Program and information processing device

Abstract

The present invention saves a player time and effort when combining in a consolidated manner. A program causes a computer to function as: an extraction means 52 that respectively extracts content groups which are of the same type as each other from second content owned by a player; and a control means 54 that uses, from among the extracted content groups, second content, which is associated with a specific first content, as combination source content, and other second content as material content, to combine together the same type of material content as the combination source content for each combination source content of each content group.

Description

Program and information processing device

[0001] The present invention relates to a program and an information processing device.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, games have been known in which a player can combine multiple pieces of content that he or she owns into one piece of content.

[0003] In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for automatically selecting source content and material content from a group of content of the same type owned by a player, and for each source content, collectively synthesizing the source content and the material content of the same type.

[0004] Patent No. 6891987

[0005] In such games, it may be possible to develop second content (e.g., equipment items) that can be associated (e.g., equipped or worn) with first content (e.g., characters). Furthermore, in such games, among the second content owned by a player, second content associated with first content could not be included in a content group to be combined at once, because if the second content were included in a content group to be combined at once, a portion of the second content would be consumed and the association would be canceled. Therefore, for example, if a player wanted to develop second content associated with first content through combined at once, the player had to cancel the association and then combine the second content at once. However, players have expressed a desire to be able to easily develop second content associated with specific first content (e.g., first content organized in a deck) through combined at once, without canceling the association.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a program and an information processing device that can reduce the effort required of a player when performing batch synthesis.

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, a program according to a first aspect of the present invention is a program for executing a game in which second content can be associated with first content, and causes a computer to function as: extraction means for extracting groups of content of the same type from the second content owned by a player; and control means for collectively combining, for each of the source content of each content group, material content of the same type as the source content, with the second content associated with a specific first content from the extracted content group as the source content and the other second content as material content.

[0008] In a second aspect of the present invention, the specific first content is one or more first contents designated by the player.

[0009] In addition, in a third aspect of the present invention, the specific first content is a plurality of first contents whose priorities have been designated by the player, and the control means prioritizes the second content associated with the specific first content having the highest priority as the source content for synthesis.

[0010] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, the control means prioritizes second content associated with the specific first content that is frequently used in the game as the synthesis source content.

[0011] In addition, in a fifth aspect of the present invention, the control means prioritizes a second content, among the specific first contents, that is associated with a first content in which a predetermined parameter has been developed, as the source content for synthesis.

[0012] In addition, in a sixth aspect of the present invention, the specific first content is one or more first contents that are frequently used in the game.

[0013] In addition, in a seventh aspect of the present invention, the specific first content is one or more first contents in which predetermined parameters are developed.

[0014] In addition, an information processing device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is an information processing device that executes a game in which second content can be associated with first content, and is equipped with an extraction means that extracts content groups of the same type from the second content owned by the player, and a control means that, from the extracted content groups, the second content that is associated with a specific first content is used as a source content and the other second contents are used as material content, and that collectively combines material content of the same type as the source content for each source content of each content group.

[0015]

[0016]

[0017] According to the present invention, the effort required of the player when performing batch synthesis can be reduced.

[0018] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a game system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a server device. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a smartphone as the terminal device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional means of a server device. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by each functional means shown in FIG. 4 in a game system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a development screen where bulk synthesis is possible in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen showing a group of items to be bulk synthesized in the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a result screen showing the results of bulk synthesis in the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a development screen where bulk synthesis is not possible in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by each functional means in a game system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen showing a group of items to be bulk synthesized in the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a result screen showing the results of bulk synthesis in the second embodiment.

[0019] Hereinafter, several embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding of the description, the same components and steps in each drawing will be designated by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0020] First Embodiment First, the first embodiment will be described.

[0021] <Overall Configuration> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a game system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0022] 1, the game system 1 includes a server device 10 and one or more terminal devices 12. The server device 10 and the terminal devices 12 are communicatively connected via a communication network NT such as an intranet, the Internet, or a telephone line.

[0023] The server device 10 is an information processing device that provides the game execution results obtained by executing the game program 14, or the game program 14 itself, to players of each terminal device 12 via the communication network NT. In the first embodiment, the server device 10 provides the game program 14 itself to players of the terminal devices 12.

[0024] Each terminal device 12 is an information processing device owned by each player, and provides a game to each player by installing and executing the game program 14 received from the server device 10. These terminal devices 12 include various devices such as video game machines, arcade game machines, mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, and personal computers.

[0025] <Hardware Configuration> FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the server device 10. As shown in FIG.

[0026] 2, the server device 10 includes a control device 20, a communication device 26, and a storage device 28. The control device 20 mainly includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 22 and a memory 24.

[0027] In the control device 20, the CPU 22 executes predetermined programs stored in the memory 24 or the storage device 28, thereby functioning as various functional means. Details of these functional means will be described later.

[0028] The communication device 26 is configured with a communication interface for communicating with an external device, etc. The communication device 26 transmits and receives various information to and from the terminal device 12, for example.

[0029] The storage device 28 is configured with a hard disk, etc. The storage device 28 stores various programs and information necessary for executing processes in the control device 20, including the game program 14, as well as information on the results of the processes.

[0030] The server device 10 can be realized using an information processing device such as a dedicated or general-purpose server computer. The server device 10 may be configured with a single information processing device or multiple information processing devices distributed over a communication network NT. FIG. 2 shows only a portion of the main hardware configuration of the server device 10, and the server device 10 may also include other components that are generally included in a server. The hardware configuration of the multiple terminal devices 12 may also be similar to that of the server device 10, except for including, for example, an operating means, a display device, and a sound output device.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a smartphone serving as the terminal device 12 shown in FIG.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal device 12 includes a main control unit 30, a touch panel (touch screen) 32, a camera 34, a mobile communication unit 36, a wireless LAN communication unit 38, a memory unit 40, and a speaker 42.

[0033] The main control unit 30 is configured to include a CPU, memory, etc. The main control unit 30 is connected to a touch panel 32 as a display input device, a camera 34, a mobile communication unit 36, a wireless LAN communication unit 38, a storage unit 40, and a speaker 42. The main control unit 30 has a function to control these connected devices.

[0034] The touch panel 32 has both a display function and an input function, and is composed of a display 32A that performs the display function and a touch sensor 32B that performs the input function. In the first embodiment, the display 32A can display game images including operation input images such as button images, cross key images, and joystick images. The touch sensor 32B can detect the player's input position relative to the game image.

[0035] The camera 34 has a function of taking still images and / or moving images and storing them in the storage unit 40 .

[0036] The mobile communication unit 36 ​​has a function of connecting to a mobile communication network via an antenna 36A and communicating with other communication devices connected to the mobile communication network.

[0037] The wireless LAN communication unit 38 has a function of connecting to the communication network NT via an antenna 38A and communicating with other devices such as the server device 10 connected to the communication network NT.

[0038] The storage unit 40 stores various programs and data, such as the game program 14 and play data indicating the progress of the game and player information of the game program 14. The play data may also be stored in the server device 10.

[0039] The speaker 42 has a function of outputting game sounds and the like.

[0040] <Game Overview> Games (game types) according to the first embodiment include lottery games, quests, and training games. Lottery games may be referred to as gacha, lottery, summons, etc. Quests may be referred to as battle games, dungeons, exploration, missions, scenarios, etc. Purchased games may be referred to as sales outlets, exchange centers, etc.

