KR20210061814A - Supporting apparatus for automatic playing, and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for supporting an automatic play and an operation method thereof, that supports automatic connection of a plurality of terminals to a user account in an online game environment to continuously perform automatic play set in a game through each terminal that is automatically connected. The device for supporting the automatic play comprises: a control part; and a connection part.

Description

Automatic play support device and its operation method {SUPPORTING APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC PLAYING, AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a method for continuously performing automatic play set in a game through each terminal that is automatically connected by supporting automatic access of multiple terminals to a user account in an online game environment.

As the technology for game contents develops, the game industry is establishing itself as a cultural contents. In particular, the scale of the online game market is growing day by day, and game companies are introducing various games they have developed to the online game market. .

Online games range from casual arcade games that can be easily enjoyed by a simple operation method, and role-playing with a high degree of freedom to perform quests and nurture characters while freely moving in the space (world map) within the online game by creating each player character. It varies from game to game.

In particular, in the case of a recent online game, an automatic play function is supported, which is a function that allows repetitive operations to be automated so that play is continued even without a user's operation for a long time.

Such an automatic play function allows the user to automatically manipulate the user's own character (avatar) without directly playing the game through a method of accumulating and learning game performance data of a number of users who use the game to play the game. It can be understood as a function that can proceed.

However, although the basic purpose of this automatic play function is to play the game without user manipulation, in order to actually use the function, it is necessary to access the game through the user's terminal manipulation. When issues such as connection termination and battery discharge occur, there is a problem that the automatic play function is no longer available.

Accordingly, the present invention proposes a new method for solving the above limitation of the automatic play function in an online game environment.

The present invention was created in view of the above circumstances, and an object to be reached in the present invention is to support automatic access of multiple terminals to a user account in an online game environment, and automatically play set in the game through each terminal that is automatically connected. It is to proceed in succession.

An automatic play support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object includes: a control unit for controlling the automatic play set in the game to proceed according to the game access of the terminal; And a connection unit configured to automatically connect another terminal in a waiting state for connection to the game so that the automatic play can proceed continuously when the terminal's connection to the game is terminated.

Specifically, the connection unit may switch the terminal to the connection standby state when the terminal's game connection is terminated.

Specifically, the connection unit may approve a game access request received every setting period from the terminal in the connection waiting state when the game connection of the terminal is terminated.

Specifically, when the number of terminals in the connection standby state is 2 or more, the connection unit may select a specific terminal with the highest priority among the two or more terminals according to a predefined automatic access priority and automatically access the game.

Specifically, the automatic access priority may be defined on the basis of at least one of a terminal performance, a data transmission rate of the terminal, and a power state of the terminal identified from the benchmark information of the terminal.

Specifically, when the number of terminals in the connection standby state is 2 or more, the connection unit selects a specific terminal with the closest access point to the previous game among the two or more terminals according to a last-in-first-out method based on connection history information and automatically connects to the game. I can make it.

In order to achieve the above object, a method of operating an automatic play support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a control step of controlling the automatic play set in the game to proceed according to the game access of the terminal; And a connection step of automatically connecting another terminal in a waiting state for connection to the game so that the automatic play can proceed continuously when the terminal's connection to the game is terminated.

Specifically, in the connection step, when the game connection of the terminal is terminated, the terminal may be switched to the connection waiting state.

Specifically, in the connection step, when the game connection of the terminal is terminated, the game access request received at each setting period from the terminal in the connection waiting state may be approved.

Specifically, in the connection step, when the number of terminals in the connection standby state is 2 or more, a specific terminal with the highest priority among the two or more terminals may be selected and automatically connected to the game according to a predefined automatic access priority. .

Specifically, the automatic access priority may be defined on the basis of at least one of a terminal performance, a data transmission rate of the terminal, and a power state of the terminal identified from the benchmark information of the terminal.

Specifically, in the connection step, when the number of terminals in the waiting state for connection is 2 or more, a specific terminal with the closest access point to the previous game among the two or more terminals is selected according to a last-in-first-out method based on connection history information and automatically enters the game. Can be connected.

