Game control method and apparatus, storage medium, and electronic device

Abstract

Provided are a game control method and apparatus, a storage medium, and an electronic device, relating to the technical field of games. In the game control method, a terminal device provides a graphical user interface, at least part of a game scene is displayed in the graphical user interface, and the game scene comprises a controlled virtual character. The method comprises: in response to a first virtual weapon casted by a controlled virtual character hitting a first virtual character, detecting whether other virtual characters are present in a link determination area taking the first virtual character as a reference; in response to other virtual characters being detected in the link determination area, determining a second virtual character from among other detected virtual characters; and controlling the first virtual character to be linked to the second virtual character by means of a virtual link, wherein the virtual link is configured to limit the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character.

Description

Game control method, game control device, storage medium and electronic device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application number 202310896472.9, filed on July 20, 2023, entitled “Game Control Method, Game Control Device, Storage Medium and Electronic Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the field of game technology, and in particular to a game control method, a game control device, a computer-readable storage medium, and an electronic device. Background Art

[0004] With the development of computer and human-computer interaction technology, games have become an important form of daily leisure and entertainment. In some games, there are control props or skills, which are props or skills that can have a restrictive effect on the target's behavior. The restrictive effect can, for example, cause the target to be temporarily dizzy.

[0005] If players want their control items or skills to control multiple targets simultaneously, the associated operations are often more complex and difficult, requiring, for example, complex positioning and aiming controls to accurately cast items or skills. This increases the learning curve for players, and players often need to perform multiple operations to achieve the desired effect, increasing the cost and power consumption of the terminal device or server running the game.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present disclosure provides a game control method, a game control device, a computer-readable storage medium, and an electronic device, which can at least to some extent solve the problem of high complexity and difficulty in releasing control skills or props.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a game control method is provided, wherein a graphical user interface is provided through a terminal device, wherein the graphical user interface displays at least a portion of a game scene, and the game scene includes a controlled virtual character controlled by the terminal device; the method comprises: in response to a first virtual weapon cast by the controlled virtual character hitting a first virtual character, detecting whether there are other virtual characters in a connection determination area based on the first virtual character; in response to detecting other virtual characters in the connection determination area, determining a second virtual character from the detected other virtual characters; and controlling the connection between the first virtual character and the second virtual character through a virtual connection object, wherein the virtual connection object is configured to limit the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character.

[0009] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a game control device is provided, which provides a graphical user interface through a terminal device, wherein the graphical user interface displays at least a part of a game scene, and the game scene includes a controlled virtual character controlled by the terminal device; the device includes: a first hit response module, configured to execute a response to a first virtual weapon cast by the controlled virtual character hitting a first virtual character, and detect whether there are other virtual characters in a connection determination area based on the first virtual character; a second virtual character determination module, configured to execute a response to detecting other virtual characters in the connection determination area, and determine a second virtual character from the detected other virtual characters; a connection processing module, configured to execute control to connect the first virtual character and the second virtual character through a virtual connection object, wherein the virtual connection object is configured to limit the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character.

[0010] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the game control method of the first aspect and possible implementation methods thereof are implemented.

[0011] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, comprising: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the game control method of the first aspect and its possible implementation methods by executing the executable instructions.

[0012] The technical solution disclosed in this disclosure has the following beneficial effects:

[0013] On the one hand, a method for casting control items or skills that can control multiple virtual characters is provided. A player can cast a first virtual weapon toward a first virtual character, detect and determine a second virtual character within a connection determination area, and connect the first and second virtual characters using a virtual connector to produce a control effect that limits the relative distance between the two. This can reduce the complexity and difficulty of casting control items or skills, lowering the player's learning cost. On the other hand, it can effectively reduce player misoperation, eliminating the need for players to perform multiple operations to achieve the desired effect, thereby reducing the overhead and power consumption of the terminal device or server running the game. On another hand, the control effect of this solution is to limit the relative distance between the first and second virtual characters. When in the connected control state, the player controlling the first or second virtual character can still play the game within a certain range, avoiding the reduction in the actual operation time of these players due to the presence of control items or skills. This ensures the player's actual operation time in the game and helps improve the gaming experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, 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 disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0015] FIG1 shows a system architecture diagram of an operating environment according to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] FIG2 is a flowchart showing a game control method according to one exemplary embodiment;

[0017] FIG3 is a schematic diagram showing a game scene according to one of the exemplary embodiments;

[0018] FIG4 shows a flow chart of connecting a first virtual character and a second virtual character according to one exemplary embodiment;

[0019] FIG5 is a diagram illustrating an example of automatically executing a preset game animation according to one of the exemplary embodiments;

[0020] FIG6 is a schematic diagram showing a moving operation according to one of the exemplary embodiments;

[0021] FIG7 is a flowchart illustrating another game control method according to one of the exemplary embodiments;

[0022] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a game control device according to one of the exemplary embodiments;

[0023] FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to one of the exemplary embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] The accompanying drawings are schematic illustrations of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. Some of the block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings may be functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities can be implemented in software, or in hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in networks, processors or microcontrollers. The embodiments can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the examples set forth herein. The features, structures or characteristics described in the present disclosure may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. In the description below, many specific details are provided to provide a full description of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more specific details may be omitted when implementing the technical solution of the present disclosure, or that other methods, components, devices, steps, etc. may be used to replace one or more specific details.

[0026] In current games, items or skills that can control multiple targets often require complex and challenging manipulation, such as intricate positioning and aiming to accurately cast them. This makes the game difficult to master and increases the learning curve for players. Furthermore, players are prone to making mistakes, requiring multiple attempts to achieve the desired effect, which increases the overhead and power consumption of the terminal devices or servers running the game.

[0027] In addition, most of the control effects in the game are relatively simple. For example, most of them put the enemy target into a state of dizziness, unable to perform any actions. In this way, the player who controls the enemy target cannot operate during the duration of the control effect, which reduces the player's actual operation time in the game and affects the gaming experience.

[0028] In view of one or more of the above problems, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure first provide a game control method.

[0029] FIG1 shows a system architecture diagram of the operating environment of this exemplary embodiment. The system architecture 100 may include terminal devices 110, 120, 130 and a server 140. Among them, the terminal devices 110, 120, 130 may be devices such as mobile phones, tablet computers, personal computers, smart wearable devices, game consoles, etc., which have display functions and can display graphical user interfaces. The graphical user interfaces may include operating system interfaces or application interfaces, etc. The server 140 generally refers to the background system that provides game services in this exemplary embodiment, and may be a single server or a cluster of multiple servers. The terminal devices 110, 120, 130 and the server 140 may be connected via a wired or wireless communication link to perform data transmission.

[0030] The game control method in this exemplary embodiment can be implemented and executed based on a cloud interaction system. The cloud interaction system can be the aforementioned system architecture 100. In one embodiment, various cloud applications, such as cloud games, can be run under the cloud interaction system. Taking cloud games as an example, cloud games refer to a gaming method based on cloud computing. In the cloud gaming operating mode, the operating body of the game program and the main body of the game screen presentation are separated. The storage and operation of the control and interaction methods within the game are completed on the cloud gaming server (such as the aforementioned server 140). The cloud gaming client (such as the aforementioned terminal devices 110, 120, 130) is used to receive and send data and present the game screen. For example, the cloud gaming client can be a display device with data transmission capabilities close to the user, such as a mobile terminal, television, computer, PDA, etc.; and the cloud gaming server in the cloud performs information processing. When playing the game, the player operates the cloud gaming client to send operation instructions to the cloud gaming server. The cloud gaming server runs the game according to the operation instructions, encodes and compresses the game screen and other data, and returns it to the cloud gaming client via the network. Finally, the cloud gaming client decodes and outputs the game screen.

