Nintendo Applies For Baffling "Massively Single-Player" Patent

[Earnest Cavalli]

Nintendo Applies For Baffling "Massively Single-Player" Patent

In a characteristically unexpected move, Nintendo has made a grab for a seemingly oxymoronic patent on the idea of a "massively single-player online game."

Gamespot reports:

The patent gives a few examples of how such an idea could be implemented, starting with a single-player game in which the player's actions impact the characters and environment of other players enjoying the same single-player game. As the filing suggests, that would offer players some of the benefits of a traditional online world without a potential drawback inherent to massively multiplayer online games.

According to the patent application, "Those who want to play games that are more dynamic, not-based on Al and not-pre-scripted like multiplayer games, however, don't want to 'deal' with other people, appreciate the privacy it provides."

The Gamespot piece then goes on to offer specific examples, such as "a game with an economy affected by player demand for items" and a world in which one player constructs a house from a pile of wood, and the next player to enter that same area finds the results of the prior player's industriousness, as opposed to the same pile of wood.

Gamespot also takes special care to note that the patent makes mention of a "Nintendo Wii 3D video game system" before pointing out that Nintendo previously decried the notion of 3D glasses in a gaming machine. Of course, Gamespot fails to mention that this patent was originally filed in 2010, well prior to Nintendo's finalization of the Wii U, perhaps in an era in which the firm was still exploring the possibilities of a 3D console.

If it seems that I'm repeatedly reiterating the idea that Gamespot is the primary source on this story, there's a reason for that. I spent half an hour on the US Patent Office website searching for this "massively single-player online game" patent application with no success. I'm not suggesting that Gamespot fabricated this entire idea, but nowhere in the report does the site link to the supposedly publicly available patent document.

In fairness, it's entirely possible that the labyrinthine USPTO website [http://www.uspto.gov/] simply stymied all my efforts to find the patent application. That's possible bordering on probable. However, I still thought I'd mention this and let you all decide for yourselves what sort of stock you should put into this tale.

Source: Gamespot [http://www.gamespot.com/news/6328634/nintendo-applies-for-massively-single-player-patent-mentions-wii-3d]

Permalink

 

[Scizophrenic Llama]

At first I thought somebody tried to divide by zero, then I thought about what it could mean and environmental effects was what came to mind.

Demon's Souls single-player kind of makes me think massively single-player, until a raider totally wrecks your shit.

 

[DaxStrife]

The Gamespot piece then goes on to offer specific examples, such as "a game with an economy affected by player demand for items..."

Soooo... a single-player game that can still be mucked-up by other people? Pass.

 

[Inkidu]

It sounds like a good idea, but I still wouldn't be able to enjoy it. Not good enough internet. Plus, I'm not sold on the WiiU yet. (Is that where Nintendo execs get their degrees?)

 

[rayen020]

i believe this is a big problem in the tech industry today. It is called patent trolling.

 

[zehydra]

It sounds like a good idea, but I still wouldn't be able to enjoy it. Not good enough internet. Plus, I'm not sold on the WiiU yet. (Is that where Nintendo execs get their degrees?)

lol I see what you did there.

OT: Yeah, get your hands off the patents Nintendo.

Everybody needs to lay off all the patents a bit.

 

[laryri]

Didn't Will Wright use this term to describe Spore back in the original presentation?

 

[GeorgW]

I get the feeling that I've seen this before. I know Inside a star filled sky has a primitive version of it, but I'm quite confident that I've seen it on a larger scale as well. The problem seems to be to me, of what happens when all those wooden logs gets used up in 2 hours after the game's out in Japan. And what happens when all the health potions cost millions of coins?

 

[Rad Party God]

Sounds like Nintendo is taking notes from Demon's Souls.

It would be quite interesting to see how this idea turns out.

 

[ultimasupersaiyan]

Yeah it sounds dumb to me but I guess I can see what they may be playing at. But here's the thing, why make it online instead of just a DLC heavy game that just keeps expanding? Hell I'd be more then willing to buy a 40 hour JRPG and get DLC for years expanding on the story and world, but that's me.