Accordingly, according to the automatic play support apparatus and its operation method of the present invention, the automatic play set in the game can be continuously performed through each terminal that is automatically connected by supporting automatic connection of multiple terminals to a user account in an online game environment. , User satisfaction for online games can be greatly improved.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an online game environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic play support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating an automatic play support device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

1 shows an online game environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the online game environment according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an automatic play function, which is a function that allows play to be continued without a user's operation for a long time by automating repeated operations, is supported.

This automatic play function can solve the limitation of having to carry a terminal to use the game in the current online game environment where you can enjoy the game without time and place restrictions due to the development of mobile terminals and networks.

That is, the automatic play function allows the user to automatically manipulate the user's own character (avatar) without directly playing the game through a method of accumulating and learning game performance data of a number of users who use the game. It can be understood as being a capable function.

However, although the basic purpose of the automatic play function is to play the game without user manipulation, in order to actually use the corresponding function, it is necessary to access the game through the user's terminal manipulation.

Furthermore, there is also a limitation in that the automatic play function cannot be used anymore when an issue such as network connection termination and battery discharge occurs in a terminal in which automatic play is in progress.

Accordingly, in the online game environment according to an embodiment of the present invention, in order to solve the above limitation, automatic access to a plurality of terminals is supported, and an automatic play set in the game is continuously performed through each terminal that is automatically connected. , Will include an automatic play support device 100.

The automatic play support device 100 refers to a device that provides an online game execution environment accessible through a network, and may be, for example, a game server.

For reference, this automatic play support device 100 may be implemented in the form of, for example, a web server, a database server, a proxy server, etc., and a network load balancing mechanism, or a service device, so that it can operate on the Internet or other networks. One or more of a variety of software may be installed, and through this, it may be implemented as a computerized system.

On the other hand, each terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention refers to a game device designated to be accessible with the same user account in the game execution environment provided by the automatic play support apparatus 100, for example, a smart phone, a laptop computer, And a desktop computer, and the like, and of course, all devices capable of accessing a game through a network may be included, but are not limited thereto.

For reference, it may be assumed that each of these terminals has a separate client (eg, an application) installed for game access.

As described above, in the online game environment according to an embodiment of the present invention, the automatic play set in the game can be continuously performed through the above-described configuration. Hereinafter, the configuration of the automatic play support device 100 for realizing this will be described in more detail. It will be described as.

2 shows a schematic configuration of an automatic play support apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 2, the automatic play support apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 110 for controlling automatic play, and a connection unit 120 for managing automatic connection of a terminal. Can have.

In addition, the automatic play support apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a configuration of a notification unit 130 that provides notification information in addition to the above configuration.

All or at least a part of the configuration of the automatic play support apparatus 100 including the control unit 110, the connection unit 120, and the notification unit 130 is implemented in the form of a hardware module or a software module, or a hardware module and software Modules can also be implemented in a combined form.

Here, the software module may be understood as, for example, a command executed by a processor that controls an operation in the automatic play support device 100, and such a command is a form mounted in a memory in the automatic play support device 100. I can have it.

On the other hand, the automatic play support apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a configuration of a communication unit 40 for transmitting and receiving data with a terminal in addition to the above-described configuration.

The communication unit 40 includes, for example, an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a codec chipset, and a memory, but is not limited thereto. Any known circuit to perform may be included.

As described above, the automatic play support apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention supports automatic access to multiple terminals through the above-described configuration, so that the automatic play set in the game can be continuously performed through each terminal that is automatically connected. Hereinafter, each configuration in the automatic play support device 100 for realizing this will be described in more detail.

The controller 110 performs a function of controlling automatic play.

More specifically, the control unit 110 checks whether or not the automatic play function in the game is set according to the game access of the terminal, and when the automatic play is set as a result of the check, the control unit 110 controls the automatic play according to the setting to proceed.

At this time, the controller 110 automatically searches for, approaches, and attacks an object within a predetermined range (eg, prey), controls automatic hunting, or automatically sets an automatic quest to automatically perform an ordered quest. You can proceed according to.

On the other hand, in the case of a terminal in which the game connection is confirmed as described above, it may be a terminal that is connected by a user operation, or a terminal that is automatically connected after being switched from a connection waiting state to be described below.

If the terminal where the game connection is confirmed is a terminal that has been automatically connected after being switched from the connection standby state, as described above, the procedure to check whether the automatic play function is set in the game can be omitted, and the automatic play can proceed immediately. Of course.

