Game control method, server device, game system, and computer-readable recording medium

• US 9,539,517 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2014
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GREE Inc.
• Original Assignee: GREE Inc.
• Inventors: Suzuki, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US14/309,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20140378230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• 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 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style

Abstract

A social game and the like that can increase the fun and amusement of a team battle and enhance players'"'"' motivation to participate in or continue a game by suppressing an occurrence of any non-participation team not participating in the battle are provided. A guild status determination unit determines, for each guild, whether the guild is in an inactive state or an active state, based on a result of detecting a login state of each player. A guild integrated control unit forcibly disbands a guild (i.e. an inactive guild) determined to be in the inactive state, based on guild activity information notified from the status determination unit. A disbandment notification unit notifies each player belonging to the inactive guild, of the disbandment of the guild.

Claims

1. A game control method for a battle game between groups to each of which a plurality of players belong, the game control method comprising:

a server device determining whether or not a parameter relating to independent players not belonging to any group satisfies a setting condition;

the server device creating a new group if the parameter relating to the independent players satisfies the setting condition; and

the server device transmitting, to a terminal device of each of the independent players, a message indicating that the independent player belongs to the new group.

2. The game control method according to claim 1, wherein each of the independent players is a new player who has never belonged to any group or a returning player whose belonging group has been lost.

3. The game control method according to claim 2, wherein the setting condition is a total number of the number of new players and the number of returning players.

4. The game control method according to claim 1, wherein the setting condition is the number of independent players.

5. The game control method according to claim 1, wherein the setting condition is a condition relating to players'"'"' experience values or possessed items.

6. The game control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

the server device determining an activity status of each group, based on a criterion for determining whether the activity status of the group is an active state or an inactive state; and

the server device disbanding a group determined to be in the inactive state.

7. The game control method according to claim 6, wherein the criterion is at least any of:

(1) the group has no battle against another group for a predetermined period or more;

(2) no login to the battle game is performed by any player belonging to the group for a predetermined period or more; and

(3) the number of players belonging to the group is below a predetermined number for a predetermined period or more.

8. The game control method according to claim 6, wherein the disbanding step comprises:

the server device specifying each player belonging to the disbanded group, using group-player correspondence information indicating correspondence relations between groups and players; and

the server device notifying a terminal device of each specified player, of the disbandment of the group.

9. A server device for providing a battle game between groups, to each of which a plurality of players belong, to a terminal device operated by each player via a communication line, the server device carrying out steps comprising:

determining, using the server device, whether or not a parameter relating to independent players not belonging to any group satisfies a setting condition;

creating, using the server device, a new group if the parameter relating to the independent players satisfies the setting condition; and

transmitting, using the server device, to a terminal device of each of the independent players, a message indicating that the independent player belongs to the new group.

10. A game system comprising:

a terminal device operated by a player; and

a server device for providing a battle game between groups, to each of which a plurality of players belong, to the terminal device via a communication line, wherein the server device carries out steps comprising;

determining, using the server device, whether or not a parameter relating to independent players not belonging to any group satisfies a setting condition;

creating, using the server device, a new group if the parameter relating to the independent players satisfies the setting condition; and

transmitting, using the server device, to a terminal device of each of the independent players, a message indicating that the independent player belongs to the new group.

11. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer, to provide a battle game between groups, to each of which a plurality of players belong, to a terminal device operated by each player via a communication line, and to cause the computer to carry out a method comprising:

a server device determining whether or not a parameter relating to independent players not belonging to any group satisfies a setting condition;

the server device creating a new group, in the case of determining that the parameter relating to the independent players satisfies the setting condition; and

the server device transmitting, to a terminal device of each of the independent players, a message indicating that the independent player belongs to the new group.