Information processing program

Abstract

A program according to the present invention causes a computer 1a to function as a clue acquiring unit 23a that causes a first character to acquire clue information that has been left in response to an action performed by a second character in a virtual space, a comparing unit 24a that, for each of a plurality of second characters, compares the clue information acquired by the first character with related information associated with each of the plurality of second characters, and an output unit 42a that draws the virtual space, wherein, when a second character associated with related information that matches or is similar to the clue information acquired by the first character is drawn, the output unit 42a draws a predetermined icon in the vicinity of the second character.

Description

Information processing program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to user interface technology.

[0002] Conventionally, in a game where a first player is not informed which of the first and second characters with set first and second roles are, and a second player is not informed, during play, an information providing opportunity occurs. A technique has been proposed to determine whether the first character and the second character are located within a predetermined distance range in the field, and to provide the first player with information indicating the determination result and information indicating a fact derived from the determination result (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] In addition, various techniques have been proposed to provide players with information about characters appearing in the game (see Patent Documents 2 and 3).

[0004] Japanese Patent No. 7162945, Japanese Patent No. 7162946, Japanese Patent No. 7141778

[0005] An object of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is to solve the deficiencies of related technologies.

[0006] From a non-limiting perspective, one aspect of the present disclosure is to cause a computer to function as game management means for managing a game in which a first character that operates according to user operations and a plurality of second characters are drawn in a virtual space, and clues that can be collated with related information associated with the second character left according to the actions of the second character in the virtual space are obtained by the first character. A clue acquisition means, a collation means for collating the clue information acquired by the first character with the related information associated with each of the plurality of second characters for each of the plurality of second characters, and an output means for drawing the virtual space. The output means is a program that draws a predetermined icon near the second character when the second character associated with the related information that matches or is similar to the clue information acquired by the first character in the collation is drawn.

[0007] Furthermore, this disclosure can also be understood as an information processing device, an information processing system, a method executed by a computer, or a program to be executed by a computer. This disclosure can also be understood as such a program recorded on a recording medium readable by a computer or other device or machine. Here, a recording medium readable by a computer refers to a recording medium that stores information such as data and programs through electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical means and can be read by a computer.

[0008] Each embodiment of the present invention resolves one or more of the shortcomings.

[0009] This figure shows a schematic of the functional configuration of an information processing system corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. This is a flowchart showing the game processing flow corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. This figure shows a schematic of the hardware configuration of an information processing system corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. This figure shows a schematic of the functional configuration of an information processing system corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. This is a flowchart showing the cue placement processing flow corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. This is a flowchart showing the cue acquisition processing flow corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. This is a flowchart showing the drawing processing flow corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. This figure shows a game screen in which the field of view of a character corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure has been drawn.

[0010] Examples of embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are merely examples of how this disclosure may be implemented, and this disclosure is not limited to the specific configurations described below. In implementing this disclosure, specific configurations may be adopted as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0011] Furthermore, the various components in the examples of each embodiment described below can be combined as appropriate, as long as no inconsistencies arise. Also, some of the content described in an example of one embodiment may be omitted in other embodiments. In addition, the content of operations and processes that are not related to the characteristic parts of each embodiment may be omitted. Furthermore, the order of the various processes that constitute the various flows described below is not in any particular order, as long as no inconsistencies arise in the processing content.

[0012] [First Embodiment] <Configuration of the Device> Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the information processing system 1a according to this embodiment. The information processing system 1a according to this embodiment functions as an information processing system comprising a game management unit 21a, a clue acquisition unit 23a, a matching unit 24a, and an output unit 42a, by having a processor interpret and execute various programs deployed in various memories. In this embodiment, an example is described in which all of these functions are executed by a general-purpose processor, but some or all of these functions may be realized by one or more dedicated processors. Furthermore, each functional unit of the information processing system 1a may be implemented remotely and / or in a distributed manner (for example, on the cloud). Furthermore, these functional units may be realized not by a single software module, but by multiple software modules.

[0013] The game management unit 21a manages a game in which a first character and multiple second characters are rendered in a virtual space.

[0014] The clue acquisition unit 23a causes the first character to acquire clue information that can be matched with related information associated with the second character, which is left behind in response to the actions of the second character in the virtual space.

[0015] The matching unit 24a compares the clue information obtained by the first character with the related information associated with each of the multiple second characters.

