Game apparatus, storing medium that stores control program of virtual camera, and control method of virtual camera

• US 20040224761A1
• Filed: 03/19/2004
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Nishimura, Katsuhito
• Granted Patent: US 7,753,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/33
• 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 13/5258 by dynamically adapting the position of the virtual camera to keep a game object or game character in its viewing frustum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6684 by dynamically adapting its position to keep a game object in its viewing frustrum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball

Abstract

A game apparatus includes a CPU. The CPU generates a game image based on an image photographed by a virtual camera arranged in a game space, and displays the game image on a monitor connected to the game apparatus. A character location of a player character is used as a target location, for example, and the virtual camera is moved in such a manner that a location of a point-of-regard (point-of-regard location) of the virtual camera is brought close to this target location at a predetermined ratio. That is, the virtual camera follows the player character from behind after some delay.

Claims

1. A game apparatus in which a virtual camera arranged in a three-dimensional game space is made to follow a target location determined by a location of a player character in the game space so that a behavior of the player character in the game space is displayed in a displaying means as a game image, comprising:

an input-information obtaining means for obtaining input information input through an operating means by a player at intervals of the predetermined number of frames in order to move said player character in said game space;

a location updating means for updating the location of said player character and said target location in said game space based on said input information;

a virtual-camera-location updating means for updating in order a location of said virtual camera in such a manner that a distance from said target location to a reference location determined in a predetermined manner toward the location of said virtual camera at a predetermined ratio is shortened irrespective of whether or not said player character has moved; and

a game-image generating means for generating the game image based on the updated location of said player character and location of said virtual camera.

2. A game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a virtual-camera setting means for arranging the virtual camera in a location determined in a predetermined manner toward a point of regard, and setting a direction of said virtual camera in such a manner as to face said point of regard;

wherein

said reference location is a location of said point of regard,

said virtual-camera-location updating means updates in order the location of said virtual camera by updating in order the location of said point of regard in such a manner that a distance from said target location to the location of said point of regard is shortened at a predetermined ratio irrespective of whether or not said player character has moved.

3. A game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a virtual-camera setting means for arranging the virtual camera in a location determined in a predetermined manner toward a point of regard, and setting a direction of said virtual camera in such a manner as to face said point of regard;

wherein

said reference location is a location of said virtual camera,

said target location is an initial location of said virtual camera that moves in conjunction with said player character,

said virtual-camera-location updating means updates in order the location of said virtual camera in such a manner that a distance from said target location to the location of said virtual camera is shortened at a predetermined ratio irrespective of whether or not said player character has moved.

4. A game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a distance determining means for setting a maximum distance that uses said target location as a reference, and determining whether or not the distance from the target location to said reference location is rendered longer than said maximum distance;

and

a forcedly updating means for forcedly updating said reference location to a location within the maximum distance that uses said target location as a reference when determined by said distance determining means that the distance is rendered longer than said maximum distance.

5. A game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said camera-location updating means includes a reference-location calculating means for calculating an updated reference location, and

said distance determining means determines whether or not said updated reference location calculated by said reference-location calculating means is rendered longer than the maximum distance from said target location.

6. A storing medium that stores a control program of a virtual camera executed by a computer of a game apparatus in which the virtual camera arranged in a three-dimensional game space is made to follow a target location determined by a location of a player character in the game space so that a behavior of the player character in the game space is displayed in a displaying means as a game image, the control program of said virtual camera allows said computer to be functioned as following means of:

an input-information obtaining means for obtaining input information input through an operating means by a player at intervals of the predetermined number of frames in order to move said player character in said game space;

a location updating means for updating the location of said player character and said target location in said game space based on said input information;

a virtual-camera-location updating means for updating in order a location of said virtual camera in such a manner that a distance from said target location to a reference location determined in a predetermined manner toward the location of said virtual camera at a predetermined ratio is shortened irrespective of whether or not said player character has moved; and

a game-image generating means for generating the game image based on the updated location of said player character and location of said virtual camera.

7. A method of a virtual camera in a game apparatus in which the virtual camera arranged in a three-dimensional game space is made to follow a target location determined by a location of a player character in the game space so that a behavior of the player character in the game space is displayed in a displaying means as a game image, comprising following steps of:

(a) obtaining input information input through an operating means by a player at intervals of the predetermined number of frames in order to move said player character in said game space,

(b) updating the location of said player character and said target location in said game space based on said input information,

(c) updating in order a location of said virtual camera in such a manner that a distance from said target location to a reference location determined in a predetermined manner toward the location of said virtual camera at a predetermined ratio is shortened irrespective of whether or not said player character has moved, and

(d) generating the game image based on the updated location of said player character and location of said virtual camera.