Game server, recording medium for storing game action control program, network game action control method and network action control program

• US 20020160824A1
• Filed: 04/25/2002
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, Inc. (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Tatsuya, Nakayama, Norio, Goto, Katsuhiro, Takahashi, Hidehisa
• Granted Patent: US 7,300,353 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/9
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• 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 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• 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 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

Members of a team can be replaced with players having the same game intentions. The invention comprises a buddy search processor 108 that associates together identifying information regarding terminal devices and stores this in a member information memory 170 as a team, a member information deletion processor 111 that transmits a member deletion request from one terminal device belonging to a team, to the other terminal devices belonging to the team, regarding another terminal device belonging to the team, and deletes from the member information memory 170 the identifying information regarding the other terminal device based on the responses from each terminal device, and a member replacement processor 112 that transmits a member admission request from one terminal device belonging to the team to the other terminal devices belonging to the team, selects a terminal device that satisfies the admission criteria included in the member admission request based on the responses from the other terminal devices, and stores the identifying information regarding the selected terminal device in the member information memory 170.

Claims

1. A game server that transmits and receives information to and from a plurality of terminal devices over a network, wherein said game server comprising:

a memory;

member information processing means for associating identifying information regarding three or more terminal devices and for storing the associated information in said memory as a team;

member information deletion means for transmitting a member deletion request regarding one terminal device belonging to the team from the another one of said terminal devices belonging to said team to the other terminal devices belonging to said team and for deleting the identifying information of said one of the terminal device from said memory based on the responses from each terminal device in regard to said member deletion request; and

member replacement means for transmitting a member admission request from one terminal device belonging to said team to the other terminal devices belonging to said team, selecting a terminal device that does not belong to said team and satisfies admission criteria included in said member admission request based on the responses from the other terminal devices to said member admission request, and for storing the identifying information regarding the selected terminal device in said memory as a member of said team.

2. The game server according to claim 1, further comprising reference means that enables reference to game histories of the other terminal devices belonging to said team.

3. The game server according to claim 1, wherein said member information deletion means carries out determination regarding whether or not to grant the member deletion request based on a principle of majority vote.

4. The game server according to claim 1, wherein said member replacement means carries out determination regarding whether or not to grant the member admission request based on a principle of majority vote.

5. The game server according to claim 1, further comprising an e-mail transmission means that transmits the result of said determination to the terminal devices belonging to said team via e-mail.

6. The game server according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said admission criteria are prepared in advance to be selected.

7. The game server according to claim 1, wherein said member replacement means prevents the selection of the terminal device that was deleted by the member information deletion means.

8. The game server according to claim 1, wherein the terminal devices that constitute a team are each assigned different roles.

9. A recording medium for storing a game action control program wherein a game server connected to a network and on which a game is played by teams via the transmission and receipt of information over the network between said server and the plurality of terminal devices that constitute a team, said action control program comprising the steps of:

causing said game server to associate together identifying information regarding three or more terminal devices and to store said associated identifying information in a memory as one team;

causing said game server to transmit a member deletion request regarding one terminal device belonging to the team from the another one of said terminal devices belonging to said team to the other terminal devices belonging to said team and to delete the identifying information of said one of the terminal device from said memory based on the responses from each terminal device in regard to said member deletion request; and

causing said game server to transmit a member admission request from one terminal device belonging to said team to the other terminal devices belonging to said team, select a terminal device that does not belong to said team and satisfies admission criteria included in said member admission request based on the responses from the other terminal devices to said member admission request, and to store the identifying information regarding the selected terminal device in said memory as a member of said team.

10. A network game action control method that enables communication of information between a server and a plurality of terminal devices over a network, wherein said method comprising the steps of:

associating identifying information regarding three or more terminal devices and for storing the associated information in a memory of said server as a team;

transmitting a member deletion request regarding one terminal device belonging to the team from the another one of said terminal devices belonging to said team to the other terminal devices belonging to said team and for deleting the identifying information of said one of the terminal device from said memory based on the responses from each terminal device in regard to said member deletion request; and

transmitting a member admission request from one terminal device belonging to said team to the other terminal devices belonging to said team, selecting a terminal device that does not belong to said team and satisfies admission criteria included in said member admission request based on the responses from the other terminal devices to said member admission request, and for storing the identifying information regarding the selected terminal device in said memory as a member of said team.

11. A network game action control program that enables communication of information between a server and a plurality of terminal devices over a network, wherein said program comprising the steps of:

associating identifying information regarding three or more terminal devices and for storing the associated information in a memory of said server as a team;

transmitting a member deletion request regarding one terminal device belonging to the team from the another one of said terminal devices belonging to said team to the other terminal devices belonging to said team and for deleting the identifying information of said one of the terminal device from said memory based on the responses from each terminal device in regard to said member deletion request; and

transmitting a member admission request from one terminal device belonging to said team to the other terminal devices belonging to said team, selecting a terminal device that does not belong to said team and satisfies admission criteria included in said member admission request based on the responses from the other terminal devices to said member admission request, and for storing the identifying information regarding the selected terminal device in said memory as a member of said team.