Game program and game device

• US 20060287029A1
• Filed: 05/05/2006
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Kiuchi, Toshikazu, Yoshinobu, Tomoaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,871,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/9
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8064 Quiz

Abstract

A game device provides a question to a plurality of players. The game device counts the number of players each having provided an answer to the question or each having provided a correct answer to the question. When the counted number of players reaches a predetermined number of players, a predetermined time limit is set. The game device measures an elapsed time from when the time limit has been set (i.e., a correct answer elapsed time), and stops accepting an answer to the question when the correct answer elapsed time reaches the time limit.

Claims

1. A storage medium for storing a game program causing a computer of a game device to execute a quiz game in which a plurality of players participate, the game program causing the computer to perform:

a question providing step of providing a question to the plurality of players;

a player number counting step of counting a number of players each having provided an answer to the question or each having provided a correct answer to the question;

a time limit setting step of setting a predetermined time limit when the counted number of players has reached a predetermined number of players;

a time measuring step of measuring an elapsed time from when the time limit has been set; and

a terminating step of terminating an acceptance of an answer when the elapsed time has reached the time limit.

2. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the game program further causes the computer to perform

a remaining time obtaining step of, for a player having provided a correct answer to the question after a start of measuring the elapsed time, obtaining a remaining time by subtracting the elapsed time from the time limit, the elapsed time having been measured until the player has provided the correct answer, and

an addition step of adding a predetermined number of points to a number of points of a player who has provided, before the start of measuring the elapsed time, a correct answer to the question, and, based on the remaining time, adding a number of points, which is less than the predetermined number of points, to a number of points of the player having provided the correct answer after the start of measuring the elapsed time.

3. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the game program further causes the computer to perform

a calculation step of calculating an order in which the players each have provided a correct answer to the question;

and

an addition step of, in accordance with the order, adding a number of points to each of numbers of points of the players each having provided the correct answer.

4. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the game program further causes the computer to perform an answer result storing step of, after the acceptance of an answer is terminated at the terminating step, storing answer result data indicating information about a result of an answer provided by at least one of the plurality of players,

after the acceptance of an answer is terminated at the terminating step, a next question is provided by performing the question providing step again, and

at the time limit setting step, a length of a time limit for the next question is set based on a content of the answer result data.

5. The storage medium according to claim 4, wherein the answer result data contains data indicating at least either information about the number of players each having provided a correct answer to the question or information about a length of time from when the question is provided until each of the plurality of players has provided an answer to the question.

6. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

a virtual player whose answering is controlled by the computer is included among the plurality of players,

the game program further causes the computer to perform:

a player data obtaining step of, before the question is provided, obtaining player data indicating an attribute of a manner in which the virtual player answers the question; and

a control step of controlling answering of the virtual player in accordance with the attribute indicated by the player data.

7. The storage medium according to claim 6, wherein the player data contains correct answer rate data indicating a correct answer rate of the virtual player for the question, and answering time data indicating a length of time from when the question is provided until the virtual player provides an answer, and

at the control step, whether the answer to be provided by the virtual player is correct is determined in accordance with the correct answer rate data, and a length of time from when the question is provided until the virtual player provides the answer is determined in accordance with the answering time data.

8. The storage medium according to claim 6, wherein

the game program further causes the computer to perform a history recording step of recording history data indicating a history of results of answers provided by at least one of the plurality of players, and

at the control step, the history data previously recorded at the history recording step is used as the player data.

9. The storage medium according to claim 8, wherein at the history recording step, at least correct answer rate data indicating a correct answer rate of the at least one player and answering time data indicating a length of time from when a question is provided until the at least one player provides an answer are recorded as the history data.

