Storage medium having game program stored thereon and game apparatus

• US 20060111182A1
• Filed: 10/19/2005
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Ikematsu, Shinichi, Matsunaga, Hiroshi, Nakanishi, Keigo
• Granted Patent: US 8,469,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/36
• 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 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands

Abstract

Reference coordinates in a coordinate system and designated coordinates based on coordinate information outputted by a pointing device are provided, and a distance between the reference coordinates and the designated coordinates is calculated. When a first mode is selected, a calculated distance is converted into a predetermined parameter using a first conversion function. On the other hand, when a second mode is selected, a calculated distance is converted into a parameter using a second conversion function. According to whether the first mode is selected or the second mode is selected, a game is processed based on the aforementioned parameter.

Claims

1. A storage medium having stored there on a game program executed by a computer in a game apparatus which is operated using a pointing device for outputting coordinate information based on a given coordinate system according to an operation of a player, wherein

the computer is operable to execute:

a selection step for selecting one of a first mode and a second mode based on a selection from the player;

a reference coordinate setting step for setting reference coordinates in the coordinate system;

a reference coordinate storage step for storing the reference coordinates;

a designated coordinate setting step for setting designated coordinates in the coordinate system based on the coordinate information outputted by the pointing device;

a calculation step for calculating a distance from the reference coordinates to the designated coordinates;

a first parameter determination step for converting, when the first mode is selected in the selection step, the distance calculated in the calculation step into a predetermined parameter using a first conversion function;

a second parameter determination step for converting, when the second mode is selected in the selection step, the distance calculated in the calculation step into the parameter using a second conversion function; and

a game process step for performing a game process, by using one of the parameter determined in the first parameter determination step and the parameter determined in the second parameter determination step, according to a selection in the selection step between the first mode and the second mode.

2. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein

the second conversion function is a function for converting the distance calculated in the calculation step into a value smaller than a value into which the distance calculated in the calculation step is converted using the first conversion function.

3. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein

the game program causes the computer to further execute a reference distance setting step for setting, when the first mode is selected in the selection step, a first reference distance as a reference for the distance calculated in the calculation step, and setting, when the second mode is selected in the selection step, a second reference distance as a reference for the distance calculated in the calculation step,

the first conversion function used in the first parameter determination step is a function for calculating, as the parameter, a ratio of the distance calculated in the calculation step to the first reference distance set in the reference distance setting step, and

the second conversion function used in the second parameter determination step is a function for calculating, as the parameter, a ratio of the distance calculated in the calculation step to the second reference distance set in the reference distance setting step.

4. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 3, wherein

when the selection step selects the first mode and the distance calculated in the calculation step is longer than the first reference distance, the first parameter determination step determines the parameter as a ratio of 100% using the first conversion function, and

when the selection step selects the second mode and the distance calculated in the calculation step is longer than the second reference distance, the second parameter determination step determines the parameter as a ratio of 100% using the second conversion function.

5. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 3, wherein

the pointing device is a touch panel,

the first mode is used when a player directly touch-operates the touch panel with a finger;

the second mode is used when a player touch-operates the touch panel with a tip of a stick type member; and

the reference distance setting step sets the second reference distance to be longer than the first reference distance.

6. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein

the game process step determines a movement speed of a game object appearing in a virtual game space based on the parameter.

7. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein

the calculation step further calculates a direction from the reference coordinates to the designated coordinates, and

the game process step performs the process based on the parameter and the direction.

8. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 7, wherein

the game process step determines a direction of a game object appearing in a virtual game space based on the direction.

9. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein

the reference coordinate setting step sets, as the reference coordinates, designated coordinates which are initially set in the designated coordinate setting step.

10. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein

the game program causes the computer to further execute:

a first game parameter determination step for converting, when a parameter determined in the first parameter determination step is smaller than a first threshold value, the parameter into a game parameter using a third conversion function;

a second game parameter determination step for converting, when a parameter determined in the first parameter determination step is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, the parameter into the game parameter using a fourth conversion function for converting the parameter into a value greater than a value into which the parameter is converted using the third conversion function;

a third game parameter determination step for converting, when a parameter determined in the second parameter determination step is smaller than a second threshold value, the parameter into the game parameter using a fifth conversion function; and

a fourth game parameter determination step for converting, when a parameter determined in the second parameter determination step is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, the parameter into the game parameter using a sixth conversion function for converting the parameter into a value greater than a value into which the parameter is converted using the fifth conversion function, and

the game process step performs the process using the game parameter determined in the first game parameter determination step or the second game parameter determination step, when the selection step selects the first mode, and performs the process using the game parameter determined in the third game parameter determination step or the fourth game parameter determination step, when the selection step selects the second mode.

11. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 10, wherein

the second threshold value is greater than the first threshold value.

12. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein

the calculation step further calculates a direction from the reference coordinates to the designated coordinates,

the game process step performs the process based on only the direction calculated in the calculation step when the selection step selects the first mode and the parameter determined in the first parameter determination step is smaller than a first threshold value, or when the selection step selects the second mode and the parameter determined in the second parameter determination step is smaller than a second threshold value, and

the game process step performs the process based on the parameter and the direction when the selection step selects the first mode and the parameter determined in the first parameter determination step is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, or when the selection step selects the second mode and the parameter determined in the second parameter determination step is greater than or equal to the second threshold value.

13. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 12, wherein the second threshold value is greater than the first threshold value.

14. A game apparatus operated using a pointing device for outputting coordinate information based on a given coordinate system according to an operation of a player, the game apparatus comprising:

a reference coordinate setting means for setting reference coordinates in the coordinate system;

a reference coordinate storage means for storing the reference coordinates;

a designated coordinate setting means for setting designated coordinates in the coordinate system based on the coordinate information outputted by the pointing device;

a calculation means for calculating a distance from the reference coordinates to the designated coordinates;

a selection means for selecting one of a first mode and a second mode based on a selection from the player;

a first parameter determination means for converting, when the first mode is selected by the selection means, the distance calculated by the calculation means into a predetermined parameter using a first conversion function;

a second parameter determination means for converting, when the second mode is selected by the selection means, the distance calculated by the calculation means into the parameter using a second conversion function; and

a game process means for performing a game process, by using one of the parameter determined by the first parameter determination means and the parameter determined by the second parameter determination means, according to a selection by the selection means between the first mode and the second mode.

15. A storage medium having stored thereon a program executed by a computer in an information processing apparatus which is operated using a pointing device for outputting coordinate information based on a given coordinate system according to an operation of a user, wherein

the computer is operable to execute:

a selection step for selecting one of a first mode and a second mode based on a selection from the user;

a reference coordinate setting step for setting reference coordinates in the coordinate system;

a reference coordinate storage step for storing the reference coordinates;

a designated coordinate setting step for setting designated coordinates in the coordinate system based on the coordinate information outputted by the pointing device;

a calculation step for calculating a distance from the reference coordinates to the designated coordinates;

a first parameter determination step for converting, when the first mode is selected in the selection step, the distance calculated in the calculation step into a predetermined parameter using a first conversion function;

a second parameter determination step for converting, when the second mode is selected in the selection step, the distance calculated in the calculation step into the parameter using a second conversion function; and

an operation process step for processing an operation, by using one of the parameter determined in the first parameter determination step and the parameter determined in the second parameter determination step, according to a selection in the selection step between the first mode and the second mode.