[0016] The output unit 42a renders and outputs the virtual space. When a second character is rendered and output that has related information that matches or is similar to the clue information obtained by the first character in the matching process, the output unit 42a outputs a notification to the user that related information is associated with the second character.

[0017] <Processing Flow> Next, the processing flow performed in this embodiment will be described. Note that the specific content and processing order of the processing shown in the flowchart of the embodiment is an example for implementing this disclosure. The specific content and processing order of the processing may be appropriately selected depending on the embodiment of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the game processing flow according to the first embodiment. The processes shown in this flowchart are executed repeatedly during the execution of the game.

[0019] The clue acquisition unit 23a causes the first character to acquire clue information left behind in response to the actions of the second character in the virtual space (step S001), and the matching unit 24a matches the acquired clue information with the related information associated with each of the multiple second characters (step S002). Then, when the output unit 42a renders and outputs a second character to which related information that matches or is similar to the clue information has been linked in the matching process, it outputs a notification to the user that related information has been linked to that second character (step S003). After that, the process shown in this flowchart is completed.

[0020] According to this embodiment, in a game that progresses using clue information, it is possible to improve user convenience and game experience related to the user interface, and to reduce the number of user operations such as checking clues.

[0021] [Second Embodiment] This embodiment describes an embodiment in which the technology disclosed herein is implemented in a so-called werewolf game in which multiple players participate using their respective user terminals 3 and the game progress is managed by a server 1. Here, a so-called werewolf game is a game in which players are divided into a wolf team and a sheep team, and the team that first fulfills the victory conditions wins. Generally, the victory condition for the wolf team is to eliminate all players (hereinafter referred to as "sheep players") or characters (hereinafter referred to as "sheep characters") of the sheep team (by killing, banishing, incapacitating, etc. in the game), and the victory condition for the sheep team is to eliminate all players (hereinafter referred to as "wolf players") or characters (hereinafter referred to as "wolf characters") of the wolf team or to achieve other objectives (for example, completing all assigned tasks, all surviving sheep characters escaping from a predetermined game field, etc.). Generally, in the Werewolf game, at the start of the game, the sheep do not know which player or character is the werewolf. Therefore, the sheep team must deduce which player or character is the werewolf and which is the sheep as the game progresses. On the other hand, the werewolf team must play the game while taking care not to reveal to the sheep team that they or their teammates are werewolves.

[0022] <Configuration of the device> Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the information processing system 9 according to this embodiment. The information processing system 9 in this embodiment has an information processing device 1 connected to a network such as the Internet and a plurality of user terminals 3. The information processing device 1 is a server 1 for a game in which the plurality of user terminals 3 participate. Games played by multiple user terminals 3 connected to the server 1 include various genres of games in which players can cooperate, compete and / or interact with each other within the game (for example, MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game)), but the games to which the technology of this disclosure can be applied are not limited to the examples in this embodiment. Furthermore, the user terminals 3 are game devices used by the game players. Various types of devices can be used as game devices, for example, personal computers, smartphones, portable game devices, home game devices, wearable electronic devices (for example, VR (Virtual Reality) headsets and smartwatches), etc., but the type is not limited. The player can play the game by having the user terminal 3 and the information processing device 1 execute game processing based on the game processing program.

[0023] The information processing device 1 is an information processing device in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an auxiliary storage device 14, and a network interface 15 for communicating with the outside world via a network are connected by wired or wireless means. Regarding the specific hardware configuration of the information processing device 1, components may be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0024] The CPU 11 controls the various components of the information processing device 1, such as the RAM 13 and auxiliary storage device 14, by processing instructions and data loaded into the ROM 12 and RAM 13, etc. The RAM 13 is the main memory, controlled by the CPU 11, and various instructions and data are written to and read from it. In other words, the CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 constitute the control unit of the information processing device 1.

[0025] The auxiliary storage device 14 is a non-volatile storage device that primarily stores and reads information that should be retained even when the power to the information processing device 1 is turned off, such as the OS (Operating System) of the information processing device 1 loaded into the RAM 13, various programs for executing the processes described later, and various data used by the information processing device 1. As the auxiliary storage device 14, for example, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) can be used.

