阅读说明：本技术 游戏装置 (Game device ) 是由 高久光一 齐藤秀树 于 2018-12-05 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种经由通信网络(2)与服务器(10)及其他游戏装置(20)连接的游戏装置(20),其特征在于,具备：存储部(22)；显示部(24)；接收部(293),接收通过拍摄其他游戏装置(20)的周围而生成的视频；存储处理部(294),在存储部(22)存储接收部(293)接收到的视频；显示处理部(295),在显示部(24)显示接收部(293)接收到的视频；判断部(296),判断是否满足规定的视频发送条件；以及第一发送部(297),在判断部(296)判断为满足所述规定的视频发送条件时,将在存储部(22)中存储的视频的至少一部分发送到服务器(10)。(A game device (20) connected to a server (10) and another game device (20) via a communication network (2), comprising: a storage unit (22); a display unit (24); a receiving unit (293) that receives a video generated by capturing the surroundings of another game device (20); a storage processing unit (294) that stores the video received by the receiving unit (293) in the storage unit (22); a display processing unit (295) for displaying the video received by the receiving unit (293) on a display unit (24); a determination unit (296) that determines whether or not a predetermined video transmission condition is satisfied; and a first transmission unit (297) that transmits at least a part of the video stored in the storage unit (22) to the server (10) when the determination unit (296) determines that the predetermined video transmission condition is satisfied.)

1. A game device connected to a server and another game device via a communication network, comprising:

a storage unit;

a display unit;

a receiving unit that receives a video generated by capturing an image of the periphery of the other game device;

a storage processing unit that stores the video received by the receiving unit in the storage unit;

a display processing unit that displays the video received by the receiving unit on the display unit;

a judgment unit that judges whether or not a predetermined video transmission condition is satisfied; and

and a first transmission unit that transmits at least a part of the video stored in the storage unit to the server when the determination unit determines that the predetermined video transmission condition is satisfied.

2. Gaming apparatus according to claim 1,

the predetermined video transmission condition is that the reception of the video by the receiving unit is interrupted.

3. Gaming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

the predetermined video transmission condition is that the video received by the receiving unit includes a predetermined cheating action performed by the player, or the video received by the receiving unit does not include a predetermined normal game action performed by the player.

4. A game apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

an imaging unit that images the periphery of the game device; and

and a second transmission unit that transmits, to the other game device, a video image generated by the image pickup unit picking up an image of the periphery of the game device.

5. Game apparatus according to claim 4,

the display processing unit displays, on the display unit, a video image generated by the imaging unit capturing an image of the periphery of the game device.

6. Game apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the game device further comprises an instruction receiving unit for receiving an instruction from a player,

the first transmission unit transmits at least a part of the video stored in the storage unit to the server when the instruction accepting unit accepts an instruction from a player.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a game device.

Background

Currently, a so-called online game is prevalent in which a plurality of players operate a game device by using a server and a plurality of game devices connected via a network to play a game match. Among such online games, the following devices are known: for the reason of preventing cheating by players, a plurality of game devices that perform a match-up send video (including images) generated by capturing the players to each other, and display the video received by each game device from the other game device.

For example, patent document 1 describes a game device including an imaging unit, a transmission/reception unit, and a display unit. The transmitter/receiver transmits the video of the player himself captured by the image capture unit to the opponent game device, and receives the video of the opponent player from the opponent game device. The display unit displays the received video of the opponent player.

Prior art documents

Patent document

Patent document 1: international publication No. 2015/173962

However, since video data is generally large in capacity, a delay occurs in the configuration in which a game device of a client transmits a video to a counterpart game device of another client via a server, and the real-time performance of the game is impaired. Therefore, in the online game described above, a configuration is often adopted in which game devices perform P2P (Peer to Peer) communication with each other, and the game devices transmit and receive video images to and from each other.

