JP2005185623A - Game providing device and program thereof, game terminal, and game participating program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure the fairness (to minimize the number of winners without winning games) and simultaneous playing feel in providing a competition game played among a plurality of user terminals for the user terminals through a network. <P>SOLUTION: A request for participating in a game from a terminal is received through the Internet, and when the number of receiving requests is a predetermined number or above, a notice of confirming the participation in the game is transmitted to the sender terminal of the request (S402). Then, matching of the game among a plurality of pairs of terminals are determined among the terminals which made response in a predetermined period of time (S406), and game input information to be used for determining the winner/loser is obtained from the game in the terminals included in the matching of the game within a predetermined period of time (S407-S409). The winner/loser of the competition game is discriminated based on the information (S410), and the result of discrimination is notified (S412). After that, the processes in and after S402 are repeated for the winner till a condition for termination is satisfied so that the competition game tournament is advanced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a game providing device that provides a plurality of user terminals with a battle game between a plurality of user terminals via a network, a program for executing the process, and a battle provided from the game providing device via the network. The present invention relates to a game terminal for participating in a game and a game participation program for executing the process.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a system in which a user terminal accesses a game server (game providing device) via a network such as the Internet, and can participate in and enjoy a battle game provided from the server.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a competitive game providing method for providing a Janken game using the Internet. In this method, a server (match server) creates a tournament table for a janken match based on user information registered in advance from the user terminal, and notifies the user terminal of the match URL and janken match start information by e-mail. Furthermore, the “hand” is obtained from the user terminal that accesses the notified match URL and inputs the “hand” (goo, choki, par) of Janken, and the “hand” obtained from the opponents in the tournament table. Judge the victory or defeat. The winner URL is notified to the winner and the loser URL is notified to the loser by e-mail, and information on whether or not to continue to participate in the next Janken match is obtained from the winner's user terminal. Proceed through tournament battles according to the tournament table.
Here, instead of requesting the “hand” of Janken, if you present a question such as a quiz and request the input of the answer (number, XX, etc.), other types of competitive games It is considered possible to apply this to tournament battles.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-239061

By the way, when providing a battle game between two or more user terminals, it waits for a certain number of participants (request for participation from the user terminal) to gather, and then the battle combination In many cases, the battle game is made to progress. In this case, from the user terminal side, there is a waiting time from when the participation request to the game is made until the battle combination is determined and the game starts. For this reason, during the waiting time, the user may be away from the terminal or unable to communicate due to a communication trouble or the like, and a user terminal that does not participate or cannot participate in the game at the start of the game may occur.
However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, a situation where a user is slow to receive or does not receive an e-mail for acquiring a match URL or a winner URL (the user is away from the terminal, the electronic Even if a failure occurs on the mail server, etc.), the battle continues according to the tournament table that was initially set. There was a problem that fairness could not be maintained.
In addition, if the time to complete the acquisition of “hands” from the user terminal is lengthened, it is considered that the collection rate of “hands” increases (that is, the number of non-winning winners decreases), but in this case, the game progress time is delayed. However, there was a problem that the sense of simultaneous play (a sense of realism), which is an original feature of online games, disappeared and the user's willingness to participate was reduced.
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to provide fairness (when a game between them is provided to a plurality of user terminals via a network ( It is to provide a game providing apparatus and program, a game terminal, and a game participation program capable of ensuring a feeling of simultaneous play and minimization of the battle winner.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a game providing apparatus for providing a battle game between a plurality of user terminals to a plurality of user terminals via a network. A game participation request receiving means for receiving a request via the network; and when the number of received game participation requests reaches a predetermined number, the user terminal that is the transmission source of the game participation request Participation confirmation means for performing notification of participation confirmation and reception of the response via the network, and a plurality of sets of the user terminals from among the user terminals that responded to the notification of participation confirmation within a predetermined time A game input used for determining the winning or losing of the competitive game between the competitive combination determining means for determining the competitive combination between and the user terminal included in the determined competitive combination Game input information acquisition means for requesting and receiving information via the network, and winning or losing of the battle game based on the game combination and the game input information received by the game input information acquisition means within a predetermined time A winning / losing determining means for determining the result, and a winning / losing notifying means for notifying the user terminal that is the transmission source of the game input information via the network of the determination result of the winning / losing determining means. It is comprised as a game provision apparatus.
As a result, the user terminal that responds slowly or does not respond to the notification of participation confirmation is excluded from the battle combination, so that it is possible to minimize the occurrence of no-war winners and to ensure the fairness of the game. Furthermore, since the game proceeds between the user terminals that respond within a predetermined time (for example, several seconds to several tens of seconds, etc.), it is possible to ensure a feeling of simultaneous play (a sense of realism) that is an original characteristic of an online game.
Here, with respect to the user terminal for which the result of determination by the winning / losing determining means is a draw, the winning / losing determining means after repeating each process by the game input information acquiring means and the winning / losing determining means until winning / losing is determined. It is conceivable that the result of determination is notified by the winning / losing notification means. Of course, in the case of a draw, it can be considered that the player is determined to have lost both.
The game input information acquisition means is the last in which a draw does not occur when the game input information acquisition means and the win / loss determination means repeat the respective processes up to a predetermined maximum number of times and the win / loss determination means does not determine a win / loss. It is also possible to request and receive game input information used for winning / losing determination of a winning / losing battle game via the network.
As a result, if the draw is accidentally repeated many times, or an illegal user intentionally repeats the game input that is a draw by operating multiple user terminals in parallel for the purpose of delaying the game progress. Even in such a case, since the draw more than the upper limit number is not repeated, it is possible to prevent the game progress from being delayed.

