Network game system

Abstract

A network game system is provided in which players can play a considerable number of matches without spending a long period of time, and in which it is difficult for teams that are long left on a server without being logged in to maintain high ranking. In the network game system, the server performs processing of playing matches of PC teams automatically. Client computers each include means for organizing a PC team, and means for entering the PC team organized to the server. The server includes: means for storing the PC teams entered into storage means; means for updating team costs of the respective PC teams entered; means for resetting the team costs into initial values; and means for deleting athlete characters expired of athlete life.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention relates to a network game system in which a large number of players (users) can join an online game from their client computers through communication network lines such as the Internet.[0002]Conventionally, various types of network game systems have been provided in which players can join an online game through communication lines such as the Internet from their client computers on which client programs of the game systems are installed. In some of these network game systems, players collect and organize athlete characters or other characters into their teams as an owner or field manager of a soccer, baseball, or other sport team, and have matches against teams organized by other players or by the game server to enjoy the progress of the matches and the win-loss conclusions. The players can train and exercise the athlete characters of their own teams to improve various ability scores of each athlete character, and as a consequence, impr...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]The present invention has been achieved in view of the foregoing conventional problems. It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a network game system in which players can play a considerable number of matches without spending a long period of time, and in which it is difficult for teams that are long left on the server without being logged in to maintain high ranking.

[0020]As mentioned above, the network game system according to the present invention includes: the server having the storage means which contains athlete character information on a plurality of athlete characters to be enrolled in a player character team, the athlete character information including the athlete names, preset costs, and athlete lives of the respective athlete characters; and the client computer capable of transmitting and receiving information to / from this server over the communication network. In this network game system, the server performs the processing of playing matches of the player character team which is entered in the server from the client computer. Here, the client computer includes: the team organizing means for organizing the player character team so that the total cost of athlete characters selected by the player falls within a maximum cost available for team organization; and the first entry means for entering the organized player character team in the server. The server includes the second entry means for storing the player character team entered into the storage means. Consequently, players can operate their client computers to organize their player character teams (such as baseball teams and soccer teams consisting of a plurality of athlete characters), and access the server over the communication network to make an entry for the game (registration for participation). Since the server performs the processing of playing the matches, the players need not continue logging in the server over the network throughout the match playing processing. This eliminates the need for the players to spend a long period of time for game execution.

[0022]The team organizing means may be configured to organize a predetermined number of athlete characters into the player character team. Players can thus enjoy the fun of team organization, i.e., of organizing their own player character team always by using a predetermined number of athlete characters within the maximum cost available for team organization.

[0023]The server may also be configured to include the athlete character refilling means for refilling the player character team with a backup athlete character if the athlete character deleting means deletes any athlete character expired of athlete life and the number of athlete characters falls below the predetermined number when the team maximum cost initializing means resets the maximum cost available for organizing the player character team into the initial value. This makes it possible to maintain the automatic progress of the game, for example, even if players are not aware that their athlete characters expired of athlete life are deleted and the number of athlete characters falls below the predetermined number. Here, the athlete characters may have an attribute parameter, such as a primary position and a pitching type, and priority may be given to a backup athlete character having the same attribute parameter as that of the deleted athlete character when refilling the character player team with. This can facilitate the players to use athlete characters refilled by the server for positions of the same attribute parameters as those of athlete characters deleted.

[0024]The server may also be configured to include the athlete character replacing means for replacing part or all of the athlete characters in the player character team with backup athlete characters if the total cost of the athlete characters exceeds the maximum cost available for organizing the player character team when the team maximum cost initializing means initializes the maximum cost available for organizing the player character team into the initial value. This makes it possible to maintain the automatic progress of the game even if players are not aware that the total cost of their athlete characters exceeds the maximum cost when the maximum cost available is initialized. Here, the player character team maybe composed of starting athlete characters and bench athlete characters, and priority may be given to the bench athlete characters when replacing with the backup athlete characters. This makes it possible to replace athlete characters to suppress their total cost within the maximum cost while preserving the player-selected lineup of starting athlete characters as much as possible. Since athlete characters that are more likely to join matches in the game, such as starting athlete characters, are preserved by priority, the matches can be played with minimum changes to the player-intended team organization.

[0025]When replacing athlete characters, a backup athlete character having a cost lower than or equal to a predetermined value (for example, no higher than a cost of 3) are refilled with by priority, so that the total cost of athlete characters in the player character team can be suppressed low. This can reduce the number of times for the player-selected lineup of starting athlete characters to be replaced for the purpose of suppressing the total cost of the athlete characters within the maximum cost, thereby maintaining the player-intended team organization as much as possible.

Problems solved by technology

In the game system disclosed in the foregoing Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-255, however, playing matches through a whole season (around several tens of matches) requires a long period of time in such cases that the manager of the network game system hosts a league event with more than a dozen teams including players'.

This has been a problem because working persons are busy and have only a limited amount of time to spend playing games.

The game system disclosed in the foregoing Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-216235 has had the problem, however, that athlete characters enrolled in the teams can be used for play semipermanently.

If highly-experienced players have entered their teams of high comprehensive capabilities and then left them alone for a long time without logging in the server, it is quite difficult for beginners to make a good record even though they log in the server frequently with elaborated team organization and strategies.

There has thus been the problem of narrowing the spectrum of game participants.

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