JP2009153724A - Network game system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a network game system capable of performing whole communication between a server and clients through an HTTP server, and identifying the plurality of clients performing login. <P>SOLUTION: The network game system includes: the HTTP server part 121; and a game server control part 123 to be operated by the HTTP server part 121 through a CGI. When tokens to identify the clients are managed by a character management part 124, the plurality of clients during login are identified without performing communication which does not go through the HTTP server in the network game system. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a network game system having server devices connected simultaneously from a plurality of client devices. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for efficiently performing communication between a client device and a server device.

In recent years, with the spread of the Internet, the popularity of network games in which a large number of players can participate simultaneously has increased. In such a network game system, a game service provider generally installs a dedicated server device and connects many client devices to the server.

A configuration example of a conventional network game system 201 is shown in FIG. The server 210 manages the state of characters that are one-to-one associated with a plurality of connected clients. A player in the same place as a client can operate a character associated with the client. In addition to the server 210, a plurality of clients including a game client 212 a are connected to the Internet 111. Each game client 212 can communicate with the server 210 via the Internet 111.

The configuration of the server 210 is shown in FIG. The server communication unit 221 is a part that communicates with the game client 212 using a protocol other than HTTP. The game server control unit 222 controls the function of the game server 210. The character management unit 223 manages character profile information transmitted from each client and received by the server. The profile information is information that does not change while the client is connected to the server, such as a display name of a character. The character status storage unit 125 stores the character status periodically transmitted from each client and received by the server. The character status is information that can change even while the client and the server are connected, such as a coordinate value indicating the position of the character in the game screen.

The configuration of the game client 212 is shown in FIG. The client communication unit 231 is a part that communicates with the server 210 using a protocol other than HTTP. The game client control unit 232 controls the function of the game client 212. The display screen 134 displays the contents of the game. The operation reception unit 135 is a keyboard, for example, and can input characters and the like.

The client transmits information to the server periodically or whenever the value changes, and stores the latest information about each character in the character status storage unit 125. On the other hand, information about all characters is transmitted from the server to each game client 212 periodically or when an information acquisition request is made from the client. Thus, each client can obtain information on characters associated with clients connected to the server at the same time, and can display all characters on the display screen 134. Furthermore, the player can perform a conversation with each other by performing an operation via the operation reception unit 135, for example.

On the other hand, an HTTP server space lending service that allows a plurality of content providers to use a single server device at low cost so that a content provider who does not own a dedicated server device can place the content on the server is generally used. The content user can acquire the content by using an HTTP client device. For example, lending service providers collectively manage HTTP servers, such as preventing unauthorized access from the network, so that individual content managers do not need to install server devices or manage HTTP servers individually. .

HTTP is a kind of communication protocol for data transfer used in the Internet and the like, and is composed of an HTTP request transmitted from the client to the server and an HTTP response transmitted from the server to the client accordingly. (Refer nonpatent literature 1).
The CGI is an interface widely used in the HTTP server, and the HTTP server can execute software in response to a request from the HTTP client by using the CGI (see Non-Patent Document 2).
RFC 2616 Hypertext Transfer Protocol-HTTP / 1.1 (http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2616.txt) RFC 3875 The Common Gateway Interface (CGI) Version 1.1 (http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3875.txt)

However, when a game service provider installs a dedicated server device for providing a small-scale game service, the server installation and the prevention of unauthorized access from the network, etc. of the entire work for providing the service, etc. There was a problem that the ratio of labor for server management was particularly large. For this reason, even if the purpose is to provide a small service, the burden of server management is heavy and it is difficult to provide the service.
An object of the present invention is to provide a network game system that can be easily constructed by arranging content of game services in an HTTP server space.

In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the network game system of the present invention includes a game server control unit that operates on an HTTP server and two or more client devices. The game server control unit controls the token management unit and the character status storage unit. In addition, the game server control unit issues a new identification token in response to a new connection request from the client device and transmits it to the requesting client device, and in response to a character status update request from the client device, It has a function of updating the character status of the character status storage unit and transmitting character status information including information of other player characters to the requesting client device.

With this configuration, the function of the game server can be operated by the HTTP server, and character information between clients can be transmitted to another client.

According to the network game system of the present invention, all the components necessary for a game server such as a game server control unit can be arranged in an HTTP server space that can be used at low cost, and a network game system can be constructed at low cost. . Further, in response to the character status update request of the client device, the character status in the server is updated, and communication when transmitting the character status information including the information of other player characters to the requesting client device is performed with the client device. It can be performed by one round-trip communication between servers, it is possible to reduce the frequency of communication required during the operation of the network game, and the communication load can be reduced, so it can be used even through an HTTP server. Speed operation is possible.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a network system 101 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the same components as those in FIG.

