[DESCRIPTION] [Invention Title] INTERNET GAME SERVICE SYSTEM USING CHARACTERS HAVING ARTIFICIAL SENSITIVITY AND METHOD THEREOF
[Technical Field]
The present invention relates to a game service system for playing
games on the Internet. More specifically, the present invention relates to a
system and method for providing Internet games using characters having
artificial sensitivity.
[Background Art]
Various categories of services have been provided through the
medium of the Internet as the use of the Internet has increased. In
particular, many Internet users enjoy game services on the Internet, and
hence, many service providers provide various games to the users. Games
in which game points are given or taken between the gamers by winning or
losing the game are currently being offered. For example, the Korean
traditional Go-Stop game such as Mat-Go of a 1 :1 match and poker are
popular Internet card games. When attempting to perform a desired game through the game
service, the user accesses a corresponding game service server and
selects the desired game through web pages provided by the server. The corresponding server then displays a channel list for using the game to the
user, and displays a list of game rooms belonging to the selected game
when selecting a specific channel. The corresponding server displays a game screen so that the user may perform a game with another gamer in a game room selected or generated by the user when the user selects one of game rooms displayed on the user's computer or directly generates a new game room. In general, the user must perform the above-descried process to enjoy the game on the Internet, and the user sometimes receives an Internet game service in which the user fights with a character which is not a real person but is generated by a game server. For example, while two gamers are playing a card game called Mat-Go, a user can be disconnected from the game server and the user can fail to access the game because of a specific user's intentional purpose or an Internet access problem. In this case, the game server generates a specific character instead of the corresponding user to continuously perform the game, and hence, another user can play the game together with the character. Also, when the number of game rooms generated on a specific channel selected by the user is not large, a game room is generated by the character and when the user enters the corresponding game room the user can play the game with the character, and in addition, when the user has generated a game room, and no gamer enters the game room and a long standby time has passed, or when the users desires to play the game with an artificial character other than a person, a character is generated into the corresponding game room to play the game with the user.
However, when the user plays the game with the character
generated by the conventional server, the character performs the game
according to a game logic and fails to express sensitivity such as facial
expression, gestures, expression of opinions, and delaying game progress
similar to a person during the game execution, the user cannot be
continuously excited in the game with the character.
[Disclosure] [Technical Problem] It is an advantage of the present invention to provide an Internet
game service system and method using a character having artificial
sensitivity for expressing facial expression, gestures, expression of
opinions through dialog, and delaying game progress, similar to a person.
[Technical Solution]
In one aspect of the present invention, an Internet game service
system in a system for providing a game service to a plurality of users
connected to the Internet comprises: a character-providing server for
generating a character for playing a game with a user and providing the
character; a game database for storing game logic and sensitivity
information, the game logic controlling the character generated by the
character-providing server to play the game with a real user, and the sensitivity information expressing sensitivity of the character; and a game
server for progressing the game between the character and the real user
by using the game logic stored in the game database, and expressing the
character's sensitivity according to the game's progress status by using the
sensitivity information stored in the game database. In another aspect of the present invention, an Internet game
service method in a method for providing a game service to a plurality of
users connected to the Internet comprises: a) determining whether a user
and a specific character play a game selected by the user; b) determining
the game progress status when the user and the specific character are
determined to play the game; c) analyzing the determined game progress
status and determining a sensitivity state to be expressed by the character;
d) deciding a sensitivity pattern to be expressed by the character according
to the determined sensitivity state; and e) displaying the character's
sensitivity in the game by using the decided sensitivity pattern. FIG. 1 shows a block diagram for an Internet game service system
using a character having artificial sensitivity according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1 , the Internet game service system using a
character having artificial sensitivity includes a web server 100, a channel
database 200, a channel server 300, a character-providing database 400, a
game server 500, and a game database 600.
