Game system for providing video game situation-solving information online

Abstract

During execution of a game program, in response to a manipulation by a player, each game terminal requests a situation-solving information server to supply situation-solving information. In sending such a request, each game terminal also sends game progress information such as a current scene (map No.), a standstill time at the same scene, and the number of times of requesting of situation-solving information for the same scene. In response to the request from each game terminal, the situation-solving information server judges the level of each player based on the game progress information, extracts situation-solving information whose content is suitable for the level, and supplies it to the request source game terminal. Each game terminal displays the situation-solving information thus received.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for supplying situation-solving information online from a server apparatus to game terminals, comprising: 
 under the control of the server apparatus,    when receiving a request for situation-solving information from one of the game terminals, extracting, from pieces of situation-solving information that are stored in advance, situation-solving information that is suitable for a status indicated by current and past game progress information that has been sent together with the request; and    supplying the extracted situation-solving information to the game terminal as a reply to the request; and    under the control of each of the game terminals,    when requesting, in response to a manipulation by a player, the server apparatus to supply situation-solving information, sending the server apparatus current game progress information and past game progress information that is already stored, and storing the current game progress information; and    when receiving situation-solving information from the server apparatus as a reply to the request, displaying the received situation-solving information,    whereby supply of situation-solving information is realized.    
     
     
         2 . The method according to    claim 1   , further comprising, under the control of the server apparatus, collecting pieces of game progress information from the game terminals by polling, determining a level of difficulty of each event occurring location based on the pieces of game progress information that have been collected from the game terminals, and assigning a more detailed level of situation-solving information when the level of determined difficulty is higher.  
     
     
         3 . The method according to    claim 1   , comprising, under the control of the server apparatus, collecting pieces of current and past game progress information from the game terminals by polling, determining a game terminal that is in a standstill state that is of a predetermined level based on the pieces of current and past game progress information that have been collected from the game terminals, extracting situation-solving information corresponding to a standstill location for the determined game terminal, and supplying the extracted situation-solving information to the determined game terminal.  
     
     
         4 . A method for supplying situation-solving information online from a server apparatus to game terminals, comprising: 
 under the control of the server apparatus,    when receiving a request for situation-solving information from one of the game terminals, determining a game progress status based on current and past game progress information that has been sent together with the request;    extracting, from pieces of situation-solving information that are stored in advance so as to be classified into levels that are correlated with game progress statuses, situation-solving information of a level that is correlated with the determined game progress status; and    supplying the extracted situation-solving information to the game terminal as a reply to the request; and    under the control of each of the game terminals,    when requesting, in response to a manipulation by a player, the server apparatus to supply situation-solving information, sending the server apparatus current game progress information and past game progress information that is already stored, and storing the current game progress information; and    when receiving situation-solving information from the server apparatus as a reply to the request, displaying the received situation-solving information,    whereby supply of situation-solving information is realized.    
     
     
         5 . The method according to    claim 4   , comprising, under the control of the server apparatus, extracting more detailed situation-solving information as the game progress status becomes worse.  
     
     
         6 . The method according to    claim 4    or    5   , comprising: 
 under the control of each of the game terminals,  
 measuring a standstill time with reference to a present time for a location for which situation-solving information is requested repeatedly among event occurring locations; and  
 sending the measured standstill time to the server apparatus in such a manner that the measured standstill time is included in the current and past game progress information; and  
 under the control of the server apparatus, determining a game progress status further based on the standstill time.  
 
     
     
         7 . The method according to    claim 4    or    5   , comprising: 
 under the control of each of the game terminals,  
 counting the number of times of requesting with reference to a present time for a location for which situation-solving information is requested repeatedly among event occurring locations; and  
 sending the measured number of times of requesting to the server apparatus in such a manner that the measured number of times of requesting is included in the current and past game progress information; and  
 under the control of the server apparatus, determining a game progress status further based on the number of times of requesting.  
 
     
     
         8 . A method for supplying situation-solving information online from a server apparatus to game terminals, comprising: 
 under the control of the server apparatus,    recording a frequency of requesting of situation-solving information for each location where an event may occur as a game proceeds;    when receiving a request for situation-solving information from one of the game terminals, extracting, from pieces of situation-solving information that are stored in advance so as to be correlated with the event occurring locations, situation-solving information that is suitable for a status indicated by game progress information that has been sent together with the request and includes information indicating an event occurring location and a recorded frequency of requesting that corresponds to the event occurring location; and    supplying the extracted situation-solving information to the game terminal as a reply to the request; and    under the control of each of the game terminals,    when requesting, in response to a manipulation by a player, the server apparatus to supply situation-solving information, sending the server apparatus game progress information that includes information indicating an event occurring location; and    when receiving situation-solving information from the server apparatus as a reply to the request, displaying the received situation-solving information,    whereby supply of situation-solving information is realized.    
     