The server 110 is a game server having an HTTP server function, and is connected to the Internet 111. A plurality of clients including the game client 112a are connected to the Internet 111. Each game client 112 can communicate with the server 110 via the Internet 111.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the server 110. The same components as those in FIG. 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. The HTTP server unit 121 is a part that communicates with the game client 112 and an HTTP client such as an HTTP browser (not shown) using the HTTP protocol. When an HTTP request is received, the received request is passed to the public data management unit 122 or the game server control unit 123 according to a requested URL (Uniform Resource Locator). Here, the operation of the game server control unit 123 is performed by using the CGI function of the HTTP server unit 121. When data is passed to the public data management unit 122, the file information managed by the public data management unit 122 is transmitted to the client as an HTTP response. On the other hand, when a request is passed to the game server control unit 123, the processing result of the game server is transmitted to the client as an HTTP response. The public data management unit 122 manages data published via the HTTP server unit 121, and a content provider registers public data here, so that a Web site can be constructed. The game server control unit 123 controls the function of the server 110. The HTTP server unit 121 accepts two types of requests, a new connection request and a character status update request. The character management unit 124 manages an identification token and a character ID for identifying a client, and manages character profile information transmitted from each client and received by the server.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the game client 112. The same components as those in FIG. 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. The HTTP client unit 131 is a part that communicates with the server 110 using the HTTP protocol. The game client control unit 132 controls the function of the game client 112. The identification token holding unit 133 holds an identification token transmitted from the server when connected to the server, and adds the identification token in subsequent communication, so that the server 110 and other game clients 112 Identify. The identification token is a token having a sufficient size such as 16 bytes or more, and prevents a client other than the issued client from easily knowing and impersonating.

FIGS. 4 to 6 are communication sequence diagrams in the present system, and the server returns a notification in response to a request transmitted from the client. FIG. 7 shows a data structure of communication. A new connection sequence will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 7. An actual communication sequence is a sequence between the game client control unit 132 and the game server control unit 123 via the HTTP client unit 131, the Internet 111, and the HTTP server unit 121, but the intermediate route is omitted. First, in sequence S141, a new connection request is transmitted from the client to the server. This request is a request shown in the new connection request 501 in FIG. 7, and includes information on the request type and the own character profile. Correspondingly, in sequence S142, the identification token notification 502 is transmitted from the game server control unit. This data includes an identification token and a character ID, both of which are assigned by the character management unit 124 to the client that has made a connection request. The character ID is used to identify each character on the client, and is assigned so as not to overlap with other clients while a specific client is connected to the server, like a token. The character ID has a size of about 4 bytes, for example, so that the same ID is not reassigned in a short time. The identification token is used for communication only between the target client and the server, but the character ID is different in that it is shared by the server and all connected clients. The identification token is intended for authentication at the game server to prevent impersonation, and the character ID is intended for identification of other clients on each client, so both of them are necessary.

The character status update sequence will be described with reference to FIGS. In sequence S143, the client transmits a character status update request. The data structure is a request shown in the character status update request 503 in FIG. 7 and includes an identification token and information on the own character status in addition to the character status update request. In response to this, in sequence S144, the game server control unit transmits an all character status information notification 504. This notification includes all character IDs and statuses currently connected to the server. For this reason, for example, if a character ID that did not exist in the previous notification is included in the current notification, it is understood that the character ID is a character newly associated with the client connected to the server. Since all characters communicate regularly, it is preferable that the character status has a small amount of information in order to save time required for communication.

The character profile acquisition sequence will be described with reference to FIGS. In sequence S145, the client transmits a character profile acquisition request. This request is a request shown in the character profile acquisition request 505 in FIG. 7, and includes a plurality of character IDs to be acquired. This ID does not have to be all IDs being connected, but only the character ID of the character that the client wants to acquire. Correspondingly, in sequence S146, a character profile information notification 506 is transmitted from the game server control unit. Since the character profile is information that does not change during connection with the server, if the character profile is acquired only once, it is not necessary to acquire the character profile thereafter. For this reason, unlike character status, relatively large information can be included.

FIG. 8 is an operation flowchart of the game server control unit 123. First, when the HTTP server unit 121 passes a request to the game server control unit, this flowchart starts the operation. First, in S151, it is determined whether the request type is a new connection request. If it is a new connection request, the process proceeds to S152; otherwise, the process proceeds to S154. In S152, an identification token issuance process is performed. This is because an identification token different from the token associated with the character already managed by the character management unit 124 is issued and distinguished from other characters in subsequent communications. A new token is issued and the character management unit 124 stores the self-character profile included in the request transmitted from the client in association with it. Subsequently, in S153, the identification token issued in S152 is transferred to the HTTP server unit 121. Thereby, the identification token is transmitted to the client (sequence S142). The process ends as described above.

