Video game apparatus, video game processing program, program recording medium, and video game processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9254442-B2
Application number	US-11344608-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2008
Priority date	May 25, 2007
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

In a video game that progresses a game using a limited number of items, the game can be made more interesting. In an area data table 126 - 1 of a first area, a brand ‘CAT’ having a previous brand point ‘14%’ is ‘BEST 1’, and a brand ‘BOAR’ having a previous brand point ‘13%’ is ‘BEST 2’. In addition, a brand ‘TIGER’ having a previous brand point ‘3%’ is ‘WORST 2’, and a brand ‘RAT’ having a previous brand point ‘2%’ is ‘WORST 1’. Accordingly, if a player character executes a battle against an enemy character in the first area, when an item of the brand ‘CAT’, which is ‘BEST 1’, is used, its power becomes three times higher than a reference power, and when an item of the brand ‘BOAR’, which is ‘BEST 2’, is used, its power becomes one and half times higher than the reference power. In addition, when an item of the brand ‘TIGER’, which is ‘WORST 2’, is used, its power becomes 0.5 times lower than the reference power, and an item of the brand ‘RAT’, which is ‘WORST 1’, becomes unavailable.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A video game apparatus comprising:
a memory device configured to store a point manager which stores a plurality of items, each item associated with a brand of a plurality of brands, and a variable power value, each of the plurality of brands having an associated brand point;
at least one input device configured to receive input operations; and
one or more processors configured to:
execute a virtual battle between a player character and an enemy character according to a first input operation of the at least one input device that allows the player character to use one or more of the plurality of items, wherein an outcome of the virtual battle is affected by the power value of the one or more items used;
determine an adjustment of the plurality of brand points in response to a use of one or more of the plurality of items by the player character based upon how often the one or more of the plurality of items is used by the player, by updating the brand point of the brand associated with the used item;
determine a ranking of each of the plurality of brands according to the brand point stored for each of the plurality of brands in the point manager; and
change the power value of the plurality of items in accordance with the ranking of the brand, such that the items associated with a higher ranking brand has a greater power value.

2. The video game apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the use of the one of the plurality of items by the player character comprises an item equipment state of the player character and a use state when the player character uses the one of the plurality of items in the virtual battle against the enemy character.

3. The video game apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the use of the one of the plurality of items by the player character further comprises a virtual transaction of the one of the plurality of items in the game.

4. The video game apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the point manager stores the brand point for each of the plurality of brands as a percentage with respect to all of the plurality of brands, and
the ranking determiner determines the ranking of each of the plurality of brands on the basis of the percentage of the brand point.

5. The video game apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the point manager includes:
a correction coefficient generator that generates a correction coefficient; and
a corrector that corrects the point value according to which the brand point is updated on the basis of the correction coefficient generated by the correction coefficient generator.

6. The video game apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the correction coefficient generator randomly changes the correction coefficient.

7. The video game apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the plurality of items is assigned to a price to be used at a time of a virtual transaction, and
the video game apparatus further includes a price value controller that changes the price of the plurality of items to which each brand of the plurality of brands is assigned according to the ranking of each of the plurality of brands.

8. The video game apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a background drawer that draws a background on a screen where the player character is present, wherein the background drawer changes the background according to the ranking of each of the plurality of brands.

9. The video game apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least a pair of the plurality of brands are in an opposite relationship, and
the processor further corrects a first brand point of one of the pair in an opposite relationship by a correction value higher than a second brand point of an other of the pair.

10. The video game apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a transceiver that transmits the brand point of each of the plurality of brands stored in the point manager to the outside, and simultaneously receives a second brand point of each of the plurality of brands from the outside, and
wherein the processor changes the brand point of each of the plurality of brands stored in the point manager on the basis of the second brand point of each of the plurality of brands received by the transceiver.

11. A video game processing program tangibly embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by a computer provided in a video game apparatus, the video game processing program causing the computer to function as:
a point manager that stores, in a memory of the computer, a plurality of items, each item associated with a brand of a plurality of brands, and a variable power value, each of the plurality of brands, each having an associated brand point;
a battle manager, which executes a virtual battle between a player character and an enemy character according to an input operation that allows the player character to use one or more of the plurality of items, wherein an outcome of the battle is affected by the power value of the one or more items used;
the point manager further determines an adjustment of the plurality of brand points in response to a use of one or more of the plurality of items by the player character based upon how often the one or more of the plurality of items is used by the player, by updating the brand point of the brand associated with the used item;
a ranking determiner that determines, with a processor of the computer, a ranking of each of the plurality of brands according to the brand point stored for each of the plurality of brands by the point manager; and
a power value controller that changes, with the processor of the computer, the power value of the plurality of items in accordance with the ranking of the brand, such that the items associated with a higher ranking brand has a greater power value.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that is mounted in a video game apparatus and includes a video game processing program comprising:
a point manager that stores, in a memory of the computer, a plurality of items, each item associated with a brand of a plurality of brands, and a variable power value, each of the plurality of brands, each having an associated brand point;
a battle manager, which executes a virtual battle between a player character and an enemy character according to an input operation that allows the player character to use one or more of the plurality of items, wherein an outcome of the battle is affected by the power value of the one or more items used;
the point manager further determines an adjustment of the plurality of brand points in response to a use of one or more of the plurality of items by the player character based upon how often the one or more of the plurality of items is used by the player, by updating the brand point of the brand associated with the used item;
a ranking determiner that determines, with a processor of the computer, a ranking of each of the plurality of brands according to the brand point stored for each of the plurality of brands by the point manager; and
a power value controller that changes, with the processor of the computer, the power value of the plurality of items in accordance with the ranking of the brand, such that the items associated with a higher ranking brand has a greater power value.

13. A video game processing method for execution by a video game apparatus, the video game apparatus executing a virtual battle between a player character and an enemy character according to an input operation that allows the player character to use one of the plurality of items that each have a variable power value, the method comprising:
storing, in a memory,

Assignees

• Arakawa Takeshi
• Kando Tatsuya
• Hasegawa Tomohiro
• Square Enix Kk

Inventors

• Arakawa Takeshi
• Kando Tatsuya
• Hasegawa Tomohiro

Classifications

• A63F13/85

  Providing additional services to players · CPC title

• A63F2300/807

  Role playing or strategy games · CPC title

• A63F2300/609

  for unlocking hidden game elements, e.g. features, items, levels · CPC title

• A63F13/69

  by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions · CPC title

• A63F13/58 Primary

  by computing conditions of game characters, e.g. stamina, strength, motivation or energy level · CPC title