Net game system, processing method for playing net game, and computer-readable storage medium for storing program for playing net game

• US 6,881,148 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2001
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Computer Entertainment Studios, Inc. (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakayama, Norio, Yamaoka, Masatoshi, Namba, Kazuhiro, Yotsugi, Hirotomo, Goto, Katsuhiro, Naito, Satoko
• Primary Examiner(s): BROCKETTI, JULIE K
• Application Number:
  US10/007,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20020055386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 463 40- 42, 463/1, 434/107
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/58 by computing conditions of game characters, e.g. stamina, strength, motivation or energy level
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/825 Fostering virtual characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5513 involving billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8058 Virtual breeding, e.g. tamagotchi
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

Network game system for playing a game with the aim of a achieving a predetermined goal. The game is played, via data terminals operated by member players, in a game space provided on a game server, while communicating with the game server on the network. The game server includes a recruiting information generating section for generating, upon receipt from a member player of referral information specifying the mail address of the data terminal of a non-member player, recruiting information including information specifying the member player, an enrollment processing section for performing enrollment processing upon receiving application information in response to recruiting information sent to the mail address of the non-member, and an advantage conferring section for conferring to the referring member player advantages useful in achieving the goal of the game.

Claims

1. A network game system for playing a game with the aim of achieving a predetermined goal of the game, said game being played, via monitor-equipped data terminals operated by member players, in a game space simulating a virtual company provided on a game server, while in communication with the game server on a network, said system comprising:

question generating means for generating questions as an employment test in response to access from the monitor-equipped data terminal of a non-member player,

transmitting/receiving means for transmitting and receiving data to and from the monitor-equipped data terminals including transmitting the questions generated by the question generating means to the monitor-equipped data terminal of the non-member player via the network and receiving information from the non-member player in response to the questions via the network;

character-training process means for evaluating if the non-member player is qualified as an employee of the virtual company based on the information sent back by the non-member player via the network;

recruiting information generating means for generating, upon receipt from a member player of referral information specifying a mail address of a data terminal of a non-member player, recruiting information including information specifying the member player, the recruiting information being sent to the non-member player via the transmitting/receiving means;

enrollment processing means for performing enrollment processing upon receiving application information from the non-member player depending on whether the application information is received from the non-member player in response to the recruiting information sent to the mail address of said non-member player, the enrollment processing means being arranged to consider the employment test passed only upon receipt of application information from a non-member player in response to the recruiting information sent to the mail address of the non-member and, when the non-member player provides application information not in response to recruiting information, the enrollment processing means performing enrollment processing with the employment test and determining whether the non-member player passes or fails the employment test; and

advantage conferring means for conferring to the referring member player advantage useful in achieving the goal in the game.

2. The network game system according to claim 1, further comprising report generating means for generating a report informing the referring member player that the non-member referred by him or her has enrolled.

3. The network game system according to claim 1, wherein the goal of said game is for a score representing a number of points accumulated in the course of game play to reach a predetermined value, and said advantage conferring means adds a predetermined number of points to the member player'"'"'s score.

4. The network game system according to claim 1, wherein the game space claim 1, wherein said game is a character-training game in which virtual employees associated with data terminals are trained, aiming at becoming president of said virtual company.

5. The network game system according to claim 4, wherein said game server comprises:

question generating means for generating a predetermined number question sessions, said sessions being shown at predetermined intervals on data terminal monitors;

transmitting/receiving means for transmitting a generated question to a data terminal and for receiving from a data terminal response data in response to the question shown on the data terminal monitor;

a parameter storage portion for storing said response data in association with an increment/decrement parameter value required for character-training;

a personal data storage portion for storing at least a parameter value updatable with reference to information that identifies an employee; and

character-training processing means for adding to a current parameter value said increment/decrement parameter value determined from the content of response data to a question, storing the result in said personal data storage portion for each virtual employee, and on the basis of this parameter value, performing a process to promote or demote within the virtual company the virtual employee associated with said data terminal.

6. The network game system according to claim 5, further comprising game play processing means allowing a player to select any of a plurality of game modes, wherein said parameter storage portion has increment/decrement parameter values set for the respective different game modes.

7. The network game system according to claim 4, said question generating means poses a predetermined question when accessed from a data terminal.

8. The network game system according to claim 1, wherein the referral information includes a message from the member-player to the non-member player and the recruiting information includes the message.

9. The network game system accord to claim 1, wherein the recruiting information generating means are arranged to generate recruiting information including the member player'"'"'s virtual company and position.

10. The network game system according to claim 1, wherein the recruiting information generating means are arranged to generate recruiting information including a URL address for jumping to the network game system.

