JP7630271B2 - Game program, game processing method, and information processing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a game program, a game processing method, and an information processing device.

So-called online games are known in which multiple players play a game on multiple terminal devices connected to a server device.

One example of an online game is a role-playing game (RPG), in which a player takes on the role of a player character in a virtual world, moves around within a virtual space, and progresses through the game by completing predetermined missions (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Another example of an online game is a competitive game in which each player selects the characters and weapons they will use and battles against other players.

JP 2011-229614 A

In general, in online RPGs, characters often grow using fixed values and status tables. This makes it difficult for players to develop unique characters, which makes the game less exciting and less exciting.

In addition, with the recent widespread use of the Internet, in online competitive games, information such as which characters or weapons are most effective in increasing the chances of winning may be made public in detail on strategy sites, for example. In such cases, the novelty of the gameplay may fade, making the game less interesting.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a game program, recording medium, and game processing method that can continually bring variety to the game, providing players with a constantly fresh experience of entertainment.

To achieve the above object, the game program of the present invention causes an information processing device communicatively connected to a plurality of terminal devices to function as an information recording processing unit that records information related to the game play of the player on the terminal device, an information counting processing unit that performs a predetermined count based on the recorded information related to the game play, and a parameter change processing unit that changes parameters related to the content of the game based on the results of the counting.

To achieve the above object, the game processing method of the present invention is a game processing method executed by an information processing device communicatively connected to a plurality of terminal devices, and includes the steps of recording information related to the game play of the player on the terminal device, performing a predetermined calculation based on the recorded information related to the game play, and changing parameters related to the content of the game based on the results of the calculation.

In order to achieve the above object, the information processing device of the present invention is an information processing device communicatively connected to a plurality of terminal devices, and has an information recording processing unit that records information related to the game play of the player on the terminal device, an information counting processing unit that performs a predetermined count based on the recorded information related to the game play, and a parameter change processing unit that changes parameters related to the content of the game based on the results of the counting.

The game program of the present invention can continually bring variety to the game, providing players with a constantly fresh experience of fun.

1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a game system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a terminal device. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server device according to the first embodiment. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a specific example of a parameter change by a parameter change processing unit. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of a parameter change by a parameter change processing unit when a mission is given. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure executed by a CPU of the server device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server device according to a second embodiment. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a specific example of a parameter change by a parameter change processing unit. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another example of parameter change by the parameter change processing unit. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure executed by a CPU of a server device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server device.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<0. Overall structure of the game system>
First, an example of the overall configuration of a game system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. As shown in Figure 1, the game system 1 has a plurality of terminal devices 3 and a server device 5. The plurality of terminal devices 3 and the server device 5 are communicatively connected via a network NW such as a LAN or the Internet. Note that, although the server device 5 in Figure 1 is configured as one computer, it may be configured as a plurality of computers.

As shown in FIG. 2, each terminal device 3 is connected to a game controller 7 and a display device 9 so as to be able to communicate with each other via wire or wirelessly.

The terminal device 3 is, for example, a stationary game machine. However, it is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a portable game machine with an input unit, a display unit, etc. integrated therein. In addition to game machines, it may also be, for example, a server computer, a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, etc., which is manufactured and sold as a computer, or a mobile phone, a smartphone, a phablet, etc., which is manufactured and sold as a telephone.

The player uses the game controller 7 to perform various operational inputs. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the game controller 7 has, for example, a cross key 11 and a number of buttons 13. Note that the game controller 7 may have, for example, a joystick or a touch pad instead of or in addition to the above.

The display device 9 is, for example, a display device such as a cathode ray tube, liquid crystal, plasma, organic electroluminescence, or projector. The display device 9 may also include a speaker (not shown) for outputting sound, either integrally or separately.

The server device 5 (an example of an information processing device) accepts access via the network NW from the terminal device 3 of each player who receives the game service, accumulates and manages each player's game information in a storage device, and provides each player with a game service (online game) via the network NW.

The server device 5 may provide a game service in the form of a game program (also called application software) implemented in the server device 5, a game executed in the server device 5 in response to an operation input by a player on each terminal device 3, and the execution result transmitted to each player's terminal device 3. For example, the server device 5 may provide a so-called browser game in which the game can be played using a web browser installed on each player's terminal device 3. The server device 5 may also provide a so-called cloud game in which game images resulting from the execution of the game on the server device 5 are transmitted to the terminal device 3 in, for example, a streaming format. Alternatively, the server device 5 may provide a so-called social game executed by application software created based on an operating environment such as an API (application programming interface) in a social networking service (SNS). Note that a part of the game program may be installed in the terminal device 3, and game processing may be partially executed not only on the server device 5 but also on the terminal device 3.

1. First embodiment
Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 6. The first embodiment is suitable for a game in which a game character operated by a player (hereinafter referred to as "player character") has a training element, such as a level or rank. A typical example of a game in which a training element is included is a role-playing game, but the game can also be applied to games of other genres, such as simulation games and action games, if the game has a training element.

(1-1. Functional configuration of the server)
First, an example of the functional configuration of the server device 5 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 3, the server device 5 has a game progress processing unit 15, an information recording processing unit 17, an information aggregation processing unit 19, a parameter change processing unit 21, and a mission assignment processing unit 23.

The game progression processing unit 15 progresses the game in accordance with the inputs made by the players. For example, it makes each player character act in accordance with the inputs made by each player, while automatically controlling non-player characters such as in-game residents and enemy characters using a predetermined algorithm (so-called game AI) defined by the game program. It also progresses the game by playing various movies and executing game events, etc.

