KR20050106633A - A method for providing location information of a game charater by operating with messanger server and a system thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for providing location information of a game character on an online game, and to such an online game system, and more particularly, to a method for providing location information of a game character on an online game in connection with a predetermined messenger server and an online game. It is about the system.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing location information of a character in an online game, the method comprising: receiving a character location information request signal of a second user from a messenger client of a first user; Transmitting a character location information query corresponding to the character location information request signal to a messenger client of the second user; Receiving a character location information response corresponding to the character location information query from the messenger client of the second user; And transmitting the character location information response to the messenger client of the first user, wherein the messenger client of the first user processes the character location information response to the terminal of the first user. And display the character location information of the user, wherein the messenger client of the second user receives the character location information of the second user from the game module of the second user.

Description

Online game method and online game system that provides game character location information in conjunction with messenger server {A METHOD FOR PROVIDING LOCATION INFORMATION OF A GAME CHARATER BY OPERATING WITH MESSANGER SERVER AND A SYSTEM THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a method for providing location information of a game character on an online game, and to such an online game system, and more particularly, to a method for providing location information of a game character on an online game in connection with a predetermined messenger server and an online game. It is about the system.

In general online game environment, there are many problems in system processing and signal processing efficiency for signal processing of a wide range of games with one game server. Various data distribution methods are in operation to solve these problems. .

A representative example of a data distribution method introduced in the related art is a method of dividing a game area into zones according to a predetermined criterion, and assigning a dedicated game server to the divided zone to induce data distribution.

In the zone classification and data distribution processing using the dedicated game server, when the character of the client wants to know the position information of another character while the game is in progress, broadcasting the dedicated game server for one or more zones or The current location information of all characters connected to the online game is recorded in the database, and if the location information query is transmitted, the current location information of the character should be retrieved by referring to the database. It was a big load on.

In addition, in the conventional online game, the method of providing the location information of the character stays at showing the information of the specific local server to which the character is connected, not the exact location information of the character connected to the online game. An example of a screen shot of a strategy simulation game called Blizzard's StarCraft among these conventional online games is shown in FIG. 1.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of providing character position information in an online game according to the prior art. Referring to FIG. 1, when a first user inputs ID information of a second user to search for in the command input window 110, the online game server determines whether the second user logs in to the online game (100). Is displayed to the first user. In this case, when the second user logs in to the online game server, the name of the game server to which the second user is connected may also be displayed. According to the method for providing location information in an online game according to the related art, it is only possible to provide information on whether a user to search for is logged in to the game server or name information of a game server to which the user is logged in. It did not provide detailed information about where it is located in the online game.

The method for providing location information in an online game according to the related art is more necessary in a massively multi-player online role playing game (MMORPG) in which a plurality of users access and play a game than the above-described strategy simulation game. There is a problem in that there is no method for providing position information of another character. In such a conventional MMORPG, the load on the game server is usually very large due to the management of thousands of tens of thousands of concurrent users, and the server processing load and communication network load required to provide the user with the location information necessary for searching for the character location information. It was not easy to meet the user's need for location information.

In addition, the conventional method for providing location information in an online game has a problem in that a user who wants to search for location information of another user cannot search the location information of another user unless the user logs in to the online game. That is, there is a problem in that even without logging in to the online game, the user cannot meet the user's desire to access the online game or to obtain accurate location information on the online game.

Therefore, in the online game, it is possible to reduce the load on the game server necessary to provide the location information of the character, and to obtain location information on a specific character even when the user is not logged in to the online game, and the specific character is the online game There is an increasing demand for online game methods and systems that can provide location information in specific online games, including whether or not they are connected to the.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and an object thereof is to provide a method for retrieving location information of a specific character in an online game and an online game system.

In addition, the online game method and the online game system that provides the location information of the game character in conjunction with the messenger server according to the present invention, by providing the location information in a peer-to-peer manner, load and communication of the game server that provides the online game service Its purpose is to reduce the load on the network.

In addition, an online game method and an online game system that provides location information of a game character in conjunction with a messenger server according to the present invention store map data of the online game on a user's terminal and store the current location information of the user in a messenger server. It is an object of the present invention to provide the user with more accurate character position information by providing the position information of the character in a manner to be transmitted through.

