JP7511853B2 - Game server control method, game server, and control program thereof - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method, device, and system for providing an online shooting game.

The rapid development of computing devices and network environments has accelerated the spread and development of online-based games. These online-based games are becoming increasingly popular because they allow an unspecified number of players in remote locations to enjoy interactive games without spatial constraints. Among these games, shooting games, in which players shoot at targets in a virtual three-dimensional space that appears on a monitor, are particularly popular with the masses due to the stress-relieving effect that can be obtained by hitting the target, along with a variety of visual and sound effects.

Shooting games include third-person shooters, in which the player's character is displayed on the screen and the player adjusts his or her character while looking at it from behind, and first-person shooter games (FPS; First Person Shooter), in which the player's field of vision becomes the character's field of vision and the player attacks targets from his or her own perspective. In games that simulate a virtual war situation and in which the player uses a weapon such as a gun to accurately aim and fire from a long distance, first-person shooter games are commonly used, allowing the player to enjoy the game with a sense of presence or immersion as if they were in the virtual world.

However, in such shooting games, beginners who are unfamiliar with the controls have a harder time hitting the target with a bullet than advanced players, which means they are unable to fully enjoy the immersive and exciting feeling of the game. This problem is a factor that hinders the influx of new players and the continued use of the game. In particular, many online competitive games in which many players participate are now popular, but in these cases it can be even more difficult for beginners to get used to the game.

Therefore, it is necessary to improve the usability of shooting games so that experienced, advanced players can enjoy greater tension and excitement according to their level of skill, while beginners can also become accustomed to shooting games in an easy and fun way.

Meanwhile, online-based games have been developed to be usable not only on desktop computers and laptop computers equipped with high-resolution displays and various input devices, but also on relatively small touch screens such as smartphones and smart pads. However, when using limited input means such as a touch screen, it is necessary to provide a method for more easily searching for, aiming at, and firing at targets.

The present invention therefore provides a method and device for easily searching for and aiming at a target in a shooting game. It also provides a method and device for providing a shooting game with improved convenience, allowing experienced players to enjoy a more intense sense of tension and excitement in the game, and beginners to become accustomed to the game in an easy and fun way, depending on the player's level of skill.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing an online shooting game performed by a game server communicatively connected to a player terminal. The method for providing an online shooting game according to the present invention can include the steps of selecting a basic identification range within a virtual online shooting game environment displayed on the player terminal, detecting one or more enemy characters present within the basic identification range, and determining one of the detected one or more enemy characters as an automatic tracking target.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the basic identification range is movable within the environment of a virtual online shooting game in response to operational input from a player terminal.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the step of selecting the basic identification range may include a step of selecting one of a plurality of basic identification ranges of different areas by settings on the player terminal or selection from the player terminal.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the step of determining one enemy character as an automatic tracking target includes a step of determining an attack priority for each of the one or more detected enemy characters, and the determination of the attack priority can be performed based on at least one of the magnitude of expected damage to be inflicted on the enemy character by shooting from the player terminal and the danger level of the enemy character to the player terminal.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method for providing an online shooting game may further include a step of causing the aim point to track the auto-tracking target according to the movement of the auto-tracking target within the basic identification range.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the auto-tracking target may move within a virtual online shooting game environment, and the step of automatically tracking may include a step of automatically moving the aim point toward the auto-tracking target as the auto-tracking target moves within the basic identification range.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the step of performing automatic tracking may include a step of automatically moving the aim point toward an obstacle when the automatically tracked object is obscured from view on the player terminal by an obstacle within the basic identification range as the automatically tracked object moves within the basic identification range.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the movement trajectory of the aim point may be visually recognized on the player terminal.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the step of automatically moving the aim point toward the automatically tracked object may include the step of varying the display of the aim point depending on the positional relationship between the aim point and the automatically tracked object.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method may further include a step of disabling the automatically tracked target if the automatically tracked target moves outside the basic identification range within the virtual online shooting game environment.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method may further include the steps of receiving a shooting input from a player terminal, calculating damage to be inflicted on an automatically tracked target based on the received shooting input, and reflecting the calculated damage in an online shooting game.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method may further include a step of calculating a firepower loss to be given to the player terminal based on the basic identification range and the received shooting input, and reflecting the calculated firepower loss in the online shooting game.

