JP7349348B2 - Character control program, method, and information processing device - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a character control program , a method for executing a character control program , and an information processing device.

Conventionally, games in which the story progresses with different endings depending on the options selected by the user are widely known. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a love simulation game whose main purpose is to virtually deepen friendships with a girl character. The story progresses by selecting what the user thinks is the best action for the character from among the presented options, and repeating that the character responds to the action.

“Dengekion Online - Game/App/Manga/Anime Information Site”, [online], KADOKAWA CORPORATION, [Searched May 8, 2018], Internet (URL: http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/ 279/279193/index-2.html)

In the game disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, response patterns of characters are prepared in advance. Then, in response to the user's input operation, the response of the character is determined from among the response patterns and output, and the game progresses. Therefore, variations in the character's movements do not extend beyond the content of the data prepared in advance. Therefore, the user cannot feel the reality of interacting with the character as if the character were in the real world, and there is a problem that the user will eventually become bored with the character. Generally, in games developed with the intention of having users play for a long time, it is important to deal with the problem of users getting bored with the game. Games are always required to provide attractive content that motivates users to play. Particularly in games where the user finds interest in the interaction with the characters, it is preferable that the characters have a high sense of reality that allows the user to immerse himself in the game world.

One aspect of the present disclosure aims to enhance a sense of immersion and improve interest .

A character control program according to the present disclosure is executed by a computer including a processor, a memory, and an operation unit. The character control program includes the steps of causing the processor to move the character in response to the user's input operations input into the computer via the operation unit, and the steps of causing the processor to move the character in an external space that is physically separate from the space in which the user is located. a step of receiving motion instruction data that specifies the motion of the character, which is data distributed from a located external device upon arrival at a predetermined time; and a step of causing the character to move based on the received motion instruction data. The movement instruction data is data that includes motion data input by the performer playing the character and voice data input by the performer playing the character, and the performer is physically aware of the space in which the user is located. A person who is located in a remote external space and who is different from the user.

A character control program according to the present disclosure is executed by a computer. The computer is configured to be able to communicate with an external device that generates motion instruction data indicating the content of the character's motion according to an operator's operation, and the computer is configured to be able to communicate with an external device that generates motion instruction data indicating the motion content of the character. and a second part in which the character cannot be operated by the user. data that is distributed when a predetermined time arrives from an external device located in an external space far away, and is a movement instruction for causing a player character to be operated by the user in the first part to move in the second part. A step of receiving data and a step of causing the player character to move in the second part based on the received motion instruction data are executed, and the motion instruction data includes motion data input by the operator and voice input by the operator. The operator is a person different from the user who is located in an external space physically separate from the space in which the user is located.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure , there is an effect of improving interest .

1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a game system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a user terminal, a server, and an operation instruction device. It is a flowchart showing an example of the basic game progress of a game executed based on the game program according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of motion instruction data. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of game information. It is a figure which shows an example of the quest presentation screen displayed on the display part of a user terminal. It is a figure which shows an example of the quest resolution screen displayed on the display part of a user terminal. It is a figure showing an example of a reward screen displayed on a display part of a user terminal. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a video playback screen displayed on a display unit of a user terminal. It is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed in the game system. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process for analyzing motion instruction data, which is executed by a user terminal.

[Embodiment 1]
A game system according to the present disclosure is a system for providing a game to a plurality of users. The game system will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the scope of the claims, and it is intended that all changes within the meaning and range equivalent to the scope of the claims are included in the present invention. Ru. In the following description, the same elements are given the same reference numerals in the description of the drawings, and overlapping description will not be repeated.

<Hardware configuration of game system 1>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the game system 1. As shown in FIG. As illustrated, the game system 1 includes a plurality of user terminals 100 and a server 200. Each user terminal 100 is connected to a server 200 via a network 2. The network 2 includes the Internet and various mobile communication systems constructed by wireless base stations (not shown). Examples of this mobile communication system include so-called 3G, 4G mobile communication systems, LTE (Long Term Evolution), and wireless networks (for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark)) that can be connected to the Internet through predetermined access points. It will be done.

The server 200 (computer, information processing device) may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer. The server 200 includes a processor 20, a memory 21, a storage 22, a communication IF 23, and an input/output IF 24. These components included in the server 200 are electrically connected to each other by a communication bus.

The user terminal 100 (computer, information processing device) may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a feature phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a tablet computer. User terminal 100 may be a game device suitable for playing games. As illustrated, the user terminal 100 includes a processor 10, a memory 11, a storage 12, a communication interface (IF) 13, an input/output IF 14, a touch screen 15 (display section), a camera 17, and a distance measurement sensor 18. Equipped with. These components included in the user terminal 100 are electrically connected to each other by a communication bus. Note that, instead of or in addition to the touch screen 15, the user terminal 100 may include an input/output IF 14 to which a display (display unit) configured separately from the user terminal 100 body can be connected.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal 100 may be configured to be able to communicate with one or more controllers 1020. The controller 1020 establishes communication with the user terminal 100, for example, according to a communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The controller 1020 may have one or more buttons or the like, and transmits an output value to the user terminal 100 based on a user's input operation on the button or the like. Further, the controller 1020 may include various sensors such as an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor, and transmits output values of the various sensors to the user terminal 100.

Note that instead of or in addition to the user terminal 100 including the camera 17 and the distance measurement sensor 18, the controller 1020 may include the camera 17 and the distance measurement sensor 18.

It is desirable that the user terminal 100 allows the user using the controller 1020 to input user identification information such as the user's name or login ID via the controller 1020, for example, when starting the game. This makes it possible for the user terminal 100 to link the controller 1020 and the user, and identify which user the received output value belongs to based on the source (controller 1020) of the received output value. be able to.

When the user terminal 100 communicates with a plurality of controllers 1020, by each user holding each controller 1020, the user terminal 100 can communicate with the one user terminal 100 without communicating with other devices such as the server 200 via the network 2. Multiplayer can be realized. In addition, each user terminal 100 communicates with each other using a wireless standard such as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) standard (communicates without going through the server 200), thereby realizing local multiplayer with multiple user terminals 100. You can also. When the above-described multiplayer is locally implemented using one user terminal 100, the user terminal 100 may further include at least some of the various functions provided by the server 200, which will be described later. Moreover, when the above-mentioned multiplayer is realized locally by a plurality of user terminals 100, the plurality of user terminals 100 may have various functions provided in the server 200, which will be described later, in a distributed manner.

Note that even when the above-described multiplayer is implemented locally, the user terminal 100 may communicate with the server 200. For example, information indicating a play result such as a score or a win or loss in a certain game and user identification information may be associated with each other and transmitted to the server 200.

Further, the controller 1020 may be configured to be detachable from the user terminal 100. In this case, a coupling portion with the controller 1020 may be provided on at least one surface of the casing of the user terminal 100. When the user terminal 100 and the controller 1020 are connected via a wire via the coupling section, the user terminal 100 and the controller 1020 transmit and receive signals via the wire.

As shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal 100 may accept attachment of a storage medium 1030 such as an external memory card via the input/output IF 14. This allows the user terminal 100 to read programs and data recorded on the storage medium 1030. The program recorded on the storage medium 1030 is, for example, a game program.

The user terminal 100 may store a game program obtained by communicating with an external device such as the server 200 in the memory 11 of the user terminal 100, or may store a game program obtained by reading from the storage medium 1030 into the memory 11. It may be stored in

As explained above, the user terminal 100 includes the communication IF 13, the input/output IF 14, the touch screen 15, the camera 17, and the distance measurement sensor 18 as an example of a mechanism for inputting information to the user terminal 100. Each of the above-mentioned units serving as an input mechanism can be regarded as an operation unit configured to accept user input operations.

For example, when the operation unit is configured with at least one of the camera 17 and the distance measurement sensor 18, the operation unit detects an object 1010 near the user terminal 100 and performs an input operation based on the detection result of the object. Identify. As an example, a user's hand, a marker with a predetermined shape, or the like is detected as the object 1010, and an input operation is specified based on the color, shape, movement, type, etc. of the object 1010 obtained as a detection result. Ru. More specifically, when the user's hand is detected from the captured image of the camera 17, the user terminal 100 converts the gesture (a series of movements of the user's hand) detected based on the captured image into the user's input operation. be identified and accepted as such. Note that the photographed image may be a still image or a moving image.

Alternatively, when the operation unit is configured with the touch screen 15, the user terminal 100 identifies and accepts the user's operation performed on the input unit 151 of the touch screen 15 as the user's input operation. Alternatively, when the operation unit is configured with the communication IF 13, the user terminal 100 identifies and receives a signal (for example, an output value) transmitted from the controller 1020 as a user's input operation. Alternatively, when the operation unit is configured with the input/output IF 14, a signal output from an input device (not shown) connected to the input/output IF 14 and different from the controller 1020 is identified and accepted as the user's input operation.

In this embodiment, the game system 1 further includes a motion instruction device 300. The operation instruction device 300 is connected to each of the server 200 and the user terminal 100 via the network 2. At least one motion instruction device 300 is provided in the game system 1. A plurality of operation instruction devices 300 may be provided depending on the number of user terminals 100 that use the service provided by the server 200. One operation instruction device 300 may be provided for one user terminal 100. One motion instruction device 300 may be provided for a plurality of user terminals 100.

The motion instruction device 300 (NPC control device, character control device) may be a computer such as a server, a desktop computer, a notebook computer, or a tablet, or a group of computers that are a combination of these. As illustrated, the operation instruction device 300 includes a processor 30, a memory 31, a storage 32, a communication IF 33, an input/output IF 34, and a touch screen 35 (display section). These components included in the operation instruction device 300 are electrically connected to each other by a communication bus. Note that, instead of or in addition to the touch screen 35, the motion instruction device 300 may include an input/output IF 34 to which a display (display section) configured separately from the main body of the motion instruction device 300 can be connected.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the motion instruction device 300 communicates with peripheral devices such as one or more microphones 3010, one or more motion capture devices 3020, and one or more controllers 3030 via wireless or wired communication. may be configured to be communicable. The peripheral devices connected wirelessly establish communication with the operation instruction device 300, for example, in accordance with a communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

Microphone 3010 acquires sounds generated in the surroundings and converts them into electrical signals. The voice converted into an electrical signal is transmitted as voice data to the motion instruction device 300, and is received by the motion instruction device 300 via the communication IF 33.