I think if it's true, Nintendo is just trying to patent everything they think of before someone else does, even if it's ridiculous. That or to get in before Apple does and plays the sueing game. It's most likey bullcrap anyway. It wouldn't be the first time Gamspot lied about something to get attention

 

[unacomn]

Yea, didn't EA trademark this back with Spore?

 

[-Dragmire-]

I get the feeling that I've seen this before. I know Inside a star filled sky has a primitive version of it, but I'm quite confident that I've seen it on a larger scale as well. The problem seems to be to me, of what happens when all those wooden logs gets used up in 2 hours after the game's out in Japan. And what happens when all the health potions cost millions of coins?

Server Worlds/Relms could work, region lock might be applied and griefing other people by destroying their stuff might be possible. Potions that are too expensive just won't be sold. People will have to sell for less if they hope to have anyone buy from them because a regular potion is the same as every other regular potion so, without a quality difference, the person selling the cheapest will have the most buyers.

This sounds like online Terraria only you can't see or interact with other people but you do see what they made out of the world.

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

Umm... Sure seems like Nintendo came up with that idea entirely by themselves and did not in anyway steal that from Demon Souls.
OT; I wouldn't mind Nintendo using this idea so much if they weren't attempting to patent it.

 

[Stephen Wo]

Interesting idea, like a RPC (rocket propelled chainsaw). However, form follows function, and this... this will not function.

 

[GeorgW]

I get the feeling that I've seen this before. I know Inside a star filled sky has a primitive version of it, but I'm quite confident that I've seen it on a larger scale as well. The problem seems to be to me, of what happens when all those wooden logs gets used up in 2 hours after the game's out in Japan. And what happens when all the health potions cost millions of coins?

Server Worlds/Relms could work, region lock might be applied and griefing other people by destroying their stuff might be possible. Potions that are too expensive just won't be sold. People will have to sell for less if they hope to have anyone buy from them because a regular potion is the same as every other regular potion so, without a quality difference, the person selling the cheapest will have the most buyers.

This sounds like online Terraria only you can't see or interact with other people but you do see what they made out of the world.

But if you can't interact with people, how can you trade items? And if you can grief, why build a house?

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Yeah it sounds dumb to me but I guess I can see what they may be playing at. But here's the thing, why make it online instead of just a DLC heavy game that just keeps expanding? Hell I'd be more then willing to buy a 40 hour JRPG and get DLC for years expanding on the story and world, but that's me.

I think if it's true, Nintendo is just trying to patent everything they think of before someone else does, even if it's ridiculous. That or to get in before Apple does and plays the sueing game. It's most likey bullcrap anyway. It wouldn't be the first time Gamspot lied about something to get attention

You might want to give a game like AdventureQuest or any of the Artix games a try then; by the upgraded character, then enjoy free updates forever.

CAPTION:

Huh, it seems Gollum has infected my computer. Entsess Niece.

 

[Freyar]

Prior Art

Demons' Souls

 

[Johnson McGee]

Nintendo: inventing more and more ways to keep everyone online in their own little box

 

[-Dragmire-]

I get the feeling that I've seen this before. I know Inside a star filled sky has a primitive version of it, but I'm quite confident that I've seen it on a larger scale as well. The problem seems to be to me, of what happens when all those wooden logs gets used up in 2 hours after the game's out in Japan. And what happens when all the health potions cost millions of coins?

Server Worlds/Relms could work, region lock might be applied and griefing other people by destroying their stuff might be possible. Potions that are too expensive just won't be sold. People will have to sell for less if they hope to have anyone buy from them because a regular potion is the same as every other regular potion so, without a quality difference, the person selling the cheapest will have the most buyers.

This sounds like online Terraria only you can't see or interact with other people but you do see what they made out of the world.

But if you can't interact with people, how can you trade items? And if you can grief, why build a house?

I'm not saying it's a well thought up idea with a flawless design, I'm just suggesting ways it might work. Instead of griefing, structures might degrade and eventually collapse into the resources that made it. The problem with allowing people to build and not let others break it is that there will be builder griefers that will wall off the start location(assuming the single player will be the same for everyone).

As for the trading of items, it might be like blizzards auction house. You see the items for sale but have no way to communicate with the people selling them.