According to another feature of the present invention, there is provided a system for providing an online shooting game, including a player terminal, a game server communicatively connected to the player terminal, and a database connected to the game server. The game server may include a basic identification range selection unit for selecting a basic identification range within a virtual online shooting game environment displayed on the player terminal, and a tracking target determination unit for detecting one or more enemy characters present within the basic identification range and determining one of the detected one or more enemy characters as an automatic tracking target.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable recording medium having one or more instructions recorded thereon may be provided, which, when executed by a computing device, may cause the computing device to perform a method for providing an online shooting game, the method for providing an online shooting game including the steps of selecting a basic identification range within a virtual online shooting game environment displayed on a player terminal, detecting one or more enemy characters present within the basic identification range, and determining one of the detected one or more enemy characters as an automatic tracking target.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing an online shooting game performed by a game server communicably connected to a player terminal. The method for providing an online shooting game according to the present invention includes the steps of selecting a basic identification range in a virtual online shooting game environment displayed on the player terminal, detecting one or more enemy characters existing within the basic identification range, and determining an attack priority for each of the detected one or more enemy characters based on at least one of the magnitude of expected damage to the enemy character by shooting from the player terminal and the danger level of the enemy character to the player terminal, and determining one of the detected one or more enemy characters as an automatic tracking target based on the determined attack priority.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for providing an online shooting game, including a player terminal, a game server communicatively connected to the player terminal, and a database connected to the game server. The game server may include a basic identification range selection unit for selecting a basic identification range within a virtual online shooting game environment displayed on the player terminal, and a tracking target determination unit for detecting one or more enemy characters existing within the basic identification range, determining an attack priority for each of the detected one or more enemy characters based on at least one of the magnitude of expected damage to be inflicted on the enemy character by shooting from the player terminal and the danger level of the enemy character to the player terminal, and determining one of the detected one or more enemy characters as an automatic tracking target based on the determined attack priority.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable recording medium having one or more instructions recorded thereon may be provided, which, when executed by a computing device, may cause the computing device to perform a method for providing an online shooting game, the method for providing an online shooting game including the steps of selecting a basic identification range within a virtual online shooting game environment displayed on a player terminal, detecting one or more enemy characters present within the basic identification range, determining an attack priority for each of the one or more detected enemy characters based on at least one of a magnitude of expected damage to be inflicted on the enemy character by shooting from the player terminal and a danger level of the enemy character to the player terminal, and determining one of the one or more detected enemy characters as an automatic tracking target based on the determined attack priority.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing an online shooting game executed by a database in which parameters set for enemy characters are stored in advance and a game server communicably connected to a player terminal. The method for providing an online shooting game according to the present invention includes the steps of acquiring parameters set for the enemy characters from the database, selecting a basic identification range within a virtual online shooting game environment displayed on the player terminal, determining whether or not there are one or more enemy characters present within the basic identification range, and determining a priority for each of the one or more enemy characters based on the parameters set for the enemy characters and determining one of the one or more enemy characters as a tracking target based on the determined priority.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, in a method for providing an online shooting game, the basic identification range can be movable within a virtual online shooting game environment in response to an operation input from a player terminal.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, in a method for providing an online shooting game, the step of selecting a basic identification range may include a step of selecting one of a plurality of basic identification ranges of different areas by setting on or selecting from a player terminal.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method for providing an online shooting game may further include a step of causing the aim point to track the target as the target moves within the basic identification range.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, in a method for providing an online shooting game, a tracked object is movable within a virtual online shooting game environment, and the step of tracking can include a step of moving an aim point toward the tracked object as the tracked object moves within a basic identification range.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, in a method for providing an online shooting game, the step of tracking may include a step of moving the aim point toward an obstacle when the tracked object is obscured from view on the player terminal by an obstacle within the basic identification range when the tracked object moves within the basic identification range.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, in a method for providing an online shooting game, the movement trajectory of the aim point can be visually recognized on a player terminal.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, in a method for providing an online shooting game, the step of moving the aim point toward the tracked object may include a step of changing the display of the aim point depending on the positional relationship between the aim point and the tracked object.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method for providing an online shooting game may further include a step of releasing the tracking target when the tracking target moves out of a basic identification range within a virtual online shooting game environment.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method for providing an online shooting game may further include a step of receiving a shooting input from a player terminal, and a step of calculating damage to be inflicted on a tracked target based on the received shooting input, and reflecting the calculated damage in the online shooting game.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method for providing an online shooting game may further include a step of calculating a firepower loss to be given to a player terminal based on a basic identification range and a received shooting input, and reflecting the calculated firepower loss in the online shooting game.
According to another feature of the present invention, there is provided an online shooting game providing system including a player terminal, a game server communicatively connected to the player terminal, and a database in which parameters set for enemy characters are pre-stored and connected to the game server. The game server includes an acquisition unit that acquires the parameters set for the enemy characters from the database, a basic identification range selection unit that selects a basic identification range in a virtual online shooting game environment displayed on the player terminal, and a tracking target determination unit that determines whether or not there are one or more enemy characters present within the basic identification range, determines a priority for each of the one or more enemy characters based on the parameters set for the enemy characters, and determines one of the one or more enemy characters as a tracking target based on the determined priority.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, in the online shooting game providing system, the basic identification range can be movable within the virtual online shooting game environment in response to an operation input from a player terminal.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, in an online shooting game providing system, a basic identification range selection unit can select one of a plurality of basic identification ranges of different areas by setting on a player terminal or by selection from the player terminal.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the online shooting game providing system may further include a tracking processing unit for making the aim point track the target according to the movement of the target within the basic identification range.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable recording medium having one or more instructions recorded thereon may be provided. When the one or more instructions are executed by a computing device communicably connected to a database in which parameters set for enemy characters are pre-stored, the one or more instructions may cause the computing device to execute a method for providing an online shooting game, the method for providing an online shooting game including the steps of acquiring the parameters set for the enemy characters from the database, selecting a basic identification range within a virtual online shooting game environment displayed on a player terminal, determining whether or not there are one or more enemy characters present within the basic identification range, and determining a priority for each of the one or more enemy characters based on the parameters set for the enemy characters, and determining one of the one or more enemy characters as a tracking target based on the determined priority.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, in the recording medium, the basic identification range can be movable within the environment of a virtual online shooting game in response to an operation input from a player terminal.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, in the recording medium, the step of selecting the basic identification range may include a step of selecting one of a plurality of basic identification ranges of different areas by setting on or selecting from the player terminal.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the recording medium, the method for providing an online shooting game may further include a step of causing the aim point to track the tracking object according to the movement of the tracking object within the basic identification range.

