Game system, method, and program

Abstract

A game system (1) comprises: a match-processing unit (111) that executes a match process using a plurality of first game media and a second game medium used to execute a first process that exerts a prescribed first effect on at least some of the first game media; a status information acquisition unit (112) that acquires status information indicating the status of the match; and a first processing unit (113) that executes the first process when a condition including at least a first condition set with respect to the content of the status information is satisfied. The first effect and the first condition, and the second game medium, are associated with each other. The first processing unit (113) determines, as a first game medium on which the first effect is to be exerted, at least some of the plurality of first game media in accordance with the content of the status information when the condition for executing the first process is satisfied.

Description

Game system, method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a game system, a method, and a program.

[0002] There is a game in which a team made up of players selected by a user plays a match such as a sports match. Non-Patent Document 1 describes a method in which a manager is set separately from the players, and the parameters of players who are compatible with the manager are increased.

[0003] Inazuma Eleven GO Shine / Dark official website, game introduction, manager system, [online], [searched December 11, 2023], Internet <URL: https: / / www.inazuma.jp / go / about / manager.html>

[0004] However, in the game of Non-Patent Document 1, the parameters of the players only change based on their compatibility with the manager. Therefore, there is room for improving the entertainment value of the game by combining players and managers. In other words, there is room for improvement to further enhance the entertainment value of the game by further improving the game's expression based on the manager's personality, tactics, etc. during the match.

[0005] An object of one aspect of the present invention is to realize a technology that further enhances the entertainment value of competitive games.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a game system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a battle processing unit that executes a battle process using a plurality of first game media and a second game medium used to execute a first process that applies a predetermined first effect to at least some of the first game media, a situation information acquisition unit that acquires situation information indicating the situation of the battle, and a first processing unit that executes the first process when a condition including at least a first condition set regarding the content of the situation information is satisfied, wherein the first effect and the first condition are associated with the second game media, and the first processing unit determines at least some of the first game media among the plurality of first game media as the first game media on which the first effect is to be applied, depending on the content of the situation information when the condition for executing the first process is satisfied.

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, a method according to one aspect of the present invention is a method executed by one or more computers included in a game system, and includes: a battle processing step of executing a battle processing using a plurality of first game media and a second game medium used to execute a first process that applies a predetermined first effect to at least some of the first game media; a situation information acquisition step of acquiring situation information that indicates the situation of the battle; and a first processing step of executing the first process when a condition including at least a first condition set with respect to the content of the situation information is satisfied, wherein the first effect and the first condition are associated with the second game media, and in the first processing step, at least some of the first game media among the plurality of first game media are determined as first game media to be the target first game media on which the first effect is to be applied, depending on the content of the situation information when the condition for executing the first process is satisfied.

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, a program according to one aspect of the present invention causes one or more computers included in a game system to execute a battle processing step using a plurality of first game media and a second game medium used to execute a first process that applies a predetermined first effect to at least some of the first game media, a situation information acquisition step to acquire situation information indicating the situation of the battle, and a first processing step to execute the first process when a condition including at least a first condition set with respect to the content of the situation information is satisfied, wherein the first effect and the first condition are associated with the second game media, and in the first processing step, at least some of the first game media among the plurality of first game media are determined as first game media to be the target first game media on which the first effect is to be applied, depending on the content of the situation information when the condition for executing the first process is satisfied.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to further increase the interest in a battle game.

[0010] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a game system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a game system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic overview of a baseball game according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of player character information and a player character screen according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of strengthening a player character according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of manager character information and a manager character screen according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of manager combo information according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of manager skill information according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of counter skill information according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of compatibility information according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a team formation screen according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the flow of a method executed by a game system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a skill activation screen according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] [First Embodiment] A game system 1 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below. The game system 1 is a system for progressing a competitive game. The competitive game may be played between multiple users, or between a user and a computer.

[0012] <Configuration of Game System 1> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the game system 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the game system 1 includes game terminals 10-1, 10-2, and so on, and a server 30. When there is no need to distinguish between the game terminals 10-1, 10-2, and so on, each will be simply referred to as a game terminal 10. These devices are communicatively connected via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, but is not limited to this. While FIG. 1 shows two game terminals 10, the game system 1 may include one game terminal 10 or three or more game terminals 10. Furthermore, while FIG. 1 shows one server 30, the game system 1 may include multiple servers 30. One or more game terminals 10 and the server 30 cooperate with each other to execute a game program, thereby progressing a competitive game. Note that the game system 1 according to one aspect of the present invention does not necessarily have to include a server 30 and can be modified to include at least one game terminal 10. The at least one game terminal 10 may not have a function to communicate with the server 30. For example, the at least one game terminal 10 may use pre-assigned player characters and manager characters to progress a competitive game between the user of the game terminal 10 and a computer.

[0013] (Hardware Configuration of Game Terminal 10) The game terminal 10 is a terminal used by a user to play a competitive game. Examples of the game terminal 10 include, but are not limited to, a home game console, a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet, a smart TV, or a commercial game console. As shown in FIG. 1 , for example, the game terminal 10 includes a processor 11, a memory 12, a communication interface 13, an input device 14, a display device 15, and an audio output device 16. These components are connected via a bus 19.

[0014] The processor 11 controls each part of the game terminal 10 by executing a program stored in the memory 12. The processor 11 is configured by an integrated circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), for example.

[0015] The memory 12 stores programs executed by the processor 11 and various data used by the processor 11. The memory 12 may be configured, for example, with a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM (registered trademark)), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), or a combination thereof. Note that part or all of the memory 12 need not necessarily be built into the game terminal 10, but may be externally attached via an input / output interface (not shown) such as a universal serial bus (USB). Also, part or all of the memory 12 may be connected to the game terminal 10 via a network as a device independent of the game terminal 10.

[0016] The communication interface 13 is an interface for connecting to the network NW, and is configured by, for example, a wired connection interface such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or a wireless connection interface such as WiFi (registered trademark).

[0017] The input device 14 is a device that accepts user operations and is configured, for example, by a controller, keyboard, mouse, touchpad, microphone, or a combination of some or all of these. The display device 15 is a device that displays a screen for progressing through the competitive game and is configured, for example, by a display. The input device 14 and the display device 15 may be separate devices, or at least a portion of the input device 14 may be integrated with the display device 15 as a touch panel or the like. The audio output device 16 is a device that outputs audio and is configured, for example, by a speaker, headphones, or a combination of these. Some or all of the input device 14, the display device 15, and the audio output device 16 are not necessarily built into the game terminal 10, but may be externally connected as peripheral devices.

[0018] (Hardware Configuration of Server 30) The server 30 is a computer capable of communicating with the game terminal 10. As shown in Fig. 1 , the server 30 includes, for example, a processor 31, a memory 32, and a communication interface 33. These components are connected via a bus 39. The processor 31, the memory 32, and the communication interface 33 will be described in the same manner as the components of the same name provided in the game terminal 10, and therefore detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0019] (Functional Configuration of Game System 1) FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of game system 1. As shown in FIG. 2, game system 1 includes control unit 110 and storage unit 130. Control unit 110 is realized by one or both of processor 11 of game terminal 10 and processor 31 of server 30 executing a game program. In other words, processor 11 of game terminal 10 executes a game program stored in memory 12, thereby realizing at least a portion of the functions of control unit 110 while cooperating with server 30 as necessary. Furthermore, processor 31 of server 30 executes a game program stored in memory 32, thereby realizing at least a portion of the functions of control unit 110 while cooperating with game terminal 10 as necessary. Storage unit 130 is composed of memory 12 of game terminal 10 and memory 32 of server 30.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2 , the control unit 110 includes a battle processing unit 111, a situation information acquisition unit 112, a first processing unit 113, a first parameter determination unit 114, and a second processing unit 115. In the following description, these functional blocks are assumed to be located in the game terminal 10. However, at least one of these functional blocks may be located in the server 30. Furthermore, at least one of these functional blocks may be distributed between the game terminal 10 and the server 30. The storage unit 130 stores information indicating the deck, the first game medium, and the second game medium. Some or all of this information may be stored in the memory 12 of the game terminal 10, in the memory 32 of the server 30, or distributed between the memory 12 and the memory 32.

[0021] The battle processing unit 111 executes the battle processing using a plurality of first game media and a second game media used to execute a first process that exerts a predetermined first effect on at least some of the first game media. The battle processing unit 111 may also execute the battle processing using a first parameter.