In addition, the online game method and the online game system that provides the location information of the game character in conjunction with the messenger server according to the present invention, the location information of the specific character of the online game through the messenger server even when the user is not logged in to the game server The object of the present invention is to enhance the user's convenience.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the method for providing the position information of the character in the online game according to an embodiment of the present invention, receiving a character position information request signal of the second user from the messenger client of the first user step; Transmitting a character location information query corresponding to the character location information request signal to a messenger client of the second user; Receiving a character location information response corresponding to the character location information query from the messenger client of the second user; And transmitting the character location information response to the messenger client of the first user, wherein the messenger client of the first user processes the character location information response to the terminal of the first user. And display the character location information of the user, wherein the messenger client of the second user receives the character location information of the second user from the game module of the second user.

In addition, the method for receiving location information of a character in an online game according to another aspect of the present invention, the method comprising: maintaining a game module for executing the online game in a storage means; Maintaining a messenger client in said storage means for connecting to a predetermined messenger server and communicating with at least one user; Transmitting a character position information request signal of a second user connected to a game server of the online game; Receiving a character location information response corresponding to the character location information request signal from the messenger client of the second user; And processing the received character location information response to display character location information of the second user on a terminal of the first user, wherein the messenger client of the second user is configured to display the second user's character. Character information of the second user is received from the game module.

In addition, the on-line game system that provides the location information of the character according to an aspect of the present invention, the character location information request signal of the second user received from the messenger client of the first user through communication between the messenger client of one or more users; A messenger server for transmitting to the messenger client of the second user and transmitting a character location information response received from the messenger client of the second user to the messenger client of the first user; A map database for recording predetermined static data necessary for playing the online game; And a game server that controls to perform the online game through communication between game modules of the one or more users, and transmits predetermined dynamic data necessary for performing the online game to the messenger server to perform data synchronization. And the messenger client of the first user processes the character position information response received from the messenger server to display the character position information of the second user on the terminal of the first user, The messenger client may be configured to receive character position information of the second user from the game module of the second user and transmit the received character position information to the messenger server.

Hereinafter, an online game method and an online game system for providing location information of a game character in connection with a messenger server according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an online game system that provides location information of a game character in connection with a messenger server according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the online game system according to the present invention includes a game server 220, a messenger server 230, and a map database 240, and includes one or more user terminals 210 through a predetermined communication network. Is connected.

The user terminal 210 receives a game data or a game patch for game progress from the game server 220 having a predetermined game service provision contract through a communication network to provide a terminal provided to an Internet user who receives an online game service. it means. The user terminal 210 is a device that implements an online game by maintaining a connection state with the game server 220 through a communication network such as an internet network or a telephone line. For example, a personal computer, a handheld computer, a PDA ( It is a concept to collectively refer to a terminal having a predetermined computing power by providing a predetermined memory means such as a personal digital assistant), a mobile phone, a smartphone, and the like with a predetermined microprocessor.

The map database 240 records the static data necessary to perform the online game service according to the present invention. Information for performing the online game service according to the present invention may largely include static data and dynamic data. The static data refers to data that does not change after the online game service is started, such as map data, place names, names, and digitized information for distinguishing regions. In addition, the dynamic data refers to continuously changing data such as the surname generated during the execution of the MMORPG, guild information of the region. In the online game system according to the present invention, the static data is recorded in the map database 240, and the game server 220 and the messenger server 230 access the map database 240 to perform online games or provide character position information. You can get the static data you need.

The game server 220 is for providing an online game service through one or more user terminals 210. The game server 220 controls one or more zones included in the online game and controls user progress and game progress. It may be configured to include. The game server 220 is connected to the user terminal through a communication network, and serves to provide a game service online to a user who has a predetermined contract relationship, for example, a MUD (Multiple User Dialogue) game server, a mug ( MUG; may refer to a game server. The game service provided by the game server 220 may include a predetermined game progress data or a game patch required for a game when a game module having a game related program installed in a user terminal accesses the game server 220 according to the present invention. patch) transmits data to the terminal means, and supports game progression using the user character controlled by the game module. A detailed description of the game server 220 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3A.

The messenger server 230 is a messenger server designed to perform communication between a messenger client of one or more users, and is designed to be similar to a conventional messenger server such as Microsoft's MSN, or to provide character position information according to the present invention. Specially designed messenger servers are available. The messenger server 230 according to the present invention fetches static data necessary for providing character position information from the map database 240, and provides dynamic data necessary for providing more accurate character position information through communication with the game server 220. By obtaining a, it operates to provide the location information of the character on the online game through the messenger client of one or more users. A detailed description of the messenger server 230 will be described below with reference to FIG. 3A.

