# US 12,179,109 B2 · Non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having game program stored therein, game apparatus, game process method, and game system

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- Number: US 12,179,109 B2
- Document ID: US12179109B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/230,995
- Filed: 2023-08-07
- Published: 2023-11-30
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2020-06-18
- Assignees: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Ryuichi Nakada; Akira Kinashi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12179109B2

## CPC

- A63F 13/56: Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
- A63F 13/44: involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
- A63F 13/45: Controlling the progress of the video game
- A63F 13/48: Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
- A63F 13/52: involving aspects of the displayed game scene
- A63F 13/533: for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
- A63F 13/35: Details of game servers
- A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A first game which advances independently of a plurality of opponent's game processes is started at the same start timings as the opponents. In the first game, a player object is controlled, a time limit is decreased with elapse of time, a time limit is increased if the player object has successfully performed a predetermined action, and advancement of the first game is ended when the time limit reaches zero. In addition, first game state data is transmitted to second information processing apparatuses, and second game state data is acquired from the second information processing apparatuses. Then, a display image including a first image based on the first game state data and a second image based on the second game state data is sequentially generated. If the first game is ended, evaluation relative to the opponents is performed in accordance with elapsed time since the start of the first game.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a game program to be executed by a processor of a first information processing apparatus, the game program, when executed, causing the processor to at least:
start execution of a first game based on a game process that advances, wherein a game start timing of the first game is adjusted to be the same as game start timings of the plurality of opponents, the plurality of opponents using second information processing apparatuses that execute game processes;
perform a game process on the basis of an operation by a player in the first game;
transmit first game state data regarding a game state of the first game, to each of the second information processing apparatuses;
acquire second game state data regarding a game state of a second game executed in each of the second information processing apparatuses;
sequentially generate a display image including a first image based on the first game state data and a second image based on the acquired second game state data;
decrease a player parameter set in advance for the player, with elapse of time;
if a predetermined condition is satisfied in the first game, add a predetermined value to the player parameter;
end advancement of the first game, at least when the player parameter reaches zero; and
if advancement of the first game is ended, perform evaluation for a result of the first game.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation is performed for the player relative to the opponents.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2, wherein the first and second games are the same game separately playable by each of the first and second information processing apparatuses.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the game program, when executed, further causes the processor to cause a game object to appear in the first game, the predetermined condition being defined with reference to the game object.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 4, wherein the game object is caused to appear in the first and second games at a common timing.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein:
a first obstructing object for obstructing advancement of the first game is caused to appear in the first game on the basis of a predetermined rule,
if the acquired second game data indicates that an operation by the opponent has satisfied the predetermined condition on the first obstructing object that has appeared in the second game, a second obstructing object is caused to appear in the first game, and
if the predetermined condition is satisfied on the first obstructing object in the first game, information for causing the second obstructing object to appear in the second game for a predetermined opponent is transmitted so as to be included in the first game data.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 6, wherein if the second game for the opponent is put into a state where advancement becomes impossible by the second obstructing object that has appeared in the second game on the basis of the transmitted first game data, the player parameter is increased.

### Claim 8

A game apparatus comprising a processor and a memory coupled thereto, the processor being configured to control the game apparatus to at least:
start execution of a first game based on a game process that advances, wherein game start timing of the first game is adjusted to be the same as game start timings of the plurality of opponents, the plurality of opponents using second information processing apparatuses that execute game processes;
perform a game process on the basis of an operation by a player in the first game;
transmit first game state data regarding a game state of the first game, to each of the other game apparatuses;
acquire second game state data regarding a game state of a second game executed in each of the other game apparatuses;
sequentially generate a display image including a first image based on the first game state data and a second image based on the acquired second game state data;
decrease a player parameter set in advance for the player, with elapse of time;
if a predetermined condition is satisfied in the first game, add a predetermined value to the player parameter;
end advancement of the first game, at least when the player parameter reaches zero; and
if advancement of the first game is ended, perform evaluation for a result of the first game.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The game apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the evaluation is performed for the player relative to the opponents.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The game apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first and second games are the same game separately playable by each of the first and second information processing apparatuses.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The game apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a game object is caused to appear in the first game, the predetermined condition being defined with reference to the game object.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The game apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the game object is caused to appear in the first and second games at a common timing.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The game apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:
a first obstructing object for obstructing advancement of the first game is caused to appear in the first game on the basis of a predetermined rule,
if the acquired second game data indicates that an operation by the opponent has satisfied the predetermined condition on the first obstructing object that has appeared in the second game, a second obstructing object is caused to appear in the first game, and
if the predetermined condition is satisfied on the first obstructing object in the first game, information for causing the second obstructing object to appear in the second game for a predetermined opponent is transmitted so as to be included in the first game data.

### Claim 14

A game processing method executed by a computer of a first information processing apparatus, the method comprising:
starting execution of a first game based on a game process that advances, wherein game start timing of the first game is adjusted to be the same as game start timings of the plurality of opponents, the plurality of opponents using second information processing apparatuses that execute game processes;
performing a game process on the basis of an operation by a player in the first game;
transmitting first game state data regarding a game state of the first game, to each of the second information processing apparatuses;
acquiring second game state data regarding a game state of a second game executed in each of the second information processing apparatuses;
sequentially generating a display image including a first image based on the first game state data and a second image based on the acquired second game state data;
decreasing a player parameter set in advance for the player, with elapse of time;
if a predetermined condition is satisfied in the first game, adding a predetermined value to the player parameter;
ending advancement of the first game, at least when the player parameter reaches zero; and
if advancement of the first game is ended, performing evaluation for a result of the first game.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The game processing method according to claim 14, wherein the evaluation is performed for the player relative to the opponents.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The game processing method according to claim 15, wherein the first and second games are the same game separately playable by each of the first and second information processing apparatuses.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The game processing method according to claim 14, further comprising causing a game object to appear in the first game, the predetermined condition being defined with reference to the game object.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The game processing method according to claim 17, wherein the game object is caused to appear in the first and second games at a common timing.

### Claim 19 (depends on 14)

The game processing method according to claim 14, wherein:
a first obstructing object for obstructing advancement of the first game is caused to appear in the first game on the basis of a predetermined rule,
if the acquired second game data indicates that an operation by the opponent has satisfied the predetermined condition on the first obstructing object that has appeared in the second game, a second obstructing object is caused to appear in the first game, and
if the predetermined condition is satisfied on the first obstructing object in the first game, information for causing the second obstructing object to appear in the second game for a predetermined opponent is transmitted so as to be included in the first game data.

### Claim 20

A game system comprising a plurality information processing apparatuses each including a processor and a memory coupled thereto, the processor being configured to control the game system to at least:
start execution of a first game which advances, wherein a game start timing of the first game is adjusted to be the same as game start timings of the plurality of game opponents, the plurality of opponents using second information processing apparatuses that execute game processes;
perform a game process on the basis of an operation by a player in the first game;
decrease a player parameter set in advance for each player, with elapse of time;
if a predetermined condition is satisfied in the first game, add a predetermined value to the player parameter;
end advancement of the first game, at least when the player parameter reaches zero;
transmit first game state data regarding a game state of the first game;
sequentially generate a display image including a first image based on the game state data of each information processing apparatus itself and a second image based on the game state data of the other information processing apparatuses of the game opponents, and display the display image in the information processing apparatus in which the first game is executed; and
if advancement of the first game is ended, perform evaluation for a result of the first game.