Computer program product

• US 20030073473A1
• Filed: 09/18/2002
• Published: 04/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega
• Inventors: Mori, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,736,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/6
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/577 using determination of contact between game characters or objects, e.g. to avoid collision between virtual racing cars
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/643 by determining the impact between objects, e.g. collision detection

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to impose a penalty on a player, without causing a sudden deceleration, when a moving body moving on a course formed in a virtual space contacts a sidewall at the edge of the course. To achieve this object, assume that a vehicle running on a course formed in a virtual space has contacted a sidewall at point A which corresponds to the 0^th frame. Whereupon, at point B which corresponds to the 1^st frame, an amount, Rf, is subtracted from vehicle speed V, and from the 2^nd frame until point C which corresponds to the 60t^th frame, processing to subtract RSd from vehicle speed V is successively performed.

Claims

1. A computer program product in which a program for causing a computer system to execute game processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, said computer program causing execution of the steps of:

moving a moving body on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to a player'"'"'s operations;

determining the total amount of running load to be applied to said moving body when said moving body contacts a partition-indicating body formed along the edge of the course to partition the inside of the course from the outside; and

dividing said running load on a per unit time or per unit distance basis and allocating the divided load for each unit time or unit distance over a specified time period or specified distance during the movement of said moving body following said moving body'"'"'s contact with said partition-indicating body.

5. The computer program product of any one of claims 1 through 4, wherein said edge of the course is the edge of the inside of a curve.

2. A computer program product in which a program for causing a computer system to execute game processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, said computer program causing execution of the steps of:

moving a moving body on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to a player'"'"'s operations; and

subtracting a fixed amount of speed from the moving speed of the moving body for each unit time or each unit distance, over a specified time period or specified distance, when said moving body contacts a partition-indicating body formed along the edge of the course to partition the inside of the course from the outside.

3. A computer program product in which a program for causing a computer system to execute game processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, said computer program causing execution of the steps of:

moving a moving body on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to a player'"'"'s operations; and

limiting the movement acceleration of the moving body to a fixed limit, over a specified time period or distance, when said moving body contacts a partition-indicating body formed along the edge of the course to partition the inside of the course from the outside.

4. A computer program product in which a program for causing a computer system to execute game processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, said computer program causing execution of the steps of:

moving a moving body on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to a player'"'"'s operations; and

limiting the moving speed of the moving body to an upper limit, over a specified time period or specified distance, when said moving body contacts a partition-indicating body formed along the edge of the course to partition the inside of the course from the outside.

6. A computer program product in which a program for causing a computer system to execute game processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, said computer program causing execution of the steps of:

moving a moving body on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to a player'"'"'s operations;

determining the total amount of running load to be applied to said moving body when said moving body runs off the course; and

dividing said running load on a per unit time or per unit distance basis and allocating the divided load for each unit time or unit distance, over a specified time period or specified distance, when said moving body returns from outside the course to inside the course.

7. A computer program product in which a program for causing a computer system to execute game processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, said computer program causing execution of the steps of:

moving a moving body on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to a player'"'"'s operations;

determining a fixed amount of speed to be subtracted from the moving speed of the moving body per unit time when said moving body runs off the course; and

subtracting said fixed amount of speed from the moving speed of the moving body for each unit time or each unit distance, over a specified time period or specified distance, when said moving body returns from outside the course to inside the course.

8. A computer program product in which a program for causing a computer system to execute game processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, said computer program causing execution of the steps of:

moving a moving body on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to a player'"'"'s operations;

determining a limit value for limiting acceleration of said moving body to a fixed limit when said moving body runs off the course; and

limiting the movement acceleration of the moving body to said limit, over a specified time period or specified distance, when said moving body returns from outside the course to inside the course.

9. A computer program product in which a program for causing a computer system to execute game processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, said computer program causing execution of the steps of:

moving a moving body on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to a player'"'"'s operations;

determining an upper limit value for moving speed of said moving body when said moving body runs off the course; and

limiting the upper limit of the moving speed of the moving body, over a specified time period or specified distance, when said moving body returns from outside the course to inside the course.

