WO2024180581A1 - Information processing device and information display method - Google Patents

Abstract

In the present invention, a situation assessment unit 122 assesses whether a user is in a prescribed situation in relation to game play. An overview-information generation unit 124 generates overview information representing an overview of the user's past game play in a case where the determination is that the user is in the prescribed situation. An output processing unit 116 displays the overview information on an output device.

Description

Information processing device and information display method

This disclosure relates to technology that presents information about gameplay to users.

When a user plays a game for the first time in a long time, they may not be able to remember how to play. Also, when a user plays a game, if they have been playing another game for a long time immediately before, they may not be able to switch their mind properly and may not be able to start the game for a while.

There are quite a few users who become stressed when they are no longer able to play games that they previously enjoyed, and as a result, stop playing those games altogether. In order to prevent users from abandoning games in this way, it is desirable to create a system that allows users to play games smoothly.

An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes one or more processors having hardware, and the one or more processors determine whether or not a user is in a predetermined situation with respect to gameplay, and if it is determined that the user is in the predetermined situation, generates summary information that shows an overview of the user's past gameplay, and displays the summary information.

Another aspect of the information display method of the present disclosure is a method for displaying information related to gameplay in an information processing device, which determines whether or not a user is in a predetermined situation with respect to gameplay, and if it is determined that the user is in the predetermined situation, generates summary information that shows an overview of the user's past gameplay, and displays the summary information.

In addition, any combination of the above components, and conversions of the expressions of this disclosure between methods, devices, systems, recording media, computer programs, etc., are also valid aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a game system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an information processing device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks of the information processing device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen. 11 is a flowchart for implementing a play support function in an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a notification area. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a summary screen.

FIG. 1 shows a game system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The game system 1 of the embodiment includes an information processing device 10 operated by a user, and a server system 12. For example, when a user plays a game for the first time in a long time, the game system 1 presents the user with information about past gameplay, thereby realizing an environment in which the user can smoothly resume gameplay.

The access point (hereinafter referred to as "AP") 8 has the functions of a wireless access point and a router, and the information processing device 10 connects to the AP 8 wirelessly or via a wired connection to be communicatively connected to a server system 12 on a network 3 such as the Internet. The server system 12 includes a management server 14 and a game server 16. Note that the management server 14 and the game server 16 may be configured as an integrated server device. While FIG. 1 shows one user and one information processing device 10, in the game system 1, multiple information processing devices 10 operated by multiple users are connected to the management server 14 and game server 16 via the network 3.

The information processing device 10 is connected wirelessly or via a wire to an input device 6 operated by a user, and the input device 6 outputs information operated by the user to the information processing device 10. When the information processing device 10 receives operation information from the input device 6, it reflects the information in the processing of the system software and game software, and causes the output device 4 to output the processing results. In the game system 1, the information processing device 10 is a game device (game console) that executes a game, and the input device 6 is a device such as a game controller that supplies user operation information to the information processing device 10. The input device 6 may also be an input interface such as a keyboard or mouse.

The auxiliary storage device 2 is a large-capacity recording device such as an HDD (hard disk drive) or SSD (solid state drive), and may be an internal recording device, or may be an external recording device connected to the information processing device 10 via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or the like. The output device 4 may be a television having a display for outputting images and a speaker for outputting sound. The output device 4 may be connected to the information processing device 10 via a wired cable, or may be connected wirelessly.

Camera 7, which is an imaging device, is provided near output device 4 and captures an image of the space around output device 4. While FIG. 1 shows an example in which camera 7 is attached to the top of output device 4, it may be disposed on the side or bottom of output device 4, and in either case, it is disposed in a position where it can capture an image of a user positioned in front of output device 4. Camera 7 may be a stereo camera.

The management server 14 provides network services to users of the game system 1. The management server 14 manages user accounts that identify users, and the users sign in to the network services provided by the management server 14 using their user accounts. By signing in to the network services from the information processing device 10, the users can register game save data and trophies, which are virtual rewards acquired during game play, in the management server 14. By registering the save data and trophies in the management server 14, the save data and trophies can be synchronized even if the user uses an information processing device other than the information processing device 10.

The game server 16 manages the game community and provides services that allow users to enjoy the game. The game server 16 has a function of collecting event data (described later) from the information processing devices 10 of multiple users and analyzing playing trends.

FIG. 2 shows the hardware configuration of the information processing device 10. The information processing device 10 is configured to include a main power button 20, a power ON LED 21, a standby LED 22, a system controller 24, a clock 26, a device controller 30, a media drive 32, a USB module 34, a flash memory 36, a wireless communication module 38, a wired communication module 40, a subsystem 50, and a main system 60.

