Storage medium having stored therein game program

• US 20050202869A1
• Filed: 12/07/2004
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Shigeru, Yoshimoto, Hirohito
• Granted Patent: US 7,309,287 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/36
• 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 13/5378 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 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/98 Accessories, i.e. detachable arrangements optional for the use of the video game device, e.g. grip supports of game controllers
• 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 change in input is made to a graphic displayed on a second display screen (12a) covered with a touch panel, with a stylus (16) or the like. By doing so, a player character P1 on a first display screen (11a) moves according to the change in the input. This allows a wide range of players to enjoy a game in a game machine having two display screens.

Claims

1. A storage medium having stored therein a game program to be executed by a computer of a game machine having a first display screen and a second display screen covered with a touch panel, the game program causing the computer to function as:

game image display control means for displaying a game image on the first display screen;

graphic display control means for displaying on the second display screen a graphic related to the game image;

input change detection means for detecting a change in input to the touch panel;

parameter extraction means for extracting, if the input detected by the input change detection means is provided to the graphic, at least two types of calculation parameters from the change in the input;

change condition calculation means for calculating, based on the calculation parameters, change condition setting data used to change the game image according to the change in the input; and

image change control means for changing the game image on the first display screen based on the change condition setting data.

2. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the game image display control means displays on the first display screen a game image containing a player character, a display of the player character changing in response to the input from a player,

the graphic display control means displays a character pattern associated with the player character;

the change condition calculation means calculates change condition setting data used to change the display of the player character according to a change in the input to the character pattern, and

the image change control means changes the display of the player character in the game image based on the change condition setting data.

3. The storage medium according to claim 2, wherein

the input change detection means detects a change in the input by determining at predetermined time intervals whether input is provided to the touch panel, and then detecting sets of position coordinates on the touch panel obtained while the input is continuously detected,

the parameter extraction means extracts, as calculation parameters, sets of position coordinates of an input start point and an input end point with respect to the touch panel,

the change condition calculation means calculates, based on the calculation parameters, change condition setting data used to move the player character according to a positional relationship between the input start point and the input end point, and

the image change control means moves the player character based on the change condition setting data.

4. The storage medium according to claim 2, wherein

the input change detection means detects a change in the input by determining at predetermined time intervals whether input is provided to the touch panel, and then detecting sets of position coordinates on the touch panel obtained while the input is continuously detected,

the parameter extraction means extracts, as calculation parameters, sets of position coordinates of an input start point and an input end point with respect to the touch panel,

the change condition calculation means calculates, based on the calculation parameters, change condition setting data used to move the player character according to a positional relationship between the input start point or the input end point and a reference position of the character pattern, and

the image change control means moves the player character based on the change condition setting data.

5. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the game program causes the computer to further function as timekeeping means for measuring an input detection time while the input to the touch panel is continuously detected,

the parameter extraction means extracts at least two types of calculation parameters including the input detection time, and

the change condition calculation means calculates, based on the calculation parameters, change condition setting data used to reflect the input detection time in movement of a player character.

6. A storage medium having stored therein a game program to be executed by a computer of a game machine having a first display screen and a second display screen covered with a touch panel, the game program causing the computer to function as:

game image display control means for displaying on the first display screen a game image containing a player character, a display of the player character changing in response to input from a player;

graphic display control means for displaying on the second display screen a character pattern associated with the player character;

input change detection means for detecting a change in the input by detecting, at predetermined time intervals, the input provided to the touch panel and then detecting sets of position coordinates on the touch panel obtained while the change in the input is detected;

input pattern extraction means for extracting, if the input detected by the input change detection means is provided to the character pattern, an input pattern closest to the change in the input from a group of input patterns prepared in advance;

emotional parameter change means for changing emotional parameters assigned to the player character, according to a type of the input pattern and the number of times the input pattern has been repeated which are extracted by the input pattern extraction means, the emotional parameters being stored; and

image change control means for changing a display of the player character based on the emotional parameters having been changed by the emotional parameter change means.

7. A storage medium having stored therein a game program to be executed by a computer of a game machine having a first display screen and a second display screen covered with a touch panel, the game program causing the computer to function as:

narrow-area map display control means for setting, within an image storage region where a game space is rendered, a first display range used to display part of the rendered game space, and displaying, as a narrow-area map, an image contained in the first display range on the first display screen at an enlarged scale;

wide-area map display control means for setting, within the image storage region, a second display range wider than the first display range, and displaying an image contained in the second display range on the second display screen, as a wide-area map;

input pattern detection means for detecting an input pattern provided to a region of the touch panel where the wide-area map is displayed, and an input position of the input pattern; and

narrow-area map updating means for updating, if the input pattern detected by the input pattern detection means is determined as a first input pattern, a display of the narrow-area map by moving the first display range to a location within the image storage region which corresponds to the input position, and then displaying an image contained in the first display range on the first display screen at an enlarged scale.

8. The storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the game program causes the computer to further function as a wide-area map updating means for updating, if the input pattern detected by the input pattern detection means is determined as a second input pattern, the wide-area map by scrolling the second display range within the image storage region in conjunction with the input pattern, and then displaying an image contained in the second display range on the second display screen.