Figure 3a is a block diagram showing the configuration of a game server and a messenger server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the game server 300 according to the present invention includes a login server 301, one or more zone servers 302 to 304, a character information database 305, a zone information database 306, and a database manager 307. And a messenger server communication unit 308, the messenger server 320 according to the present invention includes a login server 321, a user information database 322, and a game server communication unit 323. Can be configured.

The login server 301 of the game server 300 according to the present invention performs connection management of a game user. The game user is authenticated through the login ID and password input from the game user, and the login history of the game user is managed. According to an implementation, the login server 301 may operate to perform charging for a game service provided to the game user in association with a predetermined charging server (not shown).

Zone servers 302 to 304 define one or more zones by dividing game map data (“World”) necessary for game progress in game server 300 into a range (size) of a predetermined area, and defining A configuration module that performs online game performance control in each zone. Such zones may be subdivided into one or more cells.

In FIG. 3A, the game map data is divided into three zones, and three zone servers 302-304 assigned to each zone are illustrated. As described above, the zone may be set in size, number, etc. by the operator of the online game system according to the present invention, and the command processing in the online game is limited to each zone so that data distribution processing is performed. Here, the command processing may refer to signal processing that allows game progression to be performed by manipulating a specific user character according to a user's command signal received from a game module which is a user client. For example, the command processing that may be generated in a zone includes processing related to user character manipulation control such as moving a user character or attacking a specific monster according to a control manipulation received from a user game module. Background objects (trees, buildings, water, etc.) or other characters (monsters, other user characters, NPCs, etc.) may be processed to change and display as the user character moves.

The character information database 305 records information about a character playing an online game according to the present invention. An example of the table structure of such character information database 305 is shown in FIG. 3B.

3B is a diagram illustrating an example of a character information database table included in a game server according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3B, the character information database 305 of the game server 300 of the on-line game system according to the present invention relates to a user ID, a character name, login information, and a zone server currently performing command processing for the corresponding character. Information, position coordinate information of the current character, and the like may be recorded.

When the login information 380 provides character location information of a specific user in the online game system according to the present invention, the login information 380 indicates whether the user has logged in to the online game system, and the login information is 'On' 381. This means that the user's character is logged in to the online game system. In the online game system according to the present invention, a user may have one or more characters corresponding to one user ID, which is different from the login server 301 when the user logs in to the online game system 300 according to the present invention. It can be implemented by allowing the user to select a character to play through communication.

Zone information database 306 records information about one or more zones partitioned according to the design of the system operator in the online game. The zone information database 306 communicates with one or more zone servers 302 to 304 to manage information on user characters located in the zone, monsters and items created or destroyed in the zone, and the like.

The database manager 307 manages the character information database 305 and the zone information database 306 of the game server 300 according to the present invention, and includes Oracle, Infomix, and Sybase. It can be implemented according to the purpose of the present invention using a relational database management system (RDBMS) such as DB2, or an object-oriented database management system (OODBMS) such as Gemston, Orion, O2, and the like.

The messenger server communication unit 308 is responsible for interfacing for communication with the messenger server 320 according to the present invention. When the static data is updated in the game server 300, the messenger server communication unit 308 transmits the updated static data to the map database 310. In addition to recording, data synchronization between the game server 300 and the messenger server 320 may be performed by periodically or aperiodically transmitting dynamic data necessary for game play to the messenger server 320.

The login server 321 of the messenger server 320 receives a connection request from a messenger client installed in at least one user terminal, and performs connection management of the user. The messenger user is authenticated through the login ID and password transmitted from the messenger client, and the login history of the messenger user is managed. In some implementations, the login server 321 may operate in conjunction with a predetermined content providing server (not shown) to provide various contents (music, avatar decoration, etc.) to the messenger user.

The user information database 322 records information about a user who wants to provide or receive character position information in the online game according to the present invention. An example of such a table structure of the user information database 322 is shown in FIG. 3C.

3C illustrates an example of a user information database table included in a messenger server according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3C, the user information database of the messenger server 320 according to the present invention includes a location information providing permission field 370 in addition to basic user information such as a user ID. The location information providing permission field 370 may be set or un-flag flag according to the user's setting. Indicates whether or not to provide it to the user. For example, in the case of the user ID 'pencee', the permission flag 371 is set in the location information providing permission field for one or more characters.

4A and 4B are flowcharts illustrating an online game method for providing location information of a game character in connection with a messenger server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4A, an online game method for providing location information of a game character in conjunction with a messenger server according to an embodiment of the present invention may be performed by including the following steps.