The main system 60 comprises a main CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory and memory controller serving as the main storage device, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. The GPU is primarily used for the calculation and processing of game programs. The main CPU has the function of starting up the system software and executing the game program installed in the auxiliary storage device 2 in the environment provided by the system software. The subsystem 50 comprises a sub CPU, a memory and memory controller serving as the main storage device, etc., but does not comprise a GPU.

While the main CPU has the function of executing game programs installed in the auxiliary storage device 2, the sub-CPU does not have such a function. However, the sub-CPU has the function of accessing the auxiliary storage device 2 and the function of sending and receiving data with the server system 12. The sub-CPU is configured with only these limited processing functions, and therefore can operate with less power consumption compared to the main CPU. These functions of the sub-CPU are executed when the main CPU is in standby mode.

The main power button 20 is an input unit through which the user inputs operations, is provided on the front of the housing of the information processing device 10, and is operated to turn on or off the power supply to the main system 60 of the information processing device 10. The power ON LED 21 lights up when the main power button 20 is turned on, and the standby LED 22 lights up when the main power button 20 is turned off. The system controller 24 detects when the main power button 20 is pressed by the user.

The clock 26 is a real-time clock that generates current date and time information and supplies it to the system controller 24, the subsystem 50, and the main system 60.

The device controller 30 is configured as an LSI (Large-Scale Integrated Circuit) that transfers information between devices like a south bridge. As shown in the figure, devices such as the system controller 24, media drive 32, USB module 34, flash memory 36, wireless communication module 38, wired communication module 40, subsystem 50, and main system 60 are connected to the device controller 30. The device controller 30 absorbs differences in the electrical characteristics and data transfer speeds of each device and controls the timing of data transfer.

The media drive 32 is a drive device that operates by mounting a ROM medium 44 on which application software such as games and license information are recorded, and reads programs, data, and the like from the ROM medium 44. The ROM medium 44 is a read-only recording medium such as an optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or Blu-ray disk.

The USB module 34 is a module that connects to an external device via a USB cable. The USB module 34 may also be connected to the auxiliary storage device 2 and the camera 7 via USB cables. The flash memory 36 is an auxiliary storage device that constitutes the internal storage. The wireless communication module 38 wirelessly communicates with the input device 6 using a communication protocol such as the Bluetooth (registered trademark) protocol or the IEEE802.11 protocol. The wired communication module 40 communicates with an external device via a wired connection and connects to the network 3 via the AP 8.

FIG. 3 shows functional blocks of the information processing device 10. The information processing device 10 comprises a processing unit 100, a communication unit 102, and a recording device 140, and executes game software installed in the auxiliary storage device 2. The processing unit 100 comprises a reception unit 110, a game execution unit 112, a game image generation unit 114, an output processing unit 116, a recording processing unit 118, an information acquisition unit 120, a situation determination unit 122, a summary information generation unit 124, a transmission processing unit 126, and a notification unit 128. The recording device 140 may be constituted by a part of the storage area of the auxiliary storage device 2, and has a play video recording unit 142 and an event data recording unit 144.

The information processing device 10 includes a computer, which executes a program to realize the various functions shown in FIG. 3. The computer includes hardware such as a memory into which the program is loaded, one or more processors that execute the loaded program, an auxiliary storage device, and other LSIs. The processor is composed of multiple electronic circuits including semiconductor integrated circuits and LSIs, and the multiple electronic circuits may be mounted on a single chip or on multiple chips. The functional blocks shown in FIG. 3 are realized by cooperation between hardware and software, and therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms using only hardware, only software, or a combination thereof.

The communication unit 102 receives information (operation information) of the user operating the input device 6 to play the game, and provides it to the reception unit 110. When the reception unit 110 receives game operation information from the user, it provides it to the game execution unit 112. The communication unit 102 also communicates with the management server 14 and/or the game server 16 to send and receive various information or data. The communication unit 102 may have the functions of both the wireless communication module 38 and the wired communication module 40.

The game execution unit 112 executes game software based on the user's operation information. The game software includes at least a game program, image data, and sound data. While the user is playing a game, the reception unit 110 receives the user's operation information, and the game execution unit 112 performs calculation processing to move a player character in a virtual space based on the user's operation information. The game image generation unit 114 includes a GPU, and receives the results of the calculation processing in the virtual space, and generates a game image from a viewpoint position (virtual camera) in the virtual space. In addition, the game sound generation unit (not shown) generates game sound at the viewpoint position in the virtual space. The output processing unit 116 outputs the game images and game sounds from the output device 4.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a game image displayed on the output device 4. In this example, the user is playing a game titled "Battleship 2."

