JP2002315967A - Game device, game program, and record medium with the game program recorded thereon - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To smoothly shift from an off-line state to an on-line state in a game device selectively realizing an on-line mode and an off-line mode. SOLUTION: When a character 52 enters into a network connection determination area 56 during executing a game off-line, the device used automatically starts the connection to a network server. The connection is established before the character 52 reaches a town 54 capable of receiving the provision on-line. When the character 52 escapes outside the network connection determination area 56, this device is shifted from the on-line mode to the off-line mode.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game device, a game program, and a recording medium on which the game program is recorded, and more particularly, to a game device for selectively realizing an online mode and an offline mode, and the device. The present invention relates to a game program and a recording medium for implementing the program on a computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there have been known game machines capable of enjoying a game both online and offline. According to such a game device, by using the online mode, for example, a chat square, a place for exchanging items between users, or a place for providing information from the system administrator side, etc. Can be provided. For this reason, making the game device compatible with online is useful for enhancing the entertainment of the game.

[0003] As a method of making the game device online, a method of constantly connecting the game device to the server and a method of connecting the game device to the server as necessary can be considered. However, in an always-connected system,
Extremely high processing power is required on the server side. Also,
In this system, the user also needs to bear high communication costs. For this reason, as a method of providing a game online, it is considered realistic to connect a game device to a server as needed.

[0004]

By the way, in a conventional emergency connection type game device which supports both online and offline, when the mode is shifted from the offline mode to the online mode, the offline game is temporarily terminated. Had to be done. That is, in the conventional game device,
In order to move from offline to online, it was necessary to interrupt the game that was being played offline, connect online from the login screen, and reenter the game. For this reason, the conventional game device has a problem that it is easy for a user to wake up when going from offline to online.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is a first object of the present invention to provide an emergency connection type game device which can smoothly transition from offline to online. Aim. It is a second object of the present invention to provide a program for realizing the above-described game device on a computer. A third object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable recording medium on which the above-mentioned program is recorded.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided the above-mentioned first aspect.
A game device that selectively realizes an online mode in which the game progresses online and an offline mode in which the game progresses offline in order to achieve the object of the present invention, wherein a predetermined transition condition is satisfied during execution of the game. Transition condition determination means for determining whether or not, and when the transition condition is satisfied, automatically connects or disconnects a communication line, mode switching means for switching between the online mode and the offline mode, It is characterized by having.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the game device according to the first aspect, the transition condition determining means determines whether the transition condition is satisfied based on positional information of a character appearing in the game. It is characterized by including a position determining means.

A third invention is the game device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transition condition determining means determines whether the transition condition is satisfied based on an input command for a character appearing in the game. It is characterized by including a command discriminating means for discriminating.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects,
3. The game device according to claim 1, wherein the transition condition determination unit includes a history determination unit that determines whether the transition condition is satisfied based on a game history.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects,
The mode switching means, wherein when an online transition condition for requesting a transition from an offline mode to an online mode is satisfied, a connection start means for starting connection processing of the communication line; After the connection process is started and until the connection is established,
Movement processing means for displaying an effect in which the character appearing in the game is directed from the world provided in the offline mode to the world provided in the online mode.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects,
The communication device according to claim 1, wherein a communication environment detection unit that detects a communication environment used in an online mode; a processing condition setting unit that sets processing conditions of the movement processing unit based on the communication environment; Is further provided.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects,
The mode switching means, when the offline transition condition for requesting a transition from the online mode to the offline mode is satisfied, after the connection of the communication line is established, a predetermined unit time And a line disconnecting means for disconnecting the communication line after the unit time has elapsed.

An eighth invention is the game device according to the seventh invention, further comprising a unit time setting means for enabling a user to set the unit time.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to eighth aspects,
The game device according to claim 1, further comprising condition selection means for enabling a user to select the transition condition.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the game apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein a backup means for backing up data necessary for the progress of the game, and the data is received in an online mode. Receiving means for determining whether or not the data has been normally received, and backup rescue means for preventing the data which has not been normally received from being reflected in the backup means. Features.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the second object, a game device for selectively realizing an online mode in which a game is advanced online and an offline mode in which a game is advanced offline is provided on a computer. A program for realizing a transition condition determining process for determining whether a predetermined transition condition is satisfied during execution of a game, and automatically connecting a communication line when the transition condition is satisfied. Alternatively, a program for causing a computer to execute a mode switching process of switching between the online mode and the offline mode after disconnection is included.

