Communication game program and communication game system

• US 20070078005A1
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Shiraiwa, Yusuke
• Granted Patent: US 7,854,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks

Abstract

A game device measures a delay time between the game device and each of other game devices, all of which communicate with each other, and stores start time data in a memory. Furthermore, the game device calculates a time at which each of the other game devices starts executing a predetermined event based on the delay time, so as to be transmitted to each of the other game devices. When data indicating a time at which the game device starts executing the predetermined event (correction data) is transmitted from each of the game devices, the game device corrects a time indicated by the start time data based on the transmitted data. Thereafter, the game device executes the predetermined event (a racing game) at the time indicated by the start time data.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium storing a communication game program to be executed by a computer of a game device included in a communication game system comprised of the game device and at least one other game device being connected to each other through a network, the communication game program instructing the computer to perform:

a measurement step of measuring a delay time between the game device and each of the at least one other game device, all of which communicate with each other;

a storage step of storing start time data indicating a time at which the game device starts executing a predetermined event in a memory of the game device;

a transmission step of calculating a time at which each of the at least one other game device starts executing the predetermined event based on the delay time, and transmitting data indicating the time to each of the at least one other game device;

a correction step of correcting, when data indicating a time at which the game device starts executing the predetermined event is transmitted from each of the at least one other game device, the time indicated by the start time data based on the transmitted data; and

an event execution step of executing the predetermined event at the time indicated by the start time data.

2. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the start time data indicates a remaining time from a current time to the time at which the game device starts executing the predetermined event;

the storage step is executed after each of the at least one other game device included in the communication game system finishes measuring the delay time; and

the communication game program instructs the computer to further perform a subtraction step of repeatedly executing a process of updating the start time data at a predetermined time interval such that the updated start time data indicates a time obtained by subtracting a predetermined time from the start time data.

3. The storage medium according to claim 2, wherein the communication game program instructs the computer to further perform a completion notification step of notifying each of the at least one other game device that the game device finishes measuring the delay time, and

the subtraction step is executed if the game device has received a notification indicating that each of the at least one other game device finishes measuring the delay time or if data indicating the time at which the game device starts executing the predetermined event is initially transmitted from the at least one other game device.

4. The storage medium according to claim 3, wherein

in the storage step, when the game device has received the notification indicating that each of the at least one other game device finishes measuring the delay time, data indicating a predetermined time is stored in the memory as the start time data, and when the data indicating that the time at which the game device starts executing the predetermined event is initially transmitted from the at least one other game device, the data is stored in the memory as the start time data.

5. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the transmission step is executed at a predetermined time after each of the at least one other game device included in the communication game system finishes measuring the delay time.

6. The storage medium according to claim 5, wherein

the transmission step is repeatedly executed at a predetermined time interval after each of the at least one other game device included in the communication game-system finishes measuring the delay time.

7. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

in the transmission step, the time at which each of the at least one other game device starts executing the predetermined event is calculated based on the delay time between the game device and each of the at least one other game device and the start time data.

8. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

in the correction step, a corrected time is calculated such that the corrected time indicates a time point between the time indicated by the data transmitted from each of the at least one other game device and the time indicated by the start time data.

9. A communication game system comprised of a game device and at least one other game device being connected to each other through a network, the game device comprising:

measurement means of measuring a delay time between the game device and each of the at least one other game device, all of which communicate with each other;

storage control means of storing start time data indicating a time at which the game device starts executing a predetermined event in a memory of the game device;

transmission means of calculating a time at which each of the at least one other game device starts executing the predetermined event based on the delay time, and transmitting data indicating the time to each of the at least one other game device;

correction means of correcting, when data indicating a time at which the game device starts executing the predetermined event is transmitted from each of the at least one other game device, the time indicated by the start time data based on the transmitted data; and

event execution means of executing the predetermined event at the time indicated by the start time data.