The present invention can provide a user interface that allows players to easily search for and aim at targets in a shooting game. Furthermore, the present invention allows players of advanced skill levels to enjoy a more intense sense of tension and excitement in the game, while allowing beginners to become accustomed to the game in an easy and fun way, depending on the skill level of the players participating in the shooting game.

1 is a diagram illustrating a system capable of providing an online shooting game according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the internal configuration of the shooting game server of FIG. 1. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an online shooting game according to an embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an online shooting game according to another embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a diagram illustrating a virtual online shooting game space displayed on a player terminal when an online shooting game is executed according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary series of screens for explaining an online shooting game according to the present invention; 4 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary series of screens for explaining an online shooting game according to the present invention; 4 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary series of screens for explaining an online shooting game according to the present invention; 4 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary series of screens for explaining an online shooting game according to the present invention; 2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary screen for explaining an online shooting game according to the present invention;

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In the following, detailed descriptions of already known functions and configurations will be omitted if it is deemed that such descriptions may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention. Furthermore, please understand that the contents described below are merely related to one embodiment of the present invention, and that the present invention is not limited thereto.

Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a game system 1000 capable of providing an online shooting game according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the game system 1000 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes one or more player terminals 100a to 100n, a communication network 200, a shooting game server 300, and a database 400.

The player terminals 100a to 100n are terminal devices used by each player to play a game. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the player terminals 100a to 100n include smartphones, personal digital assistants, tablet PCs, etc. capable of mobile communication, but the present invention is not limited thereto. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the player terminals 100a to 100n include various devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, and workstations capable of various forms of wired or wireless fixed or mobile network communication. Although only three player terminals are shown in the figure, the present invention is not limited thereto. A game system according to the present invention may include a smaller or larger number of player terminals.

The player terminals 100a to 100n include a display (not shown) for showing the progress of the game to the player, and hardware/software input means (not shown) that the player can use to provide necessary operational input during the game. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the player terminals 100a to 100n may include a virtual pad on the display as an input means. For example, the display of the player terminals 100a to 100n may be embodied by a touch screen, and the virtual pad may include various graphic user interfaces (e.g., direction selection buttons, weapon aiming and firing buttons, weapon selection buttons, etc.) that the player can touch and select on the touch screen. When playing the game, the player can use the virtual pad on the display to move the character, aim and fire the weapon, etc.

The player terminals 100a to 100n may further include a game client (not shown). The game client is a game providing means operable by the player terminal, and may be embodied by software such as a program executable by a computer or processor executed by the player terminals 100a to 100n, or hardware. The game client can set up and maintain communication with the shooting game server 300, and can transmit and receive data to and from the shooting game server 300, thereby providing the player terminal with an online shooting game. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the game client can cooperate with the shooting game server 300 to perform some of the calculations required to provide the game.

The player terminals 100a to 100n can establish and maintain communication with the shooting game server 300 through the communication network 200. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the communication network 200 can be any of various types of wired or wireless fixed or mobile networks. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various types of communication networks can be used to provide the online shooting game according to the present invention.

