IP Library Granted Patent US 8,052,527
Granted Patent B2
US 8,052,527 · App. 12/073,872 · Granted Nov 8, 2011

Calculation control method, storage medium, and game device

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,052,527
App. No.
12/073,872
Granted
Nov 8, 2011
Kind
B2
Abstract

A plurality of first missions (mission A (M 1 A), mission B (M 1 B), and mission C (M 1 C)) are set corresponding to different battle areas in a game space 2 . The operations of NPCs are automatically controlled so that friend NPCs 8 and enemy NPCs 9 involved in each first mission simultaneously fight a battle in parallel. A player character 6 is automatically determined to have participated in the first mission for which the player character 6 has approached the battle area or the first mission in which the enemy NPC 9 which has been shot down by the player character 6 is involved, and individual mission support contribution points Pa, Pb, Pc, and total support contribution points Pt are increased when the player character 6 has shot down the enemy NPC 9 . When the player has performed a support request operation input, the total support contribution points Pt are decreased by given points. A support character 8 s is selected from surviving friend NPCs 8 a and 8 b involved in the first missions which have been accomplished. The support character 8 s is controlled to approach the present position of the player character 6 and support the player character 6 corresponding to the type of support request.

Claims (70)

1. A calculation control method that causes a computer to execute a given video game by creating a virtual game space and controlling a character in the virtual game space, the method comprising:

disposing a plurality of non-player characters (hereinafter referred to as “NPCs”) in respective battle areas in the game space, and causing the plurality of NPCs to fight a battle in parallel in the respective battle areas, the plurality of NPCs being classified into a friend NPC that fights with a player character (hereinafter referred to as “PC”) and an enemy NPC that fights against the PC;

determining whether or not the PC has participated in the battle in the respective battle areas based on at least a present position of the PC;

detecting whether or not the player has performed a support request operation input;

performing a given support process, the given support process being a control process that causes a friend NPC involved in a battle area where the PC has been determined to participate in the battle to approach the present position of the PC and support the PC when detecting that the player has performed the support request operation input; and

generating an image of the game space and controlling display of the generated image,

wherein at least one of the above steps is performed by a processor of the computer.

2. The calculation control method as defined in claim 1 ,

the calculation control method further including:

determining whether or not the battle has been completed in the respective battle areas; and

performing the support process for a friend NPC involved in a battle area where the PC has been determined to participate in the battle and the battle has been determined to have been completed.

3. The calculation control method as defined in claim 1 ,

the calculation control method further including: managing attack results for the PC corresponding to each battle area where the PC has been determined to participate in the battle; and

selecting a friend NPC as a target of the support process based on the attack results corresponding to each battle area.

4. The calculation control method as defined in claim 3 ,

the calculation control method further including selecting a battle area from the battle areas based on the attack results corresponding to the respective battle area, and selecting a friend NPC involved in the selected battle area as the target of the support process.

5. The calculation control method as defined in claim 4 ,

the calculation control method further including selecting a friend NPC as the target of the support process from friend NPCs involved in the selected battle area based on the attack results corresponding to the selected battle area.

6. The calculation control method as defined in claim 4 ,

the calculation control method further including:

terminating the support process when a given execution time has elapsed after the support process has been performed; and

changing the control execution time based on the attack results corresponding to the selected battle area.

7. The calculation control method as defined in claim 3 ,

the calculation control method further including:

calculating and managing evaluation points determined by evaluating the attack results for the PC corresponding to each battle area using a given evaluation method as overall attack results for the PC corresponding to the battle areas;

subtracting given evaluation points from the evaluation points each time the support request operation input is detected; and

when the support request operation input has been detected, omitting the support process when the evaluation points are less than the given evaluation points, and performing the support process when the evaluation points are equal to or greater than the given evaluation points.

8. The calculation control method as defined in claim 7 ,

the calculation control method further including:

determining whether or not the battle has succeeded in the respective battle areas; and

adding given bonus points to the evaluation points corresponding to each battle area where the PC has been determined to participate in the battle and the battle has been determined to have succeeded.