[0022] The situation information acquisition unit 112 acquires situation information indicating the situation of the battle. The first processing unit 113 executes a first process when conditions including at least a first condition set for the content of the situation information are satisfied. Furthermore, the first effect and the first condition are associated with second game media, and the first processing unit 113 determines at least some of the first game media among the multiple first game media as first game media on which the first effect is to be applied, depending on the content of the situation information when the condition for executing the first process is satisfied. In this way, the first process for applying the first effect by the second game media is executed depending on the progress of the battle, thereby increasing the influence of the second game media on the progress of the battle and making the battle more interesting.

[0023] Furthermore, the condition for executing the first process may further include satisfying a second condition set for the first game media used in the battle process. This requires both the first and second conditions to be satisfied in order to execute the first process, thereby increasing the strategic value of the first effect. Furthermore, multiple second conditions may be set, and the condition for executing the first process may include satisfying at least one of the multiple second conditions. In this case, the first processing unit 113 may determine the content of the first effect depending on the second condition that is satisfied. This requires the desired second condition to be satisfied in order to execute the desired first process, thereby increasing the strategic value of the execution of the first effect.

[0024] Here, "game media" refers to media used in the progression of a game. Specific examples of game media include game objects such as characters, such as baseball players, that appear in the game, or character cards corresponding to the characters, various items used in the game (for example, items that exert a predetermined effect when equipped to a character or used on a team), in-game value, and media possessed by a user that is separate from the game terminal (for example, recording media such as cards on which data to be read by the game terminal is recorded).

[0025] Furthermore, for example, the game content is a unit that can be possessed by a user. The possessable unit is, for example, the smallest unit that can be consumed or acquired. Furthermore, the game content used to progress through the game may be granted to the user playing the game (game content possessed by the user), or may be game content that is possessed by another user and loaned to the user by the other user.

[0026] In-game value is the value required to exchange for game content or services (such as participating in a lottery), and examples include in-game currency, points to exchange for items, etc. Game content may be associated with non-fungible tokens that are managed by holders on a blockchain.

[0027] Furthermore, the "first game medium" refers to the game medium used in the match. If the match is a sport such as baseball, the first game medium may be, for example, a character representing a player. Hereinafter, the character representing a player may also be referred to as a player character.

[0028] Furthermore, the "second game medium" refers to the game medium used in the match and used to execute the first process. If the match is a sport such as baseball, the second game medium may be, for example, a game medium used in the match as a character other than a player in the match. Such game medium may be, for example, a game medium that does not directly participate in the match, such as a character representing a manager or a character representing a coach. Hereinafter, a character representing a manager or a character representing a coach will also be referred to as a manager character or a coach character.

[0029] Furthermore, "situation information" is information that indicates the situation of the match. In the case of a baseball match, the situation indicated by the situation information includes, for example, the inning, the first and second halves of the inning, the score, which characters are the batter, pitcher, and runner, the batting order regardless of the character, the position of the runner, whether or not a teammate or opponent has activated a skill (for example, a manager skill or counter skill, which will be described later, or a skill other than a manager skill or counter skill that is associated with a player character, manager character, or coach character), and which skill has been activated. Note that skills associated with player characters will also be referred to as "player skills" hereinafter.

[0030] Furthermore, the "first condition" is at least a part of the conditions that must be satisfied in order to execute the first process, and is a condition set with respect to the content of the situation information. For example, the first condition may be that the information indicated by the situation information is of a predetermined content. Examples of the predetermined content include the situation being a specific inning (e.g., the early part of the first to third innings, the middle part of the fourth to sixth innings, or the end part of the seventh to ninth innings), a runner being in scoring position, a predetermined batter, a predetermined pitcher, and a predetermined batting order. Furthermore, the content of the situation information required to satisfy the first condition may be a combination of these, such as a situation in which there is a runner in scoring position in the middle of the innings and the batting order is third to fifth.

[0031] Furthermore, for example, the first condition may be that the opponent has activated a skill (for example, a manager skill or counter skill, which will be described later, or a skill other than a manager skill or counter skill, which is associated with a player character, a manager character, or a coach character). A "counter skill" in the embodiments described later is one aspect of the first process that is executed with the first condition being that the opponent has activated a manager skill, which will be described later.

[0032] In one aspect of the present invention, the first game medium to which the first effect is applied is determined according to the content of the situation information when the condition for executing the first process is satisfied. This determination is performed, for example, as follows: That is, if the first condition is that the content of the situation information is "there is a runner in scoring position in the middle of the game" and the first effect is "to increase the probability of a hit when the batter hits the ball," the first game medium to which the first effect is applied is determined to be the batter who is at bat at that time.

[0033] Here, various methods may be adopted to determine the first game medium to which the first effect is applied, and the timing for referring to the situation information may also be set appropriately.

[0034] As an example of the determination method, when there may be a plurality of first game media to which the first effect is applied, the plurality of first game media may be determined collectively at the time when the condition for executing the first process is satisfied. For example, if the first effect is "to increase the abilities of three batters in scoring position," it may be determined that the first effect will be applied collectively to up to three batters in order, starting from the batter at bat, at the time when the condition for executing the first process (for example, there being a runner in scoring position) is satisfied.

[0035] As another example of the determination method, if there are multiple first game media to which the first effect is applied, each of the multiple first game media may be determined one by one each time it is determined whether or not a condition for executing the first process is satisfied. For example, whether or not the first effect applies to up to three batters following the first batter who is at bat when the condition is satisfied may be determined one by one. Specifically, after it is determined that the first effect applies to the first batter because the condition is satisfied, if the condition is satisfied when the second batter comes to bat (e.g., there are still runners in scoring position), the second batter is also determined to be affected by the first effect. Furthermore, if the condition is not satisfied when the second batter comes to bat (e.g., there are no more runners in scoring position during the game), the second and subsequent batters are not determined to be affected by the first effect. In other words, in this case, the first effect may expire at the second batter's turn. Alternatively, in this case, if the condition is not met when the second batter steps up to bat (for example, there are no runners in scoring position at some point), the second batter may not be determined as the target to which the first effect applies, and it may be determined again when the third batter steps up to bat whether the condition is met (for example, once the second batter reaches scoring position, the third batter becomes the target to which the first effect applies).

[0036] As yet another example of the determination method, if a fourth condition described below is satisfied while the first effect is affecting at least any of the first game media, the number of first game media affected by the first effect may be increased or decreased (for example, the number of targets whose abilities are to be increased may change from three to four, or from three to two, etc.). Note that this increase or decrease is applicable whether multiple first game media affected by the first effect are determined collectively or individually.

[0037] Furthermore, the "first effect" is an effect exerted on the first game medium. The "first process" is a process that exerts the first effect. The first effect may be an effect that is advantageous to the progress of the game, or an effect that is disadvantageous to the progress of the game. An advantageous effect increases the strategic need to satisfy the first condition, while an adverse effect increases the strategic need to avoid satisfying the first condition. Note that an "effect that is advantageous to the progress of the game" is an effect that makes it easier for the user to achieve their objective in the game.

[0038] Examples of the first effect are as follows. That is, the first effect may be an effect of executing a process that affects the progress of the game. An example of a process that affects the progress of the game is a process of increasing or decreasing a parameter that affects the progress of the game. For example, if the match is baseball, such parameters that affect the progress of the game include the probability of a hit or a home run when a batter hits a ball, the probability of a fine play on defense, the probability of an error, etc. For example, player characters, manager characters, coach characters, etc. are each associated with a skill that increases or decreases these probabilities, and the first effect may be an effect of executing the skill.

[0039] Another example of the first effect is as follows. That is, a parameter that affects the progress of the game may be increased or decreased. If the first effect is an effect that is advantageous to the progress of the game, the parameter that is more advantageous to the progress of the game may be increased, and if the first effect is an effect that is disadvantageous to the progress of the game, the parameter may be decreased.

[0040] For example, when the match is baseball, parameters that affect the progress of the game include the increase or decrease of parameters indicating the abilities of each player character (hereinafter also referred to as "ability parameters") in addition to the above-mentioned probabilities, etc. Fielder and pitcher characters are associated with ability parameters relating to, for example, power, hitting ability, running ability, arm strength, defensive ability, pitch speed, control, degree of change when a curveball is thrown, etc.

[0041] Another example of a parameter that affects the progress of a game is a parameter that is set independently of the abilities and skills of a player character and that exerts an advantageous or disadvantageous effect depending on the result of a comparison with an opponent (for example, fan power in a baseball game, as described below). For example, this parameter may be used to compare with the parameter of the opponent during a match and increase or decrease the ability parameter depending on the result. For example, if the parameter is higher than the opponent, the ability parameter is increased, and if the parameter is lower than the opponent, the ability parameter is decreased.

[0042] The first game media to which the first effect is applied may be the first game media of an ally or the first game media of an opponent. For example, if the first effect is an advantageous effect, an ability parameter (described later) of the first game media of the opponent may be reduced to be advantageous to the ally.