The player character operated by the player and the automatically controlled non-player character may be a human character or something else. For example, they may be non-human animals, non-human or non-animal creatures, virtual creatures (e.g., monsters, ghosts, spirits, etc.), robots, objects such as goods and objects, etc.

The information recording processing unit 17 records information related to the game play of each player on the terminal device 3 in an appropriate recording means (such as the RAM 505 or the recording device 517; see FIG. 11 below). Specifically, the information recording processing unit 17 records the time of game play by the player, or information related to the in-game actions of the player character. "In-game actions" may be any action performed by the player character in the virtual space of the game, such as the player character's movement in the virtual space, combat, conversations with player characters or non-player characters operated by other players, and the acquisition and use of items. Furthermore, "information related to in-game actions" may be any information related to the actions performed by the player character in the virtual space, such as the distance traveled, the number of battles, the number of conversations, the number of times an item is acquired, the number of times an item is used, etc., in the above example.

The information tallying processor 19 performs a predetermined tally based on the information related to game play recorded by the information recording processor 17. Specifically, the information tallying processor 19 tallies the total time of game play or the total amount of in-game actions during a predetermined period for each player or player character. The "predetermined period" may be a fixed period such as one day, one week, or one month, or may be a period that varies depending on the operating status of the online game. It may also be, for example, the period during which a specific game event is held. The "total time of game play" is, for example, the total amount of time that the player is logged in during the predetermined period. The "total amount of in-game actions" is, for example, the quantitative total of in-game actions performed by the player character during the predetermined period, which in the above example is, for example, the distance traveled, the number of battles, the number of conversations, the number of times an item is acquired, the number of times an item is used, etc.

The parameter change processing unit 21 changes parameters related to the game content based on the results of the compilation by the information compilation processing unit 19. Specifically, the parameter change processing unit 21 changes parameters related to the growth of the player character based on the results of the compilation. "Parameters related to growth" are, for example, statuses that change when the player character grows by leveling up or ranking up, and numerical values (such as experience points) that indicate the degree of growth the player character acquires through in-game experience. For example, the parameter change processing unit 21 changes parameters related to growth so that the longer the total game play time is or the greater the total amount of in-game actions is, the more the player character's growth is promoted.

Figure 4 shows a specific example of parameter change by the parameter change processing unit 21. As shown in Figure 4, players A, B, and C are given identification information PL-a, PL-b, and PL-c that can identify the players, respectively. Every time each player plays the game, the game play time is transmitted to the server device 5 and recorded by the information recording processing unit 17. Also, every time each player causes the player character to perform an in-game action, the corresponding information is transmitted to the server device 5 and recorded by the information recording processing unit 17. Then, every time a predetermined counting period (for example, one week in Figure 4) has passed, the total game play time and the total amount of in-game actions for each player are tallied by the information counting processing unit 19.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the total game play time, distance traveled, number of battles, number of conversations, and number of item usages in one week are, for example, 24 hours, 168 km, 317 times, 37 times, and 45 times for player A, 41 hours, 232 km, 256 times, 13 times, and 39 times for player B, and 35 hours, 94 km, 49 times, 51 times, and 117 times for player C. The growth parameters are then changed by multiplying the predetermined experience points or status increase points acquired when each player character grows (levels up, ranks up, etc.) by a predetermined coefficient according to the above-mentioned results.

For example, the experience points of player B, who has played the game the longest, are multiplied by a coefficient of 1.5, so that all experience points acquired during the period until the next tally (one week in this example) will be multiplied by 1.5. Similarly, the experience points of player C, who has played the game the next longest, are multiplied by a coefficient of 1.3, so that all experience points acquired during the period until the next tally will be multiplied by 1.3. Note that the experience points of player A, who has played the game the shortest, are not changed in this example, but the experience points acquired may be reduced by multiplying them by a coefficient smaller than 1, for example.

For example, the defense of player B, whose player character has moved the longest distance, is multiplied by a coefficient of 1.4, and his defensive strength will be 1.4 times higher until the next tally. The defense of player A, whose character has moved the next longest distance, is multiplied by a coefficient of 1.2, and his defensive strength will be 1.2 times higher until the next tally. Note that the defensive strength of player C, whose character has moved the shortest distance, is not changed in this example, but it may be reduced by multiplying it by a coefficient smaller than 1, for example.

For example, the attack of player A, who has fought the most battles among the player characters, is multiplied by a coefficient of 1.8, and his attack power will be 1.8 times higher until the next count. The attack of player B, who has fought the next most battles, is multiplied by a coefficient of 1.5, and his attack power will be 1.5 times higher until the next count. Note that the attack power of player C, who has fought the fewest battles, is not changed in this example, but it may be reduced by multiplying it by a coefficient smaller than 1, for example.

For example, the luck of player C, who has the most conversations among the player characters, is multiplied by a coefficient of 1.8, and his/her luck will be 1.8 times higher until the next counting period. The luck of player A, who has the second most conversations, is multiplied by a coefficient of 1.3, and his/her luck will be 1.3 times higher until the next counting period. Note that the luck of player B, who has the least conversations, is not changed in this example, but it may be reduced by multiplying it by a coefficient smaller than 1, for example.

For example, the magic power of player C, who has used items the most among the player characters, is multiplied by a coefficient of 1.5, and will be 1.5 times stronger until the next counting period. Note that the magic power of players A and B, who have used items relatively few times, is not changed in this example, but it may be reduced by multiplying it by a coefficient smaller than 1, for example.

