Nintendo Co., Ltd.

Katsuya Eguchi

Shigeru Miyamoto

Daisuke Nakamura

Tetsuya Sasaki

Masaru Mitsuyoshi

Yutaka Takehisa

Yosuke Hatayama

Yoshitaka Shirota

Takashi Tezuka

Hisashi Nogami

Hideya Akasaka

Teruki Murakawa

Sagahiro Taho

A multi-user video game with communications capabilities allows players to communicate with one another via simulated mail, leaflets and conversations. Different installations of the game on different discrete video game playing platforms may be unique or different depending upon random or other data available at the platform. For example, different installations may have different subsets of characters, different landscapes, or the like. Player characters from one virtual environment or village may visit another virtual environment or village and return home to his or her resident environment or village. Non-player characters may move from one virtual environment or village to another&#x2014;thereby providing an ever-changing variety of characters. Communications between different game playing platforms can be provided via portable memory devices, portable game playing devices, or conventional communications means such as networks.

System for multi-user communications using discrete video game platforms

A communication game system includes a plurality of game apparatuses which are able to wirelessly communicate with each other. Each of the game apparatus registers identifying information of an opponent obtained by a short-distance wireless communication or by user's manual input in a friend list. Thereafter, the game apparatus connects to the Internet, and inquires whether it is possible to communicate with an opponent in the friend list over the network. If it is possible to communicate, the game apparatus obtains an address of the opponent to make a network communication. Even if a user makes a short distance wireless communication with a friend to exchange and register the identifying information or registers the friend by hand and then is parted from the friend, the user can safely communicate with the friend across the network without being exposed to unknown players. In a case that an additional opponent is to be added to the multiplayer game session, one of the participants transmits identifying information to introduce the communicating opponents to each other. The game apparatuses introduced to each other make a communication over a network, and add the identifying information of the opponents to the friend list, if necessary.

Communication game system, game apparatus, server, storage medium storing a program, and game control method

A communication game system includes a plurality of game apparatuses which are able to wirelessly communicate with each other. Each game apparatus registers identifying information of an opponent obtained by a short-distance wireless communication or by user's manual input in a friend list. Thereafter, the game apparatus connects to the Internet, and inquiries whether it is possible to communicate with an opponent in the friend list over the network. If it is possible to communicate, the game apparatus obtains an address of the opponent to make a network communication. Even if a user makes a short distance wireless communication with a friend to exchange and register the identifying information or registers the friend by hand and then is parted from the friend, the user can safely communicate with the friend across the network without being exposed to unknown players. In a case that an additional opponent is to be added to the multiplayer game session, one of the participants transmits identifying information to introduce the communicating opponents to each other. The game apparatuses introduced to each other make a communication over the network, and add the identifying information of the opponents to the friend list, if necessary.

A communication game system includes a plurality of game apparatuses which are able to wirelessly communicate with each other. Each of the game apparatus registers identifying information of an opponent obtained by a short-distance wireless communication or by user's manual input in a friend list. Thereafter, the game apparatus connects to the Internet, and inquires whether it is possible to communicate with an opponent in the friend list over the network. If it is possible to communicate, the game apparatus obtains an address of the opponent to make a network communication. Even if a user makes a short distance wireless communication with a friend to exchange and register the identifying information or registers the friend by hand and then is parted from the friend, the user can safely communicate with the friend across the network without being exposed to unknown players. In a case that an additional opponent is to be added to the multiplayer game session, one of the participants transmits identifying information to introduce the communication opponents to each other. The game apparatuses introduced to each other make a communication over a network, and add the identifying information of the opponents to the friend list, if necessary.

A hand-held game apparatus and a game program are provided which allow a user to play a game while going back and forth between two kinds of maps, namely, a narrow-range map and a broad-range map game, and arbitrarily change the displayed state of at least one of the broad-range map and the narrow-range map by manipulating a touch panel which is mounted on a liquid crystal display section for displaying the broad-range map. If the player manipulates the touch panel to point to a coordinate position on the broad-range map, thus designating coordinates for a narrow-range map to display, an image of the narrow-range map, which is changed as desired, is displayed. If the player indicates a moving direction on the broad-range map, thus designating a scroll direction, the broad-range map is moved (scrolled).

Hand-held game apparatus and game program

A hand-held game apparatus and a game program are provided which allow a user to play a game while going back and forth between a narrow-range image and a broad-range image of map. The user can manipulate a touch panel which mounted on a display section for displaying the broad-range image. If the user manipulates the touch panel to point to a coordinate position on the broad-range image, thus designating coordinates for the narrow-range image, a changed narrow-range is displayed. If the user indicates a moving direction on the broad-range image, thus designating a scroll direction, the displayed broad-range image is moved (scrolled).

A hand-held game apparatus and game program allow a user to play a game while going back and forth between a narrow-range map and a broad-range map-game. The player can manipulate a touch panel mounted on a display for displaying the broad-range map. If the player manipulates the touch panel to point to a coordinate position on the broad-range map, thus designating coordinates for a narrow-range map to display, an image of the narrow-range map, which is changed as desired, is displayed. If the player indicates a moving direction on the broad-range map to designate a scroll direction, the displayed broad-range map is moved (scrolled).

A hand-held game apparatus and a game program allow a user to play a game while going back and forth between a narrow-range map and a broad-range map. The player can manipulate a touch panel mounted on a display for displaying the broad-range map. If the player manipulates the touch panel to point to a coordinate position on the broad-range map, thus designating coordinates for a narrow-range map to display, an image of the narrow-range map, which is changed as desired, is displayed. If the player indicates a moving direction on the broad-range map, to designate a scroll direction, the displayed broad-range map is moved (scrolled).

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Katsuya Eguchi