HK1253849B - Non-transitory computer readable medium and information processing method - Google Patents

Description

Non-transitory computer-readable medium and information processing method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium and an information processing method.

Background Art

Conventionally, a stationary game apparatus is provided with a physical controller as an operating device separate from the game apparatus body.

Such physical controllers are not suitable for operating games executed on mobile terminals such as smartphones, etc. Therefore, virtual controllers displayed on the touch screen of the mobile terminal have been used to operate games executed on the mobile terminal (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Reference List

Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-45965

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, a conventional virtual controller displayed on a touch screen of a mobile terminal has a problem in that the controller may impair visibility of objects including a game character within a game if the controller occupies a relatively wide area on the screen of the mobile terminal.

In particular, conventional virtual controllers used to instruct game character movements employ a method of setting the character's movement speed, etc., based on the finger's movement distance relative to the center of the virtual controller. This allows for intuitive character movement. However, when attempting to increase the character's movement speed, the finger's movement area becomes larger, further compromising visibility.

Therefore, there is a need to implement a virtual controller that enables a game player to intuitively move a game character while moving his or her fingers within a smaller area.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to enable realization of a virtual controller that allows a game player to intuitively move a game character while moving his or her fingers within a smaller area.

Solutions for solving problems

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a non-transitory computer-readable medium according to an aspect of the present invention stores a program for causing a computer for controlling a terminal to execute a control process, the terminal including:

a display medium for displaying an image including a game character on a display surface thereof, wherein the action of the game character changes according to an operation for bringing an object into contact with the display surface, and

a first detecting component configured to detect a predetermined physical quantity related to the display medium that changes according to the degree of contact between the object and the display surface;

The control process includes:

a ratchet function outputting step for inputting the detection result of the first detection component into a predetermined ratchet function, and outputting an output value of the ratchet function to the outside;

an action amount determining step for determining a predetermined amount of action of the game character according to an output value of the ratchet function; and

The action control execution step is for executing control to change the action of the game character according to the predetermined amount determined by the processing in the action amount determination step.

An information processing method corresponding to the above-mentioned non-transitory computer-readable medium according to aspects of the present invention is also provided as an information processing method according to aspects of the present invention.

Effects of the Invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a virtual controller that allows a game player to intuitively move a game character while moving his fingers within a smaller area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware structure of a player terminal 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a basic method for operating a character using a virtual board displayed on the player terminal 1 of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method of determining the moving speed of the character in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining that smoothness of operation can be ensured by using a ratchet function used in the determination method of FIG. 3 .

Figure 5 shows the behavior of interrupt handling.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a functional structure of the player terminal of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for determining whether an interruption is necessary, applied to an interruption possibility determination unit of the player terminal having the functional configuration in FIG. 6 .

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing various examples of transfer functions applied to a game character action amount determination unit of the player terminal having the functional structure in FIG. 6 .

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing various examples of transfer functions applied to the game character action amount determination unit of the player terminal having the functional structure in FIG. 6 .

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of controlling the action of a character by the game character action amount control execution unit of the player terminal having the functional structure in FIG. 6 .

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the flow of processing executed by the player terminal 1 having the functional structure in FIG. 6 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It should be understood that what is hereinafter simply referred to as an "image" should be interpreted as including both a "moving image" and a "still image."

Furthermore, "moving image" should be interpreted as including images displayed through the following first to third processes, respectively.

The first processing is a process for displaying a series of still images while switching between them over time in response to the actions of an object (e.g., a game character) in a two-dimensional image (2D image). Specifically, a process similar to two-dimensional animation, i.e., a so-called flipping book animation, is an example of the first processing.

The second processing is a process for presetting the actions of a game character corresponding to the actions of an object (e.g., a game character) in a stereoscopic image (an image based on a 3D model) and displaying the object while changing the actions of the game character over time. Specifically, three-dimensional animation is an example of the second processing.

The third process refers to a process for preparing a video (ie, a moving image) corresponding to each action of an object (eg, a game character) and rendering the video over time.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware structure of a player terminal 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The player terminal 1 is implemented by a smartphone or the like.

The player terminal 1 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 21, a ROM (read-only memory) 22, a RAM (random access memory) 23, a bus 24, an input/output interface 25, a touch operation input unit 26, a display unit 27, an input unit 28, a storage unit 29, a communication unit 30, a driver 31, a touch pressure detection unit 41, and a touch position detection unit 42.

The CPU 21 executes various processes according to a program recorded in the ROM 22 or a program loaded from the storage unit 29 into the RAM 23 .

The RAM 23 also appropriately stores data and the like required when the CPU 21 executes various processes.

The CPU 21, ROM 22, and RAM 23 are connected to each other via a bus 24. An input/output interface 25 is also connected to the bus 24. A touch operation input unit 26, a display unit 27, an input unit 28, a storage unit 29, a communication unit 30, and a driver 31 are connected to the input/output interface 25.

The touch operation input unit 26 includes a touch pressure detection unit 41 and a touch position detection unit 42 , and detects a touch operation input by a player.

Here, the touch operation refers to bringing an object into contact with the touch operation input unit 26. The object that comes into contact with the touch operation input unit 26 is, for example, a finger of the player or a stylus. Hereinafter, the position where the touch operation is performed is referred to as the "touch position," and the coordinates of the touch position are referred to as the "touch coordinates."

