Virtual pet summoning method and apparatus, and device and storage medium

Abstract

The present application belongs to the technical field of human-computer interaction. Disclosed are a virtual pet summoning method and apparatus, and a device and a storage medium. The method comprises: displaying a main control virtual character and at least one element card in a virtual environment (510), wherein a first element card among the at least one element card comprises an element attribute identifier; in response to a selection operation for the first element card, displaying a position cursor in the virtual environment which points to a first position (520); and in response to a trigger operation for the first element card, summoning a virtual pet at the first position in the virtual environment (530), wherein an element attribute of the virtual pet conforms to the element attribute identifier. A human-computer interaction mode in which a selection operation and a trigger operation for an element card are used for summoning a virtual pet to appear is provided; thus, the problem in the related art of a player being unable to distinguish element attributes of virtual pets due to a large number of types of virtual pets is solved, thereby improving the human-computer interaction efficiency.

Description

Method, device and equipment for calling virtual pet and storage medium

[0001] The present application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202411080391.2 filed on August 7, 2024 and entitled "Method, device and equipment for calling virtual pet and storage medium", the whole content of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of human-computer interaction, in particular to a method, device and equipment for calling virtual pet and storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0003] With the development of computer technology, virtual environment provides a space for virtual characters to perform virtual activities, and the types of items and characters in the virtual environment are diverse.

[0004] In the related art, a user controls a master virtual character to perform virtual activities, and a virtual pet is also provided in the virtual environment. The user can also configure a virtual pet that needs to appear in the virtual environment according to identity information of the virtual pet, so that the virtual pet accompanies the master virtual character to perform virtual activities together.

[0005] However, due to the large number of virtual pets owned by the master virtual character, the virtual pet that appears cannot be quickly determined according to the identity information, and the human-computer interaction efficiency is low. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application provides a method, device and equipment for calling virtual pet and storage medium, and the technical solution is as follows:

[0007] According to an aspect of the present application, a method for calling a virtual pet is provided, the method is executed by a terminal, and the method comprises:

[0008] displaying a master virtual character and at least one element card in a virtual environment, a first element card in the at least one element card comprising an element attribute identifier;

[0009] in response to a selection operation on the first element card, displaying a position cursor pointing to a first position in the virtual environment, the first position being a calling position of the virtual pet in the virtual environment;

[0010] in response to a trigger operation on the first element card, calling the virtual pet at the first position in the virtual environment, the virtual pet having an element attribute conforming to the element attribute identifier.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present application, a device for calling a virtual pet is provided, the device comprising:

[0012] a display module configured to display a master virtual character and at least one element card in a virtual environment, a first element card of the at least one element card comprising an element attribute identifier;

[0013] a processing module configured to, in response to a selection operation on the first element card, display a position cursor pointing to a first position in the virtual environment, the first position being a calling position of the virtual pet in the virtual environment;

[0014] the processing module is further configured to, in response to a trigger operation on the first element card, call out the virtual pet at the first position in the virtual environment, the virtual pet having an element attribute consistent with the element attribute identifier.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present application, a computer device is provided, the computer device comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing at least one instruction, at least one program, a code set or an instruction set, the at least one instruction, the at least one program, the code set or the instruction set being loaded and executed by the processor to implement the calling method of the virtual pet according to the above aspect.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present application, a computer readable storage medium is provided, the readable storage medium storing at least one instruction, at least one program, a code set or an instruction set, the at least one instruction, the at least one program, the code set or the instruction set being loaded and executed by a processor to implement the calling method of the virtual pet according to the above aspect.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present application, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising computer instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium, the computer instructions being read and executed by a processor from the computer readable storage medium to implement the calling method of the virtual pet according to the above aspect.

[0018] The technical solutions provided by the present application have at least the following beneficial effects:

[0019] By displaying the element attribute identifier on the virtual card, the element attribute of the virtual pet summoned out is indicated by the element attribute identifier, so that a human-computer interaction mode of summoning the virtual pet on the field by the selected operation of the element card and the triggering operation is provided. By displaying the element attribute identifier on the virtual card, the problem that in the related art, in the case that the types of the virtual pets are numerous, the identity identifier of the virtual pet cannot directly present the element attribute of the virtual pet, and as the types of the virtual pets increase, the number of the identity identifiers to be displayed increases, so that the player needs to remember a large number of identity identifiers, and the complexity of the player in distinguishing the element attribute of the virtual pet increases, is avoided, and the human-computer interaction efficiency of summoning the virtual pet is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] Fig. 1 is a structural block diagram of a computer system provided by an example embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a virtual pet summoning method provided by an example embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Fig. 3 is a flowchart of a virtual pet summoning method provided by an example embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a virtual pet summoning method provided by an example embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a virtual pet appearance animation provided by an example embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a virtual pet appearance animation provided by an example embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a throwing animation provided by an example embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Fig. 8 is a flowchart of a virtual pet summoning method provided by an example embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Fig. 9 is a flowchart of a virtual pet summoning method provided by an example embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a virtual environment provided by an example embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of a fusion virtual pet provided by an example embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Fig. 12 is a structural block diagram of a virtual pet summoning device provided by an example embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Fig. 13 is a structural block diagram of a terminal provided by an example embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] For the purposes of the present application, the term "connected" is used to describe a relationship between two or more elements, and can be for example a communicative connection, physical connection, or logical connection; the connection can be direct or indirect. The term "coupled" is used to describe two or more elements that can or can not be in direct physical or electrical contact with one another. The term "circuit" and variations thereof (e.g., circuits, circuitry, and so on) can refer to a single- or multi-component integrated circuit that can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0034] The exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein with reference to the attached drawings figures.

[0035] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0036] It should be noted that the user information (including but not limited to user equipment information, user personal information, etc.) and data (including but not limited to data for analysis, stored data, displayed data, etc.) involved in the present application are all information and data authorized by the user or authorized by all parties, and the collection, use and processing of related data need to comply with relevant laws, regulations and standards of relevant countries and regions. For example, the information such as the selection operation for the first element card and the trigger operation for the first element card involved in the present application is obtained under sufficient authorization.

[0037] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. can be employed in this disclosure to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to differentiate one piece of information from another. For example, a first parameter can also be referred to as a second parameter, and similarly, a second parameter can also be referred to as a first parameter without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Depending on the context, the word "if' as used herein can be interpreted as meaning "when" or "in response to determining" or "in response to a determination".

[0038] Virtual environment: a virtual environment displayed (or provided) by an application when the application runs on a terminal. The virtual environment can be a simulation environment of the real world, a semi-simulation and semi-fictional virtual environment, or a purely fictional virtual environment. The virtual environment can be any of a two-dimensional virtual environment, a 2.5-dimensional virtual environment, or a three-dimensional virtual environment, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the dimension of the virtual environment. For example, the virtual environment can include a sky, a land, and a sea, and the land can include a desert, a city, and other environmental elements, and a user can control a virtual character to move in the virtual environment.

[0039] Virtual character: a movable object in a virtual environment. The movable object can be a virtual person, a virtual animal, an animation character, etc., such as a person, an animal, a plant, an oil drum, a wall, a stone, etc. displayed in a virtual environment. The virtual character can be a virtual image in the virtual environment representing a user. The virtual environment can include multiple virtual characters, each virtual character having its own shape and volume in the virtual environment, occupying a part of the space in the virtual environment. Alternatively, when the virtual environment is a three-dimensional virtual environment, the virtual character is a three-dimensional model, which is a three-dimensional character constructed based on three-dimensional human skeleton technology, and the same virtual character can exhibit different external images by wearing different skins. In some embodiments, the virtual character can also be implemented in a 2.5-dimensional or 2-dimensional model, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. Alternatively, the virtual character can be a player character controlled by operations on the client, or a non-player character (NPC) set in the virtual environment for interaction.

[0040] Virtual pet: a character that follows a master virtual character or cooperates with the master virtual character to complete a virtual activity in a virtual environment. The pet character has autonomous behavior and performs virtual activities in the virtual environment. For example, the virtual pet is also called at least one of a virtual mythical beast, a virtual strange beast, a virtual mount, a virtual breeding pet, etc. in an application providing a virtual environment, and the present application does not limit the name of the virtual pet in the application.

[0041] Element attribute: a virtual pet can have an element attribute, which is used to indicate the category of the virtual power of the virtual pet. The virtual pet can use the element attribute to produce a positive addition effect on the virtual activity performed (such as providing a range gain for a virtual electric power vehicle using a virtual electric element), and / or has resistance to the virtual damage caused by the element attribute (such as avoiding virtual lightning damage caused by a virtual electric element).

[0042] FIG. 1 shows a structural block diagram of a computer system according to an example embodiment of the present application. The computer system 100 includes a first terminal 110, a server 120, and a second terminal 130.

