Competitive video game device, a competition video game executing method and a readable storage medium in which a video game program is stored

• US 6,585,600 B1
• Filed: 05/12/2000
• Issued: 07/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kondo, Tetsuya, Nakagawa, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): ONEILL, MICHAEL W
• Application Number:
  US09/569,949
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 463/43, 463/44, 463/42, 463/41, 463/40, 463/31, 463/30, 463/7, 463/8, 273/148.B
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5372 for tagging characters, objects or locations in the game scene, e.g. displaying a circle under the character controlled by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5378 for displaying an additional top view, e.g. radar screens or maps using two or more virtual cameras concurrently A63F13/5252
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/58 by computing conditions of game characters, e.g. stamina, strength, motivation or energy level
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/828 Managing virtual sport teams
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/833 Hand-to-hand fighting, e.g. martial arts competition A63F13/837 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8029 Fighting without shooting
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8052 Ball team management

Abstract

A competition video game device for displaying a plurality of simulated games played between an own team and an enemy team on a display means by causing n (≧1) player characters to participate and play in the games, comprises a first storage means for storing m (>n) player characters belonging to the own team, a player selection control means for selecting at least n player characters to participate in the simulated game from the m player characters before each simulated game, and a condition setting means for setting the player character whose consecutive non-participating game number up to the last simulated game is equal to or larger than a specified number in the game sense reduced condition, in which his movements are sluggish when he participates in the simulated game, at a specified probability.

Claims

1. A competition video game device for displaying a plurality of simulated games played between an own team and an enemy team on a display means by causing n (≧

1) player characters to participate and play in the simulated games, the competition video game device comprising;

a first storage means for storing m (>

n) player characters belonging to the own team,

a player selection control means for selecting at least n player characters to participate in the simulated game from the m player characters before each simulated game, and

a condition setting means for setting the player character, whose consecutive non-participating game number up to the last simulated game is equal to or larger than a specified number, to a game sense reduced condition, in which his movements are sluggish when the game character participates in the simulated game, at a specified probability.

2. The competition video game device according to claim 1, wherein the condition setting means includes:

a second storage means whose storage contents are rewritable,

a participation judging means for judging whether the player character participated in the simulated game for each of the m player characters upon the completion of the simulated game,

a storage control means for saving the consecutive non-participating game number up to the last simulated game in the second storage means for each of the m player characters using the judgment results of the participation judging means, and

a consecutive non-participating game number judging means for judging whether the consecutive non-participating game number is equal to or larger than the specified number for each of the m player character based on the storage contents of the second storage means.

3. The competition video game device according to claim 1, wherein the condition setting means performs the setting before the start of each simulated game.

4. The competition video game device according to claim 1, further comprising a condition display control means for distinguishably displaying the player characters set in the game sense reduced condition from the remaining ones of the m player characters on the display means when the player characters are to be selected by the player selection control means.

5. The competition video game device according to claim 4, wherein the condition display control means displays face marks having different modes on the display means depending upon whether the player characters are set in the game sense reduced condition.

6. The competition video game device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a third storage means for storing ability indices representing degrees of ability of dispositions relating to the simulated game for each of the m player characters,

a movement control means for causing the player characters to move in manners corresponding to their ability indices in conformity with rules of the simulated game, and

an ability index changing means for temporarily reducing the ability indices of the player character during the simulated game if the player character set in the game sense reduced condition by the condition setting means is selected by the player selection control means.

7. The competition video game device according to claim 6, wherein the ability index changing means holds the ability indices of the player character set in the game sense reduced condition reduced until the simulated game is completed.

8. The competition video game device according to claim 6, wherein the ability index changing means restore the ability indices of the player character set in the game sense reduced condition to those before if a specified condition is satisfied during the simulated game.

9. The competition video game device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a condition judging means for judging an occurrence of a specified situation relating to the simulated game given to the player character of the own team by the player character of the enemy team, and

an injury control means for setting a player character of the own team in an injured state at a specified probability upon the occurrence of the specified situation,

wherein the injury control means increases the probability of setting the player character in the injured state if the player character is set in the game sense reduced condition.

10. The competition video game device according to claim 1, wherein the simulated game is a ball game for competing scores by driving a ball character simulating a ball into a goal.

11. The competition video game device according to claim 10, wherein the ball game is a soccer game.

12. A competition video game executing method for displaying a plurality of simulated games played between the own team and the enemy team on the display means by causing n (≧

1) player characters to participate in the games, the method comprising the steps of;

selecting at least n player characters to participate in the simulated game from m (>

n) player characters, and

setting the player character, whose consecutive non-participating game number up to the last simulated game is equal to or larger than the specified number, to a game sense reduced condition, in which his movements are sluggish when the game character participates in the simulated game, at a specified probability.

13. A readable storage means storing a game program of a competition video game for displaying a plurality of simulated games played between the own team and the enemy team on the display means by causing n (≧

1) player characters to participate in the games, the storage means comprising the steps of;

selecting at least n player characters to participate in the simulated game from m (>

n) player characters, and

setting the player character, whose consecutive non-participating game number up to the last simulated game is equal to or larger than the specified number, to a game sense reduced condition, in which his movements are sluggish when the game character participates in the simulated game, at a specified probability.