However, in the case of adopting the P2P communication configuration, when a player who is disadvantaged takes a cheating action such as closing a game by cutting off communication in a cheating manner, data serving as proof does not remain on the server side, and it is difficult to verify whether the action is a cheating action.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a game device capable of avoiding video delay by P2P communication and capable of securely saving proof data for verifying a cheating action when a player has a possibility of performing the cheating action.

A game device according to the present invention is a game device connected to a server and another game device via a communication network, comprising: a storage unit; a display unit; a receiving unit that receives a video generated by capturing an image of the periphery of another game device; a storage processing unit that stores the video received by the receiving unit in a storage unit; a display processing unit that displays the video received by the receiving unit on a display unit; a judgment unit that judges whether or not a predetermined video transmission condition is satisfied; and a first transmission unit that transmits at least a part of the video stored in the storage unit to the server when the determination unit determines that the predetermined video transmission condition is satisfied.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a game device capable of avoiding video delay by P2P communication and capable of securely saving proof data for verifying a cheating action when a player is likely to perform the cheating action.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a network configuration diagram showing an example of a game system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the server 10.

Fig. 3 is a schematic external view showing the game device 20.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the game device 20.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an operation sequence of the matching process and the game progress process performed by the game system 1.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an operation flow of the video transmission process performed by the game device 20.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but extends to the inventions recited in the claims and equivalents thereof.

(1) Construction of the Game System 1

Fig. 1 is a network configuration diagram showing an example of a game system 1. The game system 1 is a system for executing a dart game as an example of an online game. The game system 1 includes a server 10 and a plurality of game devices 20 connected to each other via a communication network 2 such as the internet. The plurality of game devices 20 are installed in, for example, different shops. Further, a plurality of game devices 20 may be installed in the same store.

(2) Constitution of each device

(2-1) construction of Server 10

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the server 10. The server 10 is an information processing device for executing processing relating to matching of players and processing relating to the progress of a dart game. The server 10 includes a server communication unit 11, a server storage unit 12, and a server processing unit 13.

The server communication unit 11 includes a communication interface circuit for connecting the server 10 to the communication network 2, and communicates with the communication network 2. The server communication unit 11 supplies data received from the game device 20 or the like to the server processing unit 13. The server communication unit 11 transmits the data supplied from the server processing unit 13 to the game device 20 and the like.

The server storage unit 12 includes at least one of a magnetic tape device, a magnetic disk device, and an optical disk device, for example. The server storage unit 12 stores an operating system program, a driver program, an application program, data, and the like used for processing in the server processing unit 12. For example, the server storage section 12 stores, as an application program, a program for executing matching processing for matching a plurality of players with each other as opponents, a program for playing a dart game, or the like. The computer program can be installed in the server storage unit 12 from a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM by using a known installation program or the like. Alternatively, the computer program may be downloaded from another information processing apparatus via the communication network 2 or the like and installed in the server storage unit 12.

The server processing unit 13 includes one or more processors and peripheral circuits thereof. The server processing unit 13 is, for example, a CPU, and integrally controls the overall operation of the server 10. The server processing unit 13 controls the operations of the server communication unit 11 and the like so that various processes of the server 10 are executed in an appropriate order based on a program and the like stored in the server storage unit 12. The server processing unit 13 includes a matching processing unit 131, a game progress unit 132, and a video image receiving unit 133. The matching processing unit 131 performs, for example, matching processing for matching a plurality of players as opponents. The game progress unit 132 executes, for example, processing relating to the progress of a dart game. The video image receiving unit 133 receives, for example, a video image transmitted from the game device 20.

(2-2) construction of Game device 20

Fig. 3 is a schematic external view of the game device 20. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the game device 20. The game device 20 is a game device for a player to play a dart game. The game device 20 includes a game device communication unit 21, a game device storage unit 22, an operation unit 23, a display unit 24, a card slot CS, a card RW unit 25, a dartboard DB, a detection unit 26, a coin insertion unit 27, an imaging unit 28, and a game device processing unit 29. In the dart game, a player throws darts at the dart board DB from an area appropriately set in front of the game device 20.