The web server 100 provides a plurality of services including a
chat service and a shopping mall service in addition to various Internet
games including a Mat-Go card game and poker to a plurality of user computers 700-1 to 700-n accessed through the Internet 800. As shown, the users utilize computers 700-1 to 700-n, and other types of terminals, to access the web server 100 through the Internet 800 and play a game. Terminals may include mobile terminals and Internet TVs which may also be available to the users. The channel database 200 stores game room data set to each channel as well as game channel data. The channel server 300 queries the channel database 200 and provides a selected game channel list and a per-channel game room list to the user when the user selects a game through the web server 100. Then, the user can select a channel for game performance and a specific game room belonging to the channel by using the channel list and the game room list provided by the channel server 300. When the user selects a game through the web server 100, the web server 100 initiates a user program for the game pre-installed in the user computer 700-1 to 700-n, and the user computer 700-1 to 700-n is accessed by the channel server 300 through the Internet 800 by the user program, and hence it is not needed to directly couple the channel server 300 to the web server 100. Therefore, the web server 100 is coupled to other components if necessary by the user, which is depicted by dotted lines in FIG. 1. Also, the channel server 300 uses a character to generate a game room when the number of game rooms generated on channels managed
for each game is less than a predetermined number, or the channel server
300 controls a character to enter a corresponding game room and play the
game when a user having entered the game room generated on the
channel managed for each game stands by for more than a predetermined
time. In addition, the channel server 300 can provide an additional
dedicated channel for game execution with the character to allow the user
to play the game with the character in the game room on the corresponding
channel.
Also, the channel server 300 can allow new users to enter the
corresponding game room while the users play the game with the character,
and can control the new users to stand by for the game progressed by the character and the user in the observation mode.
Further, the channel server 300 can eliminate the game room
when the character playing the game with the user is left alone in the
corresponding game room. In this instance, the used character is
eliminated and the elimination of character is reported to the character-
providing database 400.
The character-providing database 400 generates a specific
character, provides the same to the channel server 300, and manages the
same when the channel server 300 requests a character for the purpose of
generating a new game room on the channel or requests a character to be
entered into the generated game room. Also, the character-providing
database 400 eliminates information on the corresponding character when
it is reported by the channel server 300 that the usage of the character is
terminated and is then eliminated.
In this instance, the character represents an alter ego or an
incarnation and includes an animation character (e.g., an avatar) for replacing the user in cyber space. Therefore, the character-providing
database 400 generates a character and provides the same to the channel
server 300, and the channel server 300 processes the character as a user
controllable by the channel server 300 to generate a game room or control
the character to enter the game room. The character is expressed by using
items (which represent all the components of the character such as faces,
hair styles, eyes, lips, noses, clothes, accessories, and shoes) provided by
the character-providing database 400. Also, the character may include
advertisement information for achieving advertisement effects from the
other gamer. For example, the character may put on clothes on which an
advertisement is printed or may possess a specific product in the game.
Techniques for the character-providing database 400 to provide
various characters for the game are well known to a person skilled in the
art and hence will not be described.
The game database 500 stores game logics for controlling the
character to play the game and sensitivity information for expressing
sensitivity of the character. Expression of sensitivity by the character
includes variations of time delay in the progress of the game, facial expression, or gestures of the character, as well as emotion.
The game server 600 provides a game service selected by the user through the channel server 300. That is, the game server 500 progresses the game according to a game logic established for each game. For example, when the user selects the Mat-Go card game, generates or selects a specific game room on a specific channel through the channel server 300, and at least two users enter the game, the game server 600 displays the game, executes the game, and settles game results so that the users may play the Mat-Go game. When the user plays the game with the character according to control by the channel server 300, the game server 600 refers to the game database 500 and uses the logic of the corresponding game to control the character to progress the game, determines the sensitivity state to be expressed by the character as the game is played, decides sensitivity contents to be expressed according to the determined sensitivity state, receives the decided sensitivity contents from the game database 500, and controls expression of sensitivity of the character. In this instance, the game logic represents rules specified for automatic progress of the game according to a predefined rule. For example, the Mat-Go game has logic for the character to select a card to show from among the cards held by the character in its turn. Factors for determining the logic include a card held by the character, a card possessed by the character, a card possessed by the other gamer, a shown card, and achievement states of the various Mat-Go game rules.
