Cheat prevention method, system and client terminal for online game

• US 8,491,393 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2008
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Yang, Qian
• Primary Examiner(s): PIERCE, DAMON JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US12/193,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20090011829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,800 Days
• Field of Search: 463/29, 463 40- 42, 709/206, 709/207, 709/204
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/32 using local area network [LAN] connections
• 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 13/75 Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/404 characterized by a local network connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/408 Peer to peer connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• 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 2300/5586 for enforcing rights or rules, e.g. to prevent foul play
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

The present invention discloses a cheat prevention method for an online game. The method includes: determining, by the game server, a partner for a player according to information submitted by a game client terminal used by the player, and sending information of the partner of the player to the game client terminal used by the player; and refusing, by the game client terminal used by the player, to send a message to the partner of the player. The present invention also discloses a system and a client terminal in accordance with the method. The present invention can effectively prevent cheat in online games.

Claims

1. A cheat prevention method for an online game, applied to game client terminals and a game server, the method comprising:

determining, by the game server, a partner for a player according to information submitted by a game client terminal used by the player, and sending information of the partner of the player to the game client terminal used by the player, wherein the information submitted by the game client terminal comprises an address of a computer on which the game client terminal is installed, one or more online messaging accounts of the player who uses the game client terminal and a seat chosen by the player in the game; and

refusing, by the game client terminal used by the player, to send a message to the partner of the player;

submitting, by the game client terminal used by the player, the address of the computer on which the game client terminal is installed when the player newly logs in the game server;

submitting, by the game client terminal used by the player, the seat chosen by the player; and

checking, by the game client terminal used by the player, the one or more online messaging accounts of the player in realtime, and submitting the one or more messaging accounts of the player;

wherein refusing, by the game client terminal used by the player, to send the message to the partner of the player comprises,

refusing, by the game client terminal used by the player, to send the message when a destination account of the message is identical with any one of one or more online messaging accounts of the partner of the player.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein submitting, by the game client terminal used by the player, the address of the computer on which the game client terminal is installed when the player newly logs in the game server comprises

submitting, by the game client terminal used by the player, the address of the computer on which the game client terminal is installed to the game server when the player newly logs in the game server;

the method further comprising;

determining, by the game server, whether the address of the computer on which the game client terminal of the player is installed has already been recorded;

not recording the address of the computer if the address of the computer has already been recorded; and

recording the address of the computer if the address of the computer has not been recorded.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein checking, by the game client terminal used by the player, the one or more online messaging accounts of the player in realtime, and submitting the one or more messaging accounts of the player comprises

checking, by the game client terminal used by the player, working status of messaging tools on the computer on which the game client terminal is installed, and informing the game server of the one or more newly online messaging accounts of the player;

the method further comprising;

determining, by the game server upon the receipt of the one or more newly online messaging accounts of the player, whether the one or more newly online messaging accounts of the player has already been recorded, updating recorded messaging accounts with the one or more newly online messaging accounts of the player if the one or more messaging accounts of the player have already been recorded, and recording the one or more newly online messaging accounts of the player if the one or more messaging accounts of the player have not been recorded.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the one or more messaging accounts comprise an account list comprising at least one account.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending one or more latest online messaging accounts of the player to a game client terminal used by the partner of the player when a messaging account of the player in the game changes and the player is still in the game.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the game client terminal used by the player, the message when the destination account of the message is not identical with any one of the one or more online messaging accounts of the partner of the player.

7. A cheat prevention system for an online game, comprising:

game client terminals and a game server, wherein

each of the game client terminals is configured to submit information of a player who uses the game client terminal and refuse to send a message to a partner of the player according to information of the partner of the player received from the game server; and

the game server is configured to determine the partner of the player according to the information of the player submitted by the game client terminal and send the information of the partner of the player to the game client terminal;

wherein the information of the player submitted by the game client terminal comprises an address of a computer on which the game client terminal is installed, one or more online messaging accounts of the player who uses the game client terminal, and a seat chosen by the player who uses the game client terminal in the game;

and each of the game client terminals is further configured to submit the address of the computer on which the game client terminal is installed when the player newly logs in the game server and the seat chosen by the player in the game, check one or more online messaging accounts of the player in realtime, submit the one or more online messaging accounts, and refuse to send the message when a destination account of the message is identical with any one of one or more online messaging accounts of the partner of the player.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein

the game server is further configured to, when a messaging account of the player in the game changes and the player is still in the game, send one or more latest online messaging accounts of the player to a game client terminal used by the partner of the player.

9. A game client terminal, including:

a first module, configured to submit information of a player who uses the game client terminal to a game server; and

a second module, configured to refuse, according to information of a partner of the player received from the game server, to send a message to the partner of the player who uses the game client terminal;

wherein the information of the player submitted by the first module comprises an address of a computer on which the game client terminal is installed, one or more online messaging accounts of the player who uses the game client terminal, and a seat chosen by the player who uses the game client terminal in the game;

the first module is configured to submit the address of the computer on which the game client terminal is installed when the player newly logs in the game server and the seat chosen by the player in the game, check one or more online messaging accounts of the player in realtime and submit the one or more online messaging accounts;

the second module is configured to refuse to send the message when a destination account of the message is identical with any one of one or more online messaging accounts of the partner of the player.