The recording processing unit 118 has a buffer that records the game images and game sounds generated by the output processing unit 116 in real time. The buffer may be a ring buffer that records game images and sounds within a predetermined upper limit time range, and the recording processing unit 118 sequentially records game images and sounds for the most recent upper limit time in the ring buffer. For example, the ring buffer may be configured to be able to record game images and sounds for the most recent hour.

In the game program of the embodiment, when a user's play achieves a condition for unlocking a trophy, which is a virtual reward, the user is granted a trophy linked to that unlock condition. Depending on the difficulty level, various types of trophies, such as gold trophies, silver trophies, and bronze trophies, may be provided. Granting trophies serves to increase the user's motivation to play the game, and users can compete with other users to see who can win the most trophies.

The game program outputs trophy information, including information identifying the unlocked trophy (trophy ID), when the conditions for unlocking the trophy are met. The information acquisition unit 120, upon receiving the trophy information, generates trophy data by adding to the trophy information a user identifier (user account) identifying the user, a game identifier (game ID) identifying the game and time information (timestamp) indicating the time at which the trophy was acquired, and provides it to the transmission processing unit 130. The game program may output trophy information, including the game ID and/or timestamp, to the information acquisition unit 120. The transmission processing unit 130 transmits in real time the trophy data provided by the information acquisition unit 120 to the management server 14 via the communication unit 102. The management server 14 manages the acquisition status of the trophies, making it possible to synchronize the acquisition status of the trophies even if the user uses an information processing device other than the information processing device 10.

When the information acquisition unit 120 acquires the trophy information, the recording processing unit 118 automatically saves the gameplay video before and after the acquisition of the trophy in the gameplay video recording unit 142. Specifically, the recording processing unit 118 extracts from the ring buffer the gameplay video of the range starting from a first time (for example, 10 seconds) before the acquisition of the trophy and ending at a second time (for example, 5 seconds) after the acquisition of the trophy, and records it in the gameplay video recording unit 142 together with time information indicating the time when the trophy was acquired. In addition, if the trophy is acquired during the execution of an activity, which is a play unit of the game, the recording processing unit 118 may also record information identifying that activity (activity ID) in the gameplay video recording unit 142. In this way, in the gameplay video recording unit 142, meta information such as time information indicating the time when the trophy was acquired and the activity ID are recorded together with the gameplay video when the trophy was acquired.

In addition, when an event occurs within the game, the game program of the embodiment outputs event information including information identifying the event that has occurred (event ID). The information acquisition unit 120 acquires the event information and provides the acquired event information to the game server 16, which enables the game server 16 to statistically analyze trends in game play by multiple users. For this reason, it is preferable that various events are coded into the game program.

A game includes multiple activities, each of which has a start condition and an end condition. The end condition may be a condition for completing the activity. An activity is a unit of play that is made up of stages, quests, subquests, missions, tournaments, sessions, etc. that are incorporated into the game, and each activity has a play condition set for completion based on the user's operation. In an embodiment, a series of game progress from when the start condition of an activity is met to when the end condition is met constitutes one activity. For example, the start condition is set to enter the enemy boss' castle, and the end condition is set to defeat the enemy boss. Activities are set appropriately by the game creator, and one quest that appears in the game progress may constitute one activity, and one subquest carried out within one quest may constitute one activity.

When an activity is started, the game program outputs event information including information identifying the start event of the activity (event ID) to the information acquisition unit 120. When an activity is ended, the game program outputs event information including information identifying the end event of the activity (event ID) to the information acquisition unit 120. In addition to the event ID, the event information may include information identifying the activity (activity ID), and may also include information indicating the result of the activity (for example, success or failure). The event ID is set to be different for each activity.

When the information acquisition unit 120 acquires the event information, it generates event data by adding a user identifier (user account) that identifies the user, a game identifier (game ID) that identifies the game, and time information (timestamp) that indicates the time when the event occurred to the event information, and provides the event data to the transmission processing unit 130. The game program may output the event information including the game ID and/or the timestamp to the information acquisition unit 120. The transmission processing unit 130 transmits the event data provided by the information acquisition unit 120 to the game server 16 in real time via the communication unit 102. In an embodiment, the information acquisition unit 120 may record the event data in the event data recording unit 144.