[0043] Note that a player character may be associated with a parameter that is not used in the progression of the battle process. Such a parameter may be a parameter that comprehensively evaluates the abilities of the player character. It may also be a parameter that comprehensively evaluates the ability parameters associated with each player character (for example, a parameter calculated from each ability parameter by a predetermined arithmetic process, such as the number of stars in the embodiment of the present application).

[0044] Further, other examples of the first effect are as follows. That is, a parameter (e.g., evaluation, score, reward, etc.) given to a user may be increased or decreased based on the result of the user's operation. For example, if a score, reward, etc. is given to a user based on the results of batting, pitching, etc., separately from the outcome of a match, or points for obtaining a reward are given, the points may be increased or decreased. Further, the first effect may be a combination of some or all of the above-mentioned examples. However, the first effect is not limited to the above-mentioned examples.

[0045] Furthermore, the "second condition" is one of the conditions for executing the first process and is a condition set with respect to the first game medium. The condition set with respect to the first game medium is, for example, a condition set according to the type, ability, etc. of the first game medium used in the match. Furthermore, for example, in a mode in which a predetermined effect (e.g., a manager combo in a baseball game described below) is executed when the type or ability of the first game medium satisfies a predetermined condition, the second condition may be the execution of the predetermined effect, or the second condition may be the number of executed predetermined effects.

[0046] The first parameter determination unit 114 determines a first parameter associated with the first game medium or associated with a deck composed of the first game medium and the second game medium. When a third condition set for the first game medium used in the battle process is satisfied, the second processing unit 115 executes a second process that applies a second effect to the first parameter, changing the first parameter. In this case, the second condition is a condition related to the execution status of the second process. This increases the effect of the second condition, thereby increasing the strategic value of satisfying the second condition. Note that the second condition and the second effect may be associated with the second game medium. This increases the strategic value of selecting the second game medium to execute the desired second effect.

[0047] Here, the “first parameter” refers to a parameter associated with the first game medium or the deck, and may be, for example, a parameter that exerts an advantageous or disadvantageous effect depending on the result of comparison with the opponent.

[0048] Furthermore, the "second effect" is an effect that is exerted on the first parameter by satisfying the second condition. The "second processing" is processing that exerts the second effect. Examples of the second effect include, but are not limited to, an effect that increases or decreases the first parameter, an effect that increases or decreases an ability parameter, or a combination thereof. The second effect may be an advantageous effect or an unfavorable effect in the progression of the game. For example, if the first parameter is a parameter that is more advantageous to the progression of the game the higher it is, such as a parameter indicating the level of ability, then to make the second effect an advantageous effect, the parameter can be increased, and to make the second effect an unfavorable effect, the parameter can be decreased.

[0049] Note that if the first effect and the second effect have the same target (for example, if both the first effect and the second effect increase or decrease the first parameter), the second effect may be obtained independently of the first effect. For example, the first effect may increase or decrease the first parameter, and the second effect may increase or decrease the first parameter, with the final first parameter being the sum of these increases or decreases.

[0050] <Competitive Game> An embodiment of a competitive game in which the game system 1 is used will be described. The competitive game in which the game system 1 is used can be any of a variety of games in which a battle between users or between a user and a computer takes place, such as a sports game, a combat game, or a fighting game. An embodiment in which a baseball game is used as the competitive game will be described below. In this embodiment, a player character is used as a specific example of the first game medium. A manager character is used as a specific example of the second game medium. A team formed including player characters and a manager character is used as a deck. The competitive process in this embodiment is a process in which a team formed by a user plays against another team in a baseball game simulation, and the battle is also referred to as a match. The other team may be a team formed by another user, or a team formed by a computer.

[0051] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a schematic overview of a baseball game according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3 , the baseball game includes a training part and a competition part. The baseball game also includes a scouting function for acquiring player characters and the like to be used in the training part. The training part is a mode in which a player organizes a team using player characters and manager characters and strengthens the team by managing the team (raising operating funds and / or giving training instructions to the player characters, etc.). While this embodiment describes a mode in which the player characters constituting the team are trained through club management, this mode is not limited to this. For example, the mode may also include a mode in which each player character acquired through the scouting function is trained before being assigned to a team. Various training methods can be applied to the player characters. The competition part is a mode in which the team created in the training part is used to play a match against another user's team. In the competition part, a competition process is executed by the competition processing unit 111. Furthermore, in the competition part, a manager skill, which is an example of a first process, is activated. Furthermore, in the competition part, a manager combo, which is an example of a second process, is achieved. However, playing the training part is not necessarily required, and the battle part may be played using the team organized by the user without strengthening it.

[0052] (Scout Function) The scout function is a so-called gacha for obtaining player characters and the like to be used in the training part. In the scout function, one of a plurality of predetermined player characters is determined based on the probability of being acquired based on a user's operation to execute the gacha, and the determined player character is granted to the user. Player characters are assigned a rarity (rank), and each rarity has a set probability of being acquired in the gacha. The probability of being acquired decreases as the rarity increases. For example, if there are three ranks of rarity, S rank, A rank, and B rank, the probability of being acquired for S rank may be set to 2.5%, the probability of being acquired for A rank to 8.5%, and the probability of being acquired for B rank to 89%. However, the number of rank levels and the numerical values ​​of the probability of being acquired are not limited to these examples. In addition to the regular gacha, there may also be gachas with increased probability of acquiring specific player characters, gachas with limited time periods or execution times, and the like.

[0053] In the training part, in addition to the player characters granted by the scout function, a manager character is also required. In this embodiment, the manager character is not granted by the scout function, but is instead distributed by the operator at the start of the game or granted as a reward for playing the game. However, the manager character may also be granted by the scout function. Furthermore, the player characters may also be distributed by the operator or granted as a reward for playing the game. In other words, the manager character and the player character may be granted to the user in any appropriate manner. Furthermore, when no particular distinction is made between the manager character and the player character, they are also simply referred to as "characters." A character granted to a user is also referred to as a character owned by the user. Furthermore, each piece of data included in the character information indicating a character is also referred to as data possessed by the character. There may be multiple different characters for the same person (e.g., different versions of the same person). At least some of the data possessed by such multiple different characters for the same person differs from each other.

[0054] (Player Character) The player character will now be described. The player character is an example of a first game medium used in a match in the battle part. When a player character is assigned to a user by a scout function or the like, player character information indicating the player character is associated with the user and stored in the storage unit 130. Some or all of the player character information may be stored in the memory 12 of the game terminal 10 of the user who owns the player character, or may be stored in the memory 32 of the server 30. Note that player characters may be loanable between users.

[0055] The player characters owned by the user can be used to organize a team for playing the training part and the battle part. Furthermore, the player characters included in the organized team affect the achievement of a manager combo (an example of a second process) in the battle part.

[0056] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of player character information and a player character screen. The player character information is an example of "information indicating the first game medium" stored in the storage unit 130. The player character information includes data for each item. Changing at least a portion of the data included in the player character information (in other words, the data held by the player character) to be advantageous in the match is also referred to as strengthening the player character (or the player character growing). The player character can be strengthened by performing operations to train the player character in the training part. The player character can also be strengthened outside the training part.

[0057] The player character screen G1 is a screen on which at least a portion of the data held by a player character can be viewed. The player character screen G1 is displayed on the display device 15 of the game terminal 10 according to the player character information stored in the storage unit 130. In the example of FIG. 4 , the player character screen G1 illustrates an example of a screen displayed when a player character is exceeded (an example of strengthening) outside of the training part. The player character screen G1 includes an area G11 including information indicating an overview of the player character (e.g., appearance, main data held, strengthening status, etc.), an area G12 including data before strengthening, and an area G13 including data after strengthening. The player character screen G1 is not limited to being displayed when the player character is strengthened, and may also be displayed to confirm the data held by the player character. In this case, the player character screen G1 does not need to include the area G12 including data before strengthening, and it is sufficient that the data held at that time is included in the area G13. By viewing the player character screen G1, the user can grasp the data held by their player character.

[0058] A detailed example of the data held by a player character will be described below. As shown in Figure 4, a player character holds data indicating, for example, profile, rank, parameters, player skills, cost, ability type, number of limit breakthroughs, condition, and stamina (fatigue level).

[0059] The profile indicates objective information such as the player character's name, date of birth, dominant hand (turn at bat), etc.

[0060] The rank indicates the rarity of the player character and cannot be changed by the user.

[0061] The parameters indicate the abilities of the player character. For example, the parameters may include multiple types of parameters, such as ability parameters, star ratings, and fan power (also referred to as FP). The ability parameters include information that quantifies the abilities of the player character by category, such as hitting, stamina, and position suitability. The ability parameters may be assigned a rank according to the numerical value of the ability parameter. Furthermore, the ability parameters increase by a predetermined amount each time a predetermined amount of experience points is accumulated. Note that experience points can be acquired through practice in the training part or through certain events. There are also items that directly increase ability parameters.