[0043] The first terminal 110 is installed and runs a client 111 supporting a virtual environment, which can be a multiplayer online battle program. When the first terminal runs the client 111, a user interface of the client 111 is displayed on a screen of the first terminal 110. The client 111 can be any one of a battle royale shooting game, a virtual reality (VR) application, an augmented reality (AR) program, a three-dimensional map program, a virtual reality game, an augmented reality game, a casual game, a party game, a first-person shooting game (FPS), a third-person shooting game (TPS), a multiplayer online battle arena game (MOBA), and a simulation game (SLG). In this embodiment, the client 111 is taken as an example of an FPS game. The first terminal 110 is a terminal used by a first user 112, and the first user 112 uses the first terminal 110 to control a first virtual object located in a virtual environment to perform activities. The first virtual object can be referred to as a virtual object of the first user 112. The activities of the first virtual object include, but are not limited to, at least one of moving, jumping, teleporting, releasing a skill, using an item, adjusting a body posture, crawling, walking, running, riding, flying, jumping, driving, picking up, shooting, attacking, and throwing. Illustratively, the first virtual object simulates at least one of a character role, an animation character role, a virtual animal, and a virtual plant.

[0044] The second terminal 130 installs and runs a client 131 supporting a virtual environment, which can be a multiplayer online battle program. When the second terminal 130 runs the client 131, a user interface of the client 131 is displayed on a screen of the second terminal 130. The client can be any one of a battle royale shooting game, a VR application, an AR program, a three-dimensional map program, a virtual reality game, an augmented reality game, an FPS, a TPS, a MOBA, and a SLG, and in this embodiment, the client is taken as an example of a MOBA game. The second terminal 130 is a terminal used by a second user 132, and the second user 132 uses the second terminal 130 to control a second virtual object in a virtual environment for activities, which can be referred to as a virtual object of the second user 132. Similarly, the second virtual character is at least one of a simulated human character, an animation character, a virtual animal, and a virtual plant. Optionally, the first virtual object and the second virtual object are in the same virtual environment. Optionally, the first virtual object and the second virtual object can belong to the same camp, the same team, the same organization, have a friendship relationship, or have temporary communication authority. Optionally, the first virtual object and the second virtual object can belong to different camps, different teams, different organizations, or have an enemy relationship.

[0045] Optionally, the clients installed on the first terminal 110 and the second terminal 130 are the same, or the clients installed on the two terminals are the same type of clients on different operating system platforms (Android or IOS). The first terminal 110 can be taken as one of a plurality of terminals, and the second terminal 130 can be taken as another one of the plurality of terminals, and the first terminal 110 and the second terminal 130 are taken as examples in this embodiment. The first terminal 110 and the second terminal 130 can be the same or different in device type, which includes at least one of a smart phone, a tablet computer, an e-book reader, an MP3 player, an MP4 player, a laptop computer, and a desktop computer.

[0046] Only two terminals are shown in FIG. 1, but in different embodiments, a plurality of other terminals 140 can access the server 120. Optionally, one or more terminals 140 are developer corresponding terminals, and a development and editing platform supporting the virtual environment is installed on the terminal 140. A developer can edit and update the client on the terminal 140, and transmit an updated client installation package to the server 120 through a wired or wireless network. The first terminal 110 and the second terminal 130 can download the client installation package from the server 120 to update the client.

[0047] The first terminal 110, the second terminal 130 and the other terminal 140 are connected to the server 120 through a wireless network or a wired network. The server 120 includes at least one of a server, a plurality of servers, a cloud computing platform and a virtualization center. The server 120 is configured to provide background services for clients supporting a three-dimensional virtual environment. Optionally, the server 120 undertakes major computing work, and the terminal undertakes secondary computing work; or the server 120 undertakes secondary computing work, and the terminal undertakes major computing work; or the server 120 and the terminal adopt a distributed computing architecture for collaborative computing.

[0048] In an illustrative example, the server 120 includes a processor 122, a user account database 123, a battle service module 124, a user-oriented input / output interface (I / O interface) 125. The processor 122 is configured to load instructions stored in the server 120 and process data in the user account database 123 and the battle service module 124; the user account database 123 is configured to store data of user accounts used by the first terminal 110, the second terminal 130 and the other terminal 140, such as avatars of the user accounts, nicknames of the user accounts, battle power indexes of the user accounts, service areas where the user accounts are located; the battle service module 124 is configured to provide a plurality of battle rooms for users to battle, such as 1V1 battles, 3V3 battles, 5V5 battles and the like; and the user-oriented I / O interface 125 is configured to establish communication with the first terminal 110 and / or the second terminal 130 through a wireless network or a wired network to exchange data.

[0049] The method provided in the present application can be applied to at least one of the following scenarios, but is not limited to: a virtual reality application program, a three-dimensional map program, a leisure game, a party gathering game, a first-person shooting game (FPS), a third-person shooting game (TPS), a multiplayer online battle arena game (MOBA), a multiplayer gun battle survival game and the like. The following embodiments are exemplarily described in the application of the game.

[0050] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a virtual pet calling method according to an example embodiment of the present application.

[0051] In the first interface 310, the master virtual character 305 and three element cards in the virtual environment are displayed. It can be understood that a greater or smaller number of element cards can be displayed in different examples. In this embodiment, the first interface 310 includes a first element card 301, a second element card 302, and a third element card 303. The first element card 301 includes an element attribute identifier of a virtual electric element attribute, and the element attribute identifier includes a lightning-shaped pattern. The second element card 302 includes an element attribute identifier of a virtual water element attribute, and the element attribute identifier includes a water droplet-shaped pattern. The third element card 303 includes an element attribute identifier of a virtual fire element attribute, and the element attribute identifier includes a flame-shaped pattern.

[0052] In response to the long press operation 308 on the first element card 301, a second interface 320 is displayed. The second interface 320 displays a position cursor 312, and the position cursor 312 is located at the center point of the second interface 320. For example, while the long press operation 308 is maintained, the position of the master virtual character 305 in the virtual environment or the perspective of the master virtual character 305 is adjusted to adjust the position in the virtual environment pointed to by the position cursor 312. In the second interface 320, the display position of the first element card 301 is switched from being arranged side by side with other element cards (the second element card 302 and the third element card 303) to being displayed around the position cursor 312. For example, in the second interface 320, the transparency of the first element card 301 is increased, and the first element card 301 is displayed in a semi-transparent manner.

[0053] In response to the release operation on the first element card 301, the long press operation 308 on the first element card 301 is no longer maintained, and a third interface 330 is displayed. In the third interface 330, a virtual pet 325 is summoned at a first position in the virtual environment. The virtual pet 325 has a virtual electric element attribute, and the virtual electric element attribute matches the element attribute identifier on the first element card 301. For example, the third interface 330 also displays a lightning special effect 336 around the virtual pet 325.

[0054] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a method for summoning a virtual pet according to an example embodiment of the present application. The method can be performed by a computer device. The method includes the following steps:

[0055] In step 510, a master virtual character and at least one element card in a virtual environment are displayed.

[0056] The virtual environment is a virtual space in which at least one virtual character performs a virtual activity. For example, a first virtual character performs a virtual competition by initiating a virtual attack in a virtual game, or builds a virtual building, manufactures a virtual item, or the like to maintain a virtual life in the virtual environment. The virtual environment can be any one of a two-dimensional virtual environment, a 2.5-dimensional virtual environment, and a three-dimensional virtual environment. The master virtual character is a virtual character directly controlled by the user in the virtual environment. The element card is a card owned by the master virtual character controlled by the user. The first element card of the at least one element card includes an element attribute identifier. The element attribute identifier presents an element attribute corresponding to the first element card in at least one of a text, a symbol, a picture, and an animation. In an example, the element card can be displayed at all times when the player controls and masters the virtual character to perform a virtual activity, or can be triggered to be displayed when the player has a summoning intention of the virtual pet, such as displaying a summoning control of the virtual pet, and in response to a triggering operation on the summoning control, displaying the at least one element card. In an example, the number of the at least one element card displayed in an interface does not exceed a quantity threshold (such as no more than three), and in a case where the master virtual character has a larger number of element cards, the currently displayed element card is switched to other element cards by a sliding operation (such as a vertical sliding operation) on a display area in which the at least one element card is located.

[0057] Step 520: in response to the selection operation on the first element card, displaying a position cursor pointing to a first position in the virtual environment;

[0058] In an example, in response to the selection operation on the first element card, the user has an intention to summon the virtual pet using the first element card. The first position is a summoning position of the virtual pet in the virtual environment, and the position cursor is used to indicate the summoning position of the virtual pet in the virtual environment. In an example, the position cursor can be displayed on a basic surface of the virtual environment, such as a virtual ground of the virtual environment, to indicate the summoning position of the virtual pet in the virtual environment. The position cursor can also be displayed in a heads-up display (HUD) manner on an overlay layer (also referred to as a HUD layer). The HUD is a picture for displaying relevant information in the virtual environment, and is usually displayed on an upper layer of a viewing picture of the virtual environment.

[0059] Step 530: in response to the triggering operation on the first element card, summoning the virtual pet at the first position in the virtual environment;

[0060] For example, in response to the trigger operation on the first element card, the virtual pet is summoned in the virtual environment. The virtual pet is summoned at a first position in the virtual environment, and the virtual pet has an element attribute corresponding to the element attribute identifier. The virtual pet has an element attribute, and the element attribute of the virtual pet includes one or more element attributes corresponding to the element attribute identifier on the first element card. In one example, the element attribute includes at least one of a virtual electric element attribute, a virtual fire element attribute, a virtual water element attribute, a virtual soil element attribute, a virtual metal element attribute, a virtual light element attribute, and a virtual darkness element attribute. For example, the element attribute of the virtual pet can include one or more element attributes. The element attribute of the virtual pet corresponds to the element attribute identifier only to define that the intersection between the element attribute of the virtual pet and the one or more element attributes corresponding to the element attribute identifier is not empty, but not limited to be the same.

