Video game apparatus, a character training controlling method, and a readable storage medium storing character training control programs

• US 7,300,344 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2000
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Computer Entertainment Studios, Inc. (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Fujioka, Kenji, Nishikawa, Naoki, Inoue, Hideto, Miyaoka, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzuto; Robert E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCULLOCH JR, WILLIAM H
• Application Number:
  US09/736,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20010005689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,540 Days
• Field of Search: 463/40, 463/41, 463/42, 463/43, 463/44, 463/1, 463/7, 273/148.B
• US Class Current: 463/4
• 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 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/58 by computing conditions of game characters, e.g. stamina, strength, motivation or energy level
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/69 by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/408 Peer to peer connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8052 Ball team management
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

A character training control includes setting a character to be trained and its training initial values when a training mode is instructed; obtaining training values to be added to the training initial values of the character by causing the set character to take actions on a monitor in line with a training purpose according to the operation of a plurality of operable buttons; giving a plurality of kinds of items to the character which are prepared in advance and influential to sums of the training values in relation to at least one of the trained state of the character and action instructing operations given to the character by the operable buttons; judging whether training has been successful; and transferring the data of the successfully trained character to the external side together with the training initial values and the given items when a transfer mode is instructed. The control enables realization of an interesting and ingenious game.

Claims

1. A video game apparatus, comprising:

a monitor for displaying game images;

a plurality of operable members for operating the game images including a character displayed on the monitor;

a data transmitter for transmitting data to a second video game apparatus;

a mode instructing member for selectively instructing a training mode and a transfer mode;

a first setter for setting a character to be trained and training initial values thereof when the training mode is instructed, each of said training initial values reflecting at least one aspect of basic abilities of the character;

a training controller for obtaining training values to be added to the training initial values of the set character in accordance with actions taken by the character in line of a training purpose in response to the operation of the plurality of operable members;

an item giving device for giving a plurality of kinds of items to the character which are prepared in advance and influential to sums of the training values in relation to at least one of the trained state of the character and action instructing operations given to the character by the operable members, the item having influence on the character when the item belongs to the character;

a judger for judging whether training has been successful, said data transmitter transmitting character data of the character to the second video game apparatus when a transfer mode is instructed and when judged by the judger as having been successfully trained, said character data of the character to be transmitted including the training initial values of the character and the items given during the training such that a user of the second game device can begin training of the character with said training initial values and said items.

2. A video game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a data receiver for receiving the character data corresponding with the training initial values and the given items from the second video game apparatus; and

a second setter for setting the character received from the second video game apparatus by the data receiver as an object to be trained.

3. A video game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data transmitter transmits said data wirelessly.

4. A video game apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the data transmitter transmits said data with infrared signals.

5. A video game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data transmitter transmits said data with infrared signals.

6. A video game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data transmitter transmits said data through a cable.

7. A video game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a probability changer for setting a probability for a plurality of remaining experience points.

8. A character training control method for training a character by operating game images including a character displayed on a monitor of a first video game apparatus by a plurality of operable members, comprising the steps of:

setting a character to be trained and training initial values thereof when a training mode is instructed, each of said training initial values reflecting at least one aspect of basic abilities of the character;

obtaining training values to be added to the training initial values of the character in accordance with actions taken by the character on the monitor in line with a training purpose in response to the operation of the plurality of operable members;

giving a plurality of kinds of items to the character which are prepared in advance and influential to sums of the training values in relation to at least one of the trained state of the character and action instructing operations given to the character by the operable members, the item having influence on the character when the item belongs to the character;

judging whether training has been successful; and

transferring character data of the character to a second video game apparatus when a transfer mode is instructed and when judged by the judger as having been successfully trained, said character data to be transferred including the training initial values of the character and the items given during the training such that a user on the second video game apparatus can begin training of the character with said training initial values and said items.

9. A character training control method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

receiving the character data corresponding with the training initial values and the given items from the second video game apparatus; and

setting the received character as an object to be trained when the training mode is instructed.

10. A character training control method according to claim 8, wherein said character data is transferred wirelessly.

11. A character training control method according to claim 10, wherein said character data is transferred with infrared signals.

12. A character training control method according to claim 8, wherein said character data is transferred with infrared signals.

13. A character training control method according to claim 8, wherein said character data is transferred through a cable.

14. A character training control method according to claim 8, further comprising setting a probability for a plurality of remaining experience points.

15. A character training control method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

receiving the character data corresponding with the training initial values and the given items by the second video game apparatus;

setting the received character as an object to be trained when the training mode is instructed; and

retraining the received character with said second video game apparatus based upon said training initial values and said given items.

16. A readable storage medium storing a video game program, the video game program being a character training control program comprising the steps of:

setting a character to be trained and training initial values thereof when a training mode is instructed, each of said training initial values reflecting at least one aspect of basic abilities of the character;

obtaining training values to be added to the training initial values of the character in accordance with actions taken by the character on the monitor of a first video game apparatus in line with a training purpose in response to the operation of the plurality of operable members;

giving a plurality of kinds of items to the character which are prepared in advance and influential to sums of the training values in relation to at least one of the trained state of the character and action instructing operations given to the character by the operable members, the items having influence on the character when the item belongs to the character;

judging whether training has been successful; and

transferring character data of the character to a second video game apparatus when a transfer mode is instructed and when judged by the judger as having been successfully trained, said character data to be transferred including the training initial values and the items given during the training such that a user second video game apparatus can begin training the character with said training initial values and said items.

17. A readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the character training control program further comprising the steps of:

receiving character data corresponding with the training initial values from the second video game apparatus; and

setting the character received as an object to be trained when the training mode is instructed.

18. A readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the character training control program further comprises the step of displaying, on the monitor, how many times a same character has been transmitted to the second video game device in the transfer mode.

19. A readable storage medium according to claim 17, further comprising another video game program executable using at least one successfully trained character.

20. A readable storage medium according to claim 16, the character training control program further comprising the step of transmitting a reception permission requiring command when the character data of the successfully trained character are transmitted to the second video game apparatus together with the training initial values.

21. A readable storage medium according to claim 20, wherein the character training control program further comprises the step of transmitting a transmission requiring command when the character data of a character provided with the training initial values thereof are received from the second video game device.

22. A readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the character training control program further comprising the steps of:

receiving character data provided with the training initial values and the given items from the second video game apparatus; and

setting the received character as an object to be trained when the training mode is instructed.

23. A readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the character training control program further comprising the step of transmitting a reception permission requiring command when the character data of the successfully trained character are transmitted to the second video game apparatus together with the training initial values and the items.

24. A readable storage medium according to claim 23, wherein the character training control program further comprising the step of transmitting a transmission requiring command when character data of a character provided with the training initial values thereof and the items are received from the second video game apparatus.

25. A readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein other items different from those already given are given to the character when the character received from the second video game apparatus is trained.

26. A readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the character training control program further comprises the step of displaying, on the monitor, how many times a same character has been transmitted to the second video game apparatus in the transfer mode.

27. A readable storage medium according to claim 16, further comprising another video game program executable using at least one successfully trained character.

28. A character training control program according to claim 16, wherein said character data is transferred wirelessly.

29. A character training control program according to claim 28, wherein said character data is transferred with infrared signals.

30. A character training control program according to claim 16, wherein said character data is transferred with infrared signals.

31. A character training control program according to claim 16, wherein said character data is transferred through a cable.

32. A character training control program according to claim 16, further comprising setting a probability for a plurality of remaining experience points.