[0062] The star rating is an index that comprehensively evaluates the ability parameters of a player character and the player skills described below, and is an index that numerically represents the overall ability of a player. For example, if the value of "Meet" included in the ability parameters is 57 (D rank), the star rating is 30 points, and if the player skill is level 3, the star rating is 40 points. The star rating is calculated by adding up points determined according to the ability parameters and player skills possessed. When a player character is strengthened inside or outside the training part, the star rating also changes. The star rating is information used to present the overall ability of a player character to the user. The star ratings of the player characters included in a team are added up to calculate the team's star rating. The team's star rating is information used to present the team's overall ability to the user.

[0063] Fan power is a numerical value set for each player character, independent of abilities and player skills, that influences the situation of the game. Fan power can fluctuate depending on the number of fans, which fluctuates during the development part. Note that the fluctuation in fan power depending on the number of fans may be effective only within the development part or may be carried over to the competition part. Fan power may also fluctuate during a game depending on the manager combo, which will be described later. Fan power is compared to the fan power of the opposing player character facing the player during the game. Note that if the opposing player character is an offensive batter, the opposing player character is the player character of the opposing pitcher at that time. If the opposing player character is a defensive pitcher, the opposing player character is the player character of the opposing batter at that time. If the fan power of the player character is inferior to that of the opposing player character, the ability parameters of the player character will decrease. If the fan power of the player character is superior to that of the opposing player character, the ability parameters of the opposing player character will decrease. Furthermore, fan power may also affect factors not directly related to the game, such as ticket revenue and merchandise revenue in the development part.

[0064] The fan power of the team is calculated by adding up the fan powers of the player characters included in the team. The fan power of the team may fluctuate depending on the manager combo, which will be described later. The fan power of the team affects the development of the game, which will be described later. For example, if the fan power of a team exceeds the fan power of the opposing team, the automatic progression part and / or the action part will progress more advantageously. The fan power of the player characters may not only affect the ability parameters, etc., as described above, but may also affect the development of the game. The fan power of a team may not only affect the development of the game, as described above, but may also affect the ability parameters of the player characters.

[0065] Player skills are processes that, when activated, have the effect of increasing the abilities of the player character in question or decreasing the abilities of the opponent's player character. Some player skills have activation conditions related to the situation in the match. Each player skill has a level, and as the level increases, the effect also increases.

[0066] The cost is a numerical value set according to the ability and / or rank of the player character. An upper limit may be set on the total cost of a team.

[0067] Ability types affect how a character develops during the training phase. Each type applies a modifier to the amount of experience points gained for each ability parameter.

[0068] The number of limit breaks indicates the number of times a "limit break" has been performed, which increases the level of a parameter or a player skill by consuming a player character with the same name. A limit break can be performed up to five times. A limit break is an example of a process in which a parameter or the effect of an associated player skill is changed to be more advantageous as the game progresses by consuming a specific game medium, such as the player character with the same name. In the example of FIG. 4 , the number "5" attached to the rank "S" in area G11 indicates the number of limit breaks. Furthermore, area G12 containing data before enhancement contains "number of limit breaks 4 / 5," and area G13 containing data after enhancement contains "number of limit breaks 5 / 5." In other words, screen G1 shown in FIG. 4 is an example of a screen displayed when the fifth limit break is performed for this player character.

[0069] Condition is a parameter that influences ability parameters and / or the activation of player skills during a match. There are five stages, ranging from extremely poor to excellent. When the condition is poor, a debuff is applied, and when the condition is good, a buff is applied. When the condition is normal, ability parameters do not change.

[0070] Physical strength (fatigue level) is a parameter that increases or decreases when a player plays in a game. The amount of increase or decrease varies depending on the role in the game (position played) or playing time (number of innings played). A player's abilities decrease depending on the degree to which physical strength decreases, and increase depending on the degree to which physical strength increases.

[0071] Of the above-mentioned data possessed by the player character, leveling up and limit breaking of player skills are performed outside the training part. Other data can be strengthened in the training part. Here, strengthening of the player character outside the training part does not affect the training within the training part.

[0072] FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating the relationship between strengthening of a player character inside and outside the development part. As shown in FIG. 5, the storage unit 130 stores player character information D1 indicating a certain player character owned by the user. Furthermore, when the user performs an operation to organize a team using the player character to play in the development part, information T1 indicating the team is generated and stored in the storage unit 130. This information T1 includes player character information D1', which is a copy of the player character information D1 at the time the operation to add the player character to the team was performed. When the user performs an operation to train the player character in the development part, the player character information D1' included in the information T1 changes to player character information D2. Furthermore, after performing the operation to add the player character to the team, if the user performs an operation to strengthen the player character outside the development part, the player character information D1 changes to player character information D3. In this case, the change from player character information D1 to D3 outside the development part does not affect the change from player character information D1' to D2 within the development part. Thereafter, when the user performs an operation to organize a team using the player character that has been strengthened outside the development part in order to play a new development part, information T2 indicating the team is generated and stored in the storage unit 130. The information T2 includes player character information D3', which is a copy of player character information D3 indicating the player character at the time of organization. When the user performs an operation to train the player character in the development part, the player character information D3' included in the information T2 changes to player character information D4.

[0073] (Manager Character) The manager character will now be described. The manager character is an example of a second game medium used in a match in the battle part. When a manager character is given to a user as a distribution or reward, manager character information indicating the manager character is associated with the user and stored in the storage unit 130. For example, some or all of the manager character information may be stored in the memory 12 of the game terminal 10 of the user who owns the manager character, or may be stored in the memory 32 of the server 30.

[0074] A manager character owned by a user can be used to organize a team for playing the training part and the battle part. Furthermore, the manager character included in the organized team is used to activate a manager skill (an example of the first process) or a counter skill (an example of the first process) in the battle part.

[0075] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of manager character information and a manager character screen. The manager character information is an example of "information indicating the second game medium" stored in the storage unit 130. The manager character information includes data for each item. Changing at least a portion of the data included in the manager character information (in other words, the data held by the manager character) to be advantageous in the game is also referred to as strengthening the manager character. In this embodiment, the manager character can be strengthened outside the training part. However, the manager character may also be strengthened within the training part.

[0076] The manager character screen G2 is a screen on which at least a portion of the data held by the manager character can be viewed. The manager character screen G2 is displayed on the display device 15 of the game terminal 10 in accordance with the manager character information stored in the storage unit 130. In the example of FIG. 6 , the manager character screen G2 shows an example of a screen displayed for confirmation within or outside the training part. The manager character screen G2 includes an area G21 containing information indicating an overview of the manager character (e.g., appearance, main data held, etc.) and an area G22 containing the data held. By viewing the manager character screen G2, the user can grasp the data held by their own manager character.

[0077] A detailed example of the data held by the manager character will be described below. As shown in Figure 6, the manager character holds data indicating, for example, the profile, rank, cost, manager combo, manager skill, and counter skill.

[0078] The profile indicates objective information such as the name and date of birth of the director character.

[0079] The rank indicates the rarity of the manager character. For example, five ranks may be set, with D, C, B, A, and S being the lowest rank, but the number of ranks and their names are not limited to this. The higher the rank, the more powerful the manager character. The rank of the manager character can be increased outside of the training part in exchange for consuming an item associated with the user.

[0080] The cost indicates a numerical value set according to the manager character's abilities, etc. An upper limit may be set on the total cost of a team.

[0081] (Manager Combo) A manager combo is an example of a second process that, when executed, has the effect of changing the team's fan power or the player character's fan power (an example of a first parameter) (an example of a second effect). Executing a manager combo is also referred to as the manager combo being achieved. A manager combo is achieved when the player characters included in the organized team satisfy a combo condition (an example of a third condition). An example of a combo condition is, for example, that the organized team includes a predetermined number or more player characters whose ability parameters satisfy predetermined conditions, but is not limited to this.

[0082] It should be noted that one manager character can have multiple manager combos. For example, multiple manager characters of the same rank may have the same number of manager combos, but at least some of the types may be different from each other.

[0083] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of manager combo information. The manager combo information shown in FIG. 7 includes information indicating 20 manager combos possessed by a certain manager. The manager combo information includes the priority, name, combo ID, fan power increment, and combo conditions for each manager combo. The manager combo information is stored in the storage unit 130 in association with manager character information indicating the certain manager character. Furthermore, some or all of the manager combo information may be stored in the memory 12 of the game terminal 10 of a user who possesses a manager character possessing the multiple manager combos, or in the memory 32 of the server 30.