[0041] The lottery game according to the first embodiment is a game in which, in response to a player's request (instruction) to play the lottery game, one or more pieces of content are provided to the player (randomly selected) from a group of lottery-selected content items. Examples of such content include first content (e.g., a character), second content (e.g., equipment items), and enhancement material content. The lottery game is played based on the player's consumption of game currency. Examples of game currency include paid items (e.g., paid gems), non-paid items (e.g., free gems), coins, and points. Paid items are paid items granted to players based on payments made with cash, prepaid cards, electronic money, credit cards, crypto assets, and the like. Non-paid items are free items granted to players in the game. These non-paid items may have the same value as paid items or may have a lower value than paid items. For example, in one lottery game, paid items and non-paid items can be consumed without distinction. Note that in another lottery game, only paid items may be consumed. Coins and points are in-game currencies that are awarded to a player along with the content drawn by lottery when a lottery game is played, for example.

[0042] A quest according to the first embodiment is a game in which the objective is to fulfill predetermined clearing conditions (tasks). For example, this quest is a game in which a player uses a deck composed of a predetermined number (e.g., one or five) or fewer characters (first content) owned by the player based on an instruction (request) by the player to select a quest from a quest menu. A deck is sometimes referred to as a party or team. In the quest according to the first embodiment, each character (first content) can be associated with (e.g., equipped with) one of each type of equipment item (second content). Examples of such equipment items include weapon items, armor items, and ring items. For example, equipping a character with a weapon item increases or decreases the character's parameters (e.g., attack power) associated with the weapon item. Note that in the first embodiment, if a character is equipped with a weapon item A1, the weapon item A1 is treated as an equipped item and cannot be equipped to another character. In other words, in order for another character to equip the weapon item A1, the weapon item A1 must be unequipped from the character. Furthermore, an example of a case where the clearing condition (task) is satisfied is when all enemy characters appearing in the quest are defeated using the deck (for example, when the hit points are reduced to 0 or less). An example of a case where the clearing condition is not satisfied (when the clearing fails) is when all characters (first content) organized in the deck are annihilated (for example, when the hit points of all characters are reduced to 0 or less).

[0043] In addition, in a quest according to the first embodiment, if a player satisfies the clearing conditions, the player is awarded a clearing reward. Examples of the clearing reward include game currency (e.g., non-chargeable items, coins, points, etc.), characters, equipment items, and player experience points. In the first embodiment, when a player clears a quest (satisfies the clearing conditions), a new quest (the next quest) is opened (made playable) to the player. This new quest may be, for example, more difficult than the quest the player previously cleared, but may also offer a larger or higher-quality clearing reward. For example, a player can organize a deck to be used for a quest by arbitrarily selecting up to a predetermined number of characters from the characters they own in an organization menu for organizing a deck to be used for the quest.

[0044] Furthermore, in the training game according to the first embodiment, by synthesizing (consuming) material content that is pre-associated with a source content selected from a plurality of first contents (e.g., characters) or second contents (e.g., equipment items) owned by the player, the predetermined parameters (e.g., attack power, defense power, etc.) of the source content are changed to be advantageous to the player.

[0045] For example, in a training game, enhancement synthesis (development) can be performed by combining enhancement material content (e.g., enhancement material items) pre-associated with source content (e.g., characters or equipment items) to be developed, thereby changing the normal parameters of the source content. Examples of normal parameters include level, attack power, defense power, and the number of turns required to activate a skill. For example, enhancement synthesis increases the level of the source content by combining a quantity (number) of enhancement material content pre-associated with the level of the source content to be developed. Furthermore, for example, enhancement synthesis decreases the number of turns required to activate a skill of the source content by combining a quantity (number) of enhancement material content pre-associated with the number of turns required to activate a skill of the source content to be developed. In the first embodiment, when the level of a content (e.g., a character or equipment item) increases by one, the hit points, attack power, defense power, etc. of the content increase by a predetermined value. For example, the higher the hit points, attack power, or defense power, the more advantageous the progress of the game (e.g., a quest). The number of turns required to activate a skill includes the number of turns required for the content to activate a skill. For example, the lower the skill activation turn count, the more advantageous the progress of the game (e.g., quest). For example, a skill is activated automatically or manually by the player when the same number of turns as the skill activation turn count of the content has passed in the quest. For example, a player can designate a piece of content from a list screen of owned content in the enhancement menu, and use that content as the source content for enhancement synthesis (enhancement target content).

[0046] Furthermore, for example, evolutionary synthesis can be performed by combining (consuming) evolution material content pre-associated with the source content (e.g., a character or an equipment item) to be developed, thereby changing the special parameters of the source content. Examples of such special parameters include a level cap, a skill activation turn limit, rarity, and luck. Luck, for example, is a parameter that increases the number and quality of clear rewards obtained when a character or equipment item is used in a quest. Examples of pre-associated evolution material content include content of the same type as the source content and general content. General content is, for example, content that can be combined with any source content as evolution material content. In the first embodiment, for example, evolutionary synthesis involves combining a predetermined number of content (evolution material content) of the same type as the source content with the source content to be developed, thereby increasing the upper level limit of the source content. The higher the upper level limit, the more the player can increase the level through strengthening synthesis. Therefore, by increasing the upper limit of the level, the player can gain an advantage in progressing through the quest (game). Furthermore, for example, in evolution synthesis, by synthesizing a source content to be developed with a predetermined number of content (evolution material content) of the same type as the source content, the minimum number of turns required to activate a skill for the source content is lowered. The lower the minimum number of turns required to activate a skill, the more the player can reduce the number of turns required to activate a skill through strengthening synthesis. Therefore, by lowering the minimum number of turns required to activate a skill, the player can gain an advantage in progressing through the quest (game). Note that in the first embodiment, content can be evolved (developed) until a special parameter reaches a limit value (e.g., the maximum upper limit of the level, the minimum minimum number of turns required to activate a skill, or the maximum value of luck). For example, a player can select a content from a list screen of owned content in the evolution menu to use that content as the source content (evolution target content) for evolution synthesis.

[0047] <Functional Means> FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of functional means of the server device 10. As shown in FIG.

[0048] 4, the server device 10 has, as its functional configuration, a storage means 50, an extraction means 52, and a control means 54. The storage means 50 is realized by one or more storage devices 28. The functional means other than the storage means 50 are realized by the control device 20 executing the game program 14 stored in the storage devices 28 or the like. Note that all or part of these functional configurations may be provided in the terminal device 12.

[0049] The storage means 50 has a function of storing player information 50A, content information 50B, lottery game information 50C, quest information 50D, and the like.

[0050] The player information 50A is stored for each player in association with the player ID of the player. The player information 50A includes, for example, the player's name, age, player rank, owned content information, owned game currency information, organized deck information, quest progress information, etc.

[0051] The player rank increases, for example, when the player gains player experience points.

[0052] The owned content information includes information about content (characters, equipment items, etc.) owned by the player.

