhanced appearance style associated with the first preset condition if the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets a first preset condition among at least two preset conditions.

[0188] In some embodiments, the preset condition is associated with at least two skills, and each skill is associated with its own enhanced appearance style; the display module 1201 is used to:

[0189] If the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meet the preset conditions, at least two selection controls corresponding to the skills are displayed around the button control with the basic appearance style;

[0190] In response to a selection operation on a selection control for a first skill among the at least two skills, the selection control is canceled from being displayed, and the button control having the basic appearance style is switched from the basic appearance style to a first enhanced appearance style associated with the first skill.

[0191] In some embodiments, the display module 1201 is used to cancel the display of the selection control if no selection operation is triggered on the selection control and the display time of the selection control reaches a fourth time, and to switch the button control with the basic appearance style from the basic appearance style to the first enhanced appearance style associated with the first skill by default.

[0192] In some embodiments, the preset condition is associated with at least two skills, and each skill is associated with its own enhanced appearance style;

[0193] The display module 1201 is configured to randomly switch a button control having a basic appearance style from the basic appearance style to a first enhanced appearance style associated with a first skill of at least two skills if the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets a preset condition.

[0194] In some embodiments, the preset condition includes at least one of the following:

[0195] The virtual character uses designated virtual props;

[0196] The number of times the virtual character performs the first activity or the second activity within the first time period exceeds a number threshold;

[0197] The damage value output by the virtual character when performing the first activity or the second activity within the second time period is higher than the damage threshold;

[0198] The cooldown period of the skill corresponding to the third activity reaches the third duration;

[0199] A virtual character defeats other objects in a virtual environment;

[0200] The virtual character's health value is higher than the health threshold;

[0201] The virtual environment enables a third activity to be performed.

[0202] In some embodiments, the display module 1201 is further configured to perform at least one of the following steps:

[0203] Switch the first fill color of the button control with the basic appearance style to the second fill color;

[0204] Switching a first pattern displayed on a button control having a basic appearance style to a second pattern;

[0205] Switching a first brightness displayed on a button control having a basic appearance style to a second brightness, where the second brightness is greater than the first brightness;

[0206] Switching the first transparency of the button control with the basic appearance style to the second transparency;

[0207] Switches the first shape of a button control with a basic appearance style to the second shape.

[0208] In some embodiments, the display module 1201 is used to display prompt content around the button control with the enhanced appearance style after switching the button control with the enhanced appearance style from the enhanced appearance style to the basic appearance style, and the prompt content is used to explain the skills corresponding to the third activity.

[0209] In some embodiments, the display module 1201 is configured to:

[0210] After the button control with the basic appearance style is switched from the basic appearance style to the enhanced appearance style, in response to a third triggering operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style, the skill corresponding to the third activity is retained, and the button control with the enhanced appearance style is switched from the enhanced appearance style to another appearance style, where the other appearance style is different from the enhanced appearance style;

[0211] In response to a first trigger operation on the button control with other appearance styles, the virtual character is controlled to perform a first activity; in response to a second trigger operation on the button control with other appearance styles, the virtual character is controlled to perform a second activity.

[0212] In some embodiments, the display module 1201 is configured to:

[0213] In response to a third trigger operation being triggered again on the button control with the other appearance style, switching the button control with the other appearance style from the other appearance style to the enhanced appearance style;

[0214] In response to a second trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style, the virtual character is controlled to perform a third activity.

[0215] In some embodiments, the display module 1201 is used to, after switching a button control with a basic appearance style from a basic appearance style to an enhanced appearance style, cancel the skill corresponding to the third activity in response to a fourth trigger operation on the button control with an enhanced appearance style, and switch the button control with an enhanced appearance style from the enhanced appearance style to the basic appearance style.

[0216] In some embodiments, the display module 1201 is configured to switch the button control with the enhanced appearance style from the enhanced appearance style to the basic appearance style after controlling the virtual character to perform the third activity.