[0084] Furthermore, not all of the multiple manager combos possessed by a manager character are necessarily valid; instead, the number of manager combos that are valid corresponds to the rank of the manager character, in descending order of priority. The higher the rank, the more manager combos that are valid. For example, it may be determined that 5 manager combos are valid for rank D, 8 for rank C, 12 for rank B, 16 for rank A, and 20 for rank S. However, the number of rank levels and the number of manager combos that are valid for each rank are not limited to these. When the combo conditions for an effective manager combo are met, the fan power of the team increases by the increment specified for that manager combo. Note that the fan power that increases when a manager combo is achieved is not limited to the fan power of the team, but may also be the fan power of the player characters included in the team.

[0085] In this way, when the combo conditions of a valid manager combo are met, that manager combo will be achieved. Note that even if a manager combo is valid, it will not be achieved if the combo conditions are not met. Also, if a manager combo is not valid, it will not be achieved even if the combo conditions are met.

[0086] For example, in the example of FIG. 7 , if the manager character is ranked D, five manager combos (combo IDs 1 to 5) corresponding to rank D will be activated from the highest priority among the 20 manager combos possessed. In this case, if the player characters included in the team satisfy the combo condition for combo ID 1, "the power of No. 1 is 60 or more," the manager combo with combo ID 1 is activated and therefore achieved. As a result, the increment of 1000 specified for the manager combo with combo ID 1 is added to the team's fan power. On the other hand, if the player characters included in the team do not satisfy the combo condition for combo ID 2, "the hitting and power of No. 2 are 50 or more," the manager combo with combo ID 2 will not be achieved even if it is activated. Similarly, even if the player characters included in the team satisfy the combo condition for combo ID 20, "the total power value of the fielders is 1350 or more," the manager combo with combo ID 20 will not be activated because it is not activated.

[0087] (Manager Skills and Counter Skills) Referring again to FIG. 6 , the description of the data possessed by the manager character will continue. A manager skill is an example of a first process whose execution has a beneficial effect on the progress of the game (an example of a first effect). The execution of a manager skill is also referred to as the manager skill being activated. A manager skill becomes active when the number of achieved manager combos reaches or exceeds a threshold. The number of achieved manager combos is an example of an execution status of a second process. Furthermore, the condition "the number of achieved manager combos is greater than or equal to a threshold" is an example of a "second condition set for the first game medium" because a combo condition set for a player character must be satisfied to satisfy this condition. Furthermore, an activated manager skill is activated when an activation condition (an example of a first condition) set for the manager skill is satisfied. In other words, a manager skill is activated when conditions including the first condition and the second condition are satisfied. The activation condition is a condition related to the situation of the game (an example of a "match situation"). In addition, a manager skill may be set with not only an activation condition (an example of a first condition) but also one or more other conditions related to the activation of the manager skill. As an example, a manager skill may be set with a fourth condition as an example of another condition for extending the effect of the activated manager skill. The fourth condition may be a condition related to game situation information. An example of the fourth condition is, but is not limited to, "a target batter affected by the manager skill hits a home run." Furthermore, an example of an extended effect is, but is not limited to, "an additional target batter affected by the manager skill is added."

[0088] It is assumed that one manager character possesses one manager skill. However, one manager character may possess multiple manager skills. One example of the effect of activating a manager skill is that a buff is applied to a player character of the team who is at bat while the manager skill is activated. The effect of the buff may change depending on the number of manager combos achieved (the relationship between the number of achieved manager combos and the change in effect may be common to all manager characters). In other words, multiple second conditions may be set, such as a second condition that the number of manager combos achieved is equal to or greater than a first threshold, and a second condition that the number of manager combos achieved is equal to or greater than a second threshold different from the first threshold. When the second threshold is greater than the first threshold, the effect of the buff corresponding to the number of manager combos achieved is equal to or greater than the second threshold is greater than the effect of the buff corresponding to the number of manager combos achieved is equal to or greater than the first threshold but less than the second threshold.

[0089] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of manager skill information. The manager skill information indicates the manager skills possessed by a certain manager character. The manager skill information includes a skill name, an effect type, an activation condition, an effect, and activated effects 1 to 4. The manager skill information is stored in the storage unit 130 in association with manager character information indicating the certain manager character. Furthermore, for example, some or all of the manager skill information may be stored in the memory 12 of the game terminal 10 of a user who owns a manager character that possesses the manager skill, or may be stored in the memory 32 of the server 30.

[0090] In the example of Figure 8, a manager skill named "Batting Up" is defined. The manager skill has a "batting average" effect type and an activation condition of "there is a runner in scoring position in the middle of the inning." The effect type affects compatibility with counter skills. The effect of the manager skill when activated is "to increase the batter's batting average." When the manager skill is activated, the player character to whom the effect applies is determined. If the effect applies to multiple player characters, the multiple player characters may be determined together, or the effect may be applied to each player character individually each time the player character steps up to bat. Four thresholds (first threshold < second threshold < third threshold < fourth threshold) are set for the number of manager combos achieved (i.e., four second conditions are defined). Activation Effect 1 indicates an effect that occurs when the manager skill becomes active when the number of manager combos achieved is equal to or greater than the first threshold and the game situation meets the activation condition. Activation effects 2, 3, and 4 can be similarly described by replacing the first threshold in the description of activation effect 1 with the second threshold, third threshold, and fourth threshold. Activation effects 1, 2, 3, and 4 have increasing effect magnitudes in this order. For example, activation effect 1 indicates that 0.5 is added to the batter's batting average. Activation effect 4 indicates that 1.0 is added to the batter's batting average. Note that activation effects are not limited to adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing a predetermined value to an ability parameter such as a batter's batting average, but may also change the ability parameter to a predetermined value regardless of the value before the effect is applied.

[0091] A counter skill is an example of a first process that, when executed, has a beneficial effect on the progress of the game (an example of a first effect). Like a manager skill, a counter skill becomes active when the number of manager combos achieved reaches or exceeds a threshold (i.e., an example of a second condition is met). An activated counter skill is also activated when an opponent's manager skill is activated during a match. In other words, the activation condition for a counter skill (an example of a first condition) is that the opponent's manager skill is activated. The thresholds for the number of manager combos achieved for a manager skill and a counter skill to become active may be the same or different. Each manager character possesses one counter skill. An example of the effect of activating a counter skill is that a debuff is applied to a player character of the opposing team who is at bat while the counter skill is activated. The magnitude of the debuff effect may vary depending on the number of manager combos achieved.

[0092] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of counter skill information. The counter skill information indicates the counter skills possessed by a certain manager character. Each item included in the counter skill information shown in FIG. 9 is the same as each item included in the manager skill information shown in FIG. 8. Detailed explanations of each item that are the same as those in FIG. 8 will not be repeated. Here, specific examples of each item will be described.

[0093] In the example of Figure 9, a counter skill with the skill name "Slugging percentage allowed" is defined. The effect type of this counter skill is "Slugging percentage allowed," and the activation condition is "the opponent's manager skill is activated." The effect type affects the compatibility with the manager skill. Furthermore, when this counter skill is activated, the effect is "the slugging percentage of the opponent's batter is reduced." In this example, similar to the example of Figure 8, four thresholds are set for the number of manager combos achieved, thereby defining activation effects 1, 2, 3, and 4. For example, activation effect 1 indicates that 0.3 is subtracted from the opponent's batter's home run probability. Activation effect 4 indicates that 0.7 is subtracted from the opponent's batter's home run probability. In other words, activation effect 4 has a greater effect than activation effect 1.

[0094] Furthermore, the degree of effect of a supervisor skill may change depending on its compatibility with a counter skill. Similarly, the degree of effect of a counter skill may change depending on its compatibility with a supervisor skill.

[0095] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of compatibility information indicating the compatibility between manager skills and counter skills. The compatibility information indicates the compatibility between a manager skill (or counter skill) activated by the attacking player and a counter skill (or manager skill) activated by the defending player. In this example, the compatibility is determined according to a combination of the effect type of the manager skill and the effect type of the counter skill. ◎ indicates that the manager character's tactics are the most advantageous, and the defensive player's counter skill is nullified. ◯ indicates that the tactics are relatively advantageous, and the effect of the defensive player's counter skill is halved. △ indicates that the tactics are relatively unfavorable, and the effect of the offensive player's manager skill is halved. × indicates that the tactics are the least favorable, and the offensive player's manager skill is nullified. Note that the nullification or halving of the effect of a manager skill (or counter skill) according to compatibility may be applied regardless of the magnitude of the effect amount specified for the manager skill (or counter skill). Alternatively, whether or not to disable or halve the effect of a supervisory skill (or counter skill) based on compatibility may be determined based on the magnitude of the effect specified for that supervisory skill (or counter skill) and / or the difference in the effect amounts.