[0053] For example, the owned content information is stored in association with an owned character ID for each character (first content) owned by the player. This owned character ID is assigned, for example, when the player acquires a character or evolves the character. For example, the owned content information includes the character's character ID, current parameters, correspondence information, and specific information. The current parameters include the current values ​​of normal parameters and special parameters. The correspondence information includes the owned item ID of an equipment item associated with the character (for example, equipped by the character). The specific information includes an owned character ID indicating a specific character (specific first content) and a priority order for each of the specific characters.

[0054] Furthermore, for example, the owned content information is stored in association with an owned item ID for each equipment item (second content) owned by the player. This owned item ID is assigned, for example, when the player acquires an equipment item or evolves an equipment item. For example, the owned content information includes the item ID of the equipment item and current parameters (current values ​​of normal parameters and special parameters).

[0055] The owned game currency information is stored, for example, for each game currency owned by a player (chargeable items, non-chargeable items, coins, points, etc.) in association with the content ID of the game currency. The owned game currency information includes, for example, the number of game currencies owned by the player.

[0056] The organized deck information includes information about the player's organized deck. This organized deck information includes, for example, the owned character IDs of a predetermined number of characters (e.g., five characters) or less designated by the player in advance, and the arrangement of each designated character (e.g., order from left to right). This deck is used, for example, when performing a quest.

[0057] The quest progress information includes, for example, the quest IDs of quests that the player has cleared and the quest IDs of quests that are playable.

[0058] The content information 50B includes information relating to the content (first content, second content, etc.).

[0059] For example, the content information 50B is stored in association with a character ID for each character (first content). Furthermore, for example, the content information 50B is stored in association with an item ID for each equipment item (second content). The content information 50B includes, for example, a name, an image, ability information, rarity, enhancement cost information, evolution cost information, and the like.

[0060] The ability information includes normal parameter information, special parameter information, and skills. The normal parameter information includes the ranges (minimum and maximum values) of normal parameters (such as level and number of turns required to activate a skill). The special parameter information includes the ranges (minimum and maximum values) of special parameters (such as upper limit of level and lower limit of number of turns required to activate a skill) for each evolution count. Skills include, for example, the ability to recover the hit points of ally characters (such as other characters in the deck) in a quest, to strengthen the attack or defense power of ally characters, or to inflict damage on enemy characters.

[0061] Rarity includes, for example, a numerical value ranging from 1 to 6. This numerical value may be expressed, for example, as the number of stars. Characters with high rarity are set with parameters (normal parameters and special parameters) and skills that are advantageous for progressing through the game (e.g., quests). Furthermore, for example, characters with high rarity have a high upper limit on their level (special parameters).

[0062] The enhancement cost information includes information regarding the cost required to enhance content (source content). For example, the enhancement cost information includes information identifying enhancement material content previously associated with the content (e.g., an item ID of an enhancement material item) and the quantity of the enhancement material content. For example, the cost (material items) required to increase (enhance) the normal parameter (e.g., level) of "Character X" as the source character (character to be enhanced) from 69 to 70 is two "Enhancement Material X." Note that the cost required to increase this normal parameter (e.g., level) by one may vary depending on the normal parameter (e.g., level) of the source character. Also, for example, the cost (material items) required to increase (enhance) the normal parameter (e.g., level) of "Weapon Item A" as the source item (item to be enhanced) from 49 to 50 is three "Enhancement Material A." Note that the cost required to increase this normal parameter (e.g., level) by one may vary depending on the normal parameter (e.g., level) of the source item.

[0063] The evolution cost information includes information regarding the cost required to evolve content (source content). For example, the evolution cost information includes information identifying evolution material content previously associated with the content (e.g., the character ID of the evolution material character and the item ID of the evolution material item) and the quantity of the evolution material content. For example, the cost (evolution material characters) required to increase (evolve) the special parameter (e.g., the upper level limit) of "Character X" as the source character (evolution target character) from 100 to 105 is two "Character X"s of the same type as the source character. Note that the cost required to increase this special parameter (e.g., the upper level limit) may differ depending on the special parameter (e.g., the upper level limit) of the source character. Also, for example, the cost (evolution material items) required to increase (evolve) the special parameter (e.g., the upper level limit) of "Weapon Item A" as the source item (evolution target item) from 100 to 105 is two "Weapon Item A"s of the same type as the source item. The cost required to increase this special parameter (for example, upper limit of level) may differ depending on the special parameter (for example, upper limit of level) of the source item.

[0064] The lottery game information 50C is stored for each lottery game in association with the lottery game ID of the lottery game. The lottery game information 50C includes the name of the lottery game, the prize, lottery target information, and the like.

[0065] The consideration includes the number of game currencies (paid currencies or non-paid currencies) required to execute one lottery. For example, the consideration for a certain lottery game may be five paid items or five non-paid items.

[0066] The lottery information includes identification information (e.g., character ID or item ID) of each content constituting a lottery content group (e.g., a lottery character group or a lottery item group) that is the subject of the lottery game, and an appearance frequency (weight) associated with the identification information. The appearance frequency may be any value from 1 to 10, for example. A low appearance frequency is assigned to content with a high rarity, and a high appearance frequency is assigned to content with a low rarity. Note that different appearance frequencies may be assigned to content of the same rarity (e.g., rarity 6). Here, the lottery probability for a given content is calculated by dividing the appearance frequency assigned to that content by the sum of the appearance frequencies assigned to the content constituting the lottery content group. Specifically, if the appearance frequency assigned to a given content is 2 and the sum of the appearance frequencies assigned to the content constituting the lottery content group is 400, the lottery probability for that content is 2 / 400 (0.5%).

[0067] The quest information 50D is stored for each quest in association with the quest ID of the quest. The quest information 50D includes the name of the quest, enemy character information, and reward information for completing the quest.

[0068] The enemy character information includes the enemy character ID and ability parameters of each enemy character that appears in the quest.

[0069] The clear reward information stores information about the clear reward that the player can acquire when clearing a quest. Examples of the clear reward include game currency (e.g., non-chargeable items, coins, points, etc.), content (e.g., characters, equipment items, etc.), player experience points, etc. The clear reward information includes content identification information (e.g., character ID or item ID), the number of items acquired, and a drop rate. The drop rate is, for example, the probability that the player will acquire the content. For example, the higher the difficulty of the quest, the higher the drop rate.

[0070] The extraction means 52 is a functional means for extracting one or more groups of items (groups of contents) from the equipment items (second contents) owned by the player. In the first embodiment, the extraction means 52 extracts groups of items (groups of contents) of the same type from the equipment items (second contents) owned by the player.

[0071] For example, when a player selects an equipment item in the training menu, the extraction means 52 refers to the owned content information in the player information 50A and the evolution cost information in the content information 50B, and extracts a number of items required for evolution from among the equipment items owned by the player. Specifically, the extraction means 52 extracts item group A (weapon items A1, A2, and A3), item group B (armor items B1 and B2), and item group C (ring items C1 and C2). For example, weapon items A1, A2, and A3 are weapon items of the same type that share an item ID. Also, for example, armor items B1 and B2 are armor items of the same type that share an item ID. Also, for example, ring items C1 and C2 are items of the same type that share an item ID. These item groups include equipment items associated with characters.

[0072] Furthermore, the extraction means 52 may not extract equipment items whose special parameters have reached their limit values. For example, the extraction means 52 may exclude from extraction targets equipment items owned by the player whose upper limit level has reached its maximum value.

