Game control program, game device, game server, and game control method

• US 8,550,919 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kajii, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): HALL, SHAUNA-KAY N
• Application Number:
  US12/744,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20110190063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/43
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5372 for tagging characters, objects or locations in the game scene, e.g. displaying a circle under the character controlled by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/58 by computing conditions of game characters, e.g. stamina, strength, motivation or energy level
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/86 Watching games played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/306 for displaying a marker associated to an object or location in the game field
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6653 for altering the visibility of an object, e.g. preventing the occlusion of an object, partially hiding an object
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

A game server includes: a multiplayer play request acknowledging unit operative to acknowledge, from a game device of a player, a request for a multiplayer play where a game is played between a game device of a requesting player and a game device of another player; a selection unit operative to select a first mode or a second mode of multiplayer play, the first mode being a mode where a multiplayer play is played with a player accepting the request for a multiplayer play, and the second mode being a mode where a selected player is forced to play in a multiplayer play; a friendly mode matching unit and a hostile mode matching unit operative to refer to a player database storing information on players and select a player to play the requested multiplayer play; and a requesting unit operative to notify the selected player'"'"'s game device of the selected mode and requests the game device thus notified to start the requested multiplayer play.

Claims

1. A game control program product embedded in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising:

a module operative to control a game where a player controls a player'"'"'s character and advances in a game field;

a module operative to acquire play data of another player of the game and information on a position within the game field where the play data is registered, from a game server adapted to manage the play data over a network, the play data indicating the status of progress of the game in the game field; and

a module operative to display the play data when the player'"'"'s character is located within a predetermined range from the position where the play data is registered, wherein;

the play data includes data indicating the behavior of a player'"'"'s character of another game device, and

the module for displaying displays the player'"'"'s character of said another game device in a display mode different from that of the player'"'"'s character of the game device as controlled.

2. The game control program product according to claim 1, wherein

the play data includes replay data indicating the position of the player'"'"'s character of said another game device and recorded at predetermined time intervals, and

the module for displaying displays the player'"'"'s character of said another game device by locating the player'"'"'s character of said another game device in the game field based on the data indicating the position.

3. A game control program product embedded in a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium, comprising:

a module operative to control a game where a player controls a player'"'"'s character and advances in a game field;

a module operative to acquire play data of another player of the game and information on a position within the game field where the play data is registered, from a game server adapted to manage the play data over a network, the play data indicating the status of progress of the game in the game field; and

a module operative to display the play data when the player'"'"'s character is located within a predetermined range from the position where the play data is registered, wherein;

the play data includes data indicating the position of the player'"'"'s character of another game device occurring when the game was over in said another game device, and

the module for displaying displays a mark indicating that the game was over in said another game device at a position of the player'"'"'s character of said another game device where the game was over.

4. The game control program product according to claim 3, wherein the play data includes data indicating the behavior of the player'"'"'s character of another game device occurring when the game is about to be over.

5. A game device comprising:

a control unit operative to control a game where a player controls a player'"'"'s character and advances in a game field;

an acquiring unit operative to acquire play data of another player of the game and information on a position within the game field where the play data is registered, from a game server adapted to manage the play data over a network, the play data indicating the status of progress of the game in the game field; and

a display unit operative to display the play data when the player'"'"'s character is located within a predetermined range from the position where the play data is registered, wherein;

the play data includes data indicating the behavior of a player'"'"'s character of another game device, and

the display unit displays the player'"'"'s character of said another game device in a display mode different from that of the player'"'"'s character of the game device as controlled.

6. A game control method comprising:

controlling a game where a player controls a player'"'"'s character and advances in a game field;

acquiring play data of another player of the game and information on a position within the game field where the play data is registered, from a game server adapted to manage the play data over a network, the play data indicating the status of progress of the game in the game field; and

displaying the play data when the player'"'"'s character is located within a predetermined range from the position where the play data is registered, wherein;

the play data includes data indicating the behavior of a player'"'"'s character of another game device, and

the displaying includes displaying the player'"'"'s character of said another game device in a display mode different from that of the player'"'"'s character of the game device as controlled.