[0061] For example, the element attribute of the virtual pet is used to indicate the category of the virtual power of the virtual pet. For example, the virtual pet has a virtual fire element attribute, and the virtual skill or virtual attribute of the virtual pet has an association relationship with the virtual fire element attribute, such as a high-temperature feature. For example, the virtual pet owned by the host virtual character can be captured in the virtual environment, purchased in the virtual environment, drawn in the virtual prize pool, bred in the virtual environment, and bred in the virtual environment. The application does not limit the acquisition method of the virtual pet.

[0062] In summary, the method provided by the embodiment displays the element attribute identifier on the virtual card, and the element attribute identifier indicates the element attribute of the summoned virtual pet, thereby providing a human-computer interaction method of summoning the virtual pet on the field by selecting the element card and triggering the element card. By displaying the element attribute identifier on the virtual card, the problem that in the related art, when the types of virtual pets are numerous, the identity identifier of the virtual pet cannot directly present the element attribute of the virtual pet, and as the types of virtual pets increase, the number of identity identifiers to be displayed increases, causing the player to need to remember a large number of identity identifiers, thereby increasing the complexity of the player to distinguish the element attribute of the virtual pet, and improving the human-computer interaction efficiency of summoning the virtual pet.

[0063] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a virtual pet summoning method provided by an example embodiment of the application. The method can be executed by a computer device. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, step 520 can be implemented as steps 522 and 524, and step 530 can be implemented as step 532:

[0064] Step 522: in response to the long press operation on the first element card, display a position cursor at an initial position in the virtual environment;

[0065] For example, the selection operation on the first element card includes a long press operation on the first element card. For example, while the first element card is kept pressed, display a position cursor at an initial position in the virtual environment. In one example, the initial position is a central position of the displayed virtual environment.

[0066] In an optional implementation, step 522 in this embodiment can be implemented as:

[0067] In response to the long press operation on the first element card, display a position cursor at an initial position in the virtual environment, and switch display of the first element card to a side of the initial position;

[0068] For example, in response to the long press operation on the first element card, the first element card is switched to display on a side of the initial position, which can visually prompt the selection of the first element card. At the same time, the position of the first element card is switched to display, which can avoid the occlusion of the first element card caused by the user's long press on the first element card. Switching the first element card to display on a side of the initial position can also increase the visual salience of the position cursor at the initial position, and significantly prompt the initial position in the virtual environment. In addition, the element attribute of the virtual pet summoned by the first element card is prompted through the element attribute identifier on the first element card.

[0069] Step 524: in response to a drag operation, display the position cursor moving from the initial position to the first position while the long press operation on the first element card is kept;

[0070] For example, while the long press operation on the first element card is kept, the user does not need to find a new control, and only needs one human-computer interaction operation on the first element card to realize the selection of the first element card and the adjustment of the position cursor based thereon. In one example, the direction of the drag operation and the direction from the initial position to the first position are the same. For example, the drag operation is a rightward sliding to realize the drag of the first element card, and correspondingly, the direction from the initial position to the first position in the virtual environment is a rightward direction.

[0071] In an optional implementation, step 524 in this embodiment can be implemented as:

[0072] In response to the drag operation, display the position cursor moving from the initial position to the first position while the long press operation on the first element card is kept, and display the first element card moving from a side of the initial position to a side of the first position following the position cursor;

[0073] For example, the first element card follows the position of the position cursor, and the first element card adjusts the position of the position cursor to the first position. The first element card is displayed on the side of the position cursor, and the visual distinctiveness of the position cursor is ensured. The first element card displayed on the side of the position cursor during the adjustment of the position of the position cursor can continuously prompt the element attribute of the virtual pet summoned by the first element card.

[0074] In one example, the first element card displayed on the side of the position cursor has a higher transparency than the first element card displayed in step 510, that is, in response to the selection operation on the first element card, the position of the first element card is switched to the side of the position cursor, and the first element card is displayed in a more transparent manner. For example, the first element card is displayed in an opaque manner before the selection operation, and the first element card is displayed in a semi-transparent manner after the selection operation.

[0075] Step 532: in response to the release operation on the first element card, a virtual pet is summoned at the first position in the virtual environment;

[0076] For example, in response to the release operation on the first element card, the user completes the adjustment of the position cursor, and a virtual pet is summoned at the first position displayed by the position cursor. For example, the virtual pet is displayed at the first position displayed by the position cursor. For example, the display of the virtual pet can also display the entrance animation of the virtual pet, which will be introduced separately below.

[0077] In summary, the method provided by the embodiment displays the element attribute identifier on the virtual card, indicates the element attribute of the summoned virtual pet by the element attribute identifier, provides a human-computer interaction mode for summoning the virtual pet on the field by the long press operation and the release operation on the element card, and provides a function entrance for adjusting the summoning position of the virtual pet in the virtual environment. By displaying the element attribute identifier on the virtual card, the problem that in the related art, when the types of virtual pets are numerous, the identity identifier of the virtual pet cannot directly present the element attribute of the virtual pet, and as the types of virtual pets increase, the number of identity identifiers to be displayed increases, causing the player to need to remember a large number of identity identifiers, and further causing the complexity of the player to distinguish the element attribute of the virtual pet to increase, and the human-computer interaction efficiency of summoning the virtual pet is improved.

[0078] Next, the entrance animation of the virtual pet is introduced. In the above embodiments, the summoning of the virtual pet at the first position in the virtual environment can be implemented as follows:

[0079] • displaying an appearance animation of the virtual pet at the first position in the virtual environment;

[0080] By way of example, calling out the virtual pet includes an appearance stage of the virtual pet and an activity stage of the virtual pet. By way of example, in the appearance stage of the virtual pet, the appearance animation of the virtual pet is displayed; in the activity stage of the virtual pet, the virtual pet performs a virtual activity in the virtual environment. In one example, in the appearance stage of the virtual pet, the virtual pet does not have the ability to perform the virtual activity, also referred to as a pre- appearance shake stage, and performs the virtual activity after the virtual pet finishes the appearance. By way of example, the virtual pet has the ability of autonomous behavior and performs the virtual activity in the virtual environment.

[0081] By way of example, the appearance animation is at least one of an animation, a picture, and a text displayed around the virtual character; the appearance animation includes materials such as a texture, a skeletal model, and a special effect. The element attribute identifier in the first element card also exists in materials such as a texture. The appearance animation and the element attribute identifier in the first element card have at least one same material style. It should be noted that the same material style introduced above does not limit that the same material resource is used in the element attribute identifier and the appearance animation, but only indicates that at least one of the same shape, texture, and material is included in the element attribute identifier and the appearance animation.

[0082] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of an appearance animation of a virtual pet according to an example embodiment of the present application. The first virtual pet 410 has an element attribute of a virtual electric element attribute. By way of example, the first virtual pet 410 has the ability to initiate a virtual attack accompanied by a virtual electric shock effect, and / or has the ability to avoid virtual damage caused by a virtual lightning strike in the virtual environment. The appearance animation of the first virtual pet 410 includes a lightning special effect 415 around the first virtual pet 410. The shape of a first lightning symbol 415a in the lightning special effect 415 is the same as the shape of the element attribute identifier in the first element card. The filling texture of a second lightning light effect 415b in the lightning special effect 415 is the same as the filling texture of the element attribute identifier in the first element card, and both have the highlight crack texture of lightning in the real world.

[0083] FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of an appearance animation of a virtual pet according to an example embodiment of the present application. The second virtual pet 420 has an element attribute of a virtual fire element attribute. By way of example, the second virtual pet 420 has the ability to initiate a virtual attack accompanied by a virtual flame effect, and / or has the ability to avoid virtual damage caused by a virtual flame in the virtual environment. The appearance animation of the second virtual pet 420 includes a flame special effect 425 around the second virtual pet 420. The shape of a flame in the flame special effect 425 is the same as the shape of the element attribute identifier in the first element card, and both have the outer edge shape of the flame in the real world.

[0084] displaying the virtual pet performing a virtual activity in the virtual environment;

[0085] Exemplarily, after the virtual pet appears in the virtual environment, the virtual pet is displayed in the virtual environment, and the virtual pet is displayed performing a virtual activity in the virtual environment. Exemplarily, the virtual pet performs the virtual activity as a teammate of a user-controlled master virtual character, together with the master virtual character. Exemplarily, the user directs the virtual pet to perform the virtual activity in the virtual environment, so as to direct the virtual pet to complete a task in cooperation with the master virtual character. Exemplarily, the virtual pet has autonomous behavior capability, and the user can direct the virtual pet, or the virtual pet can perform the virtual activity based on its own autonomous behavior capability. Exemplarily, the virtual activity performed by the virtual pet in the virtual environment includes, but is not limited to, at least one of constructing a virtual item, building a virtual building, collecting a virtual item, exploring a virtual environment, cultivating virtual land, and participating in a virtual battle in the virtual environment. In an optional example, the virtual pet is only used to perform virtual activities such as constructing a virtual item, building a virtual building, and collecting a virtual item, which simulate labor work in the real world. In an optional example, the virtual environment provides a space for the master virtual character and the virtual pet to perform the virtual activity, and the virtual environment provides a virtual space for free exploration, which is also referred to as an open-world virtual environment, a large map virtual environment, etc.