[0026] The user terminal 3 is an information processing device in which a CPU 31, ROM 32, RAM 33, auxiliary storage device 34, network interface 35, input device 36, and output device 37 are connected by wired or wireless means. Regarding the specific hardware configuration of the user terminal 3, components may be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0027] The input device 36 can employ various devices such as buttons, sticks, keyboards, mice, trackballs, touch sensors, accelerometers, angular velocity sensors, cameras, depth sensors, and microphones. The output device 37 can employ various devices such as displays, speakers, vibrators, or LEDs. Furthermore, by employing a touch panel display, the input device 36 and the output device 37 that displays related content may be provided together.

[0028] Furthermore, the auxiliary storage device 34 of the user terminal 3 may use a portable medium that can be detachably attached, in addition to the one exemplified as the auxiliary storage device 14 of the information processing device 1. Examples of portable mediums include card / cartridge type media including ROM, CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), and BD (Blu-ray® Disc). Auxiliary storage devices using portable mediums and non-portable auxiliary storage devices can also be used in combination.

[0029] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the information processing system 9 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the information processing device 1 functions as a server 1 equipped with a game management unit 21, a clue placement unit 22, a clue acquisition unit 23, and a matching unit 24, by having the CPU 11 interpret and execute various programs deployed in the ROM 12 and RAM 13, etc. In this embodiment, an example is described in which all of these functions are executed by a general-purpose CPU 11, but some or all of these functions may be realized by one or more dedicated processors. Furthermore, each functional unit of the information processing device 1 may be implemented remotely and / or in a distributed manner (for example, on the cloud). Also, these functional units may be realized not by a single software module, but by multiple software modules.

[0030] The game management unit 21 manages a werewolf game in which a player character (first character) that operates according to at least one player operation and multiple other characters (second characters) are drawn on the game field (virtual space). Here, each of the characters other than the player character may be another player character operated by one or more other players, or it may be a non-player character controlled by the game management unit 21. That is, at least one of the multiple other characters may be a character operated by a user other than the user operating the player character.

[0031] The clue placement unit 22 places clue information (which may be referred to as a clu, trace, or evidence, etc.) related to the wolf character when the wolf character performs a predetermined action on the game field where the player character and other characters can move in the werewolf game. In the game according to this embodiment, "physical clues" or "cognitive clues" are generated as clues. In this embodiment, an example is described in which sheep characters do not leave clues and only wolf characters leave clues, but the types of characters that leave clues are not limited to the example described in this embodiment.

[0032] Physical clues are objects or data placed in the game field that can be interacted with through a character, such as pieces of clothing, hair, skin, fingerprints, shell casings, bloodstains, and glass shards of a wolf character involved in a predetermined action. In the game according to this embodiment, a player can operate their player character to go to a location in the game field where physical clues are placed (for example, around the location where a sheep character was attacked, the corpse of a sheep character, around broken glass / doors, traps, etc.) and obtain the physical clues by performing an "examine" action at that location.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, physical clues are assigned rarity levels and a range of possible narrowing down depending on the content of the physical clue. For example, since pieces of clothing, hair, and skin match or are similar to the related information of many characters, it is possible to roughly narrow down the characters corresponding to the clue (hereinafter referred to as "corresponding characters"). On the other hand, since fingerprints and bloodstains match or are similar to only a few characters, it is possible to significantly narrow down the corresponding characters. More specifically, in the game according to this embodiment, an action called "appraisal" is required to match fingerprints and bloodstains with the related information (attributes / characteristics) of characters. However, when appraisal is performed, fingerprints will match or be similar to about 2 out of 30 characters appearing in the game, and bloodstains will match or be similar to only 1 out of all characters appearing in the game. In other words, by appraising bloodstains as a clue, the corresponding character can be identified in one step without the need to narrow down the search by combining them with other clues.

[0034] Cognitive cues are data-based cues indicating that a predetermined action has been recognized by another character or a monitoring system. For example, these cues may include the location, gender, clothing color, type of clothing, skin color, hair color, hairstyle, character name, and image of the wolf character involved in the predetermined action. In this embodiment, cognitive cues are obtained from other characters such as non-player characters (e.g., hotel staff if the game field is a hotel) or from the monitoring system. More specifically, in the game according to this embodiment, a player can acquire cognitive cues that have been directly recognized by other characters or obtained from other characters by performing actions such as talking to other characters using their player character. The monitoring system is a game field monitoring system equipped with surveillance cameras and sensors placed in the game field. A player can acquire cognitive cues recognized by the monitoring system by performing actions such as operating a terminal for the monitoring system located in a monitoring room using their player character. In this case, the location in the game field where surveillance cameras, sensors, etc., are placed and other characters are recognized by the surveillance system may be different from the location where the control terminal for the surveillance system is placed in the game field.

