Game processing apparatus, game processing methods and recording media

• US 6,827,645 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2002
• Issued: 12/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
• Inventors: Matsuoka, Yuuichi, Tanaka, Shuntarou, Shinpo, Akiyoshi, Ohara, Tooru, Nishino, Akira, Morita, Masamoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Wellington, A. L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, BINH AN DUC
• Application Number:
  US10/055,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20020094854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/2, 463/5, 463/7, 463/9, 463/23, 463/30-38, 463/42-47, 700/90-92, 273/148.R, 273/148.B, 345/418, 345/581, 345/589, 345/591, 345/649, 345/655, 345/672, 345/678, 345/681
• US Class Current: 463/9
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/847 Cooperative playing, e.g. requiring coordinated actions from several players to achieve a common goal
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/632 by branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible story developments at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8094 Unusual game types, e.g. virtual cooking

Abstract

Provides a game processing apparatus capable of getting players more excited about playing games.

For that reason, the game processing apparatus of the present invention processes games on the basis of players'"'"' operating signals, and is equipped with processing circuits (10), which process the above-mentioned games on the basis of operating signals supplied from input devices (2b) operated by the players, and which generate the image data for these games. When an operating signal equivalent to a player'"'"'s victory declaration is input from an input device (2b), the processing circuits (10) process subsequent operating signals input by the player as invalid signals until a prescribed condition is achieved.

Claims

1. A game apparatus comprising:

a memory for recording a program that displays a plurality of playing areas on a game screen and processes a battle game in accordance with operating signals that are generated based on operations of a plurality of players, wherein each player is located in one of the plurality of playing areas; and

a CPU block for processing the game based on the program,

wherein the CPU block comprises;

a first means for validating a victory declaration flag when a operating signal makes a declaration of victory of one of the plurality of players operating the game in one playing area among the plurality of playing areas on the basis of said program and the player'"'"'s operations;

a second means for nullifying subsequent operating signals input in the one playing area after the declaration of victory, until a game stage ends when the victory declaration flag becomes valid in the one playing area among the plurality of playing areas;

a judging means for judging whether or not to continue processing in one of the other plurality of playing areas when a declaration of victory is not made;

an executing means for repeatedly executing the first means and the second means in an unprocessed playing area when such unprocessed playing area exists according to the judging means;

a settling means for settling game points for a one of the players declaring victory when the declaration of victory is made;

a settling means for settling game points in the playing are operated by another one of the players who does not make a declaration of victory when the game is over; and

a determining means for determining a winner of the game based on the game points; and

a timer for measuring a duration of the game,

wherein the CPU block stops the timer in the playing area where the declaration of victory is made after the victory declaration flag is validated.

2. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the battle game is a battle type dropping puzzle game displaying the plurality of playing areas so that displayed blocks move on the game screen by moving dropping blocks right or left in accordance with the operating signals generated by a player'"'"'s operations in each playing area, and by causing blocks to disappear that meet predetermined conditions when they are landed and fixed, and

wherein the second means vertically drops the blocks and nullifies subsequent operating signals input in one of the plurality of playing areas after the declaration of victory until the game stage ends when the victory declaration flag is validated.

3. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the game points are determined in proportion to the duration of the game measured by the timer.

4. A data processing method for a battle game using a CPU block to process the battle game on the basis of a program, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of playing areas on a game screen;

processing a battle game in accordance with operating signals that are generated based on operations of a plurality of players in one of the plurality of playing areas;

validating a victory declaration flag when an operating signal makes a declaration of victory of one of the plurality of players operating the game in one playing area among the plurality of playing areas on the basis of said program and the player'"'"'s operations;

nullifying subsequent operating signals input in the one playing are after the declaration of victory, until a game stage ends when the victory declaration flag becomes valid in the one playing area among the plurality of playing areas;

judging whether or not to continue processing in one of the other plurality of playing areas when a declaration of victory is not made;

repeatedly performing the validating and the nullifying in an unprocessed playing area when such unprocessed playing area exists according to the judging means;

settling game points for the player declaring victory when the declaration of victory is made;

settling game points in the playing area operated by another one of the players who does not make a declaration of victory when the game is over;

determining a winner of the game based on the game points; and

measuring a duration of the game with a timer, wherein the CPU lock stops the timer in the playing area where the declaration of victory is made after the victory declaration flag is validated.

