HK1248639A1 - Game device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

Achieve better linkage elements between different game contents.Based on the item information obtained from the item when playing the game, the game device performs game processing related to the first game content to make the character or prop corresponding to the item information appear in the game.During or after the execution of the game processing, the device performs the discharge instruction of new items with additional item information related to the characters or props playing in the game.At this time, when the item for which the item information is obtained is an item discharged by another game device providing a second game content different from the first game content, the device controls so that the discharge instruction of a new item related to the character or prop appearing in the game based on the item information is not carried out.

Description

Game device and program

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a game device and a program, and more particularly to a game device having a function of reading and discharging an article.

Background

In recent years, there is a game device: for one play of the game, the print medium on which the character that appeared during the play of the game was printed is discharged.

In the game device disclosed in patent document 1, the user can use a character corresponding to a card read before the start of a game, among characters predetermined to be present in the game content, while the game is in progress. When the game is finished, a card is ejected in which an image of a selected character among characters that have been present during the game is printed in a state (game state (status) or the like) reflecting the progress of the game, and the user can use the character from the reflected state when playing the game next time and later.

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2015-116268

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In addition, conventionally, game contents related to the same title are gradually provided as a plurality of kinds of works which give different game experiences. For example, the game content with the title of a may be provided by expanding the content into a plurality of types of works, such as a series of subsequent works related to the same game type, a different game type, or a derivative work in a different series. In many game contents related to the same title, in many cases, in-game objects such as main characters and props are designed to be commonly present, and there are cases where an inter-device linkage element for providing each game content, an inter-game-content data linkage element, and the like are provided.

On the other hand, in the case where such linkage elements are provided between different game contents related to the same title, the following problems may arise. For example, in a case where a character set with a condition (hereinafter referred to as an acquisition condition) for enabling use in second game content provided by a second game device is provided to be available in first game content provided by a first game device by performing data linkage after the acquisition condition is satisfied, the interest of the user may be reduced due to the processing of the character in the first game content. In more detail, in the case where the character is set as a character that can make the game in the first game content proceed favorably, the character is made available by reaching the acquisition condition in the second game content, whereby the user's interest in the first game content may be reduced due to a so-called collapse of the game balance. In addition, when the first game content is a content for performing a match between users, a content corresponding to a user ranking of in-game results, or the like, significant game play by only the user who plays the first game content may be hindered, and interest may be reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a game device and a program that realize a preferable linkage element between different game contents.

Means for solving the problems

In order to achieve the above object, a game device according to the present invention includes: an execution unit that executes, based on item information acquired from an item at the time of playing a game, game processing relating to first game content that places a character or an item corresponding to the item information in the game; an instruction unit that instructs, during or after execution of game processing, discharge of a new item having additional item information related to a character or an item present in the game; and a control unit that controls the instruction unit based on the item information, in accordance with which game device the item for which the item information is acquired is an item that is discharged from, wherein, when the item for which the item information is acquired is an item that is discharged from another game device that provides a second game content different from the first game content, the control unit controls the instruction unit so that the instruction unit does not instruct discharge of a new item related to a character or an item that is discharged in the game based on the item information.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

With such a configuration, according to the present invention, a preferable linkage element between different game contents can be realized.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a game device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a game playing process of the first game content executed by the game device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a registration process using a character according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a card information generation process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating cards discharged from the first game device and the second game device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of various information according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Embodiments exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, an embodiment described below describes an example in which the present invention is applied to the following game device as an example of the game device: the game device provides game content that enables a game to be played using an item that is discharged by another game device that provides different game content related to the same title. However, the present invention can be applied to any device that can provide a game using discharged articles.

In addition, in this specification and the like, "title" does not only refer to a game name and a product name given to one game piece providing a game, but also serves the following purposes: a set of works to be provided in relation to the same character, world view, etc. is determined. Therefore, the works related to the same "title" can include a plurality of kinds of works provided in such a manner that games can be played on the same type of Game device (Game Consoles, Game machine housings, or the like hardware), or a plurality of kinds of works provided in such a manner that games can be played on different types of respective Game devices.

In this specification and the like, the description will be given assuming that "game content" represents one piece (one providing unit) in such a series of pieces. That is, one game content is used to provide a game (user experience) related to the game content when a corresponding process is executed in a predetermined game device, and even if the game content is related to the same title, at least a part of the provided content, the operation method, and the like are different for each game content.