9. The calculation control method as defined in claim 3 ,

the calculation control method further including changing a given capability parameter value set corresponding to the selected friend NPC.

10. The calculation control method as defined in claim 9 ,

the calculation control method further including increasing the capability parameter value relating to a moving speed.

11. The calculation control method as defined in claim 1 ,

the calculation control method further including selecting a battle area from the battle areas based on a selection operation performed by the player, and selecting a friend NPC involved in the selected battle area as a target of the support process.

12. The calculation control method as defined in claim 11 ,

the calculation control method further including: selecting a friend NPC as the target of the support process from friend NPCs involved in the selected battle area based on the attack results corresponding to the selected battle area.

13. The calculation control method as defined in claim 11 ,

the calculation control method further including:

terminating the support process when a given execution time has elapsed after the support process has been performed; and

changing the control execution time based on the attack results corresponding to the selected battle area.

14. The calculation control method as defined in claim 1 ,

the calculation control method further including:

detecting a type of support request input by the support request operation input; and

performing the support process while changing an attack target of the friend NPC as a target of the support process based on the type of the support request that has been detected.

15. The calculation control method as defined in claim 1 ,

the calculation control method further including:

selecting one or all of the battles corresponding to the respective battle areas executed in parallel; and

displaying relative positions of a friend NPC and a enemy NPC involved in the selected battle with respect to the PC by means of a radar display.

16. The calculation control method as defined in claim 1 ,

the calculation control method further including:

generating a game image of the game space viewed from the PC;

selecting one or all of the battles corresponding to the respective battle areas executed in parallel; and

detecting a friend NPC and a enemy NPC involved in the selected battle from the plurality of NPCs included in the game image, and displaying a given identifier corresponding to the friend NPC and the enemy NPC detected in the game image.

17. The calculation control method as defined in claim 1 ,

the game being a mission clear-type game; and

the calculation control method further including displaying a mission of the game for the player at a given timing after the battles have been executed.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage, medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute a given video game by creating a virtual game space and controlling a character in the virtual game space, the program causing the computer to:

dispose a plurality of non-player characters (hereinafter referred to as “NPCs”) in respective battle areas in the game space, and cause the plurality of NPCs to fight a battle in parallel in the respective battle areas, the plurality of NPCs being classified into a friend NPC that fights with a player character (hereinafter referred to as “PC”) and an enemy NPC that fights against the PC;

determine whether or not the PC has participated in the battle in the respective battle areas based on at least a present position of the PC;

detect whether or not the player has performed a support request operation input;

perform a given support process, the given support process being a control process that causes a friend NPC involved in a battle area where the PC has been determined to participate in the battle to approach the present position of the PC and support the PC when detecting that the player has performed the support request operation input; and

generate an image of the game space and controlling display of the generated image.

19. A game device that executes a given video game by creating a virtual game space and controlling a character in the virtual game space, the game device comprising:

a battle parallel execution section that disposes a plurality of NPCs in respective battle areas in the game space, and causes the plurality of NPCs to fight a battle in parallel in the respective battle areas, the plurality of NPCs being classified into a friend NPC that fights with a PC and an enemy NPC that fights against the PC;

a battle participation determination section that determines whether or not the PC has participated in a battle in plurality respective battle areas based on at least a present position of the PC;

a support request detection section that detects whether or not the player has performed a support request operation input; and

a support process control section that performs a given support process, the given support process being a control process that causes a friend NPC in a battle area where the battle participation determination section has determined that the PC has participated in the battle to approach the present position of the PC and support the PC when the support request detection section has detected that the player has performed the support request operation input.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Mar 16, 2016
From: BANDAI NAMCO GAMES INC.
To: BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT INC.
Reel/Frame 038104/0734 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 29, 2014
From: NAMCO BANDAI GAMES INC.
To: BANDAI NAMCO GAMES INC.
Reel/Frame 033061/0930 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 16, 2008
From: KAWASE, SATOSHI; ISHII, TOSHIYUKI
To: NAMCO BANDAI GAMES INC.
Reel/Frame 020992/0825 →