The connection unit 120 performs a function of managing automatic connection of a terminal.

More specifically, the connection unit 120 automatically connects another terminal in a connection waiting state to the game when it is confirmed that the game connection is terminated while the automatic play set in the game is in progress, so that the automatic play can proceed continuously.

In this case, the connection unit 120 may switch the terminal, in which the game connection is confirmed, to a connection standby state.

To this end, the connection unit 120 manages the rest of the terminals designated to be accessible with a user account, except for the terminal being connected to the game, in a connection standby state, and the terminal in this connection standby state automatically requests to access the game every setting period. It is transmitted to the play support device 100 to request an automatic connection.

Eventually, the connection unit 120 confirms the end of the game connection of the terminal, and if there is a terminal in the waiting state for connection to the user account, the terminal in the connection waiting state through a method of approving the game connection request received from the terminal. Can be automatically connected to the game.

On the other hand, in the online game environment according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is necessary to consider the case where there are two or more terminals in the waiting state for connection.

Accordingly, when the number of terminals waiting for connection to the user account is 2 or more, the connection unit 120 can automatically connect to the game by selecting a specific terminal with the highest priority among the two or more terminals according to a predefined automatic access priority. have.

Here, the automatic access priority is at least one of the terminal performance identified from the terminal's benchmark information, the data transmission rate of the terminal identified by a ping test, and the power state of the terminal such as charging or remaining battery power. It can be defined on the basis of one.

Of course, such an automatic access priority can be freely defined by designating a criterion of the priority order according to the user designation.

For example, a user who values terminal performance can designate terminal performance rather than data transmission speed or power state as a criterion for automatic access priority, and sort terminals in a waiting state by priority according to terminal performance.

For reference, in addition to the above-described criteria, for example, in consideration of the usage pattern and stability, the priority of automatic connection is selected and automatically connected to the terminal in the vicinity of the user's living radius where the main connection is confirmed, or the desk, which is a local device. It goes without saying that a terminal having a fixed connection location, such as a top computer, can be preferentially selected and automatically connected.

On the other hand, the connection unit 120, if the automatic access priority is not specified for the terminal in the connection standby state, for example, the previous game according to a last input first out (LIPO) method based on connection history information for each terminal. You can automatically connect to the game by selecting a specific terminal with the closest access point.

The notification unit 130 performs a function of providing notification information related to automatic play.

More specifically, when a predefined event occurs during the automatic play process in the game environment, the notification unit 130 confirms the possession of the user in the form of notification information or provides the event to a designated terminal by the user.

The notification information is mainly for guiding an event situation requiring a user's manipulation, and may be defined as, for example, an event situation as shown in [Table 1] below.

Item Explanation Automatic connection Information on successful automatic connection of terminal Termination of connection Terminal termination notice Lack of power Notice of power shortage of connected terminal Automation complete Guidance on completion of tasks being automated Full of belongings (not enough inventory) Information on the condition that your belongings are full Character (avatar) status Death notice of character (avatar)

As described above, according to the configuration of the automatic play support apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, a game through each terminal automatically connected by supporting automatic access of multiple terminals to a user account in an online game environment. It can be seen that since the automatic play set within the set can be continuously performed, user satisfaction with the online game can be greatly improved. Hereinafter, the automatic play support apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG. 3 ) Will be described.

First, the control unit 110 checks whether the automatic play function in the game is set according to the game access of the terminal, and when the automatic play is set as a result of the check, the control unit 110 controls the automatic play according to the setting to proceed (S10-S20). .

At this time, the controller 110 automatically searches for, approaches, and attacks an object within a predetermined range (eg, prey), controls automatic hunting, or automatically sets an automatic quest to automatically perform an ordered quest. You can proceed according to.

Meanwhile, in the case of a terminal in which the game connection is confirmed as described above, it may be a terminal connected by a user operation, or a terminal that is automatically connected after switching from a connection waiting state to be described below.

If the terminal where the game connection is confirmed is a terminal that has been automatically connected after being switched from the connection standby state, as described above, the procedure to check whether the automatic play function is set in the game can be omitted, and the automatic play can proceed immediately. Of course.