The shooting game server 300 is capable of exchanging data with the player terminals 100a to 100n and the database 400 at least partially in real time through the communication network 200. The shooting game server 300 cooperates with the database 400 to perform authentication processing for the player terminals 100a to 100n, updates the game clients provided in the player terminals 100a to 100n, progresses the game, and the like. In the figure, the game system 1000 is shown to include one shooting game server 300, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that in other embodiments of the present invention, the shooting game server 300 may be configured to include multiple distributed servers connected via the communication network 200 or other suitable forms of network.

The database 400 stores various information necessary to provide an online shooting game. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the database 400 includes authentication information for each player terminal, various character and item information related to the performance of the game, game history information for each player, and the like. Although only one database 400 is shown in the figure, the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that a larger number of databases 400 may be included in other embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the shooting game server 300 in Figure 1. As shown in the figure, the shooting game server 300 includes a data communication unit 310, a game progress control unit 320, a basic identification range selection unit 330, a tracking target determination unit 340, an automatic tracking processing unit 350, and a shooting judgment/processing unit 360.

The data communication unit 310 is a communication interface that enables the exchange of data required for game progress between each of the player terminals 100a-100n and/or the database 400 under the control of the game progress control unit 320. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the data communication unit 310 receives various input information related to game progress from each of the player terminals 100a-100n through the communication network 200, such as operation information such as the basic identification range and movement of the aim in an ongoing shooting game, movement of the player character's field of view, and shooting. The data communication unit 310 also receives authentication information for each of the player terminals 100a-100n and various information related to game progress from the database 400.

The game progress control unit 320 controls each component in the shooting game server 300 and performs various controls related to authentication of each player terminal 100a to 100n and the progress of the shooting game. The game progress control unit 320 controls the appropriate flow of various information received through the data communication unit 310 in the shooting game server 300 and transmits the processing results by the shooting game server 300 to each player terminal 100a to 100n and/or the database 400 through the data communication unit 310. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the game progress control unit 320 can provide information on appropriate display changes to the player terminals 100a to 100n based on operation information such as basic identification range and aim movement, field of view movement of the player character, shooting, etc. received from each player terminal.

The basic identification range selection unit 330 is used to select a basic identification range in which automatic tracking according to the present invention is provided. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a basic identification range is displayed on the display of the player terminal 100a to 100n, allowing the player to visually check whether an enemy character has become an automatic tracking target during the progress of a shooting game. This basic identification range may be a graphic user interface of a certain shape displayed on the display or other suitable type of graphic shape. For example, the basic identification range may be displayed as a boundary line having one of various shapes such as a rectangle, a circle, an ellipse, etc., and when an enemy character enters the boundary line, the enemy character may be set as an automatic tracking target. According to one embodiment of the present invention, when an automatic tracking target is set within a given basic identification range, a target point displayed on the display automatically tracks the movement of the tracking target and moves together with it, or a player may move the target point displayed on the display to the automatic tracking target by touching the display or using other suitable input means, thereby preparing a shooting operation. Thus, according to various embodiments of the present invention, by providing a basic identification range on the display of the player terminals 100a to 100n, it becomes possible to more easily track the target to be shot, even on player terminals that are provided with simple input means, such as smartphones, and to provide the player with a quick immersion and enjoyment in the game.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, each player may be assigned a rank through the player's settings or selection on the display of the player terminal 100a to 100n, and a different basic identification range may be provided according to each rank. For example, a beginner may be assigned a low rank and a basic identification range of a larger area may be provided for the low rank. Also, an advanced player may be assigned a high rank and a basic identification range of a smaller area may be provided for the high rank. In this way, by providing a basic identification range of a different area according to the player's rank, it is possible to help beginners to become more easily accustomed to the game environment and become immersed in the game. Also, it is possible to provide an advanced player with a higher level of shooting experience and immersion. The display of the basic identification range on the display according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described later with reference to FIG. 5. Also, the different basic identification ranges provided for each rank according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described later with reference to FIG. 7.

When the basic identification range is selected by the basic identification range selection unit 330, the tracking target determination unit 340 determines whether there is an enemy character that can be a target of automatic tracking within the selected basic identification range. When it is recognized that there are multiple enemy characters within the selected basic identification range, the tracking target determination unit 340 determines the attack priority order for the multiple recognized enemy characters. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the attack priority order may be determined for each enemy character recognized within the basic identification range based on the amount of damage the player will inflict on the enemy character, the danger of each enemy character to the player, or other predetermined criteria. It is possible for those skilled in the art to set various other criteria for determining the attack priority order for each enemy character when multiple enemy characters are recognized within the basic identification range. The tracking target determination unit 340 determines at least one tracking target to be a target of automatic tracking based on the determined priority order.