The touch pressure detection unit 41 includes, for example, a pressure-sensitive sensor, and detects pressure (hereinafter referred to as “touch pressure”) generated by a touch operation on the touch operation input unit 26 .

The touch position detection unit 42 includes, for example, a capacitive or resistive (pressure-sensitive) position input sensor stacked on the display unit 27 , and detects touch coordinates.

The display unit 27 is realized by a display such as a liquid crystal display, and displays various images such as images related to games.

As described above, in this embodiment, the touch screen includes the touch operation input unit 26 and the display unit 27 .

It should be understood that in this description, what is referred to as “display medium” does not simply mean the display unit 27 but means a “touch screen” including the touch operation input unit 26 and the display unit 27 .

Here, examples of the types of touch operations on the touch screen include sliding and flicking.

What both swipes and flicks have in common is that they each involve a series of operations, starting with a first state where an object begins contact with the display medium, passing through a second state where the object's position is changed or maintained while maintaining contact with the display medium (the second state where the touch position is changed or maintained), and ending in a third state where contact is released (the third state where the object is removed from the display medium). Therefore, in this specification, this series of operations is collectively referred to as a "swipe."

In other words, the “slide” referred to in this specification is a broad concept that includes what is generally called a slide and the above-mentioned flick.

The input unit 28 includes various hardware buttons and the like, and enables input of various information according to instruction operations performed by the game player.

The storage unit 29 is realized by a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or the like, and stores various data.

The communication unit 30 controls communication performed with other devices (a server (not shown) and other player terminals 1 (not shown)) via a network (not shown) including the Internet.

A drive 31 is provided as needed. A removable medium 32 implemented as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory is loaded into the drive 31 as appropriate. Programs read from the removable medium 32 by the drive 31 are installed in the storage unit 29 as needed. Like the storage unit 29, the removable medium 32 can also store various data stored in the storage unit 29.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the cooperation between various hardware and various software of the player terminal 1 enables execution of a game at the player terminal 1 .

For example, in the present embodiment, it is made possible to execute a game in which a game character C is operated by using a 3D virtual tablet VP as shown in FIG. 2 on the player terminal 1 .

2 is a diagram for explaining a basic method of operating the game character C using the 3D virtual pad VP displayed on the player terminal 1 in FIG. 1 .

The left portion of FIG. 2 shows a 3D virtual pad VP used as a virtual controller for a game player to perform operations for instructing movement of a game character C by sliding on the touch screen.

Here, the 3D virtual pad VP is a GUI (graphical user interface) that simulates a physical cross-shaped button. The 3D virtual pad VP in this embodiment has a circular shape and is a GUI for indicating the movement direction of the game character C based on the direction of the touch position touched by the player relative to the center of the 3D virtual pad VP, and for indicating the movement speed (acceleration and deceleration) of the game character C based on the touch pressure applied by the player during the touch operation.

The right portion of FIG. 2 shows a game character C that moves in a virtual space within the game according to a player's sliding on the touch screen.

Here, the game character C refers to an object that the player can manipulate among objects in the game. That is, the "game character C" here is a broad concept that includes not only objects that simulate people as shown in Figure 2, but also inanimate objects such as cars, airplanes, or balls in ball games.

In this embodiment, when the player's finger or the like away from the touch screen is in contact with the touch screen, ie, in the first sliding state, the 3D virtual tablet VP is not in a state visually recognizable by the player.

Thereafter, when the sliding transitions to the second state, as shown in the upper portion of FIG. 2 , the 3D virtual tablet VP is displayed on the display surface in a state visually recognizable by the player, so that the center or center of gravity of the 3D virtual tablet VP is located at the touch position in the first state of the sliding.

That is, the 3D virtual pad VP becomes recognizable to the game player as if it appeared at the original touched position on the touch screen.

Then, when the player slides in a specific direction (when the sliding transitions to the second state), in the virtual space within the game, the game character C starts walking at a low speed in a direction corresponding to the specific direction.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, in the second sliding state (the state in which the finger has not left the touch screen, i.e., the state before transitioning to the third sliding state), if the player presses the touch screen firmly, the touch pressure (the output value from the touch pressure detection unit 41) increases. This allows the game character C to accelerate its movement to a speed corresponding to the strength of the touch pressure, as shown in the lower portion of FIG. 2 .

As described above, the operation of strongly and continuously pressing the touch screen to accelerate the game character C is similar to, for example, an acceleration operation when driving a car, and is therefore an intuitive operation for the player.

Furthermore, the player can make the game character C run freely while accelerating or decelerating simply by increasing or decreasing the degree of pressure on the touch screen, in addition to sliding on the touch screen. Thus, by using the 3D virtual tablet VP, the range of movement of the player's finger on the touch screen becomes smaller than when using a conventional virtual controller, thereby preventing the visibility of objects displayed on the touch screen (including the game character C) from being impaired.

That is, when a terminal with a relatively small display screen, such as a smartphone, is used as the player terminal 1, the content that can be displayed on the screen at one time is limited to a certain level. However, as in the present embodiment, if the game character C can be freely moved by simply pressing the touch screen with one finger, and the movement area of the player's finger is reduced, the visibility of objects (including the game character C) on the display surface can be ensured during the execution of the game.