In this way, the longer the total game play time or the greater the total amount of in-game actions, the more the parameters related to growth are changed so that a specific growth item of the player character is promoted. Furthermore, the tally items and growth items are associated in advance, and the player can play in a way that increases a specific tally item (play time or in-game actions) in order to raise a specific growth parameter.

The increase or decrease in the growth parameters (the magnitude of the coefficient) may be determined based on, for example, the degree of deviation from a predetermined reference value, a standard deviation, etc. The reference value may be, for example, a fixed value set in advance, or the average value of each player at the time of compilation. The method of increasing or decreasing the growth parameters may be set in advance by, for example, the game designer, or may be adjusted while varying the parameters using, for example, some kind of AI algorithm. Furthermore, the values after the change by the parameter change processing unit 21 may be made adjustable later by the game designer or operator.

The parameter changes shown in FIG. 4 are merely examples, and growth parameters may be changed in other ways. Information other than the above may also be compiled, and growth parameters other than the above may be changed. For example, growth parameters may be changed by adding or subtracting a predetermined amount of change, rather than multiplying by a coefficient as described above.

Returning to FIG. 3, the mission assignment processing unit 23 assigns a predetermined mission to the player. A "mission" is a goal or task imposed on the player character within the game, such as exploring a virtual world, defeating enemy characters, collecting items, conquering enemy facilities or areas, etc. The parameter change processing unit 21 described above may change parameters related to growth so that the growth of the player character is promoted, for example, the shorter the total game play time from when the mission is assigned until it is cleared, or the smaller the total amount of in-game actions.

Figure 5 shows a specific example of parameter change by the parameter change processing unit 21 when a mission is assigned. In the example shown in Figure 5, the total game play time, distance traveled, number of battles, number of conversations, and number of item uses during the period from when mission X is assigned to when it is cleared are, for example, 4 hours, 28 km, 27 times, 3 times, and 7 times for player A, 11 hours, 92 km, 76 times, 13 times, and 19 times for player B, and 5 hours, 36 km, 39 times, 0 times, and 5 times for player C. The growth parameters are changed by multiplying the experience points or status increase points acquired in advance for the growth of each player character by a predetermined coefficient according to the above-mentioned results.

For example, the experience points of player A, who has the shortest play time until the mission is cleared, are multiplied by a coefficient of 1.5, and all experience points acquired during a specified period after the mission is cleared (for example, until the next level up, or it could be a fixed period such as one day or one week) will be 1.5 times the original value. Similarly, the experience points of player C, who has the next shortest play time until the mission is cleared, are multiplied by a coefficient of 1.4, and all experience points acquired during a specified period after the mission is cleared will be 1.4 times the original value. Note that the experience points of player B, who has the longest play time until the mission is cleared, are not changed in this example, but the experience points acquired may be reduced by multiplying them by a coefficient smaller than 1, for example.

For example, the defense of player A, whose player character traveled the shortest distance until the mission was cleared, is multiplied by a coefficient of 1.5, and his defense power will be 1.5 times higher for a certain period of time after the mission is cleared. The defense of player C, whose character traveled the next shortest distance until the mission was cleared, is multiplied by a coefficient of 1.4, and his defense power will be 1.4 times higher for a certain period of time after the mission is cleared. Note that the defense power of player B, whose character traveled the longest distance until the mission was cleared, is not changed in this example, but it may be reduced by multiplying it by a coefficient smaller than 1, for example.

For example, the attack of player A, whose player character has the fewest number of battles before clearing the mission, is multiplied by a coefficient of 1.8, and his attack power will be 1.8 times higher for a certain period of time after the mission is cleared. The attack of player C, whose character has the next fewest number of battles before clearing the mission, is multiplied by a coefficient of 1.5, and his attack power will be 1.5 times higher for a certain period of time after the mission is cleared. Note that the attack power of player B, whose character has the most number of battles before clearing the mission, is not changed in this example, but it may be reduced by multiplying it by a coefficient smaller than 1, for example.

For example, the luck of player C, whose player character had the fewest conversations before clearing the mission, is multiplied by a coefficient of 2.0, and his luck will be doubled for a certain period of time after the mission is cleared. The luck of player A, whose character had the next few conversations, is multiplied by a coefficient of 1.7, and his luck will be 1.7 times higher for a certain period of time after the mission is cleared. Note that the luck of player B, whose character had the most conversations, is not changed in this example, but it may be reduced by multiplying it by a coefficient smaller than 1, for example.

For example, the magic power of player C, whose player character used the fewest items before clearing the mission, is multiplied by a coefficient of 1.5, so that his magic power will be 1.5 times higher for a certain period of time after the mission is cleared. The magic power of player A, whose character used the next fewest items before clearing the mission, is multiplied by a coefficient of 1.3, so that his magic power will be 1.3 times higher for a certain period of time after the mission is cleared. Note that the magic power of player B, whose character used the most items, is not changed in this example, but it may be reduced by multiplying it by a coefficient smaller than 1, for example.

In this way, the shorter the total game play time until the mission is cleared, or the smaller the total amount of in-game actions, the more the parameters related to growth are changed to promote the growth of a specific item of the player character. Furthermore, the tally items and growth items are associated in advance, and the player can play in a way that reduces a specific tally item (play time or in-game actions) in order to increase a specific growth parameter.