The automatic tracking processing unit 350 performs automatic tracking processing on the tracking target determined by the tracking target determination unit 340. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the movement of the aim point is automatically performed by tracking the tracking target determined within a given basic identification range. The tracking target moves, for example, by the operation of the user of the player terminal controlling the enemy character or by an algorithm defined in the system, and the position of the aim point moves automatically while tracking the moving tracking target. According to one embodiment of the present invention, regardless of whether the automatic tracking target is visible to the player, the movement trajectory of the aim point in space by automatic tracking may always be visible to the player. According to one embodiment of the present invention, even if the tracking target is hidden behind an obstacle in the space of the virtual online shooting game, for example, a cover such as a wall, and the player cannot visually recognize the existence of the tracking target, automatic tracking can be performed. That is, according to one embodiment of the present invention, even if the tracking target is hidden behind a wall and the player cannot see it, automatic tracking is performed as long as the tracking target exists within the basic identification range, and the aim point is positioned on the wall where the tracking target is hidden. Additionally, the aim point that moves within the reference identification range in accordance with automatic tracking may be displayed in a different color depending on the accuracy of the aim point's targeting of the tracked object, i.e., the degree of damage inflicted on the tracked object.

An example of the automatic tracking process by the automatic tracking processing unit 350 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 6a to 6d. Figure 6a shows a state in which the presence of an enemy 620 has been recognized within the basic identification range 610 displayed on the display of the player terminal, but automatic tracking has not yet been performed. Figure 6b shows a state in which automatic tracking has begun with the recognized enemy 620 as the automatic tracking target, and thus the aim point 630 is positioned on or near the automatic tracking target 620. However, the position of the aim point 630 has not yet reached a state in which it is accurately aimed at the automatic tracking target 620, and the display of the aim point 630 may be displayed in a first color (e.g., yellow) (although not specifically shown). FIG. 6c shows that when the relative position of the automatically tracked object 620 changes within the reference identification range by the automatic tracking object 620 moving in the direction of the arrow 640 or the player moving the reference identification range 610, the position of the aim point 630 moves along with such movement. At this time, the aim point 630 is still in a state where it has not yet been aimed accurately, that is, it is not possible to give the highest level of damage, even though it has moved following the tracked object 620, and the aim point 630 is still displayed in a first color (e.g., yellow). Next, FIG. 6d shows that the aim point 630 has reached a state where it can accurately aim at the tracked object 620 and give the highest level of damage through automatic tracking. In FIG. 6d, in order to show that the aim point 630 is accurately aimed at the tracked object 620, the aim point 630 may be displayed in a second color (e.g., red) instead of the first color. Here, it has been described that two types of colors are used as different displays showing the accuracy of the aim point 630, but the present invention is not limited to this. According to other embodiments of the present invention, a number of different colors or a variety of other methods may be used to provide an indication of the difference in accuracy of the aim point 630. Also, the aim point 630 may be displayed in a variety of shapes other than a crosshair as shown in FIG. 6.

Returning to FIG. 2, the shooting determination/processing unit 360 determines whether or not a shoot has been fired by the player. If a shoot has been fired by the player, the shooting determination/processing unit 360 determines the damage to be inflicted on the tracked character based on the attack range and firepower of the player's weapon, the positional relationship between the tracked character and the player at the time the shoot was fired, and the like. The shooting determination/processing unit 360 updates information about the tracked character based on the determined damage. For example, if it is determined that the tracked character has died as a result of the determined damage, the tracked character can be treated as dead.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, when damage is inflicted on the tracked character by shooting from a player, the shooting judgment/processing unit 360 can transmit information to the player terminals 100a to 100n to display on those terminals a display (e.g., a display of the tracked character's body shaking or falling) informing that the tracked character has been damaged. Also, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the firepower loss of the player who input the attack may be calculated and reflected separately from the update of the information on the tracked character. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the firepower loss of the player who performed the shooting may be determined by the basic identification range. For example, when a basic identification range with a large area is selected, it may be determined that the firepower loss of the player due to shooting is larger than when a basic identification range with a smaller area is selected.

In the above-described embodiment, the basic identification range selection unit 330, the tracking target determination unit 340, the automatic tracking processing unit 350, and the shooting judgment/processing unit 360 are described as being provided and operating within the shooting game server 300, but the present invention is not limited to this. In another embodiment, at least one of the basic identification range selection unit 330, the tracking target determination unit 340, the automatic tracking processing unit 350, and the shooting judgment/processing unit 360 may be provided in another shooting game server that is provided in a distributed manner and interconnected through the communication network 200, or may be provided in at least one of the player terminals 100a to 100n. For example, when the basic identification range selection unit 330, the tracking target determination unit 340, the automatic tracking processing unit 350, and the shooting judgment/processing unit 360 are provided in the player terminal 100a, these components may perform the operation of determining the automatic tracking target and automatic tracking based on the basic identification range and the basic identification range displayed on the corresponding player terminal 100a.

