Abstract:
Provided are a massively multiplayer online first person shooting (MMOFPS) game service system and method, more particularly, an MMOFPS game service system and method providing various online game modes and capable of promoting teamwork, bonding, and solidarity with peers. 
     The MMOFPS game service method includes preparing for an MMOFPS game service, checking whether teams accessing the game service are three or more, starting the game when the accessing teams are three or more, regarding all users except for allies as enemies, checking whether a user is in a normal state, checking whether an adjacent user is an ally when the user is in the normal state, coming close to the adjacent user to help the user recover when the adjacent user is an ally, and defeating the adjacent user by an execution including melee attack and execution actions such as curb stomp when the adjacent user is a knocked-down enemy.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2011-0016082, filed on Feb. 23, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a massively multiplayer online first person shooting (MMOFPS) game service system and method and, more particularly, to an MMOFPS game service system and method providing various online game modes and capable of promoting teamwork, bonding, and solidarity with peers. 
         [0004]    2. Discussion of Related Art 
         [0005]    In general, an MMOFPS game is a first person shooting game that a large number of users simultaneously play via the Internet. 
         [0006]    MMOFPS is one genre of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), and features a continuous world as a background, unlike common first person shooting games. 
         [0007]    However, requests of most users result in the necessity for a game service system and method for grouping game users accessing the system via the Internet into a plurality of teams and putting the teams into competition with each other rather than the above-mentioned simple online first person shooting game. 
         [0008]    Also, it has become necessary to develop a new type of online game for promoting teamwork, bonding and solidarity with peers. 
         [0009]    Thus, for users fed up with simple online games, a system is required, in which a user attacks an enemy to put the enemy in an immobilized state or knockdown state wherein the enemy is notably reduced in mobility and cannot make a normal attack, kills the enemy and obtains winning points by coming close to the enemy and taking an additional action, restores an ally in the knockdown state by coming close to the ally and taking the same additional action as recovery aid so that active movement and control of the user can be induced and teamwork, bonding q solidarity can be promoted. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    The present invention is directed to a massively multiplayer online first person shooting (MMOFPS) game service system and method employing a scheme in which users grouped into a plurality of teams revive knocked-down allies to the normal state or kill knocked-down enemies to win. 
         [0011]    According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an MMOFPS game service method, including: preparing for an MMOFPS game service; checking whether teams accessing a game or game mode employing the game service method are three or more; starting the game when the accessing teams are three or more; regarding all users except for allies as enemies, and checking whether a user is in a normal state; checking whether a knocked-down adjacent user is an ally when the user is in the normal state; and when the adjacent user is a knocked-down ally, coming close to the adjacent user and reviving the user to the normal state by a recovery action, and when the adjacent user is a knocked-down enemy, coming close to the adjacent user, killing the adjacent user by an execution which includes melee attack and execution actions such as curb stomp, and obtaining winning points. 
         [0012]    The MMOFPS game service method may further include, after it is checked that the user is in a knockdown state: when an enemy comes close to the user and kills the user by an execution, causing the user to rejoin the game at a respawning area; when an ally comes close to the user and revives the user by recovery aid, reviving the user to the normal state at a knockdown spot; and when the user does not receive recovery aid within a predetermined time, causing the user to rejoin the game at the respawning area. Here, when the user is killed by an execution of an enemy or does not receive recovery aid and rejoins the game at the respawning area, winning points may be given to the enemy who has knocked, down the user or kills the user by the execution and a team of the enemy, and when the user is revived to the normal state at the knockdown spot, no winning points may be given to the enemy. 
         [0013]    The MMOFPS game service method may further include, after above-mentioned each step: checking whether a predetermined score has been achieved and finishing the game. 
         [0014]    According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an MMOFPS game service method, including: preparing for an MMOFPS game service; checking whether teams accessing the game service are three or more; counting game progression time; processing a damage to store changed health points (HP) of a user in a game database and display the changed HP on a screen; when the HP of the user becomes a predetermined point, putting the user in a knockdown state and counting down a predetermined time; and processing the user to be dead when the predetermined time elapses, or to be killed by an execution of an enemy or revived by recovery aid of an ally within the predetermined time. 
         [0015]    Counting the game progression time may include initializing HP of users, additional points (AP) of protective gear, etc. for supplementing the HP of the users, scores of the respective teams, a target score, and play time with predetermined values as database elements required by the corresponding game, displaying the initialized data as initialization information on head up display (HUD) screens of the users participating in the game, and then counting playable time limited according to a predetermined play time. 
         [0016]    Processing the damage may include storing the HP of the user and AP of the user reduced by an attack of an enemy in the database, and displaying the updated information on a HUD screen of the user. 