In the following description, a game content provided to play a game in the game device 100 according to the present embodiment is referred to as a "first game content", and a content that is related to the same title as the first game content but is different from the first game content is referred to as a "second game content". In addition, when strict distinction is required, a game device that provides a game related to the first game content, including the game device 100, is referred to as a "first game device". In addition, correspondingly to this, the above-described another game device that provides the game related to the second game content is referred to as a "second game device".

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a game device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The control unit 101 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each module included in the game device 100. Specifically, the control unit 101 reads out an operation program of each module recorded in the recording medium 102, for example, and controls the operation of each module by expanding and executing the operation program in the memory 103.

The recording medium 102 is a recording device capable of permanently holding data, such as a nonvolatile memory or an HDD. The recording medium 102 stores, in addition to the operation programs of the respective modules included in the game device 100, information such as parameters necessary for the operation of the respective modules, and various kinds of graphic data used in the game executed by the game device 100. The memory 103 is a storage device for temporarily storing data, such as a volatile memory. The memory 103 is used not only as an expansion area for the operation program of each module but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data and the like output during the operation of each module.

The payout detecting unit 104 detects that payout of the value is performed in the game apparatus 100. For example, payment of the consideration can be determined by detecting completion of a settlement process based on communication between a coin (coin) or a corresponding coin (coin) of a predetermined amount of money inserted into a coin slot or a chip related to a predetermined electronic money. Although the game device 100 of the present embodiment is described as starting the game to be provided to the user based on the payout of the consideration, the payout of the consideration is not an essential condition, and the game may be started based on a predetermined start instruction.

When playing a game of game content (first game content) provided by the game device 100 of the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 105 acquires information of characters or items used in the game. The acquisition is performed via a reader 120 that is in the same housing as the game device 100 or is detachably connected to the outside of the game device 100, and the acquisition is performed so as to be converted into a form suitable for use in game processing by predetermined data conversion processing or the like. The reader 120 detects that an article for game is placed at a predetermined position, and recognizes the article or acquires information from the article, for example, by using an imaging device and predetermined image processing.

For simplicity, the game device 100 of the present embodiment is described below as acquiring information (card information) attached to a card configured as an article for game by using the card. The game article is not limited to a card, and may be any printing medium as long as it can be printed and discharged by the printing unit 140 described later. In the case where the printing unit 140 is a device capable of generating a three-dimensional shaped object, such as a so-called 3D printer, the object may be a shaped object such as a character's office (figure), and the printing unit 140 may be configured to record data corresponding to card information on the shaped object and output the data. For example, when the printing unit 140 is replaced with a device having a sorter for a plurality of types of toys and configured to be able to selectively output a toy related to a predetermined character, the article may be the toy, and similarly, the data corresponding to the card information may be recorded in the toy and output. Further, although the description is given assuming that one card corresponds to any one of characters that can be present in the game and has a pattern (image) of the character, the possibility that the card corresponds to any one item in the game is not excluded. In the present embodiment, the card information is converted into a one-dimensional or multi-dimensional pattern (code image) as shown in fig. 5, and the pattern is printed on the card. However, the card information is not limited to being attached to the card in a visible state as described above, and may be attached by printing invisible ink or may be recorded in a recording medium such as an IC chip included in the card and held as data.

Fig. 5 shows a card that can be used by a user while playing a game in the first game content. As described later, the game device 100 of the present embodiment can use a card shown in fig. 5 (b) in addition to a card (fig. 5 (a)) that is discharged during or after execution of processing relating to a predetermined game (a battle game) in a game relating to the first game content. The card shown in fig. 5 (b) is a card discharged from a second game device that provides second game content, and the configuration content is different from that of the card shown in fig. 5 (a). On the other hand, since the first game content and the second game content are game contents related to the same title, the scenario, the background setting, and the like are common or associated with each other, and the same character appears in both the contents. The configuration example of the card shown in (a) and (b) of fig. 5 shows the following card: the character image 501 and the character image 511 are images having different compositions or designs, but correspond to the same character. Further, elements constituting the card other than the character image are also different as shown in the drawing, and for example, at least a part of parameters indicating the same attribute indicate different values in the first game content and the second game content. This is based on a process of designing characters for each game content, and elements constituting a card are made different according to, for example, importance, appearance frequency, rareness, and the like of action on the plot.