Although the probability is very low, the game input information may not be transmitted from the user terminal due to a subsequent trouble or the like although there was a response to the notification of participation confirmation. In this case, the following two processes can be considered.
One of them is that the winning / losing determining means determines that the user terminal for which the game input information has not been received within a predetermined time by the game input information acquiring means is unsuccessful.
The other one is that the winning / losing determining means replaces the game input information for the user terminal for which the game input information is not received within a predetermined time by the game input information acquiring means. The winner is determined based on the information. For example, it is conceivable to use one of the alternative information randomly selected from the options considered as the game input information. This process is effective for a game where only luck influences victory or defeat, such as a Janken game.
Here, for example, it is conceivable that the battle game is a Janken game and the game input information is information on any of goo, choki, and par. Of course, if the request for game input information in the game input information acquisition means is such as presenting a question such as a quiz and requesting input of the answer (number, XX, etc.), other types of competitive games Can also be provided.

For the user terminal that has been determined to have won by the win / loss determination notification means, the respective processes by the participation confirmation means, the battle combination determination means, the game input information acquisition means, and the win / loss determination notification means are sequentially repeated. If the tournament control means is provided, it is possible to provide a battle game in a tournament format. As a condition for ending the repetition, it is usual that only one winner remains, but for example, the number of winners is less than a predetermined number (the number of prizes prepared, etc.) It may be considered that the termination condition is that the number of winners is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio with respect to the number of participants (the number of user terminals).
Further, it is conceivable to include score calculation / recording means for calculating score information for each user terminal based on the determination result of the win / loss determination means and storing the score information in the storage means.
Thus, for example, if the score information is used in exchange for a product or a prize according to the height of the score, it is preferable because the user's willingness to participate is increased.
Moreover, what comprises the competition performance recording means which memorize | stores the discrimination | determination result of the said win / loss discrimination means in a memory | storage means can be considered.
In these cases, the competition result providing means for receiving the score information and / or the determination result of the winning / losing discrimination means with the user terminal and transmitting the requested competition result information via the network. It is convenient because the user can confirm past results.

The present invention may be a game providing program for causing a computer to execute processing performed by the game providing apparatus.
That is, in a game providing program for causing a computer to execute a game providing process for providing a game between a plurality of user terminals to a plurality of user terminals via a network, a game from the user terminal A game participation request receiving step for receiving a participation request via the network, and when the number of received game participation requests reaches a predetermined number, the user terminal that is the transmission source of the game participation request is sent to the competitive game Participation confirmation step of receiving notification of participation confirmation and response thereof via the network, and a plurality of sets of the users from among the user terminals that responded to the notification of participation confirmation within a predetermined time A winning combination of a battle game between a battle combination determining step for determining a battle combination between terminals and the user terminal included in the determined battle combination. Based on the game input information acquisition step of requesting and receiving game input information used for determination via the network, and the game input information received within a predetermined time by the battle combination and the game input information acquisition step The computer executes a winning / losing determining step for determining the winning / losing of the competitive game, and a winning / losing notifying step for notifying the determination result of the winning / losing determining step to the user terminal that is the transmission source of the game input information via the network. It is a game providing program for making it happen.

In addition, the present invention can also be understood as a game terminal on the side receiving a battle game from the game providing device.
That is, in a game terminal for participating in a competitive game provided from a game providing device via a network, a game participation request transmitting means for transmitting a game participation request to the game providing device via the network; A game input device for receiving participation confirmation response means for receiving notification of participation confirmation in the competitive game from the game providing device and transmitting the response via the network, and game input information used for determining the winning or losing of the competitive game Game input information transmitting means for receiving a request for the game input information between the information input means and the game providing apparatus and transmitting the game input information in response to the request, and the game providing apparatus A win / loss notification for receiving a notification of the result of determination of win / loss of the competitive game from the network Is constituted as a game terminal, characterized by comprising comprises a signal means.
Furthermore, the present invention can also be understood as a game participation program for causing a computer to execute processing performed by the game terminal.
That is, in a game participation program for causing a computer to execute processing for participating in a competitive game provided from a game providing device via a network, a game participation request is transmitted to the game providing device via the network. A game participation request transmission step, a participation confirmation response step of receiving a notification of participation confirmation in the competitive game and transmitting a response to the game providing device via the network, and winning or losing of the competitive game A game input information input step for inputting game input information used for the determination, and reception of the request for the game input information between the game providing device and transmission of the game input information in response thereto via the network A game input information transmitting step to be performed, and a determination result of winning or losing of the competitive game from the game providing device A win-loss notification reception step of notifications received through the network, a game participation program characterized by comprising comprises a.

