Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-23
2001-10-23
O'Neill, Michael (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
C463S008000, C463S031000, C463S043000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06306033
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for improving the effects of items used by characters in a video game executed by a video game apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A video game apparatus can execute various types of games. One such game presents fighting scenes where a player character, which is controlled by a player, fights with many enemy characters.
In such fighting scenes, the player character and an enemy character alternately perform offensive/defensive moves against each other, and the first character which cause the other to lose all of his stamina (life force) wins. The characters use the items to attack other characters and use protective gear for defense.
During the game play, the player can obtain a number of items which may be owned by his player character. Various types of the items are prepared in the game, and each item has its own effect. The player plays the game with controlling his player character to use offensive items for attacking the enemy characters and to use protective gear items for defending himself from the enemy's attack. Thus, the various items provided bring the player more fun in playing because he will have various optional items during the course of the game.
If the items are customizable by the player, the game will be a more enjoyable and dramatic one because the items are influential factors which cause the game to have more variation because the player can obtain various types of items. Preparing various ways of customizing the items also realizes the same effect.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a video game which permits a player to customize items used by a player character during game play.
To accomplish the above object, a video game apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a video game apparatus for executing a video game in which a character which can own a plurality of items having influences upon game progress is prepared, the video game apparatus comprises:
copy means for copying the plurality of items owned by the character and item values thereof from first storage means storing plurality of items and item values each of which is previously set to the corresponding item to second storage means;
designation means for designating first item and second item from the plurality of items stored in the second storage means in accordance with an input instruction;
calculation means for reading item values of the first and second items designated by the designation means from the second storage means, and for executing calculation using the read item values; and
update means for updating the item value of the first item stored in the second storage means utilizing a resultant value of the calculation executed by the calculation means.
According to the present invention, an item value of an item can be modified (adjusted) by utilizing another item's value. That is, the player can customize the items that have major influence upon the game progress.
During the game play, the character may obtain a plurality of the same item even if one of them has already been customized. In this case, it is preferred that an item value of a later obtained item is the same as the original item value of the item concerned. In the present invention, the items and item values corresponding to the items respectively are previously stored in the first storage means. Every time the character obtains an item, the item value corresponding to the obtained item is copied to the second storage area for updating. Therefore, the original item data remain as is even if the item value of the obtained item is updated.
The above described video game apparatus may further comprise means for influencing the game progress in the case of the character is instructed by an input command to use the item whose degree of influence corresponds to the item value of the item concerned stored in the second storage means. This makes the game more enjoyable.
The above described item value, for example, may comprise a fundamental value and an adjustment value for adjusting the fundamental value. In this case, the above described calculation means may read adjustment values of the first and second items from the second storage means, and may execute the calculation using the read adjustment values. The adjustment value of the first item may be replaced with a resultant value of the calculation.
For example, the sum of the fundamental value and the adjustment value represents the item value. In this case, the calculation means reads the adjustment values of the first and second items from the second storage means, and adds the read adjustment values to each other.
The above described video game apparatus may further comprise means for deleting a combination of the second item and the item value thereof from a plurality of combinations of the items and item values thereof stored in the second storage means in the case of the item value of the first item is updated by the update means.
A video game apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is a video game apparatus for executing a video game in which a character which can own a plurality of items having influences upon game progress is prepared, the video game apparatus comprises:
means for displaying objects representing first item and second item designated by an input instruction from the plurality of items owned by the character, and displaying item values corresponding to the designated first and second items;
means for adding the displayed item values corresponding to the first and second items to each other, and for replacing the item value of the first item by a resultant value of the addition; and
means for displaying only the object representing the first item and the item value thereof in the case of the item value of the first item is replaced.
According to this structure, the player is impressed as if the power of the second item is absorbed in the first item and then the second item disappears.
A video game apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is a video game apparatus comprising a storage device and a processing device for executing a video game in which a character which can own a plurality of items having influences upon game progress is prepared, wherein the storage device comprises a first memory area for storing a plurality of items and item values thereof each of which is previously set to the corresponding item, in addition to programs for controlling the game progress, and second memory area for storing the plurality of items owned by the character and the item values thereof which are copied from the first memory area, and the processing device
(1) controls the game progress in accordance with the programs stored in the storage means and input instructions, and exerts influences upon the game progress in the case of the character is instructed by an input command to use the item whose degree of influence depends on the item value corresponding to the item concerned stored in the second storage area of the storage device, and
(2) reads item values corresponding to two items of the plurality of items stored in the second memory area of the storage device in accordance with a predetermined operation, modifies one of the read item values based on the other item value, and stores the modified value in the second memory area as a new item value of the item.
A method according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention is a method of executing a video game wherein a character which can own a plurality of items having influences upon game progress is prepared, the method comprises:
copy step of copying the plurality of items owned by the character and item values thereof from a first memory area storing a plurality of items and item values each of which is previously set to the corresponding item to a second memory area;
designation step of designating a first item and a second item from the plurality of items stored
Kuwahara Yasuo
Niwa Takayuki
O'Neill Michael
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Square Co., Ltd.
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