On the other hand, the code image 502 and the code image 512 representing the card information described above among the elements constituting the card are set to be disposed at the same position on the card. Also, these code images may be generated by transforming the card information in the same transformation (encoding) manner, and the manner of acquiring information (decoding) from the code images is also the same. The card information has a data structure adjusted to have the same data length as shown in (a) and (b) of fig. 6, for example. Fig. 6 (a) shows a structure of card information attached to a card discharged from the game device 100 when the game of the first game content is played. Fig. 6 (b) shows a structure of card information added to a card discharged from the second game device when the game of the second game content is played. As illustrated, in the card information of fig. 6 (a) and the card information of fig. 6 (b), the card ID 601 and the card ID 611, the character ID 602 and the character ID 612, and the discharge device information 604 and the discharge device information 614 are common, and only the parameter 603 and the blank 613 are different.

The card ID is identification information added to uniquely identify the card, and may be adjusted so that the same value is not assigned to the first game content and the second game content, and the same value may be assigned because the card corresponding to which game content corresponds can be identified by the discharge device information described later. The character ID is identification information for uniquely identifying a character in the game content, and if the size of the character DB 106 to be described later is considered to be reduced, it is preferable to add the same identification information to the same character in association with one title. The ejection device information is information for identifying the game device from which the card has been ejected, and in the present embodiment, indicates which of the first game device and the second game device the card has been ejected. In other words, the discharge apparatus information may be the following information: the information indicates which of the first game content and the second game content the game processing related to was executed in the game device that performed the discharge. In the present embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, the description will be made assuming that the cards that can be used in the game device 100 are the cards that are discharged as the result of the play of the first game content or the second game content, but the practice of the present invention is not limited to this, and it should be easily understood. That is, the cards that can be used in the game device 100 may be cards that can be discharged by different devices that execute game processing of different game contents related to the same title, and are not limited to two types.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 6 (a) and (b), a card discharged from the game device 100 (first game device) is different from a card discharged from the second game device in that the former has a parameter 603 dynamically generated in accordance with the execution content of the game process executed at the time of discharge, and the latter does not have the parameter 603.

The first game content provided by the game device 100 of the present embodiment has the following so-called element: by playing a game related to a battle game by a user, characters can grow and change in different ways depending on the user. Therefore, in the first game content, the user can discharge a new card in a state in which the growth according to the result of the game play is reflected with respect to the character set as the character to be used by using the card at the time of the game play. At this time, the information of the grown state is included in the card information as the parameter 603 which is dynamically changed according to the result of the play of the game, and the game in which the grown state is continued is provided by using the card having the card information when the next and later games are played. Here, the parameter 603 may include information for identifying the owner of the card to which the card information is attached, that is, the user who has played the game.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the second game content provided by the second game device does not have such a created element, or that card generation by so-called on-demand printing is not performed, such as a card in a state after the creation is discharged. In this case, the second game content can be provided as long as the character can be specified, without having to have a parameter reflecting the state of development in the card used when setting the use of the character or the like at the time of playing the game. That is, if there is no element to be formed, the parameters when using a character are fixed, and there is no need to intentionally include the parameters in the card information. Therefore, instead of the parameter 603, the card information added to the card discharged by the second device includes a blank 613 which is fixed-length data not determined for any parameter, for example, data filled with 0. That is, since the card information added to the card discharged from the second game device is a fixed content that does not depend on the execution content of the game process, it may be, for example, a card produced in a factory. The blank 613 need not be data filled with 0, but may be fixed information that does not depend on execution of game processing. It is needless to say that the second game content may be configured to show a fixed parameter.

The character DB 106 is a database for managing character information for each character determined to be present in the first game content in advance. The character information managed for one character may have a data structure as shown in fig. 6 (c), for example. In the example of fig. 6 (c), the role ID 621 for identifying the role is managed in association with: a basic parameter 622 that is predetermined regardless of the state of the growth element and that represents an initial value (reference value) of a performance parameter inherent to the character such as physical strength, offensive power, skill in good practice, skill in skill, etc.; growth information 623 indicating the extent of increase and decrease of various parameters with respect to basic parameters according to growth (number of times of game play, game play content), and adequacy skills and skills that can be added; and drawing information 624 including various drawing data necessary for drawing the character on the game screen.

The display control unit 107 is a drawing device such as a GPU that performs drawing processing to generate a screen related to a game. The display control unit 107 draws a game screen image related to the first game content. Specifically, the display control unit 107 reads a necessary drawing object in accordance with information such as in-game parameters according to the progress status of the game during execution of game processing described later, and executes appropriate arithmetic processing to perform drawing. The generated game screen is output to the display unit 130 which is a display device in the same housing as the game device 100 or detachably connected to the outside of the game device 100, and is displayed in a predetermined display area to be presented to the user.