As described above, in this embodiment, the movement speed (acceleration/deceleration) of the game character C varies according to the touch pressure (output value from the touch pressure detection unit 41). However, because the player is a real person, the timing of the raw touch pressure data becomes unstable and non-smooth (continuously fluctuates). As a result, when the movement speed of the game character C is determined directly using the raw touch pressure data, the movement (acceleration/deceleration) of the game character C becomes unstable.

Therefore, this embodiment adopts the method shown in FIG. 3 , in which the touch pressure is input as an input parameter to the ratchet function, and the movement speed of the game character C is determined by using the output of the ratchet function.

Here, the ratchet function is a function to which a predetermined physical quantity is input as an input parameter, and is a function that outputs the maximum value of the predetermined physical quantity input so far even when the predetermined physical quantity fluctuates.

The graph on the left side of FIG3 shows the temporal changes in raw touch pressure data (the output value from the touch pressure detection unit 41). Specifically, on the left side of FIG3 , the vertical axis represents touch pressure (the output value from the touch pressure detection unit 41), and the horizontal axis represents time. In other words, the length of the continuous horizontal axis of the graph represents the duration that the player's finger, etc., is in contact with the touch screen.

As described above, since the timing of the raw touch pressure data (the output value from the touch pressure detection unit 41) is not smooth (fluctuates violently), it is inappropriate to use the raw touch pressure data to set the movement speed of the game character C because this will cause unnecessary acceleration and deceleration of the game character C (the acceleration and deceleration become not smooth).

Therefore, this embodiment adopts a method as shown in FIG. 3 , in which the touch pressure is input as an input parameter to the ratchet function, and the movement speed of the game character C is set by using the output value of the ratchet function.

This makes it possible to determine the moving speed of the game character C by using the output value of the ratchet function, ie, the maximum touch pressure value, as shown in FIG. 4 .

That is, the non-smooth changes in touch pressure shown on the left side of FIG. 4 can be converted into smooth changes shown on the right side of FIG. 4 by applying a ratchet function. By using these smooth changes to set the movement speed of the game character C, the game character C can be smoothly accelerated and decelerated. Specifically, for example, even if the touch pressure decreases, the game character C can continue to run at the speed corresponding to the maximum touch pressure value unless the player's finger or the like is removed from the touch screen. In other words, the movement speed of the game character C is not unnecessarily changed.

In this way, the player can intuitively perform the movement operation of the game character C simply by moving his finger within a small area on the display screen without continuously pressing the touch screen of the player terminal 1 with strong force.

Furthermore, by applying this ratchet function, as shown in FIG. 5 , it is possible to appropriately execute interrupt processing such as causing the game character C to jump while controlling the movement speed of the game character C.

Figure 5 shows the behavior of interrupt handling.

Here, the interruption process is a separate process in which an execution request is provided from the outside (a different location from the execution request for the predetermined process) during execution of the predetermined process. Note that the execution request provided from the outside is referred to as an "interruption."

This embodiment employs a process for moving the game character C in a set movement direction at a set movement speed as the predetermined process. Alternatively, for example, a process for causing the game character C to jump is employed as the interrupt process. Specifically, if an interrupt process occurs while the game character C is moving in the set movement direction at a set movement speed, the game character C is caused to jump.

Although in this embodiment, a process for making the game character C jump is used as the interruption process, it is not particularly limited to this process, and the interruption process may be, for example, a process for reducing the movement speed of the game character C, or may be a process for making the game character C perform a predetermined attack action.

Here, although there is no particular restriction on the conditions for the occurrence of the interruption, this embodiment adopts the following conditions: when the player's finger is in contact with the touch screen (and therefore, when the game character C is moving at a movement speed corresponding to the output value of the ratchet function), an operation is detected for increasing the degree of pressure on the touch screen within a very short period of time (for example, 100 milliseconds) and then reducing the degree of pressure.

Here, in the case where an operation for increasing the degree of pressing on the touch screen in a very short period of time and then decreasing the degree of pressing is performed, as shown in the left graph of FIG. 5 , the touch pressure varies significantly in a very short period of time.

As shown in Figure 5, an interruption occurs when a significant change in touch pressure is detected within a very short period of time. This causes the game character C to jump.

Here, if changes in touch pressure over a very short period of time are directly input (applied) to the ratchet function, the output of the ratchet function will change. Therefore, if a significant change in touch pressure is detected over a very short period of time, the touch pressure (raw data) is not input to the ratchet function, and a predetermined specific value (e.g., 0) is input instead. As a result, the output value of the ratchet function remains unchanged, allowing the game character C to continue moving at a constant speed even in the event of an interruption.

As described above, in this embodiment, the touch pressure is used as an input parameter to the ratchet function, and the touch pressure is also used to determine whether an interruption needs to occur.

This allows the player to instruct both acceleration and instantaneous movement (jumping, etc.) when the game character C moves, simply by changing the degree of pressing the touch screen after the player's finger comes into contact with the touch screen. The GUI that enables such instructing operations is the 3D virtual tablet VP.

That is, by increasing/decreasing the degree of pressure on the 3D virtual pad VP on the touch screen, the game character C can be accelerated and instantly moved. For example, the game player can accelerate the game character C by gradually increasing the degree of pressure on the 3D virtual pad VP over a relatively long period of time (e.g., 300 milliseconds), and can make the game character C move instantly (jump, etc.) by pressing the 3D virtual pad VP strongly and instantly (within a short period of time such as 100 milliseconds) and then immediately decreasing the pressure.

