Gaming device implementing a cooperative battle game in which the quantity of players of a group of players are managed based on mission success rates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9561440-B2
Application number	US-201414242618-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2014
Priority date	Oct 10, 2013
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

A server device according to the present invention, which is connected to a plurality of player terminals through a network, includes a storage unit configured to store an initial upper limit of number of groups and an initial threshold value smaller than an upper limit of a group affiliation rate, which is a ratio of number of affiliated persons with respect to a quota of a group, a group generating portion configured to generate a plurality of groups to which the group affiliation rate of the initial threshold value is set, at a start of a game, based on the initial upper limit of the number of groups, and a player distributing portion configured to distribute players to groups.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A server device that is connected to a plurality of player terminals through a network to facilitate a cooperative battle game, the server device comprising:
a memory configured to store an initial upper limit of number of groups and an initial threshold value smaller than an upper limit of a group affiliation rate, wherein the group affiliation rate is a ratio of number of affiliated persons with respect to a quota of a group; and
a processor, configured to:
generate a plurality of groups;
at a start of the cooperative battle game, set, for the plurality of groups, the group affiliation rate to the initial threshold value based on the initial upper limit of the number of groups;
when there is a request for participation in a first group from the player terminal after the start of the cooperative battle game, distribute players using the player terminals to groups where the group affiliation rate has not reach the initial threshold value;
after the group affiliation rate of all groups has reached the initial threshold value, distribute the players using the player terminals to groups where the group affiliation rate has not reached the upper limit;
progress the cooperative battle game that gives missions set by the processor to each player belonging to each group in each of the plurality of groups, each of the missions set to each player indicative of one or more common enemy characters to be defeated by one or more player characters possessed by the each player belonging to the each group in the each of the plurality of groups;
calculate a mission success rate for all of the groups;
change the threshold value of the group affiliation rate from the initial threshold value to a second threshold value, based on the calculated mission success rate; and
generate a second group having the group affiliation rate set to the second threshold value.

2. The server device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:
change the upper limit of the number of the groups from the initial upper limit after the group affiliation rate of all groups has reached the upper limit; and
generate a third group, based on the changed upper limit of the number of the groups,
wherein after the group affiliation rate of all groups has reached the upper limit, the processor is configured to distribute the players using the player terminals to the third group.

3. The server device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the memory stores an initial quota of the first group, and wherein the processor is configured to:
change the initial quota of the first group from the initial quota to a second quota, based on the calculated success rate; and
generate a fourth group having the second quota.

4. The server device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to change a difficulty level of the missions set by the processor, based on the calculated mission success rate.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing game program causing a server device, which is connected to a plurality of player terminals through a network to facilitate a cooperative bathe game, to execute:
storing an initial upper limit of number of groups and an initial threshold value smaller than an upper limit of a group affiliation rate, wherein the group affiliation rate is a ratio of number of affiliated persons with respect to a quota of a group;
generating a plurality of groups;
at a start of the cooperative battle game, set, for the plurality of groups, the group affiliation rate to the initial threshold value based on the initial upper limit of the number of groups;
when there is a request or participation in a group from the player terminal after the start of the cooperative battle game, distributing players using the player terminals to groups where the group affiliation rate has not reach the initial threshold value;
after the group affiliation rate of all groups has reached the initial threshold value, distributing players using the player terminals to groups where the group affiliation rate has not reached the upper limit;
progressing the cooperative bathe game that gives Missions set to each player belonging to each group in each of the plurality of groups, each of the missions set to each player indicative of one or more common enemy characters to be defeated by one or more player characters possessed by the each player belonging to the each group in the each of the plurality of groups;
calculating a mission success rate for all of the groups;
changing the threshold value of the group affiliation, rate from the initial threshold value, based on the calculated mission success rate; and
generating a new group having the group affiliation rate set to the changed threshold value.

Assignees

• Dena Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sumaki Yusuke
• Nakatani Kazuki
• Murakami Mamoru
• Muto Yutaka
• Arizuka Masaki

Classifications

• A63F13/35 Primary

  Details of game servers · CPC title

• A63F13/67

  adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use · CPC title

• A63F13/795

  for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list · CPC title

• A63F13/822

  Strategy games; Role-playing games (A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence) · CPC title