Game system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9522327-B2
Application number	US-201113814556-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2011
Priority date	Sep 9, 2010
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

A game system has plural game devices and a storage device that stores attribute information and location information of a pet in association with a player ID. Each game device obtains a player ID of a player who plays at the game device, and obtains attribute information corresponding to location information identifying a game device identified by the obtained player ID, and controls a game to cause the game device to display a pet according to the obtained attribute information. In a case in which location information stored in association with a player ID of a first player who plays at a first game device is changed to that which identifies a second game device identified by a player ID of a second player, the first game device does not display a pet of the first player, but the second game device displays the pet of the first player.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A game system comprising:
plural game devices, each game device allowing a player to play a game; and
a server device having a communication unit for communicating with each of the plural game devices, the server device comprising:
a storage device that centrally stores, in association with player identification information uniquely identifying a player, a piece of location information, among plurality of pieces of location information, identifying a respective game device at which a character of the player is located, among the plural game devices, each of the plurality of pieces of location information corresponding to one of the plural game devices, and the storage device additionally storing a piece of attribute information of the character in association with the player identification information;
a responder that, upon receiving a request from any one of the plural game devices, extracts, from the storage device, the piece of attribute information that corresponds to the piece of location information identifying the requesting game device, and returns a response containing the extracted piece of attribute information to the game device, the piece of the location information identifying the requesting game device being contained in the request; and
a movement controller that controls the location information,
wherein,
each of the plural game devices comprising:
an identification information obtainer that obtains player identification information of a player, among a plurality of players;
an attribute information obtainer that transmits, to the server device, a request for providing attribute information on a character of any of the players of the plural game devices which the game device should display; and
a game controller that causes the game device to display a character of a player based on attribute information contained in the response from the server device, and
wherein, when the movement controller has changed a first piece of location information, from among the plurality of pieces of location information, stored in association with player identification information of a first player who plays at a first game device among the plural game device to a second piece of location information which identifies a second game device at which a second player plays,
(i) the attribute information obtainer of the first game device does not obtain attribute information on a character of the first player, and as a result the game controller of the first game device controls the first game device not to display a character of the first player, and
(ii) the attribute information obtainer of the second game device obtains the attribute information on the character of the first player, and as a result the game controller of the second game device controls the second game device to display the character of the first player based on the attribute information on the character of the first player contained in a response from the server device, the second game device differing from the first game device, such that the character of the first player moves from the first game device immediately to the second game device.

2. A game system according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case in which location information stored in association with the player identification information of the first player is that which identifies the second game device and in which a predetermined game result is obtained as a result of the game controlled by the second game device, the first game device grants a predetermined benefit to the first player.

3. A game system according to claim 2 ,
wherein,
each of the plural game devices further comprising:
a transmitter that transmits a message to another game device; and
a receiver that receives a message from another game device, and
wherein the first game device transmits a message to the second game device in a case in which the predetermined benefit is granted to the first player.

4. A game system according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case in which the movement controller has changed, from among the pieces of the location information stored in the stored device, the piece of location information stored in association with the player identification information of the first player from that which identifies the second game device to that which identifies the first game device, the second game device does not display the character of the first player and the first game device displays the character of the first player.

5. A game system according to claim 4 ,
wherein
each of the plural game devices further comprising:
an offering unit for offering the second player the engagement of a predetermined relationship with the first player; and
an accepting unit for accepting an offer, from the second player, for the engagement of the predetermined relationship with the first player,
wherein the offering unit allows the offering for the engagement of the predetermined relationship from the first player to the second player only in a case in which location information stored in association with the player identification information of the second player is that which identifies the first game device, or in a case in which location information stored in association with the player identification information of the first player is that which identifies the second game device,
wherein the accepting unit allows the first player to accept the offer for the engagement of the predetermined relationship from the second player only after the first player is offered the engagement of the predetermined relationship from the second player, and
wherein the predetermined relationship of which the engagement is offered to the first player from the second player is engaged only in a case in which the accepting unit accepts the engagement of the predetermined relationship.

6. A game system according to claim 5 , wherein, in a case in which the first player and the second player have engaged in the predetermined relationship and in which a second predetermined game result is obtained as a result of the game controlled by the first game device, location information stored in association with player identification information of the second player is changed to that which identifies the first game device in the storage device.

7. A game system according to claim 5 ,
wherein the storage device stores, in association with the player identification information, attribute information indicating an attribute of the character of the player,
wherein each of the plural game devices further comprises an attribute information obtainer that obtains, from the storage device, attribute information corresponding to location information identifying the game device itself in the storage device, and
wherein the game controller causes the game device to display the character based on attribute information obtained by the attribute information obtainer.

8. A game system according to claim 7 , wherein in the storage device, attribute information of the character of the first player is changed based on a result of the game the first player played, based on a result of the game a player who has engaged in the predetermined relationship with the first player played, or based on the number of players who have engaged in the predetermined relationship with the first player.

9. A game system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plural game devices further comprising:
an offering unit for offering the second player the engagement of a predetermined relationship with the first player;
wherein the offering unit allows the offering for an engagement of the predetermined relationship from the first player to the second player on

Assignees

• Kusuda Kazuhiro
• Uchiyama Takashi
• Azuma Shogo
• Ito Shinya
• Kawai Norifumi
• Okitani Genichiro
• Konami Digital Entertainment Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kusuda Kazuhiro
• Uchiyama Takashi
• Azuma Shogo
• Ito Shinya
• Kawai Norifumi
• Okitani Genichiro

Classifications

• A63F2300/5546

  using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history · CPC title

• A63F2300/554

  by saving game or status data · CPC title

• A63F2300/572

  Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video · CPC title

• A63F2300/5573

  player location · CPC title

• A63F2300/5566

  by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style · CPC title