[0086] Optionally, before displaying the appearance animation of the virtual pet, the method further includes:

[0087] displaying a throwing animation of the master virtual character throwing the first element card toward the first position;

[0088] Before displaying the appearance animation of the virtual pet, in response to the triggering operation on the first element card, the throwing animation of the master virtual character on the first element card is displayed, and the master virtual character uses the held first element card in a throwing manner; so as to improve the immersion of the user in the virtual environment, improve the immersion of the user in the human-computer interaction with the master virtual character in the virtual environment, and provide the user with the immersion of using the first element card by the master virtual character. FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of the throwing animation provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The body posture of the master virtual character 430 is switched from the upright posture to the swinging arm posture, and the throwing special effect 435 on the first position where the position cursor is located is also included. The throwing special effect 435 is a virtual air flow generated by throwing the first virtual card.

[0089] In summary, the method provided in the embodiment displays the element attribute identifier on the virtual card, indicates the element attribute of the virtual pet summoned by the element attribute identifier, and provides a human-computer interaction mode for summoning the virtual pet on the field by the selected operation and the triggered operation of the element card. The throwing animation of the first element card and the appearance animation of the virtual pet are displayed in the process of summoning the virtual pet on the field, which improves the immersion of the user in the virtual environment and provides the user with the immersion of using the first element card by the host virtual character. By displaying the element attribute identifier on the virtual card, the problem that the identity identifier of the virtual pet cannot directly present the element attribute of the virtual pet in the related art is avoided, and as the number of types of virtual pets increases, the number of identity identifiers to be displayed increases, which causes the player to need to remember a large number of identity identifiers, and further causes the complexity of the player to distinguish the element attribute of the virtual pet to increase, and the human-computer interaction efficiency of summoning the virtual pet is improved.

[0090] Next, the element attribute identifier of the first element card is introduced.

[0091] For example, the element attribute identifier corresponds to at least one of the following element attributes:

[0092] • Virtual electric element attribute; for example, the virtual electric element attribute is used to indicate resistance to virtual electricity in the virtual environment or the ability to use virtual electricity. For example, in the case where the virtual pet has a virtual electric element attribute, the virtual skills and virtual props carried or held by the virtual pet can use virtual electricity to initiate virtual activities related to virtual electricity in the virtual environment, such as initiating virtual attacks accompanied by virtual electric shock effects. For example, the virtual pet has resistance to virtual lightning in the virtual environment, such as avoiding virtual damage caused by virtual lightning.

[0093] • Virtual fire element attribute; for example, the virtual fire element attribute is used to indicate resistance to virtual fire in the virtual environment or the ability to use virtual fire. For example, in the case where the virtual pet has a virtual fire element attribute, the virtual skills and virtual props carried or held by the virtual pet can use virtual fire to initiate virtual activities related to virtual fire in the virtual environment, such as initiating virtual attacks accompanied by virtual fire effects. For example, the virtual pet has resistance to virtual fire in the virtual environment, such as avoiding virtual damage caused by virtual fire.

[0094] • a virtual water element attribute; illustratively, the virtual water element attribute is used to indicate a resistance to or a capability to utilize a virtual water flow in a virtual environment. Illustratively, in the case that a virtual pet has a virtual water element attribute, a virtual skill or a virtual item carried or held by the virtual pet is capable of utilizing the virtual water flow to initiate a virtual activity related to the virtual water flow in the virtual environment, such as initiating a virtual attack accompanied by a virtual water flow effect. Illustratively, the virtual pet has a resistance to the virtual water flow in the virtual environment, such as avoiding virtual damage caused by the virtual water flow in the virtual environment.

[0095] • a virtual soil element attribute; illustratively, the virtual soil element attribute is used to indicate a resistance to or a capability to utilize a virtual soil in a virtual environment. Illustratively, in the case that a virtual pet has a virtual soil element attribute, a virtual skill or a virtual item carried or held by the virtual pet is capable of utilizing the virtual soil to initiate a virtual activity related to the virtual soil in the virtual environment, such as initiating a virtual attack accompanied by a virtual soil clump effect. Illustratively, the virtual pet has a resistance to the virtual soil in the virtual environment, such as avoiding virtual damage caused by a virtual soil falling in the virtual environment.

[0096] • a virtual metal element attribute; illustratively, the virtual metal element attribute is used to indicate a resistance to or a capability to utilize a virtual metal in a virtual environment. Illustratively, in the case that a virtual pet has a virtual metal element attribute, a virtual skill or a virtual item carried or held by the virtual pet is capable of utilizing the virtual metal to initiate a virtual activity related to the virtual metal in the virtual environment, such as obtaining a virtual shield of a virtual metal material. Illustratively, the virtual pet has a resistance to the virtual metal in the virtual environment, such as avoiding virtual damage caused by an attack item of a virtual metal material in the virtual environment.

[0097] • a virtual light element attribute; illustratively, the virtual light element attribute is used to indicate a resistance to or a capability to utilize a virtual light in a virtual environment. Illustratively, in the case that a virtual pet has a virtual light element attribute, a virtual skill or a virtual item carried or held by the virtual pet is capable of utilizing the virtual light to initiate a virtual activity related to the virtual light in the virtual environment, such as aggregating virtual sunlight in the virtual environment to initiate a light beam virtual attack of the virtual sunlight. Illustratively, the virtual pet has a resistance to the virtual light in the virtual environment, such as avoiding high temperature damage caused by virtual sunlight in the virtual environment.

[0098] • a virtual dark element attribute; exemplary, the virtual dark element attribute is used to indicate that the virtual pet has resistance to or has the ability to utilize the virtual dark element in the virtual environment. Exemplary, in the case that the virtual pet has the virtual dark element attribute, the virtual skills, virtual props carried or held by the virtual pet are able to utilize the virtual dark element to initiate virtual activities related to the virtual dark element in the virtual environment, such as initiating a virtual attack with an additive effect using the virtual dark element at night in the virtual environment. Exemplary, the virtual pet has resistance to the virtual dark element, such as avoiding hypothermia damage at night in the virtual environment.

[0099] In summary, the method provided by the embodiment provides a human-computer interaction mode of summoning the virtual pet on the field by selecting the element card and triggering the element card, by displaying the element attribute identifier on the virtual card, the element attribute identifier is able to indicate the element attribute of the virtual pet summoned, the element attribute of the virtual pet is related to the environmental element in the virtual environment, and the virtual pet is able to utilize the virtual element or has resistance to the virtual element, thereby improving the attribute richness of the virtual pet in the virtual environment.

[0100] Next, the first element card is introduced as follows. Exemplary, in response to the triggering operation on the first element card, a virtual pet is summoned at a first position in the virtual environment, and the virtual pet is a candidate pet role with a demand for appearing on the field and configured by the master virtual role. In an example, the master virtual role captures or purchases a plurality of virtual pets in the virtual environment, and a virtual pet team with the master virtual role appearing on the field is configured through human-computer interaction operation; also known as a virtual pet team for battle; the virtual pet team includes one or more candidate virtual pets. The virtual pet summoned based on the first element card is a virtual pet in the virtual pet team, and the virtual pet summoned based on the first element card is one of the candidate virtual pets.

[0101] In the case that the master virtual role is configured with at least two candidate virtual pets, there are at least two candidate virtual pets in the virtual roles configured for the master virtual role and appearing on the field, and the element attributes of the at least two candidate virtual pets meet the element attribute identifier. Exemplary, in the case that the master virtual role is configured with at least two candidate virtual pets, the virtual pet summoned cannot be uniquely determined through the element attribute identifier on the first element card. In an implementation mode, in the case that the master virtual role is configured with at least two candidate virtual pets, the first element card includes an identity identifier of the virtual pet; the identity identifier of the virtual pet is displayed (such as at least one of the nickname, avatar, identity identifier number, etc. of the virtual pet), more basis for selecting the virtual pet is provided, and then the virtual pet is summoned.

[0102] In another implementation, in a case that the host virtual character is configured with at least two candidate virtual pets, the virtual pet displayed at the first position is determined from the at least two candidate virtual pets; for example, the virtual pet summoned in the virtual environment is determined in a random manner, or the at least two candidate virtual pets are arranged in a pet queue according to a preset order (for example, at least one of virtual levels, acquisition times, and other parameters of the candidate virtual pets is sorted in ascending / descending order), and the candidate virtual pet at the head of the pet queue is determined as the virtual pet summoned in the virtual environment. Since the virtual attributes of the at least two candidate virtual pets both meet the element attribute identifier, the summoning demand of the user for the virtual pet with the virtual attribute corresponding to the element attribute identifier can be met.

[0103] Further, in response to the selection operation on the first element card, a pet queue is also displayed, and the arrangement manner of the at least two candidate pets in the pet queue is described above. The pet queue is used to display the identity of the at least two candidate virtual pets. For example, the selection operation on the first element card is a long press operation, and the human-computer interaction operation of switching the candidate virtual pet in the selected state in the pet queue is a newly obtained click operation while maintaining the long press operation. For example, in response to the newly obtained click operation while maintaining the long press operation, the first candidate virtual pet at the first position in the pet queue is switched from the selected state to the unselected state, and the second candidate virtual pet at the second position is switched from the unselected state to the selected state; the first position is adjacent to the second position in the pet queue. In response to the release operation on the first element card, the candidate virtual pet in the selected state in the pet queue is determined as the virtual pet, and the virtual pet is summoned at the first position in the virtual environment. Optionally, in response to the selection operation on the first element card, the at least one element card is switched to display the pet queue corresponding to the first element card.

