Computing of social game

The present invention relates to computing of social games, and particularly to a technique of incorporating a previously unknown new mechanism into a social game to increase the enjoyment of the game. As is well known, social games are online games that are provided on social networking services (SNS) and are played while communicating with other users.

The social media Mobage (registered trademark) operated by the applicant allows users such as mobile phones and smartphones to register as members for free without being invited by other members, and members can register as members in diary, bulletin board, avatar, etc. In addition to being able to use various SNS services such as sending and receiving messages, you can enjoy online games and use services such as chat that accompanies the games. As we all know, various social media with similar tastes are operated at home and abroad, and many people around the world use SNS and social games.

The premise of computing related to the social game subject to the present invention will be described together with the definitions of terms used in the specification. The following items described in the background technology column are common technical items well known to those skilled in the art.

=== Overview of social media and social games === Social media, as a basic computing system, allocates memory resources to each member (referred to as a member information area), and provides information sent by members and information generated in connection with member activities (collectively referred to as member information). Is recorded in the member information area, and the recorded member information is shown to others other than the member himself / herself, and a computing environment is provided so that the viewed information can be commented.

Social media stores and manages personal information, exchange information, and exchange management information of each member in association with personal IDs (accounts). Personal information includes passwords, names, ages, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, mobile phone terminal identification information, mobile phone contractor identification information, and the like. Exchange information is typically information such as blog information posted by members (including related information such as comments of others on blog articles), posted photos and videos, postings on electronic bulletin boards, webmail, etc. It is a real part of the information exchanged with others through social media.

Social media also provides a computing environment for members to create a community, and information issued by one member is transmitted to another member of the same community. Social media consists of a complex of services such as blogs, webmail, electronic bulletin boards, chats, and games that are available to members. The spread of social media called Twitter (registered trademark) is also remarkable.

Social games included in social media provide a computing environment in which multiple users are involved in the game. In a social game called Kaito Royale (registered trademark) available on Mobage, users become leaders of Kaito corps, perform missions to earn money, and battle other users to steal treasure. Occasionally, you will become friends with other users, present digital items (weapons, armor, vehicles) and treasures, and play cooperatively. Sengoku Royale (registered trademark) is famous as a similar game.

In the social game, the game information for each member is stored and managed as in the above description of the social media. Play history data (including the current status) is described in the game information, and when a member accesses the game information on social media with a terminal such as a mobile phone or smartphone, the game image is displayed on the terminal screen, and the game is displayed from there. Can proceed. One of the characteristics of social games is that others can access their own game information, and their game information is updated by the interference of others.

In social games, the game information for each member includes an item possession list. In the item possession list, identifiers (item identification information) of game items (digital items) such as weapons, armor, and vehicles used in the game execution scene are described.

The user can acquire game items (digital items) that are sold or provided free of charge on social games. The acquired digital item identification information is recorded in association with your own item possession list. Based on this record, it is possible to use the game items held in a timely manner in the game execution scene or the information exchange scene, thereby changing the progress of the game or changing the information exchange scene. Can be given.

Social games manage information about the game items they provide in a database. The game item information includes text information that describes the item name and price, visual information when the game item is shown to the user on the terminal screen, and the attack ability value and defense ability value that the game item gives to the game progress. Etc. are included.

The social media computing system uses the information resources configured as described above to communicate with members who access it through information communication terminals such as mobile phones, smartphones, personal computers, and portable game machines, and information processing of SNS. At the same time, it processes information on social games such as Kaito Royale and Sengoku Royale, as well as various games that can be enjoyed by individuals.

=== About avatars for each member === As is well known, in social media, each member is visualized as an avatar (alternate), and in addition to being visually distinguishable, the avatar is modified to the liking to enable the member's self-expression. The avatar is composed of digital data, and by computing like the above game items, members can choose their favorite avatar from a wide variety of avatars, and they can also choose from a wide variety of clothing items. You can choose one and combine it with your avatar. The avatar setting information for each member is registered in the member information area. The avatar setting information is divided into an avatar basic element and an avatar accessory element corresponding to the above-mentioned clothing item and the like.

=== About card games === As is well known, one genre of social games is competitive card games. It can be regarded as an online game in which an old-known real card game that actually uses cards is digitized and executed on a network. A wide variety of characters are represented on the digitally converted cards, and battle characteristic values called offensive power or defensive power are set for each card. Members can obtain multiple cards by accessing the card game department of social media (which refers to the entire computing environment in which card games are played).

The card holding information is registered as game information in the member information area. For example, two members access the card game department and play against each other. When each player presents a predetermined number of cards selected from his or her hand to the battlefield, the software in the card game division executes a battle calculation and informs both parties of the result of the battle. Depending on the result of the battle, for example, the winning member decides to acquire the card owned by the losing member, and the data processing for updating the card holding information is performed in that way.