The increase or decrease in the growth parameters (the magnitude of the coefficient) may be determined based on, for example, the degree of deviation from a predetermined reference value, a standard deviation, etc. The reference value may be, for example, a fixed value set in advance, or the average value for each player at the time of calculation.

The parameter changes shown in FIG. 5 are merely examples, and growth parameters may be changed in other ways. Information other than those described above may also be compiled, and growth parameters other than those described above may be changed. For example, growth parameters may be changed by adding or subtracting a predetermined amount of change, rather than multiplying by a coefficient as described above.

The processing in each processing unit described above is not limited to these examples of division of processing, and may be performed by a smaller number of processing units (e.g., one processing unit), or may be performed by a further subdivided processing unit. The functions of each processing unit described above are implemented by a game program executed by the CPU 501 (see FIG. 11 described below), but some of them may be implemented by actual devices such as dedicated integrated circuits such as ASICs and FPGAs, or other electrical circuits. Furthermore, the processing units described above are not limited to being implemented in their entirety on the server device 5 side, and some or all of them may be implemented on the terminal device 3 side.

(1-2. Processing procedure executed by the server)
Next, an example of a processing procedure executed by the CPU 501 of the server device 5 will be described with reference to FIG.

In step S5, the server device 5 causes the game progress processing unit 15 to progress the game in accordance with the inputs made by the players of each terminal device 3.

In step S10, the server device 5 records, via the information recording processing unit 17, the time that each player plays the game on the terminal device 3, or information related to the in-game actions of the player characters.

In step S15, the server device 5 uses the information collection processing unit 19 to determine whether or not it is time to collect data. If it is time to collect data (step S15: YES), the process proceeds to step S20.

In step S20, the server device 5, using the information aggregation processing unit 19, aggregates the total game play time or the total amount of in-game actions during a predetermined period for each player or player character based on the information recorded in step S10 above.

In step S25, the server device 5 causes the parameter change processing unit 21 to change the parameters related to the growth of the player character based on the results of the calculation in step S20. Then, the process proceeds to step S50, which will be described later.

On the other hand, if it is not time to tally the data in step S15 (step S15: NO), the process proceeds to step S30.

In step S30, the server device 5 determines whether or not a mission has been assigned to the player character by the mission assignment processing unit 23. If a mission has not been assigned (step S30: NO), the process proceeds to step S50, which will be described later. If a mission has been assigned (step S30: YES), the process proceeds to step S35.

In step S35, the server device 5 records, by the information recording processing unit 17, the time of game play by each player on the terminal device 3 during the period from when the mission is assigned to when the mission is completed, or information related to the in-game actions of the player character.

In step S40, the server device 5, via the information aggregation processing unit 19, aggregates the total game play time or the total amount of in-game actions for each player or player character until the mission is completed.

In step S45, the server device 5 causes the parameter change processing unit 21 to change the parameters related to the growth of the player character based on the results of the calculation in step S40. Then, the process proceeds to step S50.

In step S50, the server device 5 determines whether or not to end the game. For example, if an instruction to end the game is input by the operator of the online game or the server administrator (step S50: YES), this flowchart ends. On the other hand, if an instruction to end the game is not input (step S50: NO), the process returns to the previous step S5 and the same procedure is repeated.

The above-mentioned processing steps are merely examples, and at least some of the steps may be deleted or modified, or steps other than those described above may be added. In addition, the order of at least some of the steps may be changed, or multiple steps may be combined into a single step.

(1-3. Effects of the First Embodiment)
As described above, the game program of this embodiment causes the server device 5, which is communicatively connected to a plurality of terminal devices 3, to function as an information recording processing unit 17 that records information related to the game play of the player on the terminal device 3, an information counting processing unit 19 that performs a predetermined calculation based on the recorded information related to the game play, and a parameter change processing unit 21 that changes parameters related to the content of the game based on the results of the calculation.

In this embodiment, information related to the player's gameplay on the terminal device 3 is recorded, a predetermined compilation is performed on the recorded information related to gameplay, and parameters related to the game content are changed according to the compilation results. This allows the player's behavior related to gameplay (e.g., game play time or in-game actions performed by the player character, etc.) to be reflected in the game content. In other words, the game content can be changed at any time according to the player's behavior related to gameplay. As a result, it is possible to continuously bring change to the game, and to always provide fresh fun for the player. It also makes it easier to operate an online game according to the player's trends.

In particular, in this embodiment, the information recording processing unit 17 records information related to the time of game play by the player or the in-game actions of the player character operated by the player, the information compilation processing unit 19 compiles the total game play time or the total amount of in-game actions in a predetermined period of time, and the parameter change processing unit 21 changes parameters related to the growth of the game character based on the compilation results.

In this embodiment, information related to the player's game play time or the player character's in-game actions is recorded, the total game play time or the total amount of in-game actions in a given period is tallied, and parameters related to the game character's growth are changed according to the tallied results. This allows the player's game play time or the player character's in-game actions to be reflected in the game character's growth. In other words, the way the game character grows can be changed at any time according to the player's game play time or the player character's in-game actions. As a result, it becomes possible to more strongly project the player's individuality onto the player character, and it is possible to develop a character with unique characteristics for each player.

In particular, in this embodiment, the parameter change processing unit 21 changes parameters related to growth so that the growth of the player character is promoted the longer the total game play time or the greater the total amount of in-game actions.

