KR20050000829A - Method for sharing game contents in wireless game machines - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for sharing/playing multi-user game contents downloaded to one wireless game machine with other wireless game machines is provided to enable multiple game machine to enjoy a multi-user game without connecting to an online game server by using the multi-user game contents stored in one game machine. CONSTITUTION: A communication channel is fixed between server and client game machines(317). The server game machine transmits core data needed for advancing the game(323). The game contents are executed on the client game machine and the server game machine(327,331). During the game, the client game machine requests transmission of the needed additional data. The server game machine transmits the requested data to the client game machine.

Description

How to share game contents on wireless game machines {Method for sharing game contents in wireless game machines}

The present invention relates to a method for sharing game contents in a wireless game machine, and more particularly, to a method for sharing game contents for allowing a multi-user game content downloaded from one game machine to be shared with a plurality of game machines.

Types of game machines include stand-alone game machines that can be enjoyed alone, and multi-user type game machines in which a plurality of users can enjoy a game together through a communication network. In addition, there is a TV game machine used by connecting to a television such as an Xbox (trade name) or a PlayStation (trade name), and a portable game machine used while being carried by a user.

Game contents used in these game machines are often recorded and sold in game packs, storage media such as CDs and DVDs. However, recently, due to the development of wired and wireless data communication, the number of downloads of game contents via wired and wireless has increased. In particular, in the case of a mobile phone or a portable game machine, there are many cases in which the game content is downloaded and used wirelessly so that the game content does not need to be carried separately.

On the other hand, in the case of a multi-user game in which a large number of users can play a game at the same time, each user purchases a game pack, a game CD, or downloads the game contents, and then connects to a server that can play online multi-user games. Will enjoy. However, in this case, since each user has to purchase game content, a cost is incurred, and a connection fee is incurred when connecting to a server and playing a game.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of this point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a game content sharing method that enables a multi-user game content downloaded from one game machine to be enjoyed in a plurality of game machines.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a game content sharing method that can enjoy a multi-user game using a game content in one game machine in a plurality of game machines without accessing a server for an online game.

1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a game machine according to the present invention.

2 is a schematic diagram showing a server game machine and a client game machine connected wirelessly to enjoy a game.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of enjoying a multi-user game while sharing game content in a server game machine and a client game machine.

4 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of data transmitted between a server game machine and a client game machine.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining that game content is divided into core data and additional data and transmitted.

6 shows a logical channel between two game machines.

The game content stored in the server game machine is composed of core data essential for the performance of the game and additional data required as the game progresses. The additional data is divided into a plurality of segments. The server game machine having the game content transmits only core data which is essential for performance of the game to the client game machine having no game content. When additional data is needed due to a stage change or the like during game play, the client game machine requests to transmit additional data to the server game machine, and the server game machine transmits the requested additional data to the client game machine. Game data received from the client game machine is stored in RAM. The server game machine and the client game machine exchange data using a short range wireless communication method. The transmission of game information necessary for the progress of the game and the transmission of core data and additional data are performed through different logical channels.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a game machine for implementing the method of the present invention.

The input unit 120 is a means for the user to input operation commands or data for game progress, and various input tools such as a keypad, a touch screen, and a joystick may be used. The display unit 130 is a means for showing the progress of the game, the LCD is generally used, but other types of display elements may be used.

The sound generating unit 140 is a means for generating various effects sounds, music, etc. necessary in the course of the game. As the sound generator 140, various means may be used, ranging from a buzzer circuit that generates only a simple buzzer sound to a sound chip that generates a high quality sound of a pulse code modulation (PCM) method. It is also possible to omit. In addition, depending on the type of game machine, it is also possible to add a vibration motor to enjoy a more realistic game by vibrating the user in the course of the game.

The short range wireless communication interface 150 is a means for communication with other game machines within a few meters to hundreds of meters, and may be implemented using a short range wireless data communication method such as Bluetooth, WLAN, and the like.

The serial communication interface 160 is a means for downloading / uploading game contents or game-related information connected to a computer or a personal digital assistant (PDA) by wire, and various serial communication methods such as RS-232C, USB, and IEEE1394 may be used. Can be. The user may download the game content to a computer via the Internet and then connect the game content to the computer using the serial communication interface 160 to download the game content to the game machine.

The expansion pack interface 170 is an interface for connecting expansion packs when game content is provided in the form of a game pack or when a memory expansion pack for expanding a function of a game machine is used. In the case of a game machine that does not use an expansion pack, it is not necessary to have an expansion pack interface 170.