A twelfth invention is the game program according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the transition condition determining process determines whether the transition condition is satisfied based on a position of a character appearing in the game. It is characterized by including a position determination process.

A thirteenth invention is the game program according to the eleventh or twelfth aspect, wherein the transition condition determining process determines whether or not the transition condition is satisfied based on a command for a character appearing in the game. It is characterized by including a command discriminating process for discriminating.

A fourteenth invention is the game program according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the transition condition determining process determines whether the transition condition is satisfied based on a game history. Is characterized in that it includes a history determination process for determining

A fifteenth invention is the game program according to any one of the eleventh to fourteenth aspects, wherein in the mode switching processing, an online transition condition for requesting a transition from an offline mode to an online mode is satisfied. In this case, a connection start process for starting the connection process of the communication line, and a character appearing in the game are provided in an offline mode until the connection is established after the connection process is started. Moving processing for displaying a state of going from the world to the world provided in the online mode.

A sixteenth aspect of the present invention is the game program according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein a communication environment detecting process for detecting a communication environment used in an online mode, and a process of the moving process. And a moving processing condition setting process for setting a condition based on the communication environment.

A seventeenth invention is the game program according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein in the mode switching processing, an offline transition condition for requesting a transition from an online mode to an offline mode is satisfied. In this case, after the connection of the communication line is established, a unit time determination process for determining whether a predetermined unit time has elapsed, and disconnecting the connection of the communication line after the unit time has elapsed Line disconnection processing.

An eighteenth invention is the game program according to claim 17, further comprising a program for causing a computer to execute a unit time setting process for enabling a user to set the unit time. It is characterized by.

A nineteenth invention is a game program according to any one of the eleventh to eighteenth aspects, wherein the program causes a computer to execute a condition selection process for enabling a user to select the transition condition. Characterized in that the program further comprises:

A twentieth aspect of the present invention is the game program according to any one of the eleventh to nineteenth aspects, wherein a backup process for backing up data necessary for the progress of the game and receiving the data in an online mode. In this case, the computer performs a reception state determination process of determining whether or not the data has been normally received and a backup rescue process of preventing the data that has not been normally received from being reflected on the backup unit. It is characterized by further including a program to be executed.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the third object, a computer-readable recording medium, wherein the program according to any one of claims 11 to 20 is recorded. .

[0027]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, a game system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the configuration of the game system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a game system according to the present embodiment includes a monitor 1 such as a television receiver.
0, game device 12, and game controller 14
It has. The monitor 10 and the game device 12 are connected via an output cable 16. The game device 12 and the game controller 14 are connected via an input cable 18. Game controller 1
4, a direction key 20 for a user to perform an input operation;
And various buttons 22 are provided.

The game apparatus 12 contains a recording medium (not shown) such as a CDROM. The recording medium contains
A program necessary to execute a later-described playing game (RPG) is recorded. The game device 12 executes the program to execute the game controller 14.
RPG is advanced according to the instruction from.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of the game device 12 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the game device 12 includes a CPU 24. A ROM 28 and a RAM 30 are connected to the CPU 24 via a bus line 26. The ROM 28 stores data necessary for initializing the image processing apparatus and the like, programs executed by the CPU 24,
Alternatively, data necessary for executing the program is stored. Further, the RAM 30 is used as a work area for executing various processes.

An image processing unit 32 for generating a desired image and a storage device VRAM (Video RAM) 34 used as an image memory are connected to the bus line 26. The data stored in the VRAM 34 is supplied to the display 38 of the monitor 10 after being converted into image data by the image control unit 36. In the bus line 26,
The voice synthesizer 40 is connected. The audio to be output together with the image is output from the speaker 42 of the monitor 10 after being synthesized by the audio synthesizer 40.