The game device communication unit 21 includes a communication interface circuit for connecting the game device 20 to the communication network 2, and communicates with the communication network 2. The game device communication unit 21 supplies data received from the server 10 and the other game devices 20 to the game device processing unit 29 via the communication network 2. The game device communication unit 21 transmits the data supplied from the game device processing unit 29 to the server 10 and other game devices 20 via the communication network 2.

The game device storage unit 22 includes at least one of a magnetic tape device, a magnetic disk device, and an optical disk device, for example. The game device storage unit 22 stores an operating system program, a driver program, an application program, data, and the like used for processing in the game device processing unit 29. For example, the game device storage unit 22 stores a program for playing a dart game or the like as an application program. Further, for example, the game device storage unit 22 stores video received from another game device 20 via the communication network 2 or the like. The computer program can be installed in the game device storage unit 22 from a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM by using a known installation program or the like. Alternatively, the computer program may be downloaded from the server 10 or another information processing device via the communication network 2 or the like and installed in the game device storage unit 22.

The operation unit 23 is used for a player to perform various operations, and is implemented by, for example, operation buttons or the like provided on an operation panel. The operation unit 23 receives an operation by a player, and transmits a signal corresponding to the operation to the game device processing unit 29 and the like.

The display unit 24 may be any device as long as it can display images, and the like, and may be, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, or the like. The display unit 24 may be integrated with the operation unit 23 by a liquid crystal touch panel display. The display unit 24 displays an image or video corresponding to the data supplied from the game device processing unit 29.

The card slot CS is an insertion slot for a player to insert a owned game card. The game device 20 is provided with 4 card slots CS so that a game match can be played by 4 persons at most. Further, more than 4 card slots CS may be provided so that the number of people exceeding 4 can play the game match.

The card RW unit 25 can read a card ID or the like recorded in a game card owned by a player, and can write information or the like obtained in a game result on the game card.

The dart board DB is a dart board which becomes a target of a dart game. The dartboard DB is divided into a plurality of target areas, and a plurality of narrow holes are provided in each of the target areas. The front end portion of the dart thrown by the player is accepted by any one of a plurality of holes provided on the target area.

The detection unit 26 includes: a film switch provided corresponding to each target area for detecting the dart incident on the target area; and a vibration sensor provided to detect that the thrown dart is out of the target area. The detection unit 26 detects where the dart is or is not incident on the target zone based on the signals of the membrane switch and the vibration sensor, and sends the detection signal to the game device processing unit 29.

The coin insertion unit 27 includes an insertion port into which coins are inserted, and a sensor that detects coins inserted from the insertion port. In the game device 20, the player can play the game only by inserting a predetermined number of coins from the coin insertion slot. In the game device 20, the game may be played without inserting coins from the coin insertion slot.

The image pickup unit 28 is configured by, for example, a camera, and generates a video by picking up an image of the periphery of the game device 20, and outputs the video to the game device processing unit 29. Here, the video means at least one image that is sequential in time and is used as an image including a single image. The imaging unit 28 images the periphery of the game device 20, for example, a player, a dart game area, the game device 20, and the like. The imaging unit 28 may execute imaging while zooming or panning under control of the game device processing unit 29.

The game device processing unit 29 includes one or more processors and peripheral circuits thereof. The game device processing unit 29 is, for example, a CPU, and collectively controls the overall operation of the game device 20. The game device processing unit 29 controls the operations of the game device communication unit 21 and the like so that various processes of the game device 20 are executed in an appropriate order based on a program and the like stored in the game device storage unit 22.