[0031] As can be seen from the above, the game control method in this exemplary embodiment can be executed by any one or more of the terminal devices 110 , 120 , 130 and the server 140 .

[0032] In this exemplary embodiment, the graphical user interface displays at least a portion of a game scene. The game scene is the space in which the virtual characters in the game reside, and may be composed of one or more scene components such as mountains, lakes, woods, buildings, and streets. A virtual character refers to a human or non-human character in the game, and may include a player-controlled character or a non-player character (NPC). The graphical user interface may display the entire game scene or a portion of the game scene.

[0033] The game scene includes a controlled virtual character. The controlled virtual character can be a virtual character controlled by a player to release a first virtual weapon, and the first virtual weapon can be a control prop (or skill). The game scene can also include other virtual characters, such as a first virtual character and a second virtual character that are hit by the control prop of the controlled virtual character. The first virtual character and the second virtual character can be controlled by other players. For example, the controlled virtual character can be controlled by terminal device 110, the first virtual character can be controlled by terminal device 120, and the second virtual character can be controlled by terminal device 130.

[0034] In one embodiment, a graphical user interface can display game footage captured by a virtual camera within the game scene. A virtual camera is a tool within the game that simulates a real camera to capture game footage. It can be placed anywhere within the game scene and capture the scene from any perspective. In other words, the virtual camera can have any position within the game scene, either fixed or dynamically changing. Furthermore, any number of virtual cameras can be placed within the game scene, and different virtual cameras can capture different game footage.

[0035] In one embodiment, the controlled virtual character is bound to a virtual camera, which captures the game scene to obtain the current field of view of the controlled virtual object, which can be displayed in the graphical user interface of the terminal device (such as the terminal device 110) that controls the controlled virtual character. The virtual camera is bound to the controlled virtual character and moves synchronously with the controlled virtual character, thereby capturing the game screen from the perspective of the controlled virtual character in real time and presenting it in the graphical user interface, giving the player a sense of immersion and realism. If the virtual camera is set at the position of the controlled virtual character, or more specifically, at the head or eye position of the controlled virtual character, the current field of view from the first-person perspective of the controlled virtual character can be presented, and the body of the controlled virtual character is not displayed or only a small part (such as only the arms) is displayed in the picture. This method can be applied to first-person shooting (FPS) games or first-person modes in other games. If the virtual camera is set at a position outside the body of the controlled virtual character (such as behind the body) and has a fixed direction and distance from the controlled virtual character, the current field of view from the third-person perspective of the controlled virtual character can be presented, and all or most of the body of the controlled virtual character can be displayed in the picture. This method can be applied to third-person shooting (TPS) games or third-person modes in other games.

[0036] FIG2 shows an exemplary process of the game control method in this exemplary embodiment, which may include the following steps S210 to S230:

[0037] Step S210 , in response to the first virtual weapon released by the controlled virtual character hitting the first virtual character, detecting whether there are other virtual characters in a connection determination area based on the first virtual character.

[0038] Step S220 : In response to detecting other virtual characters in the connection determination area, determining a second virtual character from the detected other virtual characters.

[0039] Step S230 : controlling the connection between the first virtual character and the second virtual character through a virtual connection object, wherein the virtual connection object is configured to limit a relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character.

[0040] The method shown in FIG2 , on the one hand, provides a method for casting control items or skills that can control multiple virtual characters. A player can cast a first virtual weapon toward a first virtual character. By detecting and identifying a second virtual character within a connection determination area, a virtual connector is used to connect the first and second virtual characters, thereby generating a control effect that limits the relative distance between the two. This can reduce the complexity and difficulty of casting control items or skills, lowering the learning curve for players. Furthermore, it can effectively reduce player misoperations, eliminating the need for players to perform multiple operations to achieve the desired effect, thereby reducing the overhead and power consumption of the terminal devices or servers running the game. Furthermore, the control effect of this solution is to limit the relative distance between the first and second virtual characters. When in a connected control state, the player controlling the first or second virtual character can still play the game within a certain range, avoiding the reduction in actual player time due to the presence of control items or skills. This ensures that players have more time to play the game, which helps enhance the gaming experience.

[0041] Each step in Figure 2 is described in detail below.

[0042] 2 , in step S210 , in response to a first virtual weapon released by a controlled virtual character hitting the first virtual character, a connection determination area based on the first virtual character is detected to determine whether there are other virtual characters.

[0043] The first virtual weapon is a game item or skill that has a specific control effect in this exemplary embodiment (i.e., a control effect that connects two virtual characters via a virtual connector to limit their relative distance). For example, a specific bow or gun can be set in the game, and when the controlled virtual character uses the bow or gun to shoot, the first virtual weapon is fired, which can be an arrow or bullet.

[0044] The player can control the controlled virtual character to release the first virtual weapon in any direction, which may be referred to as the initial release direction. For example, if the graphical user interface displays the controlled virtual character's field of view, the player can control the controlled virtual character to rotate to adjust its front direction and then release the first virtual weapon straight ahead.

[0045] After the first virtual weapon is released in the initial release direction, the first virtual weapon can move along the initial release direction, or the path of the first virtual weapon can be calculated based on the initial release direction taking into account the influence of environmental effects such as gravity and wind, and then the first virtual weapon can be controlled to move along the path.

[0046] In one embodiment, the game control method may further include the following steps:

[0047] The first virtual weapon is controlled to move along the initial release direction within a third preset time after the controlled virtual character releases the first virtual weapon. After the third preset time, the first virtual weapon is controlled to move along a trajectory obtained by superimposing the initial release direction and the environmental effect.

[0048] Environmental effects can include one or more of the following: gravity, wind, and magnetic fields. In the real world, when shooting or shooting, an arrow or bullet initially possesses significant kinetic energy. Therefore, it is less affected by environmental effects in the initial stages, and its trajectory closely resembles a straight line along the initial launch direction. As the kinetic energy decreases, the influence of environmental effects becomes more pronounced, and the trajectory exhibits phenomena such as falling due to gravity.

[0049] To achieve a realistic gaming experience, the trajectory of the first virtual weapon can have the aforementioned characteristics. The third preset duration can be determined based on experience, the first virtual weapon's typical maximum travel distance or duration, and so on. For example, the third preset duration can be one second. For example, within one second after the controlled virtual character releases the first virtual weapon, the first virtual weapon is controlled to move along the initial release direction. The trajectory during this one-second period can be a straight line. After one second, the initial release direction is superimposed with the environmental effects to calculate the trajectory of the first virtual weapon, taking into account environmental factors. For example, if gravity is taken into account, the trajectory can be a parabola (e.g., a semi-parabola). If environmental factors such as wind or a magnetic field are included in the game scene, the trajectory of the first virtual weapon under the influence of the wind or magnetic field can be calculated based on the wind's magnitude and direction, and the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field. After one second, the first virtual weapon is controlled to move along the calculated trajectory. This achieves a realistic gaming experience and makes it easier for the player to accurately control the release direction when controlling the controlled virtual character to release the first virtual weapon, resulting in a better gaming experience.