  According to the present invention, when the number of received game participation requests from the user terminal reaches a predetermined number, a notification of participation confirmation in the battle game and reception of the response are sent to the user terminal of the transmission source, Since the response combination is determined from the user terminals within the predetermined time and the match is started (game input information is requested and received), the response to the participation confirmation notification is slow or not responding The player terminal is excluded from the battle combination, and as a result, it is possible to minimize the occurrence of no-war winners, thereby ensuring the fairness of the game. Furthermore, since the game is progressed between user terminals that respond within a predetermined time, it is possible to secure a feeling of simultaneous play (a sense of realism) that is an original characteristic of an online game.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings so that the present invention can be understood. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.
Here, FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a network battle game system A including the game providing device X according to the embodiment of the present invention as a component, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating schematic configurations of the game providing device X and each terminal. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure such as a participation request accepting process executed by the game providing device X, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a battle game holding process executed by the game providing device X, and FIG. 5 is a game providing device. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a basic page screen transmitted from X to the terminal, FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user information input page transmitted from the game providing device X to the terminal, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a screen example of a battle game selection page transmitted to the terminal, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a screen example of a pop-up display prompting execution of a response to the game participation confirmation notification displayed on the terminal Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen page of a game input selection sent from the game providing device X to the terminal.

First, the configuration of the network battle game system A including the game providing device X according to the embodiment of the present invention as a component and the schematic configuration of each of the game providing device X and the terminal 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. To do. Hereinafter, the game providing device X is referred to as a server X.
As shown in FIG. 1, the server X is configured to be able to communicate with a plurality of terminals 2 (an example of the game terminal) via the Internet 1.
The server X provides a battle game between the terminals 2 (user terminals) via the Internet 1 to the plurality of terminals 2 (user terminals).
The terminal 2 is a terminal for participating in a battle game provided from the server X (game providing device) via the Internet 1, and is installed in a store such as a personal computer, a mobile phone, a PDA, or a convenience store. An information terminal such as a terminal.

2A, the server X includes an HTTP server 11, a mail transmission / reception unit 12, a communication control unit 13, an operation display unit 14, a data control unit 15, and a data storage unit 16. .
The HTTP server 11 is an information processing apparatus having a function of a so-called web server, receives a request such as a URL transmitted from the terminal 2, and responds to HTML or JavaScript (from Sun Microsystems, Inc.). In addition to reading out the page (screen) data and other information composed of registered trademarks (hereinafter the same) etc. from the data storage unit 16 and transmitting them to the terminal 2, various data requests transmitted from the terminal 2 Accordingly, the necessary data is read and processed from the data storage unit 16 according to a program such as CGI registered in advance, and is organized into page data or the like by HTML or JavaScript, and transmitted to the terminal 2.
The mail transmission / reception unit 12 is a device having a function of a so-called electronic mail server. The electronic mail transmission processing to the terminal 2 based on a request from the HTTP server 11 and the electronic mail transmitted from the terminal 2 Perform receive processing.
The communication control unit 13 performs communication control with the terminal 2 via the Internet 1 and a LAN or public line (not shown) for connecting to the Internet 1.
The operation display unit 14 includes a CRT display (not shown), a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and performs various inputs and displays on the data X such as a data registration operation.
The data control unit 15 performs various data processing and other arithmetic processing stored in the data storage unit 16 in response to a control command from the HTTP server 11.
The data storage unit 16 is a storage device such as a hard disk, and various data related to a battle game, and other data handled by the HTTP server 11, the mail transmission / reception unit 12, the operation display unit 14, and the data control unit 15. Is stored.

The terminal 2 is an information terminal such as a general personal computer, a mobile phone, or a PDA. As shown in FIG. 2B, the terminal 2 includes a CRT display (not shown), a keyboard and a mouse, or a liquid crystal panel and a sheet key. An operation display unit 21 configured, a data control unit 22 configured by an MPU, a main memory, and peripheral devices (not shown), a data storage unit 23 such as a hard disk and a nonvolatile RAM, the Internet 1 and the connection to this And a communication control unit 24 that performs data communication via a LAN or a public line (not shown).
The data storage unit 23 is a program such as a web browser for displaying and outputting various data requests to the server X, HTML data received from the server X, etc. to the operation display unit 21, and mail software for sending and receiving e-mails. Is installed. These programs are expanded in the main memory of the data control unit 22 as necessary, and are executed by the data control unit 22.
In addition to the above, the terminal 2 has other configurations similar to those of a general personal computer, a mobile phone, a PDA, and the like.

Next, the procedure of the participation request reception process and the battle game holding process controlled by the HTTP server 11 of the server X executing a program such as CGI will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. Hereinafter, S101, S102,... Represent processing procedure (step) numbers. In the figure, the process indicated by a broken line frame (indicated by adding t to the end of the step number) represents the process executed on the terminal 2 side. The server X (game providing device) provides a tournament-type battle game between the plurality of terminals 2 to the plurality of terminals 2 via a network.
First, the HTTP server 11 loops (No side in S102) until it receives a transmission request (URL, etc.) of the basic page Pg0 shown in FIG. 5 from the terminal 2, and the terminal 2 accesses the basic page Pg0. When the request is executed (S101t) and the request is received (Yes in S102), the basic page Pg0 transmits to the terminal 2 (S103). On the other hand, the terminal 2 receives and displays the basic page Pg0 (S103t), and executes a process selection input and a selection result transmission process (S104t).
The basic page Pg0 is data described in HTML, JavaScript, or the like. Hereinafter, a page represents screen data described in HTML, JavaScript, or the like.
As shown in FIG. 5, the basic page Pg0 includes buttons Pb01 to Pb03 for shifting to pages related to user information registration, point (score) purchase, and application for participation in a game (participation request). ing. The basic page Pg0 is configured such that when any of the buttons Pb01 to Pb03 is operated by the operation display unit 21, a request to transmit a page corresponding to the operated button is made to the server X. ing. In the following description, it is assumed that each page on which buttons are arranged is configured so that a transmission request for data or a page corresponding to the operated button is made to the server X unless otherwise specified.
Next, the HTTP server 11 loops (no reception side in S105) until a request (URL or the like) corresponding to the operation of the buttons Pb01 to Pb03 is received from the terminal 2, and when the request is received, It is determined whether the requested request corresponds to which operation of the buttons Pb01 to Pb03 (the side with the reception of S105), and the step to be moved to next is determined according to the determination result.