The ROM 180 stores an operation program and game content for operating a game machine. The ROM 180 may be a one-time programmable ROM (OTPROM), an electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, or the like.

The RAM 190 stores data temporarily stored for the operation of the game machine and core data received from the server game machine. As the RAM 190, a flash memory or the like may be used in addition to the general random access memory (RAM).

Meanwhile, although the block diagram of FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a dedicated game machine, a game machine may also be used as a mobile phone or PDA having a near field communication function in addition to the dedicated game machine.

2 is a view showing how the game consoles 100a and 100b of the present invention are connected to each other through short-range wireless communication. The server game machine 100a having the game content and serving as a server uploads the game content to the client game machine 100b in response to a request of the client game machine 100b. The division between the server game machine 100a and the client game machine 100b is determined by who has the game content to execute. That is, a game machine having game content to be executed by two game machines of the same hardware configuration becomes a server game machine, and a game machine not having game content becomes a client game machine.

The transmitted game content is limited to only core data essential for the execution of the game in order to prevent illegal use in the client game machine 100b. When the transmission of the game content is completed, the server game machine 100a and the client game machine 100b start the game. If data is required to be transmitted in the middle of the game, the client game machine 100b requests the data transfer from the server game machine 100a, and the server game machine 100a transmits the data to the client game machine 100b. The game content received by the client game machine 100b is stored in the RAM 190. When the power of the client game machine 100b is turned off after the game ends, the received game content is automatically deleted.

Next, the operation in the server game machine 100a and the client game machine 100b will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3.

In order to enjoy a game while two or more game machines share game content, these game machines must be within a communication distance allowed by the near field communication method used. In the following description, it is assumed that two game machines are in a communication distance, game content is stored in one game machine (server game machine), and game content is not stored in the other game machine (client game machine).

First, a server game machine user selects game content to execute and designates his game machine as a server (301). The server game machine 100a then enters a standby mode for executing the multi-user game.

The client game machine user selects a server game machine scan function from the game machine menu (303). Then, the client game machine 100b finds a game machine existing in the adjacent area. The search for a game machine in the short distance may be performed by sending an ID request command from the client game machine 100b (305), and sending (307) its ID from the game machine that has received it. For example, when Bluetooth is used as a short range wireless communication method, an inquiry operation may be used.

The client game machine 100b displays a list of retrieved game machines. The content shown in the list may be a name selected by the user of each game machine. This corresponds to the Bluetooth MAC address. The user of the client game machine selects the game machine 100a waiting to the server therefrom (309). Then, the client game machine 100b sends a connection setup request command to the server game machine 100a (311), and the server game machine 100a sends a connection setup confirm command (313). Wireless connection is established between both game machines.

On the other hand, both game machines establish two logical channels as shown in Fig. 6, namely, serial port emulation channel and FTP emulation channel by exchanging logical channel setting request and logical channel setting confirmation command during connection establishment. do.

The serial port emulation channel is a foreground channel, and transmits game information between terminals during a multi-user game. That is, information for synchronizing reactions (character action, position, item occurrence, etc.) between events generated in the multi-user game between game machines is transmitted. The FTP emulation channel is a background channel, which is a channel for transmitting core data after establishing a connection. It is also used for the transmission of additional data required during a multi-user game.

Since the two logical channels have different characteristics, it is preferable to use different automatic repeat request (ARQ) methods. In other words, since game information data transmitted through serial port emulation channel is small and directly affects the game in real time in each game machine, it is preferable to use Stop and Wait ARQ, and FTP emulation channel is transmitted. Since the size of the data is large and does not affect the game in real time, it is preferable to use a sliding window ARQ (or Go-back-n ARQ) method.

After the logical channel is set up as described above, the client game machine 100b requests the server game machine 100a to transmit game content (319). The server game machine 100a that is requested to transmit the game content finds and compresses core data among the stored game content in operation 321. Compression of the data is to reduce the transmission time, and this step can be omitted if it is not necessary to shorten the transmission time.

The server game machine 100a transmits the compressed core data to the client game machine 100b through the FTP emulation channel (323). The client game machine 100b decompresses the received core data (325). The decompressed core data is preferably stored in the RAM 190 to prevent unauthorized use of game content.

The client game machine 100b decompressing the core data executes this (327) and notifies the server game machine 100a of the execution of the core data (329). Then, the server game machine 100a also executes the game content (331).