The character status update process will be described. If it is determined in S151 that the request is not a new connection request, the process proceeds to S154. In S154, it is determined whether the request is a character status update. If it is a character status update request, the process proceeds to S155 to perform character identification processing. This is performed by comparing the token transmitted from the client accompanying the character status update request with the token issued by the character management unit 124 in the past. Proceeding to S <b> 156, the character status storage unit 125 stores the information of the own character status included in the character status update request for the identified character. Subsequently, in S157, character status information for all characters is acquired from the character status storage unit 125, and is transmitted to the HTTP server unit 121 to be transmitted to the client (sequence S144).

The character profile acquisition process will be described. If it is determined in S154 that the request is not a character status update request, the process proceeds to S158. In this case, the request from the client is a character profile acquisition request in sequence S145. The profile information of the character corresponding to the requested character ID is acquired from the character management unit 124 and transmitted to the client by passing it to the HTTP server unit 121 (sequence S146).

FIG. 9 is an operation flowchart of the game client control unit 132. In S161, a new connection process is performed. A new connection request in sequence S141 is transmitted. Since the character profile has been input to the client in advance, this character profile is transmitted. Correspondingly, since an identification token is sent from the server, the identification token and the own character ID are received and stored in the identification token holding unit 133 in S162. In S163, input / output processing is performed. An input from the user is accepted from the operation accepting unit 135, while a game screen generated from the own character information, other character information, and other information stored in the client is presented to the user on the display screen 134. By the input here, the status of the self character stored in the client changes in S164. In step S165, communication for updating the character status is performed. In sequence S143, the status of the player's own character stored in the client is transmitted, and in sequence S144, the status of another character currently connected is acquired. Proceeding to S166, the status of the acquired other character is overwritten with the status stored by the client and updated. In S167, it is determined whether the character IDs of other characters acquired in S165 are different from the character IDs acquired in the past. If there is a difference, it is determined that there is a new ID, and the process proceeds to S168. If not, the process returns to S163. In S168, profile acquisition processing is performed for the new ID. A profile acquisition request for the character with the new ID is made in sequence S145, and a profile can be obtained in sequence S146. Proceeding to S169, this profile is stored. The process returns to S163.

According to such a configuration, a network game system using only the HTTP protocol for communication can be configured. Since the HTTP server unit 121 and the public data management unit 122 of the game server are functions provided at a low cost by a general HTTP server space lending service provided by a server space management company, each content manager can individually It is possible to construct a network game system and provide a network game service to players without installing devices or managing an HTTP server.

The transmission of the character status from the server to the client is not performed for all the character statuses. For example, the character statuses of all the characters other than the character associated with the transmission destination client are transmitted, or the transmission destination The status of only the character associated with the client and the character whose current position coordinates in the game screen are within a certain distance may be transmitted.

In addition, the communication cycle is longer than the screen drawing cycle by allowing the client to draw smoothly by complementing the movement path from the coordinate obtained in the previous communication to the coordinate obtained in the current coordinate. Thus, the display position of the character may be greatly moved just after the communication and drawn, and the movement of the character may be skipped, so that it is possible to prevent the player from losing sight of characters other than himself.

The network game system according to the present invention can configure a network game system using only the HTTP protocol for communication by allowing all communication to pass through an HTTP server, and the HTTP server unit is generally used by a server space manager. This is a function that can be provided at a low cost by a secure HTTP server space lending service, so that individual content managers can provide network game services without having to install server devices or manage HTTP servers individually. Therefore, it is useful as a network game system.

Configuration diagram of network game system in the present invention Configuration diagram of game server in an embodiment of the present invention Configuration of game client in an embodiment of the present invention Sequence diagram of new connection in an embodiment of the present invention Sequence diagram of character status update in an embodiment of the present invention Sequence diagram of character profile acquisition in an embodiment of the present invention Configuration diagram of communication data Flowchart diagram of game server control unit 123 Flowchart diagram of game client control unit 132 Conventional network game system Configuration diagram of conventional game server Conventional game client configuration diagram