The game device processing unit 29 includes a matching request unit 291, a game progress unit 292, a reception unit 293, a storage processing unit 294, a display processing unit 295, a determination unit 296, a first transmission unit 297, a second transmission unit 298, and an instruction reception unit 299. These units are functional blocks realized by a program executed by a processor provided in the game device processing unit 29. Alternatively, these components may be installed in the game device 20 as firmware. The matching request section 291 transmits, for example, a matching request from a player received by the game device 20 to the server 10 via the communication network 2. The game progress unit 292 executes, for example, processing related to the progress of a dart game. The receiving unit 293 receives, for example, a video received from another game device. The storage processing unit 294 stores the video received by the receiving unit 293 in the game device storage unit 22, for example. The display processing unit 295 synthesizes data and/or other video relating to the progress of the dart game received by the receiving unit 293, for example, and displays the synthesized data and/or other video on the display unit 24. The determination unit 296 determines whether or not a predetermined video transmission condition is satisfied, for example. The predetermined video transmission condition means that, for example, the reception of video by the receiver 293 is interrupted. The first transmitting unit 297 transmits at least a part of the video image stored in the game device storage unit 20 to the server 10, for example. The second transmitting unit 298 transmits, for example, the video generated by the image capturing unit 28 to another game device. The instruction receiving unit 299 receives an instruction from a user, for example.

(3) Actions of the Game System 1

Next, the operation of the game system 1 will be described. Hereinafter, the game device operated by the player a and the game device operated by the player B are referred to as a game device 20A and a game device operated by the player a and the player B are referred to as a game device 20B, respectively. Note that, as appropriate, a symbol "a" is given to the end of each configuration provided in the game device 20A, and a symbol "B" is given to the end of each configuration provided in the game device 20B.

(3-1) matching Process and Game progress Process

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an operation sequence related to the matching process and the game progress process performed by the game system 1. This operation sequence is executed by the server processing unit 13, the game device processing unit 29A, and the game device processing unit 29B, which are based on programs stored in advance in the server storage unit 12, the game device storage unit 22A, and the game device storage unit 22B, and are operated in cooperation with the respective elements of the server 10, the game device 20A, and the game device 20B.

(step S101)

First, the operation unit 23A of the game device 20A receives an operation of a matching request by the player a. For example, the player a inputs information such as the ID of the player a and the kind of a desired game as information included in the matching request.

(step S102)

Next, the matching request section 291A of the game device 20A transmits the matching request received in step S101 to the server 10.

(step S103)

Similarly to step S101, the operation unit 23B of the game device 20B receives an operation of the matching request by the player B.

(step S104)

Next, the matching request section 291B of the game device 20B transmits the matching request received in step S103 to the server 10.

(step S105)

Next, the matching processing unit 131 of the server 10 performs matching processing. Here, by this matching process, player a and player B match each other to become opponents of each other.

(step S106)

Next, the matching processing unit 131 of the server 10 transmits a match determination notification, which is information indicating that the player a and the player B are opponents of each other, to each of the game device 20A and the game device 20B.

(step S107)

Next, the server 10, the game device 20A, and the game device 20B execute the progress processing of the dart game. At this time, the score, the number of rounds, and data (game data) related to the progress of another dart game are transmitted and received among the server 10, the game device 20A, and the game device 20B. Further, the video data of the game device 20A and the video data of the game device 20B are transmitted and received between the game device 20A and the game device 20B.

Specifically, the game progression unit 292A of the game device 20A transmits data indicating the score number and the like of the player a to the server 10 and the game device 20B, respectively, based on the detection signal generated by the player a when the dart is thrown. The imaging unit 28A of the game device 20A generates a video by imaging the periphery of the game device 20A (the player a, the dart game area, the game device 20A, and the like), and outputs the video to the game device processing unit 29A. Then, the second transmitting unit 298A of the game device processing unit 29A transmits the video image, which is captured around the game device 20A, to the game device 20B. The display processing unit 295A of the game device 20A synthesizes data relating to the progress of the dart game received from the server 10 and the game device 20B with video images taken around the game device 20B received from the game device 20B, and displays a game screen, which will be described later, on the display unit 24A.