[0035] In this embodiment, cognitive cues are assigned levels according to their content. For example, if a sound produced by the wolf character's actions is perceived by a character, but the character cannot see the wolf character, level 1 is set. In the case of a level 1 cognitive cue, the perceived character can obtain information such as, "A gunshot was heard in the direction of <location>." Also, for example, if the wolf character's actions are visible to the character, but the distance is greater than a predetermined amount (i.e., the wolf character is in the character's field of vision, but is far enough away that they cannot be identified), level 2 is set. In the case of a level 2 cognitive cue, the perceived character can obtain information such as gender, clothing color, type of clothing, skin color, hair color, and hairstyle, for example, "The culprit had black hair." Also, for example, if the wolf character's actions are visible to the character and the distance is less than a predetermined amount (i.e., the wolf character's actions are seen right in front of the character, and the character is close enough to be identified), level 3 is set. In the case of a level 3 cognitive cue, the perceived character can obtain information such as, "The culprit is <character name>."

[0036] The clue acquisition unit 23 allows the player character to acquire clue information that can be matched with related information associated with the wolf character, which is left behind in response to the wolf character's actions on the game field. Here, related information associated with the character includes, for example, the character's attribute information, possession information, equipment information, etc.

[0037] The matching unit 24 compares the clue information obtained by the player character with the related information associated with each of the other characters.

[0038] In this embodiment, the user terminal 3 functions as a user terminal 3 equipped with a game processing unit 41 and an output unit 42, with the CPU 31 interpreting and executing various programs deployed in the ROM 32 and RAM 33, etc. In this embodiment, an example is described in which all of these functions are executed by a general-purpose CPU 31, but some or all of these functions may be realized by one or more dedicated processors. Furthermore, each functional unit of the information processing device 1 may be implemented remotely and / or in a distributed manner (for example, on the cloud). Also, these functional units may be realized not by a single software module, but by multiple software modules.

[0039] The game processing unit 41 communicates with the game management unit 21 of the server 1 and performs game processing in cooperation with the game management unit 21.

[0040] The output unit 42 renders and outputs the virtual space of the game field from the viewpoint of the player character. Here, the viewpoint can be any viewpoint that allows the player to check the situation around the player character in order to control the player character. For example, it may be a first-person viewpoint set near the position of the player character's head, or a third-person viewpoint set around the player character. Note that the screen rendered by the output unit 42 may be rendered from a viewpoint different from the viewpoint of the player character controlled by the user of the user terminal 3. In this way, even a user who leaves the game midway for reasons such as being killed by a wolf character can view the progress of the game after their departure from the viewpoint of a character they are not controlling, or from the viewpoint of a surveillance camera placed in the game field.

[0041] In this embodiment, when another character whose related information matches or is similar to the clue information acquired by the player character during matching is drawn in the player character's field of view (which may be first-person or third-person as described above), the output unit 42 draws a predetermined icon near the other character. That is, in this embodiment, the output unit 42 draws the virtual space from the player character's viewpoint and draws a predetermined icon near the other character when another character is drawn. In this embodiment, the predetermined icon is an icon that indicates related information that matches or is similar to the clue information. If multiple pieces of related information match or are similar to one other character, multiple icons indicating multiple matching or similar pieces of related information are drawn.

[0042] <Processing Flow> Next, the processing flow performed in this embodiment will be described. Note that the specific content and processing order of the processing shown in the flowchart of the embodiment is an example for implementing this disclosure. The specific content and processing order of the processing may be appropriately selected depending on the embodiment of this disclosure.

[0043] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the clue placement process according to this embodiment. The process shown in this flowchart is executed when a wolf character performs a predetermined action in the game. Here, we explain an example in which clues are placed when a wolf character performs a predetermined action in the game, but clues may also include those that are not triggered by a predetermined action performed by the wolf character in the game. For example, the game may start with the premise that a wolf character has killed a non-player character, and clues corresponding to this premise may be placed on the game field at the start of the game.

[0044] From step S101 to step S104, clues are generated according to the actions of the wolf character. When the wolf character in the game performs a predetermined action (for example, an attack action, killing a sheep character, breaking a window glass, etc.) (step S101), the action is notified to the server 1, and the clue installation unit 22 of the server 1 performs a random selection with a predetermined probability set to determine whether to "leave a clue" or "not leave a clue" as a result of the action (step S102). In this embodiment, an example where the random selection is executed by the server 1 is described, but the execution entity of the random selection is not limited to the example in this embodiment, and other devices such as the user terminal 3 may be used.

