Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – In a game requiring an element of a participants physical...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-01
2001-06-26
Harrison, Jessica J. (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
In a game requiring an element of a participants physical...
C463S023000, C463S030000, C463S001000, C273S14800B
Reexamination Certificate
active
06251012
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a game system using a computer.
In a conventional computer game system for playing a board game such as chess, shogi (Japanese chess) or the like, a property of each piece which is given to the player (for example a movable range, strength or the like) is determined in advance, and the player cannot optionally set the property thereof. Accordingly, the game of this type tends to be monotonous.
As an improvement with regard to this point, there is known a game system in which the player scrambles for the piece and competes to enlarge his territory in a certain play field as in the case of the chess game, each piece disposed in the play field representing a character modeled on a human or the like, and ability of the piece, such as strength, a movable range or the like and an appearance thereof are changed in accordance with the degree of experience of the competition in the game.
However in the above mentioned game system, since the ability of the piece is improved only through the competition, the player has to repeatedly try the competition from an early step at which the ability of the piece is relatively low. Therefore, the player is compelled to play inconvenient and unsatisfying competitions until the ability of the piece is improved to a certain degree, so that the player cannot enjoy the game sufficiently at the arly stages thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One of objects of the present invention is to provide a game system in which the player can optionally set a property of the piece and enjoy a process to prepare the piece.
In order to attain the above object, there is provided a game system comprising:
an image display device;
an operation input device capable of issuing a signal corresponding to an operation of a player;
a mode select device for selecting one mode between a breeding mode in which a breeding game is prepared and a competition mode in which a competition game is prepared in accordance with an instruction of the player inputted through the operation input device;
a breeding game control device for controlling a progress of the breeding game in such a manner that a breeding game image representing a scene in which a game character is bred in accordance with a breeding operation of the player performed to the operation input device is displayed on a screen of the image display device, and that data defining a feature of the game character is changed in accordance with a predetermined condition; and
a competition game control device for controlling a progress of the competition game in such a manner that a competition game image representing a scene of a competition in which at least one piece given to each of the player and an opponent thereto takes an action on a predetermined play field at each turn which is alternately given to the player and the opponent is displayed on the screen of the image display device, and that superiority and inferiority of the competition are changed based on both a detail of the action at each turn and data defining a property of said at least one piece;
wherein the data defining the feature of the game character and the data defining the property of said at least one piece of the player are associated with each other.
According to the above game system, it is possible to provide the player with two ways of enjoying the game, one of which is pleasure of breeding the game character, and the other of which is pleasure of performing the competition in the competition game. Since the property of the piece used by the player in the competition game and the feature of the game character bred by the player in the breeding game are associated with each other, the player can set the desirable property of the piece with enjoying the breeding game. Therefore, the player need not repeat the competition game at the early stage in which the ability of the piece is relatively low to improve the ability thereof, and can sufficiently enjoy both of the breeding game and the competition game.
The game system of the present invention may further comprise a piece registration device for performing a piece registration process in which the game character bred in the breeding game is registered as said one piece useable in the competition game in accordance with an instruction of the player inputted through the operation input device, said piece registration device may prepare the data which defines the property of said registered one piece based on the data defining the feature of the game character.
In this case, if the player requests the registration of the piece at the stage in which the game character has been bred to the desirable level, the piece which has the property corresponding to the breeding state of the game character at that time is prepared and registered. Accordingly, the progress of the competition game is affected by the timing of the registration, so that a judgement of the player with respect to the timing of the registration may be more effective in the progress of the competition game, thereby improving the interest of the game.
A plurality of pieces may be provided as said at least one piece, at least one of the pieces registered through the piece registration process can be changed so as to be disabled from being selected by the player in the competition game in accordance with the progress of the competition game after being registered, and the game system may further comprise a piece information indication device for providing the player with information associated with the pieces having experience of being registered selectively in accordance with the operation of the player.
In this case, the player can watch the information of the piece through the piece information indication device, even if an incident occurred in the game after the registration of the piece, for example a loss in the competition, causes the player to be prohibited from selecting the piece. Therefore, it is possible to provide the player with a different type of pleasure of competing with another player to increase the number of the pieces which have experiences of being registered and to search an unknown piece, as well as the pleasure in breeding and competition.
The piece information indication device may display an appearance of the game character, which has experience of being registered as one of the pieces, as the information associated with the pieces on the screen of the image display device.
The game system may further comprise; a plurality of portable auxiliary storage devices; and a data recording device capable of recording data which defines the property of said at least one piece on each of the portable auxiliary storage devices in accordance with signals inputted through the operation input device, and the competition game control device may read out the data recorded on each of the auxiliary storage devices, and set the property of said at least one piece given to each of the player and the opponent based on the data read out from each of the auxiliary storage devices. In this case, two or more players can simultaneously enjoy the competition game with gathering their pieces prepared through the breeding game.
The breeding game control device may set a breeding environment as a factor affecting the feature of the game character in accordance with a setting operation performed by the player to the operation input device, display the breeding game image in such a manner that an image corresponding to the breeding environment appears therein, and prepare the data defining the feature of the game character in accordance with the predetermined condition which is adjusted in association with the breeding environment.
In this case, since the player can set up the breeding environment of the monster along his desire, and the image corresponding to the prepared breeding environment appears in the breeding game image, it is possible to enhance interest of the breeding game.
The breeding game control device may change the breeding environment in accordance with a changing comman
Gu Kenhei
Hirata Hidehiro
Horigami Atsushi
Kawahara Riichiro
Kobari Kazuhiko
Clayton Sheila
Harrison Jessica J.
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Konami Co. Ltd.
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