The motion capture device 3020 tracks the motion (including facial expressions, mouth movements, etc.) of a tracking target (for example, a person), and transmits an output value as a tracking result to the motion instruction device 300. The motion data, which is the output value, is received by the motion instruction device 300 via the communication IF 33. The motion capture method of motion capture device 3020 is not particularly limited. The motion capture device 3020 is selectively equipped with all mechanisms for capturing motion, such as a camera, various sensors, markers, a suit worn by a model (person), and a signal transmitter, depending on the adopted method. .

Controller 3030 may include physical input mechanisms such as one or more buttons, levers, sticks, wheels, etc. The controller 3030 transmits to the motion instruction device 300 an output value based on an input operation input to the input mechanism by the operator of the motion instruction device 300. Further, the controller 3030 may include various sensors such as an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor, and may transmit output values of the various sensors to the motion instruction device 300. The above output value is received by the operation instruction device 300 via the communication IF 33. In the following, a person who performs an input operation on the movement instruction device 300 using an operation unit provided in the movement instruction device 300 or various input mechanisms communicatively connected to the movement instruction device 300 will be described. They are called operators. The operator includes a person who operates the motion instruction device 300 using the input unit 351, the controller 3030, etc., a voice actor who inputs voice through the microphone 3010, and a person who inputs voice through the motion capture device 3020. It also includes a model that inputs .

The motion instruction device 300 may include a camera and a distance measurement sensor (not shown). In place of or in addition to the motion instruction device 300, the motion capture device 3020 and the controller 3030 may include a camera and a distance sensor.

As described above, the motion instruction device 300 includes the communication IF 33, the input/output IF 34, and the touch screen 35 as an example of a mechanism for inputting information to the motion instruction device 300. If necessary, a camera and a distance measuring sensor may be further included. Each of the above-mentioned units serving as an input mechanism can be regarded as an operation unit configured to accept user input operations.

The operation unit may include a touch screen 35. In this case, the motion instruction device 300 identifies and accepts the user's operation performed on the input unit 351 of the touch screen 35 as the user's input operation. Alternatively, when the operation unit is configured with the communication IF 33, the operation instruction device 300 identifies and receives a signal (for example, an output value) transmitted from the controller 3030 as a user's input operation. Alternatively, when the operation unit is configured with the input/output IF 34, a signal output from an input device (not shown) connected to the input/output IF 34 and different from the controller 3030 is identified and accepted as the user's input operation.

<Game Overview>
The game executed by the game system 1 according to the first embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the present game) is, for example, a game in which one or more characters appear and at least one of the characters is made to act based on movement instruction data. . The character appearing in the game may be a player character (hereinafter referred to as PC) or a non-player character (hereinafter referred to as NPC). The PC is a character that can be directly operated by the user. The NPC is a character that operates according to a game program and motion instruction data, that is, a character that cannot be directly operated by the user. In the following, when there is no particular need to distinguish between the two, "character" will be used as a generic term.

As an example, this game is a training simulation game. Specifically, in this training simulation game, the main character, who is the user, deepens his interaction with the character and works on him to make the character a famous video distributor and realize the dreams of the character. It is an object. Further, the training simulation game may include elements of a love simulation game in which the main character aims to increase intimacy through interaction with a character.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the present game includes at least a live distribution part, as an example. In the game system 1, action instruction data is supplied to the user terminal 100 that is executing the present game from a device other than the user terminal 100 at an arbitrary timing. The user terminal 100 is triggered by receiving the motion instruction data to analyze (render) the motion instruction data. The live distribution part is a part in which the user terminal 100 presents to the user in real time a character that moves according to the above-described analyzed action instruction data. As a result, the user can feel the reality as if the character really exists, and can further immerse himself in the game world and enjoy the game.

In this embodiment, the game may be composed of multiple play parts. In this case, the character may have different characteristics for each part, such as one character being a PC in one part and an NPC in another part.

The genre of the game is not limited to a specific genre. Game system 1 can run games of any genre. For example, games based on sports such as tennis, table tennis, dodgeball, baseball, soccer, and hockey, puzzle games, quiz games, RPGs (Role-Playing Games), adventure games, shooting games, simulation games, training games, and It may also be an action game or the like.

Further, the play form of the game executed in the game system 1 is not limited to a specific play form. The game system 1 can execute games of any play format. For example, there are single-play games played by a single user, multi-play games played by multiple users, and among multi-play games, competitive games played by multiple users, and cooperative play games played by multiple users. It's okay.

<Hardware components of each device>
Processor 10 controls the overall operation of user terminal 100. Processor 20 controls the overall operation of server 200. The processor 30 controls the overall operation of the operation instruction device 300. Processors 10, 20, and 30 include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

The processor 10 reads a program from a storage 12, which will be described later, and expands it into a memory 11, which will be described later. The processor 20 reads a program from a storage 22, which will be described later, and expands it into a memory 21, which will be described later. The processor 30 reads a program from a storage 32, which will be described later, and expands it into a memory 31, which will be described later. Processor 10, processor 20, and processor 30 execute the expanded program.

Memories 11, 21 and 31 are main storage devices. The memories 11, 21, and 31 are composed of storage devices such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). The memory 11 provides a work area for the processor 10 by temporarily storing programs and various data that the processor 10 reads from a storage 12, which will be described later. The memory 11 also temporarily stores various data generated while the processor 10 is operating according to a program. The memory 21 provides a work area for the processor 20 by temporarily storing various programs and data that the processor 20 reads from a storage 22, which will be described later. The memory 21 also temporarily stores various data generated while the processor 20 is operating according to a program. The memory 31 provides a work area for the processor 30 by temporarily storing various programs and data that the processor 30 reads from a storage 32, which will be described later. The memory 31 also temporarily stores various data generated while the processor 30 is operating according to a program.

In this embodiment, the program may be a game program for realizing a game on the user terminal 100. Alternatively, the program may be a game program for realizing the game through cooperation between the user terminal 100 and the server 200.
Alternatively, the program may be a game program for realizing the game through cooperation between the user terminal 100, the server 200, and the action instruction device 300. Note that a game realized by cooperation between the user terminal 100 and the server 200 and a game realized by cooperation between the user terminal 100, the server 200, and the operation instruction device 300 are, for example, It may also be a game that runs on a browser. Alternatively, the program may be a game program for realizing the game through cooperation of a plurality of user terminals 100. Further, the various data include data related to the game such as user information and game information, and instructions or notifications transmitted and received between the devices of the game system 1.

Storages 12, 22 and 32 are auxiliary storage devices. The storages 12, 22, and 32 are comprised of storage devices such as flash memory or HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The storages 12, 22, and 32 store various data related to the game.

The communication IF 13 controls transmission and reception of various data in the user terminal 100. The communication IF 23 controls transmission and reception of various data in the server 200. The communication IF 33 controls transmission and reception of various data in the operation instruction device 300. The communication IFs 13, 23, and 33 control, for example, communication via a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Internet communication via a wired LAN, wireless LAN, or mobile phone network, and communication using short-range wireless communication. .

The input/output IF 14 is an interface for the user terminal 100 to receive data input, and is an interface for the user terminal 100 to output data. The input/output IF 14 may input/output data via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or the like. The input/output IF 14 may include, for example, a physical button, a camera, a microphone, or a speaker of the user terminal 100. The input/output IF 24 of the server 200 is an interface for the server 200 to receive data input, and an interface for the server 200 to output data. The input/output IF 24 may include, for example, an input section that is an information input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and a display section that is a device that displays and outputs images. The input/output IF 34 of the motion instruction device 300 is an interface for the motion instruction device 300 to receive data input, and is an interface for the motion instruction device 300 to output data. The input/output IF 34 is connected to, for example, information input devices such as a mouse, keyboard, stick, and lever, devices that display and output images such as a liquid crystal display, and peripheral devices (a microphone 3010, a motion capture device 3020, and a controller 3030). It may include connections for transmitting and receiving data between.

The touch screen 15 of the user terminal 100 is an electronic component that combines an input section 151 and a display section 152. The touch screen 35 of the motion instruction device 300 is an electronic component that combines an input section 351 and a display section 352. The input units 151 and 351 are, for example, touch-sensitive devices, and are configured by, for example, touch pads. The display units 152 and 352 are configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display.

The input units 151 and 351 detect the position at which a user's operation (mainly physical contact operations such as touch operation, slide operation, swipe operation, and tap operation) is input on the input screen, and generate information indicating the position. It has a function to transmit as an input signal. The input units 151 and 351 may include a touch sensing unit (not shown). The touch sensing section may employ any method such as a capacitance method or a resistive film method.

Although not shown, the user terminal 100 may include one or more sensors for identifying the holding posture of the user terminal 100. This sensor may be, for example, an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor. When the user terminal 100 includes a sensor, the processor 10 can also identify the holding posture of the user terminal 100 from the output of the sensor and perform processing according to the holding posture. For example, when the user terminal 100 is held vertically, the processor 10 may display a vertically long image on the display unit 152. On the other hand, when the user terminal 100 is held horizontally, a horizontal screen display may be used in which a horizontally long image is displayed on the display unit. In this way, the processor 10 may be able to switch between vertical screen display and horizontal screen display depending on the holding posture of the user terminal 100.

The camera 17 includes an image sensor and the like, and generates a captured image by converting incident light that enters from a lens into an electrical signal.

The distance sensor 18 is a sensor that measures the distance to the object to be measured. The distance measurement sensor 18 includes, for example, a light source that emits pulse-converted light and a light receiving element that receives the light. The distance sensor 18 measures the distance to the object to be measured based on the timing of light emission from the light source and the timing of reception of reflected light generated when the light emitted from the light source hits the object and is reflected. The distance sensor 18 may include a light source that emits light with directivity.

Here, an example will be further described in which the user terminal 100 uses the camera 17 and the ranging sensor 18 to receive a detection result of detecting an object 1010 in the vicinity of the user terminal 100 as a user's input operation. The camera 17 and the ranging sensor 18 may be provided, for example, on the side surface of the housing of the user terminal 100. A distance measuring sensor 18 may be provided near the camera 17. As the camera 17, for example, an infrared camera can be used. In this case, the camera 17 may be provided with a lighting device that emits infrared rays, a filter that blocks visible light, and the like. This makes it possible to further improve the accuracy of object detection based on images captured by the camera 17, regardless of whether the object is outdoors or indoors.