On the other hand, when additional data such as the stage of the game is changed during the execution of the game, the client game machine 100b requests the server game machine 100a for necessary data. The server game machine 100a finds the data requested by the client game machine 100b in the game content and transmits the data to the client game machine 100b through an FTP emulation channel. Each stage data is preferably present in the segment form in the game content. This will be described later. The client game machine 100b which has received the additional data can continue to enjoy the game using the same. On the other hand, as described above, game information in progress of the game is transmitted through the serial port emulation channel between game machines. After the game is finished (333), the channel set between the game machines is released, and when the user of the client game machine 100b turns off the game machine, the game content received from the server game machine 100a and stored in the RAM 190 is automatically deleted.

In the above description, the case of enjoying a multi-user game using two game machines has been described, but the number of game machines that can be simultaneously connected is not limited to two.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the structure of game content and the form of the data transmitted between game machines are demonstrated. 4 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of data transmitted between a server game machine and a client game machine, and FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining that game content is divided into core data and additional data and transmitted.

In the present invention, the game data transmitted between game machines is preferably composed of a header and data as shown in FIG. In Fig. 4, the darker part is the header. In addition, the data may be classified into core data, which is data essential for game execution, and additional data, which is data necessary additionally as the game progresses.

Channel Type is used to select between a serial port emulation channel and an FTP emulation channel. 'Header length' represents the total length of the header. 'Data type' indicates whether data included in the header is core data or additional data. 'Service type' is used to set an appropriate channel environment by changing service type according to contents. 'Total length' represents the size of the entire packet including the header area and the data area.

'Flag' indicates whether the data is segmented, and 'Segmentation offset' indicates which part of the original data belongs to. The header checksum is used to verify that the packet was delivered intact. 'Options' is for recording additional information. If not used, set all to zero. 'Padding' is for filling 32-bit units with zeros if the 'option' field does not end in 32-bit units.

The game content consists of core data and additional data, as shown in FIG. The additional data may also consist of multiple segments. When transmitting core data from the server game machine 100a to the client game machine 100b, a header and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) for checking a transmission error are added to the core data. In case of additional data, each segment is transmitted, and each time, a header and a CRC are added. The reason for transmitting the additional data divided into segments is to shorten the transmission time, but to have a certain size or more in order to avoid frequent transmission. On the other hand, it is preferable that the segments do not have a fixed size and number.

On the other hand, it is preferable to attach a header to the game content to indicate where the core data of the game content is located in the game content, how many segments the additional data is divided, and where each segment is located.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated to some example, this invention is not limited to a specific Example. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the multi-user game content downloaded from one game machine can be downloaded and enjoyed by a plurality of game machines, there is an effect that the burden of purchasing the game content is less for the user.

In addition, since the multi-user game can be enjoyed by using game contents of one game machine in a plurality of game machines without accessing a server for online games, communication costs are reduced.

In addition, since the game contents are not transmitted as they are, only core data and additional data required at that time are transferred and stored in RAM, so that the game contents can be shared and enjoyed, while preventing unauthorized use by illegal copying. .

Claims (8)

A method of sharing game content between a server game machine storing game content and one or more client game machines not storing game content, the method comprising: Establishing a communication channel between the server game machine and the client game machine; Transmitting core data essential for the progress of the game from the server game machine to the client game machine, Executing game content in the server game machine and the client game machine; Requesting the server game machine to transmit necessary data from the client game machine while the game is in progress; And transmitting the additional data requested by the server game machine to the client game machine. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication channel setting step Selecting a game to run on the server game machine and setting it to server mode; Searching for a game machine within a communication range of the client game machine; Selecting a server game machine from among game machines discovered by the client game machine; Sending a channel setting request from the client game machine to the server game machine; Sending channel setting confirmation from server game machine to client game machine Game content sharing method comprising a. The method of claim 1, And a channel for transmitting game data necessary for the progress of the game and a channel for transmitting core data and additional data. The method of claim 1, Game data sharing method, characterized in that the additional data consists of a plurality of segments. The method of claim 1, wherein the game content received from the client game machine is stored in a RAM. The method of claim 1, Compressing the core data before transmitting the core data from the server game machine to the client game machine, And decompressing at the client game machine receiving the compressed core data and storing the compressed core data in the RAM. The game content sharing method of claim 1, wherein the game content stored in the server includes core data, additional data divided into a plurality of segments, and a header having core data and position and size information of each segment. Way. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication between the game machines is performed using Bluetooth.