A communication unit 44, an input / output control unit 46, and an input control unit 48 are further connected to the bus line 26. The communication unit 44 is a unit for connecting the game device 12 to another game device or a computer via the communication line 50. The input / output control unit 46 is a CD
This is a device for exchanging necessary data with a recording medium 51 such as a ROM. The input control unit 48 is a device for exchanging necessary data with the controller 14.

Next, an example of a game provided by the game apparatus 12 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The game device 12 of the present embodiment provides a role playing game (RPG) in which a game proceeds while moving a character between a world provided offline and a world provided online. 3 to 11
Are the game screens of the RPG, respectively.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the character 52 is moving in a world provided offline. More specifically, FIG. 3 shows a state in which the character 52 is moving in the “grassland” toward the “town”. The "grasslands" are part of the world that is offered offline. On the other hand, a "town" is a world that cannot be provided unless it is online.

FIG. 4 shows a game screen in which a network connection determination area 56 (dashed ellipse) is added to the game screen shown in FIG. When the character 52 enters the network connection determination area 56, the game device 12 automatically starts connecting to the network server using the communication unit 44.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are game screens showing how the character 52 enters the "town".
These game screens are screens that can be displayed offline before connection to the network server is established. After the game device 12 starts the connection process, it takes some time until the connection is established. The size of the network connection determination area 56 and the structure near the entrance of the city depend on the time required for establishing the network connection after the connection process is started until the character 52 reaches an area that can be provided only online. It is set to be approximately equal to For this reason,
The user can smoothly transition from the offline world to the online world simply by advancing the character 52 toward the “town” without being conscious of the time required for network connection.

In FIG. 6, an object 58 displayed on the upper left of the screen and an object 60 displayed on the right side of the screen indicate a "store" and a "meeting place", respectively. The internal space of the store 58 and the internal space of the meeting place 60 are spaces that can only be provided online. In this space, the character 52 operated by the user himself,
It can coexist with a character operated by another user or a character provided by a system administrator.

FIG. 7 shows the internal space of the store 58 described above. When the character 52 enters the store 58, the monitor 10
Displays a game screen as shown in FIG. Store 5
For example, in item 8, purchase items prepared in a network server, more specifically, items sold for sale by other users or rare items prepared by a system administrator. be able to.

FIG. 8 shows the internal space of the meeting place 60 described above. When the character 52 enters the meeting place 60, the monitor 1
At 0, a game screen as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed. Within the meetinghouse 60, the user enjoys fighting with characters 62, 64 being operated by other users, chatting with other users via the characters 52, 62, 64, or You can exchange items with other users.

FIG. 9 is a game screen showing a state where the character 52 is walking outside the city. FIG. 10 shows a state after the character 52 returns to the grassland from the town 54 and goes out of the network connection determination area 56 shown in FIG. Further, FIG.
Shows a state after moving to a place far away from the city 54.

As shown in FIG. 9, the character 52
If the user is operating out of 4,
It can be presumed that the world of games is about to be returned from the world provided online to the world provided offline. However, the user may reconsider that the character 52 that has left the city 54 is to be returned to the city 54 again. Therefore, the game device 12 of the present embodiment maintains the connection with the network server while the character 52 is near the entrance of the city 54, and as shown in FIG.
When the character 52 goes out of the network connection determination area 56, the connection is cut off. By executing such a process, it is possible to prevent a wasteful waiting time from being generated when the character 52 reenters the town 54 and a wasteful disconnection process from being repeated.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining a flow of a series of processing executed by the game device 12 of the present embodiment to shift the offline mode to the online mode. The online transfer process shown in FIG. 12 is a process executed when the RPG is proceeding offline.

In the series of processes shown in FIG. 12, first, it is determined whether or not an online shift condition has been satisfied (step 100). In the above-described example, when the character 52 enters the network connection determination area 56, it is determined that the online shift condition has been satisfied.

When it is determined that the online transfer condition is satisfied, next, processing for establishing a connection to the network server (processing such as dial-up) is started (step 102).