As described above, the 3D virtual tablet VP is a GUI that enables seamless input of movement acceleration and deceleration commands and instantaneous movement commands for the game character C by moving a finger within a small area on the display surface of a smartphone or the like.

The above-described process of controlling the movement of the game character C by applying the ratchet function and interruption is realized via cooperation between the hardware and software of the player terminal 1. In this case, the player terminal 1 may have a functional structure shown in FIG6, for example.

6 , the CPU 21 of the player terminal 1 has functions for an interruption determination unit 51 , a ratchet function output unit 52 , a game character action amount determination unit 53 , a game character action control execution unit 54 , and a display control unit 55 .

In addition, a transfer function DB 61 is provided as an area in the storage unit 29 .

Although not shown, it is assumed that the CPU 21 has a function of a functional block (game execution unit) for controlling execution of a game by operating the game character C by using the 3D virtual tablet VP.

As described above, the touch pressure detection unit 41 detects the touch pressure that varies according to the degree of pressing of the touch screen (display unit 27 ) with a finger.

The touch position detection unit 42 detects a touch position (touch coordinates) on the touch screen.

Specifically, in the touch operation input unit 26, the touch position detection unit 42 detects the touch coordinates (x, y) touched by the player, and the touch pressure detection unit 41 detects a value (z = 0 to 1) indicating the touch pressure of the player during the touch operation. Here, z = 0 means that no touch pressure is applied, and z = 1 means that the touch pressure has the maximum detectable value.

The interruption possibility determination unit 51 receives the detection result (touch pressure) of the touch pressure detection unit 41 as input, and determines whether interruption processing is necessary based on the change period and change amount of the detection result.

In this embodiment, the interruption possibility judgment unit 51 judges whether interruption processing is needed based on the detection result of the touch pressure detection unit 41 by detecting whether "the operation of increasing the pressure on the touch screen within a very short period of time (for example, 100 milliseconds) and then reducing the pressure is performed."

Here, the method for detecting "the operation of increasing the degree of pressure on the touch screen for a very short period of time and then weakening the degree of pressure" can be a method based on the change period and change amount of the detection result (touch pressure) of the touch pressure detection unit 41.

For example, this embodiment adopts the method shown in FIG. 7 .

7 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for determining whether an interruption is necessary, which is employed in the interruption possibility determination unit 51 of the player terminal having the functional configuration of FIG. 6 .

7 , the vertical axis represents touch pressure, and the horizontal axis represents time. Note that the minimum value of the vertical axis does not necessarily mean that the touch pressure is 0, but rather means that the touch pressure is a specific value.

As shown in Figure 7, when a local change in touch pressure occurs within the time period α (the change time period is within the time period α) and the change amount d exceeds the threshold value β, the interruption possibility judgment unit 51 detects that "the operation of increasing the degree of pressure on the touch screen within a very short period of time and then weakening the degree of pressure" has been performed and judges that an interruption is required, otherwise it is judged that an interruption is not necessary.

The time period α and the threshold value β are values that can be arbitrarily changed by a designer or the like.

Referring back to FIG. 6 , when the interruption determination unit 51 determines that the interruption is unnecessary, the interruption determination unit 51 directly provides the detection result (touch pressure) of the touch pressure detection unit 41 to the ratchet function output unit 52 .

On the other hand, if the interruption determination unit 51 determines that an interruption is necessary, the interruption determination unit 51 interrupts the game character motion control execution unit 54. In this case, the interruption determination unit 51 prohibits the provision of the detection result (touch pressure) of the touch pressure detection unit 41 to the ratchet function output unit 52, or processes the detection result and then provides it to the ratchet function output unit 52.

Specifically, for example, when the detection result (touch pressure) of the touch pressure detection unit 41 is set to a value of z=0~1 as described above, when the interruption possibility judgment unit 51 determines that interruption processing is required, the interruption possibility judgment unit 51 provides "0" to the ratchet function output unit 52 as the value obtained by processing the detection result.

Furthermore, here, when an interrupt occurs, directly applying touch pressure to the ratchet function output unit 52 presents the following problem. Specifically, even if the player increases touch pressure solely to initiate an interrupt (e.g., to instruct the game character C to jump), the maximum value may be updated when the touch pressure is directly input to the ratchet function. In this case, the output value of the ratchet function increases, thereby increasing the movement speed of the game character C. This results in the following problem: even if the player does not intend to perform an operation to instruct acceleration, the game character C is accelerated.

Therefore, to prevent this problem from occurring, in this embodiment, when it is determined that an interruption is necessary, the ratchet function output unit 52 is not supplied with the touch pressure itself, but with a value "0" obtained by processing the touch pressure. This prevents the ratchet function output value from unexpectedly increasing when the player instructs an interruption (for example, instructing the game character C to jump) rather than accelerating, thereby maintaining the movement speed of the game character C at a constant speed.

The ratchet function output unit 52 inputs the detection result of the touch pressure detection unit 41 (more precisely, a processing value such as "0" when interruption is required) to a predetermined ratchet function, and provides the output value of the ratchet function to the game character action amount determination unit 53.

The game character action amount determination unit 53 determines the movement speed of the game character C based on the output of the ratchet function.