[0073] Furthermore, in response to an instruction to collectively combine (collectively evolve) equipment items (second content) owned by the player, the extraction means 52 extracts a group of items from the equipment items owned by the player, the number of which is required for evolution. For example, the extraction means 52 refers to the evolution cost information in the content information 50B and extracts a group of items from the equipment items owned by the player, the number of which is required for evolution.

[0074] The control means 54 is a functional means for controlling the entire game. In the first embodiment, the control means 54 uses an equipment item (second content) associated with a specific character (specific first content) from the item group (content group) extracted by the extraction means 52 as a source item (source content) and other equipment items (other second content) as evolution material items (evolution material content), and combines, for each source item (each source content) of each item group (each content group), evolution material items (evolution material content) of the same type as the source item (source content).

[0075] For example, the control means 54 refers to the owned content information of the player information 50A, and of the extracted item group A (weapon item A1, weapon item A2, weapon item A3), sets weapon item A1 equipped by a specific character (specific first content) as the source item (source content), and sets the other equipped items, weapon item A2 and weapon item A3, as evolution material items (evolution material content).

[0076] Similarly, the control means 54 designates the armor item B1 equipped by a specific character from the extracted item group B (armor item B1, armor item B2) as the source item for synthesis (source content), and the other equipped item, armor item B2, as the evolution material item (evolution material content).

[0077] Similarly, the control means 54 designates the ring item C1 equipped by a specific character from the extracted item group C (ring item C1, ring item C2) as the source item for synthesis (source content), and the other equipped item, ring item C2, as the evolution material item (evolution material content).

[0078] Next, the control means 54 collectively combines each source item (weapon item A1, armor item B1, ring item C1) of each item group (item groups A to C) with evolution material items (weapon item A2, weapon item A3, armor item B2, ring item C2) of the same type as the source item. Specifically, the control means 54 allows the player to own evolved items (weapon item A', armor item B', ring item C') that have changed the special parameters (e.g., upper level limit and rarity) of the combined source items (weapon item A1, armor item B1, ring item C1), and deletes (excludes) the evolution material items used in the combined combination from the owned content information in the player information 50A. Here, the control means 54 updates the owned item ID of the source item in the corresponding information of the owned content information to the owned item ID of the equipment item (evolved item) after training. That is, a specific character that was equipped with a source item before training (bulk synthesis) will be equipped with the equipment item (evolved item) after training. Also, the control means 54 deletes the owned item ID of the evolution material item from the corresponding information of the owned content information. That is, a character that was equipped with an evolution material item before training (bulk synthesis) will no longer be equipped with that evolution material item (the equipment will be released).

[0079] For example, the specific character (specific first content) is one or more characters (first content) designated by the player. For example, the control means 54 accepts from the player a designation of one or more characters owned by the player. Next, the control means 54 stores the owned character IDs of the one or more characters designated by the player in the specific information of the owned content information in the player information 50A. Note that this specific character may be a character included in the organized deck information (a character that constitutes the organized deck).

[0080] Furthermore, for example, the specific characters (specific first content) are multiple characters (first content) for which a priority has been designated by the player. For example, the control means 54 accepts from the player a designation of multiple characters owned by the player in descending order of priority. Next, the control means 54 stores the owned character IDs of the multiple characters designated by the player and the order of designation (priority) in the specific information of the owned content information in the player information 50A. Note that the specific characters may be characters included in the organized deck information (characters constituting the organized deck), and the priority may be an order according to the arrangement of each of the characters constituting the organized deck (for example, order from left to right).

[0081] Furthermore, the control means 54 prioritizes an equipment item (second content) associated with a specific character (specific first content) having a high priority as the synthesis source item (synthesis source content). For example, the control means 54 references the owned content information of the player information 50A, and from the extracted item group A (weapon item A1, weapon item A2, weapon item A3), sets weapon item A1 equipped by character X, a specific character having the first priority, as the synthesis source item, and sets weapon item A2 equipped by character Y, a specific character having the second priority, and weapon item A3, which is not equipped by any character, as evolution material items.

[0082] Similarly, the control means 54 selects, from the extracted item group B (armor item B1, armor item B2), armor item B1 equipped by character Y, a specific character with second priority, as the synthesis source item, and armor item B2 equipped by character Z, a specific character with third priority, as the evolution material item.

[0083] Similarly, the control means 54 sets the ring item C1, which is equipped by a specific character Z having the third priority, among the extracted item group C (ring item C1, ring item C2) as the synthesis source item, and sets the ring item C2, which is not equipped by any character, as the evolution material item.

[0084] Next, the control means 54 combines each source item (weapon item A1, armor item B1, ring item C1) of each item group (item groups A to C) with evolution material items (weapon item A2, weapon item A3, armor item B2, ring item C2) of the same type as the source item. Here, the control means 54 updates the owned item ID of weapon item A1 (source item) included in the correspondence information of the owned content information in the player information 50A to the owned item ID of weapon item A' (the evolved item of weapon item A1), so that character X, who was equipped with weapon item A1, is now equipped with weapon item A'. In addition, the control means 54 deletes the owned item ID of weapon item A2 (evolution material item) included in the correspondence information of the owned content information, so that character Y, who was equipped with weapon item A2, is no longer equipped with a weapon item. The control means 54 also updates the owned item ID of armor item B1 (source item) included in the correspondence information of the owned content information in the player information 50A to the owned item ID of armor item B' (evolved item of armor item B1), causing character Y, who was equipped with armor item B1, to be equipped with armor item B'. The control means 54 also deletes the owned item ID of armor item B2 (evolution material item) included in the correspondence information of the owned content information, causing character Z, who was equipped with armor item B2, to be equipped with no armor item. The control means 54 also updates the owned item ID of ring item C1 (source item) included in the correspondence information of the owned content information in the player information 50A to the owned item ID of ring item C' (evolved item of ring item C1), causing character Z, who was equipped with ring item C1, to be equipped with ring item C'.

[0085] Furthermore, the control means 54 prioritizes an equipment item (second content) associated with a specific character (specific first content) that is frequently used in the game as a synthesis source item (synthesis source content). For example, the control means 54 stores, in the specific information of the owned content information in the player information 50A, the owned character IDs of multiple characters designated by the player and, as a priority order, the ranking of the number of times the designated characters have been used in quests (in descending order of frequency).

[0086] Furthermore, the control means 54 prioritizes, as a synthesis source item (synthesis source content), an equipment item (second content) associated with a character (first content) whose predetermined parameters have been developed among a specific character (specific first content). Examples of the predetermined parameters include level, number of turns until skill activation, upper limit of level, lower limit of number of turns until skill activation, rarity, luck, attack power, defense power, and hit points. For example, the control means 54 stores, in the specific information of the owned content information in the player information 50A, the owned character IDs of multiple characters designated by the player and, as a priority order, the rank order of the levels of the designated characters (highest level first). For example, the control means 54 stores, in the specific information of the owned content information in the player information 50A, the owned character IDs of multiple characters designated by the player and, as a priority order, the rank order of the number of turns until skill activation of the designated characters (lowest level first).

[0087] Furthermore, the specific character (specific first content) is one or more specific characters (specific first content) that are frequently used in the game. For example, the control means 54 stores, in the specific information of the owned content information in the player information 50A, the owned character IDs of the characters that have been used most frequently in quests (for example, the top five characters) and, as a priority, the order of the number of times that the characters have been used (in descending order of frequency).