As mentioned above, the member can obtain the card by winning the match of the card game. In addition, the card game department has a virtual card issuing machine (called gacha), and members can obtain cards for free or for a fee. However, it is not possible to request the card issuing machine to issue a specific card by designating it, and the card selected by the card issuing machine by a predetermined algorithm is issued. Members do not know which card will be issued. Furthermore, cards can be obtained by exchanging owned cards between members without playing a card game.

=== Purpose and outline of the invention === An object of the present invention is to realize a card game incorporating a new taste that has never existed in the social media that provides a social game. The novel card game according to the present invention can be positioned as a slave game in which another social game is used as a master game and is subordinately linked to the master game.

In the following, some members will be referred to as Taro, Hanako, Jiro, etc. for the purpose of explaining in an easy-to-understand manner.

Taro, who is a member, plays a social game, which is a master game, at any time, and Taro's play history data in the master game is recorded in the Taro information area (Taro's member information area). The play history data includes the latest data such as the degree of progress indicating how far the tasks of the master game have been cleared, the score obtained in the game, and the results of the game.

As a means of managing a card game as a slave game, a Taro avatar card derived from Taro that reflects the game history data and avatar information of the master game recorded in the Taro information area is issued, and the card is issued by Taro himself or another member. Provide a means to obtain. When Taro holds the Taro avatar card, the holding information of the Taro avatar card is described in the game information of the slave game in the Taro information area.

The Taro avatar card has the appearance of a character card expressing the avatar used by Taro. The battle characteristic values (data such as attack power and defense power) of the Taro avatar card are recorded in the Taro information area of Taro, which is the origin of the issue, when the card is issued from the card game department and the member acquires it. It is determined according to the play history data of the master game.

In January 2012, Taro himself acquired the Taro Avatar Card (X) from the card game division, which is a slave game. At this point, the play history data of the master game recorded in the Taro information area is set as data A1. The battle characteristic value B1 of the Taro avatar card (X) obtained by Taro at this time is a value determined based on the data A1.

In February 2012, Taro and Hanako car is a slave game to play against Dogemu, Taro lost to Hanako using said Taro avatar card (X). Hanako who won the battle got the Taro Avatar Card (X) from Taro. The battle characteristic value of the Taro avatar card obtained by Hanako is the above characteristic value B1.

On March 1, 2012, Taro played the master game, and as a result, the play history data of the master game recorded in the Taro information area improved from the above data A1 to data A2 (the results improved). ..

On March 2, 2012, Jiro acquired the Taro Avatar Card (Y) from the card game division, which is a slave game. At this point, the play history data of the master game recorded in the Taro information area has been updated to data A2, and the battle characteristic value of the Taro avatar card (Y) obtained by Jiro is based on the updated data A2. The determined battle characteristic value is B2.

In April 2012, Jiro and Saburo played a slave game in a card game, and Jiro lost to Saburo using the Taro Avatar Card (Y). The battle characteristic value B2 of the Taro avatar card (Y) used for this battle is a value determined based on the above data A2, and is different from the battle between Taro and Hanako in February 2012 (for example, strongly). It has become). Saburo who won the battle got the Taro Avatar Card (Y). The battle characteristic value of the Taro avatar card (Y) obtained by Saburo at this time is the above-mentioned characteristic value B2.

=== Effect of invention === For example, suppose one million members are enjoying the master game and the slave game. In this case, 1 million types of member avatar cards produced by 1 million members will be distributed in the social space of slave games (card games). In addition, it is common for multiple member avatar cards derived from one member to be issued, and the battle characteristic values of member avatar cards derived from one member are not the same and may differ depending on the time of issuance. Become normal.

As described above, according to the present invention, an attractive card game that surpasses existing card games is realized in terms of the variety of member avatar cards that automatically increase as the number of members increases. What's more, the fact that so many types of cards are tied to each member by avatars is also an unprecedented attraction.

Taro tries to issue a Taro avatar card with good battle characteristics in the slave game, and strives to improve the performance data by working on the master game. Hanako considers a slave game strategy to capture the popular Taro avatar card with good battle characteristics. In this way, the synergistic effect of connecting the master game and the slave game works, the fun of participating in the game is improved, and it leads to the activation of social media.

<figref num="1">Overview of master game play history data</figref><figref num="2">Overview of avatar setting information</figref><figref num="3">Overview of slave game play history data</figref><figref num="4">5 examples of visualized member avatar cards</figref>

As a typical example of the present invention, a new service in the social media Mobage operated by the applicant is assumed. As the master game mentioned above, the well-known "Sengoku Royale" is assumed. As the slave game that is subordinately linked to this master game, an execution environment for a new competitive card game described below will be constructed. "Horse Racing Chronicle" is well known as a competitive card game in Mobage.