(User information registration)
In S105, when it is determined that there is a request corresponding to the operation of the transition button Pb01 to the user information registration page, first, the HTTP server 11 pre-registers to participate in the competitive game provided by the server X Is executed (S111).
In this process, for example, the user information input process shown in FIG. 6 is executed.
In this process, for example, the user information input page Pg11 shown in FIG. 6 is transmitted to the terminal 2 as the information input page, and the user information input and transmitted (S111t) on the terminal 2 side is received on the page. To do.
The user information input page Pg11 is used as the name, address, e-mail address, etc., of the user who is going to register as a member d21, the password d22 used for user authentication, and for payment (for billing). A registration button Pb11 for requesting registration of the entered information as user information in the server X in addition to the input frame of the credit card number etc. d23 and the delivery destination candidate d24 such as a prize obtained by participating in the game; A cancel button Pb12 is provided for requesting to stop data input and return to the previous page. Here, the user ID (d20) is not input by the user, but is issued by the server X so that the user can be specified.
In the user information input page Pg11, when the registration button Pb11 is operated after information input, information input from the terminal 2 is transmitted to the server X together with a predetermined information registration request (S111t), and the information registration is performed. Upon receiving the request, the server X executes generation of the user ID d20 and notification to the terminal 2 by e-mail (S112) and registration (recording) of user information in the data storage unit 16 (S113). Thereafter, the process returns to S101 and the above-described processing is repeated. This notification by e-mail is executed by the mail transmitting / receiving unit 12.
On the other hand, when the cancel button Pb12 is operated, the process returns to S103 as it is and the above-described processing is repeated.

(Purchase points)
Next, a process when it is determined in S105 that there is a request corresponding to the operation of the transition button Pb02 to the point purchase page of the basic page Pg0 (FIG. 5) will be described.
First, user authentication processing is performed (S201). In this process, a page for inputting the user ID d20 and password 22 registered by the user information registration process (S111 to S113) is transmitted to the terminal 2, and the terminal 2 is input and transmitted (reply). Based on the received user ID d20 and password d22, the user information d2 registered in the past is retrieved, and if there is matching data, it is determined that user authentication is successful, and if it does not exist, it is determined that user authentication is unsuccessful. The In this user authentication process, it is desirable to increase the security if an encryption communication protocol such as SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is used between the server X and the terminal 2. If the user authentication fails, a page for notifying the message is transmitted to the terminal 2, and the process returns to S111 and is repeated (not shown).
On the other hand, if the user authentication is successful, the process proceeds to a process of purchasing and registering points corresponding to the price required for participating in the game (point registration process (S202)). In this process, the HTTP server 11 transmits a predetermined point purchase page to the terminal 2, and is transmitted by a button operation (input) on the point purchase page on the terminal 2 side (S202t). A process for receiving a registration request for a necessary point and registering (recording) the necessary point in the data storage unit 16 in association with the user ID d20 (part of the user information) is executed in the data control unit 15 Let
Next, the HTTP server 11 performs a process of charging (S203) the amount corresponding to the registered number of points (billing amount) based on the credit card number etc. of the user (S203) to the data control unit 15. Then, the process returns to S103 and the above-described processing is repeated.
Here, the billing (S203) is performed by a known method such as connection with an online system such as a credit card company. Of course, the user information may include a bank account number and its password, and charging may be performed by bank withdrawal based on this.

(Game participation request reception)
Next, the game participation request acceptance process executed when it is determined in S105 that there is a request corresponding to the operation of the transition button Pb03 to the game participation application page of the basic page Pg0 (FIG. 5). .
First, the HTTP server 11 performs user authentication processing in the same manner as S201 (S301). However, in this process, in addition to the same user authentication process as that in S201, it is added to the authentication condition that points more than the number of points necessary for participating in the game are registered in the user information of the user.
Next, the HTTP server 11 executes a game participation request reception process for receiving a request for participation in any competitive game (hereinafter referred to as a game participation request) from the terminal 2 via the Internet 1 (S302). An example of processing of the game participation request receiving means).
In this process, as shown in FIG. 7, a battle game selection page Pg2 for selecting the types of battle games that can be participated is transmitted to the terminal 2, and a response (transmission) is sent from the terminal 2 side accordingly. When a game participation request is received, the data storage associated with the user ID d20 as game participation request information including identification information of the battle game included in the participation request and date and time information at that time (hereinafter referred to as reception date and time) Register (record) in the unit 16.
At this time, the terminal 2 sends a game participation request including a selection input of a battle game by the operation display unit 21 and game identification information of the selected battle game on the battle game selection page Pg2. 22 and the communication control unit 24 perform processing (S303t; an example of processing of the game participation request transmitting means) that is transmitted to the server X (game providing device) via the Internet 1 and is received by the server X. Register the game participation request.
When the game participation request information is registered in this way, the HTTP server 11 subtracts and updates the number of points associated with the user ID d20 by the number of points necessary for participating in the game (S305). After the execution by the unit 15, the process returns to S103 and the above-described processing is repeated.