Further, the connection unit 120 checks the termination of the game connection of the terminal while the automatic play set in the game is in progress, and if there is a terminal in the waiting state for connection to the user account, the terminal is automatically connected to the game to automatically play. Make it possible to proceed continuously (S30-S40).

At this time, the connection unit 120 receives the game access request from the terminal in the connection standby state at each setting period, and when it is confirmed that the game connection is terminated by the terminal during the course of the automatic play set in the game, by approving the game access request, You can automatically connect a terminal that is waiting for connection to the game.

To this end, the connection unit 120 manages the remaining terminals except for the terminal connected to the game among terminals designated to be accessible by the user account in a connection standby state, and terminates the connection of the terminal connected to the game as described above. When is confirmed, the corresponding terminal can be switched to the connection standby state and managed.

In particular, when the number of terminals waiting to be connected to the user account is 2 or more, the connection unit 120 can automatically connect to the game by selecting a specific terminal with the highest priority among the two or more terminals according to a predefined automatic access priority. Yes (S50-S70, S90).

Here, the automatic connection priority is at least one of the terminal performance identified from the terminal's benchmark information, the data transmission rate of the terminal identified by a ping test, and the power state of the terminal such as charging or remaining battery power. It can be defined on the basis of one.

Of course, such an automatic access priority can be freely defined by designating a criterion of the priority order according to the user designation.

For example, a user who values terminal performance can designate terminal performance rather than data transmission speed or power status as a criterion for automatic access priority, and sort terminals in a waiting state by priority according to terminal performance.

For reference, in addition to the above-described criteria, for example, in consideration of usage patterns and stability, the priority of automatic access is determined by prioritizing a terminal near the user's life radius where the main connection is confirmed, and automatically connecting it, or a desk that is a local device. It goes without saying that a terminal having a fixed connection location such as a top computer can be selected and automatically connected.

On the other hand, in the previous step S60, when the automatic access priority is not specified for the terminal in the connection standby state, for example, the connection unit 120 uses a last input first out (LIPO) method based on connection history information for each terminal. Accordingly, it is possible to automatically connect to the game by selecting a specific terminal with the closest access point to the previous game (S80-S90).

As described above, according to the operating method of the automatic play support apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, through each terminal that is automatically connected by supporting automatic access of multiple terminals to a user account in an online game environment. It can be seen that since the automatic play set in the game can be continuously performed, user satisfaction with the online game can be greatly improved.

Meanwhile, the functional operations and implementations of the subject described in this specification are implemented as digital electronic circuits, or computer software, firmware, or hardware including the structures disclosed in this specification and structural equivalents, or at least one of them. It can be implemented in combination. Implementations of the subject matter described herein are one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules relating to computer program instructions encoded on a tangible program storage medium for processing or execution by the operation of a processing system. Can be implemented.

The computer-readable medium may be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition of materials that affect a machine-readable radio wave signal, or a combination of one or more of them.

In this specification, the term "system" or "device" encompasses all devices, devices, and machines for processing data, including, for example, a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers. In addition to hardware, the processing system may include, for example, a code constituting a processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, or a combination of one or more of them, etc., to form an execution environment for a computer program upon request. .

Computer programs (also known as programs, software, software applications, scripts or code) can be written in any form of a compiled or interpreted language or a programming language, including a priori or procedural language, and can be written as a standalone program or module, It can be deployed in any form, including components, subroutines, or other units suitable for use in a computer environment. Computer programs do not necessarily correspond to files in the file system. A program may be within a single file provided to the requested program, or within multiple interactive files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, subprograms, or portions of code), or parts of files that hold other programs or data. (Eg, one or more scripts stored within a markup language document). The computer program may be deployed to run on one computer or multiple computers located at one site or distributed across a plurality of sites and interconnected by a communication network.

On the other hand, computer-readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include, for example, semiconductor memory devices such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices, such as magnetic disks such as internal hard disks or external disks, magneto-optical disks, and CDs. -May contain any type of nonvolatile memory, media and memory devices, including ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and memory can be supplemented by special purpose logic circuits or incorporated into it.

Implementations of the subject matter described herein include a backend component, such as a data server, or include a middleware component such as an application server, or, for example, a web browser or graphical user that allows a user to interact with an implementation of the subject matter described herein. It may be implemented in a front-end component, such as a client computer having an interface, or a computing system that includes any combination of one or more of such back-ends, middleware, or front-end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication, for example a communication network.