Similarly, the game progression unit 292B of the game device 20B transmits data indicating the score number and the like of the player B to the server 10 and the game device 20A, respectively, based on the detection signal generated by the player B dart-throwing detection unit 26B. The imaging unit 28B of the game device 20B generates a video by imaging the periphery of the game device 20B (the player B, the dart game area, the game device 20B, and the like), and outputs the video to the game device processing unit 29B. Then, the second transmitting unit 298B of the game device processing unit 29B transmits the video image, which is captured around the game device 20B, to the game device 20A. The display processing unit 295B of the game device 20B synthesizes data relating to the progress of the dart game received from the server 10 and the game device 20A with video images taken around the game device 20A received from the game device 20A, and displays a game screen, which will be described later, on the display unit 24B.

Here, an example of a game screen 500 displayed on the display unit 24A of the game device 20A and the display unit 24B of the game device 20B will be described with reference to fig. 6. As shown in fig. 6, the game screen 500 includes a game data area 501, a video area 502A, and a video area 502B. The score points of each of player a and player B, the number of rounds, and data relating to the progress of other dart games are displayed in the game data area 501. The video image generated by the imaging unit 28A imaging the periphery of the game device 20A (the player a, the game device 20A, and the like) is displayed in the video image area 502A. In the player B video area 502B, a video image generated by the imaging unit 28B imaging the periphery of the game device 20B (player B, game device 20B, and the like) is displayed.

(3-2) video Transmission processing

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an operation flow of the video transmission process performed by the game device 20. This operation flow is executed mainly by the game device processing unit 29 in cooperation with each element of the game device 20 based on a program stored in advance in the server storage unit 12. In this operation flow, the determination unit 296 of the game device 20 determines whether or not the video transmitted by another game device received by the reception unit 293 is cut. When it is determined that the video is cut, first transmitting unit 297 of game device 20 transmits at least a part of the video to server 10.

Hereinafter, an example will be described in which, when a dart game is executed between the game device 20A and the game device 20B, the game device 20A transmits a video image that captures the periphery of the game device 20B to the server 10 or the like.

(step S201)

First, the determination section 136 of the game device processing section 29A resets the count value N at the start of the dart game (N → 0).

(step S202)

Next, determination unit 296A determines whether or not reception unit 293A receives a video from game device 20B.

(step S203)

If it is determined in step S202 that the receiving unit 293A has received a video from the game device 20B (yes in step S202), the determining unit 296A resets the count value N (N → 0).

(step S204)

Next, the storage processing unit 294A stores the video received by the receiving unit 293A from the game device 20B in the game device storage unit 22A. Then, the process returns to step S202.

(step S205)

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S202 that the receiving unit 293A has not received a video from the game device 20B (step S202; no), the determining unit 296A increments the count value N by 1(N → N + 1).

(step S206)

Next, determination unit 296A determines whether or not count value N is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. If it is determined in step S206 that the count value N is not equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value (step S206; no), the process returns to step S202. Here, the predetermined threshold value may be set arbitrarily. By setting the predetermined threshold, when the state in which the receiver 293A has not received the video continues for a predetermined time, it can be set that the game device 20A transmits the video to the server 10.

(step S207)

If it is determined in step S206 that the count value N is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value (step S206; yes), first transmission unit 297A transmits at least a part of the video image around game device 20B stored in game device storage unit 22A to server 10. At this time, first transmitting unit 297A may transmit all the video images stored in game device storage unit 22 to server 10. Alternatively, the first transmission unit 297A may transmit a part of the video image stored in the game device storage unit 22 to the server 10. In this case, a part of the video transmitted by first transmission unit 297A may or may not be the latest part in time series among the video stored in game device storage unit 22. Further, when the instruction receiving unit 299 receives the instruction from the user, the first transmitting unit 297A may transmit at least a part of the video image around the game device 20B stored in the game device storage unit 22A to the server 10. The video transmission processing is ended in the above manner.

