JP2009000163A - Game system, game server, portable terminal, game management method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively utilize a shared display as a game area and to eliminate the limit of the number of people participating in a game in a display shared type game system. <P>SOLUTION: The game server 10 provides the game in which status information is imparted to respective characters operated by players and the plurality of players can simultaneously participate, inputs a control instruction to the character to operate the character, and outputs the game area where the character appears and the status information. On the shared display 20, the game area is inputted and displayed. The portable terminals 40A, 40B and 40C are connected with the game server 10 through a radio communication network 30, output the control instruction according to the input of the player, input the status information and display it at display parts provided on themselves. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a game system, and more particularly to a display sharing game system.

  Game systems continue to advance year by year, and game systems of various genres and play styles are provided.

  Among these game systems, there is a participation type game in which not only one player but also many players participate at the same time.

  Among such participation type games, there is also a display sharing type game that is performed by sharing one display among players.

  The display-sharing game system is an extension of the conventional battle-type two-player game, and a large number of shared displays installed at game centers and exhibition halls allow many players to participate simultaneously. There is a feature in that it can.

  FIG. 8 shows a screen configuration of a shared display of a conventional display sharing game system.

  With reference to FIG. 8, the screen configuration of the shared display has, as an example, both end portions as status areas (status areas) 21 and the central portion as game areas (game areas) 22.

  The status area 21 is an area for displaying status information of the character operated by the player.

  The game area 22 is an area where a character operated by the player appears.

  When the status information for his / her character is included in the status area 21 at the left end of the screen in the shared display, the player can easily check the status information by standing (or sitting) on the left side of the shared display. it can.

  In the display sharing game system, the number of players that can participate is often limited. Furthermore, even when there is no player and the status area 21 is empty, the area of the status area 21 is often secured.

  Referring to FIG. 8, the status areas 21 provided at both ends are further divided into status blocks A1 to A56, and the status of the character can be displayed in each status block. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the status information of up to 28 persons can be displayed in each of the left and right status blocks.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for equally dividing an image by a designated number of divisions and transmitting the images to a plurality of portable information terminals in order to enlarge and display an image on a display unit.

  Patent Documents 2 and 3 disclose a configuration having a screen on the controller side of the game device. In particular, Patent Document 2 discloses personal confidential information such as a hand held bag or a score with Mahjong. A game device configured to display on a controller is disclosed.

  Furthermore, in Patent Document 4, in a communication network type RPG (Role Playing Game), there is a method for allowing individual players to operate various characters through their own terminals and to refer to personal information related to those characters. It is disclosed.

JP 2000-287071 A JP 2000-157719 A JP 2001-096064 A JP 2002-253865 A

  The following analysis was made by the present inventors.

  Generally, in a game system, when a character operated by a player has status information, it is necessary for the player to check the status information.

  In the case of a game for one person, when referring to the status information, the game can be temporarily interrupted and switched to a screen showing the status information. However, in a display-sharing game, every time a specific player confirms status information, the game cannot be interrupted and another player cannot wait.

  Therefore, in the conventional display sharing game, as shown in FIG. 8, a method of dividing and displaying one screen of the shared display into a game area and a status area is used.

  However, with the conventional display sharing game, referring to FIG. 8, there is a problem that as the number of participants increases, the status area widens and the game area narrows.

  In addition, since the display sharing game is performed in a wide place where many players can participate, a remote controller (wireless) controller is generally used. Therefore, there is a problem that the provider of the display sharing game has to provide a remote controller according to the number of players, which is troublesome.

  Note that the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 simply solves the above-described problems because the image is simply divided and sent evenly.

  In addition, although the inventions disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 are configured to have a screen on the controller side, these are not images that should be displayed on the shared display, but display information that should not be displayed on the shared display on the controller. Therefore, none of the above problems can be solved.

  Therefore, in a display-sharing game system, it becomes an issue to make it possible to effectively use the shared display as a game area and to eliminate the restriction on the number of participants in the game.

  A game system according to a first aspect of the present invention provides a game in which status information is given to each character operated by a player and a plurality of players can participate at the same time, and a control command for the character is input. A game server configured to operate the character and output the game area in which the character appears and the status information, and a shared display configured to input and display the game area And a mobile phone connected to the game server via a wireless communication network and configured to output the control command in response to an input from the player and to input the status information and display it on a display unit provided to the mobile phone. And a terminal.

  The game server according to the second aspect of the present invention provides a game in which status information is given to each character operated by the player and a plurality of players can participate at the same time, and a control command for the character is input. The character is operated, and the game area in which the character appears and the status information are output.

  The portable terminal according to the third aspect of the present invention provides a game in which status information is given to each character operated by the player and a plurality of players can participate at the same time, and a control command for the character is input. And a game server configured to operate the character and output the game area in which the character appears and the status information are connected via a wireless communication network, and the control is performed in accordance with a player's input. It is configured to output a command and to input the status information and display it on a display unit provided in itself.