The drawing unit 108 performs various drawing processes related to the first game content generated using random numbers, for example. In the first game content, one character can be output (chunked) as a card attached with card information having a parameter 603 dynamically determined according to the execution content of the game process during or after execution of the game. In this case, the character that can be converted into a card can be a character that has been presented in the game or a character selected from the characters determined to be presented in the first game content according to a predetermined condition, and the drawing unit 108 can be used for the latter character selection, for example. The character selected based on the drawing process by the drawing unit 108 may be a character to be converted into a card, or may be a plurality of characters listed as candidates to be converted into a card. The use of the decimation unit 108 is not limited to this, and may be used to select the value of the increase/decrease of the parameter 603 included in a predetermined range of change, to determine whether or not to impart a skill, or the like.

The print control unit 109 generates print data for a card to be printed and output, the print data including a code image of the card information and a character image, for the character instructed to be blocked. When generating the print data, the print control unit 109 transmits the print data to the printing unit 140 together with a print command to instruct the printing unit 140 to print the card, and causes the printing unit 140 to discharge the card. The printing unit 140 is a printing device such as a printer that is located in the same housing as the game device 100 or detachably connected to the outside of the game device 100 and is configured to be capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the printing control unit 109. Upon receiving the print data on the card and the print command on the data from the print control unit 109, the printing unit 140 performs a printing operation of the print data. In the case where the printing unit 140 is incorporated in the same housing as the game device 100, the cards discharged by printing can be provided to the user by being guided to a not-shown outlet accessible from the outside of the game device 100.

The operation input unit 110 is, for example, a user interface provided in the game device 100, such as an operation member for direction input, an operation member for determination input, and various sensors. When detecting that an operation is input to the operation member, the operation input unit 110 outputs a control signal corresponding to the operation input to the control unit 101.

The communication unit 111 is a user interface of the game device 100, such as buttons used for selecting characters of a card object and specifying various commands in a game. When detecting an operation input to various user interfaces, the operation input unit 110 outputs a control signal corresponding to the operation input to the control unit 101. In the present embodiment, the game device 100 is described as including various interfaces as physical operation members, but may include a touch input detection sensor or the like that detects a touch input performed on the screen of the display unit 130, for example.

With regard to the play process for providing a game related to the first game content in the game device 100 of the present embodiment having such a configuration, a specific process will be described with reference to the flowchart of fig. 2. The processing corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by reading a corresponding processing program stored in the recording medium 102, for example, by the control unit 101, expanding the processing program in the memory 103, and executing the processing program. For example, the present game play process is started when the payout detecting unit 104 detects that a consideration related to game play has been paid. During execution of the present game playing process, unless otherwise mentioned, the display control unit 107 appropriately generates a screen corresponding to the progress of the game based on the process and the command performed by the control unit 101 and displays the screen on the display unit 130.

In S201, the control unit 101 executes registration processing for registering a character to be used in playing the game (a used character). As described above, the user causes the reader 120 to read a card discharged from the first game device as a game article related to the first game content or a card discharged from the second game device as a game article related to the second game content (causes the reader 120 to acquire card information from the card) to perform registration processing.

Here, with regard to the registration process executed in S201 of the game play process, details will be described using the flowchart of fig. 3.

In S301, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the registration of the use character is completed. The end of registration of the use character may be determined based on detection of a situation in which an operation input related to the end of registration is made by the user, the end of registration of the upper-limit number of use characters. In the first game content provided by the game device 100 of the present embodiment, even if the registration of the character to be used is not performed using the card, the user can play the game by performing the operation input relating to the end of the registration to omit the registration state of the character to be used, and can play the game even in a state where the card is not held, for example, at the time of the first experience.

When determining that the registration of the use character is completed, the control unit 101 completes the present registration process. In this case, when the number of registered used characters does not reach the upper limit number, the control unit 101 may acquire character information from the character DB 106 for the insufficient number of characters selected by the drawing process by the drawing unit 108 and add the character information to the used character management table managed in the memory 103, for example. The character added in this manner may be a character selected from a part of characters that are determined in advance to be usable even if there is no card. In the used character management table, for example, as shown in fig. 6 (d), the play time parameter 632 used in the present play, the drawing information 633, the card use flag 634 (for example, of a logical type) indicating whether or not the used character is registered with the card, and the discharge device information 635 may be included in association with the character ID 631. When a deficient number of characters are added to the character management table, the following is sufficient: for example, the basic parameter 622 of the character is substituted for the play parameter 632, information (False) indicating that the card is not used in registration is used for the card use flag 634, and information indicating that the character is not the first game machine or the second game machine is used for the ejector information 635. It goes without saying that the corresponding information of the acquired character information may be substituted for the character ID 631 and the rendering information 633.