[0050] If another virtual character is in the path of the first virtual weapon, the first virtual weapon hits that virtual character, and that virtual character is referred to as the first virtual character. In one embodiment, the virtual characters in the game are divided into different camps, and the first virtual weapon can be set to only hit enemy virtual characters and not friendly virtual characters, in which case the first virtual character is considered an enemy virtual character. In another embodiment, each virtual character in the game forms a separate camp, and all other virtual characters can be considered enemies. In this case, after the controlled virtual character releases the first virtual weapon, the first virtual weapon can hit any other virtual character in its path, meaning that the first virtual character can be any other virtual character.

[0051] In response to the first virtual weapon hitting the first virtual character, a detection is performed to determine whether other virtual characters exist within a connection determination area based on the first virtual character. In this exemplary embodiment, the controllable effect of the first virtual weapon can be to connect the first virtual character to a second virtual weapon within the connection determination area, thereby limiting the relative distance between the two virtual characters. Therefore, the connection determination area is an area located near the first virtual character, where virtual characters within the area are relatively close to the first virtual character. In other words, the first virtual weapon can connect the first virtual character to other virtual characters that are relatively close, but cannot connect two virtual characters that are relatively far apart.

[0052] Exemplarily, the connection determination area can be a circular area with the first virtual character as the center and a preset distance (such as 10 meters, which can be determined based on experience and specific scale parameters of the game scene) as the radius. Alternatively, the connection determination area can be a reachable area within a circular area with the first virtual character as the center and a preset distance as the radius. The reachable area refers to an area that is not blocked by obstacles, such as there are no obstacles between the first virtual character and any position within the reachable area. Alternatively, the connection determination area can be a sector-shaped area within a circular area with the first virtual character as the center and a preset distance as the radius. The centerline of the sector-shaped area can be facing a specific direction (such as the direction of travel of the first virtual weapon), and the angle or curvature of the sector can be determined based on experience or actual needs.

[0053] The presence of other virtual characters within the connection determination area is detected, thereby determining whether there are other virtual characters within the connection determination area that can be connected to the first virtual character. In one embodiment, the presence of other virtual characters that can be acted upon by the first virtual weapon, such as enemy virtual characters, can be detected within the connection determination area. If only friendly virtual characters and no enemy virtual characters exist within the connection determination area, the connection condition is not met.

[0054] In one embodiment, if the controlled virtual character launches the first virtual weapon but the first virtual weapon misses any other virtual character, a screen may be displayed showing the first virtual weapon disappearing when the first virtual weapon reaches the endpoint. The first virtual weapon reaching the endpoint may include the following situations: the first virtual weapon's travel time reaches a maximum travel time (e.g., 3 seconds, which can be determined based on experience and specific needs) from the time the controlled virtual character launches the first virtual weapon; the first virtual weapon's travel distance reaches a maximum travel distance (e.g., 50 seconds, which can be determined based on experience and specific needs) from the time the controlled virtual character launches the first virtual weapon; or the first virtual weapon reaches the ground or an obstacle such as a tree or wall, where it cannot continue to move forward, which is also considered to have reached the endpoint. If the first virtual weapon misses any other virtual character, no control effect may be generated.

[0055] 2 , in step S220 , in response to detecting other virtual characters within the connection determination area, a second virtual character is determined from the detected other virtual characters.

[0056] Detecting other virtual characters in the connection determination area may refer to detecting any other virtual characters in the connection determination area, or detecting other virtual characters that can be acted upon (ie, can be connected to) by the first virtual weapon in the connection determination area.

[0057] The second virtual character can be one or more virtual characters detected within the connection determination area. For example, if the first virtual weapon is configured to connect only with two virtual characters, the second virtual character is one virtual character; if the first virtual weapon is configured to connect with three or more virtual characters, the second virtual character is two or more virtual characters.

[0058] Any virtual character detected in the connection determination area may be used as the second virtual character. For example, a certain number of second virtual characters may be randomly selected from other detected virtual characters.

[0059] In one embodiment, in response to detecting other virtual characters in the connection determination area, determining the second virtual character from the detected other virtual characters may include the following steps:

[0060] In response to detecting another virtual character within the connection determination area, the detected other virtual character closest to the first virtual character is used as the second virtual character.

[0061] The virtual character closest to the first virtual character is designated as the second virtual character, and the two are subsequently connected via a virtual connector. This is more consistent with the hit logic of in-game props or skills. Furthermore, by controlling the timing of casting the first virtual weapon, the player can connect the two virtual characters they want to connect. For example, if the player wants to connect characters A and B, they can cast the first virtual weapon at A when B is closest to A. This makes the effect of the first virtual weapon more controllable and helps enhance the player's operational feedback.

[0062] When detecting other virtual characters, the first virtual character can be used as a benchmark and detected from near to far. The first detected other virtual character can be used as the second virtual character without further detection, which is beneficial to reducing the computational complexity of detecting other virtual characters and improving efficiency.

[0063] 2 , in step S230 , the control unit connects the first virtual character and the second virtual character via a virtual connection object, wherein the virtual connection object is configured to limit a relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character.

[0064] The virtual connection object can be a rope, spring, or other item in the game. In one embodiment, the virtual connection object is displayed with visual parameters, allowing the player to see the virtual connection object in the game scene, thereby recognizing that the first and second virtual characters are connected. For example, the visual parameters of the virtual connection object can be set to bright colors or special effects so that the player can clearly see the virtual connection object.

[0065] FIG3 shows a schematic diagram of a game scene, which includes a controlled virtual character 301, a first virtual character 302, and a second virtual character 303. The controlled virtual character 301 casts a first virtual weapon to hit the first virtual character 302, detects and determines the second virtual character 303 within a connection determination area based on the first virtual character 302, and connects the first virtual character 302 and the second virtual character 303 via a virtual connector 304. The virtual connector 304 is a curved line with special effects between the first virtual character 302 and the second virtual character 303, so that the player can clearly see that the first virtual character 302 and the second virtual character 303 are in a connected state. In addition, in the connected state, special effects can also be added to the first virtual character 302 and the second virtual character 303 to indicate that they are in a connected state. For example, the love special effect shown in FIG3 indicates that the first virtual character 302 and the second virtual character 303 are hit by the Cupid's arrow (i.e., the first virtual weapon) and thus connected.

[0066] In one embodiment, referring to FIG4 , the control of connecting the first virtual character and the second virtual character through the virtual connection object may include the following steps S410 and S420:

[0067] Step S410: Control the launching of a second virtual weapon toward the second virtual character.

[0068] Step S420 : in response to the second virtual weapon hitting the second virtual character, controlling the connection between the first virtual character and the second virtual character via the virtual connection object.

[0069] Among them, the process of the controlled virtual character releasing the first virtual weapon can be divided into two stages: the first stage is that the first virtual weapon shoots towards and hits the first virtual character; the second stage is that the first virtual weapon that hits the first virtual character derives the second virtual weapon and continues to shoot towards the second virtual character.

[0070] The second virtual weapon is a virtual weapon derived from the first virtual weapon, and can be at least one of the following: the first virtual weapon, which is manifested by the first virtual weapon, whose shape, color and other appearances do not change after hitting the first virtual character, and continues to shoot at the second virtual character through ricocheting, refraction, etc. The virtual weapon generated based on the first virtual weapon, which can be a part of the first virtual weapon, can be manifested by the first virtual weapon splitting after hitting the first virtual character, and the split part serving as the second virtual weapon continues to shoot at the second virtual character. The virtual weapon regenerated after the first virtual weapon hits the first virtual character, which can be another virtual weapon with a different shape and color than the first virtual weapon, can be manifested by the first virtual weapon regenerating a virtual weapon with a different appearance as the second virtual weapon at the original location after hitting the first virtual character, and continuing to shoot at the second virtual character.