  A game management method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a game management method in which status information is given to each character operated by a player and a plurality of players can participate at the same time. Operating the character based on a control command, displaying a game area in which the character appears on a shared display, and displaying the status information on the portable terminal of the player, To do.

  The management program according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is a management program for causing a computer to manage a game in which status information is given to each character operated by the player and a plurality of players can participate simultaneously. The computer is caused to execute a process of inputting a control command for the character and operating the character, and a process of outputting a game area in which the character appears and the status information.

  Since the game system according to the present invention does not need to secure an area for displaying the status information of the characters operated by each player on the shared display, the entire screen can be used as a game area.

  In addition, since it is not necessary to secure a status area in the shared display, there is no restriction on the number of participants in the game.

  In addition, the provider of the shared display game need not provide the player with a remote controller.

  A game system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the game system according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a game server 10, a shared display 20, a wireless communication network 30, and mobile terminals 40A, 40B, and 40C.

  The game server 10 has a general game machine function and a short-range wireless communication function.

  The shared display 20 is connected to the game server 10 and displays video data output from the game server 10.

  The wireless communication network 30 may be Bluetooth, UWB (Ultra Wide Band) or ZigBee in an area of several tens of meters, or a wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) or WiMAX in an area of several hundred meters.

  The mobile terminals 40A, 40B, and 40C have a short-range wireless communication function in addition to a communication function using a public network of a telephone company.

  The game server 10 and the mobile terminals 40A, 40B, and 40C perform data transmission / reception via the wireless communication network 30.

  In this embodiment, the function of the controller used in the participation game is mounted on the mobile terminals 40A, 40B, and 40C.

  As the means, for example, a Bluetooth HID (Human Interface Devices) profile can be used.

  The game server 10 side also corresponds to the HID profile.

  The portable terminals 40A, 40B, and 40C make a connection request to the game server 10 using the HID profile so as to operate as a controller before participating in the game.

  Next, an outline of the configuration of the game server 10 will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the game server 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The game machine unit 11 is a game machine main body part.

  The detailed configuration of the game machine unit 11 is not directly related to the present invention, and is therefore omitted.

  The wireless unit 12 is equipped with a wireless LAN or Bluetooth chip, and realizes a short-range wireless communication function via the antenna 13.

  The status information DB 14 stores status information of characters operated by the player. The status information DB 14 may be included in the game machine unit 11.

  Next, an outline of the configuration of the mobile terminal 40 will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the mobile terminal 40 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The portable terminal 40 includes an antenna 41A, a radio unit 42A, a RAM 43, a ROM 44, a control unit 45, a display unit 46, a key input unit 47, a speaker 48, and a microphone 49.

  The radio unit 42A transmits and receives radio signals via the antenna 41A.

  The RAM 43 holds temporary data, and the ROM 44 stores various setting information of the mobile terminal and software of the mobile terminal.

  The display unit 46 displays a telephone number and each setting information, and may be an LCD as an example.

  The key input unit 47 accepts key input.

  The speaker 48 outputs sound, and the microphone 49 inputs sound.

  A control unit (CPU) 45 incorporates a microcomputer and controls these units.

  The above configuration is a general configuration of a conventional portable terminal.

  The mobile terminal 40 according to the present embodiment further includes an antenna 41B and a radio unit 42B.

  The antenna 41B is an antenna for near field communication.

  The wireless unit 42B is equipped with a wireless LAN or Bluetooth chip, and transmits and receives wireless signals via the antenna 41B.

  The portable terminal 40 has an application for a game controller function, functions as a remote controller, communicates with the game server 10 based on the short-range wireless communication function, and displays character status information on the display unit 46.

  FIG. 4 is a screen configuration of the shared display 20 in the game system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The status area 21 (see FIG. 8) displayed in the conventional game system is not displayed on the screen of the shared display 20, and the entire screen is used as the game area 22.

  The status information of the character operated by each player, which is displayed in the status area 21 (see FIG. 8) of the conventional game system, is displayed on the display unit (for example, LCD) 46 of the portable terminal 40 used as a remote control by each player. To do.

  In the conventional game system, the status area 21 (see FIG. 8) that is divided into left and right and displayed on the shared display 20 can be unified into a single status area 21 as shown in FIG. Since this unified status area 21 is used only for confirmation on the game system provider side, it is not displayed on the shared display 20.

  The character status information included in the status area 21 is transmitted to the portable terminals 40A, 40B, and 40C of the respective players via the wireless communication network 30 by short-range wireless communication.

  Therefore, the shared display 20 does not need to display the status area 21 as in the conventional example, and the entire screen can be used as the game area 22 as shown in FIG.

  In addition, although the case where Bluetooth HID was used as a communication method between the mobile terminals 40A, 40B, 40C and the game server 10 was described, other than this, key status information is transmitted using AT commands using UWB or WiFi. By this method, the game system according to the embodiment of the present invention can be realized.