[0096] For example, suppose the offensive team activates the manager skill "Attack Up" shown in Figure 8, and the number of manager combos achieved corresponds to activation effect 1. Suppose the defensive team activates the counter skill "Slugging Percentage Allowed" shown in Figure 9, and the number of manager combos achieved corresponds to activation effect 4. In this case, the effect type of the offensive team's manager skill is "Batting Average" and the effect type of the defensive team's manager skill is "Slugging Percentage Allowed." Therefore, the compatibility information is "◎," meaning that the defensive team's counter skill is disabled. In other words, activation effect 1 of the offensive team's manager skill "Attack Up," "adding 0.5 to batting average," is applied, and activation effect 4 of the defensive team's counter skill "Slugging Percentage Allowed," "subtracting 0.7 from home run probability," is not applied.

[0097] (Team) The organization of a team using player characters and manager characters will be described. The team organized by the user is used to play the training part or the competition part. As an example, the team organized by the user may be strengthened in the training part, and the competition part may be played using the strengthened team. However, playing the training part is not necessarily required, and the competition part may be played using the team organized by the user without strengthening it.

[0098] Teams are formed based on user operations using player characters and manager characters owned by the user. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a team formation screen. The team formation screen G5 is a screen that accepts operations for forming a team, and is displayed on the display device 15 of the game terminal 10. As shown in Fig. 11, the team formation screen G5 includes areas G51, G52, G55, and operation objects G501 to G505.

[0099] Area G51 is an area in which the starting pitcher and starting lineup player characters and one manager character who make up the team are placed at each position. By operating the control object G503 (pitcher button), the user can select a pitcher, such as a starting pitcher, reliever, reserve, or setup man, from a list screen (not shown) of owned player characters. The player character selected as the starting pitcher is displayed in area G51. Furthermore, by operating the control object G504 (fielder button), the user can select starting and reserve fielders from a list screen (not shown) of owned player characters. Area G51 displays the player character selected as the starting fielder. Note that the above-mentioned manager combo may include combo conditions related to starting or starting player characters, or may include combo conditions related to player characters other than the starting pitcher or starting lineup (e.g., "there is a player with a power of 60 or more in the reserves"). Furthermore, by operating the control object G505 (manager button), the user can select one of the manager characters from a list screen (not shown) of owned manager characters to include in area G51. The sum of the costs of the player characters and the manager character must be less than a threshold value set as the total cost of the team. Area G56 includes the sum 641 of the costs of each selected character (multiple player characters and one manager character) and a threshold value 1000. By checking area G56, the user can select each character so that the total cost does not exceed the threshold value. In addition, position suitability (e.g., suitability for defensive position, suitability for pitching, etc.) is set according to the player character. Therefore, the user must organize a team taking into account the total cost and the suitability of each player character.

[0100] Area G52 includes the starting player characters included in the team in the order of order. The initial order before the user updates the order may be the order in which the user selected the player characters, or may be an order determined by the computer. Furthermore, by operating operation object G501 (order button), the user can transition to a screen where the order of the multiple player characters can be changed. The player characters included in the team and their order affect the achievement of manager combos, so the user can determine the order taking manager combos into consideration.

[0101] Area G55 includes the team's fan power and team star rating. "FP 70000" indicates the team's fan power, and is the sum of the fan powers of the player characters that make up the team. The team's fan power is subject to an increase due to a manager combo when a match is played using the team in the match part. Area G55 may also include the increase. For example, the increase may be displayed separately, such as "FP 70000 + 4000." For another example, the value after the increase is added, such as "FP 74000." The "A" in "Fan Power A" indicates the fan power rank corresponding to the "FP 70000." "★ 13418" is the team's star rating, and is the sum of the fan powers of the player characters that make up the team. The "A" in "Strength A" indicates the team's strength rank corresponding to the "★ 13418."

[0102] When the operation object G502 (OK button) is operated, information indicating the team is generated based on the selected player characters and manager characters and the order in the area G52. The information indicating the team includes, for example, the characters (player characters and manager characters) that make up the team, the order, and parameters associated with the team itself (e.g., the team's fan power, the team's star rating, etc.). As described above, the team's fan power is calculated by the first parameter determination unit 114 by adding up the fan power of each player. The team's fan power may fluctuate during a match depending on the manager combo (described below). The team's fan power also affects the development of the automatic progression part of the match. The information indicating the team (an example of information indicating a deck) is stored in the storage unit 130. Some or all of the information indicating the team may be stored in the memory 12 of the game terminal 10 used by the user who organized the team, or in the memory 32 of the server 30.

[0103] (Match) A match in this embodiment will now be described. A match may include an automatic progression part and an action part. Note that a match may proceed only through an automatic progression part, may proceed only through an action part, or may proceed by switching between an automatic progression part and an action part.

[0104] The automatic progression part is a part in which the match progresses without user operation. A team organized by the user is used in the match. The team organized by the user and used in the match is also simply referred to as the "user's team." During the automatic progression part, the match processing unit 111 changes the situation of the match without user operation based on information indicating the user's team and information indicating the opponent's team. The information indicating the team includes data held by each of the player characters and manager characters included in the team, and data associated with the team itself due to the team's organization (e.g., the team's fan power, the team's star rating, etc.). During the automatic progression part, a match screen that is automatically updated in response to changes in the situation of the match is displayed on the display device 15 of the game terminal 10.

[0105] The action part is a part in which the game progresses as the user performs operations. Examples of user operations include, but are not limited to, batting operations, base running operations, pitching operations, and fielding operations. For example, the operations that the user can perform in the action part may be some or all of the batting operations, base running operations, pitching operations, and fielding operations. The match processing unit 111 changes the situation of the game based on the user's operations in addition to information indicating the user's team and information indicating the opponent's team. In the action part, for example, a game screen including player characters performing motions in response to the user's operations is displayed on the display device 15 of the game terminal 10. The game screen is also updated to reflect changes in the situation of the game in response to the motions.

[0106] Whether the above-mentioned manager combo has been achieved may be determined based on information indicating the user's team before either the automatic progression part or the action part begins (in other words, when the game starts). Whether the manager combo has been achieved may also be determined during the progress of the automatic progression part or the action part. For example, if the combo condition is no longer met because the leadoff batter is replaced by a substitute, the manager combo may no longer be achieved. In other words, whether the second condition (the number of achieved manager combos exceeds a threshold) is determined before the start of the game or during the game. The above-mentioned manager skill or counter skill may be activated in either the automatic progression part or the action part depending on the situation of the game. The first effect of a manager skill (or counter skill) activated during the automatic progression part (or action part) may extend even after switching to the action part (or automatic progression part).

[0107] The opponent team is determined by the control unit 110. For example, the processor 31 of the server 30 constituting the control unit 110 may determine a team organized by a user of another game terminal 10 as the opponent team. Alternatively, for example, the processor 11 of the game terminal 10 constituting the control unit 110 may determine a team organized by the processor 11 as the opponent team.

[0108] <Processing of Game System 1> The game system 1 configured as described above executes method S1. The flow of method S1 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a flow diagram showing the flow of method S1 executed by game system 1. Note that the following description will be given assuming that the competitive game in which game system 1 progresses is the baseball game described above. It is also assumed that a manager character has already been assigned to the user. Method S1 includes step S100 of acquiring player characters, step S102 of organizing a team, and steps S104 to S126 of executing competition processing. Steps S104 to S126 are an example of competition processing steps.

[0109] In step S100, the control unit 110 assigns a player character to the user. For example, the control unit 110 executes a scout function based on the user's operation to determine one of a plurality of player characters based on the release probability, and assigns the determined player character to the user. The control unit 110 also stores player character information indicating the assigned player character in the storage unit 130. As a result, the user possesses the player character. Note that in step S100, instead of or in addition to assigning a player character to the user using the scout function, the control unit 110 may lend the user a player character owned by another user.

[0110] In step S102, the control unit 110 organizes a team using the player characters and manager characters owned by the user based on the user's operation. In step S102, for example, a team organization screen such as that shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the display device 15 of the game terminal 10.

[0111] In step S104, the control unit 110 performs a process of starting a battle process based on a user operation. The process of starting the battle process includes a process of determining an opponent team. As described above, the opponent team may be a team of another user, or may be a team organized by a computer.

[0112] In step S106, the control unit 110 activates a number of manager combos corresponding to the rank of the manager character included in the user's team, in descending order of priority, from among the multiple manager combos possessed by the manager character.

