Game apparatus and storage medium storing game program

• US 20050164784A1
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Masao, Kawanobe, Naoya
• Granted Patent: US 7,470,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/30
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• 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 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller

Abstract

A game apparatus includes two LCDs, and a touch panel is provided in relation to the one LCD. When an action game is started, a game screen is displayed on the other LCD, and a still image (capture screen) obtained by copying the game screen according to a capture operation by a player is displayed on the one LCD. When an enemy object on the capture screen is directed, stroked, and so forth by use of the touch panel, the enemy object on the game screen is frozen or erased.

Claims

1. A game apparatus in which an action game is played by displaying a game image including a player character and other objects, comprising:

a first display portion for displaying said game image;

a second display portion for displaying a captured image obtained by capturing at least said game image, and being different from said first display portion;

a touch panel mounted in relation to said second display portion for detecting operation information;

a first image storing means for temporarily storing first image data corresponding to said game image;

a second image storing means for temporarily storing second image data corresponding to said captured image;

an operation position detecting means for detecting a touch operation position on the basis of the operation information detected by a touch operation of said touch panel;

an operating means for inputting a button operation and a direction instructing operation by a player;

a game processing means for processing said action game according to an operation by said operating means;

a player character displaying means for displaying said player character on said first display portion according to an operation by said operating means;

an object data storing means for storing object data including at least kind data and display position data as to said object;

an object displaying means for displaying said object on said first display portion in correspondence with progress of said action game by said game processing means;

an image capturing means for copying and storing in said second image storing means according to said operating means the first image data stored in said first image storing means as second image data; and

an operation position determining means for, after the first image data stored in said first image storing means is copied and stored as the second image data in said second image storing means, determining whether or not the touch operation position detected by said operation position detecting means is within a display area of an object to be displayed on the second display portion on the basis of the object data stored by said object data storing means, wherein

said object displaying means controls display of said object on said first display portion on the basis of a determination result of said operation position determining means.

2. A game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said object displaying means displays in a static manner said object corresponding to said display area on said first display portion when a determination result by said operation position determining means shows within said display area.

3. A game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation position storing means for storing the touch operation position detected by said operation position detecting means when a determination result by said operation position determining means shows within said display area;

and a comparing means for comparing a current touch operation position and a previous touch operation position that are stored by said operation position storing means, wherein

said object displaying means displays in a static manner said object corresponding to said display area on said first display portion when a comparison result by said comparing means shows a coincidence, and displays in a lacked manner said object corresponding to said display area on said first display portion such that a portion equal to a line segment connecting at least said previous touch operation position and said current touch operation position is lacked when a comparison result by said comparing means shows inconsistency.

4. A game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said object data storing means stores said object data respectively corresponding to a plurality of kinds of said objects, further comprising an object kind specifying means for specifying a kind of said object on the basis of said object data of the object that is determine to be within display area by said operation position determining means, wherein

said object displaying means controls display of the object with the kind specified by said object kind specifying means on said first display portion.

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

a capturable number of times storing means for storing a limited number of times of copying of said first image data by said image capturing means;

a counting means for counting the number of times of copying of the first image data by said image capturing means; and

an inactivating means for inactivating said image capturing means when the number of times of copying is above said capturable number of times.

6. A storage medium storing a game program for playing an action game by displaying a game image including a player character and other objects,

said game apparatus, comprising:

a first display portion for displaying said game image;

a second display portion for displaying a captured image obtained by capturing at least said game image, and being different from said first display portion;

a touch panel mounted in relation to said second display portion for detecting operation information;

a first image storing means for temporarily storing first image data corresponding to said game image;

a second image storing means for temporarily storing second image data corresponding to said captured image; and

an operating means for inputting a button operation and a direction instructing operation by a player, wherein

said game program causes a processor of said game apparatus to execute following steps of;

an operation position detecting step for detecting a operation position on the basis of the operation information detected by a touch operation of said touch panel;

a game processing step for processing said action game according to an operation by said operating means;

a player character displaying step for displaying said player character on said first display portion according to an operation by said operating means;

an object displaying step for displaying said object on said first display portion in correspondence with progress of said action game by said game processing step;

an image capturing step for copying and storing in said second image storing means the first image data stored in said first image storing means as second image data according to an operation by said operating means;

an object data storing step for storing object data including at least kind data and display position data as to said object when the first image data stored in said firs image storing means is copied as the second image data in said second image storing means; and

an operation position determining step for, after the first image data stored in said first image storing means is copied and stored as the second image data in said second image storing means, determining whether or not the touch operation position detected by said operation position detecting step is within a display area of an object to be displayed on the second display portion on the basis of the object data stored by said object data storing step, wherein

said object displaying step controls display of said object on said first display portion on the basis of a determination result by said operation position determining step.

7. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 6, wherein said object displaying step displays in a static manner said object corresponding to said display area on said first display portion when a determination result by said operation position determining step shows within said display area.

8. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 6, wherein

said game program further executes an operation position storing step for storing the touch operation position detected by said operation position detecting step when a determination result by said operation position determining step shows within said display area and a comparing step for comparing a current touch operation position and a previous touch operation position that are stored by said operation position storing step, and said object displaying step displays in a static manner said object corresponding to said display area on said first display portion when a comparison result by said comparing step shows a coincidence, and displays in a lacked manner said object corresponding to said display area on said first display portion such that a portion equal to a line segment connecting at least said previous touch operation position and said current touch operation position is lacked when a comparison result by said comparing step shows inconsistency.

9. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 6, wherein

said object data storing step stores said object data respectively corresponding to a plurality of kinds of said objects,

said game program executes an object kind specifying step for specifying a kind of said object on the basis of said object data of the object that is determine to be within display area by said operation position determining step;

and

said object displaying step controls display of the object with the kind specified by said object kind specifying step on said first display portion.

10. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 6, wherein

said game apparatus further comprising a capturable number of times storing step for storing a limited number of times of copying of said first image data by said image capturing step, and

said game program executes a counting step for counting the number of times of copying of the first image data by said image capturing step and an inactivating step for inactivating said image capturing step when the number of times of copying is above said capturable number of times.