Emulator-Based Multiplayer Join and Quit Handling for Game Sessions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional portable game consoles connected via physical communication cables face issues with unexpected operations, such as forced termination, when players join or leave during multi-person play, potentially leading to data loss.

Innovation Solution

An information processing program that allows players to participate or leave multi-person play seamlessly by using an emulator, enabling normal start and end of games, with temporary suspension and termination based on player instructions, and maintaining player states for immediate re-start.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a game program is created on the premise of physical cable connection for multi-person play, then the game can be executed in conventional portable consoles, but unexpected operations such as forced termination occur when players join or leave during gameplay

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegame execution stabilityVSAvoidplayer participation flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

An emulator is introduced as an intermediary layer between the original game program and the network communication system. The emulator intercepts and manages communication requests, translating network-based player joins and leaves into formats compatible with the original game's physical connection assumptions, thereby preventing forced termination while maintaining game execution stability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by establishing emulator control and communication management protocols before the game starts. Player participation states are pre-configured and managed through the emulator, which prepares the communication infrastructure to handle dynamic player joins and leaves without causing unexpected operations during gameplay

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If players can freely join or leave during multi-person play, then player participation flexibility is improved, but data loss may occur due to forced termination

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplayer participation flexibilityVSAvoidgame data loss

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The emulator implements beforehand cushioning by establishing error handling and state management mechanisms in advance. When a player joins or leaves, the emulator buffers and manages the communication events, preventing forced termination that would cause data loss. Essential game data is protected through the emulator's controlled communication management

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Solution Approach 2:

The emulator acts as a protective intermediary that manages player participation changes. It translates network communication events into safe operations for the original game program, ensuring that player joins and leaves do not trigger forced termination and resulting data loss

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of operation

If the emulator manages player participation and game termination, then multi-person play can proceed normally, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemulti-person play operation smoothnessVSAvoidemulator system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The emulator is designed with multi-functionality to manage multiple aspects of networked gameplay through a single system component. It handles player join/leave events, communication translation, game state management, and termination control, thereby achieving smooth multi-person play operation without proportionally increasing overall system complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS12478870B2Non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with executable information processing program stored thereon, game system, game device, and information processing method

Publication Date: 2025.11.25 NINTENDO CO LTD

AI summary

When another information processing apparatus issues a request for participation of another player in multi-person play based on communication, a processor of a game device allows a state that another player has not participated in multi-person play to continue while a game program is being executed and it allows participation of another player in multi-person play when transition to a scene where execution of the game program with an emulator is started is made. The processor of the game device proceeds with multi-person play of the game program with the emulator based on communication between information processing apparatuses of players who participate in multi-person play, and temporarily suspends a game when an instruction to quit the game is given during multi-person play or when a request to quit the game is given from another player based on communication during multi-person play.