[0088] Furthermore, the specific character (specific first content) is one or more specific characters whose predetermined parameters have been developed. For example, the control means 54 stores, in the specific information of the owned content information in the player information 50A, the owned character IDs of characters with high levels (e.g., the top five characters) and the ranking of the levels of the characters (highest level first). For example, the control means 54 stores, in the specific information of the owned content information in the player information 50A, the owned character IDs of characters with low skill activation turn numbers (e.g., the bottom five characters) and the ranking of the skill activation turn numbers of the characters (lowest level first), as a priority order.

[0089] <Processing Flow> Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by each functional unit shown in Figure 4 in the game system 1 according to the first embodiment. The processing of the following steps is initiated, for example, when the player selects an equipment item in the training menu. The order and content of the following steps can be changed as appropriate.

[0090] (Step SP10) The extraction means 52 references the owned content information in the player information 50A and the evolution cost information in the content information 50B to extract a group of items required for evolution from the equipment items owned by the player. Here, the extraction means 52 extracts the group of items, including the equipment items equipped by the character owned by the player. Then, the processing proceeds to step SP12.

[0091] (Step SP12) The control means 54 determines whether one or more item groups have been extracted in step SP10. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP14. On the other hand, if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step SP30.

[0092] (Step SP14) The control means 54 displays on the touch panel 32 a development screen indicating that batch synthesis is possible.

[0093] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a development screen 60 that allows for batch synthesis in the first embodiment.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 6 , the training screen 60 includes a training mode switching tab 62, an equipment item information area 64, a bulk synthesis button 66, and a back button 68. The training mode switching tab 62 is a tab (instruction area) for issuing an instruction to switch the training mode for an equipment item. For example, when the training mode switching tab 62A is operated (touched), the screen switches to a mode for evolving an equipment item. Furthermore, when the training mode switching tab 62B is operated (touched), the screen switches to a mode for strengthening an equipment item. The equipment item information area 64 displays an image of the equipment item and information indicating whether the equipment item is currently equipped by the player's character in areas corresponding to each equipment item owned by the player. For example, if the player's character is currently equipped with an equipment item, an "E" mark is added to the image of the equipment item. Furthermore, the equipment item information area 64 displays a mark S, which indicates that the equipment item can be evolved. The equipment items marked with this mark S are the group of items extracted in step SP10. The bulk synthesis button 66 is a button (instruction area) for issuing an instruction to bulk synthesize equipment items. The back button 68 is a button (instruction area) for issuing an instruction to close the training screen 60 and return to the main menu.

[0095] Returning to FIG. 5, the process proceeds to step SP16.

[0096] (Step SP16) The control means 54 determines whether or not there has been an instruction from the player to batch combine (batch evolve) equipment items. For example, if the batch combine button is pressed on the training screen, the control means 54 makes a positive determination. If the determination is positive, the processing proceeds to step SP18. On the other hand, if the determination is negative, that is, if the back button is pressed on the training screen, the processing ends the series of steps shown in FIG. 5.

[0097] (Step SP18) The control means 54 prioritizes the equipment items associated with a specific character with a high priority among the group of items extracted in step SP10 and selects them as the synthesis source items. For example, the control means 54 references the specific information of the owned content information in the player information 50A and selects, as the synthesis source item, the weapon item A1 equipped by character X, a specific character with the highest priority, among the extracted group of items A (weapon items A1, A2, and A3). The control means 54 also selects, as the synthesis source item, the armor item B1 equipped by character Y, a specific character with the second highest priority, among the extracted group of items B (armor items B1 and B2). The control means 54 also selects, as the synthesis source item, the ring item C1, which is not equipped by any character, among the extracted group of items C (ring items C1 and C2). The process then proceeds to step SP20.

[0098] (Step SP20) The control means 54 selects, as evolution material items, equipment items that were not selected as source items in step SP18 from the group of items extracted in step SP10. For example, the control means 54 selects, as evolution material items, weapon item A2 (equipped by character Y) and weapon item A3 (not equipped by any character), which were not selected as source items from the extracted group of items A (weapon item A1, weapon item A2, weapon item A3). The control means 54 also selects, as evolution material items, armor item B2 (equipped by character Z), which was not selected as a source item from the extracted group of items B (armor item B1, armor item B2). The control means 54 also selects, as evolution material items, ring item C2 (not equipped by any character), which was not selected as a source item from the extracted group of items C (ring item C1, ring item C2). Then, the process proceeds to step SP22.

[0099] (Step SP22) The control means 54 causes the touch panel 32 to display a confirmation screen showing the group of items to be combined in bulk.

[0100] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen 70 showing a group of items to be combined in a batch in the first embodiment.

[0101] As shown in FIG. 7 , the confirmation screen 70 includes a bulk combination item information area 72, check boxes 74, a back button 76, and a start combination button 78. The bulk combination item information area 72 displays each of the items to be combined. For example, the bulk combination item information area 72 displays images of the source items, evolution material items, and the equipment items (evolved items) after training. For example, the bulk combination item information area 72 also displays information indicating that the equipment items (evolved items) after training will be equipped to a character equipped with the source items. For example, the bulk combination item information area 72 also displays information indicating that if a character equipped with an equipment item consumed as an evolution material item is equipped with the equipment item, the equipment item will be unequipped. The check boxes 74 are provided in association with each of the items, allowing the player to select whether or not to include the item in the group of items to be combined. In the first embodiment, when the player presses (e.g., touches) the start combination button 78, the items for which the check boxes 74 are checked (on) are combined. In the first embodiment, the check boxes 74 are initially displayed with a check mark (ON state). For example, the player can switch between an unchecked state (OFF state) and a checked state (ON state) each time he or she presses the check box 74. The back button 76 is a button (instruction area) for issuing an instruction to close the confirmation screen 70 and return to the development screen. The start synthesis button 78 is a button (instruction area) for issuing an instruction to start batch synthesis. Note that the start synthesis button 78 can be used to issue an instruction when one or more check boxes 74 have a check mark.

[0102] Returning to FIG. 5, the process proceeds to step SP24.

[0103] (Step SP24) The control means 54 determines whether or not an instruction to start batch synthesis (batch evolution) has been given by the player. For example, if the synthesis start button is pressed on the confirmation screen, the control means 54 makes a positive determination. If the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step SP26. On the other hand, if the determination is negative, that is, if the back button is pressed on the confirmation screen, the process proceeds to step SP14.

[0104] (Step SP26) The control means 54 combines each source item (weapon item A1, armor item B1, ring item C1) of each item group (e.g., item groups A to C) checked on the confirmation screen with evolution material items of the same type as the source items (weapon item A2 and weapon item A3, armor item B2, ring item C2). The control means 54 then increases the upper limit of the level and rarity of each of the combined source items, and deletes (excludes) the evolution material items used in the combined combination from the owned content information of the player information 50A. The control means 54 then updates the owned item ID of the source item included in the correspondence information of the owned content information to the owned item ID of the equipment item (evolved item) after training. The control means 54 also deletes the owned item ID of the evolution material item included in the correspondence information of the owned content information. The process then proceeds to step SP28.

[0105] (Step SP28) The control means 54 causes the touch panel 32 to display a result screen showing the results of the batch synthesis.

