Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – With communication link
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-01
2004-06-29
Walberg, Teresa (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
With communication link
C463S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06755743
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication game system which enables game battles among remote game devices which are being connected to a server. More particularly, the communication game system of this invention provides a new communication game control method by providing such functions that enable complicated battle control within groups that are formed at the request of players, selection of characters to be used in the game with no sense of abnormality, and broadened communications among the game audience.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been communication game systems in which game devices operated by different players are connected to a common game server and battle games among remote players are made possible.
In these systems, the server is designed to list and display the game devices that are being connected to it at the moment. The server is programmed in such a way that when any of the game devices challenge another game device to a battle, the server controls the transactions of the battle acceptance between the challengers and when the battle is accepted, the server monitors the sending and receiving of commands between the game devices and intermediates the game devices.
In conventional systems, when a competitor is determined, a common screen for selecting the player's own characters to use in the battle game is displayed on the competing game devices. The players select their favorite characters from the common screen on each of their game devices. This selection information is sent and received between the players in real time via the server. Accordingly, the character selection information of both the players is displayed on the common character selection screen.
Furthermore, conventional systems are designed in such a manner that competitors can send messages to each other while battling game.
The appearance of such communication game systems have enabled players to enjoy playing game battles with other players.
However, in the battle method of the conventional communication game systems, transactions including applications for game battles, acceptance thereof, and battles are only repeated. Although it is possible to play battles with a multiplicity of game devices, it is impossible to realize such communications as people have in playing games with a plurality of friends at amusement arcades. Moreover, since the way of playing games with such game systems has no potential for development, players tend to easily become bored.
Among the competing game devices, the character selection information is displayed in real time mutually also on the competitor's side. Accordingly, it is possible to find out in advance what character the competitor has selected, thereby losing the excitement of the game.
On the other hand, in the circumstances where the character selection screen provides a mode for selecting customized characters, a screen only for the selection of the customized characters is displayed on the game device which has designated the selection of the customized characters. Namely, at this point, different character selection screens are displayed on the competitors' devices. If in this situation manual operations to select a customized character are performed on one game device, the movement of a cursor in relation to such operations is transmitted to the other game device, thereby causing a cursor of the other game device to move incomprehensibly on the screen which is not the screen for the selection of the customized characters, and this action seems strange to the other party. On the contrary, if the competitors know the other party's strategy each other, the movement of the other party's cursor gives a hint to which customized character will be selected, thereby losing the excitement of the game as described above.
Moreover, with conventional communication game systems, it is possible to exchange messages between competitors, thereby enabling players to enjoy the game. However, game watching parties can do nothing but watch the game which is being played, including the messages. Accordingly, as described above, it is impossible to realize the situation where a player plays games with a plurality of friends at amusement arcades, thereby resulting in the problem in that the players easily become bored.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of the above-described problems, it is an object of this invention to provide a communication game system and its processing method which will facilitate communications between players and make communication games more entertaining by providing a wide variety of ways to play a game that have not been provided by the conventional communication game systems.
It is another object of this invention to provide a communication game system and its processing method which will make communication games more entertaining by facilitating such communications between game watching parties as have not been provided by the conventional game systems.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a communication game system and its processing method which will not give a sense of abnormality in the operations of the selection of characters to be used in a battle game and which prevents a player from becoming bored with the game.
In order to achieve these objects, it is necessary to satisfy a demand to play with those who can be called friends of kindred spirits on the network in the communication game environment where a multiplicity of any persons participate.
It is also necessary to satisfy a demand to enable the evaluation of a player's own skills in a variety of battle combinations such as team battles, round-robin battles, and tournament battles that are normally performed in games and competitions where many people participate.
Even if a player himself is not fighting in a battle, it is necessary to satisfy a demand to enjoy watching the battles of other players.
Moreover, in the selection of battle characters on the screen, it is necessary to satisfy a demand to enjoy playing a game without giving a feeling of abnormality and without losing the excitement of the game.
This invention is a communication game system comprising client systems and a game server system for communicating with the client systems, wherein the game server system comprises a database which stores, according to several kinds of battle modes, group information for relating a plurality of client systems to each other as one battle group, and wherein when any one battle group is designated, the game server system is configured so as to refer to the group information related to the designated battle group, to decide a battle combination among the client systems belonging to the same battle group, to perform the battle by managing the sending and receiving of data between the client systems to be determined according to the combination, and then to decide the next combination in accordance with the results of the battle.
For example, at least one of the group information stored in the database contains game rule information for setting up a battle mode designed to enable a winner, a loser, both fixed client systems, or either one of the fixed client systems to continue playing battles against other client systems when a battle is over. When the battle is over, the game server system decides the next battle combination by referring to the game rule information. When an acceptance command is sent from both client systems corresponding to the next battle combination, the game server system performs the battle.
For example, at least one of the group information stored in the database stores schedule information for setting up a team battle mode in which one battle group is divided into two subgroups. When a battle is over, the game server system refers to the schedule information and decides the next battle combination by selecting the winner client system as a result of the battle and the other client system which belongs to the subgroup of t
Satou Masanori
Yamashita Nobuyuki
Brocketti Julie
Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
Walberg Teresa
LandOfFree
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