Online Market Game System

Abstract

An online market game system is disclosed. According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a market based game of skill run on a server machine and played online by a plurality of players, wherein each player buys points, the players compete to buy the most points, each player is provided with deficient points information, and the deficient points information is a delayed and smoothed response of the combined total number of points bought by all the players.

1 . A market based game of skill run on a server machine and played online by a plurality of players, wherein the server machine is configured to:
 enable each player to buy points;   enable the players to compete to buy the most points;   provide each player with deficient points information; and   wherein the deficient points information is a delayed and smoothed response of the combined total number of points bought by all the players.   
     
     
         2 . The market based game according to  claim 1 , wherein a player is unable to calculate a value for the combined total number of points bought by all the players by analysing a set of previous deficient points information. 
     
     
         3 . The market based game according to  claim 1 , wherein the game comprises a first round and a second round. 
     
     
         4 . The market based game according to  claim 3 , wherein the deficient points information is the combined total number of points bought by all the players in a single round. 
     
     
         5 . The market based game according to  claim 4 , wherein the cost of a point is greater in the first round than the second round. 
     
     
         6 . The market based game according to  claim 5 , wherein the cost of a point in a single round is above a predetermined lower limit and below a predetermined upper limit. 
     
     
         7 . The market based game according to  claim 6 , wherein the cost of a point increases as the number of points bought during the whole game, in a single round, or in a single purchase increases. 
     
     
         8 . The market based game according to  claim 7 , wherein the game is won by a first player having most points at an end of the game; and the number of points of the first player is within a predetermined number of points above the number of points of a second player with a next highest score. 
     
     
         9 . The market based game according to  claim 8 , wherein the individual point score of all the players, except the leading point scorer, are displayed at the end of a round. 
     
     
         10 . The market based game according to  claim 9 , wherein the point score of the leading scorer is shown to a player if, in a following round, they increase their individual point score above that of the leading point score at the end of the previous round. 
     
     
         11 . The market based game according to  claim 10 , wherein a winning player receives a monetary prize and the size of the monetary prize increases as the combined total number of points bought by all the players increases; and
 each player is provided with deficient information of the size of the monetary prize.   
     
     
         12 . The market based game according to  claim 11 , wherein a player sells a point to another player. 
     
     
         13 . The market based game according to  claim 12 , wherein the points are a first type of point; and
 a player earns a second type of point by playing the game.   
     
     
         14 . The market based game according to  claim 13 , wherein the second type of point is converted into the first type of point by a player. 
     
     
         15 . The market based game according to  claim 14 , wherein the player converts a number of the second type of point into the first type of point; and
 the number of points converted is dependent upon the deficient points information.   
     
     
         16 . A market based game of skill run on a server machine and played using a plurality of client machines, wherein the server machine is configured to:
 receive an instruction from a client machine to indicate that a player of the game is increasing their point score;   update an internal points register from a first value to a second value using the client machine instruction;   calculate an external points register value between the first value and the second value; and   transmit the external points register value to the client machine; whereby   the external points register value is a delayed and smoothed response of internal points register.   
     
     
         17 . A method of processing and multicasting information deficient data, the method comprising:
 at a server:   receiving real time data from a first client and a second client;   processing the received data set to provide a transmit data set; and   multicasting the transmit data set to the first client and the second client; wherein   the transmit data set varies to converge with the received data set within a predetermined length of time, and   the first and second clients are unable to calculate a current value for the received data set or predict a future value for the received data set using the transmit data set.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising, at the server:
 identifying the difference between a current received data set value and a current transmit data set value;   calculating a rate of increase to apply to the current transmit data set value for the value to reach the current received data set value within a predetermined range of time; and   calculating a step value to increase each subsequent transmit data set value by.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the rate of increase is above a predetermined minimum rate. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising varying the minimum rate of increase after a first predetermined time period. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the rate of increase is one of a predetermined number of discrete rates of increase. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising varying the predetermined length of time after a second predetermined time period. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the first predetermined time period is equal to the second predetermined time period. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the real time data from the first and second clients comprise discrete values which are summed to provide the received data set. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the server and the first and second clients communicate over a public network. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising providing a feedback system, wherein the transmit data multicast to the first and second clients affects the data received by the server from the first and second clients. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising using steps of the method in a game played by a first player and a second player;
 the real time data relates to points used to play the game;   the received data set is a received points data set;   the transmit data set is a transmit points data set;   the first client is operated by the first player of the game;   the second client is operated by the second player of the game; and   the first and second clients can buy points during the game; and   wherein the method further comprising displaying the transmit points data by the first and second clients to the respective first and second players.