Here, the moving speed determination method is not particularly limited, and may be any method of determining the moving speed based on the output value of the ratchet function.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of types of patterns are stored in the transfer function DB 61 as a function (hereinafter referred to as a "transfer function") for converting the output of the ratchet function into the movement speed of the game character C. In addition, the present embodiment adopts a method of extracting a transfer function having a predetermined pattern from among the plurality of patterns and determining the movement speed of the game character C by using the extracted transfer function.

8 and 9 are diagrams showing various examples of transfer functions employed in the game character action amount determination unit 53 of the player terminal 1 having the functional structure of FIG. 6 .

In FIGS. 8 and 9 , the vertical axis represents the output of the transfer function, ie, the movement speed of the game character C, and the horizontal axis represents the input of the transfer function, ie, the output of the ratchet function.

The transfer function in the example of FIG. 8(A) represents how to accelerate the human game character C while the human game character C runs.

The transfer function in the example of FIG8(B) shows how to accelerate the car, that is, shows multi-stage speed change.

The transfer function in the example of FIG. 8(C) represents how to accelerate an airplane, that is, represents the behavior of a jet engine that gradually accelerates until a certain moment and then immediately accelerates exponentially from that moment.

As described above, the transfer function in the example of FIG. 8 is an example of various patterns in which the movement speed of the game character C increases as the output value of the ratchet function increases, that is, patterns for acceleration.

The transfer function is not limited to a mode for acceleration, and a mode involving deceleration or a mode involving limits, that is, a nonlinear mode, as shown in FIG. 9 may also be employed.

The transfer function in the example of FIG. 9(A) represents the behavior for the case where a deceleration process using braking is performed.

The transfer function in the example of FIG. 9(B) represents behavior for a case where the vehicle is controlled so as to accelerate and then decelerate.

The transfer function in the example of Figure 9(C) represents the behavior for a case where the person cannot run at a certain speed or higher due to, for example, carrying a heavy object. That is, when this transfer function is used, the moving speed is limited.

The transfer functions shown in FIG8 and FIG9 are merely examples, and transfer functions of different modes may be employed according to various situations or characteristics of the game character C. FIG9 is a block diagram of a transfer function shown in FIG9.

In this way, by using the transfer functions of the multiple modes while switching between the transfer functions of the multiple modes, it is possible to easily apply the transfer function to the movement of various game characters C such as a person, a car, or an airplane.

Furthermore, by using a plurality of transfer functions while switching between them, it is possible to realize movement speeds suitable for various states within the game, such as a state where movement is slowed down due to magic being cast by an enemy.

Referring back to FIG. 6 , the character action control execution unit 54 executes control to move the character C in the movement direction based on the detection result of the touch position detection unit 42 at the movement speed determined by the character action amount determination unit 53 .

That is, the game character action control execution unit 54 executes control to move the game character C along the direction determined based on the touch detection detected by the touch position detection unit 42 and at a movement speed determined based on the acceleration or deceleration method (predetermined pattern of the transfer function) selected by the game character action amount determination unit 53.

Furthermore, when an interruption occurs from the interruption permission determination unit 51 during such movement of the character, the game character action control execution unit 54 executes a predetermined interruption process (for example, a process for causing the game character C to jump).

The display control unit 55 performs control for arranging the game character C, whose action is controlled by the game character action control execution unit 54 , in a virtual space within the game and displaying the game character C on the display unit 27 .

The display control unit 55 also performs control for displaying the 3D virtual panel VP on the display unit 27 .

That is, the game character action control execution unit 54 detects the slide based on the detection result of the touch position detection unit 42 , and reports the state of the slide to the display control unit 55 .

The display control unit 55 performs control for displaying the 3D virtual tablet VP on the display unit by arranging the 3D virtual tablet VP at the touch position in the first state of sliding on the display surface of the display unit 27 so that the 3D virtual tablet VP is centered at the touch position.

The game character action control execution unit 54 determines the movement direction of the game character C based on the movement direction of the object in the second sliding state (the direction from the center of the virtual board VP toward the current position touched by the finger).

Furthermore, the game character action amount determination unit 53 determines the movement speed of the game character C based on the output of the ratchet function in the second sliding state.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of controlling the actions of the game character C by the game character action control execution unit 54 .

In Figure 10 , the vertical axis represents touch pressure or movement speed, and the horizontal axis represents time. The dotted line TP represents the temporal evolution of touch pressure (the output value of touch pressure detection unit 41). The solid line CS represents the temporal evolution of the output of the ratchet function when touch pressure is input. The example in Figure 10 uses the transfer function in Figure 8 (A). In other words, the solid line CS can be considered to represent the movement speed of game character C in a reproducible manner.

As shown in Figure 10, in this embodiment, the player gradually increases the degree of pressure on the touch screen, and then decreases the pressure when it reaches a specific value. Because the player is a real person, even if the player intends to gradually increase the degree of pressure, the actual touch pressure TP will fluctuate and become uneven. However, due to the use of a ratchet function, the movement speed CS based on the output of the ratchet function increases smoothly. In other words, the game character C can be accelerated naturally.

In addition, since the touch pressure TP reaches a maximum value immediately before the player reduces the degree of pressure, the movement speed CS becomes a constant speed thereafter. In other words, the game character C continues to run at a constant speed.

As described above, by adopting the ratchet function, the player can reduce the degree of pressure on the touch screen after the game character C reaches the desired speed, so that the player can then perform a momentary press operation for generating an interrupt. Here, as described above, the momentary press operation refers to an operation for increasing the degree of pressure on the touch screen within a very short period of time (for example, 100 milliseconds) and then reducing the degree of pressure.

