SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCTION OF MULTIUSER NETWORK GAME

• US 20100124992A1
• Filed: 11/17/2009
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NHN Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: NHN Corporation
• Inventors: PARK, Chong Mok, Seong, Seok Hyon, Lee, Kangin
• Granted Patent: US 8,583,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/209 characterized by low level software layer, relating to hardware management, e.g. Operating System, Application Programming Interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6009 for importing or creating game content, e.g. authoring tools during game development, adapting content to different platforms, use of a scripting language to create content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/28 by checking the correct order of processing G06F11/08 - G06F11/26 take precedence; monitoring patterns of pulse trains H03K5/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B

Abstract

Provided is a system and method for production of a multi-user network game that may produce and debug a multi-user network game and simply construct a multi-user network game environment using a single game production tool to thereby reduce a game production time. A system for production of a multi-user network game being performed between a game server and a plurality of game clients via a network, may include: a game production module configured to produce and debug the multi-user network game and a multi-user network execution environment; and an emulation module configured to emulate an execution of the multi-user network game by constructing a virtual network execution environment that comprises at least one server virtual machine and at least one client virtual machine configured to execute the produced or debugged multi-user network game.

Claims

1. A system to produce a multi-user network game to be performed between a game server and a plurality of game clients via a network, the system comprising:

a game production module configured to produce and debug the multi-user network game and a multi-user network execution environment; and

an emulation module configured to emulate an execution of the multi-user network game by constructing a virtual network execution environment that comprises at least one server virtual machine and at least one client virtual machine, the at least one server virtual machine and the at least one client virtual machine being configured to execute the produced or debugged multi-user network game.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the emulation module comprises:

a virtual machine container configured to emulate the execution of the multi-user network game by generating and controlling each of the at least one client virtual machine and the at least one server virtual machine; and

a network emulator configured to emulate a network communication between the at least one client virtual machine and the at least one server virtual machine by constructing the virtual network execution environment.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the virtual machine container comprises:

a client virtual machine container configured to execute the multi-user network game by generating the at least one client virtual machine, and to transfer, to at least one of the client or server virtual machines via the network emulator, an event that occurs in the at least one client virtual machine while a game is being executed; and

a server virtual machine container configured to generate the at least one server virtual machine, to process the event that is transferred from the client virtual machine container via the network emulator, and to transfer an event processing result to the client virtual machine container via the network emulator.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the client virtual machine container comprises:

a client virtual machine drive module configured to generate and drive the at least one client virtual machine;

a network event management module configured to transfer, to the at least one client virtual machine via the client virtual machine drive module, a network event that is transferred through a network communication with the network emulator;

an external module interoperation management module configured to conduct interoperation of the at least one client virtual machine with a service system of an extrinsic online service of a corresponding game while the multi-user network game is being executed; and

a window control management module configured to transfer, to the at least one client virtual machine via the client virtual machine drive module, a window displaying a screen of the multi-user network game and a game event that occurs on the window.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the server virtual machine container comprises:

a server virtual machine drive module configured to generate and drive the at least one server virtual machine;

a network event management module to transfer, to the at least one server virtual machine via the server virtual machine drive module, a network event that is transferred through a network communication with the network emulator;

an external module interoperation management module configured to conduct interoperation of the at least one server virtual machine with a service system of an extrinsic online service of a corresponding game while the multi-user network game is being executed; and

a thread control management module configured to provide a thread pool so that the server virtual machine drive module generates and drives a plurality of server virtual machines.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the game production module comprises:

a game production user interface configured to provide a user interface to produce the multi-user network game using a game production screen;

a game edit tool configured to produce and debug the multi-user network game and the virtual network execution environment; and

a game previewer to display an execution process of the multi-user network game on the game production screen by driving the emulation module.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the game edit tool is based on a script language.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the emulation module further comprises:

an information storage unit emulator configured to emulate an information transfer between the at least one client virtual machine and the at least one server virtual machine, and an information storage unit configured to store extrinsic information of a virtual game, in the virtual network execution environment.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the information storage unit emulator comprises:

an information loader configured to load extrinsic information of a corresponding game from the information storage unit in response to a request for the information transfer from at least one of the client or server virtual machines; and

a temporary storage unit configured to store the loaded extrinsic information, and to transfer the stored extrinsic information to at least one corresponding virtual machine among the at least one client virtual machine and the at least one server virtual machine.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the extrinsic information comprises a script file generated using a script language.

11. A method to produce a multi-user network game to be performed between a game server and a plurality of game clients via a network, the method comprising:

executing a game production module to produce the multi-user network game to provide a game production screen;

producing a game script for the multi-user network game based on a script language using the game production module;

constructing, in a game preview, a virtual network execution environment that comprises at least one server virtual machine and at least one client virtual machine, the at least one server virtual machine and the at least one client virtual machine being configured to execute the game script to thereby emulate an execution of the game script in the virtual network execution environment; and

debugging the game script according to a result of the game preview.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the game preview comprises:

generating and driving each of the at least one client virtual machine and the at least one server virtual machine using a virtual machine container;

constructing the virtual network execution environment to relay a network communication between the at least one client virtual machine and the at least one server virtual machine using a network emulator;

loading and executing a server game script to the at least one server virtual machine using the virtual machine container;

loading and executing a client game script to the at least one client virtual machine using the virtual machine container; and

displaying an execution result of the at least one client virtual machine on the game production screen.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein producing the game script comprises:

loading a game level that is pre-produced using the game production module, or generating a new game level; and

editing the loaded game level or the generated new game level to generate the game script.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein editing the game level comprises at least one of:

generating/editing a sprite or an image of the loaded game level or the generated new game level;

defining/generating/editing a game object of the loaded game level or the generated new game level; and

editing the game script of the loaded game level or the generated new game level.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the game preview further comprises:

emulating an information transfer between at least one of the at least one client virtual machine and the at least one server virtual machine, and an information storage unit configured to store extrinsic information of a virtual game.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein emulating an information transfer comprises:

loading extrinsic information of a corresponding game from the information storage unit in response to a request for the information transfer from at least one of the at least one client virtual machine and the at least one server virtual machine;

temporarily storing the loaded extrinsic game information; and

transferring the temporarily stored extrinsic information to at least one corresponding virtual machine among the at least one client virtual machine and the at least one server virtual machine.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the extrinsic information comprises a script file generated using a script language.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a microprocessor to perform the following steps:

executing a game production module to produce the multi-user network game to provide a game production screen;

producing a game script for the multi-user network game based on a script language using the game production module;

constructing, in a game preview, a virtual network execution environment that comprises at least one server virtual machine and at least one client virtual machine, the at least one server virtual machine and the at least one client virtual machine being configured to execute the game script to thereby emulate an execution of the game script in the virtual network execution environment; and

debugging the game script according to a result of the game preview.