When the information acquisition unit 120 acquires event information indicating the end of an activity, the recording processing unit 118 automatically saves the gameplay video before and after the end of the activity in the gameplay video recording unit 142. Specifically, the recording processing unit 118 extracts from the ring buffer a range of gameplay video starting from a third time (e.g., 15 seconds) before the end of the activity and ending at a fourth time (e.g., 5 seconds) after the end of the activity, and records this in the gameplay video recording unit 142 together with time information indicating the time when the activity ended and the activity ID. In this way, the gameplay video recording unit 142 records meta information such as time information indicating the time when the activity ended and the activity ID along with the gameplay video when the activity ended.

The information processing device 10 according to the embodiment has a function that supports a user in smoothly returning to a game when resuming play of the game that was temporarily interrupted. The following describes a process for supporting a user in returning to the game title "Battleship 2" shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for implementing the play support function in an embodiment. First, the situation determination unit 122 determines whether or not the user is in a specified situation with respect to gameplay of the game "Battleship 2" (S10). Here, the "specified situation" may be a situation in which it is predicted that the user is highly likely to have forgotten what they played up until the previous time. In order for the user to smoothly resume gameplay, it is necessary for them to remember what they played up until the previous time. Therefore, when the current situation regarding the user's gameplay is such that it is highly likely that the user has forgotten what they played in the past (Y in S10), the situation determination unit 122 may decide to implement the play support function.

The situation determination unit 122 may perform this determination process when "Battleship 2" is launched. For example, the situation determination unit 122 may determine that it is highly likely that the user has forgotten what he or she played in the past when a predetermined period of time (e.g., 30 days) or more has passed since the last launch date. The situation determination unit 122 may also determine that it is highly likely that the user has forgotten what he or she played in the past when the user played a completely different game for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 12 hours) or more immediately before launching "Battleship 2". The situation determination unit 122 may also determine that it is highly likely that the user has forgotten what he or she played in the past when the user uninstalls "Battleship 2", reinstalls it, and then launches "Battleship 2".

When the situation determination unit 122 determines that the user is likely to have forgotten past play content, the notification unit 128 may generate a message for play support, and the output processing unit 116 may superimpose the message on the game screen.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a notification area 190 superimposed on the game screen. The notification area 190 includes a play support message generated by the notification unit 128. In this example, "Welcome back. Would you like to review your play so far?" is displayed, and when the user inputs predetermined operation information using the input device 6, summary information showing an overview of past game play is presented to the user, as described below. The message may be displayed on a display device other than the output device 4, for example, a mobile terminal device such as the user's smartphone.

The situation determination unit 122 may determine whether or not to implement the play assistance function based on the user's behavior after "Battleship 2" is launched. For example, the situation determination unit 122 may determine that the user is likely to have forgotten what he or she has played in the past if the user does not start an activity for a predetermined time (e.g., five minutes) or more after "Battleship 2" is launched. The situation determination unit 122 may determine that the user is likely to have forgotten what he or she has played in the past if the user fails an activity multiple times in succession after "Battleship 2" is launched, or the play time of an activity is too long. The situation determination unit 122 may also determine that the user is likely to have forgotten what he or she has played in the past if the user immediately ends "Battleship 2" or the time of no operation exceeds a predetermined time (e.g., three minutes).

As described above, the situation determination unit 122 determines whether or not the user is in a predetermined situation with respect to game play when or after the game is started. If the user is not in a predetermined situation with respect to game play (N in S10), play assistance processing is not performed for the user. On the other hand, if the user is in a predetermined situation with respect to game play (Y in S10), play assistance processing is performed for the user. As described above, the output processing unit 116 may display the notification area 190 including a play assistance message, and the play assistance processing may be performed after the user responds to the message.

In the gameplay support process, the summary information generating unit 124 generates summary information that indicates an overview of the user's past gameplay (S12). The summary information generating unit 124 refers to the event data recorded in the event data recording unit 144 to identify the activity performed before the gameplay was interrupted (i.e., up to the previous gameplay). The summary information generating unit 124 also refers to the gameplay video recorded in the gameplay video recording unit 142 to identify the gameplay video recorded for the activity performed before the gameplay was interrupted. The summary information generating unit 124 may identify the gameplay video by referring to an activity ID linked to the gameplay video.