When determining that the registration of the use character has not been completed, the control unit 101 shifts the process to S302.

In S302, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the card (target card) has been read. The control unit 101 determines the present step based on whether or not the acquisition unit 105 has acquired the card information (target card information). The control unit 101 shifts the process to S303 when determining that the reading of the target card is performed, and repeats the process of this step when determining that the reading of the target card is not performed.

In S303, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the target card is a card discharged from the second game device. The control unit 101 refers to the discharge device information included in the target card information, and determines whether or not the device that has been discharged is the second game device. If it is determined that the target card is a card discharged from the second game device, the control unit 101 advances the process to S304. Further, when determining that the target card is not a card discharged from the second game device, that is, a card discharged from the first game device, the control unit 101 shifts the process to S305. In the present embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, a card that cannot be used when playing a game in the game device 100 is not used for registration and is described, but it should be easily understood that error processing for notifying that a card cannot be used is performed when such a card is used.

In S304, the control unit 101 refers to the character ID 612 included in the target card information, acquires character information related to the target card from the character DB 106, and adds the character information to the used character management table. Since the registration is based on the character used by the card discharged by the second game machine, the control unit 101 sets the card use flag 634 to information (True) indicating that the card was used at the time of registration, and substitutes the discharge device information 614 of the target card information into the discharge device information 635 to add information to the table. For example, the basic parameter 622 of the acquired character information may be substituted for the play time parameter 632, or a value obtained by changing the growth information 623 to a predetermined growth state based on the basic parameter 622 may be substituted.

In the game device 100 of the present embodiment, it is also considered that the user plays the game in a state where the user does not own the card, and therefore, when the number of characters added to the used character management table is insufficient as described above, information based on the characters to be drawn is added so that the number of characters added to the used character management table reaches the upper limit number. Therefore, regarding the registration of the character to be used based on the object card discharged from the second game device, it is preferable to provide a difference in the game between the rewarded game related to the second game content and the character to be used which is not registered based on the card. In the method of determining the play-time parameter 632 by substituting the basic parameter 622 of character information, for example, it is preferable that the use character which can be registered without using a card and the use character which can be registered with using a card discharged from the second game device are formed of different character groups. That is, it is preferable that the used character which can be registered without being based on the card is composed of a character group excluding a character group from which the card can be discharged in the second game device. In this case, the character that can eject the cards in the second game device may be a character that allows the battle game to progress more favorably than a use character that can be registered without being based on cards. Alternatively, even if the same character has a plurality of forms in the processing on the game due to, for example, a difference in state or a difference in display form, the character may be configured to be registered in a form that is distinguished by a card.

On the other hand, when it is determined in S303 that the target card is not a card discharged from the second game device, in S305, the control unit 101 adds various pieces of information to the used character management table in the same manner as in S304. That is, the control unit 101 refers to the character ID 602 included in the target card information, acquires character information related to the target card from the character DB 106, and adds the information. Since the registration is based on the character used by the card discharged from the first game machine, the control unit 101 adds the information to the table by setting the card use flag 634 to information indicating that the card is used for registration, and substituting the discharge device information 604 of the target card information into the discharge device information 635. Note that the value obtained by changing the basic parameter 622 of the acquired character information in accordance with the parameter 603 of the target card information may be substituted for the play time parameter 632.

When the registration of the character related to the object card to the use character management table is completed in S304 or S305 in this manner, the control unit 101 returns the process to S301.

When the registration processing is completed, the control section 101 executes game processing relating to the battle game in which the character registered in the use character management table is left as a use character in S202 of the game play processing. The match-up game related to the first game content according to the present embodiment is a match-up game in which a win or a loss is determined based on a predetermined game rule between a predetermined number of used characters in which a user can determine an action and an opponent character as a opponent of the match-up game. That is, the control unit 101 executes a battle game in which the character and the opponent character are used for play. Further, the match-up game is realized between the user and the user who plays the game simultaneously on the game device 100 (so-called double match), the user who plays the game on another game device 100 that provides the first game content and is connected via the communication unit 111 (so-called network match-up), or NPC (or AI) that performs processing corresponding to an operation based on a predetermined decision program or the like. That is, the actions on the role group are decided by other users or the NPC. When the game processing related to the match-up game is completed, that is, when the match-up game related to the one-time play is in a state of winning or losing, the control unit 101 shifts the process to S203.