[0071] In one embodiment, the control of launching the second virtual weapon at the second virtual character may include the following steps:

[0072] Obtaining the current position information of the second virtual character and the speed parameter of the first virtual weapon when the first virtual weapon hits the first virtual character;

[0073] The second virtual weapon is launched according to the current position information and speed parameters.

[0074] That is to say, the second virtual weapon is launched towards the current position of the second virtual character, and it can continue the speed parameters of the first virtual weapon when it hits the first virtual character. In this way, the movement process of the first virtual weapon and the movement process of the second virtual weapon are continuous, the visual experience is more harmonious, and the player's shooting experience is better.

[0075] If the second virtual weapon hits the second virtual character, the controlled virtual character has hit two virtual characters by casting the first virtual weapon this time, and the first virtual character and the second virtual character are connected through the virtual connecting object to produce a control effect.

[0076] In one embodiment, if the second virtual weapon misses the second virtual character, for example, when the second virtual weapon is shot at the second virtual character, the second virtual character dodges to avoid the second virtual weapon, and the second virtual weapon fails to hit other virtual characters in the subsequent movement process until it reaches the end point (referring to the above-mentioned situation where the first virtual weapon reaches the end point, it may refer to the second virtual weapon's movement time reaching the maximum movement time, or the movement distance reaching the maximum movement distance, or reaching the ground, or reaching an obstacle such as a wall or tree), then the hit result of the first virtual weapon on the first virtual character may be canceled, and the result of the controlled virtual character's casting of the first virtual weapon this time may be settled as a miss of the target, without generating a connected control effect.

[0077] The method in Figure 4 adds a mechanism for launching a second virtual weapon at a second virtual character when the first virtual weapon hits the first virtual character, and for determining whether the second virtual weapon hits the second virtual character. This then determines the result of the controlled virtual character's current launch of the first virtual weapon, namely, whether it hits both virtual characters to connect them. This makes the process of the controlled virtual character launching the first virtual weapon more realistic, and allows the second virtual character to avoid the control effect of being connected by dodging the second virtual weapon, increasing the playability and fun of the game.

[0078] The following describes the controllable effect of connecting the first virtual character and the second virtual character.

[0079] In one embodiment, the game control method may further include the following steps:

[0080] When the first virtual character and the second virtual character are connected through the virtual connection object, the first virtual character and the second virtual character are controlled to automatically execute a preset game animation.

[0081] Among them, after the first virtual character and the second virtual character are connected through the virtual connection object, they can be controlled to automatically execute the preset game animation immediately, or they can be controlled to automatically execute the preset game animation after a certain period of time has passed after the connection.

[0082] Fig. 5 shows an example diagram of automatically executing a preset game animation. A first virtual character and a second virtual character are connected by a love rope (i.e., a virtual connection object), and the two characters show love toward each other, then approach each other and rotate toward each other.

[0083] The preset game animation can last for a certain period of time, such as a fourth preset period of time, so that the first virtual character and the second virtual character cannot freely operate during the fourth preset period of time, thereby achieving a control effect. After the preset game animation ends, the connection between the first virtual character and the second virtual character can be maintained for a period of time, or the connection between the first virtual character and the second virtual character can be terminated immediately.

[0084] In one embodiment, the game control method may further include the following steps:

[0085] In the case where a first virtual character and a second virtual character are connected by a virtual connector, if the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character exceeds the initial deformation distance of the virtual connector, a contraction force along the contraction direction of the virtual connector is applied to at least one of the first virtual character and the second virtual character according to the relative distance.

[0086] Wherein, the virtual connection object is configured in a retractable form, such as a love rope with an elastic effect. The initial deformation distance refers to the minimum length at which the virtual connection object begins to generate a contraction force. When the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character is less than the initial deformation distance of the virtual connection object, the virtual connection object is not subjected to tensile deformation and no contraction force is generated inside it. When the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character is equal to the initial deformation distance of the virtual connection object, the virtual connection object is at the critical point of tensile deformation and begins to generate a contraction force, but the contraction force can be 0. When the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character is greater than the initial deformation distance of the virtual connection object, the virtual connection object is subjected to tensile deformation and generates a contraction force greater than 0. The contraction force can be applied to at least one of the first virtual character and the second virtual character, so that the first virtual character and the second virtual character have a tendency to approach each other, thereby limiting the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character, so that the two cannot be too far apart, and achieving an elastic limiting effect.

[0087] In one embodiment, if the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character exceeds the initial deformation distance of the virtual connection object, applying a contraction force along the contraction direction of the virtual connection object to at least one of the first virtual character and the second virtual character based on the relative distance may include the following steps:

[0088] If the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character exceeds the initial deformation distance of the virtual connection object, a contraction force is determined according to the difference between the relative distance and the initial deformation distance, and the contraction force is positively correlated with the difference;

[0089] A contraction force is applied to at least one of the first virtual character and the second virtual character.

[0090] Among them, the difference between the relative distance and the initial deformation distance indicates the extent to which the relative distance exceeds the initial deformation distance. The larger the difference, the more severe the tensile deformation of the virtual connection object, and therefore the greater the contraction force. A linear or nonlinear positive correlation can be established in advance between the difference and the contraction force. For example, a linear coefficient between the difference and the contraction force can be established so that the contraction force is proportional to the difference. Based on the pre-established positive correlation, the corresponding contraction force can be calculated from the difference. The contraction force is then applied to at least one of the first virtual character and the second virtual character. In this way, the greater the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character, the greater the contraction force, that is, the stronger the restriction effect.

[0091] In one embodiment, when a contraction force along the contraction direction of the virtual connection object is applied to at least one of the first virtual character and the second virtual character according to the relative distance, the game control method may further include the following steps:

[0092] The movement of the first virtual character is controlled according to the result of the superposition of the movement operation acting on the first virtual character and the contraction force acting on the first virtual character; and / or the movement of the second virtual character is controlled according to the result of the superposition of the movement operation acting on the second virtual character and the contraction force acting on the second virtual character.

[0093] Taking the first virtual character as an example, while the first virtual character is connected, the player controlling the first virtual character can still move it. At the same time, the first virtual character is also subject to a contraction force, which also controls the first virtual character's movement, typically pulling the first virtual character closer to the second virtual character. Therefore, the movement operation and the contraction force can be superimposed, and the movement of the first virtual character can be controlled based on the superposition result.

[0094] For example, if the movement operation is along the stretching direction of the virtual connection object, or has a certain component in the stretching direction, the first virtual character can be controlled to move along the stretching direction of the virtual connection object, that is, to move in a direction away from the second virtual character. The greater the contraction force, the slower the movement speed, so that the player can feel the obstruction when performing the movement operation, thereby achieving the effect of restricting movement. Alternatively, if the movement operation can be quantified, such as the movement operation is performed through a virtual joystick, the distance between the operation end point of the player sliding the virtual joystick and the center point of the virtual joystick can be quantified as the strength of the movement operation, that is, the farther the distance between the operation end point and the center point of the virtual joystick, the greater the strength of the movement operation, and the strength of the movement operation is subtracted from the contraction force, and the movement of the first virtual character is controlled according to the subtraction result. If the strength of the movement operation is greater than the contraction force, the first virtual character is controlled to move in a direction away from the second virtual character. If the strength of the movement operation is less than the contraction force, the first virtual character is controlled to move in a direction close to the second virtual character.