[0104] In an optional design of the present application, in a case that the number of the at least one element card in step 510 is implemented as a plurality of element cards, the display order of the plurality of element cards can be preset; in one example, the display order of the plurality of element cards is determined according to the human-computer interaction operation of the user; for example, the plurality of element cards are displayed in the order of virtual electric element attribute, virtual fire element attribute, and virtual water element attribute. In another example, the display order of the plurality of element cards is preset by the application program providing the virtual environment, and does not need to be preset by the user through the human-computer interaction operation.

[0105] The display order of the plurality of element cards can be determined according to a position of the host virtual character in the virtual environment. The plurality of element cards owned by the host virtual character and position information of the host virtual character in the virtual environment are obtained. A card sorting model is called to perform prediction on the plurality of element cards and the position information, to obtain display order information of the plurality of element cards, and the plurality of element cards are sorted according to the display order information.

[0106] The position information in the virtual environment includes a position coordinate of the host virtual character. Optionally, the position information further includes at least one of the following: climate information of the position coordinate, mineral type of the position coordinate, virtual characters of a neutral / enemy camp adjacent to the position coordinate, and virtual plot type where the position coordinate is located.

[0107] The climate information in the virtual environment has an additive effect and / or a damaging effect on the element attribute of the virtual pet. For example, in the case of a desert climate in the virtual environment, the desert climate has a high temperature feature, which has a positive additive effect on the virtual fire element attribute and a negative damaging effect on the virtual water element attribute. In the case of a rainforest climate in the virtual environment, the rainforest climate has a high-frequency rainfall feature, which has a positive additive effect on the virtual water element attribute and a negative damaging effect on the virtual fire element attribute. The mineral type of the position coordinate is used to indicate virtual mineral resources that can be obtained by digging the virtual plot in the virtual environment. The mineral type is input into the card sorting model, which provides a basis for the card sorting model to predict the player's willingness to perform mineral digging activities on the summoned virtual pet. In addition, the efficiency of performing mineral digging activities provides a basis for predicting the player's willingness to summon virtual pets with different element attributes. The virtual characters of the neutral / enemy camp adjacent to the position coordinate are used to indicate the degree of danger near the position coordinate. The virtual characters of the neutral / enemy camp are input into the card sorting model, which provides a basis for the card sorting model to predict the player's willingness to perform virtual battles on the summoned virtual pet. In addition, the efficiency of performing virtual battles provides a basis for predicting the player's willingness to summon virtual pets with different element attributes. The virtual plot type where the position coordinate is located is used to indicate that the type of virtual plot is at least one of the following: farmland type, pasture type, industrial area type, entertainment area type, and residential area type. The type of virtual plot is input into the card sorting model, which provides a basis for the card sorting model to predict the type of virtual activity that the virtual pet needs to perform after being summoned by the player.

[0108] Exemplarily, the card sorting model has the ability to predict the willingness of a player to summon a virtual pet in a position where a virtual character is located. The display order information is a descending order of the predicted summoning willingness of a user to different element attributes of a virtual pet. Sorting a plurality of element cards according to the display order information can display element attributes of a virtual pet that a user has a higher summoning willingness in a front position. Further, the training process of the card sorting model is introduced as follows. Sample position information, sample card information, and sample summoning information are obtained, and the sample summoning information is used to indicate the element attribute of the virtual pet summoned in the sample position; the sample position information is used to indicate the climate information of the sample position. The sample card information is used to indicate the information of the element card held by the virtual character when summoning the virtual pet. Exemplarily, the sample position and the sample summoning information are statistical results of the summoning operation of a real user to a virtual pet at a historical time. It can be understood that the statistical information of the above-mentioned information is obtained with the authorization consent of the user, and in an example, the separate consent of the user is obtained at each time of information acquisition.

[0109] Exemplarily, the card sorting model is called to perform prediction on the sample position information and the sample card information to obtain predicted summoning information; and according to the difference between the predicted summoning information and the sample summoning information, backward error propagation training is performed on the card sorting model to obtain the trained card sorting model. Optionally, at least one of the sample climate information, the sample mineral type, the sample virtual character, and the sample virtual land type is also obtained, and the above-mentioned information is introduced in the foregoing, which will not be repeated here. Correspondingly, the predicted summoning information is predicted by calling the card sorting model on the sample position information and the sample card information, and at least one of the sample climate information, the sample mineral type, the sample virtual character, and the sample virtual land type.

[0110] Next, the first position where the virtual pet is summoned is introduced. The first position includes at least one of the following:

[0111] · The first position is located at the center point of the observation picture of the virtual environment;

[0112] Exemplarily, the observation picture of the virtual environment is obtained according to the observation result of the virtual environment by a virtual camera of the virtual character; and the position of the first position in the virtual environment is adjusted by adjusting the position and the angle of view of the virtual character.

[0113] · The first position is located in the moving direction or the facing direction of the virtual character;

[0114] Exemplarily, in the case that the virtual pet has a virtual defense attribute for resisting virtual attacks, the virtual pet is summoned at the first position in the direction in which the master virtual character is pointing or facing, so that the master virtual character is protected in the virtual environment, and the virtual pet is summoned in the direction in which the master character has a travel intention, so that the master virtual character is prevented from receiving virtual attacks based on the virtual defense attribute of the virtual pet.

[0115] • the first position is in the direction in which the master virtual character is pointing at the hostile virtual character;

[0116] Exemplarily, in the case that the virtual pet has a virtual attack attribute for initiating virtual attacks, the direction in which the master virtual character is pointing at the hostile virtual character is the closest direction to the hostile virtual character, and the virtual pet is summoned in the direction in which the master virtual character is pointing at the hostile virtual character, so that the virtual attack attribute of the virtual pet is fully utilized to timely initiate virtual attacks on the hostile virtual character.

[0117] • the first position is in the direction in which the master virtual character is pointing at the marked interest location in the virtual map;

[0118] Exemplarily, in the case that the virtual pet has a virtual mount attribute for carrying the master virtual character to move, the direction in which the master virtual character is pointing at the marked interest location in the virtual map is the closest direction to the interest location, and the virtual pet is summoned in the direction in which the master virtual character is pointing at the marked interest location in the virtual map, so that the virtual mount attribute of the virtual pet is fully utilized to timely control the master virtual character to move towards the interest location by riding the virtual pet.

[0119] • the first position is on the first virtual terrain;

[0120] Exemplarily, the first virtual terrain has a gain effect on a first attribute possessed by the virtual pet. Determining the summoning position of the virtual pet as the first position can provide favorable conditions for the virtual pet to perform virtual activities in the virtual environment.

[0121] In one implementation manner of the present application, the present embodiment is combined with the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 3 in the foregoing, and in response to the selection operation on the first element card, the position cursor is automatically displayed to the first position introduced in the foregoing. In another implementation manner, in response to the selection operation on the first element card, the position cursor is displayed on the initial position (detailed in the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 4, which will not be repeated here), and the position switching control is displayed. In response to the drag operation, in the case of being dragged to the position switching control, the position cursor is moved from the initial position to the first position; wherein the first position is at least one of the positions introduced in the foregoing.

[0122] To sum up, the method provided in the embodiment displays the element attribute identifier on the virtual card, the element attribute identifier can indicate the element attribute of the virtual pet summoned, and provides a human-computer interaction mode of summoning the virtual pet on the field through the selected operation and the triggered operation of the element card. The first position is the summoning position of the virtual pet in the virtual environment, and different types of virtual pets correspond to different first positions, thereby improving the human-computer interaction efficiency of the user in selecting the summoning position of the virtual pet.

[0123] FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of a virtual pet summoning method provided in an example embodiment of the present application. The method can be executed by a computer device. That is, on the basis of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the method further includes steps 542, 544, and 546:

[0124] Step 542: display the second element card in the at least one element card in a visually salient state.

[0125] The second element card displayed in the visually salient state satisfies the fusion condition; the second element card displayed in the visually salient state has the ability to fuse with the first element card, and the user is prompted to perform the fusion operation on the first element card and the second element card through the visual display mode.

[0126] In an optional implementation, the second element card satisfying the fusion condition includes at least one of the following:

[0127] There is no attribute restriction relationship between the first attribute corresponding to the first element card and the second attribute corresponding to the second element card; in an example, there is an attribute restriction relationship between the virtual fire element attribute and the virtual water element attribute, and there is an attribute restriction relationship between the virtual light element attribute and the virtual darkness element attribute. For the introduction of the above virtual element attributes, please refer to the foregoing description, which will not be repeated here.

[0128] The virtual volume difference between the virtual pet corresponding to the first element card and the virtual pet corresponding to the second element card does not exceed a volume difference threshold; in an example, in the case that the virtual volume difference between the virtual pets corresponding to the first element card and the second element card is too large (exceeds the volume difference threshold), the correlation between the virtual pets is low, and there is no condition to fuse the two virtual cards to obtain a third virtual card.

[0129] The first virtual terrain where the host virtual character is located does not have a damaging effect on the virtual pet corresponding to the second element card; in the case that the first virtual terrain does not have a damaging effect (also referred to as a negative effect) on the virtual pet corresponding to the second element card, the first virtual terrain will not have an adverse effect on the virtual pet corresponding to the second element card.

