JPH08206360A - Game device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a game device capable of optionally selecting and playing plural games on plural game machines without preparing plural number of the same game software. CONSTITUTION: This game device is provided with a game software feed device 1 capable of optionally reading the game software recorded in plural loaded main cassettes respectively and plural game machines 2 capable of communicating with the game software supply device 1. The game software supply device 1 reads the requested game software from the main cassette and transmits it to the game machine 2 in response to the request from the game machine 2 based on the instruction of a player, the game machine 2 stores the game software in a RAM 12, and the game can be executed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an arcade game machine having a plurality of game machines.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a game center or the like, a plurality of game machines are installed, but normally, a game that can be played is decided for each game machine.

Therefore, a game machine that can play a popular game is always in use, and it is difficult to play it. On the other hand, a game machine that can play a popular game is often not played by anyone. It was

As a result, the player is dissatisfied that he / she cannot freely play the game he / she wants to play, and the game center side is dissatisfied with the fact that the sales do not grow as much as the number of game machines installed. .

There is also known a game machine in which a plurality of game cassettes can be mounted so that the player can arbitrarily select those games by a predetermined operation. Since multiple game cassettes are required for each game console, for the game center side,
The purchase cost of the game cassette becomes expensive.

The present invention was devised under such circumstances, and a plurality of games can be arbitrarily selected and played by a plurality of game machines without preparing a plurality of the same game software. It is an object to provide a game device.

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following technical means.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, one game software supply device capable of arbitrarily reading out the game software recorded on each of a plurality of mounted recording media,
The game software supply device includes a plurality of game machines capable of communicating with the game software supply device, and in response to a request from the game machine based on a player's instruction, the game software supply device stores the requested game software from a recording medium. It is characterized in that the game can be executed by reading out and transmitting the game software to the game machine and causing the game machine to store the game software in a storage medium.

A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the game software supply device and each game machine are connected by a cable, and communication is performed with each other via the cable.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, each game machine is equipped with a plurality of sub-recording media recording a part of each of a plurality of game software that can be read by the game software supply device. While the game software is being received from the software supply device, a part of the same game software as the game software is read from the sub-recording medium so that a part of the game can be executed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the game software supply device is provided with a laser disc reproducing device for reproducing a laser disc recorded with the guides of the game software recorded on each of a plurality of recording media. It is characterized in that a reproduction signal from the laser disc reproducing apparatus is transmitted to each game machine and the game machine displays a guide of game software on a display screen during a period when no game is played.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, during the period in which the game is not played, the game machine requests the game software supply device to transmit a part of each game software, receives it, and It is characterized in that the guide of the game software is displayed on the display screen.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the game software supply device and each game machine are connected via a public communication network and communicate with each other via the public communication network. And

[0014]

The game software supply device can simultaneously mount a plurality of recording media on which game software is recorded, and can arbitrarily read the game software from these recording media. The table is installed. A plurality of game machines can communicate with the game software supply device, and a plurality of game machines are installed in a game center, for example. Then, in response to a request from the game machine based on the instruction from the player, the game software supply device reads the requested game software from the recording medium and transmits it to the game machine, and the game machine stores the game software in the storage medium. By doing so, the game becomes executable. The game software recorded in the recording medium is composed of a game program and various data such as character moving image information. A storage medium is installed in each game machine.

Therefore, the player can freely play the game he or she wants to play on any game machine, and the waiting time is eliminated or reduced. Also, for the game center side, there will be no game machines that are unpopular and that players will not come close to, and sales will improve. Also, since various games can be played on the same game machine, it is convenient for the player because there is no need to replace the game machine.
As a result, the number of times of play increases, so that the game center side can also expect an increase in sales. Furthermore, even when compared with a conventional game machine in which a plurality of game cassettes can be mounted and the player can arbitrarily select those games by a predetermined operation, a plurality of game cassettes can be provided for each game machine. Since it is not necessary, the game center can reduce the purchase cost of the game cassette. This effect is more remarkable as the number of game machines installed increases.

The game software supply device and each game machine are
It may be connected by a cable or may be used for wireless communication. Furthermore, it is also possible to construct a nationwide system by using a public communication network such as ISDN.