[0095] In one embodiment, if no movement operation is applied to the first virtual character, the first virtual character may be controlled to move in a direction approaching the second virtual character based on the contraction force applied to the first virtual character. If no movement operation is applied to the second virtual character, the second virtual character may be controlled to move in a direction approaching the first virtual character based on the contraction force applied to the second virtual character.

[0096] By superimposing the movement operation and the contraction force, the player can have a very realistic operation feeling and effectively achieve the effect of restricting the movement of the first virtual character or the second virtual character.

[0097] In one embodiment, controlling the movement of the first virtual character based on the result of superimposing the movement operation acting on the first virtual character and the contraction force acting on the first virtual character may include the following steps:

[0098] When the relative distance reaches the maximum deformation distance of the virtual connection object, if the force of the movement operation acting on the first virtual character in the stretching direction of the virtual connection object is not less than the contraction force acting on the first virtual character, then according to the component of the movement operation acting on the first virtual character in the vertical direction of the virtual connection object, the first virtual character is controlled to move along a circle with the second virtual character as the center and the maximum deformation distance as the radius.

[0099] The maximum deformation distance refers to the maximum length of the virtual connection object, which must not be exceeded. In other words, when a first virtual character and a second virtual character are connected by a virtual connection object, the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character must not exceed the maximum deformation distance of the virtual connection object.

[0100] As shown in FIG6 , a first virtual character 302 and a second virtual character 303 are connected by a virtual connector 304. Virtual connector 304 has reached its maximum deformation distance, meaning the relative distance between first virtual character 302 and second virtual character 303 has reached the maximum deformation distance. In this case, a movement operation is applied to first virtual character 302. The force of this movement operation, denoted as F0, can be decomposed into two components: a force F1 acting along the stretching direction of virtual connector 304, and a force F2 acting perpendicular to virtual connector 304. If force F1 is not less than the contraction force acting on first virtual character 302 (at this point, the contraction force can reach its maximum value when the relative distance reaches the maximum deformation distance; alternatively, the contraction force can be set equal to force F1 when the relative distance reaches the maximum deformation distance), then the first virtual character 302 will not be pulled back toward the second virtual character 303, nor will the first virtual character 302 be pulled away from the second virtual character 303, as this would cause the relative distance to exceed the maximum deformation distance. Therefore, the relative distance between the first virtual character 302 and the second virtual character 303 can be maintained at the maximum deformation distance. At this time, if a force (such as F2) is applied perpendicular to the virtual connector 304, the first virtual character 302 will rotate around the second virtual character 303. Specifically, the direction of the rotation is determined to be clockwise or counterclockwise based on the direction of the force F2. For example, the rotation direction in Figure 6 should be clockwise, thereby controlling the first virtual character 302 to move along a circle with the second virtual character 303 as the center and the maximum deformation distance as the radius.

[0101] Correspondingly, when the relative distance reaches the maximum deformation distance of the virtual connection object, if the force acting on the second virtual character in the stretching direction of the virtual connection object by the movement operation is not less than the contraction force acting on the second virtual character, then according to the component of the movement operation acting on the second virtual character in the vertical direction of the virtual connection object, the second virtual character is controlled to move along a circle with the first virtual character as the center and the maximum deformation distance as the radius.

[0102] Therefore, when the relative distance reaches the maximum deformation distance, a strong movement restriction effect is generated on the first virtual character or the second virtual character.

[0103] In one embodiment, if the first virtual character is controlled to move along a circle with the second virtual character as the center and the maximum deformation distance as the radius, and the second virtual character is controlled to move along a circle with the first virtual character as the center and the maximum deformation distance as the radius, then the result of superimposing the movement mode of the first virtual character and the movement mode of the second virtual character can be that the first virtual character and the second virtual character move toward each other along a circle with the midpoint of the two as the center and the maximum deformation distance as the diameter, that is, the two rotate toward each other.

[0104] In one embodiment, the game control method may further include the following steps:

[0105] When a first virtual character and a second virtual character are connected by a virtual connection object, if the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character reaches the maximum deformation distance of the virtual connection object, the movement operation of controlling the first virtual character or the second virtual character to move along the stretching direction of the virtual connection object will be invalidated.

[0106] Invalidating a movement operation that controls the movement of the first or second virtual character along the stretching direction of the virtual connection is intended to prevent the first or second virtual character from moving further along the stretching direction of the virtual connection, which would cause the relative distance to exceed the maximum deformation distance. Invalidating a movement operation may include: discarding the movement operation data and not responding; or setting the contraction force acting on the first or second virtual character to be equal to the force of the movement operation, thereby canceling out the effects of the two forces and invalidating the movement operation.

[0107] It should be noted that the movement operation of controlling the first virtual character or the second virtual character may be completely along the stretching direction of the virtual connection object, that is, the direction of the movement operation coincides with the stretching direction of the virtual connection object. In this case, the movement operation can be invalidated. Alternatively, the direction of the movement operation has a certain angle with the stretching direction of the virtual connection object, and there is a component along the stretching direction of the virtual connection object. For example, the movement operation direction is F0 as shown in Figure 6, and there is a component F1 along the stretching direction of the virtual connection object. In this case, the component of the movement operation in the stretching direction of the virtual connection object can be invalidated, while the component of the movement operation perpendicular to the stretching direction of the virtual connection object (such as F2) is retained.

[0108] In one embodiment, when the first virtual character and the second virtual character are connected by a virtual connector, if the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character is less than the initial deformation distance of the virtual connector, the first virtual character and the second virtual character can move freely.

[0109] The above describes the controllable effect on the connection between the first virtual character and the second virtual character. In one embodiment, if there are multiple second virtual characters, such as when multiple second virtual characters are detected and determined within the connection determination area based on the first virtual character, the first virtual character can be connected to each second virtual character separately via a virtual connector, and the relative distance between the first virtual character and each second virtual character can be controlled and calculated separately. Alternatively, different second virtual characters can be connected via virtual connectors, and the relative distance between the two connected second virtual characters can be controlled and calculated. This is equivalent to forming multiple groups of connection relationships, namely, the first virtual character and each second virtual character form a group of connection relationships, or each two connected second virtual characters also form a group of connection relationships. Each group of connection relationships can be processed using the above method described herein. For example, the relative distance in each group of continuous relationships is obtained. If the relative distance exceeds the initial deformation distance of the virtual connector, a contraction force is applied to at least one of the connection relationships in the group based on the relative distance. Alternatively, the relative distance in each group of connection relationships is limited to not exceed the maximum deformation distance of the virtual connector. For the first virtual character or the specific second virtual character, it may be in multiple sets of connection relationships and be affected by the contraction forces in the multiple sets of connection relationships. Then, all the contraction forces it is subjected to and the movement operations applied by the player can be superimposed, and the first virtual character or the specific second virtual character can be controlled to move based on the superposition result.

[0110] In one embodiment, referring to FIG7 , the game control method may further include the following steps S240 , S250 , and S260 :

[0111] Step S240 , in response to no other virtual characters being detected in the connection determination area, controlling the first virtual weapon to continue moving after hitting the first virtual character.

[0112] Among them, no other virtual characters are detected in the connection determination area, which means that there are no other connectable virtual characters near the first virtual character. In this case, the first virtual weapon is controlled to continue moving.