The processor 10 may perform, for example, one or more of the following processes (1) to (5) on the captured image of the camera 17. (1) The processor 10 performs image recognition processing on the image taken by the camera 17 to identify whether or not the user's hand is included in the image taken. The processor 10 may use a technique such as pattern matching, for example, as an analysis technique employed in the image recognition process described above. (2) The processor 10 also detects the user's gestures from the shape of the user's hands. For example, the processor 10 identifies the number of fingers of the user (the number of extended fingers) from the shape of the user's hand detected from the photographed image. The processor 10 further identifies the gesture performed by the user from the identified number of fingers. For example, if the number of fingers is five, the processor 10 determines that the user has made a "pa" gesture. Furthermore, when the number of fingers is 0 (no fingers are detected), the processor 10 determines that the user has made a "goo" gesture. Further, if the number of fingers is two, the processor 10 determines that the user has made a "choki" gesture. (3) The processor 10 performs image recognition processing on the image captured by the camera 17 to detect whether the user's finger is in a state where only the index finger is held up or whether the user's finger is in a flicking motion. . (4) The processor 10 determines whether an object 1010 (such as a user's hand, ) and the user terminal 100 is detected. For example, the processor 10 determines whether the user's hand is close to the user terminal 100 (for example, at a distance less than a predetermined value) or far away (for example, at a distance less than a predetermined value), depending on the size of the shape of the user's hand identified from the captured image of the camera 17. or more distance). Note that when the captured image is a moving image, the processor 10 may detect whether the user's hand is approaching or moving away from the user terminal 100. (5) If it is found that the distance between the user terminal 100 and the user's hand has changed while the user's hand has been detected based on the image recognition result of the image taken by the camera 17, the processor 10 recognizes that the user is waving his hand in the photographing direction of the camera 17. When an object is detected or not detected by the ranging sensor 18, which has stronger directivity than the shooting range of the camera 17, the processor 10 detects that the user is waving his/her hand in a direction perpendicular to the shooting direction of the camera. recognize.

In this way, the processor 10 determines whether the user is clasping his/her hands (a "goo" gesture or another gesture (for example, "paa") by image recognition of the image taken by the camera 17. ). The processor 10 also detects the shape of the user's hand and how the user moves the hand. The processor 10 also detects whether the user is moving his hand closer to or away from the user terminal 100. Such an operation can correspond to, for example, an operation using a pointing device such as a mouse or a touch panel. For example, the user terminal 100 moves the pointer on the touch screen 15 according to the movement of the user's hand, and detects the user's gesture “goo”. In this case, the user terminal 100 recognizes that the user is continuing the selection operation. Continuation of the selection operation corresponds to, for example, the mouse being clicked and kept pressed in, or the mouse being touched after a touch down operation is performed on the touch panel. Further, when the user further moves his/her hand while the user's gesture "goo" is being detected, the user terminal 100 detects a series of such gestures as an operation corresponding to a swipe operation (or drag operation). It can also be recognized. Further, when the user terminal 100 detects a gesture such as a flick of the user's finger based on the detection result of the user's hand based on the captured image of the camera 17, the user terminal 100 converts the gesture into a mouse click or a tap operation on the touch panel. It may be recognized as an operation corresponding to .

<Functional configuration of game system 1>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the user terminal 100, the server 200, and the action instruction device 300 included in the game system 1. Each of the user terminal 100, the server 200, and the action instruction device 300 has a functional configuration (not shown) necessary for functioning as a general computer and a functional configuration necessary for realizing known functions in the game. may include.

The user terminal 100 has a function as an input device that receives input operations from a user, and a function as an output device that outputs images and sounds of the game. The user terminal 100 functions as a control unit 110 and a storage unit 120 through cooperation of the processor 10, memory 11, storage 12, communication IF 13, input/output IF 14, and the like.

The server 200 has a function of communicating with each user terminal 100 and supporting the user terminal 100 to progress the game. For example, when the user terminal 100 downloads an application related to this game for the first time, the user terminal 100 is provided with data that should be stored in the user terminal 100 at the time of starting the game for the first time. For example, the server 200 transmits motion instruction data for making the character move to the user terminal 100. The motion instruction data may include motion capture data that captures the movements of an actor such as a model in advance, or may include audio data that records the voice of an actor such as a voice actor, or may include motion capture data that captures the movements of an actor such as a model, or may include audio data that records the voice of an actor such as a voice actor, or may include motion capture data that captures the movements of an actor such as a model, or may include audio data that records the voice of an actor such as a voice actor, or may include motion capture data that captures the movements of an actor such as a model, or may include audio data that records the voice of an actor such as a voice actor, or may include motion capture data that captures the movements of an actor such as a model, or may include audio data that records the voice of an actor such as a voice actor, or may cause the character to move. It may include operation history data indicating a history of input operations for the above-described series of input operations, or it may include a motion command group in which commands associated with the above-mentioned series of input operations are arranged in chronological order. If this game is a multiplayer game, the server 200 may have a function of communicating with each user terminal 100 participating in the game and mediating exchanges between the user terminals 100 and a synchronization control function. Furthermore, the server 200 has a function of mediating between the user terminal 100 and the motion instruction device 300. Thereby, the motion instruction device 300 can supply motion instruction data to the user terminal 100 or a group of multiple user terminals 100 in a timely manner without making a mistake in the destination. The server 200 functions as a control unit 210 and a storage unit 220 through cooperation of the processor 20, memory 21, storage 22, communication IF 23, input/output IF 24, and the like.

The motion instruction device 300 has a function of generating motion instruction data for instructing the motion of a character on the user terminal 100 and supplying it to the user terminal 100. The operation instruction device 300 functions as a control unit 310 and a storage unit 320 through cooperation of the processor 30, memory 31, storage 32, communication IF 33, input/output IF 34, and the like.

Storage units 120, 220, and 320 store game program 131, game information 132, and user information 133. The game program 131 is a game program executed by the user terminal 100, the server 200, and the action instruction device 300. Game information 132 is data referenced by control units 110, 210, and 310 when executing game program 131. User information 133 is data related to a user's account. In the storage units 220 and 320, game information 132 and user information 133 are stored for each user terminal 100. The storage unit 320 further stores a character control program 134. The character control program 134 is a program executed by the motion instruction device 300, and is a program for controlling the motion of the character appearing in the game based on the game program 131 described above.

(Functional configuration of server 200)
The control unit 210 centrally controls the server 200 by executing the game program 131 stored in the storage unit 220. For example, the control unit 210 transmits various data, programs, etc. to the user terminal 100. The control unit 210 receives part or all of the game information or user information from the user terminal 100. If the game is a multiplayer game, the control unit 210 may receive a multiplayer synchronization request from the user terminal 100 and transmit data for synchronization to the user terminal 100. Further, the control unit 210 communicates with the user terminal 100 and the motion instruction device 300 to transmit and receive information as necessary.

The control unit 210 functions as a progress support unit 211 and a sharing support unit 212 according to the description of the game program 131. The control unit 210 can also function as other functional blocks (not shown) in order to support the progress of the game on the user terminal 100, depending on the nature of the game to be executed.

The progress support unit 211 communicates with the user terminal 100 and provides support for the user terminal 100 to progress through various parts included in this game. For example, when the user terminal 100 advances the game, the progress support unit 211 provides the user terminal 100 with information necessary to advance the game.

The sharing support unit 212 communicates with the plurality of user terminals 100 and provides support for the plurality of users to share each other's decks on their respective user terminals 100. Further, the sharing support unit 212 may have a function of matching the online user terminal 100 and the movement instruction device 300. Thereby, information is smoothly transmitted and received between the user terminal 100 and the motion instruction device 300.

(Functional configuration of user terminal 100)
The control unit 110 comprehensively controls the user terminal 100 by executing the game program 131 stored in the storage unit 120. For example, the control unit 110 advances the game according to the game program 131 and the user's operations. Further, while the game is progressing, the control unit 110 communicates with the server 200 and the action instruction device 300 to send and receive information as necessary.

The control unit 110 includes an operation reception unit 111, a display control unit 112, a user interface (hereinafter referred to as UI) control unit 113, an animation generation unit 114, a game progress unit 115, an analysis unit 116, and a progress unit according to the description of the game program 131. It functions as an information generation section 117. The control unit 110 can also function as other functional blocks (not shown) in order to advance the game depending on the nature of the game to be executed.

The operation reception unit 111 detects and accepts a user's input operation on the input unit 151. The operation reception unit 111 determines what input operation has been performed from the user's actions on the console via the touch screen 15 and other input/output IF 14, and outputs the result to each element of the control unit 110. do.

For example, the operation reception unit 111 receives an input operation on the input unit 151, detects the coordinates of the input position of the input operation, and identifies the type of the input operation. The operation reception unit 111 specifies, for example, a touch operation, a slide operation, a swipe operation, a tap operation, etc. as the type of input operation. Further, when the continuously detected input is interrupted, the operation reception unit 111 detects that the contact input from the touch screen 15 is released.

The UI control unit 113 controls UI objects to be displayed on the display unit 152 in order to construct a UI. The UI object is a tool for the user to input necessary information to the user terminal 100 in order to proceed with the game, or a tool for obtaining information outputted from the user terminal 100 while the game is in progress. UI objects include, but are not limited to, icons, buttons, lists, menu screens, etc., for example.

The animation generation unit 114 generates animations showing motions of various objects based on control modes of the various objects. For example, the animation generation unit 114 may generate an animation that depicts the character moving, moving its mouth, or changing its facial expressions as if the character were there.

The display control unit 112 outputs, to the display unit 152 of the touch screen 15, a game screen that reflects the processing results executed by each of the above-mentioned elements. The display control unit 112 may display a game screen including the animation generated by the animation generation unit 114 on the display unit 152. Further, the display control unit 112 may draw the above-mentioned UI object controlled by the UI control unit 113 in a superimposed manner on the game screen.

The game progression unit 115 advances the game. In the present embodiment, the game progression unit 115 advances the game in response to a user's input operation input via the operation reception unit 111. The game progression unit 115 causes one or more characters to appear and causes the characters to move while the game is in progress. The game progression unit 115 may cause the character to move according to the game program 131 downloaded in advance, may make the character move according to the user's input operation, or may make the character move according to the action instruction data supplied from the action instruction device 300. It may be operated according to the following.

If the game is divided into a plurality of parts such as a first part, a second part, etc., the game progression unit 115 advances the game according to the specifications of each part.

To explain specifically by giving an example, assume that the first part is a story part in which the story in the game progresses by interacting with characters. In this case, the game progression unit 115 advances the story part as follows. Specifically, the game progression unit 115 causes the character to move according to the game program 131 downloaded in advance or the motion instruction data (first motion instruction data) also downloaded in advance. Based on the user's input operation received by the operation reception unit 111, the game progression unit 115 identifies the option selected by the user, and causes the character to perform the action associated with the option. Assume that the second part is a live distribution part in which the character moves based on action instruction data supplied from the action instruction device 300. In this case, the game progression unit 115 causes the character to move based on the motion instruction data from the motion instruction device 300 to advance the live distribution part.