In S203, the control unit 101 executes a generation process of generating card information for a character to be cardized at the time of playing the game.

Here, the generation processing executed in this step will be described in detail using the flowchart of fig. 4.

In S401, the control unit 101 determines characters (candidate characters) to be candidates for card formation based on the execution content of the game process. The candidate characters include at least a character group selected as a character to be used, and are increased or decreased based on the execution content of the game processing. For example, when the match game executed in the game process is a match with a person (a match with another user), the control unit 101 determines only the character included in the use character management table as the candidate character. For example, when the executed match game is an NPC match, the control unit 101 may determine the opponent character group as a candidate character, in addition to using the characters included in the character management table. In this case, whether or not the opponent character group is added as the candidate character group may be determined in consideration of at least one of the result of the match game, whether or not the match game is a cooperation game (a game in which two users cooperate to play against the NPC), and the classification and cardability condition of the match characters. The information of the determined candidate character may be retained in the memory 103, for example.

In S402, the control unit 101 determines a character that can be selected as a card-making object from the candidate characters determined in S203. The first game content of the present embodiment is configured so that the cards discharged by the second game device can also be used. However, as described above, the following processing may prevent the preferred service provision in the first game device: in particular, by obtaining a card in a second game device that discharges a card that does not have a dynamic element that may differ from one card to another in the card information, it is possible to realize a corresponding character in the first game content. Therefore, in the generation processing of the present embodiment, the control unit 101 controls not to select, as a blocking object, a character registered based on a card discharged from the second game device, from among the used characters included in the candidate characters. In this step, for example, the control unit 101 adds information indicating that it is possible to select a character other than the character registered based on the card discharged from the second game device to each candidate character.

In the case where it is determined in this step that all the candidate characters cannot be selected, the control unit 101 may add a character newly selected by the lottery process by the lottery unit 108 to the candidate characters and determine the character as a selectable character.

In S403, the control unit 101 accepts selection of a character of the card-like object by the user. A screen displaying candidate characters is displayed on the display unit 130, and a character of a card-like object is selected based on an operation input detected by the operation input unit 110 based on the screen. At this time, the display control unit 107 generates a screen on which candidate characters can be confirmed and which clearly shows the non-selectable character among the candidate characters, under the control of the control unit 101, and displays the screen on the display unit 130. For example, when an operation input for selecting and specifying a character that cannot be selected is performed, the control unit 101 performs control so that the user is not accepted for selection, such as notification of the inability to select, or the cursor for indicating a character is not moved to the character that cannot be selected. In this way, the character registered based on the card discharged from the second game device is presented as a candidate character but cannot be selected, and thus it is possible to notify the user that new cardification based on the card is not possible and that the card of the corresponding character can be discharged in the play game related to the first game content. Further, it is possible to indirectly notify that a breakdown of the game balance in the first game content is not generated and that a user who plays only the first game content is cared for. When the selection of the character of the card-like object is completed, the control unit 101 shifts the process to S404.

In S404, the control unit 101 generates card information for the character of the selected card object, and completes the present generation process. Specifically, the control unit 101 acquires a new card ID, determines parameters based on the execution content of the game process, and combines the character ID of the character to be chucked and the discharge device information indicating the discharge from the first game device with these pieces of information to generate card information. The parameter determined based on the execution content may be, for example, an absolute value after increasing or decreasing, or a relative value with respect to the basic parameter. In the latter case, for example, when the character to be blocked is not a character to be used, the value may be a value indicating that the value is not increased or decreased with respect to the basic parameter, or may be a value indicating a difference between the basic parameter and a parameter obtained by applying a change to the basic parameter according to the result of the battle game. The parameter determination may be dynamically determined in consideration of, for example, the result of the battle game, the number of times the same character has been chucked, and the like.