3 is a flow chart for generally illustrating a method for providing an online shooting game according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method according to the exemplary flow chart shown in FIG. 3 may be implemented, for example, by a computer or processor, such as a player terminal 100a-100n or a server 300 configured to execute an online shooting game, or may be implemented by software, such as a program executable by such a computer or processor. The method according to the flow chart of FIG. 3 includes one or more operations or functions exemplified by one or more of steps S302-S308. Although steps shown in FIG. 3 are illustrated as a series of blocks, these blocks may be divided into additional blocks or combined together as a smaller number of blocks. In other embodiments, the blocks shown in FIG. 3 may be implemented by parallel processes instead of sequential processes, or by a combination of sequential and parallel processes.

As shown in the figure, in step S302, the selected basic identification range is displayed on the player terminal. In one embodiment, the basic identification range is displayed on the display of each player terminal 100a to 100n, allowing the player to see whether an enemy character has become an automatic tracking target during the progress of the shooting game. As described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIGS. 6a to 6d, the basic identification range may be displayed by a certain shape of a graphic user interface or other suitable type of graphic shape displayed on the display.

Next, in step S304, enemy characters present within the basic identification range of the current position are detected, and an automatic tracking target is determined from among them. In one embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 2, when a basic identification range is selected by the basic identification range selection unit 330, the tracking target determination unit 340 determines whether or not there is an enemy character within the given basic identification range that can be a target for automatic tracking. Furthermore, if it is recognized that there are multiple enemy characters within the given basic identification range, the tracking target determination unit 340 determines an attack priority order for the multiple enemy characters recognized.

In step S306 following step S304, automatic tracking is started, and the aim point moves together with the movement of the tracking target while tracking the movement of the tracking target. In one embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 2, the automatic tracking processing unit 350 performs automatic tracking processing on the tracking target determined by the tracking target determination unit 340. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the movement of the aim point is automatically performed to follow the determined tracking target within a given basic identification range. Furthermore, regardless of whether the automatic tracking target is visible to the player, the movement trajectory of the aim point in space associated with automatic tracking may always be visible to the player.

In step S308, if the player shoots, the damage to be inflicted on the tracking target is determined and applied to the game. In one embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 2, the shooting determination/processing unit 360 determines whether or not the player has shot. If the player has shot, the shooting determination/processing unit 360 determines the damage to be inflicted on the tracking target character based on the attack range and firepower of the player's weapon, the positional relationship between the tracking target character and the player at the time the shooting was performed, and the like. The shooting determination/processing unit 360 also updates information about the tracking target character based on the determined damage.

Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an online shooting game according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, in step S402, the basic identification range is determined by the setting on each player terminal or the player's selection, and is displayed on the player terminal. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the basic identification range selection unit 330 can provide a selection of a basic identification range that allows the player to see whether an enemy character has become an automatic tracking target during the progress of the shooting game, and the selected basic identification range is displayed on the display of the player terminals 100a to 100n. Also, as described above, a plurality of basic identification ranges having different areas, i.e., different coverage areas, are provided, and one of the plurality of basic identification ranges is selected or determined depending on the player's game skill level, etc. According to one embodiment, each player is assigned a rank by the setting or selection by the player on the display of the player terminals 100a to 100n, and a different basic identification range is provided for each rank. For example, a beginner may be assigned a low rank, and a basic identification range with a larger area may be provided for the low rank. Also, an advanced player may be assigned a high rank, and a basic identification range with a smaller area may be provided for the high rank.

The basic identification range displayed on the player terminal may be moved in step S404 in response to the player's operation as the game progresses. Such movement of the basic identification range is displayed in the environment of the virtual online shooting game displayed on the player terminal. For example, when the player moves the player terminal 100a to 100n in the left-right or up-down direction, such movement may be detected by a motion sensor or the like provided in the player terminal 100a to 100n, and the basic identification range may be displayed moving in various directions including the left-right or up-down direction in the environment of the virtual online shooting game displayed on the display. In another embodiment, the basic identification range may be displayed moving in various directions including the left-right or up-down direction in the environment of the virtual online shooting game displayed on the display in response to the player's selection of a graphic user interface (e.g., a direction selection button) for direction selection displayed on the display of the player terminal 100a to 100n.