         [0017]    Putting the user in the knockdown state may include, when the HP of the user becomes a predetermined point, schematizing and displaying the changed state of the knocked-down user on a HUD screen of the user and counting and displaying the predetermined time in which the knocked-down user can be revived by an ally or killed by an enemy on HUDs of allies, and when the knocked-down user inputs a specific key during the time, outputting a help request sign or sound of the knocked-down user to the HUDs of the allies. 
         [0018]    Processing the user to be dead when the predetermined knockdown state time elapses, or to be killed by the enemy or revived by the ally may include: when no close action is made by an enemy or ally during the predetermined time and the user is dead, giving winning points to an enemy who has knocked down the user and a team including the enemy, storing the winning points in the database, and updating and displaying a score of the team on HUDs of all users; when the user is killed by the enemy, giving winning points to the killing enemy and a team including the enemy, storing the winning points in the database, and updating and displaying a score of the team on the HUDs of all the users; and when the user is revived to the normal state by recovery aid of the ally, schematizing and displaying the normalized state of the user on a HUD of the user, storing the maximum or a predetermined value as HP of the restored user in the database, and displaying the updated HP on the HUD of the user. 
         [0019]    Here, when the game is finished by achieving a target score, a team achieving the target score may be processed as a winner, the other teams may be processed as losers, scores of the respective teams may be stored in the game database, victory and defeat information may be directed in the HUD of the user. 
         [0020]    The MMOFPS game service method may further include, when the game is finished due to expiration of time, processing a team having the highest score as a winner and the other teams as losers, storing scores of the respective teams in the game database, and directing victory and defeat information in a HUD of the user. 
         [0021]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for providing a game service through a personal terminal connected with equipment serving as a game server via a network, the system including: the equipment serving as a game server including a membership module managing the number of accessing teams, and a game control module controlling check of normal states of an ally and enemy, revival by a close action, and obtainment of winning points by an execution; a game database configured to store HP and AP of users and the winning points; and the personal terminal connected with the equipment serving as a game server via the network and configured to access an MMOFPS game service. 
         [0022]    The membership module may control a game to be started only when the number of the accessing teams is a predetermined value or more. 
         [0023]    The game control module may manage a respawning area to enable rejoining, control damages and states of users to be managed, processed and displayed, and direct updated information or an animation in a HUD. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0024]    The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0025]      FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a massively multiplayer online first person shooting (MMOFPS) game service system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating an MMOFPS game service method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0027]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart following A of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0028]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart following B of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0029]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating an MMOFPS game service method according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0030]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart of  FIG. 5  seen from the viewpoint of a game database; 
           [0031]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart of  FIG. 5  seen from the viewpoint of user direction; and 
           [0032]      FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating a game finishing process of  FIG. 5 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       [0033]    Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While the present invention is shown and described in connection with exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
         [0034]    In a massively multiplayer online first person shooting (MMOFPS) game service system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a user sets a means for attack, selects one of two or more teams, hits another user with the holding means for attack to put the hit user in a state in which an attack ability and mobility are notably reduced, and comes close to the user in the state in which the attack ability and mobility are notably reduced to defeat the user and obtain points, and the user in state in which the attack ability and mobility are notably reduced rejoins the game at a spot where the user in the state in which the attack ability and mobility are notably reduced receives help from a user of the same team when the user in the state in which the attack ability and mobility are notably reduced receives the help and recovers, and rejoins the game with an initialized state at a predetermined spot when the user in the state in which the attack ability and mobility are notably reduced does not receive help within a predetermined time, so that points obtained by the user are summed as a score of the team, and a team achieving a predetermined score wins the game. 
         [0035]    The MMOFPS game service system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a game service through personal terminals connected with equipment serving as a game server via a network. 
         [0036]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the MMOFPS game service system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention generally includes equipment  10  serving as a game server including a membership module  11  that manages the number of accessing teams and a game control module  12  that controls check of normal states of an ally and enemy, restoration by a close action, and obtainment of winning points, a game database  13  that stores health points (HP) of users, additional points (AP) of protective gear, etc. for supplementing the HP of the users and the winning points, and personal terminals  21 ,  22  and  23  that are connected with the equipment  10  serving as a game server via a network and access an MMOFPS game service. 
         [0037]    The membership module  11  controls a game to be started only when the number of the accessing teams is a predetermined value or more. 
         [0038]    The game control module  12  manages a respawning area to enable rejoining, controls damages and states of users to be managed, processed and displayed, and directs updated information or an animation in a head up display (HUD). 