[0130] Step 544: in response to the fusion operation on the first element card and the second element card, display a third element card fused from the first element card and the second element card;

[0131] For example, the third element card is fused from the first element card and the second element card; in one example, the third element card includes an element attribute identifier same as that on the first element card or the second element card; the third element card is a card obtained by strengthening the first element card or the second element card. In another example, the third element card includes an element attribute identifier different from that on the first element card and the second element card, and further, the element attribute identifier on the third element card can only be obtained through the fusion of the cards, and is not an element attribute identifier of an element attribute of a virtual pet directly captured or purchased by the master virtual character.

[0132] In an optional implementation, step 544 can be implemented as: in response to the moving operation on the first element card, display the third element card fused from the first element card and the second element card, in a case where a distance between the first element card and the second element card does not exceed a distance threshold. For example, the fusion operation includes moving the first element card to a position adjacent to the second element card, and the distance between the first element card and the second element card does not exceed the distance threshold. Further, the fusion operation further includes that the distance between the first element card and the second element card does not exceed the distance threshold, and a duration for which the distance between the first element card and the second element card does not exceed the distance threshold exceeds a time threshold. For example, moving the first element card to the position adjacent to the second element card, and the distance between the first element card and the second element card does not exceed the distance threshold, is used to indicate that the user has the intention to fuse the first element card and the second element card; and the duration for which the distance between the first element card and the second element card does not exceed the distance threshold exceeds the time threshold can avoid misoperation, and avoid that the first element card following the position cursor moves adjacent to the second element card to cause mis-triggering of the fusion of the third element card.

[0133] Step 546: in response to the triggering operation on the first element card, display a fusion virtual pet at a first position in the virtual environment;

[0134] For example, the fusion virtual pet is displayed at the first position, also referred to as being summoned at the first position in the virtual environment. For example, the fusion virtual pet displays an entry animation at the first position in the virtual environment, similar to the virtual pet described above; the entry animation and the element attribute identifier in the third element card have at least one same material style; and the fusion virtual pet performs a virtual activity in the virtual environment.

[0135] In summary, the method provided in the embodiment displays the element attribute identifier on the virtual card, the element attribute identifier can indicate the element attribute of the virtual pet to be summoned, and provides a human-computer interaction mode for summoning the virtual pet to appear on the field through the selected operation on the element card and the triggering operation. By displaying the element attribute identifier on the virtual card, the problem that the identity identifier of the virtual pet cannot directly present the element attribute of the virtual pet in the related art is avoided, and with the increase of the type of the virtual pet, the number of the identity identifiers to be displayed increases, which causes the player to need to remember a large number of identity identifiers, and further causes the complexity of the player to distinguish the element attribute of the virtual pet to increase, and the human-computer interaction efficiency of summoning the virtual pet is improved. The function entrance for performing the card fusion on different element cards is provided, the new third element card is obtained by fusion, and the fusion virtual pet corresponding to the third element card is summoned, and the richness of the virtual pet in the virtual environment is improved.

[0136] FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of a virtual pet summoning method provided in an example embodiment of the present application. The method comprises:

[0137] Step 702: acquiring a selected operation on the first element card;

[0138] For example, in response to the selected operation on the first element card, the player has the intention to summon the virtual pet using the first element card.

[0139] Step 704: displaying a position cursor, and displaying the first element card to the side of the position cursor;

[0140] For example, the display of the position cursor and the position switching of the first element card are displayed in response to the acquisition of the selected operation in step 702. For example, the position cursor is used to indicate the position of the virtual pet to be summoned in the virtual environment. For example, the position of the position cursor is adjusted by adjusting the position and the perspective direction of the virtual character. For example, the position cursor is the center point position of the observation picture of the virtual character in the virtual environment.

[0141] Step 706: determining whether a second element card exists;

[0142] For example, in the case where the second element card exists, step 708 is performed; in the case where the second element card does not exist, step 718 is performed.

[0143] For example, the second element card meets the fusion condition and has the ability to fuse with the first element card.

[0144] Step 708: displaying the second element card as a high-lighted frame style;

[0145] Exemplarily, in the presence of the second-element card, the second-element card is displayed in an outer-frame highlight style; the second-element card is presented in a visually salient manner by using the outer-frame highlight style. Referring to subgraph (a) in FIG. 10, the position cursor 312 is located at the center point of the subgraph (a) to indicate the summoning position of the pet character in the virtual environment, and the first-element card 301 is displayed on the side of the position cursor 312; the second-element card 302 is displayed in the outer-frame highlight style.

[0146] Step 710: determining whether the distance between the first-element card and the second-element card exceeds a distance threshold;

[0147] Exemplarily, in the case where the distance between the first-element card and the second-element card exceeds the distance threshold, step 704 is executed to continue displaying the position cursor and the first-element card; in the case where the distance between the first-element card and the second-element card does not exceed the distance threshold, step 712 is executed.

[0148] Step 712: displaying the first-element card and the second-element card in adhesion, and displaying countdown information;

[0149] Exemplarily, in the case where the distance between the first-element card and the second-element card does not exceed the distance threshold, it is indicated that the user has the intention to fuse the first-element card and the second-element card; by displaying the countdown information, the countdown time for fusing the first-element card and the second-element card is indicated.

[0150] Referring to subgraph (b) in FIG. 10, in the case where the distance between the first-element card 301 and the second-element card 302 does not exceed the distance threshold, the display is switched from subgraph (a) to subgraph (b), and the association identifier 301a is displayed between the first-element card 301 and the second-element card 302 to present the first-element card and the second-element card in adhesion. The countdown information 301b indicates the countdown time for fusing the first-element card and the second-element card.

[0151] Step 714: determining whether the countdown information is timed out;

[0152] Exemplarily, in the case where the countdown information is timed out, step 716 is executed; in the case where the countdown information is not timed out, step 704 is executed to continue displaying the position cursor and the first-element card.

[0153] Step 716: displaying a third-element card obtained by fusing the first-element card and the second-element card;

[0154] In an example, the third element card is displayed in response to the countdown information 301b in the subgraph (b) of FIG. 10 being timed out. In response to the countdown information 301b in the subgraph (b) being timed out, the subgraph (b) is switched to the subgraph (c) in which the first element card 301 and the second element card 302 are fused to form a fusion element card 309, which is also referred to as the third element card. In an example, the element attribute identifier on the fusion element card 309 is different from the element attribute identifiers of the first element card 301 and the second element card 302.

[0155] In step 718, an animation of throwing the element card is displayed.

[0156] In an example, an animation of the master virtual character throwing the element card is displayed to present the triggering of using the element card.

[0157] In step 720, the virtual pet is displayed to be summoned.

[0158] In an example, an animation of the virtual pet appearing in the virtual environment is displayed, and the virtual pet is displayed to perform a virtual activity in the virtual environment. FIG. 11 shows a schematic diagram of a fusion virtual pet according to an example embodiment of the present application. The fusion virtual pet 450 is displayed at a first position in the virtual environment in response to the triggering operation on the third element card. The fusion virtual pet 450 has a virtual light element attribute. In an example, the fusion virtual pet 450 has the ability to aggregate virtual sunlight in the virtual environment, to initiate a virtual attack of a light beam of the virtual sunlight, and / or to have the ability to avoid high-temperature damage caused by the virtual sunlight in the virtual environment. The animation of the fusion virtual pet 450 appearing in the virtual environment includes a light and shadow special effect 455 around the fusion virtual pet 450. The shape of the ground light and shadow 455a in the light and shadow special effect 455 is the same as the shape of the element attribute identifier in the third element card shown in FIG. 10.

[0159] In summary, the method provided in the example embodiment displays the element attribute identifier on the virtual card to indicate the element attribute of the virtual pet to be summoned, thereby providing a human-computer interaction manner of summoning the virtual pet to appear in the game by the selecting operation and the triggering operation on the element card. By displaying the element attribute identifier on the virtual card, the problem that the identity identifier of the virtual pet cannot directly present the element attribute of the virtual pet in the related art, and the number of the identity identifiers to be displayed increases with the increase of the types of the virtual pet, thereby causing the player to remember a large number of identity identifiers and further causing the complexity of the player to distinguish the element attribute of the virtual pet to increase, is avoided, and the human-computer interaction efficiency of summoning the virtual pet is improved.

[0160] Those skilled in the art can understand that the above embodiments can be independently implemented, or the above embodiments can be freely combined to form new embodiments to realize the virtual pet calling method of the present application.

[0161] FIG. 12 shows a structural block diagram of a virtual pet calling apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present application. The apparatus comprises: a display module 810 configured to perform step 510 in the embodiment of FIG. 3; a first element card in the at least one element card comprises an element attribute identifier; a processing module 820 configured to perform step 520 in the embodiment of FIG. 3; the first position is a calling position of the virtual pet in the virtual environment; the processing module 820 is further configured to perform step 530 in the embodiment of FIG. 3; the virtual pet has an element attribute that matches the element attribute identifier.

[0162] In an optional implementation of the embodiment, the processing module 820 is further configured to perform step 522, step 524 and step 532 in the embodiment of FIG. 4. In an optional implementation of the embodiment, the processing module 820 is further configured to: in response to a long press operation on the first element card, display a position cursor at an initial position in the virtual environment, and switch display of the first element card to a side of the initial position;

[0163] The processing module 820 is further configured to: in a case where the long press operation on the first element card is maintained, in response to a drag operation, display movement of the position cursor from the initial position to the first position, and display movement of the first element card from the side of the initial position to follow the position cursor to the side of the first position.