     
         9 . The method according to    claim 8   , wherein pieces of situation-solving information are stored in advance the pieces of situation-solving information being classified into levels that are correlated with frequencies of requesting and that are more detailed for a level corresponding to a higher frequency of requesting, the method further comprising, under the control of the server apparatus, judging an event occurring location based on game progress information sent from one of the game terminals from among the pieces of situation-solving information stored in advance, judging a level of the event occurring location based on a corresponding recorded frequency of requesting, and extracting situation-solving information corresponding to the judged level.  
     
     
         10 . The method according to    claim 8    or    9   , comprising, under the control of each of the game terminals, storing current game progress information when requesting situation-solving information; and, under the control of the server apparatus, extracting situation-solving information further based on current and past game progress information.  
     
     
         11 . The method according to any one of claims  1 ,  4 , and  8 , further comprising, under the control of each of the game terminals, establishing a connection to the server apparatus at a time point of requesting situation-solving information in response to the manipulation by the player in a case where a video game is being played offline.  
     
     
         12 . The method according to any one of claims  1 ,  4 , and  8 , wherein each of the pieces of situation-solving information includes data to be used for reproducing a computer graphic image.  
     
     
         13 . The method according to any one of claims  1 ,  4 , and  8 , wherein each of the pieces of situation-solving information includes data to be used for reproducing a sound.  
     
     
         14 . The method according to any one of claims  1 ,  4 , and  8 , wherein each of the pieces of situation-solving information includes data to be used for reproducing a computer graphic image and a sound.  
     
     
         15 . The method according to    claim 12   , further comprising, under the control of each of the game terminals, changing a viewing point arbitrarily in response to a manipulation of the player when displaying the situation-solving information by reproducing the computer graphic image.  
     
     
         16 . The method according to any one of claims  1 ,  4 , and  8 , further comprising, under the control of each of the game terminals, scrolling a displayed picture in response to a manipulation by the player when displaying the situation-solving information.  
     
     
         17 . The method according to any one of claims  1 ,  4 , and  8 , further comprising, under the control of each of the game terminals, changing a page of a displayed picture in response to a manipulation by the player when displaying the situation-solving information.  
     
     
         18 . The method according to any one of claims  1 ,  4 , and  8 , further comprising, under the control of each of the game terminals, zooming part or all of a displayed picture in response to a manipulation by the player when displaying the situation-solving information.  
     
     
         19 . A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for realizing a method for supplying situation-solving information online from a server apparatus to game terminals is recorded, the program causing a computer to execute: 
 under the control of the server apparatus,    when receiving a request for situation-solving information from one of the game terminals, extracting, from pieces of situation-solving information that are stored in advance, situation-solving information that is suitable for a status indicated by current and past game progress information that has been sent together with the request; and    supplying the extracted situation-solving information to the game terminal as a reply to the request; and    under the control of each of the game terminals,    when requesting, in response to a manipulation by a player, the server apparatus to supply situation-solving information, sending the server apparatus current game progress information and past game progress information that is already stored, and storing the current game progress information; and    when receiving situation-solving information from the server apparatus as a reply to the request, displaying the received situation-solving information,    whereby supply of situation-solving information is realized.    
     
     
         20 . The recording medium according to    claim 19   , wherein the program causes the computer to further execute, under the control of the server apparatus, collecting pieces of game progress information from the game terminals by polling, determining a level of difficulty of each event occurring location based on the pieces of game progress information that have been collected from the game terminals, and assigning a more detailed level of situation-solving information when the level of determined difficulty is higher.  
     
     
         21 . The recording medium according to    claim 19   , wherein the program causes the computer to execute, under the control of the server apparatus, collecting pieces of current and past game progress information from the game terminals by polling, determining a game terminal that is in a standstill state that is of a predetermined level based on the pieces of current and past game progress information that have been collected from the game terminals, extracting situation-solving information corresponding to a standstill location for the determined game terminal, and supplying the extracted situation-solving information to the determined game terminal.  
     