[0113] Steps S108 to S110 may be executed for each activated manager combo. In step S108, the second processing unit 115 determines whether the combo condition (an example of the third condition) of each activated manager combo is satisfied (the manager combo is achieved) by referring to the player characters included in the user's team and their orders. If none of the activated manager combos have been achieved, the determination is No. If one or more activated manager combos have been achieved, the determination is Yes. If the determination is No in step S108, step S110 is not executed. If the determination is Yes in step S108, step S110 is executed.

[0114] In step S110, the second processing unit 115 executes a process (an example of a second process) of adding the increment of fan power defined for each achieved manager combo to the team's fan power. After the process of step S108 or steps S108 to S110 for each activated manager combo is completed, the process of step S112 and subsequent steps is executed.

[0115] In step S112, the first processing unit 113 determines whether the number of achieved manager combos is equal to or greater than a threshold (an example of a second condition). For example, if multiple threshold levels are defined, the first processing unit 113 determines which threshold level the number is equal to or greater than (Yes), or whether the number is not equal to or greater than (No). The case where the determination in step S112 is No will be described later. If the determination in step S112 is Yes, step S114 and subsequent steps are executed.

[0116] In step S114, the first processing unit 113 activates the manager skills and counter skills possessed by the manager characters included in the user's team.

[0117] In step S116, the match processing unit 111 performs processing to progress the match between the user's team and the opponent's team. The match progresses by including one or both of an automatic progression part and an action part.

[0118] In step S118, the situation information acquisition unit 112 acquires situation information indicating the situation of the match. The first processing unit 113 also determines whether the situation information satisfies an activation condition (an example of a first condition). For example, if the user's team is on offense, it determines whether the activation condition specified for the manager skill is satisfied. Also, if the user's team is on defense, it determines whether the opponent's manager skill has been activated. If the determination in step S118 is No, the processing from step S116 is repeated. If the determination in step S118 is Yes, step S120 and subsequent steps are executed.

[0119] Step S120 is an example of a first processing step. In step S120, the first processing unit 113 activates a manager skill or a counter skill. If the user's team is on the offensive, the manager skill is activated. When the manager skill is activated, the target to which the effect of the manager skill will affect is determined, for example, from one of the player characters included in the user's team, depending on the situation of the game at the time of activation. Furthermore, if the user's team is on the defensive, the counter skill is activated. When the counter skill is activated, the target to which the effect of the counter skill will affect is determined, for example, from one of the player characters included in the opponent's team, depending on the situation of the game at the time of activation.

[0120] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a skill activation screen displayed on the display device 15 of the game terminal 10 in step S120. In this example, the user's team is on offense. As shown in FIG. 13, the skill activation screen G6 includes areas G61 to G66. Area G61 includes, as an example of the game situation, information on the current inning's first and second innings, the on-base situation, the score situation, the ball count, the out count, and the like. Area G62 includes, as an example of the game situation, information on the player character (player name PJJ) who is the pitcher of the opposing team (defense team). Area G63 includes, as an example of the game situation, information on the player character (player name PYY) who is the batter of the user's team (offense team). Here, assuming that the manager character (manager name MAA) included in the user's team possesses the manager skill "Attack Up" shown in FIG. 8, the game situation shown in area G61, "Bottom of the fourth inning, runner on second base," satisfies the activation condition, "runner in scoring position in the middle of the inning." Therefore, the manager skill "Attack Up" is activated, and in response to the activation, an area G64 is superimposed on the game screen. The area G64 includes the appearance of the manager character included in the user's team and the name of the activated manager skill. In this case, depending on the situation of the game (the batter on the user's team at the time of activation is the player character "PYY"), a total of three player characters, including the player character "PYY" and the two following player characters, are identified as the player characters to be affected by the effect of the manager skill. Note that whether the two following player characters are affected by the effect of the manager skill may be determined collectively at this point, or may be determined individually each time the two following player characters step up to bat depending on whether the situation information satisfies the activation condition at that time. Furthermore, in this case, if the situation information no longer satisfies the activation condition when the second player character steps up to bat, it may be determined that the second and subsequent player characters are not affected by the first effect.

[0121] Furthermore, if the manager character (manager name MBB) on the opposing team possesses the counter skill "Slugging percentage reduction" shown in FIG. 9, the activation condition for the opposing team's manager skill is met. Therefore, the counter skill "Slugging percentage reduction" is activated, and upon activation, area G65 is superimposed on the game screen. Area G65 includes the appearance of the manager character on the opposing team and the name of the activated counter skill. In this case, depending on the situation of the game (the opposing team's batter at the time of activation is player character "PYY"), the player character "PYY" and the two following players, a total of three player characters, are identified as the player characters to be affected by the counter skill.

[0122] This allows the user to recognize that the manager skill has been activated for his / her team. The user can also expect that the effect of improving the batting average will extend to the next three batters. If the compatibility information shown in FIG. 10 is applied, the compatibility information for the manager skill and the counter skill is "◎," meaning that the opponent team's counter skill is disabled. Therefore, if the compatibility information is disclosed to the user, the user can know that the effect of improving the batting average will extend to the next three batters. If the compatibility information is not disclosed to the user, the user can also expect that the effect of improving the batting average will extend to the next three batters.

[0123] 13, if the user's team is on the defensive, the above description can be similarly explained by replacing "user's team" and "opponent's team" with each other. In this case, if compatibility information is disclosed to the user, the user can know that the counter skill has been activated but the opponent's home run probability will not decrease. In addition, if compatibility information is not disclosed to the user, the user can expect the opponent's home run probability to decrease.

[0124] In this way, the effects of managerial skills or counter-skills that can be activated during a match can be obtained depending on a variety of factors, such as (i) what managerial skills and counter-skills manager characters the user includes in his team, (ii) what player characters the user includes and in what order, and (iii) how the match progresses with the team organized by the user, thereby increasing the excitement of the match.

[0125] Referring again to FIG. 12 , the description will continue from step S122. In step S122, the match processing unit 111 determines whether the match has ended. If the determination in step S122 is No, the processing from step S116 is repeated. If the determination in step S122 is Yes, the method S1 ends.

[0126] Next, a case where it is determined that the number of achieved combos is not equal to or greater than the threshold in step S112 will be described. In this case, the process proceeds to step S124.

[0127] In step S124, the match processing unit 111 performs processing to progress the match between the user's team and the opponent's team. The match progresses by including one or both of an automatic progression part and an action part. In step S126, the match processing unit 111 determines whether the match has ended. If the determination in step S126 is No, the processing from step S124 is repeated. If the determination in step S126 is Yes, method S1 ends. In other words, if the number of combos achieved is not greater than or equal to the threshold, the match progresses without activating manager skills or counter skills, regardless of the situation of the match.

[0128] <Variation 1> In the above-described method S1, the determination of whether the number of achieved combos is equal to or greater than a threshold is performed before the start of the match. Method S1 can be modified so that the determination of whether the number of achieved combos is equal to or greater than a threshold is performed while the match is in progress.

[0129] In this case, if it is determined in step S122 that the match has not ended (No), the process from step S108 is repeated instead of step S116. For example, even if the number of combos achieved in the previous step S112 was equal to or greater than the threshold, there may be manager combos that are no longer achieved depending on the situation of the match. Therefore, by repeating the process from step S108, which determines whether each valid manager combo was successful, the number of combos achieved may fall below the threshold during the match. In this case, the manager skill or counter skill that was active will no longer be active.

[0130] Also, in this case, if it is determined in step S126 that the match has not ended (No), the process from step S108 is repeated instead of step S124. For example, even if the number of achieved combos was less than the threshold in the previous step S112, a new manager combo may be achieved depending on the situation of the match. Therefore, by repeating the process from step S108, which determines whether each valid manager combo is successful, the number of achieved combos may change to or exceed the threshold during the progress of the match. In this case, a manager skill or counter skill that was not active becomes active.

[0131] <Variation 2> In addition to player characters and manager characters, a team may be formed including game media that have a predetermined effect, such as an advantageous effect, on the progress of the training part. An example of such game media is a coach character. In this case, the coach character may be applied as an example of second game media used to activate a manager skill or a counter skill. In this case, the coach character possesses a skill equivalent to a manager skill or a counter skill, in addition to the skill that has a predetermined effect on the progress of the training part. The skill possessed by a coach character included in the team may be activated and activated during a match depending on the number of achieved manager combos. Furthermore, the coach character may possess a combo equivalent to a manager combo. In this case, the skill possessed by a coach character included in the team may be activated and activated during a match depending on the number of achieved combos. Furthermore, if compatibility is set between a manager character and a coach character, the effect of the combo and skill possessed by the coach character may change depending on the compatibility.