While the movement of the basic identification range is in progress, in step S406, it is determined whether or not an enemy character is present within the basic identification range of the current position. In one embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 2, when the basic identification range is selected by the basic identification range selection unit 330, the tracking target determination unit 340 determines whether or not an enemy character that can be a target of automatic tracking is present within the given basic identification range. The determination of whether or not an enemy character is present within the basic identification range of the current position may be made by a predetermined algorithm.

Next, if it is determined in step S406 that no enemy characters are present within the basic identification range of the current position, the process proceeds to step S404, where the movement of the basic identification range continues in response to the player's operation. According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is determined in step S406 that multiple enemy characters are present within the basic identification range of the current position.

If it is determined in step S406 that one or more enemy characters are present within the basic identification range of the current position, then in step S408, one of the determined enemy characters is determined to be the target of automatic tracking. As described above, the enemy character to be the target of automatic tracking may be determined based on the amount of damage the player inflicts on each enemy character, the danger of each enemy character to the player, or other predetermined criteria. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that a variety of criteria can be used to determine the target to be automatically tracked.

When an enemy character to be automatically tracked is determined, the aim point automatically moves to the automatically tracked target determined in step S410. In one embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 2, the automatic tracking processing unit 350 automatically moves the aim point to track the tracking target determined within the basic discrimination range by the tracking target determination unit 340.

Next, in step S412, so-called automatic tracking is performed in which the aim point automatically moves together with the movement of the automatically tracked target within the basic identification range, for example, according to the opponent's operation or the movement of the automatically tracked target according to an algorithm defined by the system, so as to maintain the aim on the moving automatically tracked target. According to one embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 2, the automatic tracking processing unit 350 automatically executes the movement of the aim point by tracking the tracking target determined within the basic identification range by the tracking target determination unit 340. Also, according to one embodiment, as described above, regardless of whether the automatically tracked target is visible to the player, the movement trajectory in space of the aim point associated with automatic tracking may always be visible to the player. Also, according to one embodiment of the present invention, automatic tracking may be performed even if the tracking target is hidden behind an obstacle in the virtual online shooting game space, for example, a cover such as a wall, and the presence of the tracking target is not visible to the player.

Next, in step S414, it is determined whether or not there is a shooting input from the player. In one embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 2, the shooting determination/processing unit 360 determines whether or not there is a shooting input from the player. If there is a shooting input from the player, the process proceeds to step S416.

In step S416, the positional relationship between the aim point and the automatic tracking target at the time of the player's shooting input is determined. After that, in step S418, the damage to be inflicted on the automatic tracking target is calculated taking into consideration the positional relationship between the aim point and the automatic tracking target determined in step S416, the attack range and firepower of the player's weapon, and various other criteria, and this is reflected in the progress of the game. Although not shown here, according to one embodiment of the present invention, in addition to calculating and reflecting the damage to be inflicted on the automatic tracking target, the loss of firepower of the player who made the shooting input may also be calculated and reflected. According to one embodiment, when a shooting is performed by the player, the shooting determination/processing unit 360 determines the damage to be inflicted on the tracking target character based on the attack range and firepower of the player's weapon, the positional relationship between the tracking target character and the player at the time the shooting is performed, and the like. In addition, the shooting determination/processing unit 360 updates information about the tracking target character according to the determined damage. Then, returning to step S404, the movement of the basic identification range in response to the player's operation continues.

If it is determined in step S414 that there is no shooting input from the player, the process proceeds to step S420. In step S420, it is determined whether the automatically tracked object has deviated from the basic identification range. If it is determined that the automatically tracked object has not deviated from the basic identification range, the process returns to step S414, and it is determined again whether there is a shooting input from the player. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S420 that the automatically tracked object has deviated from the basic identification range, the process returns to step S404, and the movement of the basic identification range in response to the player's operation continues.

5 shows a part of the space of a virtual online shooting game displayed on the player terminals 100a to 100n when an online shooting game according to an embodiment of the present invention is executed. In the center of the space of the virtual online shooting game, a basic identification range display 510 according to an embodiment of the present invention is displayed in a rectangular shape. In the figure, the basic identification range display 510 is shown in a rectangular shape, but the present invention is not limited thereto. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the basic identification range display may be displayed in various suitable shapes such as a square, a circle, an ellipse, a triangle, etc. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the basic identification range display 510 can be moved within the space of the virtual online shooting game by the player's operation. As shown in the figure, a crosshair-shaped aim point 530 is displayed on the enemy character 520 within the rectangular basic identification range display 510. In the figure, the aim point 530 is shown in a crosshair shape, but the present invention is not limited thereto. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the aim point may be displayed in various suitable shapes including a circle (e.g., a single circle or a double circle), a point shape, etc.