The analysis unit 116 analyzes (rendering) the motion instruction data and instructs the game progression unit 115 to make the character move based on the analysis result. In this embodiment, the analysis unit 116 is triggered by receiving the movement instruction data supplied by the movement instruction device 300 via the communication IF 33, and starts rendering the movement instruction data. The motion instruction device 300 transmits the analysis result to the game progress section 115 and immediately instructs the character to move based on the motion instruction data. That is, the game progression unit 115 uses the reception of the motion instruction data as a trigger to cause the character to move based on the motion instruction data. This makes it possible to show the user a character that moves in real time.

The progress information generation unit 117 generates progress information indicating the progress of the game being executed by the game progression unit 115, and transmits it to the server 200 or the action instruction device 300 at an appropriate time. The progress information may include, for example, information specifying the currently displayed game screen, or may include a progress log that indicates the progress of the game in chronological order using characters, symbols, and the like. In the game system 1, in an embodiment in which the server 200 and the action instruction device 300 do not require progress information, the progress information generation unit 117 may be omitted.

(Functional configuration of motion instruction device 300)
The control unit 310 comprehensively controls the motion instruction device 300 by executing the character control program 134 stored in the storage unit 320. For example, the control unit 310 generates motion instruction data according to the character control program 134 and the operator's operations, and supplies it to the user terminal 100. The control unit 310 may further execute the game program 131 as necessary. Further, the control unit 310 communicates with the server 200 and the user terminal 100 running the present game to send and receive information.

The control unit 310 functions as an operation reception unit 311, a display control unit 312, a UI control unit 313, an animation generation unit 314, a progress simulation unit 315, and a character control unit 316 according to the description of the character control program 134. The control unit 310 can also function as other functional blocks (not shown) in order to control characters appearing in the game depending on the nature of the game executed in the game system 1.

The operation reception unit 311 detects and accepts an operator's input operation on the input unit 351. The operation reception unit 311 determines what input operation has been performed by the operator on the console via the touch screen 35 and other input/output IF 34, and sends the result to each element of the control unit 310. Output. The details of the function of the operation reception unit 311 are almost the same as those of the operation reception unit 111 in the user terminal 100.

The UI control unit 313 controls UI objects to be displayed on the display unit 352.

The animation generation unit 314 generates animations showing motions of various objects based on control modes of the various objects. For example, the animation generation unit 314 may generate an animation or the like that reproduces the game screen actually displayed on the user terminal 100 serving as the communication partner.

The display control unit 312 outputs, to the display unit 352 of the touch screen 35, a game screen that reflects the processing results executed by each of the above-mentioned elements. The details of the function of the display control unit 312 are almost the same as those of the display control unit 112 in the user terminal 100.

The progress simulation unit 315 grasps the progress of the game on the user terminal 100 based on progress information indicating the progress of the game received from the user terminal 100. Then, the progress simulator 315 presents the progress of the user terminal 100 to the operator by simulating the behavior of the user terminal 100 in the motion instruction device 300.

For example, the progress simulation unit 315 may display a reproduction of the game screen displayed on the user terminal 100 on the display unit 352 of its own device. Furthermore, the progress simulation unit 315 may display the progress of the game on the display unit 352 in the user terminal 100 as the above-mentioned progress log.

Further, a part of the functions of the progress simulation section 315 may be realized by the control section 310 executing the game program 131. For example, first, the progress simulation unit 315 grasps the progress of the game of the user terminal 100 based on the progress information. The progress simulation unit 315 may reproduce the game screen currently displayed on the user terminal 100 based on the game program 131 on the display unit 352 of its own device, either completely or in a simplified manner. Alternatively, the progress simulation unit 315 may grasp the current progress of the game, predict the game progress after the current time based on the game program 131, and output the prediction result to the display unit 352.

The character control unit 316 controls the behavior of the character displayed on the user terminal 100. Specifically, motion instruction data for making the character move is generated and supplied to the user terminal 100. For example, the character control unit 316 generates motion instruction data that instructs the character to be controlled to speak based on voice data input by an operator (such as a voice actor) through the microphone 3010. The motion instruction data generated in this manner includes at least the above-mentioned audio data. Further, for example, an operator (such as a model) generates motion instruction data that instructs a character to be controlled to perform a motion based on motion capture data input via the motion capture device 3020. The motion instruction data generated in this manner includes at least the above-mentioned motion capture data. For example, the operator may instruct the character to be controlled to operate based on the history of input operations input via an input mechanism such as the controller 3030 or an operation unit such as the input unit 351, that is, operation history data. Generate motion instruction data. The motion instruction data generated in this manner includes at least the above-mentioned operation history data. The operation history data is, for example, information in which an operation log indicating which button on the controller 3030 was pressed by the operator and at what timing when which screen was displayed on the display unit is organized in chronological order. . The display unit here is a display unit linked to the controller 3030, and may be the display unit 352 of the touch screen 35, or another display unit connected via the input/output IF 34. . Alternatively, the character control unit 316 identifies a command that instructs the character to move, which is associated with an input operation input by the operator via the above-described input mechanism or operation unit. Then, the character control unit 316 arranges the commands in the order in which they were input, generates a motion command group indicating a series of movements of the character, and generates motion instruction data instructing the character to move according to the motion command group. It's okay. The motion instruction data generated in this way includes at least the above-mentioned motion command group.

The reaction processing unit 317 receives feedback about the user's reaction from the user terminal 100 and outputs it to the operator of the motion instruction device 300. In this embodiment, for example, while the user terminal 100 is causing the character to move according to the above-described movement instruction data, the user can create a comment for the character. The reaction processing unit 317 receives comment data of the comment and outputs it. The reaction processing unit 317 may display text data corresponding to the user's comment on the display unit 352, or may output audio data corresponding to the user's comment from a speaker (not shown).

Note that the functions of the user terminal 100, server 200, and operation instruction device 300 shown in FIG. 2 are merely examples. Each of the user terminal 100, the server 200, and the operation instruction device 300 may have at least some of the functions of other devices. Furthermore, another device other than the user terminal 100, the server 200, and the action instruction device 300 may be used as a component of the game system 1, and a part of the processing in the game system 1 may be executed by the other device. That is, in this embodiment, the computer that executes the game program may be any of the user terminal 100, the server 200, the action instruction device 300, and other devices, or may be realized by a combination of these devices. may be done.

Note that in this embodiment, the progress simulation unit 315 may be omitted. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control section 310 can function as the reaction processing section 317 according to the description of the character control program 134.

<Game structure>
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the basic game progress of this game. The game is divided into two gameplay parts, for example. As an example, the first part is a story part, and the second part is a live distribution part. The game may also include an acquisition part that allows the user to acquire game content, which is digital data that can be used in the game, in exchange for valuable data held by the user. In this embodiment, the play order of each part is not particularly limited. FIG. 3 shows a case where the user terminal 100 executes the game in the order of the story part, the acquisition part, and the live distribution part.

In step S1, the game progression unit 115 executes a story part. The story part includes, for example, a scene in which the main character and the character operated by the user interact. In the present embodiment, as an example, a "scenario" that is grouped together as digital data corresponds to one episode of a story about a character, is supplied from the server 200, and is temporarily stored in the storage unit 120. In the story part, the game progression unit 115 reads out one scenario stored in the storage unit 120 and advances the scenario one scenario in accordance with the user's input operation until the ending is reached. A scenario includes options for the user to select, response patterns of characters corresponding to the options, etc., and depending on which option the user selects, different endings may be obtained even within one scenario. . Specifically, the game progression unit 115 presents a plurality of choices corresponding to the actions of the protagonist to the character so that the user can select them, and advances the scenario in accordance with the choice selected by the user.

In step S2, when the user plays the scenario to the end, the game progression unit 115 may allow the user to earn a reward depending on the ending. The reward is provided to the user in the form of game media, which is, for example, digital data available on the game. The game medium may be, for example, an item such as clothing that can be worn by a character. Here, "allowing a user to obtain a reward" may mean, for example, changing the status of game media as a reward that is managed in association with a user from unusable to usable. Alternatively, the game content may be stored in at least one of the memories (memory 11, memory 21, memory 31) included in the game system 1 in association with user identification information or user terminal ID.

In step S3, the game progression unit 115 executes the acquisition part. In the acquisition part, the game content that the user is made to acquire may be a new scenario different from the scenario provided to the user terminal 100 at the time of initial download. Hereinafter, the former scenario will be referred to as a fixed scenario, and the latter scenario will be referred to as an acquired scenario. If there is no need to distinguish between the two, they are simply referred to as scenarios.

In the acquisition part, for example, the game progression unit 115 allows the user to hold an acquisition scenario different from the fixed scenario that the user already owns in exchange for consuming the user's valuable data. The scenario that the user is allowed to acquire may be determined by the game progression unit 115 or the progression support unit 211 of the server 200 according to predetermined rules. More specifically, the game progression unit 115 or the progression support unit 211 may perform a lottery and randomly determine a scenario for the user to acquire from among a plurality of acquisition scenarios. The acquisition part may be executed at any timing before or after the story part and the live distribution part.

In step S4, the game progression unit 115 determines whether action instruction data has been received from an external device via the network. Unless action instruction data is received from an external device, the game progression unit 115 may return to step S1 from NO in step S4, for example, and execute the story part. Alternatively, the game progression unit 115 may execute the acquisition part of step S3. On the other hand, if the action instruction data is received from an external device, the game progression unit 115 proceeds from YES in step S4 to step S5.

In step S5, the game progression unit 115 executes the live distribution part (second part). Specifically, the game progression unit 115 advances the live distribution part by causing the character to move according to the motion instruction data received in step S4. In step S1, the user simply interacts with a character that shows a fixed reaction in the scenario via the UI. However, in the live distribution part, the user can freely interact with the character that moves in real time based on motion instruction data transmitted from an external device. More specifically, the analysis unit 116 receives motion instruction data including voice data and motion data generated according to the content of the user's input operation from the motion instruction device 300. Then, the game progression unit 115 causes the character to speak based on the audio data included in the received action instruction data, and also makes the character move based on the above-mentioned motion data. Thereby, the reaction of the character to the user's input operation described above can be presented to the user.

