Gaming Status Sharing via String-Based Session Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gaming systems do not effectively allow users to play games with multiple other users and share game status in a seamless manner, particularly in internet-connected environments, lacking efficient mechanisms for session participation and status information exchange.
Innovation Solution
A non-transitory storage medium containing instructions that enable users to set arbitrary strings for associating with their user IDs, allowing for the acquisition and sharing of status information between network-connected terminals, enabling users to join sessions and share game progress through a server apparatus or peer-to-peer connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If status information is sent to all terminals with the same string, then users can share game status effectively, but communication traffic becomes excessively high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of status information based on the receiver's state. Terminals are categorized into those currently executing the application and those not executing it. Status information is selectively sent only to terminals currently running the application, while non-executing terminals receive only notifications. This localized differentiation reduces unnecessary communication traffic while maintaining effective status sharing among relevant users.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by sending complete status information only to a subset of terminals (those currently executing the application), rather than to all terminals with the same string. For terminals not executing the application, only essential notifications are sent. This partial information transmission approach maintains the core functionality of status sharing while significantly reducing overall communication traffic.
2Adaptability or versatility
If users can join sessions freely, then multi-user gaming experience is enhanced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having terminals pre-register their string identifiers and execution status with the server before actual session joining occurs. When a user wants to join a session, the server has already prepared the matching terminal list based on pre-collected information. This preliminary organization of data reduces the complexity of real-time session establishment while maintaining flexible joining capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary between terminals to manage session joining. Instead of terminals directly communicating and establishing complex peer-to-peer connections, the server mediates the process by matching terminals based on their registered strings and execution states. This intermediary approach simplifies the overall system architecture while enabling flexible multi-user session joining.
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing program contained in a non-transitory storage medium is executed by a computer of a first user terminal 30 among a plurality of networkable user terminals 30. The information processing program causes the computer to function as: string setting means 33 for setting an arbitrary string specified by a first user in association with the first user; status information acquisition means 34 for executing a specified application and, while executing the specified application, acquiring status information that is sent from second terminal of second user for whom the same string set in association with the first user is set and indicates a status of the specified application being executed on the second terminal; and notification presentation means 35 for presenting a notification based on the acquired status information to the first user.