The summary information generating unit 124 may receive event data from the game server 16. As described above, the transmission processing unit 126 transmits the event data to the game server 16 in real time. Therefore, if the event data is not recorded in the information processing device 10, the game server 16 transmits event data acquired during previous play of "Battleship 2" to the information processing device 10, and the summary information generating unit 124 can refer to the event data to identify the activity the user performed before interrupting gameplay.

The summary information generating unit 124 arranges in chronological order the multiple play units (activities) played before the game play was interrupted, and generates summary information that enables viewing of related gameplay videos. The output processing unit 116 displays the summary information on the output device 4 (S14).

Figure 7 shows an example of a summary screen including summary information presented to the user. On this summary screen, multiple activities performed by the user before interrupting play are arranged in chronological order in the form of an arrow GUI, allowing the user to recall the flow of past gameplay. In addition, gameplay video 200a when a trophy is obtained, gameplay videos 200b and 200c when the end conditions of an activity are achieved, and gameplay video 200d saved by the user are arranged on the timeline, making it easier to evoke the user's memories.

When the user focuses on and selects one of the arrow GUIs representing an activity, detailed information about the focused activity is displayed on the right side of the screen. In this example, the arrow GUI for Quest 2 is focused and selected, so detailed information about Quest 2 is displayed on the right side of the screen. By looking at the detailed information about each activity, the user can recall what they played at the time.

This overview screen lists the activities the user performed before they stopped playing in chronological order, allowing the user to see at a glance the progress of the story at that time. In addition, gameplay videos are also displayed for viewing, allowing users to recall past gameplay content and quickly resume playing "Battleship 2."

As another type of summary information, the summary information generating unit 124 may generate the summary information by connecting gameplay videos that were recorded before the gameplay was interrupted. The summary information generating unit 124 refers to the event data recorded in the event data recording unit 144 to identify the activity that was performed before the gameplay was interrupted.

When gameplay is interrupted in the middle of a main story (main quest), the summary information generating unit 124 connects gameplay videos recorded during play of activities that follow the main story to generate a summary video of, for example, a few seconds to a few tens of seconds. On the other hand, when gameplay is interrupted in the middle of a subquest, the summary information generating unit 124 connects gameplay videos showing the events leading up to the subquest and gameplay videos of other subquests that have a dependency on the subquest to generate a summary video of a few seconds to a few tens of seconds. In this way, it is preferable for the summary information generating unit 124 to generate a summary video that corresponds to the story at the time of interruption in order to effectively remind the player of the content of the previous play.

The present disclosure has been described above based on an embodiment. This embodiment is an example, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications are possible in the combination of each of the components and each processing process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure. In the embodiment, the play support process is performed by the information processing device 10, but it may also be performed by the game server 16. In this case, the game server 16 may have the functions of the information processing device 10, and the game server 16, as an information processing device, presents information showing an overview of past game play to support the user's game play.

This disclosure can be used in technology that assists users in playing games.

1: Game system, 10: Information processing device, 12: Server system, 14: Management server, 16: Game server, 100: Processing unit, 102: Communication unit, 110: Reception unit, 112: Game execution unit, 114: Game image generation unit, 116: Output processing unit, 118: Recording processing unit, 120: Information acquisition unit, 122: Situation determination unit, 124: Summary information generation unit, 126: Transmission processing unit, 128: Notification unit, 140: Recording device, 142: Play video recording unit, 144: Event data recording unit.

Claims (7)

An information processing device, comprising one or more processors having hardware,
The one or more processors:
determining whether the user is in a predetermined situation with respect to game play;
generating summary information indicating a summary of the user's past game play when it is determined that the user is in a predetermined situation;
View summary information,
Information processing device. The one or more processors:
Determine whether or not the user is likely to have forgotten what they were playing;
The information processing device according to claim 1 . The one or more processors:
Generate summary information using gameplay video recorded before the gameplay was interrupted;
The information processing device according to claim 1 . The one or more processors:
Generate a summary of the chronological order of the play units that were played before the gameplay was interrupted;
The information processing device according to claim 1 . The one or more processors:
When a unit of play is selected, display information about the selected unit of play;
The information processing device according to claim 4. 1. A method for displaying information related to game play on an information processing device, comprising:
determining whether the user is in a predetermined situation with respect to game play;
generating summary information indicating a summary of the user's past game play when it is determined that the user is in a predetermined situation;
View summary information,
How information is displayed. On the computer,
A function for determining whether or not a user is in a predetermined situation regarding game play;
generating summary information indicating a summary of the user's past gameplay when it is determined that the user is in a predetermined situation;
The ability to view summary information and
A program to achieve this.

Images