In the example of Figure 10 , the player performs three momentary press operations. As described above with reference to Figure 7 , this momentary press operation is detected when the conditions are met: a local change in touch pressure TP occurs within a time period α (the change time period is within time period α) and the change amount d exceeds a threshold value β. Furthermore, when this momentary press operation is detected, an interruption occurs, and the game character C is caused to jump.

It should be noted that the moving speed of the game character C does not become 0 (i.e., the game character C does not stop), but rather the game character C maintains a constant speed (i.e., the game character C jumps while continuing to run at a constant speed). As described above, this can be achieved by inputting a processed value of the touch pressure TP (e.g., 0) into the ratchet function, rather than directly inputting the value of the touch pressure TP into the ratchet function.

Here, in a game using a conventional hardware game controller or the like and a television receiver or the like as a monitor, two fingers are used to perform instruction operations such as causing the game character C to jump while running. That is, the player operates the controller or the like with the fingers of the right hand for instructing the movement (movement direction and movement speed) of the game character C and with the fingers of the left hand for instructing the game character C to jump, thereby performing instruction operations such as causing the game character C to jump while running.

However, it is inappropriate to adopt a touch operation using two fingers in a player terminal 1 such as a smartphone that does not have a large display area on the touch screen because it interferes with the display of the game character C or the like.

By adopting the ratchet function as in the present embodiment, the player can easily perform operation instructions such as making the game character jump while running C by performing only a touch operation that is a combination of a traditional slide and an operation for increasing/decreasing the degree of pressing, that is, a touch operation using one finger.

Next, the flow of processing executed by the player terminal 1 having the functional structure of FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIG. 11 .

That is, FIG11 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the flow of processing executed by the player terminal 1 having the functional configuration of FIG6 .

In step S1 , the touch pressure detection unit 41 and the touch position detection unit 42 in FIG. 6 detect whether a finger or an object of a player is in contact with the screen of the touch screen.

In a case where the player's finger or the object is not in contact with the screen, the determination in step S1 is "No", and the processing is terminated.

That is, when the player's finger or object comes into contact with the screen, processing for inputting the action of the game character C by using the 3D virtual tablet VP starts, and when the player's finger or object is removed from the screen, the processing ends.

Thus, in the case where the touch pressure detection unit 41 and the touch position detection unit 42 detect that the player's finger or the object is in contact with the screen, the determination in step S1 is “Yes”, and the process proceeds to step S2 .

In step S2 , the touch pressure detection unit 41 detects the touch pressure, and the touch position detection unit 42 detects the touch position.

In step S3, the interruption determination unit 51 determines whether interruption processing is required based on the detection results (the change period and amount of touch pressure) of the touch pressure detection unit 41. Since the determination method in step S3 is the same as the method described above with reference to FIG7, its description will be omitted here.

In a case where the interruption possibility determination unit 51 determines that the interruption process is necessary, the determination in step S3 is “Yes”, and the process proceeds to step S4 .

In step S4, the interruption determination unit 51 executes an interruption to the game character action control execution unit 54. That is, the interruption determination unit 51 sets the game character action (e.g., jumping) for interruption and requests the game character action control execution unit 54 to execute the action. The process then proceeds to step S10. Step S10 will be described later.

On the other hand, if the interruption determination unit 51 determines that interruption processing is not necessary, the determination in step S3 is "No", the touch pressure detected in step S2 is provided to the ratchet function output unit 52, and the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S5 , the ratchet function output unit 52 determines whether the maximum touch pressure value detected in step S2 has changed.

In a case where the maximum touch pressure value has changed, the determination in step S5 is “Yes”, and the process proceeds to step S6 . In step S6 , the ratchet function output unit 52 updates the maximum touch pressure value, and outputs the updated value from the ratchet function.

On the other hand, if the maximum touch pressure value has not changed, the judgment in step S5 is "No", and the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, the ratchet function output unit 52 outputs the maximum touch pressure value recorded so far from the ratchet function. In other words, the output of the ratchet function does not change.

After the output value of the ratchet function is output in the process of step S6 or S7 as described above, the process proceeds to step S8.

In step S8 , the game character action amount determination unit 53 determines the movement speed of the game character C based on the output value output from the ratchet function output unit 52 .

Specifically, in this embodiment, the game character action amount determination unit 53 extracts a transfer function of a predetermined pattern from the transfer function DB 61 based on the game situation, the characteristics of the game character C, and the like. The game character action amount determination unit 53 inputs the output value of the ratchet function as an input parameter to the extracted transfer function. The game character action amount determination unit 53 determines the output value of the ratchet function as the movement speed of the game character C.

In step S9 , the game character action amount determination unit 53 sets the movement of the game character C at the determined movement speed in the game character action control execution unit 54 as a game character action, and requests the game character action control execution unit 54 to execute the action.

In step S10 , the game character action control execution unit 54 executes processing for performing the game character action requested in step S4 or S9 .

Then, the process returns to step S1 and the subsequent processes are repeated. That is, unless the player's finger or the object is removed from the screen, the loop process through steps S1 to S10 is repeated.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications, improvements, and the like within the scope that can achieve the objects of the present invention are encompassed within the present invention.

For example, the above-described series of processing steps may be executed by hardware or by software.