While this specification includes details of a number of specific implementations, these should not be construed as limiting to the scope of any invention or claimable, but rather as a description of features that may be peculiar to a particular embodiment of a particular invention. It must be understood. Likewise, certain features described herein in the context of separate embodiments may be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination. Furthermore, although features operate in a particular combination and may be initially described as so claimed, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some cases be excluded from the combination, and the claimed combination may be a sub-combination. Or sub-combination variations.

In addition, although the present specification describes the operations in the drawings in a specific order, it should not be understood that such operations should be performed in the specific order or sequential order shown in order to obtain a desirable result, or that all illustrated operations should be performed. Can not be done. In certain cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Further, the separation of the various system components of the above-described embodiments should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and the program components and systems described are generally integrated together into a single software product or packaged in multiple software products. It should be understood that you can

As such, this specification is not intended to limit the invention to the specific terms presented. Accordingly, although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above-described examples, those skilled in the art can make modifications, changes, and modifications to these examples without departing from the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims to be described later rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modified forms derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention. do.

According to the automatic play support device and its operation method according to the present invention, the automatic play set in the game can be continuously performed through each terminal automatically connected by supporting automatic access of multiple terminals to a user account in an online game environment. In this invention, as it goes beyond the limitations of the existing technology, it is an invention that has industrial applicability because not only the use of the related technology, but also the possibility of marketing or sales of the applied device is sufficient, as well as a degree that can be practically clearly implemented.

100: automatic play support device
110: control unit 120: connection unit
130: notification unit

Claims (12)

A control unit for controlling the automatic play set in the game to proceed according to the game access of the terminal; And
And a connection unit configured to automatically connect another terminal in a waiting state for connection to the game when the terminal's connection to the game is terminated so that the automatic play can be continuously performed. The method of claim 1,
The connection part,
When the game connection of the terminal is terminated, the automatic play support device, characterized in that for switching the terminal to the connection standby state. The method of claim 1,
The connection part,
When the game connection of the terminal is terminated, the automatic play support device, characterized in that for approving a game connection request received at each setting period from the terminal in the connection waiting state. The method of claim 1,
The connection part,
When the number of terminals in the connection standby state is 2 or more, a specific terminal having the highest priority among the two or more terminals is selected and automatically connected to the game according to a predefined automatic access priority. The method of claim 4,
The automatic connection priority is:
An automatic play support device, characterized in that it is defined on the basis of at least one of a terminal performance, a data transmission rate of the terminal, and a power state of the terminal identified from the benchmark information of the terminal. The method of claim 4,
The connection part
Automatic play, characterized in that when the number of terminals in the connection standby state is 2 or more, a specific terminal with the closest access point of the previous game among the two or more terminals is selected and automatically connected to the game according to a last-in-first-out method based on connection history information. Support device. A control step of controlling the automatic play set in the game to proceed according to the game access of the terminal; And
And a connection step of automatically connecting another terminal in a waiting state for connection to a game so that the automatic play can proceed continuously when the terminal's game connection is terminated. The method of claim 7,
The connection step,
When the game connection of the terminal is terminated, the method of operating an automatic play support apparatus, characterized in that the terminal is switched to the connection standby state. The method of claim 7,
The connection step,
When the game connection of the terminal is terminated, the operation method of the automatic play support apparatus, characterized in that to approve a game connection request received at each setting period from the terminal in the connection waiting state. The method of claim 7,
The connection step,
When the number of terminals in the waiting state for connection is 2 or more, a specific terminal with the highest priority among the two or more terminals is selected according to a predefined automatic access priority, and the operation of the automatic play support device is automatically connected to the game. Way. The method of claim 10,
The automatic connection priority is:
A method of operating an automatic play support apparatus, characterized in that it is defined on the basis of at least one of a terminal performance, a data transmission rate of the terminal, and a power state of the terminal identified from the benchmark information of the terminal. The method of claim 10,
The connection step is
Automatic play, characterized in that when the number of terminals in the connection standby state is 2 or more, a specific terminal with the closest access point of the previous game among the two or more terminals is selected and automatically connected to the game according to a last-in-first-out method based on connection history information. How the support device works.

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