The game logic establishes default weights to the respective cards and
assigns variable weights to the cards according to logic determination
factors so that the user or the character may select the card with the final
highest weight in its turn. Hence, the sensitivity state of the character
depending on the progress state of the game is determined based on the
game logic.
When a new user enters the game room in which the user and the
character capable of expressing sensitivity play the game, the game server
600 controls the new user to be an observer and watch the current game,
and allows the character to express sensitivity on the new observer. In this
instance, the game server 600 transmits the game screen in progress to
the observer and generates an additional observation window to the
screens of the character and the user to thus notify existence of the
observer. Therefore, if an observer stays in the game in progress, the
game server 600 can terminate the game with the character and start a
new game with the observer after the current game is over.
FIG. 2 shows a detailed block diagram of a game database shown
in FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 2, the game database 500 includes a game logic
database 510 and a sensitivity database 520. The game database 500 is
one embodiment and can be modified in various manners according to
configurations of the game and the artificial sensitivity of the character.
The game logic database 510 stores game logic information for
controlling the character's execution of the game for each game, for
example, game logic for the Mat-Go game and game logic for poker, and
the game server 600 uses the game logic to control the corresponding
character to perform the game. The sensitivity database 520 stores information for expressing the
character's sensitivity. Referring to FIG. 2, the sensitivity database 520
includes a game delay time database 521 for storing information for the
character to vary a progress delay time of the game according to the
progress state of the game, a motion expression database 523 for storing
information on the character's facial expression and gestures according to
the progress state of the game, and a dialog database 525 for storing the
character's dialog according to the progress state of the game. The
sensitivity database 520 may further include a database for storing
corresponding information on information used for expressing the
character's sensitivity.
The game delay time database 521 classifies delay times
according to the progress state of the game and separately assigns
different delay times. For example, when the progress state of the game is
unfavorable for the character, that is, when the user calls the jargon of
"Go" several times or the cards to be shown by the character are all
advantageous for the user in the case of the Mat-Go card game, a long
delay time is assigned in the case of selecting cards to thus indicate the
situation in which the character is disadvantaged, through sensitivity. On
the contrary, when the progress state of the game is favorable for the character, that is, when the cards that are advantageous for the character to get a score are displayed in the character's turn and the character has
advantageous cards, a short delay time is assigned in the case of selecting cards to thus indicate the situation in which the character is in an advantageous situation, through sensitivity. The motion expression database 523 classifies motion expressions according to the progress state of the game and separately assigns different motion expressions. For example, the character can express bad facial expression or gestures through sensitivity when the progress state of the game is disadvantageous for the character. On the contrary, the character can express good facial expression or gestures through sensitivity when the progress state of the game is advantageous for the character. Variations of the above-noted facial expressions or gestures of the character are realized by a multi-layered character, which is well known and will not be described. For example, when the character is divided into several parts and the divided parts are superimposed in multiple layers, the facial expression and gesture can be expressed by sliding the parts through different motions. The dialog database 525 classifies dialogs according to the progress state of the game and separately assigns different dialogs. For example, the character can express disadvantageous situations through sensitivity by displaying an interjection of bad feeling in the dialog when the
progress state of the game is disadvantageous for the character. On the
contrary, the character can express advantageous situations through
sensitivity by displaying a dialog of good feeling when the progress state of
the game is advantageous for the character. The game server 600 can express sensitivity through the character
by using the respective sensitivity expressions stored in the game delay
time database 521 , the motion expression database 523, and the dialog
database 525, or by combining the sensitivity expressions stored in the same. FIG. 3 shows a detailed block diagram of the game server 600
shown in FIG. 1.