7 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary screen for explaining an online shooting game according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, basic identification ranges 710a-710d provided for each rank according to an embodiment of the present invention are displayed in a virtual online shooting game space. According to an embodiment of the present invention, as described above, each player participating in an online shooting game is assigned one of a plurality of ranks, and a basic identification range of a different area is given to each rank. In FIG. 7, four basic identification ranges 710a-710d of different areas are displayed overlapping one another. For example, a beginner at the lowest level is assigned the widest basic identification range, i.e., the outermost rectangular basic identification range 710a. In this case, the player can proceed with the game with only rough operations of the wide basic identification range, and does not need to perform fine operations. Also, an advanced player at the highest level is assigned the narrowest basic identification range, i.e., the innermost rectangular basic identification range 710d. In this case, since the basic identification range in which automatic tracking is performed is narrow, the player needs to perform more fine operations in a relatively wide space. In the figure, only four basic identification ranges 710a-710d are shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and more or less basic identification ranges may be included depending on the embodiment of the present invention. Also, in the figure, the basic identification range 710d, which is the narrowest range for the highest level player, is shown as a small rectangle having a small area, but the present invention is not limited thereto. According to other embodiments of the present invention, for the highest level player, the area of the basic identification range may be given as zero (e.g., a dot shape or a crosshair shape with no internal area).

The above-described embodiment of the method for providing an online shooting game according to the present invention may be embodied as a computer-readable code or program in a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may be any type of recording device in which data readable by a computer system can be stored. For example, a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a hard disk, a floppy disk, a portable storage device, a non-volatile memory, an optical data storage device, etc. may be used as the recording medium. It may also be embodied in the form of a carrier wave, such as transmission through the Internet. The computer-readable recording medium may also be distributed among computer systems connected by a computer communication network, and stored and executed as readable code in a distributed manner.

The above embodiments have been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings to aid in understanding the present disclosure, but this is merely illustrative, and a person having ordinary skill in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent embodiments are possible.

The present invention can be used in devices providing online shooting games, etc.

Claims (9)

A method for controlling a game server communicably connected to a player terminal, comprising the steps of:
The game server,
A basic identification range is set within a screen of the player terminal;
receiving a movement input from the player terminal;
moving the basic identification range within the screen of the player terminal in response to the received movement input;
When an enemy character enters the basic identification range, the enemy character is automatically tracked to a target point displayed within the basic identification range;
receiving a shooting input from the player terminal;
determining damage to be inflicted on the enemy character in response to the received shooting input;
Reflecting the determined damage in a game;
Including,
the game server invalidates the basic identification range when a skill level of a player operating the player terminal is equal to or higher than a predetermined skill level ;
The control method further comprises: The control method according to claim 1, wherein, in setting the basic identification range, the game server sets one of multiple basic identification ranges of different areas by setting on or from the player terminal. The control method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, in tracking the enemy character, the game server causes the aim point to track the enemy character as the enemy character moves within the basic identification range. The control method according to claim 3, wherein in tracking the enemy character, the game server causes the aim point to track the enemy character even if the enemy character moves within the basic identification range and the player operating the player terminal is unable to see the enemy character due to an object within the basic identification range. The game server displays a movement trajectory of the aim point tracking the enemy character on a screen of the player terminal;
The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, in tracking the enemy character, the game server changes the display of the aim point depending on the positional relationship between the aim point and the enemy character. The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein in determining the damage, the game server calculates a firepower loss corresponding to the shooting input based on the size of the basic identification range, and determines the damage based on the firepower loss. A game server communicatively connected to a player terminal,
A basic identification range is set within a screen of the player terminal;
receiving a movement input from the player terminal;
moving the basic identification range within the screen of the player terminal in response to the received movement input;
When an enemy character enters the basic identification range, the enemy character is automatically tracked to a target point displayed within the basic identification range;
receiving a shooting input from the player terminal;
determining damage to be inflicted on the enemy character in response to the received shooting input;
A processing unit that reflects the determined damage in a game;
Equipped with
the processing unit invalidates the basic identification range when a skill level of a player operating the player terminal is equal to or higher than a predetermined skill level.
A game server comprising: A control program for a game server communicably connected to a player terminal,
The game server,
A basic identification range is set within a screen of the player terminal;
receiving a movement input from the player terminal;
moving the basic identification range within the screen of the player terminal in response to the received movement input;
When an enemy character enters the basic identification range, the enemy character is automatically tracked to a target point displayed within the basic identification range;
receiving a shooting input from the player terminal;
determining damage to be inflicted on the enemy character in response to the received shooting input;
Reflecting the determined damage in a game;
Run the command,
the game server invalidates the basic identification range when a skill level of a player operating the player terminal is equal to or higher than a predetermined skill level ;
A control program for further executing the above.

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