When the generation processing is completed, the print control unit 109 generates print data relating to the card to be discharged in S204 of the game play processing, and instructs the printing unit 140 to print. More specifically, under the control of the control unit 101, the print control unit 109 arranges the card information generated in the generation process on the character image of the character to be blocked as shown in fig. 5 (a), and generates print data including the changed parameters and the like. The print data is transmitted to the printing unit 140 together with the print command, and the printing unit 140 prints and discharges the card based on the print data. When the discharge is completed or when a time predetermined to be required for the discharge has elapsed since the printing instruction was given, the control unit 101 completes the present game playing process.

As described above, in the game device of the present embodiment, the following preferable linkage elements can be realized: it is possible to use discharged articles related to a plurality of kinds of game contents and to ensure the interest of the provided first game content.

In the above-described generation process, the description has been made on the control so that only the character to be used based on the card discharged from the second game device cannot be selected, but the same process may be applied to the character to be used which is determined not based on the card. That is, the following configuration may be adopted: only the character selected by the drawing process by the drawing unit 108 or the opponent character can be converted into a card by the user who plays the game without reading the card.

Embodiment 2 in embodiment 1 described above, the advantage that the user can certainly use the character corresponding to the card discharged by the second game device and can make the battle game more favorably progress than the character registered without the card, in the case where the user has played the game related to the second game content. On the other hand, although characters corresponding to the cards discharged by the second game device can be used during game play, the characters cannot be converted into cards, and therefore, for example, in a case where another character to be used reaches a growth upper limit, there is a possibility that only a character not intended by the user can be selected as a character to be converted into a card. That is, since the number of characters that can be selected as the card target character is substantially reduced by registering the use character based on the card discharged by the second game device, it is possible to reduce the interest of the user in the first game content.

In the present embodiment, various modes related to both the first game content and the second game content, which supplement each other to enhance the interest of the user, will be described. In the game device 100 of the present embodiment, it is assumed that the user information is managed for each user for users who use at least the first game content. User information on each user is managed in an external server or the like, not shown, that can be connected for communication via the communication unit 111. For example, the reader 120 may read information recorded in another recording medium to identify the user.

< mode 1> for example, as the user information, the number of times of use of a character used by the user based on a card ejected by the second game device may be managed for each character. In this case, the following may be used: when playing a game of the first game content, the control unit 101 controls the generation process so that the parameter 603 of the card information added to the discharged card becomes a value that allows the battle game to be favorably played as the number of usage times up to now increases when the acquisition condition of the character whose number of usage times is managed is satisfied, that is, when the character is included in characters that can be selected as a card target.

In this way, it is possible to enhance the interest of the first game content using the cards discharged by the second game device, and to promote the use of the second game content for acquiring the cards by a user who has developed (based on the number of times of use) a desired character before the acquisition condition in the first game content is satisfied.

For example, < < mode 2> > may be configured to manage user information including a usage history of the second game content for each user in addition to the user who uses the second game content, and to associate the user information of the first game content related to the same user with the second game content when the card ejected by the second game device is used in the game device 100. In this case, when the character to be chucked is selected during the play of the game of the first game content, the control unit 101 may further change the parameter 603 of the chucked information based on the usage history of the second game content related to the character of the user. More specifically, the following may be used: when a character to be chucked is selected, the control unit 101 controls the generation process so that the parameter 603 of the card information added to the discharged card becomes a value that allows the battle game to be favorably played (a value that becomes favorable as the number of uses increases or as the degree of progress increases in a state of attack, for example) based on the number of uses of the character in the second game content or the progress status of the game when the character is used in the second game content.

In this way, it is possible to promote the user to use both the first game device and the second game device, and to enhance the interest of the first game content and the second game content.

For example, < < mode 3> > may be configured to manage user information including whether or not a predetermined condition of each character relating to the game played with the second game content has been fulfilled for each user, as well as for the user using the second game content, and to associate the user information of the first game content relating to the same user with the second game content when the card ejected by the second game device is used in the game device 100. In this case, the following may be used: when playing a game of a first game content, the same character is registered as a character to be used based on each of the cards discharged from the first game device and the cards discharged from the second game device, and when the character is selected as a card object, the control unit 101 controls the generation process so that the control unit 101 sets the parameter 603 of the card information to a value that allows the battle game to be more favorably played in accordance with the user's achievement of a predetermined condition regarding the character in the second game content.

In this way, it is possible to promote the user to use both the first game device and the second game device, and to enhance the interest of the first game content and the second game content.

Modes 1 to 3 have been exemplified above, but it goes without saying that these modes may be arbitrarily combined. In addition, in embodiments 1 to 3, the description has been given of the configuration in which the parameter 603 of the new card information generated in the generation process is changed using the user information, but the user information is not limited to this, and may be used for changing the play parameter 632 in the registration process.