  Next, operations of the game server 10 and the portable terminal 40 will be described in detail based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 7.

  In the following, when a participatory game has already started, that is, when some of the players have already played the game, a person who newly holds the application of the participatory game on the mobile terminal 40 However, the situation which participates in a game is explained.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the operation of the game server in the game system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The game server 10 monitors a connection request for the player to participate in the game (step S11).

  If a connection request is received, connection processing is performed (step S12), and a participation permission notification is transmitted to the portable terminal 40.

  Next, it waits for an entry request from the applicant who wishes to participate in the game (step S13).

  When an entry request is received, entry acceptance processing is performed so that the user can participate in a game that is currently in progress (step S14).

  Next, a game participation process is performed (step S15), and user data for the player is created.

  When the preparation is completed, a character indicating the player is displayed on the shared display 20 (step S16).

  Thereafter, the status information of the character is transmitted to the portable terminal 40 by short-range wireless communication (step S17).

  Next, the operation of the mobile terminal 40 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the operation of the mobile terminal in the game system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  A player who wishes to participate activates a game application installed in the portable terminal 40 in order to participate in the game (step S21).

  After start-up is completed, a connection request is transmitted using the Bluetooth HID profile (step S22). Connection is permitted in the game server 10, and the portable terminal 40 receives a message indicating that.

  Next, in order to participate in the game, a game start request is transmitted to the game server 10 (step S23).

  After receiving the status information of the character operated by the player from the game server 10, the status information is displayed on the LCD of the display unit 46 (step S24).

  As a result, the portable terminal 40 can be used as a remote controller and can operate the character displayed on the shared display 20.

  After a new player participates in the game, it is preferable that update data is transmitted from the game server 10 to the mobile terminal 40 each time the status information of the character operated by the player changes.

  This is because the screen of the display unit 46 of the portable terminal 40 is updated at any time, and the player can confirm it.

  The display sharing game system according to the present invention can use the entire screen of the shared display 20 as the game area 22 by displaying the character status information on the display unit 46 of the portable terminal 40 used as a remote controller.

  Furthermore, the following forms are also conceivable as other embodiments.

  While the player is participating in the game, the status information of the character operated by the player is displayed on the display unit 46 of the portable terminal 40.

  However, it is not always necessary to display the status information. For example, it is not necessary to display the status information at the timing between games or after the game ends.

  If it is not necessary to display the status information, an advertisement of a sponsor company of the game system provider may be displayed on the display unit 46 of the mobile terminal 40.

  The sponsoring company delivers the advertisement to be displayed in advance to the game system provider as data.

  The game system provider stores the advertisement data in the game server 10 and transmits the advertisement data to the portable terminal 40 at a timing when the status information does not need to be displayed. An advertisement can be displayed on the part 46.

It is a lineblock diagram of a game system concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of the game server in the game system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the portable terminal in the game system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a screen structure of the shared display in the game system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a screen of the status area | region in the game system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of operation | movement of the game server in the game system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of operation | movement of the portable terminal in the game system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the screen structure of the shared display in the conventional game system.

Explanation of symbols

10 game server 11 game machine unit 12, 42A, 42B radio unit 13, 41A, 41B antenna 14 status information DB
20 Shared display 21 Status area 22 Game area 30 Wireless communication network 40, 40A, 40B, 40C Mobile terminal 43 RAM
44 ROM
45 Control unit 46 Display unit 47 Key input unit 48 Speaker 49 Microphones A1,..., A56 Status block

Claims (5)

Provided is a game in which status information is given to each of the characters operated by the player and a plurality of players can participate at the same time, a control command for the character is input to operate the character, and the character A game server configured to output the appearing game area and the status information;
A shared display configured to enter and display the game area;
A portable terminal connected to the game server via a wireless communication network, configured to output the control command in response to a player's input, and to input the status information and display it on a display unit included in the mobile terminal; A game system comprising:   Provided is a game in which status information is given to each of the characters operated by the player and a plurality of players can participate at the same time, a control command for the character is input to operate the character, and the character A game server configured to output an appearing game area and the status information.   Provided is a game in which status information is given to each of the characters operated by the player and a plurality of players can participate at the same time, a control command for the character is input to operate the character, and the character Connected via a wireless communication network to a game server configured to output the game area that appears and the status information, and outputs the control command in response to a player's input and inputs the status information A portable terminal configured to display on a display unit provided in the device. A game management method in which status information is given to each character operated by a player and a plurality of players can participate simultaneously,
Manipulating the character based on a control command for the character;
Displaying a game area in which the character appears on a shared display;
Displaying the status information on a portable terminal of the player. A game management method comprising: A management program for causing a computer to manage a game in which status information is given to each character operated by a player and a plurality of players can participate simultaneously,
A process of operating the character by inputting a control command for the character;
A game management program that causes a computer to execute a process of outputting a game area in which the character appears and the status information.

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