Each game machine is equipped with a plurality of sub-recording media recording a part of each of the plurality of game software that can be read by the game software supply device, and while the game software is being received from the game software supply device. Alternatively, a part of the same game software as the game software may be read from the sub-recording medium so that a part of the game can be executed. In this way, it is possible to eliminate the waiting time of, for example, several tens of seconds due to the communication of the game software, and it is possible to prevent the player from losing interest.

The game software supply device is provided with a laser disc reproducing device for reproducing a laser disc recorded with guides of the game software recorded on a plurality of recording media, and the reproduction signal from the laser disc reproducing device is supplied to each game. It may be transmitted to the game machine and the game machine may display the guide of the game software on the display screen during the period when the game is not played. In this way, the content of the playable game can be notified to the player by executing the demo loop of each game, for example, every predetermined time.

The guide of the playable game is such that the game machine requests the game software supply device to transmit a part of each game software, receives the request, and displays the guide of the game software on the display screen. May be.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
A specific description will be given with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a game device according to the present invention. This game device comprises one game software supply device 1 and a plurality of game machines 2. The game software supply device 1 includes a main cassette reading device 3, a laser disk reproducing device 4, a control device 5, and a communication control device 6, and the game machine 2 is
It includes a system board 7, a control panel 8, a display device 9, and an arbitrary number of speakers 10.
The system board 7 has a sub-cassette reader 11 and an R
An AM 12, a control device 13, and a communication control device 14 are installed, and the communication control device 6 of the game software supply device 1 and the communication control device 14 of each game machine 2 are connected by cables 15 and 16. ing.

The game software supply device 1 includes each game machine 2
In response to the request from the game machine 2, the game software is transmitted to the game machine 2, and to the game machine 2 which has not been played, video and audio information for guiding the playable game is transmitted. The game machine 2 is based on the operation of the player.
A desired game is requested from the game software supply device 1, the game software is received, and the game proceeds. Further, when not being played, the game machine 2 receives the information of the video and audio for guiding the playable game from the game software supply device 1 and reproduces them.

The main cassette reading device 3 is capable of mounting a plurality of main cassettes, which are game cassettes having a built-in ROM storing various data such as game programs and character moving image information, and controls Controlled by the device 5, the game software is read from the instructed main cassette among the mounted main cassettes. That is, the main cassette constitutes a recording medium in which game software is recorded. As a recording medium,
Not limited to the ROM, a CD-ROM, an MO, a cassette type magnetic tape, or the like may be used as long as it has a capacity capable of storing the game software. The laser disc reproducing device 4 reproduces the laser disc recording the guide of the game software recorded in the main cassette mounted in the main cassette reading device 3 and outputs the reproduction information to the communication control device 6. The control device 5 is composed of a microcomputer and the like, and controls the main cassette reading device 3 based on an instruction from the game machine 2 received by the communication control device 6 to reproduce the main cassette reading device 3 and the laser disk. The reproduction information from the device 4 is transmitted to the game machine 2 by the communication control device 6. Communication control device 6
Controls communication between the game software supply device 1 and the game machine 2 via the cables 15 and 16.

The system board 7 controls the operation of the game machine 2. The control panel 8 includes an operation lever and a push button switch operated by the player,
A signal corresponding to the operation by the player is output to the control device 13. The display device 9 displays the content of the game on the display screen. The speaker 10 outputs a sound effect and the like as the game progresses.

The sub-cassette reader 11 is capable of mounting a plurality of sub-cassettes each consisting of an IC card in which a part of various data such as a game program and character moving image information is recorded. A part of the game software is read from the instructed sub-cassette of the mounted sub-cassettes under the control of 13. That is, the sub-cassette constitutes a sub-recording medium that stores a part of the game software, for example, information for playing a game of about one stage. The sub-recording medium is not limited to an IC card, and various types of storage medium may be used. However, a medium having a small size and light weight and a high reading speed is preferable because it does not require a large storage capacity. The RAM 12 constitutes a storage medium and stores the game software transmitted from the game software supply device 1. As the storage medium, in addition to ordinary RAM, electrically rewritable ROM such as EPROM,
A hard disk or the like can be used. Control device 1
3 is composed of a microcomputer or the like, and is provided with an operation signal from the control panel 8 and a RAM 12
Controls the sub-cassette reader 11 and the communication controller 14 based on the game software program stored in
Further, the display device 9 and the speaker 10 are driven.
The communication control device 14 controls communication between the game machine 2 and the game software supply device 1 via the cables 15 and 16.

