Image-display game system

• US 6,595,858 B1
• Filed: 06/01/2000
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Creatures, Inc., Game Freak, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Creatures, Inc., Game Freak, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Ishihara, Tsunekazu, Tajiri, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US09/583,861
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/30, 463/31, 463/43, 463/44, 463/45, 463/36, 463/42, 273/459-461
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/825 Fostering virtual characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/408 Peer to peer connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8029 Fighting without shooting
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8058 Virtual breeding, e.g. tamagotchi

Abstract

An image-display game system with an idea of monsters'"'"' virus infection comprises an information storage medium 10A in which a game program is stored, an actuator 22, a processor 23 for information processing responding to the actuator 22 and based on the program, an image display 27, and a temporal writable/readable storage 12, 25 including an infection data region 12c where data indicating whether or not the character has been virus infected is stored. When a predetermined condition is satisfied, data is written into at least one infection data region corresponding to the captured characters stored in the temporal storage means.

Claims

1. An image-display game system comprising an information storage medium and an image-display game device detachable from the information storage medium,

said information storage medium including

a program store for storing a game program

said image-display game device including:

an operation control member actuated by a player;

a temporary store including infection data regions where property data is stored for every character captured during the course of a game, and wherein virus related data indicating whether the character has been virus infected is stored;

a processor for carrying out information processing in response to said operation control member and based on said game program; and

a image-display for displaying an image obtained through processing carried out by said processor, wherein,

said processor is operable to change a displayed image in response to said operation control member; and

to change the property data to be stored in said temporary store in response to the state of said operation control member; and

to;

changes in the characters'"'"' images based on the property data including data indicating if the captured character has been virus infected;

said processor being operable to write the data indicative of being virus infected into at least one of said infection data regions corresponding to the captured characters stored in said temporary store, when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

2. The image-display game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image-display game device is connected to another image-display game device through a cable for data exchange, and wherein

the processor of said image-display game device writes the data, based on the program stored in said program store, into at least one of said infection data regions corresponding to the captured characters stored in said temporary store when performing data exchange between the another image-display game device, when a character transferred from the another image-display device has been virus infected, and when the predetermined condition is satisfied.

3. The image-display game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined condition is whether said characters have a battle with another character.

4. The image-display game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined condition is whether a generated random number was in a predetermined value.

5. The image-display game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said virus infected character is accelerated in its simulated growth.

6. A method of operating a game machine based upon a stored program which simulates the collection of characters of various types comprising the steps of:

collecting a character;

storing character property data indicative of whether a virus has infected the collected character;

determining whether at least one other character is infected by said virus; and

controlling the progress of the game based at least in part upon whether a character has been infected by said virus.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of:

receiving property data relating to a collected character from another game machine by communicating with the other game machine.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein said step of determining whether at least one other character is infected by said virus includes the step of generating a random number.

9. A method according to claim 6, further including the step of storing data identifying the type of virus which has infected said character.

10. A method according to claim 6, further including the step of storing data indicative of the period of time over which a character is to be infected with said virus.

11. A method according to claim 6, further including the step of storing data for defining a character which grows and changes.

12. A method according to claim 6, further including the step of accelerating the rate at which characters infected with a virus evolve.

13. A method according to claim 6, further including the step of clearing virus data associated with a character after a predetermined period of time has expired.

14. A method according to claim 6, further including the step of providing a character having an associated virus with the capability to achieve superior game related results than a character not infected with a virus.

15. A method according to claim 6, further including the step of providing a character having an associated virus with the capability of infecting other characters with the virus.

16. A method according to claim 6, further including the steps of

establishing a communication link with another player'"'"'s game machine;

transferring a character having a virus to another player'"'"'s game machine; and

infecting at least one character of the other player'"'"'s machine with said virus.

17. A method according to claim 6, further including the steps of

establishing a communication link with another player'"'"'s game machine;

transferring a character to another player'"'"'s game machine; and

engaging another player'"'"'s character in a battle with the transferred character.