(Battle game held)
While the processing of FIG. 3 described above is being executed, the HTTP server 11 executes the battle game holding processing shown in FIG. 4 in parallel with the processing. The battle game holding process is a process executed for each type of battle game.
First, the HTTP server 11 monitors the registration status to be monitored until the number of registrations of the game participation request information for the battle game becomes a predetermined number or more through the data control unit 15 (S401). This predetermined number is a predetermined margin ratio to the number of users (the number of the terminals 2 participating in the first round of the tournament, hereinafter referred to as a necessary number initial value) necessary for starting the holding (execution) of the battle game. Is a value obtained by multiplying (for example, twice), and is set in advance by an initialization process (not shown).
When it is confirmed that the registered number of the game participation request information is equal to or greater than the predetermined number (that is, when the number of received game participation requests reaches the predetermined number), the HTTP server 11 A notification of participation confirmation in the battle game is transmitted to all the terminals 2 corresponding to the game participation request information that has been registered (that is, the user terminal that has transmitted the game participation request) (S402). Then, a response to the participation confirmation notification is received from each of the terminals 2 via the Internet 1 until a predetermined time (for example, several seconds to several tens of seconds, etc.) has elapsed since that time (S403, S404; processing of the participation confirmation means) Example). At this time, the identification information of the terminal 2 that has responded is sequentially added to the list of identification information (such as the user ID) of the terminal 2 used for determination of a battle combination (S406) described later.
On the other hand, in the terminal 2, the data control unit 22 and the communication control unit 24 receive the participation confirmation notification to the battle game and transmit the response to the server X (game providing device). This is performed through the network 1 (an example of processing of the participation confirmation response means).

Here, in the terminal 2, the following can be considered as a configuration for promptly responding to the participation confirmation notification.
One of the processes is to maintain a state in which the terminal 2 can communicate with the server X via the Internet 1 from when the terminal 2 transmits the game participation request (S302t in FIG. 3). When a participation confirmation notification is received, a pop-up display Pg3 (display of a pop-up window or the like) as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed to the operation display unit 21 urging the user to execute a response to the participation confirmation notification. In response to a response execution operation from the operation display unit 21, a communication maintenance / participation confirmation response execution program for executing a process for executing a response transmission to the participation confirmation notification is started, and the program is stored in the main memory of the terminal 2 It is to make it continue to run continually. As processing for maintaining the communicable state, after establishing communication with the server X via the Internet 1, it is almost continuously (for example, in a very short cycle (for example, in a cycle within 1 to 2 seconds)). ) Response confirmation communication with the server X is repeated, and if the response from the server X is not received within a predetermined time, it is conceivable to re-establish communication via the Internet 1. Of course, it does not matter whether the terminal 2 side performs the lead processing or the server X side performs the lead processing.
As a result, as long as the user is not away from the front of the terminal 2, the response to the participation confirmation notification can be quickly made.

Further, as another configuration, for example, when the terminal 2 is a mobile phone or the like, a device linked with an electronic mail program can be considered. In a terminal 2 such as a mobile phone, when an e-mail server (not shown) accessed by the terminal 2 receives an e-mail addressed to the terminal 2, the e-mail is sent to the terminal 2 (cell phone or the like). Generally, it has a function of automatic transfer.
Therefore, from the time when the terminal 2 (such as a mobile phone) transmits the game participation request (S302t in FIG. 3), an e-mail from the server X is received by an e-mail program (so-called mail software). When this is done, a pop-up display Pg3 (see FIG. 8, display of a pop-up window, etc.) prompting the user to execute a response to the participation confirmation notification is output to the operation display unit 21 and from the operation display unit 21 Starts a mail reception monitoring / participation confirmation response execution program that executes a process of executing a response transmission to the participation confirmation notification in response to a response execution operation, and continuously executes the program in the main memory of the terminal 2 It is to let you.
According to such a configuration, there is a slight time delay due to the e-mail transmission compared with the case where the communication possible state is maintained, but as long as the user is not away from the front of the terminal 2 (carried), A response to the participation confirmation notification can be made relatively quickly. Further, even when the terminal 2 is charged for the communication-maintained time, such as a mobile phone, charging can be minimized.

Next, the HTTP server 11 determines whether or not the number of responses to the participation confirmation notification is equal to or greater than the number (necessary number) required for the start (or continuation) of the battle game when the predetermined time has elapsed. A check is made (S405), and if it is less than the required number, the process returns to S402 and the above-described processing is repeated. The required number is set to the initial value for the first (first round), and is set to “2” after the second round.
On the other hand, when the number of responses to the participation confirmation notification is equal to or greater than the required number, the HTTP server 11 targets the terminal 2 that has responded to the participation confirmation notification within the predetermined time (match combination) The data control unit 22 is caused to execute a process of determining a battle combination (for one round of battle) between a plurality of sets of the terminals 2 (using a list of identification information of the terminal 2 used for determination of S2) (S406, the battle An example of processing of the combination determining means). Here, when the number of responses within the predetermined time exceeds the required number initial value, the processing from S406 onward is executed for the terminal 2 of the required number initial value whose response is the first arrival, and the rest A notification is sent to the terminal 2 via the Internet 1 that the participation in the current game is not reached because the number of participation has not been reached (to encourage participation in the next game). Of course, when the number of responses is more than twice the initial value of the required number, the processing from S406 onward is executed in parallel for each group of the terminals 2 of the required initial value in the order of response arrival.