         [0039]    To be specific, when three or more teams are organized, a game can be started according to a game rule. All teams except for a team including a user oneself are enemies, and can attack enemies to obtain winning points. When the user attacks an enemy, the enemy is knocked down and put in a state defined as a knockdown state in which it is impossible to make a normal attack and mobility is notably reduced. When a user gets close to a knocked-down user of another team and takes an execution including melee attack and execution actions such as curb stomp, the knocked-down user is killed, and the killing user and a team including the killing user obtain winning points. As the execution including melee attack and execution actions, the user may come close to the knocked-down user and input a specific key or make an attack using a melee weapon, throw or shoot a throwing weapon to attack the knocked-down user with explosion or the same capability of the throwing weapon, throw or shoot a throwing weapon to directly hit the knocked-down user, or jump or take the same action to trample the knocked-down user. A knocked-down user can normally join the game by recovery aid of an ally of the same team at a spot where the user has been knocked down, and in this case, winning points are not given. On the other hand, when a user does not receive recovery aid of an ally of the same team in the knockdown state within a predetermined time, the user dies. To give a knocked-down ally recovery aid, a user should come close to the knocked-down ally and input a specific key. 
         [0040]    A condition for victory is to defeat users of teams other than a team including a user oneself and obtain a predetermined score or a higher score than other teams within a predetermined time. 
         [0041]    An MMOFPS game service method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to drawings. 
         [0042]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 to 4 , first, an MMOFPS game service is prepared. 
         [0043]    Then, a membership module checks whether teams accessing the game service are three or more, and the game is started when the accessing teams are three or more. 
         [0044]    Subsequently, under the control of a game control module, all users except for allies are regarded as enemies, it is checked whether a user is in the normal state, it is checked whether an adjacent user is an ally when the user is in the normal state, and the user comes close to the adjacent user and restores him/her when the adjacent user is an ally, and defeats the adjacent user by an execution when the adjacent user is an enemy. 
         [0045]    To be specific, when an enemy gets close to the user in the knockdown state and kills the user by an execution, the user rejoins the game at a respawn point. When an ally gets close to the user in the knockdown state and revives the user by recovery aid, the user is revived to the normal state at a knockdown spot. When the user in the knockdown state does not receive recovery aid within a predetermined time, the user rejoins the game at the respawn point. When the user in the knockdown state is killed by an execution of an enemy or does not receive recovery aid to rejoin the game at the respawn point, winning points are given to an enemy who has knocked down the user or kills the user by an execution and a team including the enemy. When the user in the knockdown state is revived to the normal state at the knockdown spot, no winning points are given to the enemy. 
         [0046]    After each step, it is checked by the game control module whether a predetermined score has been achieved, and the game is finished. 
         [0047]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 5 to 8 , in the MMOFPS game service method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a membership module first prepares for an MMOFPS game service and checks whether teams accessing the game service are three or more. 
         [0048]    A game control module counts down game progression time, processes damages to store changed HP and AP of users in a game database, and displays the changed HP and AP on a screen. 
         [0049]    The game control module processes a user having HP of a predetermined point to be knocked down, counts down a predetermined time, and changes a user state to the knockdown state at a point in time when the countdown begins. 
         [0050]    When the predetermined time elapses, the game control module processes the user to be dead and to rejoin the game at a respawn point. 
         [0051]    When the game control module counts down game progression time, HP, AP, scores of respective teams, a target score, and play time stored in the game database are initialized and displayed as user initialization information. 
         [0052]    After the step of processing damages, a step is added in which the game control module stores the changed user HP and AP in the game database and displays the updated information on time information HUDs of users. 
         [0053]    Also, a step may be added in which the game control module directs a state changed from the knockdown state using an animation and outputs a help request sign or sound when a specific key is input. 
         [0054]    A step in which the knocked-down user recovers under the control of the game control module in a restoration step when an ally within a predetermined distance inputs a specific key and a state change is directed in a HUD when the knocked-down user recovers, and a step in which a user state stored in the game database is changed to the normal state in the restoration step are added. 
         [0055]    When the game is finished by achieving the target score, a team having achieved the target score wins, and the game control module stores information about a defeat of other teams and scores of the other teams in the game database and directs victory and defeat information in HUDs of users. 
         [0056]    When the game is finished due to expiration of time, the game control module stores information that a team having the highest score has won and the score in the game database and directs victory and defeat information in HUDs of users. 
         [0057]    An MMOFPS game service according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention provides a variety of online game modes in which users grouped into a plurality of teams restore knocked-down users of the same team to life or defeat knocked-down users of other teams to win the game. 
         [0058]    In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of small teams are organized for teamwork and bonding. 
         [0059]    In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when attacked by an enemy, a user is put in a knockdown state in which mobility is notably reduced, and winning points can be obtained by making a melee attack on a knocked-down enemy. Since a melee attack should be made for winning points, it is possible to encourage vigorous movement and combat of users. Also, since winning points are not given when a knocked-down user is restored to life by help of an ally, bonding with peers can be obtained. 
         [0060]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the above-described exemplary embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers all such modifications provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.