Patent ID: 8348766

Claim:
A game apparatus connectable to a second game apparatus via a server over a public communication line, said game apparatus configured for exchanging action messages through said server, between a first operation character to be operated by a first player of said game apparatus and a second operation character to be operated by a second player of said second game apparatus, said game apparatus comprising: a stage producing means for producing a stage for an online game in a memory of said game apparatus as a copy produced in said server based upon data supply from said server via said public communication line, wherein said first operation character and said second operation character are displayed on said stage; an input interface selectively connectable with two or more kinds of input devices, each of the two or more kinds of input device having different input key structures; an input device discriminating means for discriminating between the two or more kinds of input device, wherein when an input device of the two or more kinds of input devices is connected to the input interface, said input device discriminating means analyzes a device identification signal outputted by said input device and identifies which of the two or more kinds of input devices is connected to the input interface and stores a discrimination result in said memory; said memory storing action message sentences corresponding to said action messages; a message sentence displays means that analyzes an action message of said action messages transmitted from said second operation character to said first operation character via delivery from said server and displays said corresponding action message sentence on a display of said game apparatus; said memory storing a key navigation table, wherein for each of the two or more kinds of the input devices, said key navigation table contains cross-reference information for keys of the corresponding key structure to be operated by said first player and said action messages, wherein a plurality of keys are cross-referenced to a plurality of said action messages for each of the two or more kinds of input devices; and a guide icon display means that displays a key to be operated by said first player on said display as a guide icon corresponding to said action messages, based on said discrimination result, when said action message from said second operation character is delivered from said server to said first operation character.