This allows parameters related to growth to be changed so that the longer the total game play time, the more the player character's growth is promoted, preventing any kind of game play by the player from wasting time. Also, parameters related to growth can be changed so that the greater the total amount of in-game actions (e.g., the player character's distance traveled, the number of battles, the number of conversations with other game characters, the number of times items are obtained or used, etc.), preventing the player from feeling that the in-game actions he or she has had the player character perform are a waste. This prevents the player's motivation to play the game from decreasing.

In particular, in this embodiment, the game program causes the server device 5 to further function as a mission assignment processing unit 23 that assigns a predetermined mission to the player, and the parameter change processing unit 21 changes parameters related to growth so that the growth of the player character is promoted the shorter the total game play time from when the mission is assigned until it is cleared, or the smaller the total amount of in-game actions.

As a result, the shorter the total game play time required to complete a mission, the more reward the parameters related to growth can be changed to promote the growth of the game character. This can therefore increase the motivation of the player to complete the mission in the shortest possible time. Also, the shorter the total amount of in-game actions required to complete a mission (for example, the player character's travel distance, the number of battles, the number of conversations with other game characters, the number of times an item is obtained or used, etc.), the more reward the parameters related to growth can be changed to promote the growth of the game character. This can therefore increase the motivation of the player to complete the mission with the shortest possible effort. This can therefore increase the interest of the game.

<2. Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 10. The second embodiment is suitable for a battle game in which each player selects a character or item to be used and one or more players battle each other. A typical example of such a battle game is a battle-type multiplayer game, but the game can also be applied to games of various genres as long as the game has a selection element.

(2-1. Functional configuration of the server)
First, an example of a functional configuration of the server device 5A of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7 to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the server device 5A has the aforementioned game progress processing unit 15, an information recording processing unit 17A, an information compilation processing unit 19A, and a parameter change processing unit 21A.

The game progress processing unit 15 is the same as in the first embodiment described above, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

The information recording processing unit 17A records information related to the game play of each player on the terminal device 3 in an appropriate recording means. Specifically, the information recording processing unit 17A records information related to the game characters or items used by the players. Note that "items" include, for example, weapons, armor, equipment, ornaments, accessories, tools, instruments, devices, medicines, food and drink, and other items with various effects. They may also include living things such as harvested plants and captured animals. They may also include special effects that can be given to these items (for example, enchantment effects, attribute effects, skills, etc., which have been turned into items), and game characters (including character cards) that can form parties or play cooperatively. The information recording processing unit 17A also records information related to winning or losing when players play against each other using specific game characters or items.

The information counting processing unit 19A performs a predetermined count based on the information related to game play recorded by the information recording processing unit 17A. Specifically, the information counting processing unit 19A counts the usage rate of each game character or item during a predetermined period. The "predetermined period" may be a fixed period such as one day, one week, or one month, or may be a period that varies depending on the operating status of the online game. It may also be, for example, the period during which a specific game event is held. The "usage rate" is calculated as the ratio of the number of times a specific game character or specific item was used to the total number of all game characters or items used by all players who played the game during the predetermined period.

The information tallying processing unit 19A also tallies, for example, the win rate for each game character or item during a specified period based on the information related to wins and losses recorded by the information recording processing unit 17A. The "win rate" is calculated as the ratio of the number of times a player who used a specific game character or item won to the total number of matches between all players who fought in a specified period.

The parameter change processing unit 21A changes parameters related to the game content based on the results of the compilation by the information compilation processing unit 19A. Specifically, the parameter change processing unit 21A changes parameters related to the abilities of a game character or item based on the results of the compilation. The "parameters related to abilities" may be parameters that are set in advance as parameters representing the abilities of a game character or item, such as attack power or defense power, or new parameters may be set to increase or decrease the usage rate or win rate, such as the amount of damage per blow. For example, the parameter change processing unit 21A changes the parameters related to abilities so that the higher the usage rate or win rate, the lower the ability, and changes the parameters related to abilities so that the lower the usage rate or win rate, the higher the ability.

Figure 8 shows a specific example of parameter change by the parameter change processing unit 21A. As shown in Figure 8, weapons A, B, and C are given identification information WE-a, WE-b, and WE-c that can identify the weapon, respectively. Each time a player selects a weapon and fights a battle, information related to the outcome is sent to the server device 5A and recorded by the information recording processing unit 17A. Then, each time a predetermined counting period (for example, one week in Figure 8) has passed, the winning rate for each weapon is tallied by the information counting processing unit 19A.

In the example shown in Figure 8, the winning rates for one week are, for example, 88% for Weapon A, 45% for Weapon B, and 61% for Weapon C. The ability parameters are then changed for each weapon, for example by increasing or decreasing the amount of damage per blow.

For example, the damage per hit against weapon A, which has the highest win rate, is set to -15, meaning that the amount of damage per hit that can be inflicted on the opponent will be reduced by 15 until the next tally (one week in this example). Additionally, the damage per hit against weapon C, which has the next highest win rate, is set to -6, meaning that the amount of damage per hit that can be inflicted on the opponent will be reduced by 6 until the next tally. On the other hand, the damage per hit against weapon B, which has the lowest win rate, is set to +4, meaning that the amount of damage per hit that can be inflicted on the opponent will be increased by 4 until the next tally.

In this way, the higher the weapon's win rate, the lower the weapon's abilities are changed.

Figure 9 shows another example of parameter change by the parameter change processing unit 21A. As shown in Figure 9, game characters A, B, and C are given identification information PC-a, PC-b, and PC-c that can identify the characters, respectively. Each time a player selects a game character and plays a game, information related to usage is sent to the server device 5A and recorded by the information recording processing unit 17A. Then, each time a predetermined counting period (for example, one week in Figure 9) has passed, the usage rate for each game character is tallied by the information counting processing unit 19A.

