Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-18
2002-07-16
Cheng, Joe H. (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
C463S007000, C463S041000, C463S042000, C463S043000, C463S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06419577
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an improvement in a simulation type video game device in which a simulation type game is electronically executed between players opposed on a communication network using a video game device realized by a computer as a terminal device on a communication network such as the Internet, and particularly to a video game device of a semi-real time simulation type in which the time simulation operation constituting the game is an intermittent operation having a time base featuring a character encountering time that appears every character encountering period for a fixed time.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For example, simulation type games such as Diabro have been heretofore extensively played. This kind of game, however, is generally restricted by (1) complicatedness of game computation, (2) an actual need to secure a larger scale game space (for example, a game room), and (3) lengthy period of game time. Due to the above restrictions (1) (2) (3) the game is usually played on a small scale by several players. Incidentally, in view of recent developments and popularization of computer techniques and communication network techniques, many members of the public have been made generally aware of the execution of this kind of game using a video game device realized by a computer as a terminal device on the communication network such as a Internet. If so, an imaginary game space is formed on the communication network by a computer whereby an enormous number of players, based on lovers of the game, scattered in a wide range of regions, can simultaneously participate in the game in an imaginary game space where a game computing process is accomplished by a computer in an attempt to overcome the aforementioned (1) restriction of game computation and (2) restriction of the game space. Thus enabling the great expectation of a variety of game developments and the strengthening of game unexpectedness. Even in that case, there is not attained the goal of simulating the normal game, wherein a plurality of players gather in an actual game space to acquire the cooperative negotiation and hostile restraint through the whole expression, with suitable players acquiring the cooperative negotiation and hostile restraint through the transmission of bilateral messages, in which point the richness of the game could be maintained somehow.
However, the above point (3) (restriction of the lengthy games) is serious. In the simulation type game of this kind, out of events in the game, a considerable game component, depending on the game rules, is a strategic event. That is, an event for which a player's strategic intention is reflected in the game play. A remaining considerable game component, again depending on the game rules, is an unexpected event, that is, an event for which a player's strategic intention is not reflected thereon. The mixing ratio of both greatly contributed to the characterization of the game. Then, in the strategic event, it is indispensable for a player to reflect on the game at the time of occurrence of the event, his counter strategic intention against the strategic intention of an opposite player in the previous game process. This means naturally that in the case where the simulation type game proceeds at real time (progress of actual time), each player always should be presented in the actual or imaginary game space in order that each player's strategic intention reflects on the strategic event for which the occurrence time is not controllable by each player. With this, lovers of games who are scattered in a wide range in terms of geography can participate in the game as players by making use of the communication network, but as the number of players increases, the number of strategic events during a period of game time also increases accordingly. This results in a lengthy period of time which is necessary for the completion of the game and which reaches that the presence of a player from start to finish. In summary, even if the above problem (1) (of complicatedness of game computation) should be solved by the high speed computer operation, and the above problem (2) (of large actual game space) should be solved by the players' participation in imaginary game spaces from the scattered residential space by means of the computer and a communication network, as long as the simulation type game proceeds at real time, any attempt to reflect each player's strategic intention on the strategic event, creates an inconvenience due to the lengthy period of game time. That is, there is encountered a problem of antinomy, i.e., the reflection of strategic intention versus an inconvenience resulting from a lengthy period of game time. In this respect, the present invention is directed at providing a semi-real time simulation type video game device which can drastically overcome the inconvenience of lengthy period of game time while maintaining the reflection of each player's strategic intention on the strategic event in an attempt of overcoming the problem of antinomy as described above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is intended to provide an arrangement that lessens the problem involved with the contradicting choice between the reflection of a player's strategic intention on the strategic event proceeding at real time and the acceptance of the inconvenience resulting from the lengthy delay of game time with respect to conventional game devices of the simulation type. The reservation of character selection at a suitable point in time by each player is finalized to ensure an effective selection on a particular point of character encountering time appearing during every character encountering period of time, which is fixedly set in advance through a period of game time. The reservation of a character encountering event candidate among players at a suitable point in time by each player defines an intermittent character encountering event. Also under the present invention, a character simulation game operation between a pair of teams of characters relating to the character encountering event is executed in an effort to overcome the aforementioned “antimony” problem. The presence of each player from start to finish in an actual game space in the other time zone during a period of game time which requires no reservational securement of the reflection of the strategic intention at a point of character encountering time is made unnecessary. This is done while reservationally securing the reflection of the strategic intention of each player with respect to the character selection and the character encountering event decision which constitutes a strategic event defined at a point of character encountering time appearing intermittently. In this way, there is avoided the inconvenience resulting from lengthy game time.
Thus, when a player performs the player character selection reservation instruction operation of the present invention at a suitable point in time, a player character selection reservation means A responsively reserves the selection of one team of player characters, whereas, when either of one or more opposing players performs the opposing character selection reservation instruction operation at a suitable point in time during that period, opposing character selection reservation means B responsively reserves one team of opposite characters. Thereafter, in the semi-real time simulation type video game device according to this invention, player character selection means C selects the already reserved one team of player characters as one team of player characters as one team of player characters to participate in the game at every point of character encountering time which appears intermittently once every character encountering time which appears intermittently once every character encountering period of time preset during the game time. Also, during this opposite character selection means D similarly selects the already reserved one team of opposite characters as one team of opposite characters to participate
Nakayama Takuya
Okada Hiroshi
Sekiguchi Masataka
Cheng Joe H.
Kabushiki Kaisha Bandai
Smith , Gambrell & Russell, LLP
White Carmen D.
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