There are many sites as social media including social games like Mobage, and they are used by many people. For many computing engineers involved in building these sites, this type of social media architecture is a well-known and common practice. As will be clear from the following description, the present invention can be implemented by applying a little software-like device to well-known and customary social media. The ingenuity will be explained in detail, and no redundant explanation will be given regarding well-known and commonly used techniques.

=== Master game === As is well known, the master game "Sengoku Royale" is a multiplayer role-playing game in which, in order to unify the whole of Japan, the game progresses while interacting with other warlords, focusing on departures and duels. It's a game (RPG). The player becomes a general of the Sengoku warlords, executes the operation (indicated as "departure" in the game), earns military funds (both units), defeats the warlords in each area and expands the territory. At the same time, a duel is set up against other players to steal treasure and receive territory from the imperial court. Occasionally, you will become friends with other users, present items (weapons, armor, vehicles) and treasures, and play cooperatively with a duel assistant. Ultimately, we aim to unify the world. The process of going out is roughly as follows. (1) Execute the strategy, gain experience points and funds, and raise the level "dan". (2) When an operation is executed, a fixed number of units are consumed for each operation. (3) Use the money you earn to purchase weapons, armor, and vehicles to increase your offensive and defensive power. (4) When the operation is completed, the enemy general will appear and you can fight with your fellow warlords. (5) The general battle is an RPG-style turn-based command battle. (6) If you defeat a military commander, you will be able to carry out higher-ranking operations, and if you defeat the same military commander three times, you will be completely conquered and you will be able to acquire that territory.

=== Master game play history data === In the social media of this embodiment, the computing execution environment of Sengoku Royale as a master game (this is called a master game division) stores and manages the play history data of Sengoku Royale for each member. Figure 1 shows an overview of play history data for one member. In the play history data, as data items related to this invention, "departure" data that manages the execution contents of the operation, "battle" data with other players, "territory" data obtained by defeating warlords in various places, "Rank" data showing the rank of the defeated warlord, "stage" data upgraded according to the execution result of the operation, "attack power" and "defense power" updated by the execution of the operation, purchased weapons, armor, etc. Data etc. are included.

=== Avatar setting information === As described in detail in the background technology section, the social media of this embodiment stores and manages member registration information for each member, and includes avatar setting information in the memory management. The shape and facial expression of the avatar are structured and systematized so as to be expressed by appropriately combining the avatar element items decomposed into more than a dozen types, and each avatar element item corresponds to the part selected by the member. Avatar ID is set. Avatar element items are indispensable element items as avatar setting information, such as items related to avatar head peripheral parts and items related to avatar body peripheral parts, and freely selected items such as accessories and handbags to be worn. It can be divided into possible elements. The former avatar element item is called an avatar basic element, and the latter is called an avatar accessory element. Figure 2 shows an overview of the avatar setting information in the member registration information for one member.

=== Slave game play history data === In the social media of this embodiment, the computing execution environment (called the slave game division) of the new card game (called the military commander card battle) as a slave game displays the play history data of the military commander card battle for each member. I manage my memory. Figure 3 shows an overview of play history data for one member. The play history data includes card holding information and battle records. The battle record describes the contents and results of past battles.

The card holding information is a list of card identification information that identifies a plurality of cards held by the member. The card identification information includes the identification information of the member avatar card related to the core of the present invention.

=== Member avatar card identification information === As shown in Fig. 3, the identification information of the member avatar card includes the origin member ID indicating from which member the card was issued, the data of the member's name, and the origin at the time of issuing the card. Includes member avatar setting information, attack power / defense power data as battle characteristic values of the card, and rarity data, which is a rating index that evaluates the combination of attack power / defense power data on a 5-point scale. It has been.

=== Member Avatar Card Visualization Process === The member avatar card is visualized on the display of the user terminal (mobile phone, smartphone, personal computer, game machine, etc.) in the form of a character card as shown in the five examples shown in FIG. 4, for example. Prior to the issuance process of these avatar cards, the visualization process based on the above-mentioned identification information of the member avatar card will be described.

When the slave game department displays the member avatar card specified by the user on the display of the user terminal in the process of processing the progress of the game play while communicating with the user terminal, the slave game department The visualization process takes the lead. The slave game department picks up the member avatar card identification information to be processed, and based on the avatar setting information in it and the standard stylized information (stored in the slave game department), the figure of the avatar In addition to generating drawing data, visualization data including drawing data of attack power, defense power, rarity, and name is generated and transmitted to the user terminal.