In the example shown in Figure 9, the aggregated usage rates over a one week period are, for example, 31% for game character A, 44% for game character B, and 79% for game character C. The ability parameters are then changed for each game character by, for example, increasing or decreasing the probability (%) of a critical hit that can cause greater damage than usual.

For example, the probability of a critical hit being scored against game character C, who has the highest usage rate, is set to -14, meaning that the probability of a critical hit being scored in a match will decrease by 14 points until the next tally (one week in this example). On the other hand, the probability of a critical hit being scored against game character B, who has the next highest usage rate, is set to +4, meaning that the probability of a critical hit being scored in a match will increase by 4 points until the next tally. Also, the probability of a critical hit being scored against game character A, who has the lowest usage rate, is set to +12, meaning that the probability of a critical hit being scored in a match will increase by 12 points until the next tally.

In this way, the parameters related to abilities are changed so that the higher the usage rate of a game character, the lower the game character's abilities become.

The magnitude of the increase or decrease in the ability parameters may be determined based on, for example, the degree of deviation from a predetermined reference value, a standard deviation, etc. The reference value may be, for example, a fixed value set in advance, or the average value of each item or game character at the time of compilation. The method of increasing or decreasing the ability parameters may be set in advance by, for example, the game designer, or may be adjusted while varying the parameters using, for example, some kind of AI algorithm. Furthermore, the values after the change by the parameter change processing unit 21A may be made adjustable later by the game designer or operator.

In addition, while new parameters such as the amount of damage per hit and the probability of a critical hit are provided above, it is also possible to vary pre-set parameters that represent the capabilities of items or game characters, such as attack power or defense power.

The parameter changes shown in Figures 8 and 9 are merely examples, and growth parameters may be changed in other ways. Information other than the above may also be compiled, and ability parameters other than the above may be changed. For example, ability parameters may be changed by multiplying them by a coefficient, as in the first embodiment described above.

The processing in each processing unit described above is not limited to these examples of division of processing, and may be performed by a smaller number of processing units (e.g., one processing unit), or may be performed by a further subdivided processing unit. The functions of each processing unit described above are implemented by a game program executed by the CPU 501 (see FIG. 11 described below), but some of them may be implemented by actual devices such as dedicated integrated circuits such as ASICs and FPGAs, or other electrical circuits. Furthermore, the processing units described above are not limited to being implemented in their entirety on the server device 5A side, and some or all of them may be implemented on the terminal device 3 side.

(2-2. Processing procedure executed by the server)
Next, an example of a processing procedure executed by the CPU 501 of the server device 5A will be described with reference to FIG.

In step S110, the server device 5A causes the game progress processing unit 15 to progress the game in accordance with the input contents of the players of each terminal device 3.

In step S120, the server device 5A records, by the information recording processing unit 17A, information related to the game characters or items used by each player, or information related to the outcome of a match in which each player used a specific game character or item.

In step S130, the server device 5A uses the information collection processing unit 19A to determine whether or not it is time to collect data. If it is not time to collect data (step S130: NO), the process returns to the previous step S110. On the other hand, if it is time to collect data (step S130: YES), the process proceeds to step S140.

In step S140, the server device 5A uses the information aggregation processing unit 19A to aggregate the usage rate or win rate for each game character or item over a predetermined period of time based on the information recorded in step S120 above.

In step S150, the server device 5A causes the parameter change processing unit 21A to change parameters related to the abilities of the game character or item based on the results of the calculation in step S140 above.

In step S160, the server device 5A determines whether or not to end the game. For example, if an instruction to end the game is input by the operator of the online game, the server administrator, etc. (step S160: YES), this flowchart ends. On the other hand, if an instruction to end the game is not input (step S160: NO), the process returns to the previous step S110 and the same procedure is repeated.

The above-mentioned processing steps are merely examples, and at least some of the steps may be deleted or modified, or steps other than those described above may be added. In addition, the order of at least some of the steps may be changed, or multiple steps may be combined into a single step.

(2-3. Effects of the Second Embodiment)
As described above, the game program of this embodiment causes the server device 5A, which is communicatively connected to a plurality of terminal devices 3, to function as an information recording processing unit 17A that records information related to the game play of the player on the terminal device 3, an information counting processing unit 19A that performs a predetermined count based on the recorded information related to the game play, and a parameter change processing unit 21A that changes parameters related to the content of the game based on the results of the counting.

In this embodiment, information related to the player's gameplay on the terminal device 3 is recorded, a predetermined compilation is performed on the recorded information related to gameplay, and parameters related to the game content are changed according to the compilation results. This allows the player's behavior related to gameplay (e.g., which game character or item was selected and used) to be reflected in the game content. In other words, the game content can be changed at any time according to the player's behavior related to gameplay. As a result, it is possible to continuously bring change to the game, and to always provide fresh fun for the player. It also makes it easier to operate an online game according to the player's trends.

In particular, in this embodiment, the information recording processing unit 17A records information related to game characters or items used by the player, the information compilation processing unit 19A compiles the usage rate of each game character or item over a specified period of time, and the parameter change processing unit 21A changes parameters related to the abilities of the game characters or items based on the compilation results.