Next, it is determined whether or not the online transition condition has been canceled (step 106). In the above-described example, after the character 54 once enters the network connection determination area 56, the character 5 before the connection is established.
When the number 4 goes out of the area 56, it is determined that the online shift condition has been released.

If it is determined in step 106 that the online transition condition has been cancelled, the connection process is stopped (step 104), and thereafter, in step 1
The processes after 00 are executed again.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the online transfer condition has not been released, the connection process is continued and it is determined whether or not a connection to the network server has been established (step 108).

As a result, if it is determined that the connection has not been established, a process (moving process) for displaying a state in which the character 52 moves from the offline world to the online world is performed (moving process). Step 11
0), and then the process of step 106 is executed again.
In the example described above, the process of sequentially displaying the game screens as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 as the character 52 is operated toward the city 54 by the user corresponds to the above-described movement process.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step 108 that the connection has been established, a process for proceeding with the game online (online process) is started (step 112).

According to the above-described series of processing, if a predetermined online transition condition is satisfied while the user is playing the game offline, the transition from offline to online is automatically performed thereafter. For this reason, according to the game device of the present embodiment, the offline world and the online world can be continuously provided to the user without any discomfort while taking the form of an emergency connection.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining a flow of a series of processing executed by the game apparatus 12 of the present embodiment to shift the online mode to the offline mode. The offline shift processing shown in FIG. 13 is, more specifically, a processing executed when a connection is established between the game apparatus 12 and the network server when the RPG is proceeding online.

In the series of processes shown in FIG. 13, first, it is determined whether or not the offline shift condition is satisfied (step 120). In the example described above, it is determined that the offline transition condition has been satisfied by the character 52 escaping from the network connection determination area 56.

If it is determined that the offline transfer condition has been satisfied, it is determined whether a predetermined unit time has elapsed after the connection with the network server has been established (step 122). Communication costs incurred by users are:
Usually, it gradually increases over time. The unit time is the period during which the cost is maintained the same (for example, 3
Minute or one minute). The unit time may be set by the game apparatus 12 by detecting the communication environment being used, or may be set by the user.

If it is determined that the unit time has not yet elapsed as a result of the above determination, the process returns to step 120 again.
Is performed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the unit time has elapsed, the communication line is disconnected (step 12).
4) A process for proceeding the game offline (offline process) is started (step 126).

According to the above processing, the connection between the game apparatus 12 and the network server can be maintained even after the offline transition condition is satisfied, as long as the communication cost does not increase. In this case, it is possible to leave a chance to return to the online world immediately after the offline transition condition is satisfied, without unnecessarily increasing the communication cost. For this reason, according to the game device of the present embodiment, it is possible to respond to a user's request to return to the online world without causing useless waiting time and without repeating unnecessary connection disconnection processing. Can be.

Next, with reference to FIG. 14 to FIG. 16, a description will be given of the second online transition condition used by the game device of the present embodiment. FIG. 14 shows a state where the character 52 exists in the world provided offline. The cannon 70 shown in FIG. 14 is a tool used by the character 52 to fly to the destination, that is, the world provided only online.

FIG. 15 is a game screen showing a state immediately after the character 52 is shot from the cannon 70. FIG. 16 shows the character 5 shot from the cannon 70.
2 is a game screen showing a state of flying toward the destination 72.

In the case of the example shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, the game device 12 of this embodiment
, It is determined that the online transition condition is satisfied, and the connection process is started. Until the connection with the network server is established, the moving process is executed to display a state in which the character 52 is flying toward the destination 72 (see FIG. 12).

According to such processing, the character 52
By the time the player reaches the destination 72, the connection between the game device 12 and the network server can be established. Therefore, in the case of the examples shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, similarly to the cases shown in FIGS. 3 to 11, the transition from offline to online can be performed smoothly without giving the user a feeling of strangeness.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 17 to 20, a description will be given of a third online transition condition used by the game device of the present embodiment. FIG. 17 shows a state where the character 52 exists in the world provided offline. More specifically, FIG. 17 shows a game screen in which the character 52 calls “gull” using magic. The “gull” is a tool for the character 52 to move to a world provided only online, that is, to a palace.

FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 are game screens showing a state in which the character 52 is riding on the seagull 74 toward the palace. FIG. 20 is a game screen showing a state in which the character 52 has arrived at the destination palace.
Inside the palace is a world that can only be entered online. In the palace, for example, character 5
2 can be developed or a rare item that can be obtained only in a network connection environment can be provided. When a duty is given by the king, an event program required to perform the duty may be downloaded to the game apparatus 12.

In the case of the example shown in FIGS. 17 to 20, the game apparatus 12 of the present embodiment determines that the online transition condition is satisfied by using the magic to call the seagull 74 by the character 52. Then, after the connection process is started, a movement process is executed to display a state in which the character 52 rides on the seagull 74 and heads for the palace until a connection with the network server is established (see FIG. 12).

According to such processing, the character 52
By the time the player reaches the palace, a connection between the game device 12 and the network server can be established. Therefore,
In the case of the examples shown in FIGS.
As in the case described in (1), the transition from offline to online can be smoothly performed without giving the user a sense of incongruity.

In the first embodiment, the character 52 is determined based on whether the character 52 exists in the network connection determination area 56 or based on whether the character 52 uses a magic to call the seagull. Although it is determined whether or not the online transfer condition is satisfied, the online transfer condition is not limited to these. That is, the online transition condition is the character 52
It is only necessary to be able to make a determination based on the position of the character 52 and the action of the character 52 (command issued from the user to the character 52). In addition, online transition conditions are:
The game may be established when the game satisfies a predetermined history.

In the first embodiment, the game to be executed is limited to the RPG, but the game to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the RPG. For example,
It is also possible to provide a game on the subject of a car race offline and provide a store or the like that sells tires and the like to be mounted on cars in the online world.

In the above-described first embodiment, the moving process (see step 110) is always executed under a constant condition after the online shift condition is satisfied. May be changed based on the communication environment used by.

Further, in the above-described first embodiment, the state in which the character 52 moves from the offline world to the online world is directed by the game screen. However, the method of expressing the state is limited to screen display. It is not something to be done. For example, a state in which the character 52 moves from the offline world to the online world may be produced using sound, vibration of a controller, or the like.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing executed by game device 12 to set the processing conditions of the movement processing according to the communication environment. FIG.
In the routine shown in (1), first, processing for reading the communication environment used by the game device is performed (step 13).
0). Here, for example, the capability of the communication unit 44,
The transmission speed and the like of the communication line 50 are read.

Next, processing conditions for the moving process are set according to the read communication environment (step 132). In this step, the processing conditions are set such that the execution time of the movement processing is shortened in an environment in which high-speed communication is possible, and the execution time of the movement processing is increased in an environment in which communication speed is low. .

For example, in the examples shown in FIGS. 3 to 11, the network connection determination area is set to be narrow in an environment where high-speed communication is possible, and the network connection determination area is set to be wide in an environment where communication speed is low. Is done. According to such a setting, the time required for the character 52 to reach the city 54 after the connection process is started can be expanded or contracted in accordance with the communication environment, thereby realizing a transition with less discomfort. Can be.

In the case of the example shown in FIGS. 14 to 16,
Alternatively, in the case of the examples shown in FIGS. 17 to 20, the distance that the character 52 moves before reaching the destination is expanded or contracted in accordance with the communication environment, or the flying speed of the character 52 to the destination is increased. Change. According to such a setting, even in these examples, the time required for the connection process is matched with the time required for the character 52 to reach the destination, thereby realizing a transition with less discomfort. Can be.

In the first embodiment, the online transition condition and the offline transition condition are determined in advance by the creator of the game, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the user may arbitrarily select the online transfer condition and the offline transfer condition from a list prepared in advance. When such a setting is made possible, it is possible to effectively prevent a transition from online to offline or a transition from offline to online against the user's will.