<Processing overview>
In this embodiment, the user terminal 100 is configured to execute the following steps based on the game program 131 in order to improve the interest of the game. Specifically, the user terminal 100 uses the first action instruction data stored in the memory 11 in advance, which is action instruction data specifying an action of the NPC that is not operated by the user or other users. A step of operating the NPC and advancing the first part according to the user's input operation input via the operation unit (input/output IF 14, touch screen 15, camera 17, distance measurement sensor 18); and proceeding with the second part by operating the NPC based on the second action instruction data received from the action instruction device 300).

According to the above configuration, the user terminal 100 operates the NPC in the first part based on the first operation instruction data downloaded in advance. In addition, the user terminal 100 receives second action instruction data from the action instruction device 300, and in the second part operates the NPC based on the second action instruction data. Since the NPC can be operated based on the second motion instruction data received from the motion instruction device 300, the NPC's motions are unconventional and its expressions are greatly expanded. Therefore, through interaction with the NPC during game play, the user can feel as if the NPC is in the real world. As a result, there is an effect of increasing the sense of immersion in the game world and improving the interest of the game.

<Data structure>
(Movement instruction data)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of motion instruction data processed by the game system 1 according to the present embodiment. As an example, the motion instruction data includes meta information such as "destination" and "creation source," and data contents such as "character ID,""voice," and "movement." It consists of

The item "destination" stores destination designation information. The destination designation information is information indicating to which device the operation instruction data is sent. The destination designation information may be, for example, an address unique to the user terminal 100, or may be identification information of a group to which the user terminal 100 belongs. It may also be a symbol (for example, "ALL") indicating that all user terminals 100 that meet a certain condition are the destination.

The item "Creation source" stores creation source information. The creation source information is information indicating which device created the motion instruction data. The creation source information is user-related information (hereinafter referred to as user-related information) that can identify a specific user, such as a user ID, user terminal ID, and unique address of the user terminal. The creation source information may be an ID or address pointing to the server 200 or the action instruction device 300, or if the creation source is the server 200 or the action instruction device 300, leave the value of the item blank. Alternatively, the item itself may not be provided in the action instruction data.

The item "Character ID" stores a character ID for uniquely identifying a character appearing in this game. The character ID stored here indicates which character's motion the motion instruction data is for.

The item "sound" stores sound data to be expressed by the character. The item "movement" stores motion data that specifies the movement of the character. The motion data may be motion capture data acquired by the motion instruction device 300 via the motion capture device 3020, for example. The motion capture data may be data tracking the movement of the actor's entire body, data tracking the actor's facial expressions and mouth movements, or both. As another example, the motion data may be a group of motion commands that instruct a series of movements of the character, specified by an operation input by the operator of the motion instruction device 300 via the controller 3030. For example, if the commands "Raise right hand," "Raise left hand," "Walk," and "Run" are assigned to Button A, Button B, Button C, and Button D of the controller 3030, respectively, the operator , button A, button B, button C, and button D are pressed in sequence. In this case, a group of motion commands in which the commands "Raise right hand", "Raise left hand", "Walk", and "Run" are arranged in the above order are stored as motion data in the "Movement" item. be done. Note that in this embodiment, the voice data and motion data are included in the motion instruction data in a synchronized state.

By receiving such motion instruction data, the game progression unit 115 can cause the character appearing in the game to behave as intended by the creator of the motion instruction data. Specifically, if the action instruction data includes audio data, the game progress unit 115 causes the character to speak based on the audio data. Further, if the motion instruction data includes motion data, the game progress unit 115 moves the character based on the motion data, that is, generates an animation of the character so that the character moves based on the motion data. do.

(Game information)
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the game information 132 processed by the game system 1 according to the present embodiment. The items provided in the game information 132 are determined as appropriate depending on the genre, nature, content, etc. of the game, and the illustrated items do not limit the scope of the present invention. As an example, the game information 132 includes the following items: "play history,""item,""intimacy,""popularity," and "distribution history." Each of these items is referred to as appropriate when the game progression unit 115 advances the game.

The item "play history" stores the user's play history. The play history is information indicating whether the user has completed the play for each scenario stored in the storage unit 120. For example, the play history includes a list of fixed scenarios downloaded at the first play, and a list of acquired scenarios acquired later in the acquisition part. In each list, a status such as "played", "unplayed", "playable", "unplayable", etc. is associated with each scenario.

The item "item" stores a list of items owned by the user as game media. In this game, the items are, for example, clothing items worn by the character. The user can customize the appearance of the character by equipping the character with items obtained by playing the scenario.

The item "intimacy" stores the intimacy, which is one of the character's statuses. The new density is a parameter that indicates how close the character is to the "main character" who is the alter ego of the user. For example, the game progression unit 115 may advance the game more advantageously for the user as the degree of familiarity increases. For example, the game progression unit 115 may increase or decrease the degree of familiarity depending on the quality of the play result of the scenario. For example, the game progression unit 115 increases the degree of familiarity as the user successfully selects options and the outcome of the scenario is better. On the other hand, the game progression unit 115 may reduce the familiarity level if the user reaches a bad end to the scenario.

The item "Familiarity" stores the popularity, which is one of the character's statuses. The popularity is a parameter indicating the popularity and recognition of the character as a video distributor. One of the objectives of this game is to support the character's video distribution activities, increase the character's popularity, and make the character's dreams come true. As an example, a special scenario may be provided as a reward to a user who has achieved a certain level of popularity.

The item "Distribution history" stores a list of videos that have been live distributed from characters in the past in the live distribution part, so-called back numbers. In the live distribution part, videos that are being PUSH distributed in real time can only be viewed at that time. On the other hand, videos for past distribution are recorded in the server 200 or the motion instruction device 300, and can be distributed in a PULL manner in response to a request from the user terminal 100. In this embodiment, as an example, back numbers may be downloaded by the user for a fee.

<Screen example of story part>
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a quest presentation screen 400 displayed on the display unit 152 of the user terminal 100. The game progression unit 115 presents a quest to the user in accordance with the game program 131 while the scenario is in progress in the story part. Specifically, the game progression unit 115 causes the character to make a request corresponding to a quest to the protagonist during a dialogue between the protagonist and the character. At this time, for example, the game progression unit 115 may display a quest presentation screen 400 shown in FIG. 6 on the display unit 152.

There is no particular limitation on the method of presenting a character that performs a series of actions of ``having the character say a request''. For example, the game progression unit 115 may display a still image of a character speaking the request based on text data corresponding to the request stored in the storage unit 120 in advance. Specifically, the game progression unit 115 displays a quest presentation screen 400 that includes a character 401, a speech bubble 402 indicating that the statement is made by the character 401, and text data of the request placed in the speech bubble 402. 152. Alternatively, the game progression unit 115 may display an animation of the character uttering the request based on motion instruction data corresponding to a scene in which the request is uttered, which is stored in the storage unit 120 in advance. Specifically, the game progression unit 115 moves the character 401 according to the motion capture data included in the action instruction data, and outputs the audio data included in the action instruction data as audio from a speaker (not shown) provided in the user terminal 100. Output.

In the present embodiment, as an example, the game progression unit 115 may realize the quest as a location information game using location registration information of the user terminal 100. The game progression unit 115 acquires current location information (for example, address information, latitude and longitude information, etc.) of the user terminal 100 from a location registration system (not shown) provided in the user terminal 100. Then, based on the acquired current position information, a map 403 around the location where the user terminal 100 is located is generated and placed on the quest presentation screen 400. Note that the map data from which the map 403 is generated may be stored in advance in the storage unit 120 of the user terminal 100, or may be acquired via a network from another service providing device that provides map data. .

Next, the game progress unit 115 determines a location (address, latitude and longitude, etc.) where an object (hereinafter referred to as a target) that can solve the request can be obtained, and places a goal icon on the map corresponding to the determined location. 404 is displayed in a superimposed manner. This allows the user to understand that by holding the user terminal 100 and moving to the position of the goal icon 404 on the map 403, the user can acquire the goal and clear the quest. The position of the target object may be randomly determined by the game progression unit 115, or may be determined in advance according to the content of the scenario, quest, or target object.

When the user brings the user terminal 100 to the actual position corresponding to the position of the target icon 404, the game progress unit 115 determines that the main character has reached the target object, and allows the user to acquire the target object. The game progression unit 115 determines that the quest has been cleared.

In this embodiment, the game progression unit 115 may generate the quest resolution screen 500 and display it on the display unit 152 when the quest is cleared. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a quest solution screen 500 displayed on the display unit 152 of the user terminal 100. As an example, the quest resolution screen 500 includes a character 401. For example, the game progression unit 115 causes the character 401 to perform an action of "thanking the main character for solving the request." The game progression unit 115 may cause the character 401 to perform this action based on pre-stored action instruction data. Alternatively, the game progression unit 115 may reproduce a scene in which the character 401 is saying thank you by placing a still image of the character 401 and text data 501 corresponding to the content of the statement on the quest resolution screen 500.

In the present embodiment, the game progression unit 115 may release one new fixed scenario related to the requester character 401 as a reward for clearing the quest, and may transition the scenario to a state where the user can play it. Specifically, the game progression unit 115 reads the play history shown in FIG. 5 and updates the status of a predetermined fixed scenario from "unplayable" to "playable".

Furthermore, the game progression unit 115 may increase the degree of intimacy between the protagonist and the character based on the quest being cleared. The game progress unit 115 may be configured to increase the familiarity as the quest play content (required time, travel distance, number of items acquired, degree of joy of the character, rarity of acquired objectives, etc.) is better. .

As the user clears one or more quests or selects options, the dialogue with the characters progresses and the scenario progresses. When a scenario reaches one conclusion, the user has completed the play of the scenario.

The game progression unit 115 may allow the user to acquire items as a reward for the user playing the scenario. The item is, for example, an accessory worn by the character 401. The game progression unit 115 determines items to be acquired by the user based on predetermined rules. For example, the game progression unit 115 may give the user an item that is associated with the played scenario in advance, or may give the user items that are associated with the played scenario in advance, or may give the user the play details of the scenario (the time required to clear the quest, the acquired intimacy, good options, etc.). An item determined depending on whether the user has selected the user or not, etc.) may be given. Alternatively, the item to be given to the user may be randomly determined from among a plurality of candidates.

In the present embodiment, the game progression unit 115 may generate a reward screen 600 for notifying the user of the acquired item and display it on the display unit 152. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a reward screen 600 displayed on the display unit 152 of the user terminal 100. As an example, the reward screen 600 may include an icon 601 of an acquired item and a name 602 of the item. This allows the user to check the items that he or she has been able to acquire. Furthermore, the game progression unit 115 adds the above-mentioned acquired item to the item list stored in the item "Item" shown in FIG.

