Method for displaying chat window applied to network game

• US 20030228909A1
• Filed: 03/19/2003
• Published: 12/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Original Assignee: Square Company Limited of Tokyo Japan
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hiromichi, Kusano, Tomohiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,597,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/833 Hand-to-hand fighting, e.g. martial arts competition A63F13/837 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/537 for exchanging game data using a messaging service, e.g. e-mail, SMS, MMS
• 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: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

Players input their messages in their video game apparatuses and the messages are once collected at a server apparatus, thereafter they are distributed to all video game apparatuses from the game server apparatus. In a display screen of each video game apparatus, a chat window is displayed in order to display messages exchanged between the players on a game screen including a field and characters of the game. The chat window is sequentially enlarged up to a preset maximum number of lines when a new message is received from the game server apparatus. The chat window is sequentially reduced to the preset minimum number of lines when a predetermined time passes without any reception of new message or when the player performs a specific operation.

Claims

1. A network game system having a server apparatus and a plurality of client apparatuses each connected to said server apparatus via a network, said server apparatus comprising:

a message collector that receives messages input in each of said plurality of client apparatuses and transmitted therefrom; and

a message distributor that distributes messages in accordance with progress of a game including the messages received by said message collector to each of said plurality of client apparatuses via the network; and

each of said plurality of client apparatuses comprising;

a message input device that inputs desired messages in accordance with the progress of the game according to a user'"'"'s operation;

a message transmitter that transmits the messages input from said message input device to said server apparatus via said network to cause said message collector to receive the messages;

a message receiver that receives messages transmitted from said message distributor;

a message display device that scrolls and displays messages received by said message receiver in a window displayed on a game screen;

a window enlarging device that enlarges the window in response to reception of the message by said message receiver so as to increase the number for display lines of the messages in the window up to a preset maximum value; and

a window reducing device that reduces the window so as to decrease the number of display lines for the messages in the window to a preset minimum value when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

2. The network game system according to claim 1, wherein the window enlarging device enlarges the window by the number of lines necessary to display the messages received by said message receiver.

3. The network game system according to claim 1, wherein the window reducing device reduces the window by one message or one line.

4. A video game apparatus connected, via a network, to a server apparatus, which is connected to at least one other video game apparatus via the network, said video game apparatus comprising:

a message receiver that receives messages transmitted from the server apparatus via the network in accordance with progress of a game;

a message display device that scrolls and displays the messages received by said message receiver in a window displayed on a game screen;

a window enlarging device that enlarges the window in response to reception of the message by said message receiver so as to increase the number of display lines of the messages in the window up to a preset maximum value; and

a window reducing device that reduces the window so as to decrease the number of display lines of the messages in the window to a preset minimum value when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

5. The video game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the window enlarging device enlarges the window by the number of lines necessary to display the messages received by said message receiver.

6. The video game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the window reducing device reduces the window by one message or one line.

7. The video game apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a time counter that counts time lapsed from a start of counting, wherein the predetermined condition for which the window reducing device reduces the window is satisfied when said time counter counts a predetermined time.

8. The video game apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said time counter newly starts counting time when receiving the message by said message receiver.

9. The video game apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said time counter newly starts counting time regardless of the reception of the messages by said message receiver.

10. The video game apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said predetermined time can be arbitrarily set by a player'"'"'s operation.

11. The video game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined condition for which the window reducing device reduces the window includes a case in which the player inputs a predetermined operation.

12. The video game apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a display line setting device that arbitrarily sets the number of display lines of the messages in the window to at least one of the maximum value and minimum value by the player'"'"'s operation.

13. The video game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the minimum value of the number of display lines of the message in the window is set to 0.

14. The video game apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a message display controller that sequentially deletes the oldest message of all messages displayed in the window and displays a newly received message in the window when the number of display lines of the messages in the window reaches the maximum value and said message receiver receives the new message from the server apparatus.

15. The video game apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a message holder that holds the messages, which include messages deleted from the window and which are received by said message receiver; and

a held message display device that displays the messages held by said message holder when the player inputs a predetermined operation.

16. The video game apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said held message display device increases the number of display lines in the window to be larger than the preset maximum value when the messages held by said message holder are displayed.

17. The video game apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said held message display device scrolls and displays the messages in the window, thereby making it possible to display all messages held by said message holder.

18. A video game apparatus connected, via a network, to a server apparatus, which is connected to at least one other video game apparatus via the network, said video game apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores a network game program;

a processor that executes the network game program;

a display device that displays a processing result of the network game program performed by said processor; and

a communications apparatus that communicates with the server apparatus, the network game program causing said processor to execute;

receiving messages transmitted from the server apparatus via the network in accordance with progress of a game;

scrolling and displaying the received messages in a window displayed on a game screen;

enlarging the window in response to reception of a newly received message so as to increase the number of display lines of the messages in the window up to a preset maximum value; and

reducing the window so as to decrease the number of display lines of the messages in the window to a preset minimum value when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

19. The video game apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the window is enlarged by the number of lines necessary to display the newly received message.

20. The video game apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the window is reduced by one message or one line.

21. A message display controlling method in a network game executed in a video game apparatus, which is applied to the network game that advances a game by being connected to a server apparatus via a network, comprising:

receiving messages transmitted from the server apparatus via the network in accordance with progress of a game;

scrolling and displaying the received messages in a window displayed on a game screen;

enlarging the window in response to reception of a newly received message so as to increase the number of display lines of the messages in the window up to a preset maximum value; and

reducing the window so as to decrease the number of display lines of the messages in the window to a preset minimum value when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

22. The message display controlling method according to claim 21, in which the enlarging further comprises enlarging of the window by the number of lines necessary to display the newly received message.

23. The message display controlling method according to claim 21, in which the reducing further comprises reducing of the window by one message or one line.

24. A computer-readable storage medium on which a network game program is recorded, the program causing a computer connected, via a network, to a server apparatus, which is connected to at least one other video game apparatus via the network to execute:

receiving messages transmitted from the server apparatus via the network in accordance with progress of a game;

scrolling and displaying the received messages in a window displayed on a game screen;

enlarging the window in response to reception of a newly received message so as to increase the number of display lines of the messages in the window up to a preset maximum value; and

reducing the window so as to decrease the number of display lines of the messages in the window to a preset minimum value when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

25. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 24, wherein the window is enlarged by the number of lines necessary to display the newly received message by executing the network game program.

26. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 24, wherein the window is reduced by one message or one line by executing the network game program.

27. A carrier wave having a data signal of a network game program, which is executed by a computer apparatus connected to a plurality of client apparatuses via a network, superimposed thereon, wherein the program causes the computer to execute:

receiving messages transmitted from the server apparatus via the network in accordance with progress of a game;

scrolling and displaying the received messages in a window displayed on a game screen;

enlarging the window in response to reception of a newly received message so as to increase the number of display lines of the messages in the window up to a preset maximum value; and

reducing the window so as to decrease the number of display lines of the messages in the window to a preset minimum value when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

28. The carrier wave according to claim 27, wherein the window is enlarged by the number of lines necessary to display the newly received message by executing the network game program.

29. The carrier wave according to claim 27, wherein the window is reduced by one message or one line by executing the network game program.