Network Game Screen Switching for Special Movement Visibility

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Solution Overview

Problem

In network games, players who perform special movements that significantly influence the game progress often go unnoticed by others, leading to a lack of enhanced lively feeling and unfulfilled desires for players wanting to stand out.

Innovation Solution

A network game system where a server apparatus receives character movement information, determines special movements, and transmits special character information to all terminal apparatuses, allowing all players to see player characters in special states, enhancing the game's lively feeling by ensuring players can witness and appreciate showy movements.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the screen is generated based on each player's own player character, then the player can control the view, but other players cannot see showy movements that significantly influence game progress

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisibility of special movementsVSAvoidscreen generation system
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The screen generation system is made universal by allowing it to switch between two modes: generating screens based on the local player's character or based on a special movement character. This enables the system to serve both individual player perspective needs and global event visibility needs through a single unified mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The server acts as an intermediary that receives movement information from all players, determines whether special movements are occurring, and distributes appropriate screen generation instructions to all terminal apparatuses. This intermediary coordination enables global visibility of special movements without requiring each player to independently determine what to display.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the screen always shows the player's own character, then the player has full control, but the lively feeling of the game is not enhanced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplayer controlVSAvoidgame engagement
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The screen generation basis is made dynamic rather than static. The system automatically switches between player-centric view and special-movement-centric view based on real-time game events. This dynamic adaptation maintains player control during normal gameplay while automatically enhancing engagement when special movements occur, without requiring manual player intervention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by monitoring movement information from all players and using this information to determine when to switch screen generation modes. When special movements are detected, the server sends instructions to all terminals to switch to displaying that character, creating a feedback loop that responds to game events and enhances overall player engagement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of manufacture

If a player makes showy movements to stand out, then the player wants recognition, but other players may not see the movement

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplayer expressionVSAvoidvisibility of player actions
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses visual differentiation by changing which character is highlighted as the screen generation basis. When a player performs a special movement, that character becomes the focal point of all screens, effectively using visual emphasis (analogous to color changes in other contexts) to make the showing player stand out and ensure all other players see the movement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

Data Source

PatentEP2949370B1Apparatus and method for displaying player character showing special movement state in network game
Publication Date: 2022.05.04 SQUARE ENIX HLDG CO LTD
  • EP2949370B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2949370B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2949370B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In a network game, player characters manipulated by individual players of video game apparatuses belong to the same party to battle with an opponent character. When a player character making a special move is not present in the party, the display screen of each video game apparatus becomes a screen focusing on the player character of the player who uses this video game apparatus. When one of the player characters makes a special move, not only the display screen of the video game apparatus corresponding to this player, but also the display screens of the video game apparatuses corresponding to the other player characters in the party become screens focusing on the player character which makes the special move.