The online game system according to the present invention includes a map database (step 401). As described above, the map database records static data required to perform the online game service according to the present invention. As an example of the static data, the map database may include map data, name, name, and digitized information for distinguishing regions. Data that does not change after the online game service is started.

In addition, the messenger server and the game server of the online game system according to the present invention perform a continuously changing dynamic data synchronization such as gender, possession guild, etc. generated during the online game (step 402). This can be done by fetching the dynamic data stored in the recording means of the game server from the messenger server.

The static data or the dynamic data of steps 401 and 402 may be recorded in the storage means of the user terminal when the user connects to the game server or the messenger server.

A first user who is a user who wants to retrieve character location information of a predetermined second user transmits a second user location information request to a messenger server through a messenger client (step 403). Upon receiving this, the messenger server checks whether the second user is logged in to the messenger server (steps 404 and 405), and if so, checks whether the second user is logged in to the online game (steps 404 and 405). 407, 408). Steps 404 and 405 may be implemented to determine whether the corresponding user is logged in through the login server of the messenger server. In addition, steps 407 and 408 may be implemented to determine whether the corresponding user is logged in by searching the login information field of the character information database of the game server.

If it is determined in step 405 that the second user is not logged in to the messenger server, a message indicating that the location information of the second user cannot be retrieved due to the disconnection of the second user is transmitted to the messenger client of the first user. (Step 406).

If it is determined in step 408 that the second user is not logged in to the game server, a message indicating that the second user is not connected to the game server is transmitted to the messenger client of the first user (step 409). .

If it is determined in step 408 that the second user is connected to the game server according to the present invention, the location information request received from the first user is transmitted to the messenger client of the second user (step 410).

Referring to FIG. 4A, referring to FIG. 4B, an online game method for providing location information of a game character in association with a messenger server according to an embodiment of the present invention may be performed by including the following steps.

The messenger client of the second user receives the location information request transmitted in step 410 of FIG. 4A (step 451), and transmits the game character location information query of the user to the game module installed in the terminal of the second user (step 452). ). The game module of the second user retrieves the current location information of the second user (step 453), and sends an acknowledgment (ACK) including the retrieved current location information of the second user to the messenger client (step 454). The messenger client of the second user transmits a location information response including the location information to the messenger server (step 455), and the messenger server receiving the message transmits the location information response to the messenger client of the first user (step 456). . The messenger client of the first user receives the transmitted location information response (step 457), transfers the location information to the game module of the first user, and the game module of the first user processes the delivered location information (step In operation 459, the current location information of the second user may be displayed to the first user in various ways.

In step 459, the method of displaying the location information can be largely divided into (1) text-based display and (2) display using a graphical user interface (GUI), and such display method includes static data-based display and dynamic data. Can be subdivided into indications again.

The text-based display is to provide the first user by processing the location information of the second user in a text format with the predetermined terrain information. For example, location information may be provided in the form of 'Fly in the wind is currently located at 28 and 83 lane towns'.

The display using the graphical user interface (GUI) provides the first user by processing the location information of the second user together with the predetermined map data in a graphical user interface manner, and the map data stored in the user terminal storage means of the first user. And location information (coordinate information, etc.) transmitted from the messenger client of the second user, the location information may be provided by displaying the current location of the character of the second user on the map data.

In addition, the display based on static data may refer to a method of providing data that does not change, that is, location information based on place name or coordinate information that does not change in the online game progression, and the display based on dynamic data continuously changes. It may mean a method of providing location information including surname or guild information. An example of such dynamic data-based display is 'Fly in the Wind is currently located at 28 and 83 Manda villages within the territory of the Rainbow Guild'.

In this manner, terrain information (zone information, cell information, name information of the corresponding cell, base point coordinate information of the corresponding cell, etc.) or map data for processing the location information and providing it to the first user is previously recorded in the storage means of the user terminal. The first user and the second user transmit and receive location information through a messenger client, and process and display the location information based on the terrain information or the map data at the user terminal using the location information. The advantage of reducing the load on the game server for providing location information.

4C is a flowchart illustrating an example of a location information processing method of processing location information provided to a user terminal and displaying the same to a user according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4C, the method of processing and displaying the location information provided to the user terminal according to the present invention may be performed by including the following steps.