Next, the HTTP server 11 transmits a request for game input information used for determining the winning / losing of the battle game to the terminal 2 included in the battle combination determined by the data control unit 22 via the Internet 1. (S407). Further, the game input information is received from the terminal 2 until a predetermined time elapses from the request (S408, S409). Here, the process of S407-S409 is an example of the process of the said game input information acquisition means.
On the other hand, the terminal 2 (user terminal) receives a request for the game input information from the server X (game providing device) via the Internet 1 (S407t), and from the operation display unit 21 according to the request. After performing the input processing of the game input information used for determining the winning or losing of the competitive game (S407t, an example of processing of the game input information input means), the communication control unit 24 transmits the game input information via the Internet 1 It transmits to the server X (S408t). Here, the processing of S407t and S408t is an example of the processing of the game input information transmitting means.
For example, when “Janken game” is selected as the battle game in S302t (FIG. 3), the HTTP server 11 requests “game”, “goo”, “ The game input selection page Pg4 for selecting either “Choki” or “Par” is transmitted to the terminal 2, and the terminal 2 that has received the page Pg4 displays the selection page Pg4 on the operation display unit 21; As the game input information, a process of inputting an operation of selecting “hand” information of any one of “goo”, “choki”, and “par” is performed.
In addition, when “quiz game” is selected as the battle game in S302t (FIG. 3), the HTTP server 11 displays a quiz question as a request for the game input information, and the answer options An answer selection page for selecting an answer is transmitted to the terminal 2, and the terminal 2 that has received the answer inputs an answer selection number or symbol selection operation as the game input information on the answer selection page. (Example of processing of the game input information input means).

Next, for each of the terminals 2 included in the battle combination determined in S406, the HTTP server 11 receives the game received within a predetermined time by the processing of S407 to S409 (processing of the game input information acquisition means). Based on the input information, the data control unit 22 is caused to execute a process for determining the win / loss of the battle game (for example, Janken) (S410, an example of the process of the win / loss determination means).
Here, although not shown, when the determination result of S410 (win / loss determination process) is a draw, the process of S407 to S410 (game input) until only the terminal 2 (user terminal) is determined to win or lose. The result of the win / loss determination after repeating each process of information acquisition and win / loss determination is defined as the final win / loss determination result.
Here, if the draw is accidentally repeated many times, or an illegal user intentionally repeats the game input that is a draw by operating multiple user terminals in parallel for the purpose of delaying the game progress. If you do, the game progress will be significantly delayed.
Therefore, even if the HTTP server 11 repeats the processing of S407 to S410 (game input information acquisition and win / loss determination processing) up to a predetermined upper limit number (for example, about 5 times), the HTTP server 11 wins or loses by S410 (win / loss determination means). If the game is not decided, in the process of S407 to S409 (the process of the game input information acquisition means), the request (S407) and reception of game input information used for the winning / losing determination of the battle game for final winning / losing determination that does not cause a draw (S407) S408) is performed via the Internet 1. Thereby, since the draw more than the said upper limit number is not repeated, the delay of game progress can be prevented.
As the battle game for determining the final victory or defeat, for example, one of the two terminals 2 that were drawn is randomly assigned as the predictor side and the other as the predictor side, and the option (2 Option) and the option selected by the predictor side are the winners of the predictor side (losers of the predictor side), and if they do not match, the winners side wins (predictor side) A defeat game is considered.
In such a game, a screen for selecting a desired option (game input) from two options (for example, “white dog” or “black dog”) is transmitted to the terminal 2 on the expected person side. At the same time, for the terminal 2 on the predictor side, the prediction result indicating which option the opponent has selected from the two options (“white dog” / “black dog”) is selected ( This can be realized by transmitting a screen for game input (S407), receiving a selection result transmitted from the terminal 2 (S408), and determining a win / loss (S410).

Further, in the win / loss determination of S410, for the terminal 2 (user terminal, hereinafter referred to as a non-response terminal) for which the game input information has not been received within a predetermined time by the processing of S408 and S409 (game input information acquisition). , One of the following two types of processing is executed.
One of them is processing for determining the unanswered terminal as unbeaten, and determining the opponent as unbeaten.
The other is that for the unanswered terminal, substitute information generated in place of the game input information from the terminal 2 (in the case of “Janken”, randomly generated “goo”, “choki” , “Par”) is regarded as the received game input information, and winning / losing is determined.
In this server X, for the game where the winning / losing is influenced by the intelligent judgment result such as “quiz game”, the former (no win / no-win loss) is executed and the selected battle game is like “Janken game” For games where winning or losing depends only on luck, the latter (based on alternative information) is executed.

