Game apparatus and storage medium storing game program

• US 20060116203A1
• Filed: 11/29/2005
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Nakada, Ryuichi, Hosokawa, Takehiko, Momose, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,803,049 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 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• 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 2300/1018 Calibration; Key and button assignment
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8005 Athletics

Abstract

A game apparatus includes a display and a touch panel provided thereon. A CPU core displays a game screen on the display. A user draw a circular arc path on the touch panel by continuously touching the touch panel with a stick or the like. In either case of continuous inputs so as to draw a clockwise circular arc path in a right-hander mode or continuous inputs so as to draw a counterclockwise circular arc path in a left-hander mode, it is concluded that the same input operations have been carried out. Accordingly, a user character is moved to the right in proportion to a predetermined angle in the right-hander mode, and the user character is moved to the left in proportion to the predetermined angle in the left-hander mode.

Claims

1. A game apparatus equipped with a display for displaying a game screen and using a pointing device for drawing a path by continuously designating different positions in said game screen, comprising:

a select screen displaying means that displays on said display a select screen for selecting a first input mode or a second input mode;

a first determining means for, when said first input mode is selected, determining whether or not a path extending in a first direction is drawn by said pointing device;

a second determining means for, when said second input mode is selected, determining whether or not a path extending in a second direction different from said first direction is drawn by said pointing device; and

a game process means for executing a common game process in accordance with result of determination by said first determining means or result of determination by said second determining means.

2. A game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprises a game screen displaying means for displaying a first game screen on the display when said first input mode is selected and displaying a second game screen on the display when said second input mode is selected.

3. A game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first input mode is a right-handed input mode and said second input mode is a left-handed input mode.

4. A game apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the path extending in said first direction is a right-handed circular arc path and the path extending in said second direction is left-handed circular arc path.

5. A game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said pointing device includes a touch panel provided to said display.

6. A storage medium storing a game program for a game apparatus equipped with a display for displaying a game screen and using a pointing device for drawing a path by continuously designating different positions in said game screen, wherein

said program allows a game processor to perform:

a select screen displaying step of displaying on said display a select screen for selecting a first input mode or a second input mode;

a first determining step of, when said first input mode is selected, determining whether or not a path extending in a first direction is drawn by said pointing device;

a second determining step of, when said second input mode is selected, determining whether or not a path extending in a second direction different from said first direction is drawn by said pointing device; and

a common game process step of executing a common game process in accordance with result of determination in said first determining step and result of determination in said second determining step.

7. A storage medium according to claim 6, wherein said program further allows the game processor to perform a game screen displaying step of displaying a first game screen on the display when said first input mode is selected and displaying a second game screen on the display when said second input mode is selected.

8. A storage medium according to claim 6, wherein said first input mode is a right-handed input mode and said second input mode is a left-handed input mode.

9. A storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the path extending in said first direction is a right-handed circular arc path and the path extending in said second direction is left-handed circular arc path.