As shown, the game server 600 includes a game status determiner
610, a sensitivity status determiner 620, a sensitivity display decider 630, a
time counter 640, and a game controller 650. The game status determiner 610 determines the game progress
status between the character that plays the game by the game controller
650 and the user. The game status determiner 610 can determine the
same while the game controller 650 controls the character's playing the
game by using the game logic stored in the game logic database 510 of the
game database 500.
The sensitivity status determiner 620 analyzes the game progress
status determined by the game status determiner 610 and determines the sensitivity state to be expressed by the character. For example, the
sensitivity status determiner 620 determines whether the game progress
status is advantageous or disadvantageous for the character and
determines advantageous or disadvantageous contents in detail.
The sensitivity display decider 630 decides the sensitivity contents
to be expressed by the character according to the character's sensitivity
state determined by the sensitivity status determiner 620. For example, the
sensitivity display decider 630 decides to change facial expression or
gestures of the character and provide a dialog and thus express bad
sensitivity when the game progress is disadvantageous for the character,
and in another case, the sensitivity display decider 630 decides to control
the game progress delay time to be longer, change facial expression or
gestures, and provide a dialog such as "Which card will I have to show?"
when the character expresses the situation in which the character is in
trouble in selecting an appropriate card from among the cards held by the
character in the Mat-Go card game.
The time counter 640 starts its operation according to control by
the game controller 640 and counts the corresponding delay time when the
contents of sensitivity expressed by the character have changed the delay
time of the game progress. The game controller 650 controls the game progress so that the
users may play the game according to the game rule established for each
game. In this instance, the users can be real users or can be a character
generated by the channel server 300 and real users. The game controller
650 controls the game progress according to the game rule established for each game when the users only include real users, and the game controller 650 controls the game status determiner 610, the sensitivity status determiner 620, the sensitivity display decider 630, and the time counter 640 so that the character may express sensitivity in the game progress while the character and the user play the game when the users include real users or users and a character. Referring to FIG. 4, an Internet game service method using a character having artificial sensitivity according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described. A plurality of users utilize their computers 700-1 to 700-n to execute a user program provided by the web server 100 and access the web server 100 or directly accesses the web server 100 through a web browser and selects a desired game in step S100. In this instance, the user program is assumed to be pre-installed, and in another case, the web server 100 or the channel server 300 determines the installation status and controls installation of the user program for a corresponding game at an appropriate time. When the user selects the desired game, the channel server 300 displays a channel list of the corresponding game stored in the channel database 200 to the user computer 700-1 to 700-n through the web server 100, and the user selects a channel for playing the game from among the channels displayed on the computer 700-1 to 700-n. For example, the user
can select a channel suitable for the user's grade when the channel list is
displayed in grades.
When the user selects the channel, the channel server 300
displays a game room list generated to the corresponding channel, stored in the channel database 200 to the user computer 700-1 to 700-n in step
S120, and the user selects one of the game rooms displayed on the
computer 700-1 to 700-n or generates a new game room, and enters the
corresponding game room in step S130.
When the user enters the game room to be ready for the game,
the game controller 650 of the game server 600 controls the character and
starts the game by using the game logic in the game logic database 510 of
the game database 500 so that the other user and the character may play
the selected game in step S140.
When the character and the other user play the game, the game
status determiner 610 determines the game progress situation until the
game is over by control of the game controller 650 in step S150. It is
desirable to classify the game progress situation into various cases for
each game in advance.
