Video game system, character action control method, and readable storage medium storing character action control program

• US 20020034979A1
• Filed: 09/19/2001
• Published: 03/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Corporation
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Masahiro, Hisai, Kentaro
• Granted Patent: US 6,878,065 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/422 automatically for the purpose of assisting the player, e.g. automatic braking in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5372 for tagging characters, objects or locations in the game scene, e.g. displaying a circle under the character controlled by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/306 for displaying a marker associated to an object or location in the game field
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6054 by generating automatically game commands to assist the player, e.g. automatic braking in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

A main character G is displayed in the center of a screen, an option character C is displayed at the lower right side of the main character G, and an enemy character N is displayed at an upper right part of the screen. FIG. 7A shows a state where the enemy character N is locked by operation of a game player and a lock mark L is displayed, and FIG. 7B shows a state where the option character C is attacking the enemy character N in response to another operation of the game player. A game can be made more interesting and ingenious by letting the game player involve in the actions of the option character which is a follower character of the main character.

Claims

1. A character action control method used in a video game in which game images including a main character and an option character which is a follower character of the main character are displayed in a game space, comprising the steps of:

storing contents of actions taken by the option character against objects appearing in the game for each of the objects excluding the option character,

selecting any one of the objects excluding the option character in the game space as a target in response to operation of a first operable member,

displaying a visually recognizable mark for the selected object, and

causing the option character to execute the content of the action against the target in response to operation of a second operable member.

2. A character action control method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of selecting one of the objects excluding the option character displayed in the game image as a target in response to operation of the first operable member.

3. A character action control method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of selecting one of the objects in the game space excluding the option character and the one selected in response to operation of the first operable member as a next target in response to operation of a third operable member, and displaying a visually recognizable mark for the next target.

4. A character action control method according to claim 1, wherein the objects whose distances to the main character are a specified value or shorter in the game space are selected as the targets.

5. A character action control method according to claim 1, wherein the targets are selected in an increasing order of their distances to the main character in the game space.

6. A character action control method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of contents of actions are stored for at least one object and when this object is selected as the target in response to operation of the first operable member, the option character is caused to execute one of the contents of actions against the selected target in response to operation of the second operable member.

7. A readable storage medium storing a character action control program used in a video game in which game images including a main character and an option character which is a follower character of the main character are displayed in a game space, the program comprising the steps of:

storing contents of actions taken by the option character against objects appearing in the game for each of the objects excluding the option character,

selecting one of the objects excluding the option character in the game space as a target in response to operation of a first operable member,

displaying a visually recognizable mark for the selected object, and

causing the option character to execute the content of the action against the target in response to operation of a second operable member.

8. A readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein one of the objects excluding the option character displayed in the game image is selected as a target in response to operation of the first operable member.

9. A readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein one of the objects in the game space excluding the option character and the one selected in response to operation of the first operable member is selected as a next target in response to operation of a third operable member, and the visually recognizable mark is displayed for the selected target.

10. A readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the objects whose distances to the main character are a specified value or shorter in the game space are selected as the targets.

11. A readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the targets are selected in an increasing order of their distances to the main character in the game space.

12. A readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of contents of actions are stored for at least one of the objects and, when this object is selected as the target in response to operation of the first operable member, the option character is caused to execute one of the contents of actions against the selected target in response to operation of the second operable member.

14. The video game system according to claim 13, wherein the target selecting means selects one of the objects excluding the option character displayed in the game image as the target in response to operation of the first operable member.

15. The video game system according to claim 13, wherein the target selecting means selects one of the objects in the game space excluding the option character and the one selected in response to operation of the first operable member as a next target in response to operation of a third operable member and displaying a visually recognizable mark for the next target.

16. The video game system according to claim 13, wherein said target selecting means selects the objects whose distances to the main character are a specified value or shorter in the game space as the targets.

17. The video game system according to claim 13, wherein said target selecting means selects the targets in an increasing order of their distances to the main character in the game space.

18. The video game system according to claim 13, wherein the action content storage means stores a plurality of contents of actions for at least one of the objects and said action executing means causes the option character, in response to operation of the second operable member, to take one of the plurality of action contents against the object which is selected as the target by operation of the first operable member.

13. A video game system, comprising:

image display means for displaying game images including a main character and an option character which is a follower character of the main character in a game space,

action content storage means for storing contents of actions taken by the option character against objects appearing in the game for each of the objects excluding the option character,

first operable member operable by a game player,

target selecting means for selecting one of the objects excluding the option character in the game space as a target in response to operation of a first operable member,

mark displaying means for displaying a visually recognizable mark for the selected object,

second operable member operable by the game player, and

action executing means for causing the option character to execute the content of the action against the target stored in the action content storage means in response to operation of the second operable member.