Game machine and game program

• US 20060030382A1
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Corporation
• Original Assignee: Konami Corporation
• Inventors: Muto, Takashi, Okamura, Noriaki, Hirayae, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,717,780 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/75 Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6623 for animating a group of characters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof

Abstract

A game machine is comprised of means for producing a field having two or more stages which are connected with each other on world coordinates, means for respectively locating two or more characters appearing in a game in the stage, means for locating an operation character, means for computing a character density in the stage where the operation character is located, means for judging as to whether or not the character density is lower than a predetermined character density, means for computing a number of short characters, and means for extracting the short characters from the stages other than the stage where the operation character is located and relocating the short characters.

Claims

1. A game machine, comprising:

field producing means for setting a three-dimensional virtual space where world coordinates are set in a memory and for producing a field which is comprised of two or more stages connecting with each other on said world coordinates;

character locating means for respectively locating two or more characters appearing in a game in said stages in said field;

operation character locating means for locating an operation character operable by a player through a controller in said stage of said field;

character density computing means for computing a character density in said stage where said operation character is located;

character density judgment means for judging as to whether or not said computed character density is lower than a predetermined character density;

short character number computing means for computing a number of short said characters when said character density was judged to be lower than said predetermined character density;

short character extracting relocation means for extracting said computed short characters from said stages other than one where said operation character is located, and for relocating said short characters in said stage where said operation character is located; and

image display means for displaying an image of said stage where said operation character is located on a monitor.

2. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein said short character extracting relocation means has stage selection means for selecting said stage departing from said stage where said operation character is located by a predetermined number of stages as a stage from which said short characters are to be extracted, and short character extracting means for extracting said short characters from said selected stage.

3. Game program for getting a computer to execute the following routines, comprising:

a field producing routine for setting a three-dimensional virtual space where world coordinates are set in a memory and for producing a field which is comprised of two or more stages connecting with each other on said world coordinates;

a character locating routine for respectively locating two or more characters appearing in a game in said stages in said field;

an operation character locating routine for locating an operation character operable by a player through a controller in said stage of said field;

a character density computing routine for computing a character density in said stage where said operation character is located;

a character density judgment routine for judging as to whether or not said computed character density is lower than a predetermined character density;

a short character number computing routine for computing a number of short said characters when said character density was judged to be lower than said predetermined character density;

a short character extracting relocation routine for extracting said computed short characters from said stages other than one where said operation character is located, and for relocating said short characters in said stage where said operation character is located; and

an image display routine for displaying an image of said stage where said operation character is located on a monitor.

4. A game machine comprising:

a field producing unit for setting a three-dimensional virtual space where world coordinates are set in a memory and for producing a field which is comprised of two or more stages connecting with each other on said world coordinates;

a character locating unit for respectively locating two or more characters appearing in a game in said stages in said field;

an operation character locating unit for locating an operation character operable by a player through a controller in said stage of said field;

a character density computing unit for computing a character density in said stage where said operation character is located;

a character density judgment unit for judging as to whether or not said computed character density is lower than a predetermined character density;

a short character number computing unit for computing a number of short said characters when said character density was judged to be lower than said predetermined character density;

a short character extracting relocation unit for extracting said computed short characters from said stages other than one where said operation character is located, and for relocating said short characters in said stage where said operation character is located; and

an image display unit for displaying an image of said stage where said operation character is located on a monitor.

5. The game machine according to claim 4, wherein said short character extracting relocation unit has a stage selection unit for selecting said stage departing from said stage where said operation character is located by a predetermined number of stages as a stage from which said short characters are to be extracted, and a short character extracting unit for extracting said short characters from said selected stage.