IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,427,421
Granted Patent B2
US 12,427,421 · App. 18/325,865 · Granted Sep 30, 2025

Storage medium, information processing system, and game processing method

Inventors: Corey Michael Bunnell (Kyoto, JP); Yuya Sato (Kyoto, JP)
Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
A63F13/56A63F13/80
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,427,421
App. No.
18/325,865
Granted
Sep 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An example of an information processing system controls motions of a plurality of non-player characters in a virtual space. The information processing system, based on a predetermined condition, sets each of the plurality of non-player characters in a fightable state for fighting against another non-player character or a player character operated according to an operation input performed by a user. A fighting group in which a plurality of characters including a non-player character in the fightable state participate, is set. For the non-player character participating in the fighting group, another character participating in the fighting group is set as a fight target. Based on the fight target set for the non-player character, a motion, regarding a fight, of the non-player character is controlled.

Claims (72)

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a game program for causing a processor of an information processing apparatus to execute a game,

the game program causing the processor to execute:

controlling motions of a plurality of non-player characters in a virtual space;

based on a predetermined condition, setting each of the plurality of non-player characters in a fightable state for fighting against another non-player character or a player character operated according to an operation input performed by a user;

setting a fighting group in which a plurality of characters including a non-player character in the fightable state participate;

setting, for the non-player character participating in the fighting group, a fight target that is another character participating in the fighting group; and

controlling a motion, regarding a fight, of the non-player character based on the fight target set for the non-player character.

2. The storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein

the fighting group in which the non-player character in the fightable state participates is determined, for each non-player character, based on a group setting condition set for the non-player character.

3. The storage medium according to claim 2 , wherein

each of the plurality of non-player characters is assigned to any of a plurality of categories,

the group setting condition is set for each of the categories, and

the fighting group in which the non-player character in the fightable state participates is determined based on the group setting condition that is set for the category to which the non-player character is assigned.

4. The storage medium according to claim 2 , wherein

a character to be a representative of the fighting group is set from among the non-player character and the player character that are in the fightable states,

the fighting group is set for each character to be the representative; and

among the non-player character and the player character that are in the fightable states, a character that satisfies a participation condition as to the fighting group in which the representative is set, is added to the fighting group.

5. The storage medium according to claim 4 , wherein

dissolution of the fighting group or integration of the fighting group with another fighting group is performed based on the group setting condition that is set for the character to be the representative of the fighting group.

6. The storage medium according to claim 4 , wherein

the character to be the representative and the character that participates in the fighting group are set so that the player character does not participate in the fighting group as a character not being the representative.

7. The storage medium according to claim 4 , wherein

on a condition that a positional relationship between a character that participates in a first fighting group and is not a representative of the first fighting group and a character to be a representative of the first fighting group has become a positional relationship more distant than a predetermined criterion, a second fighting group in which the character that is not a representative of the first fighting group is a representative, is newly generated.

8. The storage medium according to claim 7 , wherein

another character whose fight target in the first fighting group has been the character to be the representative of the second fighting group, is added to the second fighting group.

9. The storage medium according to claim 4 , wherein

on a condition that the character to be the representative of the fighting group is not set as a fight target for any of other characters, the fighting group is dissolved, and

a fighting group in which the character to be the representative of the dissolved fighting group participates, is determined based on the group setting condition.

10. The storage medium according to claim 4 , wherein

on a condition that a positional relationship between a character to be a representative of a certain fighting group and a character to be a representative of another fighting group has become a positional relationship closer than a predetermined criterion, the certain fighting group and the another fighting group are integrated into one fighting group.

11. The storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein

when there is a change in the characters participating in the fighting group, the fight target is reset for each of the non-player characters participating in the fighting group.

12. The storage medium according to claim 11 , wherein

when there is no change in the characters participating in the fighting group, the fight target is maintained for each of the non-player characters participating in the fighting group.

13. The storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein

each of the characters participating in the fighting group is set to either a first type or a second type, and

a fight target for a non-player character of the first type is set from among characters of the second type, and a fight target for a non-player character of the second type is set from among characters of the first type.

14. The storage medium according to claim 13 , wherein

each of the plurality of non-player characters and the player character is assigned to any of a plurality of categories,

the plurality of categories include a first category, a second category hostile to characters belonging to the first category, and a third category different from the first category and the second category,

in a case where a character of the first category and a character of the third category participate in the fighting group and a character in the second category does not participate in the fighting group, the character of the first category is set to the first type, and the character of the third category is set to the second type, and

in a case where a character of the first category, a character of the second category, and a character of the third category participate in the fighting group, the character of the first category and the character of the third category are set to the first type, and the character of the second category is set to the second type.

15. The storage medium according to claim 13 , wherein

a character of the first type is provided with at least information indicating a capacity in a case where the character becomes a fight target for a character of the second type,

a character of the second type is provided with at least information indicating a weight of the character in a case where a character of the first type is set as a fight target for the character of the second type, and

in the fighting group, a fight target for the character of the second type is set so that a magnitude based on weights set for one or more characters of the second type, for which one character of the first type is set as a fight target, does not exceed a capacity set for the character of the first type being the fight target.

16. The storage medium according to claim 13 , wherein

the player character and a non-player character being a companion of the player character are set to the first type.

17. The storage medium according to claim 16 , wherein

in the fighting group, a character of the first type that is not a fight target is set as a fight target for a character of the second type, preferentially over a character of the first type that is a fight target.

18. The storage medium according to claim 17 , wherein

a character of the first type is provided with at least information indicating a capacity in a case where the character becomes a fight target for a character of the second type,

a character of the second type is provided with at least information indicating a weight of the character in a case where a character of the first type is set as a fight target for the character of the second type,

in the fighting group, a fight target for the character of the second type is set so that a magnitude based on weights set for one of more characters of the second type, for which one character of the first type is set as a fight target, does not exceed a capacity set for the character of the first type being the fight target,

the player character is set to the first type, and

a capacity set for the player character is greater than a capacity set for a non-player character of the first type.

19. The storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein

a target on which a non-player character performs an attack motion is determined based on a fight target set for the non-player character and a rule set for the non-player character.

20. An information processing system comprising one or more processors,

the one or more processors executing:

controlling motions of a plurality of non-player characters in a virtual space;

based on a predetermined condition, setting each of the plurality of non-player characters in a fightable state for fighting against another non-player character or a player character operated according to an operation input performed by a user;

setting a fighting group in which a plurality of characters including a non-player character in the fightable state participate;

setting, for the non-player character participating in the fighting group, a fight target that is another character participating in the fighting group; and

controlling a motion, regarding a fight, of the non-player character based on the fight target set for the non-player character.

21. A game processing method executed by an information processing system,

the information processing system executing:

controlling motions of a plurality of non-player characters in a virtual space;

based on a predetermined condition, setting each of the plurality of non-player characters in a fightable state for fighting against another non-player character or a player character operated according to an operation input performed by a user;

setting a fighting group in which a plurality of characters including a non-player character in the fightable state participate;

setting, for the non-player character participating in the fighting group, a fight target that is another character participating in the fighting group; and

controlling a motion, regarding a fight, of the non-player character based on the fight target set for the non-player character.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 30, 2023
From: BUNNELL, COREY MICHAEL; SATO, YUYA
To: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 063799/0980 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2022-092410 · Jun 7, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230390643A1 · Dec 7, 2023
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