U.S. Patent No. 8,851,993: Game device, game method, non-transitory storage medium encoded with computer readable program for controlling game device, and game system, allowing for fun in tactics and enhanced zest of game
Issued October 7 2014, to Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Priority Date: June 3, 2011
Issued October 7 2014, to Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Priority Date: June 3, 2011
Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 8,851,993 (the '993 Patent) describes a board game video game where all the players travel along the same path together. Normally, every player in a board game travels an independent route. Each player will roll a dice that determines how far an individual player travels. Depending on the game, the route may have forks in the road where a player can choose which direction to travel. The '993 Patent describes a board game where each player travels together. Each player will get to roll dice but the distance traveled will be applied to the group. If the group lands on a special square, then the player who rolled the dice will receive the benefit or determent of the square. Some squares will apply to the group as a whole. Nintendo has used the board game described in the '993 Patent in the most recent Mario Party games.
Abstract:
An exemplary embodiment provides a game device. The game device includes an indication acceptance unit for accepting an indication for determining an amount of movement, a movement amount determination unit for determining an amount of movement on the prescribed route, a position updating unit for updating positions of all player characters on the route in accordance with the determined amount of movement, and an event processing unit for executing an event on the player character and the indication acceptance unit includes a normal indication acceptance unit for accepting a normal indication for determining a normal amount of movement and a special indication acceptance unit for accepting a special indication for determining an amount of movement different from normal, which is executed alternative to the normal indication and of which number of permitted times of issuance by the plurality of player characters is limited.
Illustrative Claim:
1. A device for playing a game in which a plurality of player characters move on a prescribed route in a game space displayed on a display, comprising: an information processing device including one or more processing units configured to perform functions and operates as: an indication acceptance unit that accepts a movement indication for determining an amount of player character movement on said prescribed route directed to a player character among said plurality of player characters; a movement amount determination unit that determines an amount of player character movement on said prescribed route when said indication acceptance unit accepts the movement indication; a position updating unit that updates positions of said player character for which the movement indication has been accepted and of all other player characters on said prescribed route in accordance with said amount of player character movement determined by said movement amount determination unit; an item acquirement/loss processing unit that performs processing by which player characters acquire or lose a prescribed item in accordance with an update of a position of said player character for which said movement indication has been accepted; an event processing unit that executes an event at least on said player character for which the movement indication has been accepted in accordance with the position to which said player character has been moved; and a win/loss processing unit that performs a win/loss determination in which winning and losing is determined for player characters based on an amount of said prescribed items acquired by each of said plurality of player characters; wherein said indication acceptance unit further operates as: a normal movement indication determiner that accepts a normal movement indication for determining an amount of player character movement of a type that is a normal movement for a player character in the game, wherein said normal movement indication corresponds to a value of a cast shown by using a normal die, and a special movement indication determiner that accepts a special movement indication for determining an amount of player character special movement which is of a type that is different from said type that is a normal movement for a player character in the game, the special movement indication being used as an alternative to said normal movement indication and for which a number of permitted times of usage by each of said plurality of player characters is limited, and wherein said special movement indication corresponds to a value of a cast shown by using a special die different from said normal die.
Researched By: Andrew F. Thomas