Further, the HTTP server 11 performs score calculation (calculation of the number of points to be added / subtracted) for each of the terminals 2 participating in the battle game based on the result of determination of winning / losing in S410 (processing of the winning / losing determining means). A process of performing the update registration by storing the calculation result in association with the user ID d20 (user information) and the points (scores) registered (stored) in the data storage unit 16 (stored in the storage unit) Is executed by the data control unit 22 (S411; an example of processing of the score calculation / recording means). At this time, the type information of the participating game and the winning / losing determination result in S410 are also stored in the data storage unit 16 in association with the user ID d20 (S411; an example of processing of the battle record recording means).
Although not shown, the HTTP server 11 receives a predetermined performance provision request from the terminal 2 via the Internet 1 and performs user authentication processing in the same manner as in S201 (FIG. 3). Information on the number of points corresponding to the authenticated user (user ID d20) (an example of the score information), the types of battle games that have participated in the past, and the battle results (win / loss results determined in S410) via the Internet 1 It has a function of transmitting (providing) to the terminal 2 (an example of processing of the result providing means).
In addition, the registered points can be used in exchange for products according to the height of the score at a separately provided online shop. This is preferable because it increases the user's willingness to participate.

Next, the HTTP server 11 sends the determination result of the battle game in S410 (if a draw occurs, the final win / loss determination result of repeating the battle until winning or losing is determined) via the Internet 12 The terminal 2 (user terminal) participating in the battle game (that is, the transmission source of the game input information) is notified by e-mail via the mail transmitting / receiving unit 12 (S412, the winning / losing notification means) Example of processing).
On the other hand, in the terminal 2, the communication control unit 24 receives a notification of the determination result of the battle game from the server X (game providing device) as an electronic mail via the Internet 1 (S412t; An example of processing of the winning / losing notice receiving means). The received win / loss determination result is displayed on the operation display unit 21 of the terminal 2 and confirmed by the user.

Next, the HTTP server 11 deletes the identification information of the terminal 2 that has become the loser from the list of identification information of the terminal 2 (such as the list of the user ID d20) used for determining the battle combination (S413). , And the data control unit 22 determines whether or not the match condition of the battle game is satisfied (S414).
Then, after setting the required number to “2” which is the minimum number necessary for the battle (S415), it is determined as “win” in S410 (processing of the win / loss determination notifying means) until the end condition is satisfied. For the terminal 2 (user terminal) that has been made (based on the list of identification information of the terminal 2), the processing of S402 to S413 described above, that is, the processing of participation confirmation (S402 to S404, processing of participation confirmation means) ), Battle combination determination processing (S406, processing of battle combination determination means), acquisition processing of the game input information (S407 to S409; processing of game input information acquisition means), win / loss determination processing and notification processing thereof (S410, Control is performed so that the processing including each process of S412; winning / losing determination notifying means) is repeatedly executed in sequence (S414; an example of the processing of the tournament controlling means).
As a result, a battle game in a tournament format is realized in which only the winner remains and the next round (the second round is followed by the first round, the next round is the third round, etc.) is played.
The termination condition is usually the case where only one winner remains. For example, the number of winners is less than a predetermined number (the number of prizes prepared, etc.), or the original number of participants. It is also conceivable that the termination condition is that the number of winners is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio with respect to (the number of terminals 2).
As described above, since the terminal 2 that responds slowly or does not respond to the notification of participation confirmation (S402) is excluded from the battle combination determined in S406, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of unmatched winners as much as possible. Can be ensured. Further, the game is played between the terminals 2 within a predetermined time (for example, several seconds to several tens of seconds, etc.) (S403t, S408t). Can be secured.

In FIG. 2, the game providing device X (server X) shows a configuration in which an HTTP server, a data control unit, and the like are integrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, for one data control unit 15 A configuration in which a plurality of HTTP servers 11 are connected in a distributed manner via the Internet 1 or other networks is also conceivable. In this case, for example, the data control unit 15 changes the battle game holding process shown in FIG. 4 to one having a small load from among the plurality of HTTP servers 11 or predetermined for each game type. It is possible to allocate.
On the contrary, a configuration in which a plurality of data control units 15 are connected to one HTTP server 1 via the Internet 1 or other networks in a distributed manner is also conceivable. In this case, it is conceivable that the HTTP server 11 assigns various data processing to a light load among the plurality of data control units 15 or a predetermined one for each game type.
Of course, the data storage unit 16 may be separated as a database device and connected to the data control unit 15 via a network.

  The present invention can be used for a game providing apparatus that provides a battle game to a plurality of user terminals via a network.

The schematic block diagram of the network competitive game system A which has the game provision apparatus X which concerns on embodiment of this invention as a component. The block diagram showing the schematic structure of each of the game provision apparatus X and a terminal. The flowchart showing process procedures, such as a participation request reception process which the game provision apparatus X performs. The flowchart showing the process sequence of the battle game holding process which the game provision apparatus X performs. The figure showing the example of a screen of the basic page transmitted to the terminal from game providing device X. The figure showing the example of a screen of the user information input page transmitted to the terminal from the game provision apparatus X. The figure showing the example of a screen of the page of the battle | competition game selection transmitted to the terminal from the game provision apparatus X. FIG. The figure showing the example of a screen of the pop-up display which prompts execution of the response to the game participation confirmation notice displayed on a terminal. The figure showing the example of a screen of the page of the game input selection transmitted from the game provision apparatus X to a terminal.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Internet (network)
2 ... Terminal (user terminal)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... HTTP server 12 ... Mail transmission / reception part 13 ... Server side communication control part 14 ... Server side operation display part 15 ... Server side data control part 16 ... Server side data storage part 21 ... Terminal side operation display part 22 ... data control section 23 on the terminal side ... data storage section 24 on the terminal side ... communication control sections S101, S102, ... on the terminal side ... processing procedure (step)
A ... Network battle game system X ... Server (game providing device)
Pg ... Screen (page) example Pb ... Operation buttons