As described above, the determination unit 296 of the game device 20 determines whether or not the reception of the video transmitted from the other game device by the reception unit 293 is interrupted. When it is determined that the video is cut, the first transmission unit 297 of the game device 20 transmits at least a part of the video to the server 10. Further, the server 10 receives the video transmitted from the game device 20 via the video receiving unit 133 and the like. The server 10 can determine the cause of the communication failure based on the video. Accordingly, with this configuration, while avoiding video delay by P2P communication, when there is a possibility that a player will perform a cheating act, proof data for verifying the cheating act can be securely saved.

In the above-described embodiment, the predetermined video transmission condition determined by the determination unit 296 is that the video reception by the reception unit 293 is interrupted, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The predetermined video transmission condition may be, for example, that the video received by the receiver 293 includes a predetermined cheating action performed by the player. Here, the predetermined cheating act and the configuration of the predetermined cheating act determination unit 296 are not particularly limited. For example, the predetermined cheating act includes an act of blocking the image pickup unit 28 by a hand of the player or the like to prevent the image pickup. In this case, the determination unit 296 may have any configuration for determining that the video received by the reception unit 293 includes the interference behavior. For example, the determination unit 296 may include a unit that recognizes a predetermined object (a hand, a fingerprint, a face, and other body parts of a player, a dedicated or general-purpose accessory worn by the player, or the like) registered in advance, and determines whether or not the recognized predetermined object has a size equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold value in an image frame constituting the video, or whether or not the predetermined object is not recognizable in the video. With this configuration, the game device can transmit the video to the server device when the player approaches the image pickup unit 28 to a distance that cannot be expected in the normal game or when the player is not present in the place where the player should be present in the normal game in order to prevent the image pickup unit 28 from picking up the video. Alternatively, the determination unit 296 may include: information indicating the brightness of an image frame constituting a video is calculated (may be information calculated based on information such as the brightness of each pixel included in the image frame, and may include information calculated based on a plurality of image frames included in a predetermined period), and it is determined whether or not the calculated information indicating the brightness is smaller than a predetermined threshold value. With this configuration, the game device can transmit the video to the server device when the video becomes darker to some extent, such as when the player blocks the image pickup unit 28 with a hand or the like.

The predetermined video transmission condition may be, for example, a case where the predetermined normal game play performed by the player is not included in the video received by the receiver 293. Here, the predetermined normal play behavior can be arbitrarily set according to the type of the game. For example, in the case of a dart game, the prescribed normal game action may be an action of throwing a dart or the like by a player. The determination unit 296 may include means for determining whether or not the video received by the reception unit 293 includes a predetermined normal game play behavior, based on the form of the predetermined normal game play behavior. For example, when the predetermined normal game action is the throwing of a dart, the determination unit 296 may include the following means: the speed of the hand, dart, or the like of the player is detected by analyzing the video, and if the detected speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, it is determined that a thrown dart is present as a normal game behavior. The determination unit 296 may include: a period during which a predetermined normal game action is not recognized is calculated, and it is determined whether or not the calculated period is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. With this configuration, the game device can transmit the video to the server device when the game device fails to perform a normally expected player behavior for at least a predetermined fixed period of time.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are mere examples in all aspects and should not be construed as limiting. For example, the respective processing steps described above may be arbitrarily changed in order within a range where contradiction does not occur in the processing contents, or may be executed in parallel. Further, other steps may be added between the respective processing steps. Further, a step described as one step may be executed by dividing the step into a plurality of steps, or a step described as a plurality of steps may be regarded as one step.

Description of the reference numerals

1, a game system; 10, a server; 11 a server communication unit; 12 a server storage unit; 13 a server processing unit; 131 a matching processing section; 132 a game progress section; 133 a video receiving unit; 20. 20A, 20B game devices; 21 a game device communication unit; 22a game device storage unit; 23 an operation part; a 24 display unit; 25 card RW part; 26a detection unit; 27 a coin input unit; 28 an imaging unit; 29a game device processing unit; 291a matching request section; 292 game progress section; 293a receiving part; 294a storage processing section; 295a display processing section; a 296 judging section; 297a first transmission section; 298a second transmitting part; 299 instruction receiving unit; a CS card slot; DB dart board.