[0106] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a result screen 80 showing the results of the batch merging in the first embodiment.

[0107] As shown in FIG. 8 , the result screen 80 has an acquired item information area 82 and a done button 84. The acquired item information area 82 displays the equipment items acquired by the player through bulk synthesis (bulk evolution). For example, the acquired item information area 82 displays, for each equipment item acquired by the player, changes to special parameters (e.g., rarity and upper limit of level), the character equipped with the equipment item, etc. The done button 84 is a button (instruction area) for closing the result screen 80 and issuing an instruction to return to the development screen.

[0108] Then, the series of processes shown in FIG. 5 ends.

[0109] (Step SP30) The control means 54 causes the touch panel 32 to display a development screen indicating that batch synthesis is possible.

[0110] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a development screen 90 in which simultaneous synthesis is not possible in the first embodiment.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 9, the batch synthesis button 66 on the development screen 90 is displayed in a display form that makes it impossible to select, since no item group was extracted in step SP10.

[0112] Returning to FIG. 5, the process proceeds to step SP32.

[0113] (Step SP32) The control means 54 receives an instruction from the player to return to the main menu. For example, the control means 54 receives an instruction (press) of the back button on the training screen. Then, the process ends the series of processes shown in FIG. 5.

[0114] <Effects> As described above, in the first embodiment, there is provided a program for executing a game in which second content can be associated with first content, and the program causes a computer to function as extraction means 52 that extracts content groups of the same type from the second content owned by the player, and control means 54 that, from the extracted content groups, uses the second content associated with a specific first content as a source content and the other second contents as material contents, and collectively combines, for each source content of each content group, material contents of the same type as the source content.

[0115] According to this configuration, for a second content associated with a specific first content, the second content can be combined as a source content without canceling the association, thereby reducing the effort required of the player when combining the second content and the source content.

[0116] In the first embodiment, the specific first content is one or more first contents designated by the player.

[0117] According to this configuration, for a second content associated with a first content specified by a player, the second content can be combined as a source content without canceling the association, thereby reducing the effort required of the player when combining the first and second content.

[0118] Also, in the first embodiment, the specific first content is a plurality of first contents whose priorities are designated by the player, and the control means 54 prioritizes the second content associated with the specific first content having a higher priority as the source content.

[0119] According to this configuration, for a second content item associated with a specific first content item having a high priority designated by a player, the second content item can be preferentially combined as a source content item without canceling the association, thereby reducing the effort required of the player when performing the combined content item.

[0120] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the control means 54 prioritizes second content associated with specific first content that is frequently used in the game as the synthesis source content.

[0121] According to this configuration, when a second content item is associated with a specific first content item that is frequently used in the game, the second content item can be preferentially used as the source content item for batch merging without canceling the association, thereby reducing the effort required of the player when batch merging the second content item.

[0122] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the control means 54 prioritizes, among specific first contents, second contents associated with first contents in which predetermined parameters have been developed, as source contents for synthesis.

[0123] According to this configuration, when a second content is associated with a specific first content for which a predetermined parameter has been developed, the second content can be preferentially combined as a source content without canceling the association, thereby reducing the effort required of the player when combining the second content and the first content.

[0124] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the specific first content is one or more first contents that are frequently used in the game.

[0125] According to this configuration, when a second content item is associated with a first content item that is frequently used in the game, the second content item can be combined as a source content item without canceling the association, thereby reducing the effort required of the player when combining the first content item.

[0126] In the first embodiment, the specific first content is one or more first contents in which a predetermined parameter is developed.

[0127] According to this configuration, when a second content is associated with a first content for which a predetermined parameter has been developed, the second content can be combined as a source content without canceling the association, thereby reducing the effort required of the player when combining the first and second content.

[0128] --Second Embodiment--- Next, a second embodiment will be described.

[0129] The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the control means 54 does not select source content and material content from the extracted content group, but instead combines the content group collectively, and in that the control means 54 associates the developed second content with a specific first content. Note that the configuration and functions of the game system 1 according to the second embodiment, which are not described below, are similar to those of the game system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0130] In the second embodiment, the control means 54 combines the content groups extracted by the extraction means 52 together and allows the player to own each of the second content items developed through the combination. For example, the control means 54 combines the extracted item group A (weapon item A1, weapon item A2, weapon item A3), item group B (armor item B1, armor item B2), and item group C (ring item C1, ring item C2) together. In other words, the control means 54 repeats the process of evolving and combining the extracted item groups into a single evolved item (weapon item A', armor item B', ring item C') a number of times equal to the number of item groups. Here, the control means 54 allows the player to own each of the combined evolved items and deletes (excludes) all of the equipment items that constituted each item group from the owned content information in the player information 50A.

[0131] Furthermore, the control means 54 associates the equipment item (second content) after training (bulk combination) with a specific character (specific first content). In other words, the control means 54 equips the equipment item (second content) after training to a specific character, and does not equip any characters other than the specific character that were equipped with the equipment item included in the extracted item group with the equipment item. For example, the control means 54 associates the owned item ID of the equipment item after training with a specific character in the correspondence information of the owned content information. That is, the specific character is equipped with the equipment item (evolved item) after training (bulk combination). Also, for example, the control means 54 deletes the owned item ID of the equipment item included in the extracted item group in the correspondence information of the owned content information. That is, characters that were equipped with the evolution material item before training (bulk combination) but are not equipped with the evolution material item (unequipped state).

[0132] Furthermore, the control means 54 associates the developed equipment item (second content) with a specific character (specific first content) having a high priority. For example, the control means 54 references specific information in the owned content information in the player information 50A and equips the developed equipment item to a specific character having a high priority. Specifically, the control means 54 associates the owned item ID of the developed equipment item with a specific character having a high priority in the correspondence information of the owned content information.

[0133] Furthermore, the control means 54 associates the equipment item (second content) after training with a specific character (specific first content) that is frequently used in the game. For example, the control means 54 stores, in the specific information of the owned content information in the player information 50A, the owned character IDs of multiple characters designated by the player and, as a priority order, the ranking of the number of times the designated characters have been used in quests (in descending order of frequency).

[0134] Furthermore, the control means 54 associates the equipment item (second content) after training with a specific character (specific first content) whose first predetermined parameter has been trained. Examples of the first predetermined parameter include level, number of turns until skill activation, upper limit of level, lower limit of number of turns until skill activation, rarity, luck, attack power, defense power, hit points, etc. For example, the control means 54 stores, in the specific information of the owned content information in the player information 50A, the owned character IDs of multiple characters designated by the player and, as a priority order, the ranking of the number of turns until skill activation of the designated characters (lowest number of turns until skill activation).

[0135] Furthermore, the specific character (specific first content) is one or more specific characters (specific first content) that are frequently used in the game. For example, the control means 54 stores, in the specific information of the owned content information in the player information 50A, the owned character IDs of the characters (e.g., the top five characters) that have been used most frequently in quests in a predetermined period (e.g., the most recent week) and, as a priority order, the ranking of the number of times that the characters have been used in quests in the predetermined period (e.g., the most recent week).