Claims (13)

In a game providing device for providing a battle game between a plurality of user terminals to a plurality of user terminals via a network,
Game participation request receiving means for receiving a game participation request from the user terminal via the network;
When the number of received game participation requests reaches a predetermined number, notification of participation confirmation in the competitive game and reception of the response to the user terminal that has transmitted the game participation request are performed via the network. Participation confirmation means,
A battle combination determining means for determining a battle combination between a plurality of sets of the user terminals from among the user terminals whose response to the notification of participation confirmation was within a predetermined time;
Game input information acquisition means for requesting and receiving game input information used for determining the winning or losing of the battle game with the user terminal included in the determined battle combination via the network;
Winning / losing determining means for determining the winning / losing of the competitive game based on the battle combination and the game input information received within a predetermined time by the game input information acquiring means;
Winning / losing notifying means for notifying the determination result of the winning / losing determining means to the user terminal that is the transmission source of the game input information via the network;
A game providing apparatus comprising:   For the user terminal for which the determination result of the winning / losing determining means is a tie, the determination result of the winning / losing determining means after repeating each process by the game input information acquiring means and the winning / losing determining means until winning / losing is determined. The game providing apparatus according to claim 1, which is notified by the winning / losing notifying means. When winning / losing is not determined by the winning / losing determining means even if each process by the game input information acquiring means and the winning / losing determining means is repeated up to a predetermined upper limit number of times,
3. The game providing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the game input information acquisition unit requests and receives game input information used for determining the winning / losing of a battle game for final winning / losing determination that does not cause a draw through the network. .   The game according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the winning / losing determining means determines that the user terminal for which the game input information has not been received within a predetermined time by the game input information acquiring means is not defeated. Providing device.   The winning / losing determining means determines whether or not the user terminal for which the game input information has not been received within a predetermined time by the game input information acquiring means is based on substitute information generated instead of the game input information. The game providing device according to claim 1, wherein the game providing device is determined.   The game providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the battle game is a Janken game, and the game input information is information related to any of goo, choki, and par.   A tournament for repeatedly executing each process by the participation confirmation means, the battle combination determination means, the game input information acquisition means, and the win / loss determination notification means for the user terminal determined to have won by the win / loss determination notification means. The game providing device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit.   The score calculation / recording means according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising score calculation / recording means for calculating score information for each user terminal based on the determination result of the win / loss determination means and storing the score information in a storage means. Game providing device.   The game providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a competition record recording unit that stores a determination result of the win / loss determination unit in a storage unit.   Claims comprising means for providing the score information and / or the determination result of the winning / losing determining means with the user terminal and receiving the requested information via the network. The game provision apparatus in any one of 1-9. In a game providing program for causing a computer to execute a game providing process of providing a battle game between a plurality of user terminals to a plurality of user terminals via a network,
A game participation request receiving step for receiving a game participation request from the user terminal via the network;
When the number of received game participation requests reaches a predetermined number, notification of participation confirmation in the competitive game and reception of the response to the user terminal that has transmitted the game participation request are performed via the network. Participation confirmation process,
A battle combination determination step of determining a battle combination between a plurality of sets of the user terminals from among the user terminals whose response to the notification of participation confirmation was within a predetermined time;
A game input information acquisition step for requesting and receiving game input information used for determining the winning or losing of the battle game with the user terminal included in the determined battle combination via the network;
A win / loss determination step of determining win / loss of the battle game based on the match combination and the game input information received within a predetermined time by the game input information acquisition step;
A winning / losing notifying step of notifying the determination result of the winning / losing determining step to the user terminal that is the transmission source of the game input information via the network;
A game providing program for causing a computer to execute. In a game terminal for participating in a competitive game provided from a game providing device via a network,
Game participation request transmitting means for transmitting a game participation request to the game providing device via the network;
Participation confirmation response means for receiving notification of participation confirmation in the competitive game from the game providing device and transmitting the response via the network;
Game input information input means for inputting game input information used for determining the winning or losing of the battle game;
Game input information transmitting means for receiving a request for the game input information with the game providing device and transmitting the game input information in response to the request via the network;
Winning / losing notification receiving means for receiving notification of the result of determination of the winning / losing of the competitive game from the game providing device via the network;
A game terminal comprising: In a game participation program for causing a computer to execute a process for participating in a competitive game provided from a game providing device via a network,
A game participation request transmitting step of transmitting a game participation request to the game providing device via the network;
A participation confirmation response step of receiving a notification of confirmation of participation in the competitive game with the game providing device and transmitting a response thereof via the network;
A game input information input step for inputting game input information used for determining the winning or losing of the battle game;
A game input information transmitting step for receiving a request for the game input information with the game providing device and transmitting the game input information according to the request via the network;
A win / loss notification receiving step of receiving a notification of a determination result of the win / loss of the competitive game from the game providing device via the network;
The game participation program characterized by comprising.

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