It is desirable that not only the basic elements related to the avatar's head and body in the avatar setting information, but also the attached elements such as the avatar's clothes and accessories are reflected in the visualization on the card. By doing so, it will increase the motivation of members to acquire the elements attached to the avatar and lead to a wide variety of cards.

The above visualization data of the member avatar card is described as, for example, a SWF file corresponding to Flash Player (registered trademark) or an HTML file corresponding to HTML5. The member avatar card is displayed on the user terminal that receives this as illustrated in FIG.

=== Off-the-shelf cards and their visualization process === In the slave game "Bushou Card Battle", not only member avatar cards derived from members but also many types of ready-made cards prepared by the game provider can be used for game play. These off-the-shelf cards are identified by a unique card ID, and in the slave game section, detailed card information (including visual information, attack power, defense power, and rarity data) is stored in association with the card ID. It is managed.

When the slave game department displays a ready-made card specified by the user on the display of the user terminal in the process of processing the progress of the game play while communicating with the user terminal, the slave game department , Pick up the above card detailed information based on the card ID of the ready-made card, create the visualization data of the ready-made card in the format of SWF file or HTML file based on the information, and send it to the user terminal. To do. On the user terminal that receives this, an off-the-shelf card that looks similar to FIG. 4 is displayed.

=== When the member avatar card is issued and the member avatar card identification information === It has already been explained that the member avatar card identification information includes the member ID, name, and avatar setting information of the origin member. Here, the avatar setting information is the avatar setting information recorded as the registration information of the member at the time of issuing the card (described later).

Similarly, the attack power / defense power data in the member avatar card identification information is determined based on the history data recorded in the master game play history data of the origin member at the time of issuing the card. For example, the rank of the warlord defeated in the master game, the territory acquired as a result of the departure, the attack power and defense power updated by the execution of the operation, the purchased weapons, the armor, etc., the above-mentioned "stage" data related to the operation execution result, etc. Calculated based on any one or more of the data. The calculation algorithm is set in the slave game section. For example, the higher the rank of the military commander in the master game, the higher the rarity in the member avatar card identification information, and the better the data of attack power and defense power. (Indicates that the battle characteristic value becomes stronger).

=== Bonus with specific avatar attachments === In the social media of this example, it is possible to hold some kind of event, where a special avatar accessory element called "rare avatar" (such as a special accessory that can be worn on the avatar) is issued and held by a small number of members. is there. In the slave game card issuance process, when issuing a member avatar card derived from a certain member A to member A or another member, the above rare avatar (special avatar accessory element) is included in the avatar setting information of the derived member A. If so, add a bonus to the attack power / defense power data of the member avatar card to be issued to make it stronger. This has the effect of motivating participants to participate in the event and distributing highly rare cards.

=== Card issuance process === A typical card issuing process is the well-known "Gacha". In the card issuance process, a card selected by a predetermined algorithm from a set of a plurality of member avatar cards derived from each of a plurality of members in response to a user issuing a request for acquisition of a member avatar card by "Gacha". Is issued (to be held by the member concerned). It goes without saying that "Gacha" is an electronic virtual card issuing machine on an information communication network.

Another typical card issuance process is unique to the core of the invention. As a result of Taro, a member, playing the master game, the rank of the defeated military commander in the play history data has improved. If the card issuance process recognizes that this rank has improved by more than a certain amount (for example, 2 ranks or more) at an appropriate opportunity (of course, a process of comparing old and new data is required), it is directed to Taro himself. Then, issue a Taro avatar card and have it held.

=== Card distribution === Similar to existing card games, which are well known as social games, member avatar cards can be distributed by exchanging cards between members. Further, since the new card game of the present invention is not related to the rules of the game itself, the member avatar card can be distributed according to the result of the battle in the same manner as the normal battle type card game.

=== Specific matters of this invention === As described in detail above, the computing method (system) of the social game, which is the core of the present invention, is specified by the following items (1) to (5). (1) It is a computing method (system) in social media that provides a computing environment where members can interact with each other by visualizing members with avatars set for each member. (2) Provide an environment in which members play master games and slave games, and store and manage master game play history data and slave game play history data for each member. (3) The slave game is a competitive card game, and the card information held by each member is described in the play history data. (4) The process of managing the slave game includes a card issuing process of issuing a member avatar card derived from an individual member used for playing the card game and having one of the members hold it. (5) The member avatar card is generated as a character card visualized by the avatar set for each member, and the battle characteristic value of the member avatar card derived from a certain member is the master of the member at the time of issuing the card. To be set based on the content recorded as game play history data