[0136] Furthermore, the specific character (specific first content) is one or more specific characters whose first predetermined parameters have been developed. For example, the control means 54 stores, in the specific information of the owned content information in the player information 50A, the owned character IDs of characters with high rarity (e.g., the top five characters) and the ranking of the levels of the characters (highest level first). For example, the control means 54 stores, in the specific information of the owned content information in the player information 50A, the owned character IDs of characters with high rarity (e.g., the top five characters) and the ranking of the number of turns for activating a skill of the characters (lowest level first).

[0137] Furthermore, the control means 54 associates, with a specific character (specific first content), equipment items (second content) whose second predetermined parameters have been improved among the equipment items (second content) after training. Examples of the second predetermined parameters include level, number of turns until skill activation, upper limit of level, lower limit of number of turns until skill activation, rarity, luck, attack power, defense power, and hit points. For example, the control means 54 references the correspondence information and identification information of the owned content information, and determines, in order of priority, whether the second predetermined parameters of the equipment items associated with the specific characters in the identification information are improved more than the second predetermined parameters of the equipment items after training. If the determination is negative, the control means 54 then determines the specific character to be equipped with the equipment items after training. On the other hand, if the determination is positive, the control means 54 repeats the process of determining whether the second predetermined parameters of the equipment items of the specific character with the next highest priority are improved more than the second predetermined parameters of the equipment items after training. If the determination is negative, the control means 54 determines that the specific character will be equipped with the trained equipment item. Furthermore, if the second predetermined parameters of the equipment items associated with all specific characters are trained to be greater than the second predetermined parameters of the trained equipment items, the control means 54 does not equip the specific character with the trained equipment items. Furthermore, for example, in the determination, the control means 54 compares the second predetermined parameters of equipment items of the same type (e.g., weapon items, armor items, ring items).

[0138] Furthermore, when the extraction means 52 extracts an equipment item (second content) associated with a specific character (specific first content), the control means 54 associates with the specific character (specific first content) the equipment item (second content) that has been developed by combining a group of items (content group) including the equipment item (second content). For example, when the control means 54 references the specific information of the owned content information in the player information 50A and extracts a weapon item A equipped by character X, a specific character, as part of the item group, the control means 54 again equips character X with the developed weapon item A' that has been developed by combining the item group.

[0139] <Processing Flow> Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by each functional means in the game system 1 according to the second embodiment. The processing of the following steps is initiated, for example, when the player selects an equipment item in the training menu. The order and content of the following steps can be changed as appropriate.

[0140] (Steps SP40 to SP46) The processing of steps SP40 to SP46 is the same as the processing of steps SP10 to SP16 described above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. If the determination in step SP46 is affirmative, the processing proceeds to step SP48. On the other hand, if the determination is negative, the processing ends the series of steps shown in FIG. 10.

[0141] (Step SP48) The control means 54 determines the character to be equipped with the developed equipment item (evolved item) for each of the item groups extracted in step SP40. For example, the control means 54 references the correspondence information and identification information of the owned content information, and, starting with the specific character with the highest priority in the identification information, determines whether the level of the equipment item associated with the specific character is higher than the level of the developed equipment item. If the determination is negative, the control means 54 determines the specific character to be equipped with the developed equipment item. On the other hand, if the determination is positive, the control means 54 repeats the process of determining whether the level of the equipment item of the specific character with the next highest priority is higher than the level of the developed equipment item, and if the determination is negative, determines the specific character to be equipped with the developed equipment item. Then, the process proceeds to step SP50.

[0142] (Step SP50) The control means 54 causes the touch panel 32 to display a confirmation screen showing the group of items to be combined in bulk.

[0143] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen 100 showing a group of items to be combined in a batch in the second embodiment.

[0144] As shown in FIG. 11 , the confirmation screen 100 includes a bulk merge item information area 102, check boxes 104, a back button 106, and a merge start button 108. The bulk merge item information area 102 displays each of the items to be merged. For example, the bulk merge item information area 102 displays an image of the items extracted in step SP40 and the equipment items (evolved items) after training. For example, the bulk merge item information area 102 also displays a message indicating that a specific character determined in step SP48 will be equipped with the equipment items (evolved items). For example, the bulk merge item information area 102 also displays a message indicating that characters equipped with the items extracted in step SP40, but other than the character determined in step SP48, will have the equipment removed. Check boxes 104 are provided corresponding to each of the item groups, allowing the player to select whether or not to include the items in the bulk merged item group. The back button 106 is a button (instruction area) for issuing an instruction to close the confirmation screen 100 and return to the development screen. The start compositing button 108 is a button (instruction area) for issuing an instruction to start batch compositing. Note that the start compositing button 108 can be used to issue an instruction only when one or more check boxes 104 are checked.

[0145] Returning to FIG. 10, the process proceeds to step SP52.

[0146] (Step SP52) The control means 54 determines whether or not there has been an instruction from the player to start batch synthesis (batch evolution). For example, if the synthesis start button is pressed on the confirmation screen, the control means 54 makes a positive determination. If the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step SP54. On the other hand, if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step SP44.

[0147] (Step SP54) The control means 54 combines all of the item groups (e.g., item groups A to C) that have been checked on the confirmation screen. That is, the control means 54 deletes (excludes) each of the item groups used in the combined combination from the owned content information of the player information 50A, and adds each of the combined, developed equipment items to the owned content information of the player information 50A. Then, the process proceeds to step SP56.

[0148] (Step SP56) The control means 54 equips each of the developed equipment items collectively synthesized in step SP54 to the specific character determined in step SP48. For example, the control means 54 associates the owned item IDs of the developed equipment items (evolved items) with the specific character in the correspondence information of the owned content information. Then, the processing proceeds to step SP58.

[0149] (Step SP58) The control means 54 causes the touch panel 32 to display a result screen showing the results of the batch merging.

[0150] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a result screen 110 showing the results of the batch merging in the second embodiment.

[0151] As shown in FIG. 12 , the result screen 110 has an acquired item information area 112 and a done button 114. The acquired item information area 112 displays the equipment items acquired by the player through bulk synthesis (bulk evolution). For example, the acquired item information area 112 displays, for each equipment item acquired by the player, changes to special parameters (e.g., rarity and upper limit of level), the character equipped with the equipment item, etc. The done button 114 is a button (instruction area) for closing the result screen 110 and issuing an instruction to return to the development screen.

[0152] Then, the series of processes shown in FIG. 10 ends.

[0153] (Steps SP60 to SP62) The processing in steps SP60 to SP62 is the same as the processing in steps SP30 to SP32 described above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Then, the processing ends with the series of processing steps shown in FIG.

[0154] <Effects> As described above, in the second embodiment, there is provided a program for executing a game in which it is possible to associate second content with first content, and to develop the second content by combining a plurality of second contents of the same type, and the program causes a computer to function as extraction means 52 that extracts groups of content of the same type from the second content owned by the player, and control means 54 that combines the extracted groups of content together and allows the player to own each of the developed second contents developed by the combination, and the control means 54 associates the developed second content with a specific first content.

[0155] According to this configuration, second content items associated with specific first content items can be combined in a lump without canceling the association, and the second content items after training can be associated with the specific first content items. This reduces the effort required by the player when performing the lump-combining process.

[0156] In the second embodiment, the specific first content is one or more first contents designated by the player.

[0157] According to this configuration, the second content associated with the first content specified by the player can be combined in a lump without canceling the association, and the second content after training can be associated with the specific first content, thereby reducing the player's effort when performing the lump combination.