In other words, the functional structure of FIG6 is merely an example and is not particularly limited to this example. Specifically, it is sufficient for the information processing system to be provided with functions that enable the aforementioned series of processing steps to be executed as a whole, and the selection of functional blocks for implementing these functions is not particularly limited to the example of FIG6 . Furthermore, the positions of the functional blocks are not particularly limited to those in FIG6 and can be arbitrarily set.

Specifically, for example, although the functional blocks shown in FIG. 6 are provided in the player terminal 1 as local applications in the above embodiment, these functional blocks may be provided in a server, etc. (not shown) by implementing them as Web applications using HTML and JavaScript (registered trademark).

Furthermore, each functional block may be implemented only by hardware, only by software, or by a combination of hardware and software.

When the series of processing steps are executed by software, a program constituting the software is installed on a computer or the like via a network or from a recording medium.

The computer may be a computer embedded in dedicated hardware. Alternatively, the computer may be a computer capable of executing various functions when various programs are installed, such as a server, a general-purpose smart phone, or a personal computer.

The recording medium including such a program is realized not only by a removable medium (not shown) distributed separately from the main body unit of the device in order to provide the program to the user, but also by a recording medium embedded in the main body unit of the device provided to the user.

In this specification, the steps described in the program recorded on the recording medium may include not only processes that are sequentially executed in chronological order but also processes that are not sequentially executed in chronological order but are executed in parallel or separately.

Furthermore, in this specification, the term "system" should be interpreted as meaning an entire apparatus composed of a plurality of devices or a plurality of components or the like.

In addition, for example, in the above-described example, the movement speed of the game character C is set based on the output value of the predetermined ratchet function to which the touch pressure is output, but is not particularly limited to this example.

That is, the amount to be set based on the output value of the ratchet function does not need to be the movement speed in particular, and may be a predetermined amount of the action of the game character C.

In addition, the input parameter input to the ratchet function does not need to be specifically touch pressure, and can be a predetermined physical quantity related to the touch screen and changing according to the degree of contact between the object and the display surface of the touch screen. For example, the force sense of the touch screen or the vibration amount of the touch screen (player terminal 1) can be used as the input parameter of the ratchet function.

In other words, the program to which the present invention is applied may be a program executed by a computer for controlling terminals having the following structure including the above-described player terminal 1 of FIG. 1 .

That is, the program to which the present invention is applied is a program executed by a computer for controlling a terminal including:

a display medium (e.g., the touch screen in FIG. 1 , in particular, the display unit 27 ) for displaying an image including a game character (e.g., the character C in FIG. 2 , etc.) on its display surface, wherein the action of the game character changes according to an operation for bringing an object into contact with the display surface, and

The first detection component (eg, the touch pressure detection unit 41 in FIG. 1 ) is configured to detect a predetermined physical quantity related to the display medium (eg, the touch pressure) that changes according to the degree of contact between the object and the display surface.

The program includes:

a ratchet function outputting step (e.g., the step performed by the ratchet function outputting unit 52 in FIG6 ), for inputting the detection result of the first detection component into a predetermined ratchet function, and outputting an output value of the ratchet function to the outside;

an action amount determining step (e.g., the step performed by the game character action determining unit 53 in FIG6 ), for determining a predetermined amount of the game character's action according to the output value of the ratchet function; and

The action control execution step (eg, the step performed by the game character action control execution unit 54 in FIG. 6 ) is used to execute control to change the action of the game character according to the predetermined amount determined by the processing in the action amount determination step.

As described above, the player can change the predetermined amount of the game character's movement simply by changing the degree of contact between an object such as a finger and the display surface, rather than changing the distance the object moves on the display surface. That is, a virtual controller can be implemented that allows the player to intuitively move the game character while moving their finger within a smaller area.

Here, since the player is a real person, the predetermined physical quantity (e.g., the aforementioned touch pressure) that changes according to the degree of contact between the object and the display surface and is related to the display medium becomes non-smooth (fluctuates). Therefore, it is not appropriate to directly set the predetermined amount of the game character's action using the predetermined physical quantity, because the change in the predetermined amount of the game character's action also becomes non-smooth.

For this reason, the predetermined physical quantity is input to the predetermined ratchet function, and the output value of the ratchet function is used to set the predetermined amount of the action of the game character. This is suitable because the change of the predetermined amount of the action of the game character becomes smooth.

Here, according to the program to which the present invention is applied, the following control processing can also be executed, and the control processing includes:

an interruption possibility determination step (e.g., the step performed by the interruption possibility determination unit 51 in FIG6 ), for inputting a detection result of the first detection component, determining whether an interruption is required based on a change time period and a change amount of the predetermined physical quantity represented by the detection result, and providing the detection result to the ratchet function output step if it is determined that an interruption is not required, and prohibiting the provision of the detection result to the ratchet function output step or processing the detection result and then providing the detection result to the ratchet function output step if it is determined that an interruption is required,

The action control execution step includes the following steps: when it is determined that an interruption is required in the interruption determination step, executing a predetermined interruption process for the action of the game character.

This makes it possible to easily implement interrupt processing for performing other actions of the game character while keeping the predetermined amount of action (movement speed, etc.) of the game character constant.

There is no particular limitation on other actions performed by the component that interrupts processing, and as described above, jumping, etc. can be used. In this case, it is possible to implement operations such as instructing a predetermined amount of action (movement speed, etc.) of the game character and instructing other actions (jumping, etc.) of the game character using a touch operation using only one finger.