In the first embodiment, items can be purchased and exchanged at the shop 58 and the meeting place 60 provided online. However, in order to reflect those states in the offline world, In addition, it is necessary to reflect a change in data generated online on data recorded in the game apparatus 12. And considering the abnormal disconnection of communication, etc., such data rewriting,
It is desirable that the process be performed in a situation where backup data exists.

FIG. 22 shows a game device 12 according to the present embodiment.
Is a flow chart for explaining a flow of a series of processing executed to reflect data obtained online on recording while leaving backup data. In the routine shown in FIG. 22, first, it is determined whether or not a shift to online has been performed (step 140).

As a result, if it is determined that the online game has been transferred, the latest game data at that time is recorded as backup data (step 14).
2).

Next, it is determined whether or not predetermined data communication to be reflected on the game data on the game device 12 side has been performed with the network server (step 1).
44).

As a result, if it is determined that the data communication has been executed, it is determined whether or not the communication has been normally performed (step 146).

If it is determined that the communication has been performed normally, an update process is performed to reflect the contents of the communication on the backup data held by the game apparatus 12 (step 148).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the communication was not performed normally, the existing backup data is maintained as it is to prevent the contents of the communication from destroying the backup data (step 150).

At step 144, it is determined that data communication is not being executed, and at step 148
Alternatively, after the processing of 150 is executed, it is determined whether or not the transition from online to offline has been performed (step 152).

As a result, if it is determined that the transfer to the offline state has been performed, it is no longer necessary to protect the backup data, and the current routine ends.
On the other hand, if it is determined that the transition to the offline has not been performed, the processing of step 144 and thereafter is repeated again.

According to the above-described processing, a change in data generated in the online environment is reflected on the backup data only when communication between the game apparatus 12 and the network server is properly performed. Communication between the game apparatus 12 and the network server may be terminated improperly, for example, when a communication line is abnormally disconnected or when access to the server is not properly performed due to congestion. According to the game device of the present embodiment, while reliably preventing data from being destroyed due to such improper termination, a change in data generated in the online environment can be appropriately converted to data in the game device 12. Can be reflected.

[0082]

As described above, according to the present invention, the online mode and the offline mode can be automatically switched when a predetermined transition condition is satisfied with the progress of the game. For this reason, according to the present invention, various environments can be naturally provided to the user without any discomfort both online and offline using the emergency connection type game device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a game system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the game device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a game screen (part 1) corresponding to a first transition condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a game screen (part 2) corresponding to a first transition condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a third game screen corresponding to a first transition condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a game screen (part 4) corresponding to a first transition condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a game screen (No. 5) corresponding to a first transition condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a game screen (part 6) corresponding to a first transition condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a game screen (part 7) corresponding to a first transition condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a game screen (No. 8) corresponding to a first transition condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

11 is a game screen (No. 9) corresponding to a first transition condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the contents of an online shift process executed in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the content of an offline shift process executed in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is a game screen (part 1) corresponding to a second shift condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a game screen (part 2) corresponding to a second shift condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

16 is a game screen (part 3) corresponding to a second shift condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 17 is a game screen (part 1) corresponding to a third shift condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is a game screen (part 2) corresponding to a third transition condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is a game screen (part 3) corresponding to a third shift condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

20 is a game screen (part 4) corresponding to a third transition condition used in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 21 is a flowchart for explaining the contents of a setting process executed to set processing conditions of a movement process in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating the contents of a backup process executed to back up game data in the game device shown in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Monitor 12 Game device 14 Controller 51 Recording medium 52 Character 54 Town 56 Network connection judgment area 58 Store 60 Meeting place 70 Cannon 72 Destination 74 Seagull

Claims (21)