     
         22 . A recording medium on which a program for realizing a method for supplying situation-solving information online from a server apparatus to game terminals is recorded, the program causing a computer to execute: 
 under the control of the server apparatus,    when receiving a request for situation-solving information from one of the game terminals, determining a game progress status based on current and past game progress information that has been sent together with the request;    extracting, from pieces of situation-solving information that are stored in advance so as to be classified into levels that are correlated with game progress statuses, situation-solving information of a level that is correlated with the determined game progress status; and    supplying the extracted situation-solving information to the game terminal as a reply to the request; and    under the control of each of the game terminals,    when requesting, in response to a manipulation by a player, the server apparatus to supply situation-solving information, sending the server apparatus current game progress information and past game progress information that is already stored, and storing the current game progress information; and    when receiving situation-solving information from the server apparatus as a reply to the request, displaying the received situation-solving information,    whereby supply of situation-solving information is realized.    
     
     
         23 . The recording medium according to    claim 22   , wherein the program causes the computer to execute, under the control of the server apparatus, extracting more detailed situation-solving information as the game progress status becomes worse.  
     
     
         24 . The recording medium according to    claim 22    or    23   , wherein the program causes the computer to execute: 
 under the control of each of the game terminals,  
 measuring a standstill time with reference to a present time for a location for which situation-solving information is requested repeatedly among event occurring locations; and  
 sending the measured standstill time to the server apparatus in such a manner that the measured standstill time is included in the current and past game progress information; and  
 under the control of the server apparatus, determining a game progress status further based on the standstill time.  
 
     
     
         25 . The recording medium according to    claim 22    or    23   , wherein the program causes the computer to execute: 
 under the control of each of the game terminals,  
 counting the number of times of requesting with reference to a present time for a location for which situation-solving information is requested repeatedly among event occurring locations; and  
 sending the measured number of times of requesting to the server apparatus in such a manner that the measured number of times of requesting is included in the current and past game progress information; and  
 under the control of the server apparatus, determining a game progress status further based on the number of times of requesting.  
 
     
     
         26 . A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for realizing a method for supplying situation-solving information online from a server apparatus to game terminals is recorded, the program causing a computer to execute: 
 under the control of the server apparatus,    recording a frequency of requesting of situation-solving information for each location where an event may occur as a game proceeds;    when receiving a request for situation-solving information from one of the game terminals, extracting, from pieces of situation-solving information that are stored in advance so as to be correlated with the event occurring locations, situation-solving information that is suitable for a status indicated by game progress information that has been sent together with the request and includes information indicating an event occurring location and a recorded frequency of requesting that corresponds to the event occurring location; and    supplying the extracted situation-solving information to the game terminal as a reply to the request; and    under the control of each of the game terminals,    when requesting, in response to a manipulation by a player, the server apparatus to supply situation-solving information, sending the server apparatus game progress information that includes information indicating an event occurring location; and    when receiving situation-solving information from the server apparatus as a reply to the request, displaying the received situation-solving information,    whereby supply of situation-solving information is realized.    
     
     
         27 . The recording medium according to    claim 26   , wherein pieces of situation-solving information are stored in advance, the pieces of situation-solving information being classified into levels that are correlated with frequencies of requesting and that are more detailed for a level corresponding to a higher frequency of requesting, and wherein the program further causes the computer to execute, under the control of the server apparatus, judging an event occurring location based on game progress information sent from one of the game terminals from among the pieces of situation-solving information stored in advance, judging a level of the event occurring location based on a corresponding recorded frequency of requesting, and extracting situation-solving information corresponding to the judged level.  
     
     
         28 . The recording medium according to    claim 26    or    27   , wherein the program causes the computer to execute, under the control of each of the game terminals, storing current game progress information when requesting situation-solving information; and, under the control of the server apparatus, extracting situation-solving information further based on current and past game progress information.  
     
     
         29 . The recording medium according to any one of claims  19 ,  22 , and  26 , wherein the program causes the computer to further execute, under the control of each of the game terminals, establishing a connection to the server apparatus at a time point of requesting situation-solving information in response to the manipulation by the player in a case where a video game is being played offline.  
     
     
         30 . The recording medium according to any one of claims  19 ,  22 , and  26 , wherein each of the pieces of situation-solving information includes data to be used for reproducing a computer graphic image.  
     
     
         31 . The recording medium according to any one of claims  19 ,  22 , and  26 , wherein each of the pieces of situation-solving information includes data to be used for reproducing a sound.  
     
     
         32 . The recording medium according to any one of claims  19 ,  22 , and  26 , wherein each of the pieces of situation-solving information includes data to be used for reproducing a computer graphic image and a sound.  
     