Specifically, for example, when the movement speed is used as the predetermined amount of the game character's action, the player can first gradually increase the finger pressing force to accelerate the game character, and then weaken the force, thereby making the game character move at a constant speed through the function of the ratchet function.

In addition, the player can make the game character perform other actions (jumping, etc.) as an interrupt process by momentarily increasing the finger force.

Here, in the case of interruption, the detection result of the first detection component is prohibited from being input to the ratchet function, or the detection result is processed and then input to the ratchet function. As a result, the game character can perform other actions (jumping, etc.) without stopping the movement at a constant speed.

In addition, deceleration (braking) can be adopted as other actions performed by using interrupt processing. In this case, for example, when the moving speed is adopted as the predetermined amount of the action of the game character, the player can accelerate the game character and, after reaching a certain speed, make the game character move at a constant speed, just like the above operation.

In addition, the player can issue a deceleration command (brake) to the game character as an interrupt process by momentarily increasing the pressure of the finger. This makes it possible to implement acceleration commands (such as "run" and deceleration commands for the character's movement) by increasing and decreasing the pressure of only one finger.

That is, it is possible to more easily and appropriately implement a virtual controller that enables a game player to intuitively move a game character while moving his or her fingers within a smaller area.

In addition, the program to which the present invention is applied may be configured so that:

The step of determining the amount of action of the game character includes the following steps: determining the predetermined amount of the action of the game character by using a predetermined type of pattern among one or more types of patterns (for example, a transfer function pattern) for converting the output value of the ratchet function into the predetermined amount of the action of the game character.

This makes it easy to achieve highly scalable and customizable control over the actions of game characters.

That is, by rewriting or selectively using modes (transfer function modes, etc.), it is possible to implement operations for instructing the actions of various game characters such as people, cars, or airplanes. In addition, it is also easy to control the actions of game characters based on in-game conditions, such as a state where movement is slowed due to being cast by an enemy spell.

In addition, the program to which the present invention is applied may also be configured so that:

The terminal further includes a second detection component (eg, the touch position detection unit 41 in FIG. 1 ), the second detection component being configured to detect a contact position between an object and the display surface of the display medium, and

The action control execution steps include:

a direction change determining step for determining a direction change of the action of the game character based on a detection result of the second detecting component; and

The game character action control execution step is used to execute control to change the action of the game character according to the predetermined amount determined in the action amount determination step along the change direction determined in the change direction determination step.

This makes it easy to control the predetermined amount of action (movement speed, etc.) and the changing direction of action (movement direction), etc. of the game character, thereby making it possible to realize a game including a game character performing various actions.

In addition, the program to which the present invention is applied may be configured so that the program further causes a computer to execute:

an operation detection step for detecting a series of operations (the above-mentioned sliding) starting from a first state in which the object is brought into contact with the display medium, moving the object while maintaining contact with the display medium in the second state, and releasing the contact between the object and the display medium in the third state, via a second state, to a third state; and

a display control step for performing control to display a controller (circular 3D virtual plate VP in FIG. 2 ) on the display medium by configuring the controller so that the center or center of gravity of the controller is located at a contact position between the object in the first state and the display surface of the display medium, wherein the controller has a predetermined shape and is used to perform an operation for instructing an action of the game character,

wherein the change direction determining step includes a step for determining the change direction of the action of the game character based on the moving direction of the object in the second state, and

The action amount determination step includes a step of determining a predetermined amount of action of the game character according to an output value of the ratchet function in the second state.

As described above, in the above embodiment, the shape of the virtual controller is circular as shown in Figure 2. However, it is not particularly limited to this shape, and any shape that enables an operation for instructing an action of a game character can be used.

In addition, the timing of displaying the virtual controller on the display medium by the control performed in the display control step is not particularly limited.

That is, in the above embodiment, when a player's finger, etc., away from the touch screen, touches the touch screen, i.e., in the first sliding state, the 3D virtual tablet VP is not visually recognizable to the player. Subsequently, when the sliding transitions to the second state, as shown in the upper portion of FIG. 2 , the 3D virtual tablet VP is displayed in a state visually recognizable to the player, with the center or center of gravity of the 3D virtual tablet VP on the display surface located at the touch position in the first sliding state.

However, this type of display is merely an example. Specifically, a virtual controller, such as a 3D virtual pad VP, may be initially displayed at a predetermined position on the display medium that is not affected by the player's touch operation. Alternatively, the virtual controller may be displayed at a position that is always visually recognizable to the player.

This makes it easier to enable the player to intuitively move the game character while moving his fingers within a smaller area.

In addition, the virtual controller implemented in this way is highly compatible with traditional virtual boards.

That is, since the UI to be displayed on the screen can be exactly the same as that of a conventional virtual pad, a virtual controller with the same operability as a conventional virtual pad can be used. Therefore, the virtual controller implemented in this way can be used as a conventional virtual pad on a smartphone that does not have a first detection component (such as a pressure sensor). In other words, the virtual controller implemented in this way can be used as a technology that is reverse-compatible with conventional virtual pads.

Reference Signs List

1 Gamer Terminal

21 CPU

41 Touch pressure detection unit

42 Touch position detection unit

51 Interrupt determination unit

52 Ratchet function output unit

53 Game character action amount determination unit

54 Game character action control execution unit

55 Display control unit

61 Transfer Function DB