In this embodiment, information related to game characters or items used by a player is recorded, the usage rate over a predetermined period is tallied, and parameters related to the abilities of the game characters or items are changed according to the tallied results. This allows the player's tendency to use game characters and items to be reflected in the abilities of the game characters and items. In other words, the abilities of game characters and items can be changed at any time according to the tendency to use game characters and items. As a result, it is possible to prevent specific game characters and items from being constantly used, and to encourage the use of a wide range of game characters and items. This makes the gameplay more fresh and more interesting.

In particular, in this embodiment, the information recording processing unit 17A records information related to winning or losing when a player fights using a specific game character or item, the information compilation processing unit 19A compiles the winning rate for each game character or item over a specified period of time, and the parameter change processing unit 21A changes parameters related to the abilities of the game character or item based on the compilation results.

In this embodiment, information related to wins and losses when a player plays a match using a specific game character or item is recorded, the win rate over a specified period is tallied, and parameters related to the abilities of the game character or item are changed according to the tallied results. This allows the trends in wins and losses when a specific game character or item is used to be reflected in the abilities of the game character or item. In other words, the abilities of the game character or item can be changed at any time according to the trends in wins and losses. As a result, it is possible to prevent a specific game character or item from being constantly used, and to encourage the use of a wide range of game characters and items. This makes the game more fresh and interesting.

In particular, in this embodiment, the parameter change processing unit 21A changes the parameters related to the abilities so that the higher the usage rate or win rate, the lower the abilities, and changes the parameters related to the abilities so that the lower the usage rate or win rate, the higher the abilities.

This makes it possible to prevent certain game characters or items with high usage rates or win rates from being constantly used, and encourages the use of a wider range of game characters and items. This makes gameplay more fresh and exciting.

3. Modifications
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and technical concept of the present invention.

For example, information related to gameplay may be recorded and tallied only during a specific period, such as the period during which a specific game event is held or during a specific date period, and parameters related to the game content may be changed based on the tallied results. Also, for example, information related to gameplay may be recorded and tallied only in a specific space (e.g., some of the server devices when there are multiple server devices) rather than in all spaces in the game, and parameters related to the game content may be changed based on the tallied results. Also, for example, information related to gameplay may be recorded and tallied only when the game has reached a certain level of progress (e.g., game units such as levels, stages, chapters, game scores and points, player character parameters, etc.), and parameters related to the game content may be changed based on the tallied results.

In addition, for example, information related to gameplay may be recorded and collated not for all players participating in an online game, but only for some of the players, and parameters related to the game content may be changed based on the collated results. The some of the players may be, for example, players who have used a specific item, players who have activated a specific skill, players who have paid a specified charge, players who have set the game play mode to a specific mode (such as a "parameter change mode").

In addition to what has already been described above, the methods according to the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combinations. Although not illustrated individually, the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications may be implemented with various modifications within the scope of their purpose.

4. Server Hardware Configuration
Next, an example of a hardware configuration of the server device 5, 5A that realizes each processing unit implemented by the program executed by the CPU 501 described above will be described with reference to Fig. 11. The terminal device 3 may have a similar hardware configuration.

As shown in FIG. 11, the server device 5, 5A has, for example, a CPU 501, a ROM 503, a RAM 505, a GPU 506, a dedicated integrated circuit 507 constructed for a specific application, such as an ASIC or FPGA, an input device 513, an output device 515, a recording device 517, a drive 519, a connection port 521, and a communication device 523. These components are connected to each other via a bus 509, an input/output interface 511, etc., so that signals can be transmitted between them.

The game program can be recorded, for example, in ROM 503, RAM 505, or a recording device 517 such as a hard disk.

The game program may also be temporarily or permanently (non-temporarily) recorded on a removable recording medium 525, such as a magnetic disk such as a flexible disk, various types of CDs, MO disks, optical disks such as DVDs, or semiconductor memories. Such recording media 525 may also be provided as so-called package software. In this case, the game program recorded on these recording media 525 may be read by the drive 519 and recorded on the recording device 517 via the input/output interface 511, bus 509, etc.

The game program may also be recorded, for example, on a download site, another computer, or another recording device (not shown). In this case, the game program is transferred via a network NW such as a LAN or the Internet, and the communication device 523 receives this program. The program received by the communication device 523 may then be recorded in the recording device 517 via the input/output interface 511, bus 509, etc.

The game program may also be recorded, for example, in an appropriate external connection device 527. In this case, the game program may be transferred via an appropriate connection port 521 and recorded in the recording device 517 via the input/output interface 511, bus 509, etc.

Then, the CPU 501 executes various processes according to the programs recorded in the recording device 517, thereby realizing processes by the game progress processing unit 15, information recording processing unit 17, 17A, information compilation processing unit 19, 19A, parameter change processing unit 21, 21A, mission assignment processing unit 23, etc. described above. At this time, the CPU 501 may, for example, read and execute the programs directly from the recording device 517, or may execute the programs after first loading them into the RAM 505. Furthermore, when the CPU 501 receives a program via the communication device 523, drive 519, or connection port 521, for example, it may execute the received program directly without recording it in the recording device 517.

The CPU 501 may also perform various processes based on signals and information input from an input device 513, such as a mouse, keyboard, or microphone, as necessary, in addition to signals input from the game controller 7 of the terminal device 3 via the network NW.

The GPU 506 performs image display processing, such as rendering processing, in response to instructions from the CPU 501.