     
         33 . The recording medium according to    claim 30   , wherein the program causes the computer to further execute, under the control of each of the game terminals, changing a viewing point arbitrarily in response to a manipulation of the player when displaying the situation-solving information by reproducing the computer graphic image.  
     
     
         34 . The recording medium according to any one of claims  19 ,  22  and  26 , wherein the program causes the computer to further execute, under the control of each of the game terminals, scrolling a displayed picture in response to a manipulation by the player when displaying the situation-solving information.  
     
     
         35 . The recording medium according to any one of claims  19 ,  22 , and  26 , wherein the program causes the computer to further execute, under the control of each of the game terminals, changing a page of a displayed picture in response to a manipulation by the player when displaying the situation-solving information.  
     
     
         36 . The recording medium according to any one of claims  19 ,  22 , and  26 , wherein the program causes the computer to further execute, under the control of each of the game terminals, zooming part or all of a displayed picture in response to a manipulation by the player when displaying the situation-solving information.  
     
     
         37 . A game system in which situation-solving information is supplied online from a server apparatus to game terminals, comprising: 
 the server apparatus for:    recording a frequency of requesting of situation-solving information for each of locations where an event may occur as a game proceeds;    when receiving a request for situation-solving information from one of the game terminals, extracting, from pieces of situation-solving information that are stored in advance so as to be correlated with the event occurring locations, situation-solving information that is suitable for a status indicated by game progress information that has been sent together with the request and includes information indicating an event occurring location and a recorded frequency of requesting that corresponds to the event occurring location; and    supplying the extracted situation-solving information to the game terminal as a reply to the request; and    the game terminals each for:    when requesting, in response to a manipulation by a player, the server apparatus to supply situation-solving information, sending the server apparatus game progress information that includes information indicating an event occurring location; and    when receiving situation-solving information from the server apparatus as a reply to the request, displaying the received situation-solving information.    
     
     
         38 . A server apparatus used in a game system in which situation-solving information is supplied online from the server apparatus to game terminals, comprising: 
 a recording device that records a frequency of requesting of situation-solving information for each of locations where an event may occur as a game proceeds;    an extracting device that extracts, when a request for situation-solving information is received from one of the game terminals, from pieces of situation-solving information that are stored in advance so as to be correlated with the event occurring locations, situation-solving information that is suitable for a status indicated by game progress information that has been sent together with the request and includes information indicating an event occurring location and a frequency of requesting that is recorded in the recording device and corresponds to the event occurring location; and    a supplying device that supplies the situation-solving information extracted by the extracting means to the game terminal as a reply to the request.    
     
     
         39 . A game terminal used in a game system in which situation-solving information is supplied online from a server apparatus to the game terminal, the game terminal comprising: 
 a requesting device that, in requesting the server apparatus to supply situation-solving information in response to a manipulation by a player, sends the server apparatus game progress information including information that indicates an event occurring location, wherein the server apparatus records a frequency of requesting of situation-solving information for each of locations where an event may occur as a game proceeds, extracts, when receiving a request for situation-solving information from one of the game terminals, from pieces of situation-solving information that are stored in advance so as to be correlated with the event occurring locations, situation-solving information that is suitable for a status indicated by game progress information that has been sent together with the request and includes information indicating an event occurring location and a recorded frequency of requesting that corresponds to the event occurring location, and supplies the extracted situation-solving information to the game terminal as a reply to the request; and    a display that displays, when situation-solving information is received from the server apparatus as a reply to the request, the received situation-solving information.    
     
     
         40 . The recording medium according to    claim 31   , wherein the program causes the computer to further execute, under the control of each of the game terminals, changing a viewing point arbitrarily in response to a manipulation of the player when displaying the situation-solving information by reproducing the computer graphic image.  
     
     
         41 . The recording medium according to claims  32 , wherein the program causes the computer to further execute, under the control of each of the game terminals, changing a viewing point arbitrarily in response to a manipulation of the player when displaying the situation-solving information by reproducing the computer graphic image.  
     
     
         42 . The method according to claims  13 , further comprising, under the control of each of the game terminals, changing a viewing point arbitrarily in response to a manipulation of the player when displaying the situation-solving information by reproducing the computer graphic image.  
     
     
         43 . The method according to    claim 14   , further comprising, under the control of each of the game terminals, changing a viewing point arbitrarily in response to a manipulation of the player when displaying the situation-solving information by reproducing the computer graphic image.