[0113] In one embodiment, controlling the first virtual weapon to continue moving after hitting the first virtual character may include: controlling the first virtual weapon to continue moving through the first virtual character after hitting the first virtual character; or determining a launch direction based on the direction in which the first virtual weapon hit the first virtual character, and controlling the first virtual weapon to continue moving in the launch direction after hitting the first virtual character. The first virtual weapon may continue moving through the first virtual character while maintaining the same direction or trajectory as when it hit the first virtual character, i.e., hitting the first virtual character does not change the first virtual weapon's established trajectory at all. Alternatively, hitting the first virtual character may change the first virtual weapon's direction of travel, producing a launch effect. For example, the direction in which the first virtual weapon hit the first virtual character may be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise by a preset angle (e.g., 30 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees, etc.) as the launch direction, or calculating the launch direction based on the direction in which the first virtual weapon hit the first virtual character and the first virtual character's location based on the principle of reflection, thereby controlling the first virtual weapon to continue moving in the launch direction.

[0114] In step S250, if the first virtual weapon hits another virtual character while continuing to move, the hit other virtual character is used as the second virtual character. Step S230 can be further executed to control the connection between the first virtual character and the second virtual character through the virtual connection object.

[0115] The first virtual weapon can hit one or more other virtual characters as it continues to move. For example, the first virtual weapon can be set to disappear after hitting one other virtual character during its continued movement, so that the number of second virtual characters is fixed at one. Alternatively, the first virtual weapon can be set to hit multiple other virtual characters during its continued movement. For example, if the first virtual weapon moves along its trajectory to the end point, all other virtual characters hit during the process can serve as second virtual characters, thereby obtaining any number of second virtual characters.

[0116] In one embodiment, if the first virtual weapon hits another connectable virtual character (such as an enemy virtual character) while continuing to move, the hit other connectable virtual character will be used as the second virtual character.

[0117] Steps S250 and S220 determine the second virtual character in two different ways. After determining the second virtual character, step S230 can be executed in both cases. Thus, step S250 provides another way to link multiple virtual characters by using the first virtual weapon. The player can target the first virtual character and other virtual characters behind the first virtual character to achieve linked control of the multiple virtual characters. This increases the diversity of operational options and further reduces operational complexity and difficulty.

[0118] Step S260: If the first virtual weapon hits a preset scene component in the game scene while continuing to move, control the connection between the first virtual character and the preset scene component through a virtual connection object, wherein the virtual connection object is configured to limit the relative distance between the first virtual character and the preset scene component.

[0119] Preset scene components are non-human, connectable game elements, such as obstacles like walls, trees, and boulders, or vehicles like cars and airplanes. Preset scene components can be pre-set based on the style or specific needs of the game scene. In one embodiment, the preset scene components can be fixed (i.e., immovable) components within the game scene.

[0120] If the first virtual weapon hits a preset scene component while continuing to move, the first virtual character is controlled to connect to the preset scene component via a virtual connector to limit the relative distance between the first virtual character and the preset scene component. If the preset scene component cannot move, the range of movement of the first virtual character is effectively restricted to a fixed range.

[0121] In one embodiment, the first virtual weapon can be configured to stop moving after hitting a first target during continued movement. The first target can be another virtual character or a pre-set scene component. For example, after the first virtual weapon hits the first target during continued movement, a screen appears showing the first virtual weapon disappearing, and the first virtual character and the first target are connected via a virtual connector. This prevents the first virtual weapon from hitting other virtual characters or pre-set scene components during continued movement.

[0122] Through step S260, another method of controlling the first virtual character is provided, which can also increase the diversity of operation methods and further reduce the complexity and difficulty of operation.

[0123] For the case of connecting the first virtual character and the preset scene component, the various control effects mentioned above can be applied. For example, when the relative distance between the first virtual character and the preset scene component exceeds the initial deformation distance of the virtual connection object, a contraction force can be applied to the first virtual character according to the relative distance. A contraction force can also be applied to the preset scene component. The contraction force can be positively correlated with the difference between the relative distance and the initial deformation distance. When the relative distance between the first virtual character and the preset scene component reaches the maximum deformation distance of the virtual connection object, the movement operation that controls the first virtual character to move along the stretching direction of the virtual connection object can be invalidated. It is also possible to control the first virtual character to move along a circle with the preset scene component as the center and the maximum deformation distance as the radius according to the component of the movement operation in the stretching direction perpendicular to the virtual connection object, when the force of the movement operation along the stretching direction of the virtual connection object is not less than the contraction force.

[0124] In one embodiment, the game control method may further include the following steps:

[0125] When the duration of the connection between the first virtual character and the second virtual character via the virtual connection object reaches a first preset duration, canceling the connection between the first virtual character and the second virtual character;

[0126] When the duration of the connection between the first virtual character and the preset scene component through the virtual connection object reaches a second preset duration, the connection between the first virtual character and the preset scene component is cancelled; the second preset duration is different from the first preset duration.

[0127] The first preset duration is the duration of the connection between the first virtual character and the second virtual character, and the second preset duration is the duration of the connection between the first virtual character and the preset scene component. Both can be determined based on experience or specific needs. The second preset duration is different from the first preset duration. That is, the duration of the connection state is different when connecting two virtual characters and when connecting a single virtual character to the preset scene component, resulting in different control effects. This allows the player controlling the controlled virtual character to feel the difference in control effects between the two situations, achieving a stronger sense of game operation feedback.

[0128] In one embodiment, the second preset duration can be set to be shorter than the first preset duration. That is, the duration of connecting two virtual characters is relatively long, while the duration of connecting a virtual character and a preset scene component is relatively short. For example, the first preset duration can be 8 seconds, and the second preset duration can be 4 seconds. For controlled virtual characters, connecting two virtual characters is a more ideal situation. In this case, the control effect can be longer-lasting, which is conducive to further enhancing the player's operational feedback and further improving the gaming experience.

[0129] In one embodiment, if the first virtual weapon does not hit other virtual characters or preset scene components while continuing to move, specifically, if the first virtual weapon does not hit any other virtual characters or preset scene components until it reaches the end point, then the hit result of the first virtual weapon on the first virtual character can be canceled, and the result of the controlled virtual character's casting of the first virtual weapon this time can be settled as a miss of the target, and no connected control effect is generated.

[0130] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a game control device. In this exemplary embodiment, a graphical user interface is provided by a terminal device, and the graphical user interface displays at least a portion of a game scene, including a controlled virtual character controlled by the terminal device. Referring to FIG. 8 , the game control device 800 may include the following program modules:

[0131] The first hit response module 810 is configured to execute, in response to the first virtual weapon released by the controlled virtual character hitting the first virtual character, detecting whether there are other virtual characters in the connection determination area based on the first virtual character;

[0132] The second virtual character determination module 820 is configured to determine the second virtual character from the detected other virtual characters in response to detecting other virtual characters in the connection determination area;

[0133] The connection processing module 830 is configured to execute control to connect the first virtual character and the second virtual character through a virtual connection object, wherein the virtual connection object is configured to limit the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character.

[0134] In one embodiment, the control of connecting the first virtual character and the second virtual character through the virtual connection object includes:

[0135] controlling the firing of a second virtual weapon toward a second virtual character;

[0136] In response to the second virtual weapon hitting the second virtual character, the first virtual character and the second virtual character are connected via the virtual connection object.

[0137] In one embodiment, the control of launching the second virtual weapon at the second virtual character includes:

[0138] Obtaining the current position information of the second virtual character and the speed parameter of the first virtual weapon when the first virtual weapon hits the first virtual character;

[0139] The second virtual weapon is launched according to the current position information and speed parameters.

[0140] In one embodiment, the second virtual weapon is at least one of the following: the first virtual weapon; a virtual weapon generated based on the first virtual weapon; or a virtual weapon regenerated after the first virtual weapon hits the first virtual character.