7. A non-transitory, computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon the game control program product, the game control program product comprising:

a module operative to control a game where a player controls a player'"'"'s character and advances in a game field;

a module operative to acquire play data of another player or of the game and information on a position within the game field where the play data is registered, from a game server adapted to manage the play data over a network, the play data indicating the status of progress of the game in the game field; and

a module operative to display the play data when the player'"'"'s character is located within a predetermined range from the position where the play data is registered, wherein;

the play data includes data indicating the behavior of a player'"'"'s character of another game device, and

the module for displaying displays the player'"'"'s character of said another game device in a display mode different from that of the player'"'"'s character of the game device as controlled.

8. A game control program product embedded in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising:

a module operative to acquire, from a game device adapted to control a game where a player controls a player'"'"'s character and advances in a game field, play data including data indicating the behavior of a player'"'"'s character of the game device or data indicating the position of the player'"'"'s character of the game device occurring when the game was over in the game device and information on a position where the play data is registered;

a module operative to refer to a player database storing information on positions of the player'"'"'s characters of a plurality of game devices in the game field and to select a player that controls a player'"'"'s character located within a predetermined range from the acquired position in the game field where the play data is registered; and

a module operative to deliver the acquired play data to the game device of the selected player.

9. The game control program product according to claim 8, wherein

the player database further stores levels of players, and

the module for selecting selects a player at a level different from that of the player acquiring the play data by a predetermined amount or less.

10. A game server comprising:

an acquiring unit operative to acquire, from a game device adapted to control a game where a player controls a player'"'"'s character and advances in a game field, play data including data indicating the behavior of a player'"'"'s character of the game device or data indicating the position of the player'"'"'s character of the game device occurring when the game was over in the game device and information on a position where the play data is registered;

a selection unit operative to refer to a player database storing information on positions of the player'"'"'s characters of a plurality of game devices in the game field and to select a player that controls a player'"'"'s character located within a predetermined range from the acquired position in the game field where the play data is registered; and

a delivery unit operative to deliver the acquired play data to the game device of the selected player.

11. A game control method comprising:

acquiring, from a game device adapted to control a game where a player controls a player'"'"'s character and advances in a game field, play data including data indicating the behavior of a player'"'"'s character of the game device or data indicating the position of the player'"'"'s character of the game device occurring when the game was over in the game device and information on a position where the play data is registered;

referring to a player database storing information on positions of the player'"'"'s characters of a plurality of game devices in the game field and selecting a player that controls a player'"'"'s character located within a predetermined range from the acquired position in the game field where the play data is registered; and

delivering the acquired play data to the game device of the selected player.

12. A non-transitory, computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon the game control program product, the game control program product comprising:

a module operative to acquire, from a game device adapted to control a game where a player controls a player'"'"'s character and advances in a game field, play data including data indicating the behavior of a player'"'"'s character of the game device or data indicating the position of the player'"'"'s character of the game device occurring when the game was over in the game device and information on a position where the play data is registered;

a module operative to refer to a player database storing information on positions of the player'"'"'s characters of a plurality of game devices in the game field and to select a player that controls a player'"'"'s character located within a predetermined range from the acquired position in the game field where the play data is registered; and

a module operative to deliver the acquired play data to the game device of the selected player.

13. A game device comprising:

a control unit operative to control a game where a player controls a player'"'"'s character and advances in a game field;

an acquiring unit operative to acquire play data of another player of the game and information on a position within the game field where the play data is registered, from a game server adapted to manage the play data over a network, the play data indicating the status of progress of the game in the game field; and

a display unit operative to display the play data when the player'"'"'s character is located within a predetermined range from the position where the play data is registered, wherein

the play data includes data indicating the position of the player'"'"'s character of another game device occurring when the game was over in said another game device, and

the display unit displays a mark indicating that the game was over in said another game device at a position of the player'"'"'s character of said another game device where the game was over.

14. A game control method comprising:

controlling a game where a player controls a player'"'"'s character and advances in a game field;

acquiring play data of another player of the game and information on a position within the game field where the play data is registered, from a game server adapted to manage the play data over a network, the play data indicating the status of progress of the game in the game field; and

displaying the play data when the player'"'"'s character is located within a predetermined range from the position where the play data is registered, wherein

the play data includes data indicating the position of the player'"'"'s character of another game device occurring when the game was over in said another game device, and

said displaying includes displaying a mark indicating that the game was over in said another game device at a position of the player'"'"'s character of said another game device where the game was over.