Party chat system, program for party chat system and information recording medium

• US 9,095,778 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2011
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Inventors: Fujisawa, Jin, Yamaguchi, Ryo, Yamazaki, Kyoko, Nishimura, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Shih, Haoshian
• Application Number:
  US13/276,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20120110479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 463/32, 463/42, 715/751, 715/753, 715/757, 715/758
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/306 for displaying a marker associated to an object or location in the game field
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• 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

Abstract

Facilitating reconstruction of a party after a game over to avoid wasted time required for gathering members of a party. Moreover, a user may quickly reconstruct (gather) a party to improve the real thrill of an on-line game. Accordingly, an on-line game system allows a user of the game to select and display resurrection points of other characters included within the party. Since resurrection points of other characters included within the party can be selected and restored, wasted time required for gathering with each other around one location for the purpose of reconstructing a party can be avoided. Thus, it is possible to quickly gather the party.

Claims

1. A computer based chat system that enables conversation among players with text through an information communication network by displaying on a display apparatus, text information input by an input corresponding to respective characters, the characters existing within a virtual space, the chat system comprising:

a party storage to store party information, the party including a plurality of the characters;

a character information display to display, at a predetermined position of the display apparatus, character information of each of the plurality of characters included in the party in accordance with party information stored in the party storage; and

a text information display to display, on the display apparatus, a first text information input by the character belonging to the party displayed adjacent to the character information of each of the plurality of characters belonging to the party displayed at the predetermined position, when the first text information is input by the character belonging to the party, and to display a second text information input with respect to another character, displayed adjacent to the another character, which does not belong to the party at a position different from the predetermined position.

2. A chat system according to claim 1, wherein the character information comprises icon image of the characters.

3. A chat system according to claim 1, further comprising a display control part to control a time period during which the character information displayed at the character information display and the text information displayed at the text information display are displayed on the display apparatus.

4. A chat system according to claim 1, wherein the character information display is configured to display the character information on the display apparatus in accordance with the positions of the characters.

6. A chat system according to claim 4, wherein the positions of the characters is determined based on a distance between a first of the characters and each of the other characters.

7. A chat system according to claim 6, wherein the displayed character information is arranged in an ascending or descending order according to the determined distance of each of the characters.

8. A chat system according to claim 1, wherein only text information of characters in the party is displayed next to the character information.

9. A chat system according to claim 1, wherein the second text information requires an individual display adjacent to the another character having input the second text information.

10. A chat system according to claim 1, wherein size of the displayed text information changes based on a distance between any two of the plurality of characters.

5. A non-transitory computer readable medium for storing a program for a chat system that enables conversation among players with text through an information communication network by displaying, on a display apparatus, text information input by an input corresponding to respective characters, the characters existing within a virtual space, the program executable by a processor and comprising:

storing party information in a party storage, the party including a plurality of the characters;

displaying in a character display, at a predetermined position of the display apparatus, character information of each of the plurality of characters included in the party in accordance with party information stored in the party storage; and

displaying in a text display, on the display apparatus, a first text information input by the character belonging to the party displayed adjacent to the character information of each of the plurality of characters belonging to the party displayed at the predetermined position, when the first text information is input by the character belonging to the party, and to display a second text information input with respect to another character, displayed adjacent to the another character, which does not belong to the party at a position different from the predetermined position.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 5, wherein the another character does not belong to any party.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 5, wherein the second text information requires an individual display adjacent to the another character having input the second text information.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 5, wherein size of the displayed text information changes based on a distance between any two of the plurality of characters.