[0164] In an optional implementation of the embodiment, the processing module 820 is further configured to: display an entrance animation of the virtual pet at the first position in the virtual environment; the entrance animation and the element attribute identifier in the first element card have at least one same material style; and display the virtual pet performing a virtual activity in the virtual environment.

[0165] In an optional implementation of the embodiment, the element attribute corresponding to the element attribute identifier comprises at least one of a virtual electric element attribute, a virtual fire element attribute, a virtual water element attribute, a virtual soil element attribute, a virtual metal element attribute, a virtual light element attribute, and a virtual darkness element attribute.

[0166] In an optional implementation of the embodiment, the display module 810 is further configured to display a throwing animation of the first element card by the host virtual character towards the first position. In an optional implementation of the embodiment, in the case where the host virtual character is configured with at least two candidate virtual pets, the first element card comprises an identity of the virtual pet; or, the virtual pet displayed at the first position is determined from the at least two candidate virtual pets; wherein the at least two candidate virtual pets have the element attribute conforming to the element attribute identifier.

[0167] In an optional implementation of the embodiment, the first position in the virtual environment comprises at least one of:

[0168] the first position is located at a center point of a viewing picture of the virtual environment; the first position is located at a moving direction or a facing orientation of the host virtual character; wherein the virtual pet has a virtual defense attribute against virtual attacks; the first position is located at a direction in which the host virtual character points to an enemy virtual character; wherein the virtual pet has a virtual attack attribute of initiating virtual attacks; the first position is located at a direction in which the host virtual character points to a marked interest location in a virtual map; wherein the virtual pet has a virtual mount attribute of carrying the host virtual character to move; the first position is located at a first virtual terrain; wherein the first virtual terrain has a gain effect on the first attribute of the virtual pet.

[0169] In an optional implementation of the embodiment, the display module 810 is further configured to perform step 542 in the embodiment of FIG. 8; the second element card satisfies a fusion condition; and the processing module 820 is further configured to perform step 544 and step 546 in the embodiment of FIG. 8.

[0170] In an optional implementation of the embodiment, the processing module 820 is further configured to, in response to a moving operation on the first element card, display the third element card obtained by fusion in the case where a distance between the first element card and the second element card does not exceed a distance threshold.

[0171] In an optional implementation of the embodiment, the second element card satisfies a fusion condition, comprising at least one of: there is no attribute restriction relationship between a first attribute corresponding to the first element card and a second attribute corresponding to the second element card; a virtual volume difference between a virtual pet corresponding to the first element card and a virtual pet corresponding to the second element card does not exceed a volume difference threshold; a first virtual terrain in which the host virtual character is located does not have a damage effect on the virtual pet corresponding to the second element card.

[0172] It should be noted that the apparatus provided by the above embodiments, when implementing the functions thereof, are only exemplified by the above division of the functional modules, and in actual application, the above functions can be completed by different functional modules according to actual needs, that is, the content structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the above-described functions.

[0173] As to the apparatus in the above embodiments, the specific manners in which the modules perform operations have been described in detail in the embodiments of the method; the technical effects achieved by the operations performed by the modules are the same as the technical effects in the embodiments of the method, and will not be described in detail here.

[0174] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer device, which comprises a processor and a memory, and the memory stores a computer program; the processor is used to execute the computer program in the memory to realize the virtual pet calling method provided by the above method embodiments.

[0175] FIG. 13 shows a structural block diagram of a terminal provided by an example embodiment of the present application. The terminal 1900 can be a smart phone, a tablet computer, an MP3 (Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer III) player, an MP4 (Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer IV) player, a notebook computer or a desktop computer. The terminal 1900 can also be referred to as a user equipment, a portable terminal, a laptop terminal, a desktop terminal, and other names.

[0176] Generally, the terminal 1900 includes a processor 1901 and a memory 1902. The processor 1901 can include one or more processing cores, such as a 4-core processor, an 8-core processor, etc. The processor 1901 can be implemented in the form of at least one of a DSP (Digital Signal Processing), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a PLA (Programmable Logic Array). The processor 1901 can also include a main processor and a co-processor. The main processor is a processor for processing data in an awake state, also referred to as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The co-processor is a low-power processor for processing data in a standby state. In some embodiments, the processor 1901 can be integrated with a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) that is responsible for rendering and drawing content required to be displayed by a display screen. In some embodiments, the processor 1901 can further include an AI (Artificial Intelligence) processor for processing computing operations related to machine learning.

[0177] The memory 1902 can include one or more computer-readable storage media that can be non-transitory. The memory 1902 can also include a high-speed random access memory, and a nonvolatile memory such as one or more disk storage devices, flash storage devices. In some embodiments, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium in the memory 1902 is used to store at least one instruction for being executed by the processor 1901 to implement the method of calling a virtual pet provided by the method embodiments in the present application.

[0178] In some embodiments, the terminal 1900 can also optionally include a peripheral device interface 1903 and at least one peripheral device. The processor 1901, the memory 1902 and the peripheral device interface 1903 can be connected through a bus or a signal line. Each peripheral device can be connected to the peripheral device interface 1903 through a bus, a signal line or a circuit board. Specifically, the peripheral device includes at least one of a radio frequency circuit 1904, a touch display screen 1905, a camera assembly 1906, an audio circuit 1907 and a power supply 1908.

[0179] The peripheral interface 1903 can be used to connect at least one I / O (Input / Output) related peripheral device to the processor 1901 and the memory 1902. In some embodiments, the processor 1901, the memory 1902 and the peripheral interface 1903 are integrated on the same chip or circuit board; in some other embodiments, any one or two of the processor 1901, the memory 1902 and the peripheral interface 1903 can be implemented on a separate chip or circuit board, and the present embodiments are not limited in this regard. The radio frequency circuit 1904 is used to receive and transmit RF (Radio Frequency) signals, also known as electromagnetic signals. The radio frequency circuit 1904 communicates with the communication network and other communication devices through electromagnetic signals. The radio frequency circuit 1904 converts electrical signals into electromagnetic signals for transmission, or converts received electromagnetic signals into electrical signals. Optionally, the radio frequency circuit 1904 includes an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, an oscillator, a digital signal processor, a codec chipset, a subscriber identity module card, and the like. The radio frequency circuit 1904 can communicate with other terminals through at least one wireless communication protocol. The wireless communication protocol includes but is not limited to the World Wide Web, a metropolitan area network, an intranet, various generations of mobile communication networks (2G, 3G, 4G and 5G), a wireless local area network and / or a WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) network. In some embodiments, the radio frequency circuit 1904 can also include NFC (Near Field Communication) related circuitry, which is not limited by the present application. The touch display screen 1905 is used to display a UI (User Interface). The UI can include graphics, text, icons, video and any combination thereof. The touch display screen 1905 also has the energy to collect the touch signals on the surface or above the surface of the touch display screen 1905. The touch signals can be input as control signals to the processor 1901 for processing. At this time, the touch display screen 1905 can also be used to provide virtual buttons and / or virtual keyboards, also known as soft buttons and / or soft keyboards. In some embodiments, the touch display screen 1905 can be one, arranged on the front panel of the terminal 1900; in some other embodiments, the touch display screen 1905 can be at least two, arranged on different surfaces of the terminal 1900 or in a folding design; in some other embodiments, the touch display screen 1905 can be a flexible display screen, arranged on a curved surface or a folding surface of the terminal 1900. Even, the touch display screen 1905 can also be arranged in an irregular shape, that is, a special-shaped screen.The touch display screen 1905 can be made of materials such as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode), etc. The camera assembly 1906 is configured to capture images or videos. Optionally, the camera assembly 1906 includes a front camera and a rear camera. Generally, the front camera is arranged on the front panel of the terminal, and the rear camera is arranged on the back of the terminal. In some embodiments, the rear camera is at least two, which is any one of a main camera, a depth-of-field camera, a wide-angle camera, and a long-focus camera, to realize the background blur function by fusing the main camera and the depth-of-field camera, realize the panoramic shooting function by fusing the main camera and the wide-angle camera to realize the VR (Virtual Reality) shooting function, or other fusion shooting functions. In some embodiments, the camera assembly 1906 can also include a flash. The flash can be a single-color-temperature flash or a dual-color-temperature flash. The dual-color-temperature flash refers to the combination of a warm light flash and a cold light flash, which can be used for light compensation under different color temperatures. The audio circuit 1907 can include a microphone and a speaker. The microphone is configured to collect sound waves of a user and the environment, and convert the sound waves into an electrical signal input to the processor 1901 for processing or input to the radio frequency circuit 1904 to realize voice communication. For the purpose of stereo sound collection or noise reduction, the microphone can be multiple, arranged at different parts of the terminal 1900. The microphone can also be an array microphone or an omnidirectional collection microphone. The speaker is configured to convert an electrical signal from the processor 1901 or the radio frequency circuit 1904 into sound waves. The speaker can be a traditional film speaker or a piezoelectric ceramic speaker. When the speaker is a piezoelectric ceramic speaker, it can not only convert electrical signals into sound waves that humans can hear, but also convert electrical signals into sound waves that humans cannot hear for ranging purposes. In some embodiments, the audio circuit 1907 can also include a headphone jack. The power supply 1908 is configured to supply power to each component in the terminal 1900. The power supply 1908 can be alternating current, direct current, a disposable battery, or a rechargeable battery. When the power supply 1908 includes a rechargeable battery, the rechargeable battery can be a wired rechargeable battery or a wireless rechargeable battery. The wired rechargeable battery is a battery charged through a wired line, and the wireless rechargeable battery is a battery charged through a wireless coil. The rechargeable battery can also be used to support fast charging technology.