Next, the operation will be described. Now, a plurality of main cassettes in which different game software is recorded are attached to the main cassette reading device 3, and a plurality of subcassettes corresponding to the main cassette are attached to the subcassette reading device 11. It is assumed that the reproducing device 4 is equipped with a laser disk having contents corresponding to the main cassette.

In the game machine 2 which is not played by the player, the control device 13 causes the display screen of the display device 9 to display an image relating to the guide of the game reproduced by the laser disc reproducing device 4 of the game software supply device 1. At the same time, the sound effect or the like is reproduced on the speaker 10. That is, the laser disc reproducing device 4 is always reproducing the laser disc for guiding the game, and the reproduction information is supplied to the communication control device 14 via the communication control device 6 and the cable 16. Therefore,
The control device 13 can always receive the video information and the audio information for guiding the game from the communication control device 14, and causes the display device 9 to display the demo loops of the plurality of games mounted on the main cassette reading device 3. ,
Further, the speaker 10 is caused to reproduce the sound effect or background music corresponding to the image.

When the player sees the guide of the game and operates the control panel 8 to select a favorite game, the selection signal is supplied to the control device 13. As a result, the control device 13 causes the communication control device 14 and the cable 15 to
Via the communication control device 6 and the game software supply device 1
Requesting the control device 5 to transmit the game software corresponding to the game selected by the player. As a result, the control device 5 instructs the main cassette reading device 3 to read the requested game software. As a result, the main cassette reading device 3 reads the instructed game software from the corresponding main cassette and outputs it to the control device 5.
As a result, the control device 5 causes the communication control device 6 and the cable 1 to
The game software is transmitted to the control device 13 of the game machine 2 that has made a request via the communication control device 14 and the communication control device 14. As a result, the control device 13 stores the received game software in the RAM 1
2 is stored.

Further, at this time, the control device 5 causes the built-in RAM (not shown) to store data such as which game software has been transmitted to which game machine 2. In this way, by accumulating various data relating to the played game, it is possible to accurately judge the transition of the popularity of the game, and in the case where the game software supply device 1 or the game device 2 is rented, the charge is charged. Easy to total. If a public line network such as ISDN, which will be described later, is used, it is possible to easily comprehend and aggregate the actual conditions such as the operating rate of each game and billing at all game centers.

When transmitting game software to a plurality of game machines 2 at the same time, the communication control device 6 transmits it by using, for example, a time division multiplex system or a frequency multiplex system.

On the other hand, at the same time as a request for transmitting the game software to the control device 5 of the game software supply device 1, the control device 13
Instructs the sub-cassette reading device 11 to read a part of the game software corresponding to the game selected by the player. As a result, the sub cassette reading device 11
Reads out a part of the instructed game software and outputs it to the control device 13. As a result, the control device 13 displays the video of the game on the display screen of the display device 9 and causes the speaker 10 to play back sound effects and background music, and further, the display screen is displayed according to the operation of the control panel 8 by the player. Change the video and sound effects of to control the progress of the game for about one stage.

Subsequent to the end of the game by the sub-cassette, the control device 13 reads out the game software stored in the RAM 12, that is, various data such as the game program and the moving image information of the character, for example, two stages. The progress of the game after the eyes is controlled in the same manner as in the first stage.

When the game is over, the display again returns to the demo loop of the laser disc guide screen and sound effects, and waits for the player's selection operation.

As described above, the main cassette reading device 3 of the game software supply device 1 reads the game software from the main cassette corresponding to the game selected by the player among the plurality of main cassettes to read the game machine 2
Therefore, a plurality of games can be arbitrarily selected and played by a plurality of game machines 2 without preparing a plurality of the same game software. Therefore, the player can play his or her favorite game regardless of which game machine 2 is used, so that the player is less likely to wait. Also,
For the game center, the operating rate of the game machine 2 is improved, and the sales can be expected to increase. Alternatively, compared to the case of a game machine in which a plurality of main cassettes can be installed, it is not necessary to purchase as many main cassettes as there are game machines 2, so that the total cost can be reduced. That is, when purchasing new game software, it is not necessary to purchase the number of game machines 2 installed, and if one main cassette is purchased, all game machines 2 can be played. This effect is
This is more remarkable as the number of game machines 2 installed increases. If you buy a new main cassette, you also need to buy a laser disc at the same time.
It is necessary to purchase as many sub-cassettes as.

If each game machine 2 is provided with the sub-cassette reader 11 as in this embodiment, the sub-cassette can be used to play a game for, for example, about one minute. Players no longer have to wait while communicating.

Further, as in the present embodiment, if the guide of the playable game is performed by the laser disc using the laser disc reproducing device 4, the control device 5 and the control device 13 will be described.
You can easily guide the game by video without performing complicated control by.

In the above embodiment, the communication between the game software supply device 1 and the game machine 2 is performed by the cables 15 and 16, but the communication is not limited to the cables 15 and 16, and the communication may be performed wirelessly.

Further, the game software supply device 1 is installed in a region far from the game machine 2 so that the communication between the game software supply device 1 and the game machine 2 is performed by using a public network such as ISDN. You may By doing so, a large number of main cassettes are not required to supply the game software, and only one main cassette needs to be corrected even when a bug occurs, so that it is possible to quickly and easily deal with it.

Further, in the above embodiment, the laser disc reproducing device 4 is provided in the game software supplying device 1 to guide the game that can be played by the laser disc, but the contents of the loop demo are recorded in the sub cassette. ,
The control device 13 may guide the playable game by causing the sub-cassette reading device 11 to sequentially read the contents of each sub-cassette. Furthermore,
The content of the loop demo is recorded in the main cassette, the control device 13 requests the control device 5 to transmit the loop demo, and the control device 5 causes the main cassette reading device 3 to sequentially read the content of each main cassette, You may make it guide the game which can be played by transmitting it to the game machine 2.

In the above embodiment, the RA of the game machine 2 is used.
Although one game software is stored in the M12, the capacity of the RAM 12 may be further increased to store a plurality of game software. By doing this, the game software of the popular game can be stored in RAM12.
Therefore, the number of communications with the game software supply device 1 is reduced. Therefore, for example, even if the sub-cassette reader 11 is not provided, the player is kept waiting relatively little.

Further, in the above embodiment, one system board 7 is provided in the game machine 2, but the output of the system board 7 is different according to the JAMMA connector which is a unified standard of the game machine, for example, another company. System board of J
A game other than the main cassette may be played by connecting to the AMMA connector and connecting them to the control panel 8, the display device 9 and the speaker 10 via the selector.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a game device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 game software supply device 2 game machine 12 RAM 15 cable 16 cable

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A game software supply device capable of arbitrarily reading game software recorded on a plurality of mounted recording media, and a plurality of game software supply devices capable of communicating with the game software supply device. A game machine, and in response to a request from the game machine based on a player's instruction, the game software supply device reads out the requested game software from the recording medium and transmits the game software to the game machine. A game machine, characterized in that the game machine is configured to execute a game by storing the game machine in a storage medium. 2. The game device according to claim 1, wherein the game software supply device and each game device are connected by a cable and communicate with each other via the cable. 3. A plurality of sub-recording media recording a part of each of a plurality of game software that can be read by a game software supply device is attached to each game machine, and the game software from the game software supply device is loaded. The game device according to claim 1, wherein during the reception, a part of the same game software as the game software is read from the sub recording medium so that a part of the game can be executed. 4. A game software supply device is provided with a laser disc reproducing device for reproducing a laser disc recording guides of game software recorded on a plurality of recording media, and a reproduction signal from the laser disc reproducing device is provided. The game device according to claim 1, wherein the game device is configured to display the guide of the game software on a display screen while the game device is transmitting the game software to the game device during a period when the game is not played. 5. The game machine requests the game software supply device to transmit a part of each game software while the game is not being played, and upon receipt of the request, the game software guide is displayed on the display screen. The game device according to claim 1, wherein the game device has the following configuration. 6. The game software supply device and each game machine are connected via a public communication network, and are configured to communicate with each other via the public communication network.
The game device according to 1.