[0045] If the result of the random selection is "not leave a clue" (NO in step S103), no clue will be generated by the action in step S101, the process in step S104 will be skipped, and the process shown in this flowchart will end. On the other hand, if the result of the random selection is "leave a clue" (YES in step S103), the wolf character related to the action will leave some clue, and the clue installation unit 22 of the server 1 will generate a clue by the action in step S101 and save the clue arrangement data indicating the clue in the auxiliary storage device 14 (step S104). The clue arrangement data is data including information such as the type of the clue to be arranged (for example, "physical clue", etc.), the content (for example, "black hair", etc.), and the position in the game field where the clue is arranged (for example, represented by coordinates), etc.

[0046] In this embodiment, an example was described in which a random selection is made to determine whether or not to leave a clue, but random selection is not required. Furthermore, whether or not a random selection is made may be determined depending on the type and content of the wolf character's action, and the probability set for random selection may be changed depending on the type and content of the wolf character's action. For example, a specification may be adopted in which a clue is forcibly left without random selection for certain types of actions. Moreover, the type and content of the clues that are generated may also be determined by random selection. For example, when a wolf character performs an attack action, which of the above-mentioned specific examples of clues is generated may be determined by random selection. Also, multiple clues may be left for a single action.

[0047] In steps S105 to S110, clues are destroyed in response to the actions of the wolf player. The game processing unit 41 of the wolf player's user terminal 3 retrieves the clue placement data on the game field saved in step S104 from the server 1 and places clues on the game field according to the retrieved clue placement data (step S105).

[0048] Here, when the wolf character interacts with the clue by player operation, the game processing unit 41 of the user terminal 3 outputs an option to the player as to whether to conceal (delete or make invisible) the clue, and accepts the player's selection. Here, when the wolf player selects not to conceal the clue (NO in step S106), the process shown in this flowchart ends. On the other hand, when the wolf player selects to conceal the clue (YES in step S106), the game processing unit 41 of the user terminal 3 transmits a concealment instruction for the clue to the server 1 (step S107). In this embodiment, for a cognitive clue, a concealment instruction can be given by passing a bribe to the character from which the cognitive clue is obtained. Also, instead of a bribe, a concealment instruction may be given by clearing a mini-game imposed by the character. Also, although different from the concealment instruction, by excluding (for example, killing, etc.) the character from which the cognitive clue is obtained from the game, access from other characters to the character can be obstructed, and the clue can be substantially concealed.

[0049] When the clue placement unit 22 of server 1 receives a concealment instruction transmitted from the user terminal 3 (YES in step S108), it decides whether or not to actually conceal (delete or make invisible) the clue according to predetermined criteria (step S109). The criteria for deciding whether or not to conceal are not limited, but for example, a random selection is made according to a predetermined probability to determine whether the concealment is successful or unsuccessful. If it is determined that the concealment is successful (YES in step S109), the clue placement unit 22 of server 1 deletes the target clue placement data from the auxiliary storage device 14, thereby concealing (deleting or making invisible) the clue related to the concealment instruction from the game field (step S110). On the other hand, if it is determined that the concealment is unsuccessful (NO in step S109), the processing related to this flowchart ends, and the clue related to the concealment instruction remains placed on the game field. Furthermore, the results indicating the success or failure of the concealment and the deletion of the clue placement data are notified from Server 1 to the user terminal 3 that sent the concealment instruction (step S111), and the user terminal 3 outputs the results and notifies the player.

[0050] In this embodiment, an example is described in which a random selection is made to determine whether the concealment is successful or not, but random selection is not required. Also, in this flowchart, the process is described when the wolf character who performed the action of leaving the clue also destroys the clue, but the destruction of the clue may be performed by another wolf character. That is, multiple wolf players belonging to the wolf team can cooperate in destroying clues left by other wolf characters. Also, depending on the situation, sheep players cooperating with the wolf team may also cooperate in destroying clues left by other wolf characters. In this case, the process is the same as steps S105 to S111 shown in this flowchart, so the explanation is omitted.

[0051] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the clue acquisition process according to this embodiment. The process shown in this flowchart is executed when a clue is placed on the game field in the game.

[0052] In steps S201 to S205, clues are acquired and the acquired clues are compared. The game processing unit 41 of the Sheep Player's user terminal 3 acquires the clue placement data on the game field saved in step S104 of the clue placement process described above from the server 1 and places it on the game field (step S201).

[0053] Here, when the sheep character interacts with the clue through player operation, the game processing unit 41 of the user terminal 3 records data indicating that the sheep player / character that interacted with the clue has acquired the clue, and also notifies the server 1 that the sheep player / character related to the user terminal 3 has acquired the clue. In this way, the sheep player / character acquires the clue (step S202). Note that the acquisition of the clue may occur automatically when the sheep character interacts with the clue through player operation, or it may occur on the condition that the sheep player gives a positive input to the option output by the user terminal 3 regarding whether or not to acquire the clue.

[0054] Furthermore, clues may include types of clues that are only obtained after acquiring the corresponding item and performing an "appraisal" action. In the game according to this embodiment, fingerprints and bloodstains among the clues are acquired after acquiring the corresponding item, by going to a predetermined location (e.g., a workbench) placed on the game field and performing an appraisal action, and can be matched with the character's related information (attributes / characteristics).

[0055] When the clue acquisition unit 23 of server 1 receives a notification that the sheep player / character on user terminal 3 has acquired a clue, it records the clue related to the notification as a clue acquired by the sheep player / character on user terminal 3 that sent the notification (step S203). Then, the matching unit 24 of server 1 compares the newly acquired clue with the related information (attributes / characteristics) set for the characters (sheep characters and wolf characters) participating in the game (step S204).

[0056] If the matching results in the extraction of matching or similar characters (corresponding characters), the matching unit 24 of server 1 stores matching result data associating the extracted corresponding characters with the clue (step S205), and distributes the matching result data to at least the user terminal 3 of the sheep player that acquired the clue related to the matching (i.e., the notifying user terminal 3 in step S203). After that, the process shown in this flowchart is completed.

[0057] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the drawing process according to this embodiment. The processes shown in this flowchart are repeatedly executed during game processing.

[0058] The game processing unit 41 of the Sheep Player user terminal 3 retrieves the matching result data saved in step S205 of the clue acquisition process from the server 1 (step S301). Then, if another character enters the Sheep character's field of view (i.e., the area drawn on the Sheep Player user terminal 3 and output to the display) during the Sheep Player's gameplay, the output unit 42 of the Sheep Player user terminal 3 displays an icon indicating the clue associated with that other character in the matching result data near that other character (step S302). After that, the process shown in this flowchart ends.

[0059] Figure 8 shows a game screen in this embodiment where the view of a character is displayed. In this embodiment, when another character having features that match the clues collected by the player's character enters the view of the player's character, an icon is displayed near that other character. In this figure, the game screen is illustrated as an example where the view of the player character is displayed from a third-person perspective, and therefore the player character C0 is displayed on the screen. However, the viewpoint used when displaying the view of the player character is not limited to the example shown in this figure, and may be, for example, a first-person perspective.

[0060] As shown in this diagram, icons indicating clues associated with other characters in the matching result data are displayed near other characters that are within the field of view of the sheep character. Specifically, in the example shown in this diagram, icon I1, which indicates the clue "skin color" associated with the other character in the matching result data, is displayed near character C1; icon I2, which indicates the clue "clothing color" associated with the other character in the matching result data, is displayed near character C2; and icons I3, I4, and I5, which indicate the clues "hair color," "skin color," and "clothing color" associated with the other character in the matching result data, are displayed near character C3. From this information, the player can grasp the number and content of matching clues and infer which character is the wolf character.

[0061] In this embodiment, it has been explained that icons indicating clues are displayed near characters. However, if the number of characters corresponding to a certain clue is narrowed down to one, a notification indicating that the character is a wolf character may be output. For example, in this game, as described above, by examining (acquiring) bloodstains, the corresponding character can be identified using only that clue. Also, if the number of surviving characters in the game decreases due to characters being killed, etc., the corresponding character can be identified when only one character remains that corresponds to a certain clue (e.g., "black hair"). The notification indicating that the character is a wolf character may be displayed as an icon near the narrowed-down wolf character, or it may be output as an in-game notification (displayed as a pop-up or list, or as audio output by the game master through commentary or announcements, etc.) regardless of whether the narrowed-down wolf character is in the player's field of view (whether or not it is displayed on the screen).

