Summary:

The ‘948 reissue patent applies conventional turn-based role-playing games or battle games (ex. Advanced Dungeons and Dragons or Wizard’s Crown). It describes a system which allows a player to execute an action commanded that causes the enemy character to execute a predetermined action. Each player (and computer enemy) have a set amount of time to perform an action before the other is allowed to take action. Whenever a player attacks an enemy, the enemy player has a chance to counter the attack with a certain action. The enemy player can input a command before the player has entered an attack. This way, the enemy attack will occur immediately after the player’s attack. This is to simulate actual combat with as much realism as possible.

Abstract:

Disclosed in a video game of enhanced realism in which actual combat is closely simulated. The game is so adapted that an enemy character on a display screen may launch an attack against a player character on the same screen, even while the player character is the process of inputting a command, at elapse of a set time period specific to the enemy character. The attack is made without an interruption in the flow of time of the game.


Illustrative Claim:


1. A memory cartridge for program control of a computer for a video game including a CPU for executing processing in accordance with a program, a memory for use during program execution by said CPU, a display processing unit for displaying a game video screen on a display unit under control of said CPU, and an input unit for inputting action commands; said memory cartridge storing a program, said program including instructions for: causing the display unit to display a player character and an enemy character on a display screen, causing the player character to execute an action commanded in response to an action command inputted from said input unit, causing the enemy character to execute a predetermined action, causing a counter associated with each player and enemy character, to count a time, which is assigned to each of the player and enemy characters, from an end of said commanded action and said predetermined action of each of the player and enemy characters, respectively, causing said counter to generate a signal for each of the enemy and player characters when the time counted is equal to the time assigned thereto, in response to said generated signal, allowing said input unit to input the action command for the player character, and proceeding to execution of the action in accordance with the inputted action command, and in response to said generated signal, processing the predetermined action in accordance with a predetermined action schedule for the enemy character.