The messenger client of the first user receives a location information response sent from the messenger client of the second user (step 471). The received location information is transmitted to the game module (step 472), and the game module determines whether the terrain information is stored in the storage means of the user terminal (step 473). If it is determined in step 473 that the terrain information is not stored in the storage means of the user terminal, the game module requests the terrain information from the messenger client (step 474), and the messenger client sends an acknowledgment including the terrain information to the game module. Transmit (step 475). In operation 475, the messenger client may receive the corresponding terrain information from the messenger server, and operate to forward the transmitted terrain information to the game module.

If it is determined in step 473 that the terrain information is stored in the storage means of the user terminal or if the terrain information is received from the messenger client in step 475, the game module processes the location information using the terrain information (step 476). The processing procedure of such location information may be divided into (1) text-based display or (2) GUI-based display as described above.

In step 477, it is determined whether the location information is to be displayed on the GUI map. If the location information is not displayed on the GUI map, the location information is provided to the user through a messenger client in a text format (step 478). If it is determined in step 477 that the location information is displayed on the GUI map, it is determined whether map data for displaying as GUI map data is stored in the storage means of the user terminal (step 479), and the map data is stored. If so, the location information is displayed in GUI format using the map data (step 481). If it is determined in step 479 that the map data is not stored in the storage means of the user terminal, similarly to the steps 474 and 475 described above, a request is made to the messenger client to transmit the map data, and the map data is sent from the messenger server. May be received (step 480).

Whether to display the corresponding location information on the GUI map in step 477 may be performed by a user setting or a system default setting according to the implementation of the location information providing method according to the present invention. That is, when the user wants to display the text based, it may be implemented to display the text based location information, and when the user wants to display on the GUI map, it may be implemented to display the GUI map based location information.

5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a location information processing method for processing location information of a character connected to an online game according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, name information of a specific cell, base points B1 to B3 of a cell, and radius information R1 to R3 of a cell are stored in the user terminal of the first user as terrain information. By using the location information transmitted from the messenger client of the second user it is possible to provide the character location information to the first user in various formats.

For example, when the location information configured with the predetermined coordinate information is transmitted from the messenger client of the second user, the game module of the first user may perform the following operation using the terrain information stored in the storage means of the user terminal. . That is, distance information D1 to D3 between the coordinate information and one or more base points B1 to B3 are calculated. The calculated distance information D1 to D3 is compared with the radius information R1 to R3 of the cell to select a cell having Dx <Rx. Referring to FIG. 5, cell 1 may be selected because the coordinate information 400 transmitted from the messenger client of the second user has a distance D1 from the base point B1, and the calculated D1 is D1 <R1. In the case of the text-based display method based on the name information of the selected cell 1, character position information display such as "Fly in the wind is located at 28 and 83 locations in Guu Village" can be displayed.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, when there is more than one cell having Dx <Rx (when the second user character is located near the boundary of one or more cells), the character position is located near the boundary of the corresponding cells. Information can be displayed, and if there is no cell with Dx <Rx (when the second user character is located outside the area divided by the cell), character position information can be displayed using the cell name information having the shortest distance Dx. Can be.

6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface for providing location information of a game character according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, in accordance with the present invention, a user interface for providing location information of a game character through a messenger client may be classified into map data 601, a location display area 602 of a character, and map display format selection buttons 603 and 604. ), A textual location information providing field 605 and a detailed information view button 606 may be configured. As described above, the map data 601 and the location display area 602 may be displayed when the user wants to display the location information in the GUI map data format or with the system default setting. In addition, the map display format selection buttons 603 and 604 may be function buttons that can enlarge or reduce the map. That is, when the 'view world map' button 603 is clicked, the corresponding map data can be viewed macroscopically. When the 'mini map view' button 604 is clicked, the corresponding map data can be microscopically viewed. Can be implemented.

In addition, the location information providing field 605 in a text format displays the current location information of a specific game character in a text format, and when detailed view button 606 is clicked, detailed location information including dynamic data (for example, 'rainbow' 'In the guild's territory, 28, 83 lane town in the wind.

Embodiments of the invention also include computer-readable media containing program instructions for performing various computer-implemented operations. The computer readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. The medium or program instructions may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be of the kind well-known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape, optical media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, and magnetic disks, such as floppy disks. Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. The medium may be a transmission medium such as an optical or metal wire, a waveguide, or the like including a carrier wave for transmitting a signal specifying a program command, a data structure, or the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine code generated by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like.

7 is an internal block diagram of a general-purpose computer device that may be employed in an online game system that provides location information of a game character in conjunction with a messenger server according to the present invention.