[0062] As mentioned above, the matching result data is distributed to at least the user terminal 3 of the sheep player who obtained the matching clue and is displayed in the field of view of the sheep character operated by that sheep player. However, the user terminal 3 to which the matching result data is distributed and displayed may differ depending on the game rules and progress. For example, the matching result data may also be distributed and displayed to the user terminal 3 of other sheep players, or to the user terminal 3 of wolf players.

[0063] According to the embodiment described above, in games such as the so-called Werewolf game, in which multiple players participate and make deductions and guesses about other characters, it is possible to improve user convenience and game experience related to the user interface, reduce the processing load on each user terminal, and reduce the number of user operations such as checking clues.

[0064] Furthermore, according to the technology disclosed herein, when an acquired clue matches or is similar to the characteristics of another character, it becomes possible for the user to recognize and judge "this character is suspicious" based on the objective fact that the clue matches or is similar, without having to write down notes themselves or refer to in-game menus or information screens separately, or with a significant reduction in the need to do so. In other words, according to the technology disclosed herein, by assisting in the organization of information, which would be difficult with the player's own memory and recognition abilities alone, it is possible to avoid a situation where the game automatically solves the correct answer programmatically, while providing the player with the feeling that they have solved the mystery (identified the culprit in the embodiment described above) using their own abilities.

[0065] [Variations] The embodiments described above are merely examples of how this disclosure may be implemented, and this disclosure is not limited to the specific configurations described above. When implementing this disclosure, specific configurations may be adopted as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0066] For example, in the embodiment described above, when the second character to which the related information is associated is drawn, an example was described in which the user is notified that the related information is associated with the second character by drawing a predetermined icon near the second character. However, notification to the user may be carried out by other methods.

[0067] For example, when another character is drawn that has matching or similar related information associated with the clue information acquired by the player character during matching, the output unit 42 may draw and output a display near the other character that corresponds to the amount of matching or similar related information for that other character (in other words, the degree of "suspiciousness" of that other character). The display here may, for example, represent the amount of matching or similar related information as a number or rank, and more specifically, the values ​​may be accumulated for each type of matching or similar related information and displayed as "Suspiciousness 70%", "Suspiciousness 3 stars", or "3 clues match".

[0068] Furthermore, for example, when another character is drawn that has matching or similar related information associated with the clue information acquired by the player character during matching, the output unit 42 may draw and output the part of the other character that corresponds to the matching or similar related information. The highlighting performed here may be, for example, making the part corresponding to the matching or similar related information glow or displaying a border around that part. More specifically, if the matching or similar related information is "blue cloth," the blue part of the other character's clothing may be highlighted.

[0069] Furthermore, for example, when another character is drawn whose related information matches or is similar to the clue information acquired by the player character during matching, the output unit 42 may output a sound corresponding to the matching or similar related information of that other character. The sound output here may be, for example, a sound effect or voice corresponding to the matching or similar related information. More specifically, if the matching or similar related information is "blonde hair" and "blue clothing," a voice such as "Blonde hair and blue clothes... this guy is way too suspicious" may be output as the player character's inner monologue or monologue.

[0070] 1. Information Processing Device

Claims

1. A program that causes a computer to function as: a game management means for managing a game in which a first character and a plurality of second characters are drawn in a virtual space; a clue acquisition means for causing the first character to acquire clue information that can be matched with related information associated with the second character, which is left behind in response to the actions of the second character in the virtual space; a matching means for matching the clue information acquired by the first character with the related information associated with each of the plurality of second characters; and an output means for drawing and outputting the virtual space, wherein the output means outputs a message notifying the user that the related information is associated with the second character when the second character is drawn and output with related information that matches or is similar to the clue information acquired by the first character in the matching process.

2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the first character is a character that operates in accordance with user operation, and at least one of the plurality of second characters is a character that is operated by a user other than the user operating the first character.

3. The program according to claim 1, further comprising a cue placement means for placing the cue information relating to the second character in the virtual space when the second character performs a predetermined action.

4. The program according to claim 1, wherein when the output means draws and outputs the second character to which the related information matching or similar to the clue information obtained by the first character in the matching is associated, the output means draws and outputs predetermined information in the vicinity of the second character.

5. The program according to claim 1, wherein the output means outputs a sound corresponding to the matching or similar related information when the second character, to which the related information matching or similar to the clue information acquired by the first character in the matching is drawn and output.

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