[Claims] 1. A game device for selectively realizing an online mode in which a game progresses online and an offline mode in which a game progresses offline, wherein a predetermined transition condition is satisfied during execution of the game. A transition condition determining unit for determining whether or not the communication condition is satisfied, and a mode switching unit for automatically connecting or disconnecting a communication line and switching between the online mode and the offline mode when the transition condition is satisfied. A game device characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transition condition determination unit includes a position determination unit that determines whether the transition condition is satisfied based on position information of a character appearing in the game. Game equipment. 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the transition condition determination unit includes a command determination unit configured to determine whether the transition condition is satisfied based on an input command for a character appearing in the game. The game device according to the above. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transition condition determination unit includes a history determination unit that determines whether the transition condition is satisfied based on a game history. The game device according to the above. 5. A connection starting means for starting connection processing of the communication line when an online transition condition for requesting a transition from an offline mode to an online mode is satisfied, wherein the connection processing is started. And after the connection is established, the character appearing in the game displays a rendering from the world provided in the offline mode to the world provided in the online mode. The game device according to claim 1, wherein: 6. A communication environment detecting means for detecting a communication environment used in an online mode, and a movement processing condition setting means for setting processing conditions of the movement processing means based on the communication environment. The game device according to claim 1, wherein: 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mode switching unit is configured to, when an off-line transition condition for requesting a transition from an on-line mode to an off-line mode is satisfied, after a predetermined unit time has passed after connection of the communication line is established. The unit time discriminating means for discriminating whether or not there is, and a line disconnecting means for disconnecting the connection of the communication line after the unit time elapses, comprising: Game equipment. 8. The game device according to claim 7, further comprising a unit time setting means for enabling the user to set the unit time. 9. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising condition selection means for enabling a user to select the transition condition. 10. A backup means for backing up data necessary for the progress of a game, a reception state determining means for determining whether or not the data has been normally received when the data has been received in an online mode; 10. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a backup rescue unit configured to prevent data not received in the backup unit from being reflected on the backup unit. 10. 11. A program for realizing, on a computer, a game device for selectively realizing an online mode in which a game is advanced online and an offline mode in which a game is advanced offline, wherein the program is executed during execution of the game. A transition condition determining process of determining whether a predetermined transition condition is satisfied; and, when the transition condition is satisfied, automatically connecting or disconnecting a communication line to switch the online mode and the offline mode. A game program, comprising: a mode switching process for switching; and a program for causing a computer to execute. 12. The game according to claim 11, wherein the transition condition determination processing includes a position determination processing for determining whether or not the transition condition is satisfied based on a position of a character appearing in the game. Program. 13. The process according to claim 11, wherein the transition condition determination process includes a command determination process for determining whether the transition condition is satisfied based on a command for a character appearing in the game. Game program. 14. The transfer condition determination process according to claim 11, wherein the transfer condition determination process includes a history determination process for determining whether or not the transfer condition is satisfied based on a game history. The game program described. 15. The mode switching process includes: a connection start process for starting a connection process of the communication line when an online transition condition for requesting a transition from an offline mode to an online mode is satisfied; And after the connection is established, until the connection is established, a movement process for displaying that the characters appearing in the game are going from the world provided in the offline mode to the world provided in the online mode. 15. Any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein:
The game program described in the section. 16. A computer executes a communication environment detection process of detecting a communication environment used in an online mode, and a transfer process condition setting process of setting a process condition of the transfer process based on the communication environment. The game program according to any one of claims 11 to 15, further comprising a program. 17. The mode switching process according to claim 1, wherein when an offline transition condition for requesting a transition from an online mode to an offline mode is satisfied, a predetermined unit time elapses after connection of the communication line is established. 17. A method according to claim 11, further comprising: a unit time determining process for determining whether or not the communication line is present, and a line disconnecting process for disconnecting the communication line after the unit time has elapsed.
The game program described in the section. 18. The game program according to claim 17, further comprising a program for causing a computer to execute a unit time setting process for enabling the user to set the unit time. 19. The game according to claim 11, further comprising a program for causing a computer to execute a condition selection process for enabling a user to select said transition condition. Program. 20. A backup process for backing up data necessary for the progress of a game, a reception state determination process for determining whether or not the data has been normally received when the data has been received in the online mode. 20. The program according to claim 11, further comprising: a backup rescue process for preventing data not received in the backup unit from being reflected in the backup unit; and a program for causing a computer to execute the backup rescue process. The game program described. 21. A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 11 is recorded.