Game apparatus, recording medium having game program recorded thereon, and game system

• US 20040229687A1
• Filed: 11/19/2003
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Shigeru, Sotoike, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 7,762,891 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/30
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/323 between game devices with different hardware characteristics, e.g. hand-held game devices connectable to game consoles or arcade machines
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5378 for displaying an additional top view, e.g. radar screens or maps using two or more virtual cameras concurrently A63F13/5252
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/843 involving concurrently two or more players on the same game device, e.g. requiring the use of a plurality of controllers or of a specific view of game data for each player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/307 for displaying an additional window with a view from the top of the game field, e.g. radar screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/403 Connection between platform and handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8088 involving concurrently several players in a non-networked game, e.g. on the same game console

Abstract

A game system is composed of a TV, a hand-held game machine, and a game apparatus, for example. A hand-held game machine and a plurality of controllers are connected to the game apparatus, for example. The hand-held game machine displays a first game screen which indicates the positions of first to fourth characters in a game space. The TV displays second game screens which respectively correspond to second to fourth characters, each of the second game screens displaying only a limited extent of the game space. When a predetermined condition is satisfied, an operable character for a player is switched from a first character to a second character. Since different extents of game space are displayed for different characters, an interesting game can be provided.

Claims

1. A game apparatus, having connected thereto operation means with which a player operates a character, the game apparatus outputting to display means a game screen containing characters which are operable with the operation means, comprising:

map storage means for storing map data based on which to display a game space;

character storage means for storing data of a first character and a second character which are operable by players;

operation detecting means for detecting an operation made to the operation means;

character switching means for switching an operable character by the operation means when a predetermined condition is satisfied;

first character operation controlling means for, when the character switching means selects the first character to be the operable character, controlling the first character in accordance with the operation made to the operation means;

first game screen output means for, when the first character operation controlling means controls the first character, outputting a first game screen representing a relatively broad extent of the game space containing the first character and the second character, based on the map data in the map storage means and the data in the character storage means;

second character operation controlling means for, when the character switching means selects the second character to be the operable character, controlling the second character in accordance with the operation made to the operation means; and

second game screen output means for, when the second character operation controlling means controls the second character, outputting a second game screen representing a relatively narrow extent of the game space containing the second character, based on the map data in the map storage means and the data in the character storage means.

2. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein,

the operation means comprises:

first operation means to be used by a first player; and

second operation means to be used by a second player distinct from the first player,

the display means comprises;

first display means for displaying a personal screen to be viewed by only one player; and

second display means for displaying a common screen to be viewed by all participating players,

the character switching means switches the operable character for the first player and the operable character for the second player when the predetermined condition is satisfied,

the first game screen output means outputs the first game screen to the first display means, and

the second game screen output means outputs the second game screen to the second display means.

3. The game apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first operation means is a hand-held type game apparatus including the first display means and a manipulable element with which to operate the first character.

4. The game apparatus according to claim 3, comprising a plurality of second operation means to be operated by a plurality of second players,

wherein the second game screen output means outputs to the second display means a plurality of second game screens for the respective second characters operable with the plurality of second operation means, the plurality of second game screens not overlapping one another.

5. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising residual image displaying control means for displaying, after the first character has passed through the second game screen, a residual image along a trajectory of the first character for a predetermined period of time.

6. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display region changing means for changing, for a predetermined period of time after a certain condition is satisfied, the second game screen so as to represent an extent of the game space which is broader than and encompasses the relatively narrow extent containing the second character.

7. The game apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

score storage means including a first score storage area and a second score storage area;

table generation/update means for generating table data for making associations between the first score storage area and the first player and the operable character for the first player, and associations between the second score storage area and the second player and the operable character for the second player, and updating the associations when the character switching means switches the operable characters;

score adding means for, each time the first character scores points, cumulatively adding the points; and

score writing means for, by referring to the table data, writing the points added by the score adding means to the first score storage area when the first player is associated with the first character, and writing the points added by the score adding means to the second score storage area when the second player is associated with the first character.

8. The game apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second game screen output means outputs a radar screen for displaying only a position of the second character in the entire game space to the second display means, the radar screen being displayed together with the second game screen.

9. A recording medium having recorded thereon a game program to be executed by a computer in a game apparatus having connected thereto operation means with which a player operates a character, the game program causing the game apparatus to output to display means a game screen containing characters which are operable with the operation means, and causing the computer to function as:

map storage means for storing map data based on which to display a game space;

character storage means for storing data of a first character and a second character which are operable by players;

operation detecting means for detecting an operation made to the operation means;

character switching means for switching an operable character by the operation means when a predetermined condition is satisfied;

first character operation controlling means for, when the character switching means selects the first character to be the operable character, controlling the first character in accordance with the operation made to the operation means;

first game screen output means for, when the first character operation controlling means controls the first character, outputting a first game screen representing a relatively broad extent of the game space containing the first character and the second character, based on the map data in the map storage means and the data in the character storage means;

second character operation controlling means for, when the character switching means selects the second character to be the operable character, controlling the second character in accordance with the operation made to the operation means; and

second game screen output means for, when the second character operation controlling means controls the second character, outputting a second game screen representing a relatively narrow extent of the game space containing the second character, based on the map data in the map storage means and the data in the character storage means.