The CPU 501 and GPU 506 then output the results of the above processing to the display device 9 of the terminal device 3 via the network NW, and, if necessary, output the results from the output device 515, which may include an audio output unit (not shown), such as a speaker or headphones. Furthermore, the CPU 501 and GPU 506 may transmit the results of this processing via the communication device 523 or the connection port 521, if necessary, or may record the results in the recording device 517 or the recording medium 525.

3 Terminal device 5 Server device (information processing device)
5A Server device (information processing device)
15 Game progress processing section 17 Information recording processing section 17A Information recording processing section 19 Information compilation processing section 19A Information compilation processing section 21 Parameter change processing section 21A Parameter change processing section 23 Mission assignment processing section

Claims (9)

An information processing device communicably connected to a plurality of terminal devices,
an information recording processing unit that records information related to a game play of a player on the terminal device;
an information tallying processing unit that performs a predetermined tally based on the recorded information relating to the game play;
a parameter change processing unit that changes parameters related to the content of the game based on the results of the compilation;
Function as a
The information recording processing unit includes:
Recording information related to in-game actions of a game character operated by the player;
The information compilation processing unit includes:
tallying a total amount of said in-game actions over a predetermined period of time;
The parameter change processing unit:
changing a parameter related to the growth of the game character based on the result of the compilation;
The in-game action is
At least one of moving in a virtual space and talking with other game characters is included;
The total amount of the in-game actions is
At least one of the distance traveled and the number of conversations corresponding to the in-game action is included.
Game program. The parameter change processing unit:
changing the parameters relating to the growth such that the growth of the game character is promoted as the total amount of the in-game actions increases;
The game program according to claim 1 . An information processing device communicably connected to a plurality of terminal devices,
an information recording processing unit that records information related to a game play of a player on the terminal device;
an information tallying processing unit that performs a predetermined tally based on the recorded information relating to the game play;
a parameter change processing unit that changes parameters related to the content of the game based on the results of the compilation;
Functioning as a
The information recording processing unit includes:
recording a time of said game play by a plurality of players;
The information compilation processing unit includes:
tallying up a total time of game play by the plurality of players during a predetermined period for each of the players;
The parameter change processing unit:
comparing total times of game play by the plurality of players , and varying a parameter related to growth of the game character such that the growth of the game character operated by a player who has played the game for a longer total time is promoted;
Game program. An information processing device communicably connected to a plurality of terminal devices,
an information recording processing unit that records information related to a game play of a player on the terminal device;
an information tallying processing unit that performs a predetermined tally based on the recorded information relating to the game play;
a parameter change processing unit that changes parameters related to the content of the game based on the results of the compilation;
Function as a
The information recording processing unit includes:
Recording information relating to in-game actions of game characters operated by multiple players;
The information compilation processing unit includes:
aggregating a total amount of in-game actions of the game characters operated by the multiple players during a predetermined period for each of the players;
The information processing device,
a mission assignment processing unit that assigns predetermined missions to the plurality of players;
It also functions as
The parameter change processing unit:
comparing total amounts of in-game actions of the game characters operated by the multiple players during a period from when the mission is given to when the mission is cleared, and changing a parameter related to the growth of the game characters so that the growth of the game characters operated by the player with a smaller total amount is promoted;
Game program. The information recording processing unit includes:
Recording information related to game characters or items used by the player;
The information compilation processing unit includes:
tallying up the usage rate for each of the game characters or each of the items during a predetermined period of time;
The parameter change processing unit:
changing a parameter related to the ability of the game character or the item based on the result of the compilation;
The game program according to claim 1 . The information recording processing unit includes:
Recording information related to a win or loss when the player plays a game using a specific game character or item;
The information compilation processing unit includes:
tallying up the winning percentage for each of the game characters or each of the items during the predetermined period;
The parameter change processing unit:
changing a parameter related to the ability of the game character or the item based on the result of the compilation;
The game program according to claim 5. The parameter change processing unit:
changing a parameter related to the ability so that the higher the usage rate or the winning rate is, the lower the ability is; and changing a parameter related to the ability so that the lower the usage rate or the winning rate is, the higher the ability is.
The game program according to claim 6. A game processing method executed by an information processing device communicably connected to a plurality of terminal devices, comprising:
recording information related to a game play of a player on the terminal device;
performing a predetermined calculation based on the recorded information related to the game play;
changing a parameter related to the content of the game based on the result of the compilation;
having
The step of recording the information includes:
Recording information related to in-game actions of a game character operated by the player;
The step of performing the predetermined counting includes:
tallying a total amount of said in-game actions over a predetermined period of time;
The step of varying the parameter includes:
changing a parameter related to the growth of the game character based on the result of the compilation;
The in-game action is
At least one of moving in a virtual space and talking with other game characters is included;
The total amount of the in-game actions is
At least one of the distance traveled and the number of conversations corresponding to the in-game action is included.
Game processing method. An information processing device communicably connected to a plurality of terminal devices,
an information recording processing unit that records information related to a game play of a player on the terminal device;
an information tallying processing unit that performs a predetermined tally based on the recorded information related to the game play;
a parameter change processing unit that changes parameters related to the content of the game based on the results of the compilation;
having
The information recording processing unit includes:
Recording information related to in-game actions of a game character operated by the player;
The information compilation processing unit includes:
tallying a total amount of said in-game actions over a predetermined period of time;
The parameter change processing unit:
changing a parameter related to the growth of the game character based on the result of the compilation;
The in-game action is
At least one of moving in a virtual space and talking with other game characters is included;
The total amount of the in-game actions is
At least one of the distance traveled and the number of conversations corresponding to the in-game action is included.
Information processing device.

Images