Explanation of symbols

101 Network system 110 in the first embodiment Server 111 in the first embodiment Internet 112 Game client 121 in the first embodiment 121 HTTP server unit 122 Public data management unit 123 Game server control unit 124 in the first embodiment In the first embodiment Character management unit 125 Character status storage unit 131 HTTP client unit 132 Game client control unit 133 in Embodiment 1 Identification token holding unit 134 Display screen 135 Operation reception unit 201 Network system 210 in the conventional example 210 Server in the conventional example 212 Game in the conventional example Client 221 Server communication unit 222 Game server control unit 223 in the conventional example Character management unit 231 in the conventional example Client communication unit 232 conventional game client controller 501 new connection request 502 identifies tokens notification 503 character status update request 504 total character status information notification 505 character profile acquisition request 506 character profile information notification in

Claims (3)

A network game system including a server device, and at least a first client device and a second client device that are simultaneously connected to the server device via a network,
The server device is
An HTTP server that accepts at least an HTTP request and returns an HTTP response in response thereto;
A token management unit that issues and manages an identification token for distinguishing between the first client device and the second client device;
A status update request accepting unit that receives first character status information transmitted as an HTTP request from the first client device and second character status information transmitted as an HTTP request from the second client device;
A character status storage unit for storing the first character status information last received by the status update request receiving unit from the first client device and the second character status information received last from the second client device; ,
A response transmission unit that transmits second character status information to the first client device as an HTTP response when the HTTP request is received from the first client device;
A game server control unit that controls the token management unit, the status update request reception unit, and the character status storage unit;
A public data management unit that constitutes a website,
The first client device is
A first token holding unit that stores at least an identification token of the first client device transmitted from the server device;
A first operation receiving unit for inputting an operation for the first user to change the first character status;
A first request transmission unit for transmitting first character status information to the server device as an HTTP request;
A first presentation unit that receives the HTTP response and presents second status information to the first user;
The second client device is
A second token holding unit for storing at least the identification token of the second client device transmitted from the server device;
A second operation accepting unit for a second user to input an operation for changing the second character status;
A second request transmission unit for transmitting second character status information as an HTTP request to the server device;
A second presentation unit that receives the HTTP response and presents first status information to a second user;
When the game server control unit receives the first character status information via the HTTP server, the game server control unit sends the second character status information via the HTTP server to the first client device. A network game system characterized by being transmitted to the network. A server device that is used in a network game system and that constitutes a network game system together with at least a first client device and a second client device that are simultaneously connected to the server device via a network.
The server device is
An HTTP server that accepts at least an HTTP request and returns an HTTP response in response thereto;
A token management unit that issues and manages an identification token for distinguishing between the first client device and the second client device;
A status update request accepting unit that receives first character status information transmitted as an HTTP request from the first client device and second character status information transmitted as an HTTP request from the second client device;
A character status storage unit for storing the first character status information last received by the status update request receiving unit from the first client device and the second character status information received last from the second client device; ,
A response transmission unit that transmits second character status information to the first client device as an HTTP response when the HTTP request is received from the first client device;
A game server control unit that controls the token management unit, the status update request reception unit, and the character status storage unit;
A public data management unit that constitutes a website,
When the game server control unit receives the first character status information via the HTTP server, the game server control unit sends the second character status information to the first client device via the HTTP server. A server characterized by transmitting. A network game system comprising: a server device; at least a first client device connected simultaneously to the server device via a network; and a second client device having the same components as the first client device. 1 client device,
The server device is
An HTTP server that accepts at least an HTTP request and returns an HTTP response in response thereto;
A token management unit that issues and manages an identification token for distinguishing between the first client device and the second client device;
A status update request accepting unit that receives first character status information transmitted as an HTTP request from the first client device and second character status information transmitted as an HTTP request from the second client device;
A character status storage unit for storing the first character status information last received by the status update request receiving unit from the first client device and the second character status information received last from the second client device; ,
A response transmission unit that transmits second character status information to the first client device as an HTTP response when the HTTP request is received from the first client device;
A game server control unit that controls the token management unit, the status update request reception unit, and the character status storage unit;
A public data management unit that constitutes a website,
The first client device is
A first token holding unit that stores at least an identification token of the first client device transmitted from the server device;
A first operation receiving unit for inputting an operation for the first user to change the first character status;
A first request transmission unit for transmitting first character status information to the server device as an HTTP request;
A first presentation unit that receives the HTTP response and presents second status information to the first user;
The second client device is
A second token holding unit for storing at least the identification token of the second client device transmitted from the server device;
A second operation accepting unit for a second user to input an operation for changing the second character status;
A second request transmission unit for transmitting second character status information as an HTTP request to the server device;
A second presentation unit that receives the HTTP response and presents first status information to a second user;
When the game server control unit receives the first character status information via the HTTP server, the game server control unit sends the second character status information via the HTTP server to the first client device. The first client device in the network game system, characterized by: