KR101690066B1 - Server, system and the method for on-line game patch - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a server, a system, and a method for an online game patch, and more particularly, to a server, a system and a method for the online game patch, To a server, system and method for the same.
To this end, the online game patch system of the present invention includes a patch server for transmitting a patch file while a user terminal plays an online game of a previous version of a patch file, and a patch server for accessing the patch server, And a user terminal for executing a patch file received from the patch server.
Accordingly, it is possible to control the transmission of the patch file so that the patch server properly allocates the traffic, thereby solving the traffic jamming phenomenon.

Description

Server, system and method for on-line game patches

The present invention relates to a server, a system, and a method for an online game patch, and more particularly, to a server, a system and a method for the online game patch, To a server, system and method for the same.

"Patch" is an additional package of vendor that solves the defects of software that has already been officially released, namely, operating system and various application programs. These patches are intended not only to improve security, but also to improve the performance of software in many ways, such as improving application execution speed and preventing memory leaks. A patch is a kind of ancillary program that complements the vulnerability in the target system. Through these patches, it is possible to update the deployed software while maintaining compatibility with the target system.

Especially, in case of online games, there is a case where the game is updated or the error is detected and corrected after the distribution. In such a case, the update can be made through the patch or the error can be corrected. In the case of online games, patch work is essential because the task of increasing the completeness through the change of the fun factor and the new item of the game continues.

In the past, patch files were downloaded and installed in 1: 1 format, which is the most stable patch format. However, there is a problem that a lot of network traffic costs occur and the patch time depends on the user's network environment.

In another conventional patch method, there is a method of packing a patch file into files of a small unit (Resource Packing) so that only a specific unit file can be patched. There is a merit that only the modified content can be patched, but there is a problem that the game developer needs additional work using the pack library provided by the distributor.

Another existing patch method is to extract only the modified part of the patch file, which is a binary file, and patch only the corresponding area. This method has the advantage of reducing the network cost and reducing the patch time of the user when the efficiency is high, but it is difficult to control each patch and a separate file has to be generated accordingly. There is also a problem that the patching takes a lot of time and the operating cost increases.

Another existing patch method is to download only the minimum number of files required to execute the game, and download the necessary files one by one after executing the program. In this case, there is no need to install the entire program package on the client, but it is very sensitive to environment variables of the user network, so that the game may stop when there are many files to be downloaded.

In the current real-time patching mode, there is a problem in that the patch traffic temporarily occurs after checking, and the patch time of the user increases due to real-time downloading and installation. In addition, the tasks of the staff are overloaded to check the patches at the dawn time, and the trend of online games is becoming larger. However, the existing patch type alone can not solve the above problems.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an online game patch system capable of reducing the traffic of the patch server by reducing the operation cost and transmitting the patch file without affecting the game while the game is running have.

Therefore, by transmitting the patch file in advance while executing the online game of the previous version of the patch file in the current user terminal, when the game is to be practically executed in the next version, the patch operation can be completed without any additional download, The online game patch system.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an online game patch server including a patch file storage unit for storing a patch file, a game providing unit for providing an online game service according to a connection request of the user terminal, A version comparing unit for comparing the version of the online game with the version of the stored patch file, and a version comparison unit for comparing the version of the patch game with the version information of the online game, And transmitting the patch file to the user terminal executing the online game according to the present invention.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an online game patch system comprising: a patch server for transmitting a patch file while a user terminal plays an online game of a previous version of a patch file; And a user terminal for receiving the patch file and executing the patch file received from the patch server.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an online game patch method comprising: storing a patch file; providing an online game service according to a connection request of the user terminal; Comparing the version of the online game with the version of the stored patch file; and if the version of the online game is earlier than the version of the patch file, And transmitting the patch file to the terminal.

And also includes a computer-readable medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the online game patch method.

According to the server, the system and the method for the online game patch according to the present invention,

First, the patch server can control the transmission of the patch file so that the traffic is properly distributed, thereby solving the traffic jam.

Second, operating costs can be reduced by reducing patch server traffic.

Third, since the transmission of the patch file is performed during the online game of the previous version of the patch file in the user terminal, the patch file can be executed immediately without receiving the patch file separately at the point when the patch file is to be executed, thereby providing convenience to the user .

Fourth, since the patch server separately manages the transmission status of the patch file, the patch file execution date at the user terminal can be predicted, and the version management of the online game becomes easy.

Fifth, patching is possible at a much faster rate than the existing patching speed.

1 is a functional block diagram of an online game patch system,
2A is an embodiment of an online game patch system,
FIG. 2B is a diagram showing an effect according to the embodiment of the online game patch system of FIG. 2A,
3 is an embodiment in which patch related information is used in a patch server,
4 is a flow chart of an embodiment of an online game patch method.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary terms, and the inventor should appropriately interpret the concepts of the terms appropriately The present invention should be construed in accordance with the meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, It is to be understood that equivalents and modifications are possible.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an online game patch system. Referring to FIG. 1, an online game patch system will be described.

The online game patch system includes a patch DB 100, a patch server 200 and a user terminal 300. The patch server 200 includes a network (including all networks of various types such as a telephone network, the Internet, and a wireless communication network) A plurality of user terminals 300 are connected to each other. Although only one user terminal 300 is shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of user terminals 300 may be connected.

First, the patch server 200 transmits a patch file while the user terminal 300 plays an online game of a previous version of the patch file. The patch server 200 includes a patch file storage unit 210, a game providing unit 220, (230), a version comparison unit (240), and a patch file transfer unit (250).

The patch file storage unit 210 stores a patch file, and the patch file may have a different configuration according to the system information of the user terminal 300. [

In some cases, the patch file needs to consider the system environment (OS, graphics card, CPU speed, etc.) of the user terminal 300. [ In such a case, a patch file suitable for each system environment should be created, and a patch file suitable for each system environment should be installed. In order to install a patch file suitable for each system environment, the patch server 200 receives the system environment information from the user terminal 300 and transmits a different patch file according to the system environment information, or transmits the patch file to the patch server 200 When the patch file is collectively transmitted to the user terminal 300 regardless of the system environment of the user terminal 300, the user terminal 300 can select and install a patch file suited to the system environment of the user terminal 300.

When a patch file is transmitted from the patch server 200, the general patch file distribution method is collectively distributed without regard to the system information of the user terminal 300. When the patch file is executed, Select the appropriate patch file and run it. However, in this case, since the size of the patch file is increased, efficiency can be improved when transmitting the patch file by changing the configuration of the patch file according to the system information of the user terminal 300.

The game providing unit 220 provides an online game service according to a connection request of the user terminal 300. While the game providing unit 220 is running, the patch file transmitting unit 250, Lt; / RTI >

The version checking unit 230 checks the version of the online game that the user terminal 300 is using. It is necessary to judge whether the online game used by the user terminal 300 is in a state in which the version upgrade due to the execution of the patch file is possible. In addition, since the type of the patch file is determined according to the version of the online game used by the user terminal 300, and whether or not the patch file is transmitted is determined, the patch server 200 determines the version of the online game of the user terminal 300 You need to check the information on.

The version comparing unit 240 compares the version of the online game that is verified by the version checking unit 230 with the version of the stored patch file. The patch file is transmitted only when the version of the online game is earlier than the version of the patch file, so that it is necessary to compare with the version of the patch file.

If the version of the online game is a version older than the version of the patch file, the patch file transfer unit 250 transmits the patch information to the user terminal (300). Therefore, even if there is no patch file, online game execution in the current user terminal 300 is not affected.

The patch-related information includes at least one of a patch file information, a start date of transmission of a patch file, a distribution period, a transmission schedule, a transmission rate of a patch file, . ≪ / RTI >

 For example, when a new patch file is stored in the patch file storage unit 210, the patch file transfer unit 250 may include a start date for transferring the patch file, a distribution period Related information including the transmission schedule and the like are stored in the patch DB 100. The patch distribution period is operated in accordance with variables such as game size, patch capacity, number of users and the like. In order not to affect resource and performance of the user terminal 300, As well. Normally, since the setting is set to about 100 MB per minute, if the user terminal 300 using the game for about 60 minutes, for example, patches at a rate of 10 MB per minute, a 600 MB patch file can be transmitted. Accordingly, the patch file transmitter 250 manages and transmits patch related information including a distribution period, a transmission schedule, and a transmission speed in consideration of a network state of an area to which the user terminal 300 to which the patch file is to be transmitted belongs.

In addition, in the case of transmitting the patch file according to the present invention, since the transmission of the patch file is transmitted little by little during the game, there is a case that the patch file can not be transmitted in one connection. Therefore, it is necessary to grasp the transmission status of the patch file so that only the portion that can not be installed at the next connection can be transmitted, and the installation status information of the current patch file of the user terminal 300 should be also provided.

Therefore, the transmission status information of the patch file among the patch related information can be stored and managed through the patch DB 100 in the patch server 200, or the user terminal 300 can manage the patch server 200 for the online game, The patch server 200 may automatically send the current patch version and transmission status information to the patch server 200 or may send the current patch version and transmission status information to the user terminal 300 when the patch server 200 requests the transmission status information.

In addition, the patch-related information may be configured such that the traffic of the patch server 200 is lower than a specific value in order to facilitate transmission of the patch file. When the user terminal 300 accesses the patch server 200 for the game, the patch file is transmitted. In this case, however, the traffic of the patch server 200 may be excessively increased if there are too many game users. Therefore, a specific value is specified for the traffic of the patch server 200 in the patch related information, and when the traffic of the patch server 200 reaches a specific value or more, the transmission is stopped for some user terminals 300 And so on. The specific value of the traffic can be set by the operator of the patch server 200 as desired, and the method of controlling the traffic can be variously performed in addition to the method of stopping the transmission of the patch file to some user terminals 300 Method can be used.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an embodiment in which the patch-related information is used in the patch server 200. FIG.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example of an online game patch system, FIG. 2B illustrates an effect of the online game patch system of FIG. 2A according to an embodiment of the present invention. Explain.

First, referring to FIG. 2A, generally speaking, an online game patch means that a previous version of an online game is checked based on the current state and a next version is fetched. So V1, V2 means the old version and V3 is the current valid version. Therefore, the existing patch system means a system that checks the online game version of the user terminal 300 when the online game version is V1 or V2, and fetches it to V3. However, the patch system according to the present invention is a system capable of patching the next version that does not affect the user game version in addition to the currently valid V3 patch. This is V4 and V5, and the patch is related to the user environment in advance, and the game actually runs on the currently live version, V3. Therefore, V4 and V5 described as "Background Download" in the drawing mean that they are being transmitted to the user terminal through the patch file transfer unit 250 when the game is executed without being influenced by the current game execution. Therefore, when the actual V4 version game is to be executed in FIG. 2B, since the patch file is downloaded while the V3 version game is already executed, the V4 version game can be executed immediately without downloading the patch file separately. Therefore, since the patch file is not required to be downloaded when starting the game of the V4 version, the traffic jamming phenomenon to the patch server 200 is remarkably reduced.

Also, when transmitting the patch file from the patch file transfer unit 250, the transmission size of the patch file may be different according to the online game connection pattern of the user terminal 300. The online game connection pattern is analyzed using at least one of the average time of accessing the patch server 200 by the user terminal 300 and the average use time of the online game.

For example, if the pattern that the user terminal 300 connects to the patch server 200 is high in connection with the night time zone and the connection hold time is 3 to 4 hours when connected, A transmission unit divided by a predetermined size unit to transmit a file) can be made larger in size and transmitted. However, if the connection time is about 30 minutes to 1 hour when the connection is made during the daytime, transmission may fail if a large size packet is sent. Therefore, it is effective to reduce the packet size and transmit the packet.

Meanwhile, the user terminal 300 is a communication device capable of connecting to the patch server 200 through a network. For example, various communication devices such as a wired telephone, a wireless communication terminal, a computer, and a TV capable of accessing the Internet can be used . Accordingly, the user terminal 300 can access the patch server 200 conveniently and quickly using PC communication, the Internet, the wireless Internet, and the telephone network. The user terminal 300 includes a patch manager 310 and a game executing unit 330.

The game execution unit 330 automatically activates the patch manager 310 when the user terminal 300 executes the game.

Meanwhile, the patch manager 310 receives a patch file from the patch server 200 during execution of an online game, and executes the patch file by executing the patch file when the transfer of the patch file is completed.

When the online game is executed, the patch manager 310 confirms the status of receiving the patch file in the previous execution of the online game, and notifies the patch server 200 of the status. The last time means the past time when the patch server 200 is connected to the online game. It means not only the immediately preceding connection but also the connection point when the patch file was last received it means.

As a result of checking the received status of the patch file, if the transfer of the patch file is not completed, the patch file of the portion not received from the patch server 200 is successively received, and in addition to the "Background Download" Download the patch file. However, if it is the first time that the online game is executed, the patch manager 310 creates a folder at a set location in the user terminal 300 and sets the folder to receive the patch file. The folder is a storage space for receiving a patch file by being connected to the patch server 200. A game developer or an operator can set a folder creation position. When the patch manager 310 is executed, the folder is searched. If there is no folder Create a folder.

As a result of checking the received status of the patch file, if the transmission of the patch file is completed, the patch file is executed to execute the patch file. Upon checking the system information of the user terminal 300 at the time of the patch operation, the patch file suitable for the user terminal 300 may be selected and the patch file may be executed. In the patch file distribution method, when the patch file is transmitted from the patch server 200, the patch file is collectively distributed without considering the system specification of the user terminal 300, and when the patch file is executed, The above function is useful. Also, when the patch file is executed, the patch file may be automatically executed when the patch file transfer is completed, or may be executed by the user of the user terminal 300 to execute the patch file.

The user terminal 300 in the state where the patch file has been completely transferred but the patch file has not been executed can be downloaded to the user terminal 300 without downloading the patch file from the patch server 200 and executing the patch file again. And executes the patch operation immediately to enter the game. However, since the patch file transmitted to the user terminal 300 is basically executed when the transmission to all the user terminals 300 is completed, the state in which the transmission of the patch file is completed but the patch file is not executed It is an unusual situation that the online game ends suddenly.

Further, when the patch manager 310 executes the patch file, the speed is significantly improved by using the "move" command. I / O (input / output) of the hard disk "read / write" is a type of "copy" command. In the case of "copy" command, the original is read and loaded into the memory, Output occurs. However, the "move" command does not cause "read / write" I / O on the hard disk because it only slightly changes the location of the file in the OS kernel. Therefore, the general user can feel a remarkable speed increase.

Meanwhile, the online game patch method includes the steps of storing a patch file, providing an online game service according to a connection request of the user terminal 300, and providing a version of the online game used by the user terminal 300 Comparing the version of the online game with the version of the stored patch file; and if the version of the online game is earlier than the version of the patch file, 300). ≪ / RTI >

The patch file transmitted to the user terminal 300 is executed when the transmission to all the user terminals 300 is completed. The action or method to be executed is the same as that described in the online game patch system. Also, the patch file may be configured differently according to the system information of the user terminal 300, and the patch related information is the same as described in the online game patch system.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an online game patch method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, when a patch server receives a game execution request from a user terminal (S1), the patch server receives patch related information including system information and transmission status information from the user terminal (S2). The patch related information also includes information obtained from the user terminal. It is determined whether the transmission of the latest patch file has been completed based on the received patch related information (S3). If the transmission of the latest patch file is not completed, based on the received patch related information, During the online game of the previous version of the file, the patch file is transmitted (S4). If the transmission of the latest patch file is completed (S3), the user terminal completes the patch operation (S5) and executes the game (S6) when the game is executed.

Also included is a computer-readable medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the above-described on-line game patch method of the present invention.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. It is to be understood that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

100 patch DB 200 patch server
210 Patch file storage unit 220 Game provisioning
230 Version Verification Section 240 Version Comparison Section
250 patch file transfer unit 300 user terminal
310 Patch Manager 330 Game Execution Department

Claims (15)

For an online game patch server,
A patch file storage section for storing a patch file; A game providing unit for providing an online game service according to a connection request of the user terminal; A version checking unit for checking a version of the online game used by the user terminal; A version comparing unit for comparing the version of the online game with the version of the stored patch file; And a patch file transfer unit for transferring the patch file to the user terminal that performs the online game service according to the patch related information when the version of the online game is earlier than the version of the patch file,
The patch file transferring unit transmits the patch file to the user terminal while the game providing unit provides the online game service to the user,
Wherein the patch-related information is set to a preset value for the traffic of the online game patch server, and when the patch file transfer unit is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the transmission of the patch file is stopped to the user terminal,
The patch file transfer unit analyzes the online game connection pattern of the user terminal and transmits the game file with different size of the patch file,
Wherein the analysis of the online game connection pattern corresponds to analysis using at least one of an average time of the user terminal accessing the patch server and an average use time of the online game. delete The user terminal is allowed to perform the online game of the previous version of the patch file, and while the user terminal performs the online game of the previous version of the patch file, the online game connection pattern of the user terminal is analyzed, A patch server for transferring files; And
And a user terminal connected to the patch server to receive the patch file while performing the online game of the previous version and to execute the patch file received from the patch server,
Wherein the patch-related information includes a preset value for the traffic of the patch server, and stops the transmission of the patch file to the user terminal when the patch server becomes the predetermined value or more,
The patch server,
A patch file storage section for storing a patch file;
A game providing unit for providing an online game service according to a connection request of the user terminal;
A version checking unit for checking a version of the online game used by the user terminal;
A version comparing unit comparing the version of the online game with the version of the stored patch file; And
And a patch file transfer unit for transferring the patch file to the user terminal performing the online game service according to the patch related information when the version of the online game is earlier than the version of the patch file,
Wherein the patch-related information is set to a predetermined value for the traffic of the patch server, and when the patch file transfer unit is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the transmission of the patch file is stopped to the user terminal,
The patch file transfer unit analyzes the online game connection pattern of the user terminal and transmits the game file with different size of the patch file,
Wherein the analysis of the online game connection pattern corresponds to analysis using at least one of an average time of the user terminal accessing the patch server and an average use time of the online game. delete The method of claim 3,
The user terminal comprises:
A patch manager for receiving a patch file from the patch server during execution of an online game and executing the patch file upon completion of transmission of the patch file; And
And a game execution unit for executing an online game and running the patch manager at the same time as executing the online game. 6. The method of claim 5,
The patch manager,
And a patch file corresponding to the identified system specification is selected after confirming the system specification of the user terminal, and the patch file is executed. 6. The method of claim 5,
The patch manager,
And when the online game is executed, confirms the status of receiving the patch file in the previous execution of the online game, and informs the patch server of the status. 6. The method of claim 5,
The patch manager,
Wherein when the transfer of the patch file is completed, the patch file is automatically executed or the user of the user terminal receives the approval and executes the patch file. In an online game patch method performed on an online game patch server,
Wherein the online game patch server comprises:
Storing the patch file;
Providing an online game service according to a connection request of the user terminal;
Confirming a version of the online game used by the user terminal;
Comparing the version of the online game with the version of the stored patch file; And
And transmitting the patch file to the user terminal performing the online game service according to the patch related information when the version of the online game is a version older than the version of the patch file,
The patch related information is set to a preset value for the traffic of the online game patch server, and in the step of transmitting the patch file, the transmission of the patch file is stopped to the user terminal ,
Wherein the step of transmitting the patch file includes analyzing an online game connection pattern of the user terminal and transmitting the patch file with different size of the patch file,
Wherein the analysis of the online game connection pattern is performed using at least one of an average time of the user terminal accessing the patch server and an average online time of the online game. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the patch file transmitted to the user terminal comprises:
Wherein the execution of the online game patch is performed when the transfer to the user terminal is completed. 10. The method of claim 9,
The patch file includes:
Wherein the configuration of the online game patch is different according to a system specification of the user terminal. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the transmitting the patch file comprises:
Transmits the patch file to the user terminal executing the online game according to the patch related information,
The patch-
Wherein the information includes at least one of information of a patch file, a start date of transmitting a patch file, a distribution period, a transmission schedule, a transmission rate of a patch file, a completion status of a patch job, Patch method. 13. The method of claim 12,
The patch-
And the traffic is configured to be less than or equal to a specific value. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the online game connection pattern of the user terminal comprises:
And analyzing the online game patch using at least one of an average time of the user terminal accessing the patch server and an average online time of the online game. A computer-readable medium having recorded thereon a program for executing an online game patch method performed by an online game patch server,
Wherein the online game patch server comprises:
Storing the patch file;
Providing an online game service according to a connection request of the user terminal;
Confirming a version of the online game used by the user terminal;
Comparing the version of the online game with the version of the stored patch file; And
And transmitting the patch file to the user terminal performing the online game service according to the patch related information when the version of the online game is a version older than the version of the patch file,
The patch related information is set to a preset value for the traffic of the online game patch server, and in the step of transmitting the patch file, the transmission of the patch file is stopped to the user terminal ,
Wherein the step of transmitting the patch file includes analyzing an online game connection pattern of the user terminal and transmitting the patch file with different size of the patch file,
Wherein the analysis of the online game connection pattern is performed by using a computer that records a program for executing an online game patch method corresponding to an analysis using at least one of an average time of the user terminal accessing the patch server and an average online time of the online game Readable medium.

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