Method for realizing virtual commercial transaction in game

• US 20050192071A1
• Filed: 01/14/2005
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix, Square Enix Incorporated (Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tanba, Hidehito, Maehiro, Kazutoyo, Matsuno, Yasumi, Murasawa, Yuichi
• Application Number:
  US11/034,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20050192071A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/847 Cooperative playing, e.g. requiring coordinated actions from several players to achieve a common goal
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/575 for trading virtual items
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality

Abstract

Multiple shops exist in a virtual space of a game. Each shop belongs to any one of multiple unions. When a player character buys or sells a game item at any of the shops, a power point value of the union to which the shop belongs is increased according to the sales amount. The higher the power rank of the union to which the shop belongs becomes, the more the types of sellable and buyable game items are increased. The higher the power rank of the union to which the shop belongs becomes, the more cheaply the player can buy the game item and the higher the amount the player can sell the game item. The higher the power rank of the union where the shop belongs becomes, the more points that are given to a point card according to the buying or selling of the game items.

Claims

1. A game apparatus for executing a game including virtual commercial transactions between a plurality of dealers existing in a virtual space and a player character that operates according to a player'"'"'s instruction, comprising:

a dealer union storage that stores a plurality of dealer unions, to which each of the dealers belongs;

an evaluation value setting section that sets an evaluation value of each dealer union based on previous commercial transactions performed between the player character and the plurality of dealers; and

a transaction form changer that changes a form of a current commercial transaction performed between one of the plurality of dealers and the player character according to the evaluation value of the dealer union to which the dealer belongs.

2. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a number of the plurality of dealers is equal to or greater than a number of the plurality of dealer unions.

3. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a ranking section that ranks the plurality of dealer unions according to the set evaluation value of each dealer union,

wherein said transaction form changer changes the form of the current commercial transaction according to a rank of the dealer union to which the dealer belongs.

4. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a union membership changer that changes a dealer union to which at least one dealer belongs when a predetermined membership change condition is satisfied.

5. The game apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a ranking section that ranks the plurality of dealer unions according to the set evaluation value of each dealer union,

wherein said union membership changer changes the dealer union to which at least one dealer belongs when there is a change in rank of any of the plurality of dealer unions.

6. The game apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a fixing degree setting section that sets a fixing degree indicating how strongly each dealer is fixed to the dealer union to which the dealer currently belongs,

wherein said union membership changer changes the dealer union to which at least one dealer belongs based on the set fixing degree.

7. The game apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said fixing degree setting section sets the fixing degree to each dealer based on the previous commercial transactions performed between each of the plurality of dealers and the player character.

8. The game apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said fixing degree setting section sets the fixing degree to each dealer according to the ranks of the dealer unions to which the dealers belong.

9. The game apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a rank history storage that stores histories of the ranks of the plurality of dealer unions,

wherein said fixing degree setting section sets the fixing degree to each dealer according to the history of the rank of the dealer union.

10. The game apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a designated union storage that stores a designated union to which each dealer most easily belongs among the plurality of dealer unions,

wherein said fixing degree setting section sets the fixing degree to each dealer according to whether the dealer union of each dealer is the designated union.

11. The game apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an event generator that generates an event fixed to each of the plurality of dealer unions when a predetermined condition is satisfied,

wherein said fixing degree setting section sets the fixing degree to each dealer according to whether the dealer union to which the dealer belongs is holding the event.

12. The game apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising an affinity degree storage that stores an affinity degree indicating how strongly each of the plurality of dealers belongs to each dealer union,

wherein said union membership changer changes the dealer union to which at least one dealer belongs based on the affinity degree.

13. The game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a number of dealers that changes dealer unions simultaneously is limited to a predetermined number.

14. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein game progress information that is useful to progress the game, other than commercial transaction information, is given to the player character from the plurality of dealers when a predetermined condition is satisfied during the progress of the game;

and

wherein said evaluation value setting section sets an evaluation value of each dealer union based on the game progress information given to the player character from each of the plurality of dealers.

15. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the current commercial transaction includes a transaction for exchanging a plurality of types of game items between the plurality of dealers and the player character;

and

wherein said transaction form changer changes the type of game item that can be exchanged between each dealer and the player character.

16. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the current commercial transaction includes a transaction for buying and/or selling a game item between the plurality of dealers and the player character using virtual money;

and

wherein said transaction form changer changes a price of the game item to be bought and/or sold between each dealer and the player character.

17. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the current commercial transaction includes a transaction for giving points to the player character according to the transaction of trading a game item between the plurality of dealers and the player character;

and

wherein said transaction form changer changes the number of points given to the player character by the transaction of trading the game item.

18. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein game progress information that is useful to progress the game, other than commercial transaction information, is given to the player character from the plurality of dealers when a predetermined condition is satisfied during the progress of the game;

and

said game apparatus further comprises an information content changer that changes content of the game progress information according to the set evaluation value of each dealer union.

19. A game apparatus for executing a game including virtual commercial transactions between a plurality of dealers existing in a virtual space and a player character that operates according to a player'"'"'s instruction, comprising:

a program memory that stores a program, a data memory that stores data; and

a processor that executes the program;

wherein said data memory stores a plurality of dealer unions to which each of the plurality of dealers, belongs;

wherein the program causes said processor to execute;

setting an evaluation value of each dealer union based on previous commercial transactions performed between the player character and the plurality of dealers; and

changing a form of a current commercial transaction performed between one of the plurality of dealers and the player character according to the evaluation value of the dealer union to which the dealer belongs.

20. The game apparatus according to claim 19, wherein a number of the plurality of dealers is equal to or greater than a number of the plurality of dealer unions.

21. The game apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the program further causes said processor to execute:

ranking the plurality of dealer unions according to the set evaluation value of each dealer union; and

changing the form of the current commercial transaction according to a rank of the dealer union to which the dealer belongs.

22. The game apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the program further causes said processor to execute:

changing a dealer union to which at least one dealer belongs when a predetermined membership change condition is satisfied.

23. The game apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the program further causes said processor to execute:

ranking the plurality of dealer unions according to the set evaluation value of each dealer union; and

changing a dealer union to which at least one dealer belongs when there is a change in the rank of any of the plurality of dealer unions.

24. The game apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the program further causes said processor to execute:

setting a fixing degree indicating how strongly each dealer is fixed to the dealer union to which the dealer currently belongs; and

changing the dealer union to which at least one dealer belongs based on the set fixing degree.

25. The game apparatus according to claim 22,

wherein said program memory further stores an affinity degree indicating how strongly each of the plurality of dealers belongs to each dealer union;

and

wherein the program further causes said processor to execute;

changing the dealer union to which at least one dealer belongs based on the affinity degree.

26. A method for progressing a game including virtual commercial transactions between a plurality of dealers and a player character that operates according to a player'"'"'s instruction, each of the plurality of dealers belonging to one of a plurality of unions, the method comprising;

setting an evaluation value of each dealer union based on previous commercial transactions performed between the player character and the plurality of dealers; and

changing a form of a current commercial transaction performed between one of the plurality of the dealers and the player character according to the set evaluation value of the dealer union to which the dealer belongs.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein a number of the plurality of dealers is equal to or greater than a number of the plurality of dealer unions.

28. A computer-readable storage medium that records a program for causing a computer apparatus to execute a game including virtual commercial transactions between a plurality of dealers and a player character that operates according to a player'"'"'s instruction, each of the plurality of dealers belonging to one of a plurality of unions,

wherein the program causes the computer apparatus to execute:

setting an evaluation value of each dealer union based on previous commercial transactions performed between the player character and the plurality of dealers; and

changing a form of a current commercial transaction performed between one of the plurality of dealers and the player character according to the set evaluation value of the dealer union to which the dealer belongs.

29. A carrier wave superimposed with a data signal of a program for causing a computer apparatus to execute a game including virtual commercial transactions between a plurality of dealers and a player character that operates according to a player'"'"'s instruction, each of the plurality of dealers belonging to one of a plurality of unions,

wherein the program causes the computer apparatus to execute:

setting an evaluation value of each dealer union based on previous commercial transactions performed between the player character and the plurality of dealers; and

changing a form of a current commercial transaction performed between one of the plurality of dealers and the player character according to the set evaluation value of the dealer union to which the dealer belongs.