Computer device 700 includes one or more processors 710 connected to a main memory device including random access memory (RAM) 720 and read only memory (ROM) 730. The processor 710 is also called a central processing unit (CPU). As is well known in the art, the ROM 730 serves to transfer data and instructions to the CPU unidirectionally, and the RAM 720 typically transfers data and instructions bidirectionally. Used to. RAM 720 and ROM 730 may include any suitable form of computer readable media. Mass storage 740 is bi-directionally coupled to processor 910 to provide additional data storage capability and may be any of the computer readable recording media described above. The mass storage device 740 is used to store programs, data, and the like, and is typically an auxiliary memory device such as a hard disk which is slower than the main memory device. Certain mass storage devices such as CD ROM 760 may be used. The processor 710 may include one or more input / output interfaces, such as video monitors, trackballs, mice, keyboards, microphones, touchscreen displays, card readers, magnetic or paper tape readers, voice or handwriting readers, joysticks, or other known computer input / output devices. 750 is connected. Finally, the processor 710 may be connected to a wired or wireless communication network through the network interface 770. Through this network connection, the procedure of the method described above can be performed. The apparatus and tools described above are well known to those skilled in the computer hardware and software arts.

The hardware device described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention.

While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined not only by the claims below, but also by the equivalents of the claims.

As described above, the present invention has been described by way of limited embodiments and drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, which can be variously modified and modified by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Modifications are possible. Accordingly, the spirit of the present invention should be understood only by the claims set forth below, and all equivalent or equivalent modifications thereof will belong to the scope of the present invention.

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a method capable of searching for location information of a specific character in an online game, and the effect of providing such an online game system.

In addition, according to the online game method and online game system that provides the location information of the game character in conjunction with the messenger server according to the present invention, by providing the location information in a peer-to-peer manner, the load of the game server for providing an online game service And it is possible to obtain the effect of reducing the load on the communication network.

In addition, according to the online game method and online game system that provides the location information of the game character in conjunction with the messenger server according to the present invention, the map data of the online game is stored in the user's terminal and the current location information of the user messenger By providing the position information of the character in a manner of transmitting through the server, it is possible to provide a more accurate character position information to the user.

In addition, according to the online game method and the online game system to provide the location information of the game character in conjunction with the messenger server according to the present invention, even if the user is not logged in to the game server through the messenger server The user's convenience can be enhanced by allowing the location information to be acquired.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of providing character position information in an online game according to the prior art.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an online game system that provides location information of a game character in connection with a messenger server according to the present invention.

Figure 3a is a block diagram showing the configuration of a game server and a messenger server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3B is a diagram illustrating an example of a character information database table included in a game server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3C illustrates an example of a user information database table included in a messenger server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4A and 4B are flowcharts illustrating an online game method for providing location information of a game character in connection with a messenger server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4C is a flowchart illustrating an example of a location information processing method of processing location information provided to a user terminal and displaying the same to a user according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a location information processing method for displaying location information of a character connected to an online game according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface for providing location information of a game character according to the present invention.

7 is an internal block diagram of a general-purpose computer device that may be employed in an online game system that provides location information of a game character in conjunction with a messenger server according to the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

210: user terminal 220: game server

230: messenger server 240: map database

Claims (1)

In the method of providing the position information of the character in the online game, Receiving a character location information request signal of a second user from a messenger client of the first user; Transmitting a character location information query corresponding to the character location information request signal to a messenger client of the second user; Receiving a character location information response corresponding to the character location information query from the messenger client of the second user; And Transmitting the character location information response to the messenger client of the first user. Including, The messenger client of the first user processes the character position information response to display the character position information of the second user on a terminal of the first user, The messenger client of the second user receives character position information of the second user from a game module of the second user, The step of transmitting the location information query corresponding to the location information request signal to the messenger client of the second user, Determining whether the messenger client of the second user is connected to a predetermined messenger server; And Determining whether the second user is connected to a predetermined game server when it is determined that the second server is connected to the messenger server; Transmitting the location information query to the messenger client of the second user when it is determined that the game server is connected to the game server. Including, Receiving the location information response corresponding to the location information query from the messenger client of the second user, The messenger client of the second user transmits the location information query to the game module of the second user; The game module of the second user searches for location information with reference to the terminal storage means of the second user, and transmits the location information retrieved from the game module of the second user in the location information response corresponding to the location information query. To work, The messenger server and the game server are connected to a map database for recording predetermined static data required for the online game, and the messenger server obtains predetermined dynamic data for the online game from the game server. A method of providing position information of a character in an online game, said method operative to fetch and synchronize.