[0217] FIG13 shows a block diagram of a computer device 1300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The computer device 1300 may be a portable mobile terminal, such as a smartphone, tablet computer, MP3 player, or MP4 player. The computer device 1300 may also be referred to as a user device, portable terminal, or other similar terminology.

[0218] Typically, the computer device 1300 includes a processor 1301 and a memory 1302 .

[0219] The processor 1301 may include one or more processing cores, such as a 4-core processor, an 8-core processor, etc. The processor 1301 may be implemented in at least one hardware form of DSP (Digital Signal Processing), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or PLA (Programmable Logic Array). The processor 1301 may also include a main processor and a coprocessor. The main processor is a processor for processing data in the awake state, also known as a CPU (Central Processing Unit); the coprocessor is a low-power processor for processing data in the standby state. In some embodiments, the processor 1301 may be integrated with a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), which is responsible for rendering and drawing the content to be displayed on the display screen. In some embodiments, the processor 1301 may also include an AI (Artificial Intelligence) processor, which is used to process computing operations related to machine learning.

[0220] The memory 1302 may include one or more computer-readable storage media, which may be tangible and non-transitory. The memory 1302 may also include high-speed random access memory and non-volatile memory, such as one or more disk storage devices and flash memory storage devices. In some embodiments, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium in the memory 1302 is used to store at least one instruction, which is executed by the processor 1301 to implement the virtual character control method provided in this application.

[0221] In some embodiments, the computer device 1300 may further optionally include a peripheral device interface 1303 and at least one peripheral device. Specifically, the peripheral device includes at least one of a radio frequency circuit 1304 , a touch screen display 1305 , and a power supply 1306 .

[0222] In some embodiments, the computer device 1300 further includes one or more sensors 1307 , including but not limited to an acceleration sensor 1308 , a gyroscope sensor 1309 , and a pressure sensor 1310 .

[0223] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the structure shown in FIG. 13 does not limit the computer device 1300 , and may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or adopt a different component arrangement.

[0224] The present application also provides a computer device, which includes: a processor and a memory, wherein the storage medium stores at least one program, and the at least one program is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the virtual character control method provided by the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0225] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores at least one program, and the at least one program is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the virtual character control method provided by the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0226] The present application also provides a computer program product. When the computer program product is run on a computer, it enables the computer to execute the control method of the virtual character provided by the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0227] It should be understood that the term "plurality" used herein refers to two or more. "And / or" describes a relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects.

[0228] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps to implement the above embodiments may be accomplished by hardware, or by a program to instruct the relevant hardware, and the program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which may be a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk, etc.

[0229] The above description is merely an optional embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a virtual character, the method being executed by a computer device, the method comprising: Displaying a virtual character in a virtual environment and a button control with a basic appearance style; In response to a first trigger operation on the button control having the basic appearance style, controlling the virtual character to perform a first activity; In response to a second trigger operation on the button control having the basic appearance style, controlling the virtual character to perform a second activity; If the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets a preset condition, switching the button control having a basic appearance style from the basic appearance style to an enhanced appearance style; In response to the second trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style, the virtual character is controlled to perform a third activity.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the preset condition comprises at least two preset conditions, and the at least two preset conditions are associated with different enhanced appearance styles; If the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets a preset condition, switching the button control having a basic appearance style from the basic appearance style to an enhanced appearance style comprises: If the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets a first preset condition among the at least two preset conditions, the button control with a basic appearance style is switched from the basic appearance style to a first enhanced appearance style associated with the first preset condition.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the preset condition is associated with at least two skills, and each of the skills is associated with a respective enhanced appearance style; If the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets a preset condition, switching the button control having a basic appearance style from the basic appearance style to an enhanced appearance style comprises: If the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets the preset condition, displaying selection controls corresponding to the at least two skills around the button control with the basic appearance style; In response to a selection operation on the selection control for a first skill among the at least two skills, the selection control is cancelled and the button control with a basic appearance style is switched from the basic appearance style to a first enhanced appearance style associated with the first skill.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: If no selection operation is triggered on the selection control and the display time of the selection control reaches a fourth time period, the selection control is cancelled and the button control with a basic appearance style is switched from the basic appearance style to the first enhanced appearance style associated with the first skill by default.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the preset condition is associated with at least two skills, and each of the skills is associated with a respective enhanced appearance style; If the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets a preset condition, switching the button control having a basic appearance style from the basic appearance style to an enhanced appearance style comprises: If the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets the preset condition, the button control with the basic appearance style is randomly switched from the basic appearance style to a first enhanced appearance style associated with a first skill of the at least two skills.

