ONLINE VIDEO GAME CONTROL SERVER AND A METHOD OF CONTROLLING AN ONLINE VIDEO GAME

• US 20080009352A1
• Filed: 07/05/2007
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Original Assignee: Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: MURATA, Tomoaki, AOYAMA, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 7,934,996 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• 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 13/335 using Internet
• 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 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game

Abstract

An online video game controlling server includes an online game information storage database for storing game information on an online video game that includes player information on player characters and area information on a game area of the online video game, and a control section for controlling the progress of the video game on the basis of the game information. A shared area and an unshared area are provided in the game area of the online video game. When one player character moves to the unshared area, the control section creates instance information including area specifying information, character identification information and instance creating necessary object information. In addition, the control section server breaks communication between the one player character and the other belonging player character to update the instance information whenever the progress state of the instance creating necessary object changes due to the action of the one player character.

Claims

1. An online video game control server for controlling progress of a video game via a communication network, the video game being played in a player terminal, the player terminal being to be operated by a player, the online video game control server comprising:

a game information storage database for storing game information on the video game, the game information being utilized to control the progress of the video game, the game information including player information on player characters and area information on a game area of the video game, the player information including player character progress information capable of specifying a stage of progress of the video game for each of the player characters, a shared area and an unshared area being provided in the game area, in the shared area both one player character whose action is controlled by operations from the player terminal and other player characters whose actions are respectively controlled by operations from other player terminals than the player terminal being allowed to exist together and the video game being capable of proceeding while the one player character and the other player characters share various kinds of data on the shared area, in the unshared area the video game proceeding for the one player character independently while the one player character and other belonging player characters cannot share any information, the other belonging player characters being player characters other than the one player character and the other player character belonging to a party to which the one player character belongs; and

a control section for controlling the progress of the video game on the basis of the game information,

wherein when the one player character moves to the unshared area, the control section creates instance information including area specifying information capable of specifying the unshared area, character identification information capable of identifying the one player character and instance creating necessary object information used to supply an instance creating necessary object that the one player character cannot share with the other belonging player characters in the process that the one player character moves in the unshared area, and breaks communication between the one player character and the other belonging player character, and

wherein the control section updates the instance information whenever the state of the instance creating necessary object changes due to the action of the one player character.

2. The online video game control server according to claim 1, wherein the control section erases the instance information for the one player character when the one player character moves from the unshared area to the shared area.

3. The online video game control server according to claim 1, wherein the instance creating necessary object information is object data that the one player character cannot share with the other player character, and includes specific non-player character data.

4. An online video game controlling method of controlling progress of a video game via a communication network, the video game being played in a player terminal, the player terminal being to be operated by a player, the online video game controlling method comprising:

executing a control process for controlling the progress of the video game on the bases of game information on the video game stored in a game information storage database, the game information being utilized to control the progress of the video game, the game information including player information on player characters and area information on a game area of the video game, the player information including player character progress information capable of specifying a stage of progress of the video game for each of the player characters, a shared area and an unshared area being provided in the game area, in the shared area both one player character whose action is controlled by operations from the player terminal and other player characters whose actions are respectively controlled by operations from other player terminals than the player terminal being allowed to exist together and the video game being capable of proceeding while the one player character and the other player characters share various kinds of data on the shared area, in the unshared area the video game proceeding for the one player character independently while the one player character and other belonging player characters cannot share any information, the other belonging player characters being player characters other than the one player character and the other player character belonging to a party to which the one player character belongs,

wherein the control process comprises;

when the one player character moves to the unshared area, creating instance information including area specifying information capable of specifying the unshared area, character identification information capable of identifying the one player character and instance creating necessary object information used to supply an instance creating necessary object that the one player character cannot share with the other belonging player characters in the process that the one player character moves in the unshared area, and breaking communication between the one player character and the other belonging player character; and

updating the instance information whenever the state of the instance creating necessary object changes due to the action of the one player character.

5. The online video game control server according to claim 4, wherein in the control process the instance information for the one player character is erased when the one player character moves from the unshared area to the shared area.

6. The online video game controlling method according to claim 4, wherein the instance creating necessary object information is object data that the one player character cannot share with the other player character, and includes specific non-player character data.