[0132] Furthermore, as an example of the second game medium used to activate a manager skill or a counter skill, a special player character different from a normal player character may be applied. The special player character is a player character that possesses a skill equivalent to a manager skill. In this case, the skill possessed by the special player character included in the team may become active and be activated during the match in accordance with the number of achieved manager combos. In addition, in this case, the special player character may possess a combo equivalent to the manager combo. In this case, the skill possessed by the special player character included in the team may become active and be activated during the match in accordance with the number of achieved combos possessed by the special player character.

[0133] <Variation 3> The second condition for activating a manager skill or counter skill is not limited to the condition related to the number of manager combos achieved (an example of the execution status of the second process) described above. The second condition may be any condition set regarding the player characters, and may be, for example, that the order of the player characters satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0134] In addition, an example has been described in which the second condition for executing a manager skill (an example of a first process) is a condition regarding the number of manager combos achieved (an example of an execution status of the second process) by satisfying a combo condition (an example of a third condition). However, the manager skill (an example of a first process) and the manager combo (an example of a second process) do not have to have such a relationship. In other words, the manager skill may be activated when the game situation is predetermined (the first condition is satisfied), regardless of the manager combo. In this case, a function for executing a manager combo may be provided independently of the manager skill. In this case, the combo condition for executing a manager combo may be a condition set for the first game medium (for example, organizing a predetermined order).

[0135] [Note] From the above description, the present invention can be understood, for example, as follows: In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are conveniently placed in parentheses, but this does not mean that the present invention is limited to the illustrated embodiments.

[0136] A game system (1) according to a first aspect includes a battle processing unit (111) that executes a battle process using a plurality of first game media and second game media used to execute a first process that applies a predetermined first effect to at least some of the first game media, a situation information acquisition unit (112) that acquires situation information indicating a battle situation, and a first processing unit (113) that executes the first process when a condition including at least a first condition set with respect to the content of the situation information is satisfied, wherein the first effect and the first condition are associated with the second game media, and the first processing unit determines at least some of the first game media among the plurality of first game media as first game media on which the first effect is to be applied, depending on the content of the situation information when the condition for executing the first process is satisfied. According to the above configuration, the first process that applies the first effect using the second game media is executed in accordance with the progress of the battle, thereby increasing the influence of the second game media on the progress of the battle and improving the enjoyment of the battle.

[0137] In the game system (1) according to Aspect 2, in Aspect 1, the condition for executing the first process further includes satisfying a second condition set for a first game medium used in the battle process. According to the above configuration, since the first condition and the second condition must be satisfied to execute the first process, the first effect becomes more strategic.

[0138] A game system (1) according to Aspect 3 is the same as Aspect 2, wherein a plurality of the second conditions are set, the condition for executing the first process includes satisfying at least one of the plurality of second conditions, and the first processing unit (113) determines the content of the first effect according to the satisfied second condition. With this configuration, the execution of the desired first process requires the satisfaction of the desired second condition, which increases the strategic element involved in executing the first effect.

[0139] A game system (1) according to Aspect 4 is the same as that of Aspect 3, and includes a first parameter determination unit (114) that determines a first parameter associated with a deck composed of the first game medium and the second game medium, and a second processing unit (115) that, when a third condition set for the first game medium used in the battle processing is satisfied, executes a second process that applies a second effect to the first parameter to change the first parameter, wherein the battle processing unit further executes the battle processing using the first parameter, and the second condition is a condition related to the execution status of the second process. With the above configuration, the effect of the second condition is increased, thereby increasing the strategic nature of satisfying the second condition.

[0140] A game system (1) according to aspect 5 is the same as in aspect 3 or 4, in which the second condition and the second effect are associated with the second game medium. This configuration increases the strategic nature of selecting the second game medium to execute the desired second effect.

[0141] A method according to a sixth aspect is a method executed by one or more computers included in a game system (1), and includes: a battle processing step (S104 to S126) of executing a battle processing using a plurality of first game media and second game media used to execute a first process that applies a predetermined first effect to at least some of the first game media; a situation information acquisition step (S118) of acquiring situation information indicating the situation of the battle; and a first processing step (S120) of executing the first process when a condition including at least a first condition set with respect to the content of the situation information is satisfied, wherein the first effect and the first condition are associated with the second game media, and in the first processing step (S120), at least some of the first game media among the plurality of first game media are determined as first game media on which the first effect is to be applied, depending on the content of the situation information when the condition for executing the first process is satisfied. This configuration achieves the same effect as that of the first aspect.

[0142] A program according to aspect 7 causes one or more computers included in a game system (1) to execute a battle processing step (S104 to S126) of executing a battle processing using a plurality of first game media and second game media used to execute a first process that applies a predetermined first effect to at least some of the first game media, a situation information acquisition step (S118) of acquiring situation information indicating the situation of the battle, and a first processing step (S120) of executing the first process when a condition including at least a first condition set with respect to the content of the situation information is satisfied, wherein the first effect and the first condition are associated with the second game media, and in the first processing step (S120), at least some of the first game media among the plurality of first game media are determined as first game media on which the first effect is to be applied, depending on the content of the situation information when the condition for executing the first process is satisfied. This configuration achieves effects similar to those of aspect 1.

[0143] [Example of implementation using software] The functions of the game terminal 10 and server 30 (hereinafter referred to as "devices") that make up the game system 1 can be realized by a program that causes a computer to function as the device, and a program that causes a computer to function as each control block of the device (particularly each part included in the control unit 110).

[0144] In this case, the device includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory) as hardware for executing the program. The functions described in each of the above embodiments are realized by executing the program using the control device and storage device.

[0145] The program may be non-transitory and may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media. The recording media may or may not be included in the device. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0146] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the control blocks can be realized by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit that functions as each of the control blocks is formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, the functions of the control blocks can also be realized by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0147] Furthermore, each process described in each of the above embodiments may be executed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI ​​may run on the control device or on another device (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[0148] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0149] 1 Game system 10, 10-1 Game terminal 30 Server 11, 31 Processor 12, 32 Memory 13, 33 Communication interface 14 Input device 15 Display device 16 Audio output device 19, 39 Bus 110 Control unit 111 Battle processing unit 112 Situation information acquisition unit 113 First processing unit 114 First parameter determination unit 115 Second processing unit 130 Storage unit

Claims

1. A game system comprising: a battle processing unit that executes battle processing using a plurality of first game media and a second game media used for executing a first process that exerts a predetermined first effect on at least a part of the first game media; a situation information acquisition unit that acquires situation information indicating the situation of the battle; and a first processing unit that executes the first process when a condition including at least a first condition set regarding the content of the situation information is satisfied, wherein the first effect, the first condition, and the second game media are associated with each other, and the first processing unit determines at least a part of the plurality of first game media as the first game media to which the first effect is exerted according to the content of the situation information when the condition for executing the first process is satisfied.

2. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the condition for executing the first process further includes satisfying a second condition set regarding the first game media used for the battle processing.

3. The game system according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the second conditions are set, the condition for executing the first process includes satisfying at least one of the plurality of second conditions, and the first processing unit determines the content of the first effect according to the satisfied second condition.

4. The game system according to claim 3, further comprising: a first parameter determination unit that determines a first parameter associated with the first game media or associated with a deck composed of the first game media and the second game media; and a second processing unit that executes a second process that exerts a second effect of changing the first parameter on the first parameter when a third condition set regarding the first game media used for the battle processing is satisfied, wherein the battle processing unit further uses the first parameter to execute the battle processing, and the second condition is a condition regarding the execution situation of the second process.

5. The game system according to claim 4, wherein the second condition, the second effect, and the second game media are associated with each other.

6. A method executed by one or more computers included in a game system, the method comprising: a battle processing step of executing battle processing using a plurality of first game media and a second game media used for executing a first process that exerts a predetermined first effect on at least some of the first game media; a situation information acquisition step of acquiring situation information indicating the situation of the battle; and a first process step of executing the first process when a condition including at least a first condition set regarding the content of the situation information is satisfied, wherein the first effect, the first condition, and the second game media are associated with each other, and in the first process step, at least some of the plurality of first game media are determined as the first game media to which the first effect is to be exerted according to the content of the situation information when the condition for executing the first process is satisfied.

7. A program for causing one or more computers included in a game system to execute: a battle processing step of executing battle processing using a plurality of first game media and a second game media used for executing a first process that exerts a predetermined first effect on at least some of the first game media; a situation information acquisition step of acquiring situation information indicating the situation of the battle; and a first process step of executing the first process when a condition including at least a first condition set regarding the content of the situation information is satisfied, wherein the first effect, the first condition, and the second game media are associated with each other, and in the first process step, at least some of the plurality of first game media are determined as the first game media to which the first effect is to be exerted according to the content of the situation information when the condition for executing the first process is satisfied.

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