COMMUNICATION GAME APPARATUS, SYSTEM, METHOD AND PROGRAM

• US 20070117632A1
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Namco Bandai Games Inc.
• Original Assignee: Namco Bandai Games Inc.
• Inventors: NAKANISHI, Kensuke
• Application Number:
  US11/560,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20070117632A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• 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 13/358 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 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction

Abstract

It is an object of the invention to provide a communication game apparatus, a communication game system, a communication game method, and a communication game program that can improve, in a competitive game, the feeling of realistic sense of the game by preventing actions of characters from becoming unnatural. Plural game terminals 10 serving as the other communication game apparatuses excluding the apparatus of own are connected to the game terminal 10 serving as the own communication game apparatus via communication lines. The game terminal 10 serving as the own apparatus includes a communication-frequency setting section 150 that variably set a communication frequency of transmitting and receiving game data between the game terminal 10 serving as the own apparatus and each of the other plural game terminals 10 serving as the other apparatuses according to contents of a game in progress and a transmitting section 144, a receiving section 146, and a communication interface section 160 that perform transmission and reception of the game data between the game terminal 10 serving as the own apparatus and each of the other plural game terminals 10 at the communication frequency set by the communication-frequency setting section 150.

Claims

1. A communication game apparatus to which other plural communication game apparatuses are connected via communication lines, comprising:

a communication-frequency setting unit that variably sets a communication frequency of transmitting and receiving game data between the communication game apparatus and each of the other plural communication game apparatuses excluding the apparatus of own according to contents of a game in progress; and

a communicating unit that performs transmission and reception of the game data between the communication game apparatus and each of the other plural communication game apparatuses at the communication frequency set by the communication-frequency setting unit.

2. The communication game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a character-action computing unit that computes, on the basis of the game data received by the communicating unit, an action of a player-character corresponding to the own apparatus and actions of the other plural characters excluding the player-character corresponding to the other plural communication game apparatuses, respectively, wherein

the communication-frequency setting unit sets a communication frequency on the basis of a relative relation between the player-character and each of the other plural characters.

3. The communication game apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the communication-frequency setting unit sets a high communication frequency between the communication game apparatus and the other communication game apparatuses corresponding to the other characters close to the player-character and sets a low communication frequency between the communication game apparatus and the other communication game apparatuses corresponding to the other characters distant from the player-character.

4. The communication game apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the communication-frequency setting unit sets a high communication frequency between the communication game apparatus and the other communication game apparatuses corresponding to the other characters highly likely to affect an action of the player-character and sets a low communication frequency between the communication game apparatus and the other communication game apparatuses corresponding to the other characters less likely to affect the action of the player-character.

5. The communication game apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

a predetermined communication bandwidth is set for at least one of the transmission and the reception of game data via the communication lines, and

the communication-frequency setting unit includes a bandwidth setting unit that sets a proportion of a bandwidth to be allocated to each of the other plural communication game apparatuses to the communication bandwidth according to a level of a communication frequency.

6. The communication game apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

a fixed value is set for one traffic of game data transmitted and received between the communication game apparatus and each of the other plural communication game apparatuses, and

the communication-frequency setting unit further includes a transmission-timing judging unit that accumulates values of the bandwidth, which are set by the bandwidth setting unit, for the respective other communication game apparatuses and judges that transmission timing for the game data has come when the accumulated value reaches the fixed value.

7. The communication game apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the transmission-timing judging unit performs a judging operation at a predetermined time interval.

8. The communication game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when a degree of cooperation between the player-character corresponding to the own apparatus and each of the other plural characters corresponding to the other plural communication game apparatuses is set according to game contents, the communication-frequency setting unit sets a communication frequency taking into account the degree of cooperation.

9. The communication game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

parameters indicating individualities of the respective other characters are set for each of the other plural characters corresponding to the other plural communication game apparatuses, and

the communication-frequency setting unit sets a communication frequency according to the parameters.

10. A communication game system in which plural communication game apparatuses are connected to one another via a network, each of the plural communication game apparatuses comprising:

a communication-frequency setting unit that variably sets a communication frequency of transmitting and receiving game data between the communication game apparatus of own and each of the other plural communication game apparatuses excluding the own apparatus according to contents of a game in progress; and

a communicating unit that performs transmission and reception of the game data between the communication game apparatus and each of the other plural communication game apparatuses excluding the own apparatus at the communication frequency set by the communication-frequency setting unit.

11. The communication game system according to claim 10, further comprising a character-action computing unit that computes, on the basis of the game data received by the communicating unit, an action of a player-character corresponding to the own apparatus and actions of plural the other characters corresponding to the other plural communication game apparatuses excluding the own apparatus, respectively, wherein

the communication-frequency setting unit sets a communication frequency on the basis of a relative relation between the player-character and each of the other plural characters.

12. The communication game system according to claim 11, wherein the communication-frequency setting unit sets a high communication frequency between the own apparatus and the other communication game apparatuses corresponding to the other characters close to the player-character and sets a low communication frequency between the own apparatus and the other communication game apparatuses corresponding to the other characters distant from the player-character.

13. The communication game system according to claim 11, wherein

a predetermined communication bandwidth is set for at least one of the transmission and the reception of game data via the communication lines, and

the communication-frequency setting unit includes a bandwidth setting unit that sets a proportion of a bandwidth to be allocated to each of the other plural communication game apparatuses excluding the own apparatus to the communication bandwidth according to a level of a communication frequency.

14. The communication game system according to claim 13, wherein

a fixed value is set for one traffic of game data transmitted and received between the own apparatus and each of the other plural communication game apparatuses, and

the communication-frequency setting unit further includes a transmission-timing judging unit that accumulates values of the bandwidth, which are set by the bandwidth setting unit, for the respective other communication game apparatuses excluding the own apparatus and judges that transmission timing for the game data has come when the accumulated value reaches the fixed value.

15. A communication game method of transmitting and receiving game data in a communication game system in which plural communication game apparatuses are connected to one another via a network, the communication game method comprising:

a communication-frequency setting step of variably setting, in each of the plural communication game apparatuses, a communication frequency of transmitting and receiving game data between the communication game apparatus of own and each of the other plural communication game apparatuses excluding the own apparatus according to contents of a game in progress; and

a communicating step of performing transmission and reception of the game data between the own communication game apparatus and each of the other plural communication game apparatuses excluding the own apparatus at the communication frequency set in the communication-frequency setting step.

16. A communication game program that causes a computer to function as:

a communication-frequency setting unit that variably sets a communication frequency of transmitting and receiving game data between a communication game apparatus and each of other plural communication game apparatuses excluding the own apparatus connected to the communication game apparatus via communication lines according to contents of a game in progress; and

a communicating unit that performs transmission and reception of the game data between the communication game apparatus and each of the other plural communication game apparatuses at the communication frequency set by the communication-frequency setting unit.