10. A storage medium for storing a game program causing a computer of a game device to execute a quiz game in which a plurality of players participate, the game program causing the computer to perform:

a question providing step of providing a question to the plurality of players;

a first time measuring step of measuring a first elapsed time which is an elapsed time from when the question has been provided;

a player number counting step of counting a number of players each having provided an answer to the question or each having provided a correct answer to the question;

a time limit setting step of setting a predetermined time limit when the counted number of players has reached a predetermined number of players, or when the first elapsed time has reached a predetermined length of time;

a second time measuring step of measuring a second elapsed time which is an elapsed time from when the time limit has been set; and

a terminating step of terminating an acceptance of an answer when the second elapsed time has reached the time limit.

11. The storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the game program further causes the computer to perform:

a remaining time obtaining step of, for a player having provided a correct answer to the question after a start of measuring the second elapsed time, obtaining a remaining time by subtracting the second elapsed time from the time limit, the second elapsed time having been measured until the player has provided the correct answer,

an addition step of adding a predetermined number of points to a number of points of a player who has provided, before the start of measuring the second elapsed time, a correct answer to the question, and, based on the remaining time, adding a number of points, which is less than the predetermined number of points, to a number of points of the player having provided the correct answer after the start of measuring the second elapsed time.

12. The storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the game program further causes the computer to perform

a calculation step of calculating an order in which the players each have provided a correct answer to the question;

and

an addition step of, in accordance with the order, adding a number of points to each of numbers of points of the players each having provided the correct answer.

13. The storage medium according to claim 10, wherein

the game program further causes the computer to perform an answer result storing step of, after the acceptance of an answer is terminated at the terminating step, storing answer result data indicating information about a result of an answer provided by at least one of the plurality of players,

after the acceptance of an answer is terminated at the terminating step, a next question is provided by performing the question providing step again, and

at the time limit setting step, a length of a time limit for the next question is set based on a content of the answer result data.

14. The storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the answer result data contains data indicating at least either information about the number of players each having provided a correct answer to the question or information about a length of time from when the question is provided until each of the plurality of players has provided an answer to the question.

15. The storage medium according to claim 10, wherein

a virtual player whose answering is controlled by the computer is included among the plurality of players,

the game program further causes the computer to perform:

a player data obtaining step of, before the question is provided, obtaining player data indicating an attribute of a manner in which the virtual player answers the question; and

a control step of controlling answering of the virtual player in accordance with the attribute indicated by the player data.

16. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein

the player data contains correct answer rate data indicating a correct answer rate of the virtual player for the question, and answering time data indicating a length of time from when the question is provided until the virtual player provides an answer, and

at the control step, whether the answer to be provided by the virtual player is correct is determined in accordance with the correct answer rate data, and a length of time from when the question is provided until the virtual player provides the answer is determined in accordance with the answering time data.

17. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein

the game program further causes the computer to perform a history recording step of recording history data indicating a history of results of answers provided by at least one of the plurality of players, and

at the control step, the history data previously recorded at the history recording step is used as the player data.

18. The storage medium according to claim 17, wherein at the history recording step, at least correct answer rate data indicating a correct answer rate of the at least one player and answering time data indicating a length of time from when a question is provided until the at least one player provides an answer are recorded as the history data.

19. A game device for executing a quiz game in which a plurality of players participate, the game device comprising:

question providing means for providing a question to the plurality of players;

player number counting means for counting a number of players each having provided an answer to the question or each having provided a correct answer to the question;

time limit setting means for setting a predetermined time limit when the counted number of players has reached a predetermined number of players;

time measuring means for measuring an elapsed time from when the time limit has been set; and

terminating means for terminating an acceptance of an answer when the elapsed time has reached the time limit.

20. A game device for executing a quiz game in which a plurality of players participate, the game device comprising:

question providing means for providing a question to the plurality of players;

first time measuring means for measuring a first elapsed time which is an elapsed time from when the question has been provided;

player number counting means for counting a number of players each having provided an answer to the question or each having provided a correct answer to the question;

time limit setting means for setting a predetermined time limit when the counted number of players has reached a predetermined number of players, or when the first elapsed time has reached a predetermined length of time;

second time measuring means for measuring a second elapsed time which is an elapsed time from when the time limit has been set; and

terminating means for terminating an acceptance of an answer when the second elapsed time has reached the time limit.