Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – In a game requiring strategy or problem solving by a...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-28
2003-12-02
Sager, Mark (Department: 3714)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
In a game requiring strategy or problem solving by a...
C273S292000, C273S308000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06656039
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a video game device and a software product, both of which serve to perform a computerized card game.
Traditional types, such as poker, contract bridge, and the like, of card games have been played by using a predetermined number of deck cards. For example, a deck or pack of general playing cards are always composed of fifty-three cards, namely, thirteen spades, thirteen hearts, thirteen clubs, thirteen diamonds and one joker. In most card games, the deck of playing cards is shared among plural players joining a game.
Recently, another type of a card game that is different from the traditional card games becomes popular among young people and is called “trading card game”. Conventionally, a wide variety of such trading card games have been also proposed each of which has a lot of fans. In contrast to the traditional card decks, such trading card games are usually played by the use of each deck of cards different from one another. However, it is to be noted that all the trading card games are common to one another in the viewpoint of being played through the following three stages.
At first stage, players of each trading card game must gather their cards from various kinds of cards that have been issued in order to build their decks. Each type of cards has a different effect in the game and the more effective a card is, the less the card is issued. A pack of cards is usually sold with being packaged and players can not identify contents or species of cards packaged before they purchase it. As a result, decks of players would have different card constructions from each other, and if a player wants to build a powerful deck, the player should collect more cards.
At second stage, each player selects predetermined number of cards from his collection to build a deck. Usually, a card has ability points and properties, and an ability point may be modified according to its property. Furthermore, there are cards that have special effects in addition to or except basic ability points and properties. Therefore, in order to build a mighty deck in real game, each player must not only collect cards with high ability points but also select cards suitable for his game strategy in consideration of properties and special effects. A good player could build a deck advantageous to the opponent's deck if the good player knows the opponent's card list. And at third stage, two players individually prepare their decks from their collections of cards and thereafter start a trading card game among them. They draw some cards for their hands from their decks and then each of them puts a card from his hand on a game field by turns. Card-to-card matches are made between cards on the field repeatedly and after a series of matches a winner or a loser of the game is decided.
At the first stage mentioned above, players have fun to collect cards to strengthen their decks. A provider who provides the trading card game should increase types of cards to enhance player's fun. One easy way to increase species of cards results in raising upper limits of ability points. This way is likely to destroy the balance of game. Specifically, if a lot of species of cards have high ability points, players who can get more cards become too advantageous to players who can not get them. In this case, the later would be unable to beat the former even if the later is an excellent player. It is likely to upset game balance to easily raise the upper limits of ability points, as mentioned above.
Each trading card game has been computerized as a video game these days. Compared with the above-mentioned trading card games paper-printed, such a computerized trading card game is so difficult to increase the number of card species. Accordingly, a great number of card species and cards should be prepared in advance in each computerized trading card game before the beginning of supplying the game to players.
On the other hand, paper-printed trading card games can easily increase card species by only issuing new card species in addition to the existing card species. One player who bought the new card and another who did not buy the card can play the game together.
On the other hand, it is difficult to increase card species of each computerized trading card game to twice or three times. Furthermore, both players who want to play the game together would have to update both of their video game software products. It might be considered to supply an updated part as a differential file or files to all players in order to update their video game software products at the same time. It should be considered that most users of these devices are very young. This way is not suitable for children. Accordingly, this way can not apply to update software products common to consumer video game devices and portable video game devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide software products and video game devices which are suitable for a trading card game and which can keep a game balance of the trading card game, even if ability points in the trading card game has a wide difference between upper and lower limits.
It is another object of this invention to provide software products and video game devices of the type described, which can prepare a great number of card species in the trading card game.
According to this invention, a software product and a video game device for virtually performing a card game like a trading card game is provided. Cards of the card game are given parameters each of which shows ability point or property of the card. When a player designates a first card to present it on a field (or “summon” the first card), an index parameter given to the card is compared with a threshold. If the index parameter is over the threshold, the player must “sacrifice” some cards from cards currently presented on the field in order to “summon” the first card.
Namely, according to this invention, a software product to be executed by a video game device, representing a card game on a virtual field each of whose cards has at least one parameter, repeating processes comprising the processes of: presenting a card from a player's hand on the field; computing a judgement with reference to parameters of the cards on the field; and removing at least one card according to the judgement; in order to represent one game is provided. This software product further comprises a card presentation process comprising the processes of: designating a first card from a player's hand; comparing an index parameter given to the first card with a predetermined threshold; designating at least one card from currently presented cards on the field as a sacrificed card if the index parameter is over the threshold; removing the sacrificed card from the field; and presenting the first card.
In the software product, a parameter given to the first card may serve both as the index parameter and another parameter.
In the software product, the index parameter may be computed with reference to plural parameters given to the first card.
The software product may further comprise the process of modifying parameters before the process of computing a judgement with reference to parameters of the cards on the field.
The card presentation process may decide the number of cards designated as sacrificed cards according to a parameter given to the first card.
Furthermore, according to this invention, a video game device performing a card game on a virtual field each of whose cards has at least one parameter, comprising processing units for: presenting a card from a player's hand on the field; computing a judgement with reference to parameters of the cards on the field; and removing at least one card according to the judgement; in order to representing one game is provided. The video game device further comprises a card presentation processing unit comprising the processing units of: designating a first card from a player's hand; comparing an index parameter given to the first card with a pred
Konami Corporation
Sager Mark
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
LandOfFree
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