<Screen example of live streaming part>
When the game progression unit 115 receives motion instruction data from an external device such as the motion instruction device 300, it causes the character to move based on the motion instruction data in the live distribution part. For example, in the live distribution part, a video playback screen 800 including a character that moves based on motion instruction data is generated and displayed on the display unit 152.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a video playback screen 800 displayed on the display unit 152 of the user terminal 100. As an example, the video playback screen 800 includes at least a character (in the illustrated example, a character 802) who was a conversation partner in the story part.

In this embodiment, the game progression unit 115 causes the movement of the character 802 to reflect the movement indicated by the motion capture data included in the movement instruction data supplied from an external device (hereinafter referred to as the movement instruction device 300). . The motion capture data is obtained by capturing the movement of the model 702 via the motion capture device 3020 at the location where the motion instruction device 300 is installed. Therefore, the movement of the model 702 is directly reflected in the movement of the character 802 displayed on the display unit 152.

In this embodiment, the game progression unit 115 outputs the audio data 801 included in the motion instruction data supplied from the motion instruction device 300 as the voice emitted by the character 802 in synchronization with the movement of the character 802. . The voice data is the voice 700 of the voice actor 701 obtained through the microphone 3010 at the location where the motion instruction device 300 is installed. Therefore, the audio data 801 corresponding to the audio 700 uttered by the voice actor 701 is output as is from the speaker of the user terminal 100.

According to the above configuration, the voices and movements of the existing voice actor 701 and model 702 are directly reflected in the voices and movements of the character 802 at the location where the motion instruction device 300 is installed. When the user sees the character 802 performing such actions, the user can feel a sense of reality about the character 802 as if it exists in the real world, and can become immersed in the game world. .

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the game progression unit 115 may determine the play result of the story part based on the user's input operation in the story part (first part). Then, in the live distribution part (second part), the game progression unit 115 may cause the display unit 152 to display the character to be moved based on the movement instruction data in a display mode according to the play result.

As an example, if an item that can be worn by the above-mentioned character is acquired in the story parts played so far, the game progress unit 115 synthesizes the object of the item with the object of the character 802. It is preferable to do so. According to the above-described configuration, the items that the user acquires by playing the story part can be reflected in the clothing items of the character 802 that operates in the live distribution part. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, an item as a clothing item (for example, a rabbit ear band) is acquired by playing the scenario in the story part. In this case, the game progression unit 115 reads information on the accessory from the game information 132 shown in FIG.

This allows the user to feel more attached to the character 802 and enjoy the live distribution part even more. Furthermore, the user's desire to upgrade the clothing items of the character 802 can be fostered, and as a result, it is possible to strengthen the user's motivation to play the story part.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the game progression unit 115 may be able to input a comment addressed to the character 802 in response to the action of the character 802. As an example, the game progression unit 115 arranges a comment input button 804 on the video playback screen 800. The user touches the comment input button 804 to call up a UI for inputting a comment, operates the UI, and inputs a comment addressed to the character 802. The UI may be for the user to select a desired comment from among several comments prepared in advance. The UI may be for the user to edit characters and input comments. The UI may be for the user to input comments by voice.

<Processing flow>
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by each device making up the game system 1.

In step S101, upon receiving an input operation from the user to start the game, the game progression unit 115 of the user terminal 100 accesses the server 200 and requests login.

In step S102, the progress support unit 211 of the server 200 confirms that the status of the user terminal 100 is online, and responds that the login has been accepted.

In step S103, the game progression unit 115 advances the game according to the user's input operation while communicating with the server 200 as necessary. The game progress unit 115 may progress the story part or may progress the acquisition part for acquiring a new scenario.

In step S104, the progress support unit 211 supports the progress of the game on the user terminal 100 by providing necessary information to the user terminal 100 as necessary.

In step S105, when the live distribution time comes, the sharing support unit 212 of the server 200 proceeds to step S106 from YES in step S105. The live distribution time is determined in advance by the game master, for example, and is managed by the server 200 and the action instruction device 300. Furthermore, the user terminal 100 may be notified of the live distribution time in advance, or may be kept secret until the actual live distribution time. In the former case, it is possible to stably supply live distribution to the user, and in the latter case, it is possible to supply live distribution with special added value to the user as a surprise distribution.

In step S106, the sharing support unit 212 searches for one or more user terminals 100 that have the right to receive live distribution. The conditions for receiving live distribution may be set by the game master as appropriate, but at least the conditions include having the application of this game installed and being online at the time of live distribution. In this embodiment, as an example, a user terminal 100 that is online at the time of live distribution, that is, is running an application of the present game, is searched as a user terminal 100 that has the right to receive live distribution. Alternatively, the sharing support unit 212 may further add to the condition that the user terminal 100 is owned by a user who has already paid the price for receiving live distribution. Alternatively, the sharing support unit 212 may search in advance for a specific user terminal 100 that has made a reservation to receive live distribution at the above-mentioned live distribution time as a user terminal 100 that has the right to receive live distribution. good.

In step S107, the sharing support unit 212 notifies the movement instruction device 300 of the detected one or more user terminals 100. For example, the sharing support unit 212 may notify the operation instruction device 300 of the terminal ID of the user terminal 100, the user ID of the user who is the owner of the user terminal 100, the address of the user terminal 100, and the like.

On the other hand, in step S108, when the live distribution time comes, the character control unit 316 of the motion instruction device 300 proceeds to steps S109 to S110 from YES in step S108. It does not matter which one of steps S109 to S110 is executed first.

In step S109, the character control unit 316 acquires the voice input by an actor such as a voice actor through the microphone 3010 as voice data.

In step S110, the character control unit 316 acquires a motion input by an actor such as a model via the motion capture device 3020 as motion capture data.

In step S111, the character control unit 316 generates motion instruction data (second motion instruction data). Specifically, the character control unit 316 identifies the character whose video is to be distributed at the above-mentioned live distribution start time, and stores the character ID of the character in the "Character ID" item of the action instruction data. The video of which character to be distributed at what time may be scheduled in advance by the game master and registered in the motion instruction device 300. Alternatively, the operator of the motion instruction device 300 may specify in advance to the motion instruction device 300 which character's motion instruction data is to be created. The character control unit 316 stores the voice data acquired in step S109 in the "voice" item of the action instruction data. The character control unit 316 stores the motion capture data acquired in step S110 in the "movement" item of the motion instruction data. The character control unit 316 links the audio data and motion capture data so that the audio data and motion capture data are synchronized. The character control unit 316 collects the group identification information of the group of user terminals 100 or the group identification information of one user terminal 100 so that the one or more user terminals 100 notified by the server 200 in step S107 becomes the destination. The address is stored as destination designation information in the "destination" item of the operation instruction data.

In step S112, the character control unit 316 transmits the action instruction data generated as described above to each user terminal 100 designated as a destination via the communication IF 33. The character control unit 316 acquires audio data and motion capture data obtained when the actor speaks or moves, immediately renders it into motion instruction data, and distributes it to each user terminal 100 in real time. This is desirable.

In step S113, the analysis unit 116 of the user terminal 100 receives the above-mentioned operation instruction data via the communication IF 13. For example, the analysis unit 116 may receive the motion instruction data at a time when the live distribution is announced in advance from the motion instruction device 300 or the server 200.

In step S114, the analysis unit 116 uses the reception as a trigger to analyze the received motion instruction data.

In step S115, when the game progression unit 115 receives the above-mentioned action instruction data, if the live distribution part is not being executed, it starts the live distribution part. At this time, if the game progression unit 115 is executing another part, it interrupts the progress of that part and then starts the live distribution part. Here, the game progression unit 115 may output a message to the display unit 152 to the effect that the part being executed will be temporarily suspended because the live distribution has started, and may save the progress of the part in the storage unit 120. desirable. Note that if the live distribution part is already being executed at the time of receiving the above-mentioned action instruction data, the game progressing unit 115 may omit step S115. In this case, the game progression unit 115 may output a message to the display unit 152 to the effect that distribution of the motion instruction data (that is, a moving image of the character's body that is live distributed) has started.

In step S116, the game progression unit 115 advances the live distribution part by making the character move based on the video instruction data analyzed by the analysis unit 116. Specifically, the game progression unit 115 causes the display unit 152 to display a video playback screen 800 shown in FIG. 9 or the like. The game progress unit 115 plays back the voices and movements of actors such as the voice actor 701 and the model 702 in real time as a video almost at the same time as they speak and move at the location where the motion instruction device 300 is installed. This is reflected in the speech and movements of the character 802 on the screen 800. The analysis unit 116 and the game progression unit 115 continue rendering and playing the moving image in real time while continuing to receive motion instruction data from the motion instruction device 300. Specifically, the game progression unit 115 does not accept any input operation from the user, and while the action instruction data is being received, returns to step S113 from NO in step S117, and repeats each subsequent step.

In step S117, when the operation reception unit 111 receives an input operation from the user while the character is moving based on the movement instruction data, the game progress unit 115 advances to step S118 from YES in step S117. For example, the operation accepting unit 111 accepts an input operation on the comment input button 804 on the video playback screen 800.

In step S118, the game progression unit 115 transmits the comment data generated in response to the above-described input operation to the motion instruction device 300. Specifically, the game progression unit 115 may transmit the comment ID of the selected comment as comment data. Alternatively, the game progression unit 115 may transmit text data of sentences input by the user as comment data. Alternatively, the game progression unit 115 may transmit audio data of the audio input by the user as comment data. Alternatively, the game progression unit 115 may recognize the voice input by the user, convert it into text data, and transmit the data as comment data.

In step S119, the reaction processing unit 317 of the motion instruction device 300 receives the comment data transmitted from the user terminal 100 via the communication IF 33.

In step S120, the reaction processing unit 317 outputs the received comment data to the motion instruction device 300. For example, the reaction processing unit 317 displays text data included in the comment data on the display unit 352. This allows the operator to receive feedback indicating how the user reacted to the character they moved. The operator can then determine further character movements based on this feedback. That is, the motion instruction device 300 returns to step S109, continues to acquire audio data and motion capture data, and continues to provide motion instruction data to the user terminal 100. The user terminal 100 receives the action instruction data transmitted from the action instruction device 300 after the content of the input operation at the user terminal is received by the action instruction device 300 . Specifically, the user terminal 100 receives voice data corresponding to the content of the character's utterances, motion instruction data including motion capture data corresponding to the character's movements, and the like. Then, the user terminal 100 continuously causes the character to move based on the motion instruction data. As a result, it becomes possible for the user to experience interactive interaction with the character in real time. Note that instead of the motion capture data, the user terminal 100 may receive a motion command group in which one or more commands for instructing the character's motion are arranged in the order instructed by the operator of the motion instruction device 300.