[0158] In addition, in the second embodiment, the specific first content is a plurality of first contents whose priorities are designated by the player, and the control means 54 associates the second content after development with the specific first content having a high priority.

[0159] According to this configuration, second contents associated with specific first contents having a high priority designated by a player can be combined in a lump without canceling the association, and the second contents after training can be associated with the specific first contents, thereby reducing the effort required of the player when performing the lump combination.

[0160] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the control means 54 associates the second content after development with a specific first content that is frequently used in the game.

[0161] According to this configuration, second content items associated with specific first content items that are frequently used in the game can be combined in bulk without canceling the association, and the second content items after development can be associated with the specific first content items, thereby reducing the effort required of the player when combining the second content items in bulk.

[0162] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the control means 54 associates the second content after development with the specific first content in which the first predetermined parameter has been developed.

[0163] According to this configuration, second content items associated with specific first content items whose first predetermined parameters have been developed can be combined in bulk without canceling the association, and the second content items after development can be associated with the specific first content items. This reduces the effort required of the player when combining the second content items in bulk.

[0164] In the second embodiment, the specific first content is one or more first contents that are frequently used in the game.

[0165] According to this configuration, second content items associated with frequently used first content items in the game can be combined in bulk without canceling the association, and the second content items after development can be associated with the specific first content items, thereby reducing the player's effort when combining the second content items in bulk.

[0166] In the second embodiment, the specific first content is one or more first contents in which a first predetermined parameter is developed.

[0167] According to this configuration, second content items associated with first content items whose first predetermined parameters have been developed can be combined in a lump without canceling the association, and the second content items after development can be associated with the specific first content item. This reduces the player's effort in performing the lump-combining process.

[0168] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the control means 54 associates the second content, of the second contents after development, in which the second predetermined parameter has been developed, with the specific first content.

[0169] According to this configuration, second content items associated with specific first content items can be combined in a lump without canceling the association, and the second content items, among the second content items after training, in which the second predetermined parameter has been developed, can be associated with the specific first content item. This reduces the effort required of the player when performing the lump combination.

[0170] In addition, in the second embodiment, when second content associated with a specific first content is extracted by the extraction means 52, the control means 54 again associates the developed second content, which has been developed by combining a content group including the second content, with the specific first content.

[0171] According to this configuration, second content items associated with specific first content items can be combined in a lump without canceling the association, and second content items developed by combining a content group including the second content items can be re-associated with the specific first content items. This reduces the player's effort when performing lump-combining.

[0172] ---Modifications--- The present invention is not limited to the above specific examples. In other words, designs that are appropriately modified by a person skilled in the art from the above specific examples are also included within the scope of the present invention as long as they contain the features of the present invention. Furthermore, the elements of the above-mentioned embodiments and the modifications described below can be combined to the extent technically possible, and such combinations are also included within the scope of the present invention as long as they contain the features of the present invention.

[0173] For example, in the first embodiment, the control means 54 mainly describes a case where an equipment item equipped by a specific character from the extracted item group is used as the synthesis source item, but an equipment item not equipped by any character may also be used as the synthesis source item. For example, when the extracted item group is made up of only equipment items not equipped by any character, the control means 54 uses the equipment item with the highest level of development in a predetermined parameter (e.g., level, etc.) as the synthesis source item.

[0174] In the first and second embodiments, the evolution material content pre-associated with the source content is of the same type as the source content, but the evolution material content may be content that is not of the same type as the source content (related content pre-determined by the game operator). The evolution material content may also be content from the same series as the source content. Examples of content from the same series include pre-evolved content of the source content and evolved content of the source content.

[0175] In the first embodiment, the control means 54 deletes the owned item ID of the evolution material item from the correspondence information of the owned content information after the batch combination, so that the character that was equipped with the evolution material item is no longer equipped with the equipment item. However, the control means 54 may equip the character with a weapon item that has a high predetermined parameter (e.g., attack power) from among the equipment items owned by the player. In the second embodiment, the control means 54 deletes the owned item ID of the equipment item included in the extracted item group from the correspondence information of the owned content information after the batch combination, so that the characters that were equipped with the evolution material item, except for the specific character, are no longer equipped with the evolution material item. However, the control means 54 may equip the character with a weapon item that has a high predetermined parameter (e.g., defense power) from among the equipment items owned by the player.

[0176] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, the first content has been mainly described as a character, but the first content may also be an equipment item. In this case, the second content may also be an equipment item that can be associated with (e.g., equipped with) the first content (equipment item). Examples of such equipment items include gems, materia, runes (marks), and attribute items. Such attribute items are, for example, items that add attributes (e.g., water attribute, fire attribute, etc.) to equipment items. Furthermore, while the first content has been mainly described as a character owned by a player, the first content may also be a character loaned from another player or a game operator, or a character available from the start of the game.

[0177] In the first and second embodiments, the extraction means 52 extracts one or more groups of items from the equipment items (second content) owned by the player, but, for example, in response to a request from the player, it may extract only equipped equipment items or only unequipped equipment items. For example, the development screen may be provided with a first bulk synthesis button for bulk synthesizing all owned equipment items, a second bulk synthesis button for bulk synthesizing only equipped equipment items, and a third bulk synthesis button for bulk synthesizing only unequipped equipment items.

[0178] In the first and second embodiments, the extraction means 52 extracts one or more groups of items from the equipment items (second content) owned by the player, but, for example, the types of equipment items may be limited and extracted in response to a request from the player. For example, the training screen may be provided with a first bulk synthesis button for bulk synthesizing weapon items, a second bulk synthesis button for bulk synthesizing armor items, and a third bulk synthesis button for bulk synthesizing ring items.

[0179] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, the first content is mainly a character, but it may also be a card, a figure, or the like.

[0180] 10... Server device 12... Terminal device 50... Storage means 52... Extraction means 54... Control means

Claims

1. A program for executing a game in which a first content can be associated with a second content, the program causing a computer to function as: an extraction means for extracting a group of content of the same type from the second content owned by a player; and a control means for collectively synthesizing, for each source content of each content group, material content of the same type as the source content, with the second content associated with a specific first content from the extracted content group as the source content and the other second contents as material content.

2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the specific first content is one or more first contents designated by the player.

3. The program according to claim 2, wherein the specific first content is a plurality of first contents whose priorities have been designated by the player, and the control means prioritizes the second content associated with the specific first content having a high priority as the source content.

4. The program according to claim 2, wherein said control means prioritizes second content associated with said specific first content that is frequently used in the game as the synthesis source content.

5. The program according to claim 2, wherein the control means prioritizes, among the specific first contents, a second content associated with a first content having a predetermined parameter cultivated as a synthesis source content.

6. The program according to claim 1, wherein the specific first content is one or more first contents that are frequently used within the game.

7. The program according to claim 1, wherein the specific first content is one or more first contents in which a predetermined parameter is cultivated.

8. An information processing device for executing a game in which a first content can be associated with a second content, the information processing device comprising: an extraction means for extracting a group of content of the same type from the second content owned by a player; and a control means for collectively synthesizing, for each of the source content of each content group, material content of the same type as the source content, with the second content associated with a specific first content from the extracted content group as a source content and the other second contents as material content.

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