The sensitivity status determiner 620 analyzes the game progress
situation determined by the game status determiner 610 according to
control by the game controller 650, and determines the sensitivity state to be expressed by the character in step S160. For example, the sensitivity
status determiner 620 determines whether the game progress situation is
advantageous or disadvantageous for the character and determines advantageous or disadvantageous contents in detail. It is desirable to classify the sensitivity state into various cases for each game in advance. The sensitivity display decider 630 decides the sensitivity contents to be expressed by the character according to the character's sensitivity
state determined by the sensitivity status determiner 620 in step S170. For example, the sensitivity display decider 630 decides to express bad facial expression, gesture, or dialog when the game progress is disadvantageous for the character, and the sensitivity display decider 630 decides to express good facial expression, gesture, or dialog when the game progress is advantageous for the character. It is desirable to preset the above- determined sensitivity expression methods according to respective sensitivity states of the character following the progress state of the pre- classified game, and the preset contents are stored in the game delay time database 521 , the motion expression database 523, and the dialog database 525 of the sensitivity database 520. When the sensitivity expression method to be expressed by the character is decided by the sensitivity display decider 630 according to the game progress status, the game controller 650 displays the sensitivity to the other user through the character according to the determined sensitivity expression method in step S180. In this instance, when the sensitivity expression method expressed by the character is a method for changing the game progress delay time, for example, when the character increases a
time delay for selecting a card to show in its turn or changes a short delay time, the game controller 650 uses the time counter 640 so as to measure the delay time provided by the game delay time database 521. That is, when it is the character's turn, the game controller 650 transmits a specific
delay time provided by the game delay time database 521 to the time counter 640 to drive the time counter 640 and measure a delay time, and controls the character to play the game when the time counter 640 has counted the specific delay time. The game controller 650 determines whether the game is over in step S190, and when the game is played, the game controller 650 determines the game progress status and repeats the above-noted processes S150, S160, S170, and S180 for expressing the character's sensitivity while the game is played. However, when the game is over, the game controller 650 determines the sensitivity expression method to be expressed by the character through the sensitivity status determiner 620 and the sensitivity display decider 630, and displays the sensitivity to the other user through the character in step S200. For example, the character displays a very pleasant facial expression, gesture, or dialog when the character has won the game with a great score, and the character displays a very disappointed facial expression, gesture, or dialog or provides a congratulation message to the other user when the other user has won the game with a great score.
The channel server 300 can control a new user to enter the game
room in which the character and the user play the game. In this instance,
the game server 600 transmits a game screen in progress to the user, the
character, and the observer, and additionally generates an observation
window to the screens of the character and the user playing the game to notify existence of an observer. In this instance, the game controller 650
can display a gesture, facial expression, or dialog for welcoming the
observer to the observer through the character by controlling the sensitivity
display decider 630. It is allowed for the user playing the game with the character to
terminate the game with the character and start a game with an observer
when the observer stays with the game in progress and either the game is
over or the user terminates the game before it is over. When the user
selects playing the game with the character, the observer may observe the
game still as an observer or may leave the corresponding game room.
However, when the user stops playing the game with the character and
selects starting a game with the observer, the user and the observer start
the game and the character leaves the game room and is then eliminated
since the purpose of the character's usage has been achieved. Also, when the character is used to play the game with the user,
the character has advertisement information and the purpose of advertising
the user playing the game with the character is fulfilled. For example, the
character can put on clothes with a specific beverage advertisement to
advertise the specific beverage to the user playing the game. Further, the
character can display a dialog including an advertisement while expressing
the character's sensitivity through the dialog.
While this invention has been described in connection with what is
presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it
is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed
embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various
modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and
scope of the appended claims. For example, the channel server 300 has been described to
receive a character from the character-providing server 400 and generate a
game room, or enter a generated game room and play the game with the
real user, and in addition, it is possible for the game server 600 to receive a
character from the character-providing server 400 according to the real
user's request and play the game with the user.
[Advantageous Effects]
According to the present invention, the character can express
sensitivity in various ways in a like manner of a person according to the
game progress situation with the user, so that the user may be
continuously excited in the game with the character.
Further, when the other user fails to recognize the fact that the
other user plays the game with a character that expresses sensitivity similar
to that of a person, the other user is controlled to determine that many users play the game and the other user is continuously excited in the game by the generated characters when the number of real users is not great.
[Description of Drawings]
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram for an Internet game service system using a character having artificial sensitivity according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 shows a detailed block diagram of a game database shown in FIG. 1 ; FIG. 3 shows a detailed block diagram of a game server shown in FIG. 1 ; and FIG. 4 shows a flowchart for an Internet game service method using a character having artificial sensitivity according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.