<Modified example>
In a modification of the first embodiment, the character that live-streams the video in the live-streaming part may not be an NPC in the other parts. That is, the present invention can also be applied to a game in which a PC operating based on a user's operation in another part live-distributes a video as an NPC in a live distribution part.

In this modification, the user terminal 100 is configured to execute the following steps based on the game program 131 in order to improve the interest of the game. Specifically, the user terminal 100 displays a character in response to a user's input operation input to the computer (user terminal 100) via the operation unit (input/output IF 14, touch screen 15, camera 17, distance measurement sensor 18). The step of proceeding with the first part by making the character move; and the step of proceeding with the second part by making the character move based on the motion instruction data that specifies the motion of the character received from the NPC control device (movement instruction device 300). and the steps to do so. Here, the motion instruction data includes at least one of audio data and motion capture data. In the step of proceeding with the second part, the user terminal 100 transmits the contents of the user's input operation to the NPC control device, receives operation instruction data determined by the NPC control device based on the contents of the input operation, The reception of the motion instruction data is used as a trigger to cause the character to move.

[Embodiment 2]
<Game Overview>
As with the first embodiment, the game executed by the game system 1 according to the second embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the present game) is, for example, a training simulation game that includes elements of a love simulation game. In this embodiment, the game includes at least a live distribution part. This game may be composed of a single live distribution part, or may be composed of a plurality of parts. Further, in the live distribution part, the character whose motion is controlled by the motion instruction device 300 may be a PC or an NPC. For example, even if a character operates as an NPC in a live distribution part, it may operate as a PC in accordance with a user's input operation in another part. Alternatively, during the period when the action instruction data is not being live distributed from the action instruction device 300, the character may operate as a PC in accordance with the user's input operation in the live distribution part. Then, once the live distribution starts, the character may be switched to an NPC and may move according to the action instruction data supplied from the action instruction device 300.

<Processing overview>
In this embodiment, the user terminal 100 is configured to execute the following steps based on the game program 131 in order to improve the interest of the game. Specifically, the user terminal 100 includes a step of causing the character to move in response to a user's input operation inputted to the user terminal 100 (computer) via an operation unit such as the input unit 151, and a step of causing the character to move according to a user's input operation inputted to the user terminal 100 (computer) via an operation unit such as the input unit 151, A step of receiving motion instruction data specifying the motion of the character transmitted by multicast from the device 300 (character control device), and a step of causing the character to move based on the received motion instruction data are executed.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the step of causing the character to move is triggered by receipt of motion instruction data transmitted by multicast in the receiving step.

Alternatively, in this embodiment, the user terminal 100 may be configured to execute the following steps based on the game program 131 in order to improve the interest of the game. Specifically, the user terminal 100 performs a step of causing the character to move in response to a user's input operation inputted to the user terminal 100 via the operation unit, and a step of causing the character to move in accordance with the user's input operation inputted to the user terminal 100 via the operation unit, and a step of causing the character to move in accordance with the user's input operation inputted to the user terminal 100 via the operation unit, and the step of causing the character to move in accordance with the user's input operation input to the user terminal 100 via the operation unit, and the step of causing the character to move according to the user's input operation input to the user terminal 100 via the operation unit, Receiving the transmitted motion instruction data that specifies the motion of the character and in which the user terminal 100 of another user is not specified as the creation source of the motion instruction data; and the received motion instruction. and causing the character to move based on the data. Note that the expression "the action instruction data was sent to the user terminal 100" means, for example, that the action instruction data was sent by unicast. For example, if the destination designation information includes an address specific to the terminal, the user terminal 100 can determine that the operation instruction data is addressed to the terminal, that is, transmitted by unicast.

Furthermore, the step of causing the character to move is triggered by the fact that the step of receiving motion instruction data that is transmitted by unicast and is not associated with identification information of the user or user terminal. It is preferable to start with

<Functional configuration of game system 1>
In the user terminal 100 according to the present embodiment, the analysis unit 116 further analyzes meta information of the motion instruction data. Meta information is information that defines the nature of the motion instruction data, separate from the contents of the motion instruction data. The meta information includes, for example, destination designation information and creation source information. Specifically, the analysis unit 116 determines whether the motion instruction data is multicast or unicast, based on the destination designation information of the transmitted motion instruction data. do. Multicast transmission means that the server 200 or the operation instruction device 300 transmits the same information to a predetermined group including its own terminal. For example, action instruction data in which "ALL" is set as destination designation information is simultaneously sent to all user terminals that are running the application of this game. Unicast transmission means that the server 200 or the operation instruction device 300 transmits information addressed to its own terminal. The destination designation information is stored, for example, in the item "destination" of the operation instruction data shown in FIG.

The motion instruction data transmitted by multicast is considered to have been created by the game master, not by a specific user. Specifically, the above-mentioned operation instruction data may be created by a device belonging to a provider (operating organization) that provides the service of this game in the game system 1. For example, since the server 200 or the action instruction device 300 knows information about all users and user terminals, it is possible to create action instruction data and send it by multicast to user terminals that are running applications. Therefore, the user terminal 100 can determine that the multicast-transmitted action instruction data was created by the game master.

In this embodiment, the analysis unit 116 may have the following functions, for example. Specifically, the analysis unit 116 renders the multicast-transmitted motion instruction data. The analysis unit 116 then instructs the game progression unit 115 to make the character move based on the rendering result. More preferably, the analysis unit 116 is triggered by receiving multicast-transmitted motion instruction data, and renders the motion instruction data in real time. Subsequently, the analysis unit 116 instructs the game progression unit 115 to make the character move based on the rendering result.

In another embodiment, the analysis unit 116 may have the following functions instead of or in addition to the above functions. Specifically, the analysis unit 116 renders motion instruction data that is unicast transmitted and is not associated with information related to a specific user such as a user ID or user terminal ID. do. The analysis unit 116 then instructs the game progression unit 115 to make the character move based on the rendering result. More preferably, when the analysis unit 116 determines that the movement instruction data is unicast transmitted, the analysis unit 116 determines whether the movement instruction data is transmitted by a specific user terminal based on information on the origin of the movement instruction data. Determine whether it has been created. For example, the analysis unit 116 determines that movement instruction data to which information related to a specific user is linked as the creation source information is created by a specific user terminal. The analysis unit 116 determines that the motion instruction data whose creator information has an empty value and the motion instruction data to which no creator information is associated in the first place are not created by a specific user terminal. Action instruction data that is not created by a specific user terminal is considered to have been created by the game master.

The analysis unit 116 is triggered by receiving unicast-transmitted motion instruction data in which the specific user's related information is not linked as the creator information, and renders the motion instruction data in real time. Subsequently, the analysis unit 116 instructs the game progression unit 115 to make the character move based on the rendering result.

Thereby, the user terminal 100 can cause the character to move in real time based on the movement instruction data distributed from the game master, reflecting the intention of the game master. Therefore, the character can be provided with a sense of reality as if the character really exists there.

<Processing flow>
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for analyzing motion instruction data, which is executed by the user terminal 100 according to the present embodiment. In this embodiment, the processing executed by each device of the game system 1 is almost the same as the processing shown in FIG. 10. In step S114, the user terminal 100 analyzes the motion instruction data as shown below.

In step S201, the analysis unit 116 acquires destination designation information from the item "destination" of the operation instruction data.

In step S202, the analysis unit 116 determines whether the operation instruction data is transmitted by multicast based on the destination designation information. If the destination designation information indicates a group identifier (eg, "ALL", etc.), the analysis unit 116 determines that the operation instruction data is transmitted by multicast. Then, from YES in step S202, the analysis unit 116 proceeds to step S115 and subsequent steps shown in FIG. 10. That is, the game progression unit 115 uses the reception of the action instruction data transmitted by multicast at its own terminal as a trigger, and causes the character to move in real time based on the action instruction data. On the other hand, if the destination designation information indicates the address of the own terminal, the analysis unit 116 determines that the operation instruction data is transmitted by unicast. In the present embodiment, the analysis unit 116 determines that there is no need to reproduce what is transmitted by unicast in real time, and stores the received motion instruction data in the storage unit 120, at step S103 shown in FIG. You may return later. In step S<b>103 , for example, the game progression unit 115 may advance a part in which the character moves in accordance with the user's input operation input into the user terminal 100 . In another embodiment, if the motion instruction data transmitted by unicast is received, the analysis unit 116 may proceed to step S203 from NO in step S202.

In step S203, the analysis unit 116 acquires creation source information from the item "creation source" of the motion instruction data.

In step S204, the analysis unit 116 determines whether the creation source information indicates user-related information related to a specific user. The user-related information includes, for example, a user ID, a terminal ID of the user terminal 100, an address of the user terminal 100, and the like. If the creation source information is not user-related information of a specific user, the analysis unit 116 determines that the motion instruction data is not created by a specific user but by a game master. Then, from NO in step S204, the analysis unit 116 proceeds to step S115 and subsequent steps shown in FIG. 10. That is, the game progression unit 115 uses the reception of motion instruction data to which no user-related information is linked at its own terminal as a trigger, and causes the character to move in real time based on the motion instruction data. On the other hand, if the creator information is user-related information of a specific user, the analysis unit 116 determines that the motion instruction data is created by the specific user. Therefore, the analysis unit 116 determines that there is no need to reproduce the data in real time since it is not motion instruction data supplied from the game master, and proceeds from YES in step S204 to step S205.

In step S205, the analysis unit 116 stores the motion instruction data created by the specific user in the storage unit 120, and returns to step S103 and subsequent steps shown in FIG. 10.

According to the above-described configuration and method, in addition to causing the character to move in accordance with the user's input operation, the user terminal 100 causes the character to move based on the movement instruction data received from the server 200 or the movement instruction device 300. be able to. As a result, the character's movements can be expressed in a wide range of ways, without having to fit into a conventional format. As a result, the user can watch the character's actions and feel as if the character is in the real world. Since the user feels more attached to the character through the experience of interacting with the character with a rich sense of reality, the user can play the other parts of the game in which the character is operated with even more interest. As a result, there is an effect of increasing the sense of immersion in the game world and improving the interest of the game.