[0141] In one embodiment, the virtual connections are displayed with visual parameters.

[0142] In one embodiment, the connection processing module 830 is further configured to execute:

[0143] When the first virtual character and the second virtual character are connected through the virtual connection object, the first virtual character and the second virtual character are controlled to automatically execute a preset game animation.

[0144] In one embodiment, the connection processing module 830 is further configured to execute:

[0145] In the case where a first virtual character and a second virtual character are connected by a virtual connector, if the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character exceeds the initial deformation distance of the virtual connector, a contraction force along the contraction direction of the virtual connector is applied to at least one of the first virtual character and the second virtual character according to the relative distance.

[0146] In one embodiment, if the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character exceeds the initial deformation distance of the virtual connection object, applying a contraction force along the contraction direction of the virtual connection object to at least one of the first virtual character and the second virtual character based on the relative distance includes:

[0147] If the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character exceeds the initial deformation distance of the virtual connection object, a contraction force is determined according to the difference between the relative distance and the initial deformation distance, and the contraction force is positively correlated with the difference;

[0148] A contraction force is applied to at least one of the first virtual character and the second virtual character.

[0149] In one embodiment, the connection processing module 830 is further configured to execute:

[0150] When a contraction force along the contraction direction of the virtual connection object is applied to at least one of the first virtual character and the second virtual character according to the relative distance, the movement of the first virtual character is controlled according to the result of superimposing the movement operation acting on the first virtual character and the contraction force acting on the first virtual character, and / or the movement of the second virtual character is controlled according to the result of superimposing the movement operation acting on the second virtual character and the contraction force acting on the second virtual character.

[0151] In one embodiment, controlling the movement of the first virtual character according to the result of superimposing the movement operation acting on the first virtual character and the contraction force acting on the first virtual character includes:

[0152] When the relative distance reaches the maximum deformation distance of the virtual connection object, if the force of the movement operation acting on the first virtual character in the stretching direction of the virtual connection object is not less than the contraction force acting on the first virtual character, then according to the component of the movement operation acting on the first virtual character in the vertical direction of the virtual connection object, the first virtual character is controlled to move along a circle with the second virtual character as the center and the maximum deformation distance as the radius.

[0153] In one embodiment, the connection processing module 830 is further configured to execute:

[0154] When a first virtual character and a second virtual character are connected by a virtual connection object, if the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character reaches the maximum deformation distance of the virtual connection object, the movement operation of controlling the first virtual character or the second virtual character to move along the stretching direction of the virtual connection object will be invalidated.

[0155] In one embodiment, in response to detecting other virtual characters in the connection determination area, determining the second virtual character from the detected other virtual characters includes:

[0156] In response to detecting another virtual character within the connection determination area, the detected other virtual character closest to the first virtual character is used as the second virtual character.

[0157] In one embodiment, the second virtual character determination module 820 is further configured to execute:

[0158] In response to no other virtual character being detected in the connection determination area, controlling the first virtual weapon to continue moving after hitting the first virtual character;

[0159] If the first virtual weapon hits another virtual character while continuing to move, the hit other virtual character is used as the second virtual character;

[0160] The connection processing module 830 is further configured to execute:

[0161] If the first virtual weapon hits a preset scene component in the game scene while continuing to move, the first virtual character and the preset scene component are connected through a virtual connection object, wherein the virtual connection object is configured to limit the relative distance between the first virtual character and the preset scene component.

[0162] In one embodiment, controlling the first virtual weapon to continue moving after hitting the first virtual character includes:

[0163] The first virtual weapon is controlled to continue moving through the first virtual character after hitting the first virtual character; or the ejection direction is determined according to the direction in which the first virtual weapon hits the first virtual character, and the first virtual weapon is controlled to continue moving along the ejection direction after hitting the first virtual character.

[0164] In one embodiment, the connection processing module 830 is further configured to execute:

[0165] When the duration of the connection between the first virtual character and the second virtual character via the virtual connection object reaches a first preset duration, canceling the connection between the first virtual character and the second virtual character;

[0166] When the duration of the connection between the first virtual character and the preset scene component through the virtual connection object reaches a second preset duration, the connection between the first virtual character and the preset scene component is cancelled; the second preset duration is different from the first preset duration.

[0167] In one embodiment, the first hit response module 810 is further configured to execute:

[0168] The first virtual weapon is controlled to move along the initial release direction within a third preset time after the controlled virtual character releases the first virtual weapon. After the third preset time, the first virtual weapon is controlled to move along a trajectory obtained by superimposing the initial release direction and the environmental effect.

[0169] In one embodiment, the environmental effect may include one or more of the following: gravity, wind, and magnetic field.

[0170] The specific details of each part of the above-mentioned device have been described in detail in the implementation method part. The undisclosed details can be found in the implementation method part, so they will not be repeated here.

[0171] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium that can be implemented in the form of a program product, which includes program code. When the program product is run on an electronic device, the program code is used to cause the electronic device to perform the steps described in the "Exemplary Method" section above of this specification according to the various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In an optional embodiment, the program product can be implemented as a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) and include program code, and can be run on an electronic device, such as a personal computer. However, the program product of the present disclosure is not limited to this, and in this document, a readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program that can be used by or in combination with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0172] The program product may employ any combination of one or more readable media. The readable medium may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. The readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device, or component, or any combination thereof. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of readable storage media include: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0173] A computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, which carries readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A readable signal medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium that can transmit, propagate, or transfer a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0174] The program code embodied on the readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0175] Program code for performing the operations of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, C++, and the like, as well as conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as "C" or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user computing device, partially on the user device, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In cases involving a remote computing device, the remote computing device may be connected to the user computing device via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computing device (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0176] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an electronic device, such as the aforementioned terminal devices 110, 120, 130 or server 140. The electronic device may include a processor and a memory. The memory stores executable instructions for the processor, such as program code. The processor executes the executable instructions to perform the method of the exemplary embodiment.

[0177] In one embodiment, the electronic device may further include a display for displaying a graphical user interface.

[0178] 9 , an electronic device is exemplarily described in the form of a general-purpose computing device. It should be understood that the electronic device 900 shown in FIG9 is merely an example and should not limit the functionality and scope of use of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0179] As shown in FIG. 9 , the electronic device 900 may include a processor 910 , a memory 920 , a bus 930 , an I / O (input / output) interface 940 , and a network adapter 950 .

[0180] The memory 920 may include volatile memory, such as RAM 921 and cache unit 922, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as ROM 923. The memory 920 may also include one or more program modules 924. Such program modules 924 include, but are not limited to, an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data. Each or some combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment. For example, the program modules 924 may include the modules in the aforementioned apparatus.

[0181] The processor 910 may include one or more processing units, for example: the processor 910 may include an AP (Application Processor), a modem processor, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an ISP (Image Signal Processor), a controller, an encoder, a decoder, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a baseband processor and / or an NPU (Neural-Network Processing Unit), etc.

[0182] The processor 910 may be connected to the memory 920 or other components through a bus 930 .

[0183] The processor 910 can be used to execute executable instructions stored in the memory 920, such as executing any one or more method steps in this exemplary embodiment. Exemplarily, the processor 910 can execute the method shown in Figure 2, including: step S210, in response to the first virtual weapon released by the controlled virtual character hitting the first virtual character, detecting whether there are other virtual characters in the connection determination area based on the first virtual character. Step S220, in response to detecting other virtual characters in the connection determination area, determining the second virtual character from the other detected virtual characters. Step S230, controlling the connection between the first virtual character and the second virtual character through a virtual connection object, wherein the virtual connection object is configured to limit the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character.