[0180] In some embodiments, the terminal 1900 further includes one or more sensors 1909. The one or more sensors 1909 include, but are not limited to, an acceleration sensor 1910, a gyroscope sensor 1911, a pressure sensor 1912, an optical sensor 1913, and a proximity sensor 1914.

[0181] The acceleration sensor 1910 can detect the acceleration magnitude in three coordinate axes of a coordinate system established by the terminal 1900. For example, the acceleration sensor 1910 can be used to detect the components of the gravitational acceleration in three coordinate axes. The processor 1901 can control the touch display screen 1905 to display the user interface in a landscape view or a portrait view according to the gravitational acceleration signals collected by the acceleration sensor 1910. The acceleration sensor 1910 can also be used for game or user motion data collection. The gyroscope sensor 1911 can detect the body orientation and rotation angle of the terminal 1900, and the gyroscope sensor 1911 can collect 3D user actions on the terminal 1900 in cooperation with the acceleration sensor 1910. The processor 1901 can implement the following functions according to the data collected by the gyroscope sensor 1911: motion sensing (e.g., changing the UI according to the user's tilt operation), image stabilization when shooting, game control, and inertial navigation. The pressure sensor 1912 can be arranged on the side frame of the terminal 1900 and / or the lower layer of the touch display screen 1905. When the pressure sensor 1912 is arranged on the side frame of the terminal 1900, the user's holding signal on the terminal 1900 can be detected, and the left-hand or right-hand recognition or shortcut operation can be performed by the processor 1901 according to the holding signal collected by the pressure sensor 1912. When the pressure sensor 1912 is arranged on the lower layer of the touch display screen 1905, the processor 1901 can control the operable control on the UI according to the user's pressure operation on the touch display screen 1905. The operable control includes at least one of a button control, a scroll bar control, an icon control, and a menu control. The optical sensor 1913 is used to collect the ambient light intensity. In one embodiment, the processor 1901 can control the display brightness of the touch display screen 1905 according to the ambient light intensity collected by the optical sensor 1913. Specifically, when the ambient light intensity is high, the display brightness of the touch display screen 1905 is increased; when the ambient light intensity is low, the display brightness of the touch display screen 1905 is decreased. In another embodiment, the processor 1901 can also dynamically adjust the shooting parameters of the camera assembly 1906 according to the ambient light intensity collected by the optical sensor 1913. The proximity sensor 1914, also known as the distance sensor, is usually arranged on the front panel of the terminal 1900. The proximity sensor 1914 is used to collect the distance between the user and the front of the terminal 1900. In one embodiment, when the proximity sensor 1914 detects that the distance between the user and the front of the terminal 1900 gradually decreases, the processor 1901 controls the touch display screen 1905 to switch from the bright screen state to the off-screen state; when the proximity sensor 1914 detects that the distance between the user and the front of the terminal 1900 gradually increases, the processor 1901 controls the touch display screen 1905 to switch from the off-screen state to the bright screen state.

[0182] Those skilled in the art can understand that the above structure does not constitute a limitation on the terminal 1900, and can include more or fewer components than the illustration, or combine certain components, or adopt a different component arrangement.

[0183] In an example embodiment, a chip is also provided, which includes programmable logic circuit and / or program instructions, and when the chip is running on a computer device, is used to implement the method for calling a virtual pet according to the above aspects.

[0184] In an example embodiment, a computer program product is also provided, which includes computer instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium. A processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer readable storage medium, and the processor reads and executes the computer instructions from the computer readable storage medium to implement the method for calling a virtual pet according to the above method embodiments.

[0185] In an example embodiment, a computer readable storage medium is also provided, which stores a computer program, and the computer program is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the method for calling a virtual pet according to the above method embodiments.

[0186] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the steps of the above embodiments can be completed by hardware, or by program instructing relevant hardware, and the program can be stored in a computer readable storage medium, and the storage medium mentioned above can be a read-only memory, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc. Those skilled in the art should realize that in the above one or more examples, the functions described in the embodiments of the present application can be realized by hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof. When realized by software, these functions can be stored in a computer readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium includes a computer storage medium and a communication medium, wherein the communication medium includes any medium that facilitates the transmission of computer programs from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general or special purpose computer. The above is only an optional embodiment of the present application, and does not limit the present application, and any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for calling a virtual pet, the method being performed by a terminal and comprising: displaying a master virtual character and at least one element card in a virtual environment, a first element card of the at least one element card including an element attribute identifier; in response to a selection operation on the first element card, displaying a position cursor in the virtual environment pointing to a first position, the first position being a calling position of the virtual pet in the virtual environment; in response to a trigger operation on the first element card, calling out the virtual pet at the first position in the virtual environment, the virtual pet having an element attribute corresponding to the element attribute identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The displaying, in response to the selection operation on the first element card, the position cursor in the virtual environment pointing to the first position comprises: in response to a long press operation on the first element card, displaying the position cursor at an initial position in the virtual environment; in response to a drag operation while the long press operation on the first element card is maintained, displaying the position cursor moving from the initial position to the first position. The calling, in response to the trigger operation on the first element card, the virtual pet at the first position in the virtual environment comprises: in response to a release operation on the first element card, calling out the virtual pet at the first position in the virtual environment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The displaying, in response to the long press operation on the first element card, the position cursor at an initial position in the virtual environment comprises: in response to the long press operation on the first element card, displaying the position cursor at an initial position in the virtual environment and switching display of the first element card to a side of the initial position; The displaying, in response to the drag operation while the long press operation on the first element card is maintained, the position cursor moving from the initial position to the first position comprises: in response to the drag operation while the long press operation on the first element card is maintained, displaying the position cursor moving from the initial position to the first position and displaying the first element card following the position cursor moving from a side of the initial position to a side of the first position.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The calling out the virtual pet at the first position in the virtual environment comprises: displaying an entrance animation of the virtual pet at the first position in the virtual environment, the entrance animation and the element attribute identifier in the first element card having at least one same material style; displaying the virtual pet performing a virtual activity in the virtual environment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The element attribute corresponding to the element attribute identifier comprises: at least one of a virtual electric element attribute, a virtual fire element attribute, a virtual water element attribute, a virtual soil element attribute, a virtual metal element attribute, a virtual light element attribute, and a virtual darkness element attribute.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein, The method further comprises: displaying a throwing animation of the master virtual character throwing the first element card toward the first position.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, In a case where the host virtual character is configured with at least two candidate virtual pets, the first element card includes an identity of the virtual pet; or, the virtual pet displayed at the first position is determined from the at least two candidate virtual pets. The at least two candidate virtual pets have the element attribute conforming to the element attribute identifier.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The first position in the virtual environment includes at least one of: The first position is at a center point of a viewing picture of the virtual environment; The first position is in a moving direction or a facing orientation of the host virtual character; wherein the virtual pet has a virtual defense attribute against virtual attacks; The first position is in a direction in which the host virtual character points at an enemy virtual character; wherein the virtual pet has a virtual attack attribute to initiate virtual attacks; The first position is in a direction in which the host virtual character points at a marked interest location in a virtual map; wherein the virtual pet has a virtual mount attribute to carry the host virtual character to move; The first position is at a first virtual terrain; wherein the first virtual terrain has a gain effect on the first attribute of the virtual pet.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The method further includes: displaying a second element card in the at least one element card in a visually salient state, the second element card satisfying a fusion condition; in response to a fusion operation on the first element card and the second element card, displaying a third element card fused from the first element card and the second element card; in response to a triggering operation on the third element card, displaying a fused virtual pet at the first position in the virtual environment.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The response to the fusion operation on the first element card and the second element card, displaying a third element card fused from the first element card and the second element card, includes: in response to a moving operation on the first element card, displaying the third element card fused from the first element card and the second element card in a case where a distance between the first element card and the second element card does not exceed a distance threshold.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein, The second element card satisfying a fusion condition includes at least one of: there is no attribute restriction relationship between a first attribute corresponding to the first element card and a second attribute corresponding to the second element card; a virtual volume difference between a virtual pet corresponding to the first element card and a virtual pet corresponding to the second element card does not exceed a volume difference threshold; a first virtual terrain in which the host virtual character is located does not have a damage effect on the virtual pet corresponding to the second element card.

12. A virtual pet summoning apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a display module configured to display a host virtual character and at least one element card in a virtual environment, a first element card in the at least one element card including an element attribute identifier; a processing module configured to, in response to a selection operation on the first element card, display a position cursor pointing at a first position in the virtual environment, the first position being a summoning position of the virtual pet in the virtual environment. The processing module is further configured to, in response to a trigger operation on the first element card, call out the virtual pet with the element attribute matching the element attribute identifier at the first position in the virtual environment.

13. A computer device comprising: a processor and a memory, the memory storing at least one program; The processor is configured to execute the at least one program in the memory to implement the method for calling out the virtual pet according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. A computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium storing executable instructions, the executable instructions being loaded and executed by a processor to implement the method for calling out the virtual pet according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

15. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising computer instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium, the computer instructions being read and executed by a processor to implement the method for calling out the virtual pet according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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