<Modified example>
In a modification of the second embodiment, the analysis unit 116 omits the step of determining whether the action instruction data is multicast transmitted based on the destination designation information, and the analysis unit 116 omits the step of determining whether the action instruction data is multicast transmitted, and the analysis unit 116 omits the step of determining whether or not the action instruction data is multicast transmitted, and the analysis unit 116 omits the step of determining whether the action instruction data is multicast transmitted. You may perform a step of determining whether or not there is a link based on the creation source information.

[Example of implementation using software]
Control blocks of the control unit 110 (in particular, the operation reception unit 111, display control unit 112, UI control unit 113, animation generation unit 114, game progression unit 115, analysis unit 116, and progress information generation unit 117), control of the control unit 210 blocks (especially the progress support section 211 and the sharing support section 212), and control blocks of the control section 310 (especially the operation reception section 311, display control section 312, UI control section 313, animation generation section 314, progress simulation section 315) , character control unit 316, and reaction processing unit 317) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed on an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit). You may.

In the latter case, the information processing device including the control unit 110, the control unit 210, or the control unit 310, or a plurality of these, includes a CPU that executes instructions of a program that is software that implements each function, the above programs, and various other components. It is equipped with a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a storage device (these are referred to as a "recording medium") in which data is recorded so that it can be read by a computer (or CPU), a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the above program, etc. . Then, the object of the present invention is achieved by the computer (or CPU) reading the program from the recording medium and executing it. As the recording medium, a "non-temporary tangible medium" such as a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, etc. can be used. Furthermore, the program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast waves, etc.) that can transmit the program. Note that one aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. are also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[Additional notes]
The contents related to one aspect of the present invention are listed below.

(Item 1) The game program (131) was explained. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the game program includes a processor (10), a memory (11), an operation unit (communication IF 13, input/output IF 14, touch screen 15, camera 17, ranging sensor 18, input unit 151, etc.). It is executed by a computer (user terminal 100) provided with the program. The game program includes a step (S103) in which the processor causes the character to move according to the user's input operation input into the computer via the operation unit, and a character control device (movement instruction device 300) that controls the movement of the character. A step of receiving motion instruction data that specifies a character's motion and that is sent to a computer and does not specify another user's computer as the creator of the motion instruction data (S113, S204) (NO), and a step (S116) of causing the character to move based on the received motion instruction data is executed.

According to the above configuration, the computer (user terminal 100) not only makes the character move according to the input operation of the user, but also makes the character move based on the action instruction data received from an external device (for example, a character control device). You can make the character move by As a result, the character's movements can be expressed in a wide range of ways, without having to fit into a conventional format. As a result, the user can watch the character's actions and feel as if the character is in the real world. As a result, there is an effect of increasing the sense of immersion in the game world and improving the interest of the game.

(Item 2) In (Item 1), the step of making the character move based on the action instruction data includes, if the action instruction data includes audio data, making the character speak based on the audio data and make the character make the action. If the instruction data includes motion data, the character is moved based on the motion data. Thereby, in the character control device, the voice or movement created by the operator, actor, or the like can be reflected in the voice or movement of the character displayed on the computer (user terminal 100). As a result, the expression of the character becomes extremely rich, and it becomes possible to enhance the realism of the character.

(Item 3) In (Item 1) or (Item 2), the step of making the character move based on the action instruction data is the step of receiving the action instruction data transmitted by multicast from the character control device. A trigger is used to cause the character to move based on the motion instruction data. Thereby, a character that moves in real time according to the control by the character control device can be presented to the user.

(Item 4) In any one of (Item 1) to (Item 3), the game program is sent to the computer via the operation unit while the character is moving based on the movement instruction data. The step of transmitting the input contents of the user's input operation to the character control device (S118) is executed, and the step of receiving the input operation includes transmitting the input operation contents to the character control device after the character control device receives the contents of the input operation (S119). The operation instruction data transmitted from the device is further received (S113). Thereby, the operator of the character control device can determine the behavior of the character based on the content of the user's input operation. The operator can reflect actions (sound, movement, etc.) in the speech or movement of the character displayed on the computer (user terminal 100). Therefore, the user can enjoy interacting with the character in the same way as interacting with a real person, and the realism of the character is further enhanced.

(Item 5) In (Item 4), the step of receiving includes, after the character control device receives the content of the input operation, audio data corresponding to the character's utterances, which is input to the character control device, as motion instruction data. You may receive it. As a result, interactive interaction (for example, conversation) with the character can be realized in real time.

(Item 6) In (Item 4) or (Item 5), the step of receiving includes motion capture data corresponding to the movement of the character that is input to the character control device after the character control device receives the content of the input operation. may be received as motion instruction data. This allows real-time interactive interaction with the character and allows the character's movements to match.

(Item 7) The game program (131) was explained. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the game program includes a processor (10), a memory (11), an operation unit (communication IF 13, input/output IF 14, touch screen 15, camera 17, ranging sensor 18, input unit 151, etc.). It is executed by a computer (user terminal 100) provided with the program. The game program includes a step (S103) in which the processor causes the character to move according to the user's input operation inputted into the computer via the operation unit, and a step (S103) in which the character is transmitted to the computer from the character control device that controls the character's movement. a step of receiving motion instruction data that specifies a motion of a character that has been created, and in which another user's computer is not specified as the creation source of the motion instruction data (NO in S113, S204); Based on the motion instruction data, a step (S116) of causing the character to move is executed. The game program according to (Item 7) has the same effects as the game program according to (Item 1).

(Item 8) Explained how to run a game program. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a game program is executed by a computer including a processor, a memory, and an operation unit. This method is a method in which a processor executes each step described in (Item 1). The method according to (Item 8) has the same effect as the game program according to (Item 1).

(Item 9) Information processing equipment was explained. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the information processing device includes a storage unit (120) that stores a game program according to (item 1), and an operation unit (for example, a communication IF 13, an input/output IF 14, a touch screen 15, a camera 17 , distance measurement sensor 18, input unit 151, etc.), and a control unit (110) that controls the operation of the information processing device (user terminal 100) by executing the game program. The information processing device according to (Item 9) has the same effect as the game program according to (Item 1).

1 Game system, 2 Network, 10, 20, 30 Processor, 11, 21, 31 Memory, 12, 22, 32 Storage, 13, 23, 33 Communication IF (operation unit), 14, 24, 34 Input/output IF (operation unit) ), 15, 35 touch screen (display section, operation section), 17 camera (operation section), 18 ranging sensor (operation section), 100 user terminal (computer, information processing device), 110, 113, 210, 310 Control unit, 111, 311 Operation reception unit, 112, 312 Display control unit, 113, 313 UI control unit, 114, 314 Animation generation unit, 115 Game progress unit, 116 Analysis unit, 117 Progress information generation unit, 120, 220, 320 storage unit, 131 game program, 132 game information, 133 user information, 134 character control program, 151, 351 input unit (operation unit), 152, 352 display unit, 200 server (computer), 211 progress support unit, 212 sharing Support unit, 300 movement instruction device (NPC control device, character control device), 315 progress simulation unit, 316 character control unit, 317 reaction processing unit, 1010 object, 1020, 3030 controller, 1030 storage medium, 3010 microphone, 3020 motion capture Device

Claims (13)

A character control program,
The character control program is executed by a computer including a processor, a memory, and an operation unit,
The character control program causes the processor to:
a step of causing a character to move in response to a user's input operation input into the computer via the operation unit;
The data is distributed at a predetermined time from an external device located in an external space physically separate from the space in which the user is located, and receives motion instruction data specifying the motion of the character. step and
causing the character to move based on the received movement instruction data;
The motion instruction data is data including motion data input by a performer playing the character and audio data input by the performer playing the character,
The character control program is characterized in that the performer is a person different from the user and located in an external space physically separate from the space in which the user is located. The computer includes a display unit,
The character control program causes the processor to:
2. The character control program according to claim 1, wherein the step of making the character move based on the action instruction data causes the character to be displayed on a display unit in a manner according to a user's play result. 3. The character control program according to claim 1, wherein the step of receiving receives motion instruction data distributed from the external device when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The step of causing the character to move based on the motion instruction data includes causing the character to speak based on audio data included in the motion instruction data, and moving the character based on motion data included in the motion instruction data. The character control program according to any one of Items 1 to 3. 5. The step of causing the character to move based on the motion instruction data is triggered by receiving the motion instruction data from the external device, and causes the character to move based on the motion instruction data. The character control program according to any one of the items. The character control program causes the processor to:
executing a step of transmitting the contents of the user's input operation input to the computer via the operation unit to the external device;
In the step of receiving, after transmitting the content of the input operation to the external device, motion instruction data including a reaction of the character to the input operation can be received;
The step of causing the character to move includes making the character speak based on the voice data included in the received motion instruction data and moving the character based on the motion data, thereby responding to the user's input operation. The character control program according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is capable of presenting a reaction of the character to the user. 7. The character control program according to claim 6, wherein the motion instruction data including reactions of the character includes voice data input by a performer playing the character in response to input operations by the user. 8. The character control program according to claim 6, wherein the motion instruction data including reactions of the character includes motion data input by a performer playing the character in response to input operations by the user. The motion instruction data including the reaction of the character includes a motion command group having one or more commands for instructing the motion of the character, which is specified by an input operation input to the external device in response to the input operation of the user. The character control program according to claim 6 or 7, comprising: 10. The character control program according to claim 1, wherein the motion instruction data is data transmitted by multicast from the external device. A character control program executed by a computer,
The computer is configured to be able to communicate with an external device that generates motion instruction data indicating the content of the character's motion according to an operator's operation,
Based on the character control program , any one of a plurality of parts can be executed, including a first part in which the user can operate the character, and a second part in which the character cannot be operated by the user,
The character control program causes the processor of the computer to:
The space in which the user is located is data that is distributed at a predetermined time from an external device located in a physically distant external space, and the player character to be operated by the user in the first part. receiving operation instruction data for operating the second part;
causing the player character to move in the second part based on the received movement instruction data;
The motion instruction data is data including motion data input by the operator and voice data input by the operator,
The character control program is characterized in that the operator is a person different from the user who is located in an external space physically separate from the space where the user is located. A method for a computer to execute a character control program , the method comprising:
The computer includes a processor, a memory, and an operation unit,
A method in which the processor performs the steps of claim 1. An information processing device,
The information processing device includes:
A storage unit that stores the character control program according to claim 1;
an operation section;
An information processing device, comprising: a control unit that controls operations of the information processing device by executing the character control program .

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