[0184] The bus 930 is used to connect different components of the electronic device 900 and may include a data bus, an address bus, and a control bus.

[0185] The electronic device 900 can communicate with one or more external devices 1000 (eg, a keyboard, a mouse, an external controller, etc.) through the I / O interface 940 .

[0186] The electronic device 900 can communicate with one or more networks via the network adapter 950. For example, the network adapter 950 can provide mobile communication solutions such as 3G / 4G / 5G, or wireless communication solutions such as wireless LAN, Bluetooth, and near-field communication. The network adapter 950 can communicate with other modules of the electronic device 900 via the bus 930.

[0187] Although not shown in FIG. 9 , other hardware and / or software modules may be provided in the electronic device 900 , including but not limited to: a display, microcode, device drivers, redundant processors, an external disk drive array, a RAID system, a tape drive, and a data backup storage system.

[0188] It should be noted that although several modules or units of the device for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be concretized in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided into multiple modules or units to be concretized.

[0189] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented as a system, method or program product. Therefore, various aspects of the present disclosure may be specifically implemented as the following forms, namely: a complete hardware implementation, a complete software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or an implementation combining hardware and software, which may be collectively referred to herein as a "circuit", "module" or "system". Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present disclosure after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. The present disclosure is intended to encompass any variations, uses or adaptations of the present disclosure, which follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary technical means in the art that are not disclosed in the present disclosure. The specification and implementation are intended to be exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure being indicated by the claims.

[0190] It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the exact structures that have been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A game control method, providing a graphical user interface through a terminal device, wherein the graphical user interface displays at least a portion of a game scene, wherein the game scene includes a controlled virtual character controlled by the terminal device; the method comprising: In response to the first virtual weapon released by the controlled virtual character hitting the first virtual character, detecting whether there are other virtual characters in a connection determination area based on the first virtual character; In response to detecting other virtual characters in the connection determination area, determining a second virtual character from the detected other virtual characters; Controlling the connection between the first virtual character and the second virtual character through a virtual connection object, wherein the virtual connection object is configured to limit a relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The controlling the connection of the first virtual character and the second virtual character through a virtual connection object includes: Controlling the launching of a second virtual weapon toward the second virtual character; In response to the second virtual weapon hitting the second virtual character, the first virtual character and the second virtual character are connected via the virtual connection object.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The controlling the launching of the second virtual weapon to the second virtual character comprises: acquiring current position information of the second virtual character and a speed parameter of the first virtual weapon when the first virtual weapon hits the first virtual character; The second virtual weapon is launched according to the current position information and the speed parameter.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The second virtual weapon is at least one of the following: the first virtual weapon; a virtual weapon generated based on the first virtual weapon; a virtual weapon regenerated after the first virtual weapon hits the first virtual character.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The virtual connection object is displayed with visual parameters.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The method further comprises: When the first virtual character and the second virtual character are connected through the virtual connection object, the first virtual character and the second virtual character are controlled to automatically execute a preset game animation.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The method further comprises: In the case where the first virtual character and the second virtual character are connected by the virtual connection object, if the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character exceeds the initial deformation distance of the virtual connection object, a contraction force along the contraction direction of the virtual connection object is applied to at least one of the first virtual character and the second virtual character according to the relative distance.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: If the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character exceeds the initial deformation distance of the virtual connection object, applying a contraction force along the contraction direction of the virtual connection object to at least one of the first virtual character and the second virtual character according to the relative distance, comprising: If the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character exceeds the initial deformation distance of the virtual connection object, the contraction force is determined according to the difference between the relative distance and the initial deformation distance, and the contraction force is positively correlated with the difference; The contraction force is applied to at least one of the first virtual character and the second virtual character.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein: When a contraction force along a contraction direction of the virtual connection object is applied to at least one of the first virtual character and the second virtual character according to the relative distance, the method further includes: Controlling the movement of the first virtual character according to a result of superimposing the movement operation acting on the first virtual character and the contraction force acting on the first virtual character; and / or The movement of the second virtual character is controlled according to the result of the superposition of the movement operation acting on the second virtual character and the contraction force acting on the second virtual character.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The controlling the movement of the first virtual character according to the result of superimposing the movement operation acting on the first virtual character and the contraction force acting on the first virtual character comprises: When the relative distance reaches the maximum deformation distance of the virtual connection object, if the force acting on the first virtual character in the stretching direction of the virtual connection object by the moving operation is not less than the contraction force acting on the first virtual character, then according to the component of the moving operation acting on the first virtual character in the vertical direction of the virtual connection object, the first virtual character is controlled to move along a circle with the second virtual character as the center and the maximum deformation distance as the radius.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The method further comprises: In the case where the first virtual character and the second virtual character are connected by the virtual connection object, if the relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character reaches the maximum deformation distance of the virtual connection object, the movement operation of controlling the first virtual character or the second virtual character to move along the stretching direction of the virtual connection object will be invalidated.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein: In response to detecting other virtual characters in the connection determination area, determining a second virtual character from the detected other virtual characters comprises: In response to detecting another virtual character in the connection determination area, the detected other virtual character closest to the first virtual character is used as the second virtual character.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The method further comprises: In response to no other virtual characters being detected in the connection determination area, controlling the first virtual weapon to continue moving after hitting the first virtual character; If the first virtual weapon hits another virtual character while continuing to move, the hit other virtual character is used as the second virtual character; If the first virtual weapon hits the preset scene component in the game scene while continuing to move, the control The first virtual character and the preset scene component are connected through a virtual connection object, wherein the virtual connection object is configured to limit the relative distance between the first virtual character and the preset scene component.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The controlling the first virtual weapon to continue moving after hitting the first virtual character comprises: controlling the first virtual weapon to continue moving through the first virtual character after hitting the first virtual character; or The ejection direction is determined according to the direction in which the first virtual weapon hits the first virtual character, and the first virtual weapon is controlled to continue moving along the ejection direction after hitting the first virtual character.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The method further comprises: When the duration of connecting the first virtual character and the second virtual character through the virtual connection object reaches a first preset duration, canceling the connection between the first virtual character and the second virtual character; When the duration of connecting the first virtual character and the preset scene component through the virtual connection object reaches a second preset duration, the connection between the first virtual character and the preset scene component is cancelled; the second preset duration is different from the first preset duration.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The method further comprises: The first virtual weapon is controlled to move along an initial release direction within a third preset time after the controlled virtual character releases the first virtual weapon, and after the third preset time, the first virtual weapon is controlled to move along a trajectory after the initial release direction and environmental effects are superimposed.

17. A game control device, providing a graphical user interface through a terminal device, wherein the graphical user interface displays at least a portion of a game scene, wherein the game scene includes a controlled virtual character controlled by the terminal device; the device comprising: A first hit response module is configured to execute, in response to the first virtual weapon cast by the controlled virtual character hitting the first virtual character, detecting whether there are other virtual characters in a connection determination area based on the first virtual character; A second virtual character determination module is configured to execute, in response to detecting other virtual characters in the connection determination area, determining a second virtual character from the other detected virtual characters; The connection processing module is configured to execute control to connect the first virtual character and the second virtual character through a virtual connection object, wherein the virtual connection object is configured to limit a relative distance between the first virtual character and the second virtual character.

18. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16 when executed by a processor.

19. An electronic device comprising: processor; A memory, configured to store executable instructions of the processor; The processor is configured to execute any one of claims 1 to 16 by executing the executable instructions. The method described.

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