10. The recording medium according to claim 9,

wherein,

the operation means comprises:

first operation means to be used by a first player; and

second operation means to be used by a second player distinct from the first player,

the display means comprises;

first display means for displaying a personal screen to be viewed by only one player; and

second display means for displaying a common screen to be viewed by all participating players, and

the game program causes the computer to function so that;

the character switching means switches the operable character for the first player and the operable character for the second player when the predetermined condition is satisfied;

the first game screen output means outputs the first game screen to the first display means; and

the second game screen output means outputs the second game screen to the second display means.

11. The recording medium according to claim 10,

wherein,

the first operation means is a hand-held type game apparatus including the first display means and a manipulable element with which to operate the first character, and

the game program causes the computer to function so that the first game screen output means outputs the first game screen to the first display means of the hand-held type game apparatus.

12. The recording medium according to claim 11,

wherein the game apparatus further comprises a plurality of second operation means to be operated by a plurality of second players,

wherein the game program causes the computer to function so that the second game screen output means outputs to the second display means a plurality of second game screens for the respective second characters operable with the plurality of second operation means, the plurality of second game screens not overlapping one another.

13. The recording medium according to claim 9, wherein the game program causes the computer to further function as residual image displaying control means for displaying, after the first character has passed through the second game screen, a residual image along a trajectory of the first character for a predetermined period of time.

14. The recording medium according to claim 9, wherein the game program causes the computer to further function as display region changing means for changing, for a predetermined period of time after a certain condition is satisfied, the second game screen so as to represent an extent of the game space which is broader than and encompasses the relatively narrow extent containing the second character.

15. The recording medium according to claim 10, wherein the game program causes the computer to further function as:

score storage means including a first score storage area and a second score storage area;

table generation/update means for generating table data for making associations between the first score storage area and the first player and the operable character for the first player, and associations between the second score storage area and the second player and the operable character for the second player, and updating the associations when the character switching means switches the operable characters;

score adding means for, each time the first character scores points, cumulatively adding the points; and

score writing means for, by referring to the table data, writing the points added by the score adding means to the first score storage area when the first player is associated with the first character, and writing the points added by the score adding means to the second score storage area when the second player is associated with the first character.

16. The recording medium according to claim 10, wherein the game program causes the computer to function so that the second game screen output means outputs a radar screen for displaying only a position of the second character in the entire game space to the second display means, the radar screen being displayed together with the second game screen.

17. A game system for playing a network game comprising a plurality of terminal devices coupled to a network, each terminal device including:

operation means with which a player operates a character;

map storage means for storing map data based on which to display a game space;

character storage means for storing data of a first character and a second character which are operable by players;

operation detecting means for detecting an operation made to the operation means;

character switching means for switching an operable character by the operation means when a predetermined condition is satisfied;

first character operation controlling means for, when the character switching means selects the first character to be the operable character, controlling the first character in accordance with the operation made to the operation means;

first game screen output means for, when the first character operation controlling means controls the first character, outputting a first game screen representing a relatively broad extent of the game space containing the first character and the second character, based on the map data in the map storage means and the data in the character storage means;

second character operation controlling means for, when the character switching means selects the second character to be the operable character, controlling the second character in accordance with the operation made to the operation means; and

second game screen output means for, when the second character operation controlling means controls the second character, outputting a second game screen representing a relatively narrow extent of the game space containing the second character, based on the map data in the map storage means and the data in the character storage means.

18. A game system comprising:

at least one hand-held type game apparatus having a display section and an operation section operable by a player;

a plurality of operation means which are operable by players;

a game apparatus for outputting a game screen in which to display characters which are operated within a game space respectively by means of the operation section of the hand-held type game apparatus and the plurality of operation means; and

display means for displaying an image based on the output game screen,

wherein,

the game apparatus includes;

map storage means for storing map data based on which to display the game space;

character storage means for storing data of a first character and a second character which are operable by players;

first character operation controlling means for controlling the first character in accordance with an operation made to the operation section of the hand-held type game apparatus;

second character operation controlling means for controlling the second character in accordance with an operation made to the operation means;

first game screen output means for outputting to the hand-held type game apparatus a first game screen representing a relatively broad extent of the game space containing at least the first character and the second character, based on the map data in the map storage means and the data in the character storage means; and

second game screen output means for outputting to the display means a second game screen representing a relatively narrow extent of the game space containing the second character, based on the map data in the map storage means and the data in the character storage means,

the hand-held type game apparatus displays the first game screen which is output from the first game screen output means on the display section, and

the display means displays the second game screen which is output from the second game screen output means.