Other embodiments the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The game device according to the present invention can also be realized by a program that causes a computer to function as the game device. The program can be provided/distributed by recording the program in a computer-readable recording medium or through an electric communication line.

Description of the reference numerals

100: a game device; 101: a control unit; 102: a recording medium; 103: a memory; 104: a payment detection section; 105: an acquisition unit; 106: a role DB; 107: a display control unit; 108: a lottery section; 109: a printing control section; 110: an operation input unit; 111: a communication unit; 120: a reader; 130: a display unit; 140: a printing section.

Claims (12)

1. A game device, comprising:

an execution unit that executes, based on item information acquired from an item at the time of playing a game, game processing relating to first game content that places a character or an item corresponding to the item information in the game;

an instruction unit that instructs, during or after execution of the game processing, discharge of a new item having additional item information related to a character or an item present in the game; and

a control unit that controls the instruction unit based on the article information according to which game device the article of which the article information is acquired is the article discharged from,

wherein, when the item of the acquired item information is an item discharged by another game device that provides a second game content different from the first game content, the control unit controls the instruction unit so that the instruction unit does not perform a discharge instruction of the new item with respect to a character or an item that is present in the game based on the item information.

2. Gaming apparatus according to claim 1,

the article information includes at least identification information for identifying a game device from which the article having the article information is discharged,

the execution unit executes the game processing in such a manner that the character or the item based on the acquired item information is brought out in the game without depending on the identification information,

the control unit determines, based on the identification information, which of the game device and the another game device the article of which the article information is acquired is an article discharged from.

3. Gaming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

further comprising a discharge unit that discharges the first type of article as the new article based on a discharge instruction by the instruction unit,

the discharge unit does not discharge the second type of item discharged by the another game device that provides the second game content.

4. Gaming apparatus according to claim 3,

the game device further includes a selection unit that displays, on a display unit, a plurality of images corresponding to characters or items that have appeared in the game during or after execution of the game processing, and selects a character or item from which the new item is to be discharged based on an operation input for any of the images,

the instruction unit performs a discharge instruction of the new item in relation to the character or prop selected by the selection unit.

5. Game apparatus according to claim 4,

the selection unit causes the display unit to selectively display an image corresponding to a character or a prop based on the item information acquired from the first type of item, among characters or props present in the game, and causes the display unit to display an image corresponding to a character or a prop based on the item information acquired from the second type of item, in an unselectable manner.

6. Game apparatus according to claim 4 or 5,

the game related to the first game content realizes a battle game between a character present in the game and an opponent character decided in the game process based on the item information acquired at the time of game play,

in the case where all of the items of the acquired item information are the items of the second type at the time of the game play, the selection means displays, on the display means, an image of at least one character selected by a lottery process from among the characters determined for the first game content and the opponent character.

7. Game apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6,

the first type of item has the item information of: the item information contains information dynamically decided according to the execution content of the game process related to the first game content,

the second type of item has the item information of: the item information is not fixed depending on the execution content of the game process related to the second game content.

8. Game apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 7,

further provided with a first acquisition unit that acquires the item information from the item,

the first acquisition unit acquires the item information for the first type of item and the second type of item using the same information acquisition manner.

9. Game apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

the first game content and the second game content are different game contents related to the same title.

10. Gaming apparatus according to claim 9,

further comprising a second acquisition unit that acquires, for an item of the acquired item information, history information indicating at least any one of the number of times a game of the second game content was played using the item in the other game device, a game progress status of the game of the second game content using the item in the other game device, and the number of times a game of the first game content was played using the item in the game device,

when the article of which the article information is acquired is an article discharged from the different game device, the execution unit changes the game parameters of the character or the item based on the article information based on the history information acquired by the second acquisition unit and executes the game process.

11. Game apparatus according to claim 9 or 10,

further comprising a second acquisition unit that acquires, for an item of the acquired item information, history information indicating at least any one of the number of times a game of the second game content was played using the item in the other game device, a game progress status of the game of the second game content using the item in the other game device, and the number of times a game of the first game content was played using the item in the game device,

when the article of which the article information is acquired is an article discharged from the game device, the control unit changes the separate article information related to the character or the property based on the article information based on the history information acquired by the second acquisition unit and instructs the instruction unit to discharge the article.

12. A program for causing a computer to function as the game apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11.