5. The data processing method according to claim 4, further comprising:

displaying the battle game as a battle type dropping puzzle game including the plurality of playing areas where displayed blocks move on a game screen by moving dropping blocks right or left in accordance with the operating signals generated on the basis of a player'"'"'s operations in each playing area, and by causing such locks to disappear that meet predetermined conditions when they are landed and fixed; and

vertically dropping blocks and nullifying subsequent operating signals input in one of the playing areas after the declaration of victory until the game stage ends when the victory declaration flag is validated.

6. The data processing method according to claim 4, further comprising:

determining the game points in proportion to the duration of the game measured by the timer.

7. A computer readable medium storing a program executed by a CPU block and for executing instructions comprising the steps of:

displaying a plurality of playing areas on a game screen;

processing a battle game in accordance with operating signals that are generated based on operations of a plurality of players in one of the plurality of playing areas;

validating a victory declaration flag when an operating signal makes a declaration of victory of one of the plurality of players operating the game in one playing area among the plurality of playing areas on the basis of said program and the player'"'"'s operations;

nullifying subsequent operating signals input in the one playing area after the declaration of victory, until a game stage ends when the victory declaration flag becomes valid in the one playing area among the plurality of playing areas;

judging whether or not to continue processing in one of the other plurality of playing areas when a declaration of victory is not made;

repeatedly performing the validating and nullifying steps in an unprocessed playing area when such unprocessed playing area exists according to the judging means;

settling game points for the player declaring victory when the declaration of victory is made;

settling game points in the playing area operated by another one of the players who does not make a declaration of victory when the game is over;

determining a winner of the game based on the game points; and

measuring a duration of the game with a timer, wherein the CPU lock stops the timer in the playing area where the declaration of victory is made after the victory declaration flag is validated.

8. The computer readable medium according to claim 7, the instructions further comprising steps of:

displaying the battle game as a battle type dropping puzzle game including the plurality of playing areas where displayed blocks move on a game screen by moving dropping blocks right or left in accordance with the operating signals generated on the basis of a players operations in each playing area, and by causing such locks to disappear that meet predetermined conditions when they are landed and fixed; and

vertically dropping blocks and nullifying subsequent operating sign is input in one of the playing areas after the declaration of victory until the game stage ends when the victory declaration flag is validated.

9. The computer readable medium according to claim 7, the instructions further comprising a step of:

determining the game points in proportion to the duration of the game measured by the timer.

10. A computer program embedded in a computer readable medium for executing instructions comprising the steps of:

displaying a plurality of playing areas on a game screen;

processing a battle game in accordance with operating signals that are generated based on operations of a plurality of players in one of the plurality of playing areas;

validating a victory declaration flag when an operating signal makes a declaration of victory of one of the plurality of players operating the game in one playing area among the plurality of playing areas on the basis of said program and the player'"'"'s operations;

nullifying subsequent operating signals input in the one playing area after the declaration of victory, until a game stage ends when the victory declaration flag becomes valid in the one playing area among the plurality of playing areas;

judging whether or not to continue processing in one of the other plurality of playing areas when a declaration of victory is not made;

repeatedly performing the validating and nullifying steps in an unprocessed playing area when such unprocessed playing area exists according to the judging means;

settling game points for the player declaring victory when the declaration of victory is made;

settling game points in the playing area operated by another one of the players who does not make a declaration of victory when the game is over;

determining a winner of the game based on the game points; and

measuring a duration of the game with a timer, wherein the time is stopped in the playing area where the declaration of victory is made after the victory declaration flag is validated.

11. The computer program according to claim 10, the instructions further comprising steps of:

displaying the battle game as a battle type dropping puzzle game including the plurality of playing areas where displayed blocks move on a game screen by moving dropping blocks right or left in accordance with the operating signals generated on the basis of a player'"'"'s operations in each playing area, and by causing such locks to disappear that meet predetermined conditions when they are landed and fixed; and

vertically dropping and nullifying subsequent operating signals input in one of the playing areas after the declaration of victory until the game stage ends when the victory declaration flag is validated.

12. The computer program according to claim 10, the instructions further comprising a step of:

determining the game points in proportion to the duration of the game measured by the timer.