6. According to any one of claims 1 to 5, the preset condition comprises at least one of the following: The virtual character uses a specified virtual prop; The number of times that the virtual character performs the first activity or the second activity within a first time period exceeds a number threshold; The damage value output by the virtual character performing the first activity or the second activity within a second time period is higher than a damage threshold; The cooldown period of the skill corresponding to the third activity reaches a third period; The virtual character defeats other objects in the virtual environment; The life value of the virtual character is higher than the life threshold; The virtual environment supports the third activity to be performed.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the step of switching the button control having the basic appearance style from the basic appearance style to the enhanced appearance style comprises at least one of the following steps: Switching the first fill color of the button control having the basic appearance style to a second fill color; Switching a first pattern displayed on the button control having the basic appearance style to a second pattern; Switching a first brightness displayed on the button control having the basic appearance style to a second brightness, wherein the second brightness is greater than the first brightness; Switching the first transparency of the button control having the basic appearance style to a second transparency; The first shape of the button control having the basic appearance style is switched to a second shape.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, after switching the button control having the basic appearance style from the basic appearance style to the enhanced appearance style, the method further comprises: Prompt content is displayed around the button control with the enhanced appearance style, and the prompt content is used to explain the skill corresponding to the third activity.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, after switching the button control having the basic appearance style from the basic appearance style to the enhanced appearance style, further comprising: In response to a third trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style, retaining the skill corresponding to the third activity, and switching the button control with the enhanced appearance style from the enhanced appearance style to another appearance style, where the other appearance style is different from the enhanced appearance style; In response to the first trigger operation on the button control having the other appearance style, controlling the virtual character to perform the first activity; In response to the second trigger operation on the button control having the other appearance style, the virtual character is controlled to perform the second activity.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: In response to the third trigger operation being triggered again on the button control with the other appearance style, switching the button control with the other appearance style from the other appearance style to the enhanced appearance style; In response to the second trigger operation on the button control having the enhanced appearance style, the virtual character is controlled to perform the third activity.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, after switching the button control having the basic appearance style from the basic appearance style to the enhanced appearance style, further comprising: In response to a fourth trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style, the skill corresponding to the third activity is canceled, and the button control with the enhanced appearance style is switched from the enhanced appearance style to the basic appearance style.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, after controlling the virtual character to perform a third activity, further comprising: The button control having the enhanced appearance style is switched from the enhanced appearance style to the basic appearance style.

13. A control device for a virtual character, the device being deployed on a computer device, the device comprising: A display module, used for displaying a virtual character in a virtual environment and a button control with a basic appearance style; An execution module, configured to control the virtual character to execute a first activity in response to a first trigger operation on the button control having a basic appearance style; In response to a second trigger operation on the button control having the basic appearance style, controlling the virtual character to perform a second activity; The display module is configured to switch the button control having a basic appearance style from the basic appearance style to an enhanced appearance style if the virtual environment and / or the virtual character meets a preset condition; The execution module is used to control the virtual character to perform a third activity in response to the second trigger operation on the button control with the enhanced appearance style.

14. A computer device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores at least one program, and the at least one program is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the control method of the virtual character according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein at least one program is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and the at least one program is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the control method of the virtual character according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

16. A computer program product, comprising computer instructions, wherein the computer instructions are stored in a computer-readable storage medium; a processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and when the processor executes the computer instructions, the control method of a virtual character as described in any one of claims 1 to 12 is implemented.

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