11. A network game system for playing a game with the aim of achieving a predetermined goal of the game, said game being played, via monitor-equipped data terminals operated by member players, in a game space simulating a virtual company provided on a game server, while in communication with the game server on a network, said system comprising:

a company data storage portion for storing data relating to a plurality of virtual companies;

transmitting/receiving means for transmitting data from the game server to the monitor-equipped data terminal of a non-member player via the network;

a game play processing portion for reading the company data from the company data storage portion and transmitting the data to the monitor-equipped data terminal of the non-member player and allowing a selection of one of the companies by the non-member player;

recruiting information generating means for generating, upon receipt from a member player of referral information specifying a mail address of a data terminal of a non-member player, recruiting information including information specifying the member player, the recruiting information being sent to the non-member player via the transmitting/receiving means;

enrollment processing means for performing enrollment processing upon receiving application information from the non-member player in response to the recruiting information sent to the mail address of the non-member player;

advantage conferring means for conferring to the referring member player advantages useful in achieving the goal in the game; and

question generating means for generating questions as an employment test in response to access from the monitor-equipped data terminal of a non-member player, the enrollment processing means being arranged to perform enrollment processing upon receiving application information from the non-member player depending on whether the application information is received from the non-member player in response to tho recruiting information sent to the mail address of said non-member player, said enrollment processing being to consider the employment test passed only upon receipt of application information from a non-member player in response to recruiting information sent to the mail address of the non-member and, when the non-member player provides application information not in response to recruiting information, the enrollment processing means being arranged to perform enrollment processing with the employment test and determine whether the non-member player passes or fails the employment test.

12. The game system according to claim 11, wherein the company data storage portion stores a plurality of virtual company data comprising various categories of businesses and includes as virtual company data, the name of the president, total assets, number of employees and ratings indicating a popularity index and trust.

13. A network game play processing method for proceeding a game with the aim of achieving a predetermined goal of the game, said game being played, via monitor-equipped data terminals operated by member players, in a game space simulating a virtual company provided on a game server, while in communication with said game server on a network, said method comprising the steps of:

generating questions as an employment test in response to access from the monitor-equipped data terminal of a non-member player;

transmitting the generated questions to the monitor-equipped data terminal of the non-member player via the network;

receiving information from the non-member player in response to the questions via the network;

evaluating if the non-member player is qualified as an employee of the virtual company based on the information sent back by the non-member player via the network;

generating recruiting information including information specifying a member player, in the event that said game server receives from said member player referral information specifying a mail address of a data terminal of a non-member player;

transmitting the recruiting information to the non-member player;

performing enrollment processing upon receiving application information from the non-member player depending on whether the application information is received from the non-member player in response to the recruiting information sent to the mail address of the non-member player, said enrollment processing step comprising the steps of considering the employment test passed only upon receipt of application information from a non-member player in response to the recruiting information sent to the mail address of the non-member and performing enrollment processing with the employment test when the non-member player provides application information not in response to recruiting information to determine whether the non-member player passes or fails the employment test; and

conferring to the referring member player advantages useful in achieving the goal in the game.

14. The network game play processing method according to claim 13, wherein a report informing the referring member player that a non-member referred by him or her has enrolled is generated and sent to the referring member player.

15. The network game play processing method according to claim 13, wherein the goal of said game is for a score presenting a number of points accumulated in the course of game play to reach a predetermined value, and said useful advantage is the addition of a predetermined number of points to the member player'"'"'s score.

16. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a network game play processing program for playing a game with the aim of achieving a predetermined goal of the game, said game being played, via monitor-equipped data terminals operated by member players, in a game space simulating a virtual company provided on a game server, while in communication with said game server on a network, said network game play processing program comprising the steps of:

generating questions as an employment test in response to access from the monitor-equipped data terminal of a non-member player;

transmitting the generated questions to the monitor-equipped data terminal of the non-member player via the network;

receiving information from the non-member player in response to the questions via the network;

evaluating if the non-member player is qualified as an employee of the virtual company based on the information sent back by the non-member player via the network;

generating recruiting information including information specifying a member player, in the event that said game server receives from said member player referral information specifying the mail address of the data terminal of a non-member player;

transmitting the recruiting information to the non-member player;

performing different enrollment processing upon receiving application information from the non-member player depending on whether the application information is received from the non-member player in response to the recruiting information sent to the mail address of the non-member player, said enrollment processing step comprising the steps of considering the employment test passed only upon receipt of application information from a non-member player in response to the recruiting information sent to the mail address of the non-member and performing enrollment processing with the employment test when the non-member player provides application information not in response to recruiting information to determine whether the non-member player passes or fails the employment test; and

conferring to die referring member player advantages useful in achieving the goal in the game.

17. The computer-readable storage medium for storing a network game play program according to claim 16, where a report informing the referring member player that a non-member referred by or her has enrolled is generated and sent to the referring member player.

18. The computer-readable storage medium for storing a network game play program according to claim 16, wherein the goal of said game is for a score representing a number of points accumulated in the course of game play to reach a predetermined value, and said useful advantage is the addition of a predetermined number of points to the member player'"'"'s score.