10. A computer program product in which a program for causing a computer system to execute game processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, said computer program causing execution of the steps of:

moving a moving body on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to a player'"'"'s operations;

determining a running load to be applied to said moving body corresponding to the running distance and/or the running time for which the moving body is off the course, when said moving body runs off the course; and

dividing said running load on a per unit time or per unit distance basis and allocating the divided running load for each unit time or unit distance over a specified time period or specified distance, when said moving body returns from outside the course to inside the course.

11. A computer program product in which a program for causing a computer system to execute game processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, said computer program causing execution of the steps of:

moving a moving body on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to a player'"'"'s operations;

determining an upper limit value for moving speed of said moving body corresponding to the running distance and/or the running time for which the moving body is off the course, when said moving body runs off the course; and

limiting the upper limit of the moving speed of the moving body, over a specified time period or specified distance, when said moving body returns from outside the course to inside the course.

12. A computer program product in which a program for causing a computer system to execute game processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, said computer program causing execution of the steps of:

moving a moving body on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to a player'"'"'s operations;

determining the running load to be applied to said moving body in the case that the distance traveled by said moving body off the course is shorter than the distance on the part of the track bypassed, when said moving body runs off the course; and

dividing said running load on a per unit time or per unit distance basis and allocating the divided load for each unit time or unit distance over a specified time period or specified distance, when said moving body returns from outside the course to inside the course.

13. A computer program product in which a program for causing a computer system to execute game processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, said computer program causing execution of the steps of:

moving a moving body on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to a player'"'"'s operations;

determining the skill level of the player;

determining the total amount of running load to be applied to said moving body, depending on the player skill level, when said moving body contacts a partition-indicating body formed along the edge of a course to partition the inside of the course from the outside; and

dividing said running load on a per unit time or per unit distance basis and allocating the divided load for each unit time or unit distance over a specified time period or specified distance during the movement of said moving body following said moving body'"'"'s contact with said partition-indicating body.

14. A computer program product in which a program for causing a computer system to execute game processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, said computer program causing execution of the steps of:

moving a moving body on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to a player'"'"'s operations;

determining the skill level of the player based on any of the average moving speed, running position, lap time, angle of impacting the side wall, number of times of overtaking other moving bodies, or number of crashes of the moving body;

determining the total amount of running load to be applied to said moving body, depending on the player skill level, when said moving body contacts a partition-indicating body formed along the edge of a course to partition the inside of the course from the outside; and

dividing said running load on a per unit time or per unit distance basis and allocating the divided load for each unit time or unit distance over a specified time period or specified distance during the movement of said moving body following said moving body'"'"'s contact with said partition-indicating body.

15. A computer program product in which a program for causing a computer system to execute game processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, said computer program causing execution of the steps of:

moving a moving body on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to a player'"'"'s operations;

determining the skill level of the player;

setting the total amount of running load to be applied to said moving body at a larger amount, on the condition that the player'"'"'s skill level exceeds a predetermined level, when said moving body contacts a partition-indicating body formed along the edge of a course to partition the inside of the course from the outside; and

dividing said running load on a per unit time or per distance unit basis and allocating the divided load for each unit time or unit distance over a specified time period or specified distance during the movement of said moving body following said moving body'"'"'s contact with said partition-indicating body.

16. A computer program product in which a program for causing a computer system to execute game processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, said computer program causing execution of the steps of:

moving a moving body on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to a player'"'"'s operations;

determining the skill level of the player;

setting the total amount of running load to be applied to said moving body at a smaller amount, on the condition that the player'"'"'s skill level does not exceed a predetermined level, when said moving body contacts a partition-indicating body formed along the edge of a course to partition the inside of the course from the outside; and

dividing said running load on a per unit time or per distance unit basis and allocating the divided load for each unit time or unit distance over a specified time period or specified distance during the movement of said moving body following said moving body'"'"'s contact with said partition-indicating body.